Chapter 792: Reaping Post-battle Benefits
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Katchirda…
The sandstorm finally ceased, but Reynolds fell into a coma, and the Katchirda tribe also came over to ask for instructions on what to do next. Suddenly, there were a thousand and one things to attend to. Although Gong Yi, who was also severely injured, was worried about w.a.n.g Zhong, he had no choice but to pull himself together to get a grip on matters.
Grai and the others were filled with anxiety. They wanted to set out to find w.a.n.g Zhong, but they were stopped by the Katchirda elders. After the sandstorm, the desert had completely changed. Traces of the previous battle had also disappeared completely. To enter the desert after a sandstorm without a guide, drinking water, and camels was playing with fire. Not to mention Heroic Souls, even Heavenly Souls wouldn’t be able to survive it unless one had already successfully pa.s.sed their Heavenly Calamity.
Every second and minute was torturous to everyone until a young dark kid rushed in. “Someone has come back! Sister Hong is back!”
Everyone rushed out almost instantly. This time, Grai was the slowest to react. He couldn’t help but smile. w.a.n.g Zhong won?
“w.a.n.g Zhong!”
Napier was the first to notice w.a.n.g Zhong. He jumped up instantly, dropped the water bag in his hand, and rushed over.
After seeing w.a.n.g Zhong, everyone instantly felt calm, as though they had suddenly found their pillar.
Sharmie took Sister Hong and helped her to the medical room. Everyone hugged w.a.n.g Zhang tightly. Their relations.h.i.+p was actually established through battle. Although people like Sharmie liked w.a.n.g Zhong as a person quite a bit, it was only through constant battle that made them develop the feeling of being ‘comrades-in-arms.’
This could only be verified by experiencing life and death.
w.a.n.g Zhong did not leave immediately as he a.s.sumed that there would be more trouble in the future. What he did not expect was that the Katchirda Oasis had made a name for itself in the Tutankhamun Empire within just a few days.
A force capable of destroying the Scorpion Mercenaries and killing Moyus was definitely not a force to be reckoned with in Tutankhamun.
Caslort had chickened out. It was said that he was frightened out of his wits when he learned of Moyus’s death. He immediately sent a messenger to negotiate for peace and behaved in the humblest way possible. He knew that there were countless people eyeing his current position.
It was not that Gong Yi and the others had not thought about it. Would everything be over if they killed Caslort when they had the chance?
No, this was just the beginning. In the desert, they were actually the outsiders. Taking things too far would make them have zero room to maneuver. It was impossible for w.a.n.g Zhong to stay here forever. They still had to rely on themselves after w.a.n.g Zhong’s departure. What was the trump card of a feudal lord?
They were not sure, but one thing could be certain. Moyus was definitely not the only one.
On the other hand, most of the royal families of the Tutankhamun Empire did not bother themselves with the killing of n.o.bles in these deserts. To the Emperor, these killings were actually reducing the n.o.ble lords’ power. It was of great benefit to his rule. But if one was to take it too far, it would probably lead to a change in the stance of the royal families, and it was unwise to be at odds with an entire empire.
But of course, Gong Yi would not let his opponent off that easily. To take advantage of the situation to profiteer was his ace in the hole.
Katchirda was no longer a tribe or a small oasis. He wanted to build a city, Katchirda City!
At the same time, a gift managed to catch w.a.n.g Zhong’s attention.
Golden Stone Slab!
It was difficult for newcomers in the Holy Land to come back to Earth. After all, the cost was rather high. Also, those who had reached a certain stage of cultivation might have lost interest in the real world and did not want to go back. The defeat of the Scorpion King had completely crushed their opponent’s resistance and left them in a state of constant fear. However, there was still quite a lot of time left, and no one wanted to waste it.
It was a rare trip back to Earth, and Sharmie planned on taking this 10+-day opportunity to return to her hometown to visit her parents. Tutankhamun’s main city had a direct pa.s.sageway leading to the Federation. Although it was a little troublesome, it would be good to return even if it was just for one day. Mario naturally had to follow, to pay his respects to his parents-in-law. Before he left, his inexplicable anxiety and excitement made everyone smile without speaking.
