something Different

Iselan waved a hand. "Stop, you're overthinking things. How this branch functions is irrelevant to them for now. In fact, it will probably be irrelevant for several decades."

Iselan didn't say anything more since Leonel was right there. The only reason he had ever said so much was because he was getting annoyed and wanted to take this Shearing Ore away as quickly as possible so that he could start his research.

Of course, though Leonel knew more about such words than Iselan thought, he didn't show any particular reaction, simply handing the metal over to Iselan who all but squealed with joy. As for poor Aluniya, she was still worried but no longer dared to do anything.

Though Iselan had explained things away so simply, Aluniya knew that things weren't so easy. It would only take one curmudgeon to ruin everything and in the worst case, Iselan might even lose his position as Branch Head.

But, at this point, Leonel didn't particularly care about it all. He was only smiling as he saw the points jump within his Crafter's Badge. With a wave to Aluniya, he vanished, accelerating toward the store room with frightening speed.

By the time Aluniya realized something was wrong, she suddenly found herself all alone and speechless. Soon, she became a bit jealous of the both of them.

…Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.

The Eight Eye Branch's treasure store was far beyond what Leonel had seen in the Golden Path Branch. The storehouse alone was at least a kilometer long and about 200 meters wide. Though there was a large glass dome above that must have gone at least 50 meters upward, the shelves themselves weren't necessarily so tall.

Each row of shelves only had three racks. The lowest rack was at eye level and the spacers between the racks were at least two to three meters.

The organization of it all was immaculate and the storage was even better. The latter was the best Leonel had seen aside from his own snowglobes which could be considered near perfect. These storage devices weren't able to freeze Force Herbs and Ores in their optimal states, but they were all perfectly temperature controlled to provide the best environment for each.

'Ah… Being rich is nice…'

Just a single five kilogram piece of Ore had netted him all of this. If Leonel wanted, he really could mostly clear out this entire storeroom.

Not only did he had ten billion points, but things here were cheaper than they had been in the Golden Path Branch so his points went further. It was like Heaven for a Crafter.

Soon, Leonel calmed himself. What he needed was a systematic method of crushing his enemies. He couldn't get lost in the fascination of all of these Ores and forget the task at hand.

The first thing Leonel did was blanket the storehouse in his Internal Sight. In just a few breaths, he had a replica of the entire place in his mind and could even map out the ideal pathways for reaching anywhere in the most efficient way possible.

'Alright, good…

'The Umbra family. Great darkness affinity, the root of which is beast blood not much unlike the Luxnix family and the Snowy Star Owl. The root of their strength is the Shadow Tailed Fox and their strongest abilities are their concealment and unlike other assassin-like families, they have great power output through the use of their tails. Aside from this, they have an immunity to poison and very strong mental defenses.

'The Rain family. Great water affinity, known for their Rain Lineage Factor allowing them to gather small storm clouds above their heads and use the precipitation like needles. Their offensive output is lacking, but their area control abilities are frighteningly powerful, especially near high concentrations of Water Force.

'The Florer family…'

Leonel's Dreamscapes sparked and flashed, his mind spinning as he connected the Ores around him to Crafts he could make.

Despite the information that Leonel had, what was difficult to nail down was exactly how those families would react to him killing Rotsan. This meant that whatever Crafts Leonel formed to counter them had to be mobile and had to work in a variety of environments.

'… Got it.'

Leonel flashed and vanished.

…

Hours later, Aluniya stood within the storehouse with a blank expression on her face. It was she who was responsible for organizing this storehouse so seeing the state of it now, she felt as though a little piece of her had floated away.

Of course, Leonel hadn't left a mess, but the room itself felt so empty now. Rows upon rows of open storage systems lay before her, leaving the aged Crafter at a loss for words.

Aluniya released a deep sigh and walked away.

She moved back toward the Guild House, making her way to Iselan's quarters and walking in without saying a word. The old man was hunched over his Crafter's Workbench, the back of his robes still mostly burnt.

"Do you know who that kid was?" Aluniya said.

"Hm? Why are you interrupting me?" Iselan replied, visibly annoyed.

"He was Leonel Morales."

"What does this mean to… Wait, what did you say?"

"Leonel Morales."

Iselan coughed awkwardly. "Tier 4 Fugitive, Leonel Morales?"

"Yes."

Iselan scratched his messy hair. "Well… I guess tell Shield Cross Stars that I change my mind. We can't help them."

Aluniya was speechless. Couldn't this be considered bribing? Where was his integrity?

…

Right this moment, Leonel who had left as quickly as possible just to avoid the possibility of being found out too early, was standing before the Silver Tablet.

Of course, Leonel expected Iselan's reaction. After all, by the time he left, it was already too late for the Eight Eye Branch to do anything. They were effectively stuck with him now, everything going just as planned.

That said, Leonel wasn't thinking about that right now. Instead, he had steeled himself and made a decision. He had been saving up his energy to resurrect someone else, but the circumstances called for something different.

Leonel stretched his hand forward. It was time to resurrect the Oryx King.