NOVEL NEXT Chapter 203: Top Five of Temeraat
"John…" Azelis was stunned before a surge of joy flashed in her eyes. 'Welcome back.'
[ John: Tell the parties that Mr. Tauren from Vault Curio Traders will be arriving after ten days. ]
[ Azelis: Alright. Anything else? ]
[ Yes. Use the function from the ring, and you can enter Monster Paradise since I am already in the same world as you. Gather everyone and tell them to enter tomorrow for a meeting. ]
John had ranked up his Monsters to Legendary-rank and made them reach the peak of Legendary-rank, but he still needed to train them through combat and make their Gene Potential reach 100 twice and trigger Gene Potential Burst twice to make them truly reach top-tier combat power in Legendary-rank.
His plan was pretty simple. After gathering information in the meeting tomorrow, he would decide what to do for the next fifteen days before making his entrance as Mr. Tauren of Vault Curio Traders, a being at the peak of Mythical-rank.
Mr. Sirius left, taking only his apprentice with him, as Mr. Tauren took over.
…
"It looks like he is here," Minera said as her eyes glinted.
[ It seems we missed him despite the surveillance. But it doesn't matter. Since he is going to appear after fifteen days, we also have enough time to pocket more Calamity-rank Tamers. ]
"Yeah. Let's start working. There are many people here, and this world is also several times bigger." Minera grinned. "A very good source of souls of both people and monsters."
[ But do it low-key. We don't want to attract unwarranted attention. ]
"Yeah, I got it."
Since John had told his people to spread the news to the parties that Mr. Tauren of Vault Curio Traders was arriving after fifteen days, Minera naturally got the news as well.
This second layer world, called Temeraat World, had more forces aside from those who had branches in the lower world. In terms of power, these forces were not even the strongest.
The strongest were those that had connections to the Realm of Gods.
Because after the Tamers ascend to the Realm of Gods, they have to tread very carefully and stay in pocket dimensions. When they have offspring, they send them down the second layer world, and their offspring are usually way more powerful than other people.
While staying in the Realm of Gods, these Tamers build their foundations in the second layer, and such forces were the ones reigning at the top in the second layer.
As for the forces of Nexus City and Brelial City, which had their headquarters in the second layer, none of them had yet to produce a Tamer who had ascended to the Realm of Gods.
There were a few cases of ascending, but no news came from them.
So all of them were eager to produce Tamers with a high combat arsenal, and their hope lay in the Vault Curio Traders.
Those ten supreme Tamers who had now reached Legendary-rank were so powerful that despite having differences in stats compared to high-stage Legendary-rank Tamers, their techniques and geno abilities, paired with those powerful variant attributes, made them superior.
And the one who made them like that was the Vault Curio Traders.
All of them were convinced that this Vault Curio Traders was a big organization in the Realm of Gods, in some pocket dimension with a solid foundation.
Naturally, the news of these 'facts' that John had told his subordinates to spread had also reached the big shot forces on this second layer, who had connections to the Realm of Gods.
Levetron Empire, one of the top five forces on the second layer.
In the golden spires of the Levetron Empire, the highest seat of authority remained cloaked in swirling essence winds. Beneath the heavenly dome of its astral citadel, a dozen figures sat cross-legged on floating thrones formed from crystallized laws of the world.
"Vault Curio Traders… a pocket-dimension organization from the Realm of Gods?" murmured Elder Syanthus, his fingers tracing invisible threads of energy in the air.
Grand Marshal Tyrel's eyes narrowed, voice lined with skepticism. "No known affiliation. No trace in our records. Yet they appear with ten peak Legendary-rank Tamers, each trained to perfection with absurd growth patterns?"
"Don't you find that… concerning?"
A third figure, Lady Iralith, leaned back in her chair, formed of breathing stardust. "Not concerning. Intriguing. If what they say is true, then this Vault Curio Traders may be just what we need."
…
In the ever-shifting towers of Ebonveil Empire, a chaotic sect of Demons, news arrived in the form of a singing corpse-bird carrying scrolls bound in memory silk.
The Elder of Thorns, a gaunt woman with lips stitched shut, opened the scroll with an incantation and read the news directly into her third eye.
A ripple passed through her skeletal frame. Then silence.
Moments later, the tower began to tremble as she summoned the other monks through a chant sung in reverse.
"Prepare five test subjects," her psychic command echoed. "I want to see what kind of soul architecture these Vault Curio Tamers possess."