On the other hand, Mo Ling and Napier wanted to take this opportunity to take a trip to the desert and see if they could learn anything after hearing about w.a.n.g Zhong’s experience. Everyone agreed on meeting back in Katchirda after half a month. The Golden Stone Slab was one of the promised items of compensation, but it was not in Caslort’s hands. He then promised to deliver it within two months. Although this was a difficult situation, Gong Yi had tried his best. The item belonged to the feudal lord, yet it was not in his hands now. Regardless of whether the other party was speaking the truth, he could only choose to take the interests of the whole situation into account. Gong Yi would definitely monitor the situation because it was rare for w.a.n.g Zhong to be so interested in something.
As for w.a.n.g Zhong, he stayed in Katchirda. The post-war town needed to be rebuilt. It was also necessary to guard against any remaining enemies causing trouble during the rebuilding period. It was also necessary to clear out some of the remaining forces in the surrounding area. What was more important was that w.a.n.g Zhong also learned a lot in the last battle, and some extremely urgent ideas had taken shape in his mind.
The advancement in his Soul Power and the power of his Dharma Idol were naturally his capital for battle, but how long could they last?
Frankly speaking, w.a.n.g Zhong had begun to feel that the combat techniques he had used during the Casted Soul Stage were feeble at his current stage.
Laforgue’s Infinite Slash was good, but it was still a technique of the Casted Soul Stage. It would not be that useful when applied at the Heroic Soul Stage. It could be seen that the legends had their limits. After all, compared to the Holy Land, Laforgue’s Infinite Slash might not even be a big deal. However, with his talent, the fact that he created such an amazing technique during his Casted Soul Stage definitely made him worthy of admiration and respect. It was just that w.a.n.g Zhong had to improve on them.
It was not only the crosswheel but also his 2nd Drive, 3rd Drive, Ghostly Steps, and various other combat techniques. During the Casted Soul Stage, their effects could be maximized, or double the damage caused, or greatly match his speed to his combat style. However, if the base of Soul Power was greatly increased, the amplification of all these techniques would only become smaller and smaller.
The reasoning was simple. Ten dollars could easily be multiplied by a hundredfold. It was easy to buy a pair of gloves to get a job at a construction site and earn 10,000 dollars. However, to transform 10,000 dollars into one million dollars, the difficulty could immediately be easily seen. It was very different.
After one had entered the Heroic Soul Stage, almost everything of the Casted Soul Stage would become worthless, even the Great 5 Elements Const.i.tution that w.a.n.g Zhong once impressed so many bigshots with during the CHF back on Earth. In the eyes of people in the Holy City, it was just a useless body. That was also why some of the bigshots who were in the viewing gallery at that time grew excited while others were indifferent. Those who were excited must have stayed on Earth all their lives and were country b.u.mpkins, and those who remained indifferent must have already seen an entirely different world in the Holy City before.
It was undeniable that the threshold of the Great 5 Elements Const.i.tution was very high. Even when placed in the Holy City, it was one of the strongest physiques; but the problem was that the Mystic Sect and the Sparta Clan did not need such outstanding physiques, and their cultivation directions were different. As for the Tyrants? Any Holy Disciple of the Smelting Faculty — as long as he reformed his body properly — could easily surpa.s.s the so-called Great 5 Elements Const.i.tution based on the many methods and experiences acc.u.mulated by his predecessors. This was also why w.a.n.g Zhong completely gave up on researching his Great 5 Elements Const.i.tution after entering the Tyrants.
It was not that it wasn’t good; it was just that it was not practical and sort of worthless. To put it nicely, it might be because no one had found a way to make use of it, but in this place where the Holy Land decided what was mainstream, who dared to take the risk? Was it possible to ignore the system established by the Great Holy Land just because one had great abilities?
The only things from the Casted Soul Stage that remained useful were probably the battle consciousness, will, and some instinctual responses during battle.
