The First Legendary Beast Master

If Dakkarian couldn't leave, Karl could just bring Dana out to meet him.

"Dana, meet Dakkarian, the Immortal Avatar of the Black Dragon. Dakkarian, this is my Dana Mage."

"He's been left alone with the badger too long, hasn't he?" Dakkarian asked, smiling at Dana.

"It started with the Hawk. Well, now he's a Dark Flame Phoenix, but he was once a Windspeed Hawk." Dana replied, not disagreeing.

"Ah, talking with bird species is always a challenge. Even the sentient ones tend to be a bunch of bird brains. I am so glad that we don't have large populations of Harpies on my Island."

"Was there a reason I was dragged out the second I finished a skill book? It's still on the table." Dana asked.

Karl grabbed the book and handed it to her, then gestured to Dakkarian.

"I wanted you to meet my friend. Plus, he has some concerns about Tribulation, and I didn't know if you'd reached full comprehension of a Fundamental Rule yet."

Dana rolled her eyes. "What made you think that I was slower to comprehend the Fundamental Rules than you were?"

Dakkarian laughed. "Oh, I like this one. She keeps you humble. What rule did you master? I am reasonably sure that Karl went for Chaos, so are you order, to bring him balance?"

"Karl never finished Chaos, but Cara did. Karl mastered Mana Manipulation, while I have finished the Fundamental Rule of Mana Manipulation, and I am working on completing the Rule of Conjuration."

Dakkarian looked impressed. "And here I thought that Karl was the prodigy."

"He is. But he's not the smart one."

Karl just shrugged. It might hurt to hear it, but she wasn't wrong. When it came to studying, she was always the genius of the Academy.

He preferred to crowdsource his decisions, in case someone had a better idea than he came up with.

[Of course, we have better ideas. Your ideas are boring.] Rae insisted.

[Too much survives them.]

Dana smiled, and Dakkarian gave her a curious frown.

"With the Soul Bond, I can hear the beasts talking in Karl's mind, and Rae was just criticizing his ideas for having too low of a casualty rate."

Dakkarian winked at her. "I've met both Bloodbath Spiders and Blood Destruction Demonic Spiders before. They only approve of one Death Toll, and that is 'yes'. Even if she's been tamed a little by outside opinions, I don't see that changing.

Even the Death God has to ask them to calm down now and then, so they don't run out of prey."

Rae's thoughts were horrified at the notion. No more prey? That was like condemning yourself to a living hell. Perhaps the Death God wasn't all bad, even if his whole "Sustainable Population" policy was annoying.

"Back to the important part. I can feel the tribulation building, and the fact that you've both got Divine Magic residue on you is practically making you lightning rods.

Why don't we go to the tribulation mountains now, and we can wait for you to be forced to advance?

If you've got a project to work on, you can do it there. If I'm wrong and the tribulation isn't coming, then you can come back to do whatever you were doing here.

What were you doing here?"

"Making trade goods to soften up the region in preparation for opening another branch of the Darklight Host."

Dakkarian took a small bottle from his inventory and silently took a swig.

"Yeah, that's the usual response among those who know." Karl joked.

"Why do you even need more locations? Is the Darklight Host not wealthy enough?"

"For coverage, of course. There is no bank access on most of the western Islands, and we're running out of Guild slots for new craftsmen.

Well, there are empty ones in Matilda's branch, but we can't just throw people into her branch. She's quite particular."

Dakkarian nodded. "And this is the best region for it. Right where the dragons meet the dwarves, so you can recruit them both.

Then, I would imagine you'd want one in the southwest, so you'd have complete coverage. The Dark Lady of Nerud probably wouldn't object, as long as you had the Spider ask."

"Is she a spider?" Dana asked.

Dakkarian shook his head. "No, a Spider Priestess of the Dark Elves. Though, don't let that description mislead you. She's more of an assassin than a healer."

[Obviously.] Rae thought.

Dana nodded in agreement. "That makes sense."

"Where is the Tribulation Mountain?" Karl asked, curious where they were going.

"It's actually on the Neia Continent. An uninhabited region in the far north, normally covered in ice and snow all year round."

"That sounds like an appropriate place. I have heard that the advancement causes quite a disturbance." Karl replied, hoping for some elaboration.

"Indeed. The stronger the supplicant, the stronger the backlash from the Immortal Realm. You see, the very nature of the Mortal Plane rejects Immortals, and you can't advance without at least a small connection to the Immortal."

Dana's scowl stopped the dragon.

"If we need a connection, why don't we ask an Immortal Realm resident to give us shelter for a bit while we advance there? Would that not be easier?"

"Easier for you, yes. Easier for everyone around you? No. Not even a little bit.

You see, there is still tribulation in the Immortal Realm, but everyone can sense it. So when an Immortal child is born, or when a Mortal ascends, everyone in that world, and most of the pocket dimensions nearby, can tell.

So, a baby Immortal becomes a prime target for those looking to build their influence.

And you are basically the same thing, as you're so young and just reaching Immortality. The Supremes and stronger Immortal Sect Masters will all want you, either for their Sect, their collection, or just to kill you to spite the one protecting you.

Might makes right is the law of the Immortal Plane, and advancing there would put your friend in great danger.

Even the ones who live there often send their young away to advance in a Mortal world, then bring them back."