The reason Izroth brought Luna to meet with Kryxelsia was for that exact confirmation. He figured that the effects would not be permanent, but he did not want to take any chances.
After some small talk, Izroth decided to mention the Scorching Death Mark of the Pzenium Kingdom that he was marked with. But, even Kryxelsia did not have the methods to remove the Scorching Death Mark.
"It is a unique form of curse magic that sacrifices one's soul as the price. Unless you receive a divine cleansing, it will be impossible to remove the mark. However, while I cannot remove it, I can help make it a bit more difficult to discover your exact location." Kryxelsia explained. She removed a silver metal armband with magic symbols carved into it. After chanting a few words, the armband disappeared from the palm of her hands and reappeared on Izroth's left arm.
She then continued, "That item will scatter the signal from your Scorching Death Mark, making it challenging for anyone to pinpoint your position using the mark. However, it is limited to a range of five kilometers. They will still know your general location is within that area, so you must exercise caution."
"I will keep your words in mind. This favor will one day be repaid, Wiseman." Izroth replied with a carefree smile.
Izroth was not afraid of the Great Duke of the Pzenium kingdom sending other assassins after him; however, he did not enjoy having a live beacon attached to him 24/7. As a neutral kingdom, who knew what side the Pzenium kingdom would take in the upcoming war? If they chose to join sides with the shadahi, then it would only make things even more complicated than they already were!
Kryxelsia nodded as she turned to face Luna and said, "Young one, pay a visit to my abode in Everpeak when you have a chance. There are many things to discuss regarding your… Unique condition."
"Then, I will thank the Wiseman in advance for her kindness," Luna stated politely. Although they had not known each other long, Kryxelsia treated her with a great deal of care without asking for anything in return. The natural bond that existed between members of the Trephasia race was indeed strong!
Izroth's eyes fell onto the young Trephasia; whose drowsy gaze seemed to be far off in the distance. Not a single word parted from her mouth since they arrived in the room. Was she incapable of speech yet? Or, was the young Trephasia's focus on something else entirely? Whatever the case, her expression and demeanor gave her an almost doll-like appearance.
"Will she be alright?" Luna asked as she glanced over at the young Trephasia.
"All in good time. She has awakened, but the major part of her consciousness remains in a deep slumber." Kryxelsia replied as she walked to the side of the bed and took the young Trephasia into her arms. Then, without uttering a word, a tear in space that resembled a portal appeared in front of Kryxelsia.
'To cast such complex spatial magic instantly without a chant—I'm afraid the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia's spatial magic does not come close to comparing.'
"The world will soon be thrown into chaos. There are several hidden hands at work on all sides, and you have too many powerful enemies, Izroth. Your current strength is not yet enough to carry these burdens. You must correct this as soon as possible; otherwise, even if you survive and make the journey to the Mother of All Forests, you will surely perish." Kryxelsia warned as she stepped through the spatial portal with the young Trephasia and disappeared from the Mystical Realm Palace. The moment she entered the spatial portal, the area of space immediately repaired itself. Just like that, she was gone.
As for Kryxelsia's words—Izroth knew that she was not wrong. The number of his enemies only seemed to be increasing, and his present strength was not enough to protect himself, let alone those close to him. Now, according to Kryxelsia, if he journeyed to the Mother of All Forests, then he was practically welcoming his own demise.
Kryxelsia should be well aware of Izroth's strength. After all, she knew that he placed first in the second team's selection—a feat not easily accomplished. Therefore, the Mother of All Forests must be quite an unforgiving and inhospitable place for people to travel.
'Nothing good comes from rushing ahead. I will deal with these issues as they come; for now, my main focus remains unchanged. I will increase my overall strength and influence.'
All of a sudden, Izroth felt a slight tug on his arm sleeve. He looked over and was instantly greeted by a lovely smile.
"You are not alone. Your enemies are also our enemies. Even if it is just a little, allow us to carry some of that burden… Allow me to…" Luna stated without the slightest bit of hesitation. There was a look of clarity and resolve in her eyes; however, Luna strayed off with her last few words as she looked down as if she were intentionally avoiding eye contact with Izroth.
A slight smile unknowingly found its way onto Izroth's face as he said, "Your words, I will not forget them."
…
A few moments later, Izroth and Luna arrived back in the conference room on the 1st floor of the Mystical Realm Palace. Things had become lively as everyone seemed to be getting to know one another—at least, almost everyone. Azalea was off in a corner and kept to herself. However, Izroth was not surprised by this as he understood Azalea's personality well enough to know that she was not exactly the most sociable individual.
