Analyzing the situation, Konrad closed his eyes. While he didn't feel any moral obligation to the Holy Continent's inhabitants, they'd already turned into the building blocks of his future hegemony. The current main quest required them alive, and even if it didn't, once they perished, he would have no choice besides heading into the Barbarian Continent unprepared.
Could a one-million years old force possibly pledge allegiance to a teenaged boy? Impossible. Even if their lips spoke the words, Konrad didn't doubt their hearts would think otherwise.
And once they became aware of his current bloodline level, the consequences were hard to fathom. After all, better than anyone, they knew how little the distant Talroth could affect them. Those considerations aside, many of his women were likely to fall to this plague. How was that tolerable?
"Do you know any way to stop this plague?"
Konrad asked the system.
"Well, you can't stop it, but you could, in theory, minimize the effects. Although the Stolas progenitor's cultivation is leagues above this world, the force he can send on this mortal world to cover the Holy Continent cannot truly reach the God-level.
With an Awakened Divine Rank Stolas Physique and a God's Heart as ritual anchor, you could absorb enough miasma to lower its effects. At least, make it so that the higher the cultivation, the longer the plague takes to activate, and that death isn't the final outcome.
Perhaps we can restrain it to perpetual sufferings."
"Nonsense, how is that a solution? And even if I were willing to accept such a poor result, where do I find a God's heart?"
But as he spoke, Konrad saw a perverse opportunity in those words. Unfortunately, the same problem remained. Throughout the ages, no one had managed to break through Godhood within the Ancient Crystal World.
Where then could he find a God's Heart?
"Yo, you asked. We can't do more than that. To nullify this plague, at the very least, you'd need a Stolas God Physique. I can't give you that."
With a sigh, Konrad disconnected himself from the system. From his connection to the Phantasm Orchids, he could feel Krann and Margo had already subdued nine of the twelve dukes. The night was more than enough for them to complete that task.
As for the margraves, although their cultivation was much weaker, there were many more of them.
"Krann, once you're done with the dukes, return to my side. Margo will handle the rest. I have another task for you."
"As you command, master!"
"By the way, if you can, avoid bruising the Slesinger Duke. He's my wife's brother-in-law so we gotta give him some face."
"Hum…I guess I can put him in a dream and have him swallow the orchid of his own free will."
"Good enough."
Else vanished, leaving Konrad alone, and free to do as he saw fit. Without further delay, he activated his Invisibility Skill and flew toward Yvonne's quarters. When the entrance to her chambers flew open without showing any intruding form, Yvonne's lips curled into a smile.
"Playing hide and seek now? I'm afraid we've passed the age."
The door closed, and Konrad's voice echoed.
"We just need to make the game more mature. Wanna try sleeping with the invisible man?"
"I'll pass."
A mild chuckle escaped Yvonne's lips, and Konrad appeared by her side.
"Greetings, my unbridled lady."
He said while taking her right hand and planting a soft kiss on its back.
"Greetings, my lascivious man."
With a sudden pull, Yvonne threw Konrad onto her bed, and while holding him down, pushed her lips onto his for an impromptu kiss.
And when their kiss broke, Yvonne flicked her tongue around her lips with a mild frown.
"Mhm…female flavor."
"Lie, I made sure I removed the fragrance before I came."
Konrad replied while flipping Yvonne onto her back to hickey her neck.
"Incorrigible."
Their playful romp carried on for a few minutes before they returned to seriousness.
"I assume you felt that miasma?"
Lying by Konrad's side, Yvonne nodded. Though she couldn't grasp the purpose of that strange miasma, considering how it alarmed her demonic bloodline, it most likely came from infernal sources.
"Well, apparently…"
Konrad then enlightened her on both the threat the Holy Continent faced and his mother's origin. Faced with the reality of their new situation, Yvonne was startled.
"…which is why I will be meeting her tomorrow. This time, once I leave the palace, I'm cannot say when I will return. Maybe I will be back in a few days, maybe in a month, I'm still gone.
Why don't you leave with me?"
Yvonne shook her head.
"Once Olrich realizes my disappearance, people will die in the hundreds or the thousands. You may not be able to tell the difference between a Pure Self and the True Self, but as a True Origin Saint, Olrich can.
So if we leave, we better take everyone whose lives we remotely care about with us, and not return until we're ready to overthrow him."
Konrad naturally understood that truth, but the words still had to leave his tongue.
"But it's fine because regardless of where you go, I will be with you."
"Where? The Pure Self in my pouch? It's not the same."
Yvonne chortled and pointed her index toward Konrad's forehead.
"Here."
She then lowered it toward his chest.
"And here. Regardless of where you go. I will occupy these two places of yours. And you will inhabit mines."
Hearing those words, Konrad blinked in disbelief, and instinctively, he seized Yvonne's lips, pulling her into his arms for a night of passion.
…
On the following morning, Konrad presented himself to Olrich for their last court meeting before his departure.
"Since I won't be able to guide your cultivation for a while, I'm giving you the Formation Code.
It contains all the basic formation setting rules, and some elementary formations useful until the Arch Rank.
Since you've mastered the runic alphabet, you can use it to lay a solid foundation. When you return, we can practice more advanced formations."
Konrad received the massive grimoire, keeping it between his arm and waist.
"Your team awaits in your quarters. You can go meet them, then leave for the Water Kingdom Alliance."
"Thank you, father. I won't disappoint you."
With that said, Konrad bowed and took his leave, returning to his mansion. In the main hall, the tenth von Jurgen elder, a middle-aged looking paragon spirit awaited alongside a group of six high-level Semi-Saints and fifteen peak stage Transcendent Knights.
As a "von Jurgen junior," Konrad greeted the tenth elder with a polite bow but was royally ignored.
"I still have some things to pack, everyone please give me a minute."
Konrad said, undisturbed, and entered his cultivation chamber to take his full traveling bag.
Krann then appeared by his side.
"Take my eunuch appearance and lead those men to the Water Kingdom Alliance. On the road, use the orchids within this bag to subdue them all. If for whatever reason I need you to return early, I shall contact you."
Krann nodded, taking the bag into his hands, and assuming Konrad's eunuch appearance.
"Master, since that tenth elder disrespected you, should I torture him a little bit?"
"…at your discretion."
Krann thus resolved to give the tenth elder the thrashing of a lifetime.
To avoid suspicion, Konrad left him with his imperial duke artifacts and activated his Invisibility Skill, leaving the palace to head toward the Red-Light district his predecessor had grown up in.
It was time to meet his mother.
