Translator: Ryogawa
TLC: Hedonist
“What should we do?” Goron said with a grim expression. The other members of the house also turned solemn.
“Since we can’t avoid it, we have to prepare ourselves as best we can.” Han Shuo smiled in a relaxed manner. “I’ve already talked to the Gods of Darkness, Death, and Destruction. The Fringe will be allying up with them.”
Those words sent a wave of confusion through the rest, who didn’t know how in the world he managed to reach out to the three Quintessence overgods.
“And they agreed?” Stratholme said with a look of shock.
Han Shuo nodded. “I went to the Dominion of Darkness personally to meet with Amon, Cratos, and Nestor. The moment the battle of the gods spreads throughout Elysium, our forces will join up with theirs against the alliance on the God of Light’s side.”
They had no idea how and when he had gone to the dominion. The news about the agreement with the other three Quintessence overgods was shocking enough for them. Most of them didn’t even know their real names, but they believed in Han Shuo’s power and were excited that he managed to form an alliance with them.
To them, Quintessence overgods were ultimate beings that stood at the top of the pedestal. Nothing else in this universe could possibly go against them. Everyone else was nothing but lowly servants before the twelve great ones.
Apart from a few elites or city lords of the Twelve Divine Dominions, few had truly seen the Quintessence overgods, not to mention being aware of the true extent of their power, which was why they were flabbergasted that Han Shuo had reached an agreement with the three of them.
Romon and Goron were pumped for the upcoming battle; they were hardly pacifists. After living in peace in the Fringe for so long, they began to feel a little weighed down by the lack of action.
“Before that comes to pass, we have to gather all our forces across the Fringe.” He turned to Stratholme, Ayermike and a few others who were keen on strategy. “I’ve told Salas and Wasir to gather their forces as well. They will join up with us. As for the rest of you, go to the Hexopolis to coordinate the steps we take moving forward.”
Given Han Shuo’s powerful consciousness and Wasir and Salas’s powerful souls, they were able to communicate rather easily through telepathy. Now that he had briefed them on the situation, he said, “This battle has the potential to launch us into prominence. We must start stocking up on goods from Goldstone Enterprise and the Celestial Pearl for our own forces.”
Currently, Han Shuo was the de facto ruler of the Fringe, with Salas and Wasir operating on his advice. However, he treated them like his allies rather than as cannon fodder. He would gather anything that could give his allies an advantage to make sure they were fully armed and prepared.
The folks in the Pandemonium moved quickly to carry out his orders. The Five Elite Zombies all went to Hexopolis to start fortifying it. With Andrina and Han Jin there, they should be able to increase the city’s defensive capabilities substantially.
As for what strategy they would adopt during the battle of the gods, there were many suggestions. After they decided on a general framework, Han Shuo asked for all of them to leave, but Sanguis, Gilbert, Bollands, Phoebe, Emily, Fanny and Jasper stayed back. The former three asked Han Shuo about aspects of the demonic arts that still confounded them, while the women wanted to have a private conversation with him.
Rose, seeing them flock around Han Shuo, felt a little downcast. She had wanted to talk to him, but she felt a little hesitant due to how far apart they had grown now. All of a sudden, she took a step forward and said, “Bryan, I would like to leave the Fringe for some time.”
Han Shuo was in the midst of explaining the demonic arts to Bollands when he snapped and turned to Rose. “What’s wrong? Are you not happy living here?”
The other women beside him seemed to notice something amiss and turned to look at her, before turning back to Han Shuo and exchanging glances with themselves.
“These days, the Pandemonium is filled with powerful people. Not to mention, you’re here, so nobody would dare mess with you anymore. I no longer have much use here and I’ve reached a cultivation bottleneck, so I plan to travel the Twelve Divine Dominions for new experiences.” Even though she gave her reasons naturally, she avoided the gaze of the women.
“The density of elements here is much higher than elsewhere, and there are more advanced cultivators here from whom you can seek guidance. I feel like you’ll improve here more quickly,” Han Shuo said. “Not to mention, these are dangerous times. Why are you in a hurry to leave now?”
Emily smiled and suddenly grabbed Rose’s arm tightly and said, “That’s right, why are you in a hurry to leave? We’re really thankful for what you did for us in the Dominion of Darkness. We would’ve been in lots of trouble if not for you. Lately, we’ve been rather busy with cultivation, so we haven’t really had time to spend together. We can always make up for lost time later.”
Rose felt a little uneasy about Emily getting so intimate with her, however. She didn’t know how to react as she felt a little overwhelmed.
As for Phoebe, Fanny and Jasper, they were initially taken aback by her actions, though they quickly reacted and came to convince Rose to stay with beaming smiles on their faces. Whether it was their convincing reasons or their sudden display of camaraderie, Rose agreed to stay in the end without bringing the matter up any longer. Han Shuo smiled subtly as he listened in on the conversation.