Not too long after Izroth and Luna's return, things quickly settled down. That was when Izroth decided to disclose the Awakening of The Lost Bloodline quest to everyone present.
Of course, besides Luna and himself, Mirage and Azalea were already aware of the quest as they had received it as well. But, for everyone who did not know about the quest, they were shocked! An SSS-ranked quest! It was actually a rare SSS-ranked quest!
Though there were a few that had unsurprised expressions on their faces—Zi Yi, Halls, Guan Yu, and Valentine had been with Izroth long enough that they were used to these things.
"It was only a matter of time until it happened again." Zi Yi sighed.
"What do you expect? Great things happen to great people—and my brother is a great person!" Guan Yu stated excitedly.
When the other players in the conference room heard Zi Yi say "again", they nearly coughed up blood from shock! Again?! Did she mean that this was not the first time he came across an SSS-ranked quest?!
One had to know that even an S-ranked quest was impossible for most players to get their hands on. As for SSS-ranked quest—this was a nonexistent dream for the vast majority! Not to mention, SSS-ranked quests were rumored to affect things on a world scale. How frightening was a quest with those kinds of consequences present? But, more importantly, how amazing would the rewards be?
Izroth briefly explained the details of the quest and shared it with those in the conference room, excluding Worldly Skies, Metronome, and Gu Chao. Their levels were simply too low, and all three of them were non-combatant type players. This meant that including Izroth himself, Luna, Zi Yi, Halls, Guan Yu, Valentine, Azalea, Mirage, Qi Jiguang, Midnight, and Omega also possessed the quest Awakening of The Lost Bloodline. This left one remaining slot for the quest that was yet to be filled.
But, even after receiving the quest, Qi Jiguang, Midnight, and Omega were still in a state of disbelief. It really was an SSS-ranked quest!
"We have just decided to join your guild, and yet we are already being gifted an SSS-ranked quest. Is this the entry reward for all new members?" Omega said jokingly with a weak smile.
"There's even a chance to obtain a divine treasure chest…!" Midnight commented as reading over the quest details. What was a divine item? Even a full set of legendary equipment could not compare to a single divine item! Although the chance of obtaining a divine item was only 0.001%, there was still a possibility—this could not be ignored. As for the other rewards, they were also in another league compared to what one usually received from quests in RML.
"An SSS-ranked quests… To think you had something like that up your sleeves. I have to say; you never cease to surprise. It's times like this I almost regret being a merchant." Metronome commented with a small grin.
"Although an SSS-ranked quest sounds interesting, I will take standing before a cauldron over it any day." Worldly Skies stated.
"Hehe, big sis Worldly Skies has a true love for her craft." Gu Chao said. Similar to Worldly Skies, he preferred a furnace over the tedious task of adventuring. Besides, an existence wipe from failing the quest was not ideal.
"Alright, now that this matter is settled. It's time to talk about the upcoming war between the kingdoms." Izroth announced.
…
Over the next couple of hours, Izroth and the group started to piece together a solid plan for the incoming war, as well as what roles they would play. As for which side they were choosing in the war, it was obviously Amaharpe, which was allied with Proximus. When it came time to select a vice guild-leader, it was agreed that this role would fall to Zi Yi.
"That settles everything. We will meet at the arranged spot in six days. Be prepared, everyone." Izroth said. With that, after bidding one another farewell, everyone took their leave from the conference room to make personal preparations for the upcoming event.
However, as Metronome was about to leave, Izroth stopped him.
"I need craftsmen. But, not just anyone will do. They should be talented, but more than anything, they need to be trustworthy. What are your thoughts on this?" Izroth asked. He had a few ideas of his own; however, he wanted to use this chance to see how Metronome would approach the situation.
Metronome remained silent as a thoughtful expression appeared on his face. After thinking things over a bit, he came up with an answer.
"Why not hold a competition? You can use the competition to gauge their talent and test their integrity as they compete for a spot in the Mystical Realm Palace. As for spreading the word and putting it together—I can make it happen in three days. Since I can borrow the name of the Mystical Realm Palace, it should not be too hard to gather a crowd to compete." Metronome stated.
"A competition? Not a bad idea." Izroth agreed as he held up one finger.
He then continued, "However, let's make things a bit more interesting, shall we?"
