Chapter 548: Catherine’s Request, Negotiations With Lords |
[Author’s Note: The total cost of potions was 3.2 million, not 32 million.]
**
The power of Titles was nothing short of miraculous. Isaac could tell his strength had risen by two-three times.
He shook his head inwardly, calming his excited mind, and focused on Catherine.
"How do you feel now?" Isaac asked.
"Strong. Very strong," Catherine muttered after a slight pause.
She clenched her fists before slowly relaxing them again. The power flowing through her body was almost unbelievable. Even she needed a moment to properly process the changes.
If she had entered the competition in this state, Isaac had little doubt she could have won the entire thing on her own. Five thousand maxed-out stats as an Apex-rank Species was already absurd. Then there was the Conqueror Candidate Title, which doubled the effectiveness of every stat she possessed.
On top of that, she had obtained multiple Titles from maxing out those stats. The pressure radiating from her body was enormous. Isaac almost wondered if she could stand against the Third Priest in a direct battle.
"What’s there to thank me for?" Isaac asked with a small shake of his head.
He didn’t tell her that he still had additional plans for her. There were several methods he intended to use to strengthen her further. That could wait until tomorrow. It would make a better surprise that way.
Isaac was about to stand up and leave when Catherine suddenly spoke.
"Isaac... can I ask you for something?"
"Of course."
He looked at her with mild curiosity. The hesitation in her voice caught him off guard. Catherine was always roundabout, but never hesitant.
"Can you help Master evolve her bloodline? She is trying to get stronger, but many of the resources she needs can’t simply be bought with money. I know it would be better if she asked you herself, but you know how she is. Her pride would never allow it," Catherine asked.
Isaac leaned back slightly and considered her request. The items from the Bonded Blessing System Shop could be shared with anyone who possessed a bond with him. Eleanor qualified through Lord-Subject bond.
That meant she could use the same potions. Until now, Isaac had focused nearly all his resources on his wives. At the time, that made sense because AP had been limited.
Things were different now. He had more AP than he knew what to do with, and Eleanor was already frighteningly powerful. During Selene’s Trial, Avery had openly admitted that she stood no chance against Eleanor.
That statement carried enormous weight. Avery was strong enough that even the Third Priest and members of the Purification Faction treated her as a serious threat. Yet she believed Eleanor was beyond her.
And that was Eleanor before gaining access to a System. Isaac found himself imagining the possibilities.
’Master could already injure Boss Monsters from Great Dungeons with a single attack. Even Apex Overlords couldn’t do that easily.’’
’And Master is still only a Low-rank Species.’
’If she becomes an Apex-rank Species, the result would be terrifying.’
She might even surpass the current Catherine.
"I’d be happy to help Master. She has taught me a lot, and I wish to thank her for that. The problem is whether she’ll accept the potions. You just said it yourself. She’s prideful. If I walk up to her and offer those resources, there’s a good chance she’ll refuse immediately. She might even tell me to give them to somebody else," Isaac said honestly
"Then just tell her it’s part of the dowry for when she marries you," she replied.
"For the love of—"
Isaac stopped halfway through the sentence. The expression he wanted to use came from Earth, and saying it here felt strange.
He continued normally, "Please don’t say that in front of her. She holds grudges. Last time, I genuinely thought she was going to kill me during training."
Catherine laughed.
Isaac, however, was completely serious. Today’s battle had only reinforced that feeling. When he saw Eleanor cut down the Boss Monster of the First Area with a single attack, he suddenly felt grateful that he had never joined Catherine in openly teasing her.
After all, he had plenty of reasons to want revenge. Eleanor’s training sessions had left him bruised, battered, and miserable more times than he could count. Back then, he believed he would eventually surpass her.
Since she was technically only a Low-rank Species, it seemed like a reasonable assumption. More than once, he had considered mocking her after he became as strong as he was now. Thankfully, he never acted on those thoughts.
He had managed to keep a level head instead of becoming drunk on his own power. As it turned out, Low-rank Species or not, Eleanor remained absurdly strong.
"Well, give me some time. I’ll convince her," Catherine said.
She stood up from her chair and walked around the table. Isaac watched her stop beside him before casually placing a hand on top of his head.
"What are you doing?" Isaac asked.
"Rewarding you for all the hard work you did today."
She gently patted his head like an older sister.
"And this—" Before Isaac could react, Catherine leaned down and pressed a kiss against his cheek. "—is the advance payment for the potions. I’ll give you the full payment later."
Isaac stared at her with an expression that was something between pleased and exasperated. The woman who had thanked him sincerely only moments ago was gone. The teasing Catherine had returned.
Isaac wasn’t even surprised anymore.
She winked and disappeared.
Isaac stared at the place where she had been. A small smile appeared on his face. Then he shook his head.
"Seriously, how does she make her main body disappear? She doesn’t have a skill for that."
There was no answer. The Mirror Dimension remained silent.
After waiting for a few moments, Isaac left the Mirror Dimension. There were still matters that needed his attention. One of the biggest was his meeting with the Lords.
When he arrived, he immediately noticed the strange atmosphere. The Lords were gathered around a large table, and none of them looked relaxed. Confusion and suspicion filled the room.
News of the attack had already spread among them. Since Isaac had been targeted shortly after meeting the Lords, some of them had begun wondering whether one of their peers had secretly orchestrated it. Naturally, nobody wanted to become the prime suspect.
"Lord Isaac, do you know who attacked you?" one of the Lords asked.
"We need to know what happened. An attack of this scale when we are here is a slap to our faces too," another added.
Isaac nodded and displayed the recorded footage from the battle. Rather than explaining everything himself, he let the recording speak for him. The reaction was immediate.
