Chapter Ninety-Four: Exploring Secrets and Absorption

Lando stepped out of the old chief’s chamber in the Skybird Tribe and looked once more upon the thriving little settlement. For some reason, he found it rather amusing.

In the fields, the people still worked with relentless diligence; the elders, the women, and the half-grown children still busily raised wooden huts; the youngsters still played without a care. Only the two figures who had been speaking in secret inside the tent were nowhere to be seen.

It was still some time before noon, and Lando wanted to finish his search as quickly as possible so as not to delay lunch.

The Red Leopard Tribe stood on a high rise in the middle of the plateau. On three sides, the ground fell away in steep drops of several dozen feet, while only one side sloped gently.

The steep sides offered no cover at all. The watchtowers on the floating island overlooked everything below, and numerous warriors patrolled beneath them, making the defenses extremely tight.

On the gentle slope, there were multiple checkpoints. One could say the entire tribe was sealed up with watertight security.

Unfortunately, none of this mattered to Lando. He strode right through the checkpoints with grand ease; the warriors guarding them saw him as though he did not exist. Or rather, they truly could not see him.

Once inside the Red Leopard Tribe, he sensed someone sleeping in a small house at the edge of the settlement.

Sleeping in broad daylight?

Lando went in and found the room very plain. Its contents were scattered rather haphazardly, but the standard border armor was clean and newly polished, neatly arranged in place.

He guessed this had to be a border guard who had taken the night shift and was now back from duty, catching up on sleep.

The mist spread, and the warrior’s slumber deepened at once.

"Tell me your name."

"Nilo..."

"Your rank?"

"Border guard..."

Lando nodded and began asking more detailed questions. A moment later, he left the room, and the sleeping warrior seemed only to have dreamed.

He did not learn much of value, as he had expected. After all, this was only a small fry. Still, he did gain a clear understanding of the general layout of the tribe.

Directly beneath the enormous multicolored crystal stood a grand hall. On its roof was the Red Leopard Tribe’s totem: a crystal leopard carved from a single piece of blazing red crystal. One could tell the sculptor possessed exquisite skill. The crystal leopard was lifelike, as if ready to spring and devour someone, and it would surely place immense pressure on anyone who entered the hall.

The grand hall was where the tribe’s priest conducted rites, something such a small tribe would not possess otherwise.

The priest’s strength was unknown, but the Red Leopard Tribe had two ninth-tier powerhouses. One was the chief, said to be an absolute powerhouse even among ninth-tier experts. The other was an ordinary ninth-tier warrior. There were more than ten eighth-tier experts, and among them one was said to possess ninth-tier strength as well. That person held a transcendent status within the tribe, able to stand on equal footing with the other ninth-tier warrior, second only to the priest and the chief.

Since Lando had come to gather intelligence, he naturally focused on the written records in the chambers of the upper ranks. He went to the center of the tribe and searched only the rooms that looked tall and luxurious. After making a circuit, the results were rather underwhelming, though he unexpectedly extracted a few souls, so it was not entirely fruitless.

"Pah. What a bunch of brutes!"

Lando arrived at a lavish room second only to the priest’s hall. After sensing it briefly and finding no especially strong presence, he entered without restraint.

In a certain hall, a group of young men were drinking and making merry. Lando clicked his tongue but leaned in and listened for a while.

"Congratulations, Young Chief. I heard you’re about to be married. I wonder which girl is lucky enough to have you?"

"Don’t mention it. She’s from some little tribe. I don’t even know if my father has gone senile to make such a decision."

The people below did not dare respond to that, and could only cough awkwardly to cover it.

Lando listened a while longer. It was all wine, women, and revelry, and he soon lost interest. He went straight to the study and scanned every written record within.

The haul was quite substantial. For instance, the enormous multicolored crystal was the nexus of the region’s veins; there were detailed maps of the surrounding land, intelligence on the major and minor tribes, and one piece of information that surprised Lando: the Red Leopard Tribe had once been sent by a powerful tribe to hunt down the Skybird Tribe.

"Interesting," Lando murmured.

Next came the priest’s hall. By now, he was much more cautious, after all, he still wanted to inspect the giant multicolored crystal. If he stirred up trouble here, the rest of his plan would be thrown into disarray.

Looking at the red leopard totem above the hall, Lando avoided its gaze and fully activated the mindscape domain. Just as he was about to step inside, a chill of foreboding made him stop.

Lando frowned and decisively abandoned the idea of entering. He turned and left.

Not long after he was gone, an old man in a long robe shuffled unsteadily to the entrance of the hall. He scanned the area in confusion, but found nothing.

It was only after the old man had returned to the hall for quite some time that Lando emerged from behind a gigantic decorative boulder in the distance. Wiping away nonexistent cold sweat, he took a wide detour around the hall without hesitation and headed to the far side of the giant multicolored crystal.

…

Only when he drew near did he realize that the giant crystal was enclosed by towering stone walls. The sole entrance and exit was the priest’s hall directly ahead; every other path was sealed off. Beyond the walls, guards stood every few steps, watchful sentries every few paces, each one focused and constantly sweeping the surroundings, not missing the slightest disturbance. The defenses here were far tighter than those at the border.

Lando shrugged. He casually picked a spot by the stone wall, bewildered the two nearby guards, and then wisps of green mist rose into view, silently dissolving the stone. Once he slipped inside, earth and rock gathered to fill the gap, and after the mist spread, the fresh trace swiftly took on a form nearly identical to the surrounding wall.

Inside the enclosure, the place felt far more untamed. Wild grass and creeping vines grew everywhere, and some vines even tried to climb the giant multicolored crystal.

When Lando came before the crystal, he immediately felt the vast energy surging within it. Through the perspective of the mindscape domain, he could see streams of energy rising from the earth and pouring into the giant multicolored crystal, whereupon they radiated outward to nourish the entire plateau. A few strands were gathered by some peculiar method, forming the energy that sustained the floating island. It was clear that the crystal energy on the floating island above was denser and purer still; prolonged stay there would surely bring immense benefit.

A great portion of it was also linked to the priest’s hall, as though some other arrangement had been made there.

Excitement flashed in Lando’s eyes. He reached out toward the giant multicolored crystal; direct contact would be far more favorable for activating the mindscape domain.

Streams of energy were converted by the mindscape domain, and the fourth-tier crystal familiar received the pure crystal energy, beginning to grow at an accelerated pace.

Half... sixty... seventy... eighty... ninety... one hundred.

Crystal Familiarist, fourth tier, one hundred percent -> Crystal Familiarist, fifth tier, zero percent

The process was not short, but the delight of reaping the harvest was enough to make Lando reluctant to stop.

Even as the energy continued to be absorbed, a sudden discovery caused his excitement to recede slightly, plunging him into thought.

Time passed little by little. When the progress once again reached one hundred percent—

Crystal Familiarist, fifth tier, one hundred percent -> Crystal Familiarist, sixth tier, zero percent

—his rising ability finally confirmed the suspicion he had formed.

Boom!

A massive black-and-red slash flew toward Lando as though it meant to tear the firmament apart, shredding everything in its path.