Chapter 569: Chapter 541: Influence

「Flame Canyon.」

Bathed in an immense amount of blood and fire during the great war a thousand years ago, the land here remained stained blood-red to this day. From high above, the soil resembled quietly burning flames.

Ever since that war ended, this place had been occupied by the new Flame Lord, Phoenix.

He had long possessed the strength of a Great Sage and was the most powerful servant under the King of Nightmares.

Within a magnificent palace deep in Flame Canyon, the five-meter-tall, red-skinned giant let out a sudden, muffled grunt. He then snapped his eyes open, and they glinted with fury and bloodlust.

"Useless!"

He could sense his avatar had been obliterated, and a piercing pain in his soul left him agitated.

"Completely useless, all of them!"

He cursed in a rage.

Flame Wings, Serdil, and Mephisto had been entrusted with three treasures: the Witch Soul Pearl, the Heart of the Storm, and the Flaming Emblem. Their mission was to build up their forces on the Star Continent, yet he never expected them to fail so quickly and completely.

After venting his anger, Phoenix turned his attention to Ronin.

’This human Sage is powerful,’ Phoenix thought. ’Once he reaches the Crescent Continent, he is bound to strengthen the Human Race. The balance will be shattered.’

Phoenix rose to his feet. ’I need to inform Salonas and Theress about this matter and devise a counterstrategy as soon as possible.’

With that, he transformed into a small, two-to-three-meter-long Giant Dragon and flew swiftly from the palace.

In the days that followed, news that Ronin had conquered Giant Dragon City and slain Flame Wings and His Majesty Tyrone spread like wildfire, quickly reaching the nobles on other fronts.

Immediately, countless congratulatory letters were dispatched from castles across the land, all celebrating the Duke of Conqueror.

Some went even further, riding swift horses directly to Giant Dragon City to offer their congratulations in person.

Ibn’s army had all but conquered the Blackthorn Duchy, with only a few loose ends left to tie up.

When he heard the news, he temporarily handed over command of the army to his trusted officers and the Gushan Count, while he rode a Griffin south.

As his Griffin hovered above the Giant Dragon Royal Palace, Ibn gazed down at the battlefield below, his mind in turmoil.

Ronin’s swift capture of Giant Dragon City was already astonishing enough, but for Ibn, it was the sight of the Royal Palace, now reduced to rubble, that truly shocked him.

’What kind of battle could have reduced the Giant Dragon Royal Palace—a place larger than even the Golden Feather Palace—to a complete wasteland? Could Legendary Knights and Legendary Mages really accomplish something of this magnitude?’

Ibn hadn’t witnessed it firsthand, so he could scarcely imagine how fierce the fighting must have been.

But he understood one thing: Ronin was now terrifyingly powerful. The man’s strength alone was likely a match for that of an entire kingdom.

’Now, we just have to see what he does next.’

Ibn thought. But he was also certain that whatever Ronin wanted to do now, no one could stop him.

No one would dare provoke a man ruthless enough to turn a Royal Palace into ruins in a single battle.

It wasn’t just Ibn watching Ronin’s every move; all the nobles were doing the same.

According to the agreement reached at the previous council of nobles, once Giant Dragon City was taken, Ronin would be free to establish his own Kingdom.

At the same time, it was also time for a new King of the Oduin Kingdom to be enthroned.

So, who would take the throne?

Whether in terms of strength, military achievements, or influence, virtually no one could compete with Ronin now.

Therefore, many people simply assumed that Ronin would inherit the throne of the Oduin Kingdom, newly unify the Orland Continent, and establish a new Empire.

However, two subsequent pieces of news once again took them completely by surprise.

First, Ronin would not be inheriting the throne of the Oduin Kingdom.

Second, Ronin had reached the unprecedented realm of a Sage, and his power now surpassed even that of the first Emperor Orland.

Upon hearing the first piece of news, Ibn’s heart burned with ambition. ’Since Ronin has given up the throne of Oduin, does this mean my chance has come?’

However, the second piece of news instantly sobered him.

Although the concept of a Sage was foreign to him, the ruins of the Giant Dragon Royal Palace served as a stark reminder of what a Sage truly was.

’If a man like that won’t inherit the throne of the Oduin Kingdom, then who else is possibly qualified?’

Then a thought struck Ibn. Perhaps it wasn’t that Ronin didn’t want to inherit the throne, but that he had reservations.

’As for what could make a Sage hesitate...?’

Ibn thought it over and over. In the end, it could only be a matter of reputation.

’Ronin wants to unify the Orland Continent and found a new Empire. He certainly won’t name it after Oduin, and he probably won’t use the name Orland Empire, either.’

’But if he chooses a new name... as the Duke of Conqueror and His Majesty Bruno’s son-in-law, would it be appropriate for him to completely erase the influence of the Oduin name?’

’Perhaps I should draft a joint letter with the other nobles, urging Ronin to accept the Oduin throne.’

At this thought, everything clicked into place for Ibn. He immediately sprang into action, intending to present this joint letter as a gift for Ronin’s coronation on the ninth of September.

In truth, Ronin did have such concerns, but he was more interested in being able to implement his policies with greater ease.

While his people and the Ministry of Rites worked feverishly to arrange the coronation ceremony and decorate Mist Castle, Ronin, after some deliberation, decided to first invest just over seventy-seven thousand points of Energy Essence into Carlos.

Looking at the one-to-two-meter-long miniature Giant Dragon floating before him, Ronin was surprised to find that he now found Carlos rather adorable.

Now that the Giant Dragon had reached the Legendary Level, Ronin could sense that both Carlos’s physical body and his soul had undergone a massive transformation.

The baptism of worldly energy during his breakthrough was especially potent. While not as great as that of a Sage, it was far more concentrated than the one Ronin had experienced when he became Legendary.

Although Carlos had only just stepped into the Legendary realm, his power was so great that even an expert at the Legendary Peak would be no match for him.

And if Carlos were to unleash his two innate abilities, even a Sage would be forced to take notice.

Carlos’s "Extreme Cold Embrace" could freeze a person’s body and soul solid, and its effect on the soul was far more powerful than the ability Phoenix’s avatar had used.

However, the ability’s effect depended on Carlos’s intent.

He could place a target in suspended animation, releasing them when needed. Even a person on the verge of death could have their injuries instantly stabilized, to be thawed out later when they could be properly healed.

His Fire Attribute ability, "Twisted Flame Spirit," released a swarm of young flame dragons. Not only did they carry scorching Flame, but upon exploding, they created a distortion field that would drag enemies into the morass of a warped space.

This attack was somewhat similar to Ronin’s Vacuum Strangulation Skill, as both contained a degree of Space Profound Meaning.

After upgrading Carlos, Ronin still had over one hundred thousand points of Energy Essence remaining. He then used another thirty-eight thousand points to raise Ridder’s strength to Legendary Perfection.

He also learned that raising Ridder’s aptitude to the Sage Level would require one hundred thousand Energy Essence.

In other words, he only needed to accumulate another thirty-two thousand points.

Becoming a King or developing the Wubei Territory into a metropolis—completing either achievement would be enough to meet this requirement.

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