704. Seize

"Sigh—!"

At the head seat, the Empire's second-in-command, Lord Demon King's staunchest follower, Grand Duke Rune, let out a heavy sigh.

A trace of weariness showed in his crimson eyes as he swept his gaze over the Blood Scions kneeling below and said, "Now, the mist has completely cut off the sea routes for intercontinental trade. Without the high-quality Magic Crystals from the Tabu Continent, most of the Magic Crystal application technologies we spent so much manpower and resources researching will have to be scrapped. If this continues, I fear something major will go wrong."

Below, the kneeling Blood Scions looked at one another. Someone took the lead and asked, "My Lord Rune, do you have a plan to deal with this? Just give the order. We will complete it even if it costs us our lives!"

Rune nodded. "Lord Demon King has already begun organizing research into Magic Crystal refinement technology, but we cannot place all our hopes in one direction. As for the sea routes, I hope someone can find a new route that has not yet been blocked by the mist, or where the mist is relatively thin. Which of you—is willing to take on this mission?"

At those words, the Blood Scions all fell silent.

Even the Blood Scion who had taken the lead earlier lowered his head, somewhat ashamed.

This mission was highly dangerous, not to mention that there was an enormous chance of returning empty-handed. And opening a new sea route would take years no matter what. It was entirely a thankless task, so naturally no one was willing to take it on.

Rune naturally understood this as well. Even so, seeing the Blood Scions fall silent as one still disappointed him somewhat.

Just as Rune was about to personally appoint someone for the