Chapter 35

This world is composed of countless small worlds known as "planes." Some are small, perhaps only fit to serve as warehouses, while others are vast enough to contain mountains, rivers, lands, suns, moons, and stars.

The Shadow Plane is one such large plane. Much like the core plane where most living beings reside and thrive, it has mountains, water, and a variety of life forms. However, this plane is far more dangerous than the core plane because the power of "shadow," which is constrained by natural laws in the core plane, is completely unrestrained here.

Unrestrained shadow power is not inherently harmful, but it poses immense danger to adventurers traveling between planes. Because the shadow power is so abundant and potent, the world is teeming with dangerous creatures. They are powerful, cruel, and often incredibly cunning. Thus, despite the Shadow Plane possessing many rare resources and being relatively close to the core plane, most adventurers view it as a forbidden zone, and few dare to venture deep into it.

After the unlucky Gerald was thrown into the Shadow Plane, he happened to land in a withered forest. The forest was inhabited by an ancient tree spirit that had devoured the vitality of the entire woods to prolong its own life. It was incredibly irritable and launched an attack the moment it saw Gerald.

The tree spirit's abilities were terrifyingly formidable; compared to it, the tree demon grandmother from the movie A Chinese Ghost Story that Sui Xiong had watched in his previous life was practically harmless. Gerald pulled out all the stops, yet he was still beaten into a sorry state, scurrying through the woods like a cornered beast, unable to break out.

He couldn't locate the true form of the tree spirit hidden among the countless withered trees and could only endure the beating. Fortunately, the body Sui Xiong had crafted for him was indeed incredibly sturdy, blocking the tree spirit's attacks time and again. Although the situation grew increasingly dire, he managed to hold on until Sui Xiong arrived to rescue him.

Relying on the soul avatar connection through the Bone Bracelet, Sui Xiong projected his will and power into the Shadow Plane. Having analyzed the divine power of the "Gatekeeper of the Dark Night Pantheon," he had a decent understanding of shadow energy. He temporarily fashioned an avatar by mixing shadow energy with ash and earth, engaging the tree spirit in a fierce battle.

This time, Sui Xiong had truly met his match. The tree spirit was arguably the most powerful entity in this region, having even repelled several attacks from deities who sought to slay it and forge it into a powerful artifact. Facing Sui Xiong, who dared to hinder its feeding, the spirit was incensed and truly unleashed its full strength.

The all-out clash between two ridiculously powerful giants was truly earth-shattering, causing the very heavens and winds to change color. All nearby monsters, regardless of their strength, fled in panic, and powerful factions that had been eyeing the tree spirit also retreated, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire.

After a brutal fight, Sui Xiong finally found an opening. Using Palin as a coordinate, he opened a portal to the core plane and sent Gerald back.

Then, unwilling to waste more time on the persistent tree spirit, he withdrew all his power, leaving behind only ash and dust for the spirit to lash out at in a frenzy, while he leisurely returned to his main body.

This fierce battle left the already decrepit tree spirit even weaker and more irritable. To the factions eyeing it, the old creature's life was now on a countdown. Perhaps it wouldn't be long—fifty years, a hundred years, in any case not too long—before their long wait would end and the time for harvest would arrive.

Sui Xiong didn't come out unscathed either. Projecting his will and power across planes to fight a legendary monster strong enough to make deities take notice consumed a great deal of his energy. So much so that, having never felt fatigue since his transmigration, he was exhausted to the point of needing a nap.

Well, a nap of about... five seconds.

When he awoke and projected his will back into the cave via the Bone Bracelet, Gerald and Palin were still immersed in the shock that "His Majesty Void Mask could actually feel tired," and hadn't yet recovered.

"Uh, I'm rested. Why are you all just standing there? Is there any trouble?" Sui Xiong asked curiously.

Gerald and Palin exchanged glances, not knowing what to say.

But while they remained silent, someone else was eager to speak. A man nearby was already prostrate on the ground, bowing repeatedly toward the air.

"Great Majesty, Satan, a researcher of arcane mysteries, pays his respects to you! I pray that you accept me as your servant and dedicate my humble life to the great cause of spreading your glory! Please grant me this honor!"

The mage prostrate in a full kowtow was none other than the man with the clever tactics who had once defeated Gerald.

Sui Xiong paused, his jellyfish phantom projecting out to gaze at the mage named "Satan."

Honestly, he held no ill will toward this mage. In war, each serves their own master, and battle is a matter of life and death. Facing a powerhouse like Gerald, Satan could hardly be expected to show mercy. And the fact that he could use ingenious designs and appropriate spells to defeat Gerald, who was far stronger than him, was a brilliant achievement—enough for Sui Xiong to accept his surrender.

A wise bird chooses its tree to perch upon; outstanding talents always gather under excellent bosses. Being able to attract more talent only proved that Sui Xiong was an excellent leader!

However, there was one small issue that bothered him slightly.