Now, he might be able to rely on his battle consciousness and the powerful balancing function of his chessboard Dharma Idol to make a name for himself. But if he carried on like this, when his Soul Power increased further, his previous combat techniques would become completely useless. Excessive use of his Dharma Idol would also cause him to become over reliant, and that would only make himself grow weaker and weaker.
Also, today’s battle was a wake-up call. If such a genius could exist in Tutankhamun, what about the Holy Land? Obviously, his opponent was not the only one with a Vicinity Dharma Idol. It was still to be confirmed if w.a.n.g Zhong’s Dharma Idol was the strongest among its cla.s.s.
One still had to be mindful of possible dangers in times of peace. If he wanted to be powerful and emerge on top among people of the same level, it was an urgent matter to create a new Heroic Soul battle technique for himself. The current Holy Disciples, such as Solomon, Carolyn, etc., had already begun to try and come into contact with this aspect of creativity and combat adaptation. He was already slacking behind in terms of the starting line; thus, he could not drag this on any longer.
The Holy Land only provided people with cultivation directions. If one wanted to have guidance, one had to gain favor with a Great Teacher. Obviously, w.a.n.g Zhong was not very hopeful regarding this, and his cultivation path was also different from other people; thus, even Great Teachers might not be able to give him pointers. Even Aiolos wouldn’t say anything. In Lan Daier’s case, it was good that she gave him some ideas from time to time. As for determining his cultivation direction and how to improve himself, w.a.n.g Zhong had to depend solely on himself.
Therefore, w.a.n.g Zhong did not partic.i.p.ate at all in the rebuilding of Katchirda Town. The environment here was very suitable for him to calm his mind and ponder carefully. It was useless to exert himself. To reflect and draw conclusions as well as sort out his thoughts and draw inferences about other cases from his experiences were now the most important things to do. With the advancement in his Soul Power, w.a.n.g Zhong also sensed that the time was right.
There would inevitably be some ignorant people who tried to take advantage of this post-war environment, but there was absolutely no need to worry. These sorts of people also existed in the Federation, not to mention Tutankhamun, where people were fearless and where the weak were devoured by the strong. All these people became practice for w.a.n.g Zhong when he took breaks from his meditation.
No matter where the opponents came from or whatever special skills they had up their sleeves, they were easily defeated by someone wearing a clown mask.
Soon, the news of the Fate Trickster pledging allegiance to Tutankhamun spread. After all, that mask was too eye-catching, and the person’s power was absolutely terrifying.
It was merely a burgeoning small town, yet it had such a terrifying powerhouse backing it. Who would dare to cause any more trouble for it?
After a few days of chaos, the reconstruction work of Gong Yi and others began to turn smooth, and the surrounding forces began to show their interest in building a friends.h.i.+p as well as partnering up with Katchirda. Naturally, Gong Yi was trying to manipulate them discreetly. Simply put, he wanted them to return back whatever they stole or took from Katchirda.
As long as any force in the desert had an expert backing it, enemies would be scared away. Gong Yi had also deliberately released the news of an expert being in Katchirda. As for the relations.h.i.+p between w.a.n.g Zhong and the Fate Trickster, he did not need to know. Frankly, Gong Yi felt rather lucky. He felt that meeting w.a.n.g Zhong was probably the luckiest thing in his life, and experiencing life and death as well as sharing weal and woe with him was probably the most sensible bet he had made in his life. If he hadn’t witnessed it personally, he never would have believed that a pract.i.tioner who was at a level similar to himself or maybe a lot weaker could become so powerful in such a short period of four or five months. It had to be noted that this guy was merely a weak Casted Soul less than half a year ago… He had already begun to look forward to accomplis.h.i.+ng his dreams. Perhaps with w.a.n.g Zhong’s help, his dreams could come true one day.
