Anna and Tania both wore masks made by Anna, obscuring their figures and making them hazy so that people couldn't discern their appearance. They did not want to make a commotion because of their looks; otherwise, Anna would have killed anyone who looked at or commented on her or Tania. Tania had to explain to her that this is how it works and it is impossible to silence the whole world. Anna also understood this; she had just forgot everything about herself from previous world, but she remembered everything else. But after living in the dungeon for a long time, her blood had affected her thinking, and she could no longer tolerate anything against her. If something wasn't known to her, it was alright, but once it was, she didn’t know what she would do. As a primordial dragon, everyone lesser should just kneel before her. The reason for this was she was just a cub, the influence of her blood was very strong, while Tania's mentality and her control over emotions was much stronger , given her long life experience. Tania managed to persuade Anna, and Anna also understood it and made a promise that she will learn control. They reached a compromise: they would wear the masks until Anna regained control over her emotions. After that, she would choose her targets to kill selectively rather than killing indiscriminately.

Today, something unusual happened in the dragon kingdom. Following the news that a magical treasure had emerged in the dark forest, every cultivator family, along with many casual cultivators, began heading toward the forest. The 'Drakaras' clan, reputed to be the most powerful clan in the dragon kingdom, had spread the news. They were considered the most trustworthy businessmen here, having their hands in every industry. Within the dark forest, their team welcomed two Lords with great respect. The sight shocked every cultivator; the clan manager stationed in the dragon kingdom was a highly respectable and powerful figure, and it was unprecedented to see him show such deference to anyone, when he didn't respect even the king.

"Hmm, so you knew I was coming?" Anna said to the team leader, who calmly acknowledged her presence without surprise. The team leader, designated as team leader D (as Anna did not know his name), was a doll created by the elders, and a golden core realm doll at that. All the other core members had seals, so they recognized Anna immediately upon her arrival.

"Yes, Milord. Steel Granny and the other elders notified every clan manager on this continent of your arrival. I didn't realize you were in the dark forest; otherwise, I would have come to you earlier," Team Leader D replied.

"It's alright; I didn’t want to be disturbed, so I didn’t call for you," Anna responded, wanting no disruption to her fun. However, upon meeting Tania, she had not had time to reach out. "My lord, who is this?" Team Leader D inquired, glancing at Tania.

"This is my friend. Treat her as you treat me," Anna answered indirectly, indicating that Tania was her equal and could stand as clan leader in Anna's absence.

"Yes, my lord," Team Leader D replied, understanding her hidden meaning.

He led Anna and Tania inside a tent they had just erected, which opened into a spacious area outfitted with all the necessary facilities to accommodate Anna. Once seated, Anna inquired, "So, what is going on here? What are these cultivators seeking?"

"It’s nothing of great value, my lord. This was part of our clan's business strategy to regain economic control over the kingdom, which has been tipping more toward the noble families, particularly the general’s family. The king is incompetent and lacks the ability to manage." Team Leader D explained.

"So, you were the ones who spread the news?" Anna interjected, her interest piqued.

"Yes, my lord. Here, the more powerful one is, the more influence they wield, which is why many powerful nobles are vieing for control behind the scenes and have devoured many promising businesses. Commoners don’t have many opportunities. Because of our company’s non-interference policy, we don’t engage in the conflicts between other clans openly.

So we placed a high-grade herb, used to craft foundational building pills, inside a simple lake, mixed with many low-level herbs and created a small spirit-gathering array to mature them. We then inserted a peak foundational establishment beast there and started the rumor about the treasure.

This would instigate fights between the noble families, resulting in casualties among them, as well as further conflicts over the treasure. With our assistance, the royal family's second prince will emerge with the spoils. This will allow the royal family to regain control and we can maintain the balance. Our clan will also be nearby, ensuring that the noble families can’t use low-level cultivators as cannon fodder. Most low-level cultivators will scavenge behind the noble families and sell items through our shops, where we offer good prices." Team Leader D finished.

"Good plan you have there. Then we sell these low-level items to other high-level places that offer good prices." Anna was completely confident that this was the plan of the grandma tycoon.

"Yes, my lord. We don't incur transportation costs as we use subspace arrays to transfer goods, so the profit is quite high," Team Leader D replied.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Why did you decide on the second prince? The crown prince is also here," Anna asked, as she wanted to use the second prince against the first prince.

"The crown prince is an idiot, my lord. Everything is arranged for him by his father, the king. He can’t control the noble families. The king also seeks the powerful secret guards team of the general, so he arranged for the crown prince to marry the general's daughter. This way, people think he has the support of the general and are not directly opposing him as the crown prince," the team leader explained.