"Satan... that name sounds a bit familiar," he muttered. "But you don't have six pairs of wings, nor are you born with nobility and pride... you haven't grown horns, and there's no '666' on your forehead... you're not the world's number one expert, and your hairstyle isn't a mushroom cut... You don't fit the idol type, the powerhouse type, or the comedic type..."

After thinking it over, he finally sighed and asked, "Satan, are you interested in switching to martial arts?"

Satan was stunned. He hesitated for a long time before shaking his head with a bitter smile.

As a mage determined to pursue the highest mysteries of magic for his entire life, he would rather die than abandon his dignity as a mage.

"Then there's nothing to be done... what a pity," Sui Xiong said helplessly. "You had the potential to be a superstar, but now you'll just have to be an uncle selling secret manuals on the side of the road."

"Ah?" Satan had no idea what he was talking about.

"In short, you could have been a golden supporting character, but now you'll only make occasional appearances at the beginning of the story, and your screen time will be greatly reduced." Sui Xiong explained.

Satan finally understood a little: "Does Your Majesty need me to perform in an opera? To be honest, I know very little about that..."

"Your Majesty, Mr. Satan is a very talented mage," Palin couldn't help but interject. "He comes from the Arcane Tower Federation in the south of the continent, a place known as the Land of Mages. Mages from there, whether in terms of breadth of knowledge or practical spellcasting ability, are far beyond ordinary mages! It would be a waste to have such a talent perform in an opera!"

Sui Xiong looked at his nervous expression, then at Gerald's concerned look, and couldn't help but laugh.

It seemed this mage named Satan was indeed a talent; in such a short time, he had already successfully won over Palin. Even Gerald, who had nearly died at his hands, felt more admiration than resentment toward him.

Such talent was truly rare!

So he said, "When did I mention opera? You're overthinking it. Satan, you are an excellent mage, so do you know how to handle government affairs or manage a territory?"

Satan thought for a moment and said, "I know a little, but that is not my specialty. If Your Majesty needs talent in this area, I can find one for you. When I was studying at the Arcane Tower Federation, I knew a descendant of a noble who had lost his territory. He hasn't been doing well, living by copying books and teaching children to read. If you want to build a territory, he would be a qualified assistant."

"Then please invite him over. It will take a long time to travel from the south of the continent to the Four Northwest Towns, so we can use this time to build the framework of the territory."

Sui Xiong said it casually, but Gerald was trembling with excitement and couldn't help but shout, "Your Majesty, have you finally decided to build your own church?"

"Well, before I knew it, I had three subordinates. It's foreseeable that this team will continue to grow. Without a territory, it won't be convenient to settle everyone," Sui Xiong said. "Let's settle it this way for now. Let's leave here first."

"Your Majesty, those treasures..." Gerald reminded him hurriedly.

"The treasures are right here; they won't be lost," Sui Xiong said with a smile. "After we get out, you can move the metal plate carved with the teleportation array directly. Once we are settled, I will adjust the spatial coordinates slightly so that we can teleport in directly from anywhere."

"That would be like having an extra hidden warehouse!" Gerald's eyes lit up.

"And a secret laboratory where we can do anything without being discovered!" Satan's eyes also lit up.

Palin shrugged, feeling speechless at his two colleagues' attitudes.

After spending some time, the three of them sent the still-slumbering thieves out of the treasure cave. When Gerald appeared in the forest, the remaining thieves were startled, but fortunately, the vice-president of the Thieves Guild restrained them, preventing them from scattering in a panic.

If they had truly fled, the thieves, having abandoned all their supplies, would have been unlikely to survive the terrifying night in the Ash Forest. If one in ten managed to return to Glimmerstone Town alive, it would be thanks to the blessing of the God of Thieves.

The vice-president, nicknamed "Grey Eyes," knew this well, so even though his legs were trembling with nervousness, he firmly restrained the thieves, emphasizing that running away was a dead end and would only lead to a more miserable death, while staying might offer a sliver of hope. This gave them the last bit of courage to stand trembling before Gerald.

Soon, as all the thieves who had entered were sent out, their panic subsided significantly. Since those who had gone in before hadn't been killed, but merely hypnotized, they figured they would likely survive as well...

Their guess was not wrong; neither Sui Xiong nor his two followers were the type to kill indiscriminately. Satan was indeed ruthless, but he was clever enough to realize that the deity he had just pledged his loyalty to was a kind and benevolent one. He immediately cast aside any thoughts of slaughter and firmly supported his Majesty's decision.

Furthermore... he truly did not believe that a mere group of thieves from a backwater town could possess the ability to cause them any trouble.

One must realize that even without considering the great deity backing them, a single outstanding intermediate mage combined with a giant whose strength was practically monstrous would be enough to sweep through a small, remote town.

However, Sui Xiong was not a pushover without principles. He could spare the thieves who were merely following orders, but he would never let the true culprit go.

That was the despicable villain who had deceived them: the guild master of the Glimmerstone Town Thieves Guild, "Quick Hand" Ryan!

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