He really didn’t know if it was the Holy Land which was awesome or if w.a.n.g Zhong was the awesome one. Anyway, Gong Yi felt that if everyone in the Holy Land was like this, then other people really didn’t need to live anymore. Although the people w.a.n.g Zhong brought with him were also powerful, there was still a gap between them and w.a.n.g Zhong.
w.a.n.g Zhong was trying to further improve his usage of the crosswheel, which he was best at, as well as get rid of Laforgue’s limitation on it. This meant that he had to surpa.s.s him, not in terms of power but in terms of the theoretical understanding of Infinite Slash Crosswheels. At the same time, he was also researching further on his Dharma Idol. Salamander’s flaming chain had some peculiar powers that could be transmitted and fused, but it was difficult to achieve any actual combat effect. w.a.n.g Zhong was thinking about making use of this point, possibly getting into it starting from his own runes.
Some ideas had gradually been finalized in his mind and he had put quite a number of these into practice during the non-stop battles. Although not all of them were successful, at least two general directions had been determined. However, it still needed some time to be improved on.
Now, the situation in Katchirda had completely stabilized, which made w.a.n.g Zhong have no choice but to stop in advance. He rested in Katchirda for two days, during which Gong Yi tried to contact Ma Dong, but the connection on both sides was similar to the situation between Gong Yi and w.a.n.g Zhong while he was still in the Holy City. As such, they were not able to establish contact in time. Unfortunately, the time for the Pioneering Order was up. w.a.n.g Zhong did not get the chance to chat face-to-face with Ma Dong on the Skylink, but at least he had been updated about the happenings on Ma Dong’s side. The general situation was that he should be relatively safe, and Emily’s rampage made him feel rather surprised. w.a.n.g Zhong felt that a.s.sa.s.sin’s retaliation was long-awaited and well-deserved as well. Generally speaking, all the news was pleasant.
When they came, they were all empty-handed, but when they left, all of their bags were filled to the brim. It was a pity that the Golden Stone Slab had yet to arrive, but naturally, it would be worth it to make another trip for it.
The dimensional storage of Grai, Napier, Mo Ling, and the others was stuffed with items, specifically rare things from Earth. Stuff such as high-rank runic weapons might not be worth a single penny in the Holy City, but some local products still had a certain value in the Holy City. On the other hand, w.a.n.g Zhong’s dimensional storage had more than a dozen bottles of Samsara wine, which were left by Mu Zi for Gong Yi and the others previously. It was not possible to maximize the wine’s value on Earth. Since w.a.n.g Zhong wanted them, Gong Yi naturally gave w.a.n.g Zhong all that he had.
As for Mario and Sharmie, who were the last to arrive, there was no need for Gong Yi to attend to them. Their s.p.a.ce bracelets were so filled that it was not even possible for an ant to squeeze in. It was said that his warm-hearted ‘mother-in-law’ filled Mario’s s.p.a.ce crystal with almost everything in her house. Although the things would not be very valuable in the Holy City, at least the two would not lack the flavor of their hometown over the next few years.
The first thing he did after returning to the Holy City was to look for Lan Daier. The local products that Gong Yi had stuffed in his s.p.a.ce crystal could be gifted to her. It was the thought that counted. The main thing was that the payment date of the Wanderl.u.s.t Team’s debt could no longer be extended, and w.a.n.g Zhong did not have any extra Holy Coins for the time being. As such, he could only borrow the money from someone else. Naturally, it would not be an unconditional loan. His plan was to use the 10 bottles of Samsara wine as collateral. He had thought about it long before he returned.
This was the second time w.a.n.g Zhong was promoting the Samsara wine to Lan Daier. With the previous experience, this exchange was rather smooth. Lan Daier did a rough price estimate of the Samsara wine and deduced that one bottle should be able to sell for about one thousand Holy Coins or more. After all, only customers with high socio-economic status in the Holy City would purchase this wine, and it was definitely a monopolized commodity. However, the speed of sales had yet to be confirmed as not everyone would appreciate the wine.
Naturally, because the Samsara wine only provided some sort of spiritual memory and had no effects on its own, it would only be sold through Lan Daier’s channel. Knowing that w.a.n.g Zhong was short of money, Lan Daier paid him 5,000 Holy Coins in advance, but w.a.n.g Zhong could only use that to pay off debts. Thus, the money literally came and went within minutes. w.a.n.g Zhong seemed to have no affinity with money.