The Benefits

A giant unicorn flew freely through the sky.

The powerful aura made the Kejia Beast in Guen's arms tremble.

Although this Kejia Beast would eventually reach Planet Level 5 and grow rapidly, it was still only a Level 6 Apprentice ferocious beast.

As Mercedes's mount, the unicorn had already reached Planetary Level 6. Guen easily gleaned this information through his Smart Computer.

Ferocious beasts were more sensitive to such auras, so the Kejia Beast found the unicorn's presence even harder to endure than Guen did.

Guen identified their direction. The unicorn was flying toward the empire's southwest. At the empire's far southwestern edge lay an impassable swamp, which formed the boundary of its territory.

But the unicorn crossed that boundary.

Guen and Setti were both surprised.

Mercedes was intrigued by their reaction. "You seem puzzled by this?"

Guen and Setti nodded.

Mercedes sighed. "You know far too little about this world. But now you're beginning to approach the truth of it. You should both know about Tucha Planet by now, right?"

Without waiting for their answer, Mercedes continued, "Tucha Planet is merely one Life Planet among the vast sea of stars in the universe. The empire's Super Tier and Saint Tier ranks are actually very old terms. Since the Land of Inheritance appeared, people have gotten used to calling them Planetary Level and Star Level.

"There's no doubt that Tucha Planet is the rightful ruler of this planet, yet it allows people like us to remain here. Even people from the Aoyu Empire can be accepted by Tucha Planet without having its bloodline. But we're different. That's why we rarely accept talented candidates from the Aoyu Empire. It isn't our wish, but Tucha Planet's directive."

Mercedes pointed to her green hair.

It was an unmistakable sign. Setti and Uncle Jack couldn't help glancing at Guen.

Everyone from the Aoyu Empire had black hair.

But Guen had red hair.

If the Forest Goddess Temple was one faction, marked by green hair, and the Aoyu Empire belonged to Tucha Planet's faction, marked by black hair, then which faction did Guen's red hair represent?

Guen didn't pay much attention to that, however. Instead, he asked, puzzled, "A directive? Have you been in contact with people from Tucha Planet?"

Mercedes neither confirmed nor denied it. "When the time comes, you'll understand. For now, your most urgent task is cultivation. At the very least, reach Planetary Level first. Knowing too much now will only distract you."

Since Mercedes wouldn't say more, Guen and the others had no choice but to fall silent.

But Guen was deep in thought. Perhaps it was precisely because of his red hair that the Forest Goddess Temple had accepted him. Setti was an exception. From Mercedes's manner, it seemed he hadn't originally planned to take Setti in; Setti had been the one who insisted on joining the Forest Goddess Temple.

The unicorn flew over the swamp. In the middle of a lush, dense forest stood a towering stone hall that drew the eye.

Guen also noticed a number of wooden, tent-like huts surrounding the hall.

"Are those Barbarians?" Guen asked in surprise.

"People from the Aoyu Empire don't really worship the Goddess of the Forest, but these people you call Barbarians are different. They still live in a primitive way and have a simple, sincere faith. They're important followers of the Forest Goddess Temple. Early in the Aoyu Empire's history, I even sent a remarkably talented Barbarian Chief to the Volcano Interior. His talent was on par with yours, Guen," Mercedes remarked casually.

Guen immediately recalled what the Smart Computer had said inside the Volcanic Space.

Before him, only three people had directly obtained Tucha Planet status. They had either been Elves or reached a perfect score in any one category as Artifact Users.

Besides them, there had been a Barbarian Chief who, like Guen, had begun the Fifth Stage trial.

Those four were probably the four most talented people on this planet.

The unicorn landed. Several Barbarians nearby knelt and respectfully called out a special name, which was probably the Barbarian word for High Priest.

Mercedes replied in the same language, then led Guen and the other two away from the square and into the hall.

Strange patterns were carved along both sides of the hall. Its vast, open space only made it feel more solemn.

A little green-haired girl was playing alone inside. The moment she saw Mercedes, she ran over happily and jumped straight into her arms.

Mercedes smiled as she held the girl, then explained to the two men, "Green hair is the mark of my temple's people. There aren't many of us, and although they're weak, I hope you'll look after them in the future, for my sake."

Hearing Mercedes say this in her position left Guen and the others feeling overwhelmed.

Mercedes gently patted the little girl's back, then set her down and led the three of them to a side hall. It was simply furnished, but many items sat on the only table.

Mercedes casually picked up a clear crystal bottle filled with green liquid. "This is Green Marrow. The Aoyu Empire occupies only a small part of this planet. Ferocious beasts control most of the rest. Some trees in those regions have mutated until they're no weaker than Planetary Level ferocious beasts. They form something called Essence of Vegetation inside their bodies. It contains tremendous vitality and has many remarkable properties. Consuming it helps your cells evolve and makes it easier to absorb Cosmic Energy. This Green Marrow is refined from at least two pieces of Essence of Vegetation. Guen and Setti, you both have better Grey Bamboo Shoot Liquid, but aside from that, Green Marrow is the best thing on this planet.

