Wayne Arrives
The spaceship continued charging for six days, and the three Energy Crystal were finally fully charged, but there was still no notification that the Helen Secret Realm would be opened.
Gu Ding and his group gathered outside an Open-Air Tavern, drinking their respective beverages.
"Let's wait two more days. If it still doesn't open, we'll leave." Gu Ding didn't plan to wait any longer; the journey ahead was more important than the current secret realm. "These metal plaques can be sold off cheaply."
"The number on this metal tag must be the order of registration, right?" Liliath took out her metal tag and saw that the number on it was 187. "We arrived early the next morning and were already ranked 187th. The number of people registering these past few days has been incredibly long, there must be at least several thousand people in total. One token is worth 100 million Universe Crystal, that Bucknell has really made a fortune this time."
"The number of applicants has already exceeded 12,000," the Sea Emperor corrected. "The number was relatively small on the first day because the news had just been released. The number has been increasing in the past few days, with two to three thousand people applying every day. At this rate, once the secret realm opens in a few days, the number of applicants will likely exceed 20,000."
"Twenty thousand people signed up, and each person paid one hundred million Universe Crystal, that's two trillion Universe Crystal, which is equivalent to two hundred million source stones. It's an enormous fortune, enough to buy two or three five-star divine artifacts," Liliath couldn't help but exclaim.
"This money doesn't go to Bucknell alone. He'll probably only get about 20% at most; the rest will have to be handed over to the Federal Government," the Sea Emperor explained with a smile. "Besides, this secret realm only opens about once every thousand years, so you can't earn this much every year. Working for the Federal Government is fine in other ways, but the income is a bit low."
"That does seem like a small number..." Liliath nodded. The number seemed quite large at first glance. But if it only happened once every thousand years, then it really wasn't enough.
"Sea Emperor, are there any particularly strong guys among those who entered the secret realm this time?" Gu Ding also wanted to know what kind of opponents they would encounter.
The Sea Emperor already had an answer to Gu Ding's question. He was constantly monitoring which powerful individuals had arrived on this planet. "A group of people who deserve our utmost caution just arrived today."
"Who is it?" Hearing the Sea Emperor say this, Bigge also became slightly interested.
"The top two new recruits in the Federal Government who just passed the assessment this year." The Sea Emperor also scanned them. This group was the most feared. "There are a total of eighteen people, and their Combat Strength is mostly below the level of Three-Star Mid-rank God. However, the weakest of them has the strength of Five-Star Mid-rank God, and the strongest two are close to the Combat Strength One-Star High-rank God."
"The top organization is indeed powerful. If even a newcomer in the top 2 has this kind of strength, you can imagine how terrifying the guys who occupy the regular seats are." Gu Ding never underestimated his opponents, and he also knew that the top organization was a very dangerous existence.
"It's not fair to compare them like that," the Sea Emperor said. "After all, your cultivation levels aren't high. Currently, only Tagore and Robert have reached the level of Mid-rank God, and only Bigge has reached the level of Low-rank God. The rest are demigods. Gu Ding yourself isn't even at the level of a demigod. In contrast, most of the people in the top 2, apart from the newcomers who enter each year, are at the level of Five-Star Mid-rank God. It's normal that they are stronger than you."
"Didn't the Elite Legion come this time?" Upon hearing that someone from Top had come, Gu Ding immediately thought of the Elite Legion.
"No, the Elite Legion are different from the top organizations; they focus more on teamwork. But once everyone is teleported into this secret realm, they are scattered, so the training effect for the Elite Legion is not strong." The Sea Emperor paused. "It seems that the Federal Government only sent members of the top organizations this time, and no one else came. But there are two other forces that we also need to pay attention to."
Gu Ding and the others perked up their ears upon hearing this. They were not afraid of any opponent, but it was essential to know in advance who the opponent was.
"These two teams come from the ranks of two powerful dukes from the outer realms. One is Duke Duncan, and the other is Duke Lorraine. They are the two most powerful beings in the Shallow Sea Zone. Both have the cultivation of Five-Star High-rank God and the Combat Strength of at least a four-star Peak-rank God. The two teams they have selected, one with eleven members and the other with twelve members, are all experts with the cultivation of Four-Star Mid-rank God and Five-Star Mid-rank God, possessing Combat Strength close to that of One-Star High-rank God."
"None of these teams should be underestimated." Gu Ding nodded.
"I'm sending the information of the top two teams and these two teams to your Smart Watch now. They contain detailed information about the members. Since everyone will be scattered once we enter the secret realm, it's best to avoid encountering them at the beginning. Although we might not lose in actual combat, it will definitely deplete a lot of our stamina and divine energy, which will be detrimental to our subsequent resource acquisition." The Sea Emperor said, sending the information of these people to their respective smartwatches.