"And if they refuse inspection?" One of the Demon Commanders asked.
"Then we unravel their secrets from their corpses."
…
In the crystalline garden-palace of Celestshade Dominion, the number one strongest force in the second layer contending with Dranvok Imperi in terms of strongest powerhouses, home to the Silverblooded Elves who were direct descendants from multiple God-rank beings from the Realm of Gods, the response was more… curious.
High Princess Kyvena gazed into her god-pool—a liquid mirror created by her Geno Ability.
A dozen images flickered in the water, abstract, strange, and encrypted.
Her fingers traced the ripples, and divine runes followed her hands. "Vault Curio Traders…interesting."
"They are hiding something," she whispered. "But it does not feel like malice."
"Then what, Highness?" asked her brother, Prince Calrieth.
"Desperation… and vision. This Mr. Tauren, or Sirius, or whoever he truly is—he isn't just creating warriors. He's building something."
She turned and smiled faintly.
"I want him. Send a proper invite when he appears."
"Understood."
…
In the hell-iron halls of Noxtheran Cryptarch Council, a reclusive alliance of undead kings, a race of Undeads who specialized in soulbinders, and cursed tamers who ruled a necropolis floating above a sea of void-mist, the Vault Curio Traders were labeled with one word:
"Disruptors."
"They arrive unannounced, bearing tools even we cannot identify. They spread influence like infection," hissed Crypt-King Voragul, a being with no eyes and five mouths.
"Shall we devour them, Lord Voragul?" asked one of the black-robed Reapers beside him.
Voragul raised one of his skull-tipped canes and pressed it to the air. "No. First, we invite them."
"Why?" another growled.
"Because…" Voragul's laugh echoed like a dying prayer, "We may find something even we could not kill."
"For now, focus on gathering intelligence."
"Also, there are traces of someone bearing similarities to us, but from a different origin. Try to find their locations by studying the traces."
"As you wish."
…
And finally, deep within the mountain-forged fortress of Dranvok Imperia, the martial empire that claimed dominance over two entire continents of Temeraat, a sharp debate had broken out in the war chamber.
"They are clearly trying to take control of the balance of power. An organization from the Realm of Gods suddenly aiding our enemies, our vassals, and our rivals?" barked General Rhaek, slamming his spear on the obsidian map table.
But beside him, Strategist Velka, an old woman with ten dragon tattoos coiling over her arms, simply chuckled.
"No… they are seeding the battlefield. Every stronghold they empower becomes a future branch. Every Tamer they enhance becomes a walking advertisement."
"And you're okay with that?!"
"I'm saying we copy them. Send an envoy to observe them. Don't make enemies of a ship we haven't even boarded."
Rhaek's teeth ground together. "And if they try to rule Temeraat from the shadows?"
Velka's eyes narrowed. "Then we cut off the shadow before it reaches the throne. Temeraat is vast and necessary to nurture powerhouses with the potential to reach God-rank. No one shall disrupt the balance unless…"
She shook her head. "We'll see. For now, we observe and understand them."
…
The five pillars of Temeraat were intrigued, and each one had different ideas.
Next, John learned about the Temeraat continent and these five biggest forces that ruled this world in a sense during the meeting the next day.
When he got their information, he couldn't help but grin as he formed a splendid idea on what to do for the next fifteen days.
'Humans, Elves, Demons, Undeads…this world is interesting.'
John was excited for the new adventure in this second layer, and wreak havoc in the existing order to pave the path for his ideal world and reach his goals.
And for the next fifteen days, he set his eyes on the Dranvok Empire.
…
After exiting Monster Paradise, he went to the nearest city.
His appearance was different than before, so he didn't need to change anything.
His black hair was now mixed with blue-ish purple strands, and his red eyes had turned into violet with sparks, but the color of sparks shifted according to his mood, though he could also keep a single color because it wasn't wise to let people see through him that easily.
His pets were still in the cocoon, except for Alfred.
According to Chuthulos, they would likely finish their Eldritch-attribute inclusion and evolution after one more day.
John wanted to go to the Dranvok Empire, but it was too far and he also didn't know the way.
So he arrived at a large city where they had transportation going to different territories.
The cost to enter the nearest Dranvok Empire's city was 700,000 Sovereign Essence Coins or 700 Legendary Essence Coins.
Fortunately, John had had enough.
The large flying ship soon departed, travelling through the spatial layer every ten minutes and covering great distances.
Still, the journey was five hours long before he finally arrived there.