"Every ten years, the Goddess Temple will give you a bottle of Green Marrow. But once you advance to Super Tier—that is, Planetary Level—you won't receive it for free anymore. Until you reach Planetary Level, the Goddess Temple will provide you with various treasures to help you. There's also this: Dragon Blood. It's refined from the blood of several Planetary Level ferocious beasts. It strengthens the body and temporarily increases the rate at which you absorb Cosmic Energy. You'll receive five portions of Dragon Blood every ten years. With the help of Dragon Blood and Green Marrow, the talented people recruited by my temple—including the Barbarians—can all reach Planetary Level within ten years."

Mercedes handed a portion of Green Marrow and Dragon Blood to each of the three men.

"Outside my temple, other factions only award one portion of Green Marrow and Dragon Blood when someone advances to Planetary Level—and each person gets only one portion of each. To get more, you have to pay an additional price. And this is only the first benefit of joining my temple."

Mercedes took out three watches. "These are Smart Watches. You can use them to check the time anywhere and communicate with other people who have one. You can also take photos and record videos. But remember, the farther you are from the Goddess Temple, the longer it takes for messages to get through, and sometimes they won't get through at all. They can also stop working in some dangerous places. In a way, they're also detectors for hazards in the environment."

Guen was thoughtful. He knew the Aoyu Empire's machinery came from the descendants of people who had crashed on this planet many years ago. It seemed the green-haired people of the Forest Goddess Temple were descendants of those people.

He'd thought that the people native to the Aoyu Empire had invented it all themselves.

"Take photos? Record videos?" Setti and Uncle Jack looked baffled. Holding the Smart Watches, they had no idea how to use them.

"Figure it out yourselves later. In the empire, only my temple can manufacture these devices. The Smart Watch is just one of them, but it's essential for everyone. The Great Tree that measured your Force Multiplier during the trial and the Black Box that verified your identities were both supplied by my temple. You'll see how useful the Smart Watch is in time. That's the second benefit." Mercedes wore a hint of pride. "The third benefit is the Terrain Map. My temple is based in the wilderness, so we have the most comprehensive information about forest ferocious beasts, Essence of Vegetation, and dangerous places. A third of the Planetary Level warriors who die in other factions do so because they lack sufficient information about the wilderness. The wilderness forests are full of countless ferocious beasts. Some dangerous places can badly injure even Planetary Level warriors. With this map, you'll have an easier time exploring the wilderness forests.

"You must be wondering why you'd need to explore the wilderness forests. The Aoyu Empire occupies only a small part of this planet, so most Planetary Level warriors eventually leave the empire to explore the wilderness forests. There are many Planetary Level ferocious beasts there, as well as countless treasures. Risks and opportunities go hand in hand. That's all you need to know for now. When you reach Planetary Level, you'll go there yourselves.

"The fourth benefit is the forging of Emerald Tier Weapons, also known as Force Weapons. Only those who reach Planetary Level can fully unleash the power of Force Weapons. They're also the highest-grade weapons in the empire right now. Only four people in the entire empire can forge Force Weapons, and I'm the only one who can make them in different shapes to suit a person's requests. The others can only produce standard swords, spears, blades, and staffs. They can't handle even slightly complicated requests. And the materials they need to forge one Force Weapon would be enough for me to forge three. Normally, having me forge a weapon would cost a fortune. But since the king intends to reward you and I'm the one giving you the reward, I promise this: if you reach Planetary Level within five years, Guen and Setti, I'll forge a Force Weapon for each of you for free. And you, if you reach it within fifteen years, I'll forge one for you for free as well."

Mercedes spoke earnestly.

Guen was delighted. Although he had the Second-order Force Weapon, the Meteor Light Blade, he was more used to fighting with his fists. A good pair of Gauntlets would suit him better.

Guen was happy for Uncle Jack, too. Uncle Jack had clearly only tagged along with Setti, and Mercedes's last sentence had been meant for him. Uncle Jack had been accepted as well, and that was what made Guen happy.

"These four benefits are things other factions can't provide, or would find very difficult to provide. But here at the Forest Goddess Temple, they're easy to come by. My temple has another, even more important benefit, but you aren't able to use it yet. You'll only get a chance after you've made a major contribution and after you've advanced to Planetary Level. Do your best. Your urgent task is to reach Planetary Level. At my temple, only those at Planetary Level are allowed to venture outside. Keep it up."

After finishing, Mercedes led the three of them out of the side hall and gave them some basic instructions before leaving.

Guen and the others were grateful. Given Mercedes's status, they wouldn't have minded if he'd had someone else handle all this. Yet he'd personally looked after them.

Despite being Star Level, Mercedes had shown them a warm, approachable side.

The empire had hundreds of Planetary Level warriors, but only two at Star Level.

Guen's heart surged with excitement.

"I'll cultivate here until I reach Planetary Level. The universe, Tucha Planet..."

Guen's eyes shone with yearning. He would never stop at the Apprentice Level or the Aoyu Empire. He wanted to see a much broader world.