"Oh, okay then. It seems that the influence of the general is much greater than we thought. I also have a plan for this kingdom, so from now on, do as I say. Right now, help the second prince secretly, just as you planned, and let him know that we are on his side. Then, hint to the crown prince that we are supporting the second prince, but don't make him certain of it. Spread the rumor that our clan will also participate in the war for the throne. I will tell you the next steps soon," Anna instructed.

To which, Team Leader D replied, "Yes, my lord. It will be done. But do you want the crown prince to come to our clan for an alliance, my lord?"

"Yes. Let me know when he comes, and then we will proceed to the next phase." Anna had a very good plan for the crown prince. "As for our identities, let everyone know that we are high-ranking members of the clan—one is a high-ranking artifact refiner and the other a high-ranking alchemist. We came from first-tier countries; this identity is very important for my next plan. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my lord," Team Leader D replied.

"Tania, our duty in the next fight is to suppress the luck of your sister; otherwise, she will become the ultimate beneficiary of our plan," Anna said to Tania, who was listening with keen interest. She replied, "Okay, no problem. I also have plans for her, Anna. Do you want to hear them?"

"What's the plan? Is it interesting and fun? If it is, I would like to participate," Anna asked, intrigued.

"Fufu, there’s no fun in telling you directly. Now, you have a task: guess my plan after you see the first steps," Tania replied playfully.

"Okay, then I will try to guess it, but don’t kill her too easily. Now, let's make our way to the treasure, or we will miss the fights," Anna said excitedly.

Deep in the dark forest, in a clearing, all the cultivators gathered and formed a semicircle around the lake where the treasure was said to be growing. The biggest group consisted of the crown prince's faction, which included troops from the general to support Lami, along with the royal troops, featuring three foundational-building cultivators. Then there was the second prince's group, supported by the prime minister, who was his maternal grandfather. Alongside them were Noble Families A, B, and C, all of which were prominent cultivator families in the country. Opposite them were spiritual beasts led by a peak foundational establishment realm beast.

The arrival of Anna and her group attracted considerable attention, as they were seen as the ones with the best chances of snatching the treasure. They were also rumored to consist of two lords from tier-one countries. Tension hung in the air as everyone awaited the high-grade herb's maturation. However, expressions of fear replaced anticipation upon seeing their arrival. To ease their anxiety and prevent a coalition against them, Team Leader D spoke to the crowd.

"Don't worry, everyone. We are only here to watch the show; we have no interest in the treasure, so we will not join the fight." This statement eased the gathered cultivators, reducing their hostility toward the powerful competitors. Their plans risked failure if they began to gang up due to fear.

The heads of the other noble families exchanged glances and began to speak.

A member of Noble Family A initiated the flattery. "Lord Team Leader D is still as graceful as ever!"

"Yes, yes! Lord Team Leader D and the 'Drakaras' clan are truly kind," chimed in a person from Noble Family B.

"Indeed, they can easily give up the treasure for others, but Lord Team Leader, you have guests who have come from afar. Why don't you introduce them to us?" suggested someone from Noble Family C.

Anna observed the person who spoke and thought to herself that Team Leader D had effectively spread rumors about them being an alchemist and an artifact forger from a first-tier country. The noble families aimed to establish connections with people from higher-ranking countries to climb the ladder of power.

"Yes, Lord Team Leader D, why don’t you introduce them so we can show our respects to the lords?" The crown prince, not wanting to be overshadowed by the noble families, also joined in.

Only Lami appeared slightly wary, as if she sensed something. The soul in her ring must have communicated with her, but she remained silent. However, greed filled the faces of everyone present. To amplify this feeling, Anna, like a little devil, transmitted a message to Team Leader D, who conveyed it to the onlookers.

"Don't worry, everyone. You will have plenty of opportunities for introductions, as My Lords will be staying here for a period of time until they complete their mission. But right now, why don’t we focus on the treasure?" Team Leader D only hinted at some mission and a reason for their stay, just as Anna had instructed.

This statement ignited new ideas among the noble families: if the lords from high-ranking countries had come here to this tier 9 country for an mission, then the mission must be very important. participating in or assisting them could yield rewards that might elevate their families from this low-level country. the reward from a high ranking alchemist and a artifact forger are something they can't even imagine. Every member of the noble families entertained these thoughts but kept them to themselves, agreeing instead.

"Yes, yes, Lord Team Leader D. Right now, we should focus on the treasure."

Finally, the moment arrived when the herb began to enter its final phase.