The room fell silent. Several Lords stood from their seats while others stared at the projection with widened eyes. The battle unfolding before them was far beyond what they had expected.
"...The Purification Cult?"
"Those aren’t ordinary members."
"Wait, I know that man."
Lord Hass pointed toward the image of Ki Beli. His expression was filled with disbelief.
"That’s Ki Beli."
The reaction was immediate. Several Lords looked back toward the recording, trying to verify what they had just heard.
"Ki Beli? The strongest fighter of the Purification Cult branch in our Sector?"
"That’s definitely him."
"Then that means..."
"The Purification Cult has suffered a critical blow! Hurry! Inform your City! This is our chance to launch attacks on them!"
The room erupted into chaos. Questions came from every direction. Some focused on the Purification Cult while others focused entirely on Isaac.
"Lord Isaac, you fought the Third Priest?"
"Aren’t you only an Adept-rank Awakener?"
"What was that thing at the end?"
"Do you have an Ascender supporting you?"
Isaac calmly listened while the room descended into disorder. The Lords had every reason to be shocked. The footage revealed far more than they had expected.
The Purification Cult had lost some of its strongest forces. More importantly, the recording strongly suggested that Isaac possessed backing from an existence capable of confronting the strongest members of Purification Cult directly. That single fact changed everything.
Many of the Lords had viewed Isaac as a promising newcomer before today. Some had considered recruiting him into their influence. A few had even thought about forcing the issue if necessary.
Those thoughts disappeared after watching the footage. The Lords had not survived this long by making reckless decisions. They understood when it was time to change their approach.
If someone could not be controlled, then trying to control them was foolish. If someone could not be suppressed, then trying to suppress them was even more foolish. The obvious solution was to become allies.
Enemy of Isaac?
No! They were best friends with him!
Since when? Since now!
The young Lord sitting before them suddenly looked much more like a valuable friend. Several of the Lords had already started reconsidering how they would treat him moving forward.
Isaac simply smiled and allowed them to reach their own conclusions. There was no need to reveal how many hidden cards he actually possessed. Misunderstandings were useful.
During the discussion, Isaac noticed something interesting. None of the Lords recognized the Spirit of Machine. Not a single person mentioned its name. That made him decide to keep the information hidden. The fewer people who knew about the Elemental Spirit of Machine true identity, the better. Hiding the name would make it hard for others to know what abilities the Elemental Spirit of Machine had. There was no advantage in revealing it.
Eventually, the conversation shifted away from the attack and toward business. The atmosphere gradually became more relaxed. The Lords were eager to work with Isaac.
His team’s performance inside the Great Dungeon had already convinced them of his value. The footage from battle with Purification Cult only strengthened that opinion. An Ascender-backed ally was not someone they wanted to lose.
As for the Third Priest and the Florathi Kingdom, the Lords were not much concerned. Their reactions were very different from what Isaac had expected.
Florathi had been declining for years. Internal factions constantly fought one another. Trust between the various cities had eroded long ago.
If this incident had happened when the Florathi Cities still stood united, the Lords would have viewed the situation very differently. Openly supporting Isaac could have dragged them into a conflict with one of the strongest powers in the region. Back then, few would have been willing to take that risk.
Now, however, things were different. The kingdom was fractured and weakened. The Lords knew that all of Florathi would never unite against Isaac.
At most, the faction belonging to the Third Priest would seek revenge. Compared to facing the entire kingdom, that was a manageable problem. Several Lords seemed more confident than worried.
In fact, some of them appeared almost eager. They ruled powerful cities themselves and had survived countless crises. A weakened Florathi Kingdom was not enough to frighten them.
The discussion continued smoothly afterward. At one point, Isaac mentioned that he would soon travel to the Florathi Kingdom because of his previously arranged business meeting with the Seventh Queen.
That revelation immediately attracted attention. Several Lords exchanged glances before offering assistance.
"We can provide guards."
"My city can spare some powerful Awakeners."
"You should be careful after what happened today."
Isaac appreciated the gesture. Even if some of it was motivated by self-interest, the offers were genuine.
"Thank you, but I’ll be fine."
The Lords did not insist. After all, someone with an Ascender supporting him probably didn’t need ordinary protection. Arguing further would accomplish nothing.
Eventually, the discussion shifted toward a larger matter.
An alliance.
The Lords believed the situation with Florathi would only continue deteriorating. If conflict eventually spread beyond the kingdom’s borders, cooperation would become increasingly important.
Isaac understood their reasoning. More importantly, he was already standing directly in the line of fire. Whether he liked it or not, he had become part of the situation.
Agreeing made far more sense than refusing.
The alliance discussions lasted for quite some time. Trade agreements were discussed first. Information sharing followed shortly afterward.
Then came exchange programs between cities and cooperation regarding dungeon-clearing operations. The Lords wanted stronger ties with one another before a larger crisis emerged.
Isaac agreed to allow some of his Awakeners to assist other Lords. With the benefits provided by his Lord Talent, even ordinary Awakeners under his command were becoming exceptional.
Their assistance would significantly improve dungeon-clearing efficiency in allied territories. In exchange, the Lords would provide resources, materials, and various forms of support.
By the end of the negotiations, everyone appeared satisfied. The atmosphere in the room had become noticeably friendlier than when the meeting began.
Then, just as the meeting seemed ready to conclude, Lord Bella suddenly spoke.
"Seems like the Seventh Queen is already completely on your side."
"What do you mean?"
"Check the Lord Chat." Lord Bella smiled.
Every Lord immediately opened the Lord Chat. Isaac did the same.