"The Great Catastrophe and 'Eclipse'..."

Ariel Watson furrowed her brows, repeatedly uttering these chilling words, her face filled with concern: "Lord, could the specifics of the Great Catastrophe mean the full emergence of 'Eclipse,' sweeping across the entire Earth?!"

"Indeed, it seems that this is the very source of the Great Catastrophe we've been pursuing, or rather, the truth."

Leo Ray nodded slightly, confirming Ariel Watson's thoughts.

As he spoke, knowingly facing a dire predicament, strands of cold sweat appeared on Leo Ray's forehead.

Previously, at the Lord Arena, when Ethan Young suggested that the Great Catastrophe and tectonic wars might be one and the same, Leo Ray secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that if so, it would be much easier to handle, as the decisive battles between Lords would not begin immediately.

Now it seems that things are evidently far more complex and deadly than imagined.

"Your Majesty, what exactly do you and Her Majesty the Queen mean by 'Eclipse'?"

Old Nick looked at Leo Ray's solemn expression and cautiously inquired.

"Your Excellency Nick, 'Eclipse' refers to those strange eyeballs you saw. We have fought against them and ultimately achieved victory."

Leo Ray did not express his internal worries, responding with a smile.

"Impressive, Your Majesty, to even defeat those terrifying monsters!"

Old Nick's face was filled with excitement, nodding repeatedly: "With Your Majesty's guidance, the Human Clan will surely redefine the glory of the Silver Moon Era!"

"Alright, Your Excellency Nick, rest early."

Leo Ray maintained his smile, saying: "Your contributions to the Human Clan are invaluable. I shall bestow upon you the title of Coldflame Earl. From now on, you need not worry about livelihood; all expenses will be borne by the Coldflame Royal Family, and all your requests will be fulfilled. Enjoy your old age here."

"I am immensely grateful for Your Majesty's benevolence!"

Upon hearing this, Old Nick knelt down again, his weathered face filled with mixed emotions of excitement and reverence, almost in tears.

After a moment, Old Nick wiped his cheeks, his face once again taking on a serious expression, continuing: "Your Majesty, the Human Clan is in dire need of personnel. Although my talents are limited, I am after all a member of the Human Clan. I do not wish to spend the rest of my life idly; please command me at will, Your Majesty!"

"Understood, then you shall first recuperate and adjust here for a while. Other grants remain unchanged. During this process, I will ensure your strength rises significantly, and then grant you an appropriate position."

Leo Ray deliberated for a moment and then agreed to the request.

To speak of it, Old Nick survived an 'Eclipse' attack, perhaps he might play a crucial role in the future.

Accompanied by the sound of Old Nick's endless gratitude, Leo Ray bid farewell to the former and left the room with the others.

Afterward, they swiftly arrived at the secret conference room of the Trading Conference, where the atmosphere remained extremely serious.

"Lord, Your Lordship, I have a question: why did 'Eclipse' spare the life of old Mr. Nick?"

Amidst the heavily solemn and silent atmosphere, the ever-present Little Moon couldn't hold back, first stammering the question.

"Remember what Old Nick mentioned, those three words?"

Leo Ray took a deep breath, replying: "Apart from 'Great Catastrophe,' there are also 'Announcement Messenger' and 'Spreading Fear.' Standing from 'Eclipse's' standpoint, combining these terms, the only possibility they spared Old Nick is deliberately doing so."

"Lord, Your Lordship, are you suggesting they've taken old Mr. Nick as the 'Announcement Messenger,' using him to 'spread fear' among us?"

Little Moon quickly reacted, a flush of anger spreading on her fair face as she frowned: "It truly is insane, I've never seen someone tortured to such a state as old Mr. Nick."

"More accurately, this is their provocation, their contempt for us."

Leo Ray furrowed his brows, his fists clenched, making a creaking sound.

"But because of this, old Mr. Nick could narrowly escape disaster, and we can glimpse the truth of the Great Catastrophe."

Ariel Watson picked up the conversation, nodding emphatically: "Yet I believe, they will ultimately pay for their arrogance. The Human Clan, although still on the march forward, is no longer the weak existence it once was."

Upon hearing Ariel Watson's words, everyone nodded repeatedly, adding a touch of vigor to the already heavy atmosphere in the room.

"Lord, Your Lordship, there's still one thing I'm confused about. Since last winter when old Nick and others were attacked, it has been nearly a year. Why hasn't 'Eclipse' launched an attack yet?"

Gael pondered again and again, ultimately voicing his doubts, his face filled with puzzlement.

Upon hearing Gael's words, others also shifted their gaze, all looking toward Leo Ray.

From everyone's puzzled expression, it's clear this question has been troubling the group for a long time.

It's conceivable that even with our current methods, we cannot contend against a large-scale 'Eclipse,' let alone previously.

"I believe 'Eclipse' is not unwilling to do so, but unable to do so."

Leo Ray gently rubbed his chin, responding: "If my prediction is correct, they probably don't yet have the capability to mass emerge above the surface."

"But Your Majesty, during the Dragon Nest battle, we clearly already encountered so many 'Eclipse,' didn't we?"

Grey Elder's old face first showed a hint of puzzlement, but quickly caught on, blurting out: "No, there was another extremely important condition at that time — the eruption of magical ley lines. Do you mean that 'Eclipse' can presently only emerge using the power of magical ley lines?"

"Indeed, that forms the basis of my reasoning."

Leo Ray nodded slightly, affirming Grey Elder's words.

Leo Ray understood clearly that it's not only this incident but also another event capable of validating his conjecture: the final battle of the Loren Kingdom a thousand years ago.

At the time, the Loren Kingdom utilized the power of magical ley lines to continuously supply energy to the Absolute Defense Barrier, blocking the opponent's Alliance Army for a long time.

Ultimately, they suffered backlash, as the Alliance Army used magical ley lines to detonate the Absolute Defense Barrier, thereby destroying half the capital and eventually fading into history.

For the same reason, the White Knight unexpectedly obtained 'Eclipse' parasitism while lingering, surviving to the present day.

This shows clearly that the 'Eclipse' parasitic on the White Knight likely emerged to the surface through the magical ley lines anomaly.

Understanding Leo Ray's speculation, everyone felt enlightened and subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

Since the enemy cannot yet launch a fatal attack, we undoubtedly have more time to prepare.

"Do not lower your guard; don't forget according to the prophecy, the Great Catastrophe might arrive after the advent of a billion Lords."

Leo Ray discerned what everyone was feeling and reminded them: "In other words, 'Eclipse' might still sweep across the Earth at any moment."

"Lord, Your Lordship, what exactly is the force that's continuously restraining 'Eclipse'?"

Kelsey tilted her head, voicing her confusion.

"It is currently unknown; the information we have is overly limited, many are merely speculative, greatly impacting our judgment."

Leo Ray's brows furrowed further, shaking his head helplessly.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions became solemn once again.

What the Lord said is correct; under these circumstances, we are undoubtedly at a very passive stance.

"But worry not, we actually have a method to further understand our opponent."

Leo Ray's eyes shone brightly, speaking: "That is to directly converse with 'Eclipse.'"

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