"Come on, come on. Have some fish!"
Barn and Declan took the grilled fish offered to them and exchanged a glance. Neither dared take a bite right away.
Barn was still transformed into a Tiger-pattern Warrior, his whole body tense as he warily watched the seemingly harmless young girl before him. Though they had never seen her before, both could clearly sense the unfathomable, terrifying power hidden within her—a pressure that only a Godlevel powerhouse could exert.
The girl had snow-white hair, a petite frame, and delicate, adorable features. Her brilliant golden eyes shone like the purest gemstones, and she wore an elaborate, gorgeous Blue Court Dress. She looked every bit like a noble young lady who had sneaked out for an excursion, utterly at odds with the dead, brutal Abyss of Gobada.
"This is the Abyssal Rift Shark you fought a year ago. Its meat is delicious!" the girl said with a cheerful smile, as casually as if she were talking about an ordinary piece of grilled meat. Then she added, "If you don't like it, we can have something else—"
"We'll eat it!"
Barn and Declan answered almost in unison, then stuffed the grilled fish in their hands into their mouths and devoured it in no time.
In Gobada, they believed she could turn them into the next meal with a casual wave of her hand.
After they finished eating, Barn tamped down his nerves and ventured to ask, "My lady, did you see our battle a year ago?"
"My name is Fukaloss. Just call me by my name." The girl smiled sweetly. "I happened to be passing by at the time and killed that Undead Holy Magus from Evil Royal City. I was going to say hello to you, but then I ran into an enemy and got held up for a while."
The enemy Royal City's raiding squad naturally had a Godlevel leading it as well. After dealing with the Undead Holy Magus, Fukaloss had happened to run into that Godlevel, and the two had fought bitterly.
At the name "Evil Royal City," Barn immediately thought of the Evil King from the original story. After all, Gobada was the reverse side of the Material Plane, and its area was about the same as that of the Yulan Plane. It was not particularly large to Godlevels, so it was only natural to come across related clues.
"Then what is it you want from us, Miss Fukaloss?" Barn asked, deliberately using an honorific.
Fukaloss clearly liked being called "Miss." Her smile widened. "Well, I belong to Ice Prison Royal City, and I'm a Lowgod. I'm putting together an 'Ice Blade Squad' to fight against Evil Royal City and Azure Fire Royal City. Gideon over there is the first member I recruited. Now, I sincerely invite the two of you to join our squad!"
She pointed behind her.
The Earth Violent Bear, which had remained silent all this time, raised its head and glanced at them. Clearly, Gideon was its name.
Barn and Declan exchanged another glance, each seeing wariness in the other's eyes.
At last, Declan cautiously asked, "May I ask, as a Godlevel, what do you need us Sanctuaries for?"
Fukaloss sighed and explained, "Actually, even though we Godlevels have Divine Power to sustain us and don't go hungry, the Divine Power we absorb each day as Lowgods barely covers what we need to stay alive and cultivate. We can't save much at all. The consumption is especially terrifying when we open God's Domain."
"A single battle could use up all the Divine Power we've spent centuries accumulating." Fukaloss looked pained. "And if we use more Divine Power to 'gather resources' underground, what we gain is worth even less than the Divine Power we spend. It's simply not worth it."
"So a lot of Godlevels came up with a solution: find powerful Sanctuaries and form combat squads. The Sanctuaries handle the 'resource gathering' while we're only responsible for fighting enemy Godlevels."
Barn and Declan understood. "Gathering resources" clearly meant hunting Sanctuaries from opposing factions. She wanted them to serve as cannon fodder!
However, her explanation still hadn't made clear why they specifically had to hunt Sanctuaries, and—
"So, as squadmates, will we get paid?" Barn asked. That was what he cared about most.
Fukaloss puffed out her chest and said confidently, "Of course! When we Godlevels cultivate, a lot of Divine Power escapes. As my squadmates, you can stay by my side and absorb that escaped Divine Power to make up for what your bodies use up! So if you join my squad, you'll never have to worry about going hungry again!"
Barn drew a deep breath and was just about to speak. "Miss Fukaloss—"
"Don't decide just yet. Have another piece of grilled fish first!" Fukaloss interrupted him with a cheerful smile, offering them two more golden-brown pieces of grilled Abyssal fish.
Declan was startled. He clearly remembered how terrifying the Abyssal Rift Shark had been a year ago—and how badly it had injured him. Yet now it had been grilled and served up on a plate.
Barn glanced at the Earth Violent Bear, Gideon, behind them. It lowered its head helplessly, clearly forced to join as well.
Barn and Declan made up their minds at once.
"No need to think it over. The two of us brothers are willing to serve you, Miss Fukaloss!"
As Barn let his transformation fade and returned to human form, Fukaloss's eyes lit up at once.
"So you're human!"
Barn nodded. "I come from the Tiger-pattern Warrior clan. It's a Sanctuary clan that only appeared less than four thousand years ago, so it's only natural that you haven't heard of us, Miss Fukaloss."
"Hmm—I came to Gobada ten thousand years ago with my grandmother, so I wouldn't have heard of the Tiger-pattern Warriors." Fukaloss suddenly understood, then asked curiously, "Have you comprehended the Wind Element and Water Profound Mystery?"
"No. I've comprehended the Water Law and the Fate Law," Barn answered honestly.
"Huh?" Fukaloss stared at Barn in surprise. "But the battle aura flowing through your body is clearly Wind Element!"
"My battle aura matches my bloodline, but I don't have an affinity for the Wind Element."
"Then what profound mysteries have you comprehended?" Fukaloss pressed, her eyes brimming with curiosity.
"In the Water Law, I've comprehended Circle Softness and Water Body Technique. As for the Fate Law, I call my understanding 'Fated to Happen.'" Barn did not hide anything. There was no point hiding it from a Godlevel.
"Oh? You've comprehended two profound mysteries in the Water Law! Very impressive." Fukaloss nodded approvingly, then looked at Declan. "And you, Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon?"
"I'm Declan. Thank you for recognizing my race, Miss." Declan bowed slightly, his manner humble. "I've comprehended the Night Veil Profound Mystery of the Dark Element, and I've just begun to grasp the Shadow Clone Profound Mystery of the Dark Element."
"Both of you have comprehended two profound mysteries?" Fukaloss gave them a doubtful look. "Have you been guided by some powerful Godlevel?"
Barn shrugged. "No. We've just been trying to seize every opportunity to grow stronger and stay alive."
Fukaloss glanced at the Earth Violent Bear, Gideon. "Gideon cultivates Earth Pulse, one of the Earth Profound Mysteries. You've both experienced the mysteries of the profound mysteries you cultivate for yourselves."
The man, the dragon, and the bear all nodded.
Before you continue