A few hours was not long in the Present Realm, but it was enough for what had happened during the day to spread through every corner of the Rusted Tower Forest.
Right beneath one of the few intact giant towers at the heart of the tower forest.
Within a settlement that occupied the richest resources and the most critical strategic position, several eerie figures gathered in a gloomy hall.
The Great Group Lords from five powerful settlements had assembled here to discuss the anomaly that had occurred during the day.
The enormous malformed skeleton wreathed in blue flames—the Great Group Lord of the Skull Cluster, and also the remains of one of the Crowned Ones—fell silent for a moment after hearing the report.
"A golden ship fell from the sky?"
"Yes, that's right."
A pool of writhing sludge answered him. Three enormous eyes rose and sank within it as it made a strange sound. "I saw it clearly at the time. It should have fallen from a greater depth. It could be some ruler's treasure from the War of All Realms..."
"What else? Did you learn anything more?"
"The people from Dragon Scale Settlement got there first and took it away. Gray Blade moved too quickly; nobody had time to react." The wings of a grotesque giant insect trembled with a buzzing sound. "That mother snake from Evergreen Settlement didn't say anything. She probably swallowed the loss."
"Hmph. They're all scheming bastards."
After hearing this, the remains said coldly, "Tell Dragon Scale Settlement to hand it over. Otherwise, we will no longer protect it during this year's blood tithe."
"Will they obey?"
The Eye of Sludge asked vaguely, "Those kobolds are idiots who forget their own place the moment they see the slightest profit. They have no brains at all.