"Sea Emperor, we can only stay for two more days at most. We might not even be able to wait for the secret realm to open, right? You're talking so much as if we're about to enter the secret realm. Could it be that you've received some news?" Gu Ding made his guess based on the Sea Emperor's reaction.
"I just received information that the secret realm will open the day after tomorrow," the Sea Emperor said without hiding anything. "Bucknell will probably announce this news within half an hour."
Sure enough, just as everyone finished their drinks, their communicators lit up with a message:
Those who have received their Iron Tag, please gather at the city square at 9:00 AM the day after tomorrow. Failure to arrive on time will be considered an automatic forfeiture of your entry into the secret realm, and the fee for purchasing the entry will not be refunded.
"As expected of someone from the Federal Government's military, such a strong sense of time, and using a commanding tone." Liliath curled her lip after reading the notification.
"Check the spaceship again in the next couple of days to make sure we have any supplies we're missing. Once we're out of the secret realm, we can leave as soon as possible." Gu Ding felt that this secret realm trip would definitely take many days, so there was no need to waste another day or two on this planet. Things that could be done in advance could be done beforehand to save time.
No sooner had Gu Ding finished speaking than the Sea Emperor's voice rang in his ears. "Wayne and the others have caught up and just arrived at the port."
"They can't possibly make a move on this planet." After learning Bucknell's true identity, Gu Ding wasn't worried about Wayne at all.
"They're heading towards the City Lord's Mansion, probably to talk to Bucknell about this." The Sea Emperor had been keeping a close eye on their movements.
Sea Emperor projected the footage of their surveillance.
Wayne led his seven Mid-rank God, straight to the City Lord's Mansion. They were stopped at the gate by two gatekeepers, who, after a brief conversation, allowed them to enter.
"Wayne, what do you need me for?" Bucknell was extremely burly, with a very resolute face and a ramrod straight back. If he said he didn't come from the military, probably no one would believe it.
"Bucknell, we're neighbors, aren't we?" Compared to Bucknell, Wayne looked much thinner. Although he was tall, he stood there like a bamboo pole, his imposing presence completely overshadowed.
"Just say what you mean directly, don't beat around the bush." Bucknell simply looked at the other party coldly; he had never had a good impression of Interstellar Pirate.
"Bucknell, you should know that a newcomer named Gu Ding recently came to your planet, right?" Wayne originally intended to say a few more polite words, but he didn't expect Bucknell to have such an impatient expression, so he had no choice but to reveal his purpose.
"I know," Bucknell frowned slightly. If it weren't for Federal Government regulations, he would have taken action against Gu Ding Team immediately. But according to Federal Government requirements, his jurisdiction must be treated the same as the Freedom Alliance, without any bias.
"Here's the thing, Gu Ding killed one of my men and stole supplies from one of my warehouses. I've been chasing them all this way, and they've finally stopped on your territory for the first time. If he continues to escape, it will be very difficult for us to catch him. So, could you please make an exception and let us capture their entire team? We don't need your help; you just need to pretend you didn't see anything." Wayne didn't have much confidence speaking to Bucknell, after all, Bucknell was incredibly powerful and had connections to the Federal Government's military; he couldn't afford to offend him. "Of course, I will definitely give you appropriate compensation after it's done."
"Wayne, this is still my stronghold. Your open attack here is tantamount to slapping me in the face. I have no choice but to kill you." Bucknell refused without hesitation, though he didn't voice another reason. When the Federal Government gave him this position, it explicitly stipulated that all conflicts must be suppressed by force!
Wayne felt a cold sweat run down his back. He had originally thought that his cultivation level was the same as Bucknell's, and even if there was a difference in strength, it wouldn't be too much. But now, seeing Bucknell's aura, it was like an insurmountable mountain, making it hard for him to breathe.
Seeing that his goal of intimidation had been achieved, a sly glint flashed in Bucknell's eyes. "If you really want to take action against the Gu Ding Team, you can send your men into the secret realm to ambush them. In this Helen Secret Realm, everyone is scattered once teleported in, and communicators won't work. I do have a little gadget here that allows your people to communicate with each other, enabling your men to quickly regroup. But the price..."
"We'll take them!" Wayne thought for a moment, and indeed, there was no other way. Although Gu Ding Team was strong, the seven Mid-rank God he had brought were all at the four or five-star cultivation level. Seven of them could easily take down one person. Moreover, if they missed this opportunity, who knew when they would be able to catch Gu Ding again?
"The secret realm opens the day after tomorrow, so I wish you all the best." After seeing the transfer amount, Bucknell's serious expression immediately turned into a smile.