Balund's disappointment at this moment was not without reason, because he had just heard a conclusion that was clearer than ever before.
In other words, these are the necessary conditions for High Tier in this world to become Transcendent Tier.
The person who drew this conclusion was also an unprecedentedly important figure.
In other words, he doesn't even need to question the other party; he can simply choose to believe them unconditionally.
However, this long-awaited conclusion still left him somewhat unsettled.
Balund had already begun thinking about related issues decades ago.
At that time, he had been a well-known Grand Foundry Master for a long time, and his own strength was among the top tier in the Graycast Corridor. Therefore, it was only natural that he would start to think about how to go further.
It's true that Transcendent Tier only exist in legends, but no one has ever doubted their authenticity.
From rare mythical creatures like dragons and demons to humans and ordinary monsters, every race with some intelligence has its own mythology.
In all the stories, there is a clear description of " Transcendent Tier " beings, an honor generally belonging to the "progenitor" of each race.
However, there has never been a clear path to reach that level, as if the upper limit of this world had been locked after a certain point...
After the Demonic Tide swept through, although the entire world was completely devastated and the methods of advancement were different from before the Demonic Tide, High Tier beings were no longer so rare.
Decades of experience, while not leading Balund to the Transcendent Tier, have given him a profound understanding of the High Tier.
A single drop of a Grand Duke's True Blood can create an ordinary High Tier duke to serve him. Do these High Tier have the qualifications to advance to the Transcendent Tier?
It's impossible.
Following Aiboke, an increasing number of outstanding Grand Artisan have become High Tier through self-modification and other means. Are these Grand Artisan qualified to advance to the Transcendent Tier?
Of course, that's impossible.
Although Balund knew all this, he always felt that he was still special.
However, his strength has not increased significantly in recent decades, which has made him gradually realize the harsh reality.
Ed's words just now completely revealed the secret of qualifying for advancement to the Transcendent Tier level:
Bloodlines are scarce, Authority is concentrated, and paths are paved.
You need to meet one of these three conditions to get the ticket to the Transcendent Tier.
After learning all this, Balund's many previous doubts vanished.
He began to understand the world anew, and to comprehend the perplexing actions of those who controlled many forces.
Conversely, the reason why the "progenitors" of various races were all of the Transcendent Tier naturally becomes clear.
As progenitors, they naturally met the first two conditions, and even the third condition could be barely met.
So, in a sense, is the so-called advancement to Transcendent Tier a form of "reversion"?
Thinking of this, Balund suddenly realized something, and he turned to look at Ed:
"According to you, by killing the [ Giant Arms ], wouldn't that indirectly help the Skeleton Alliance produce a Transcendent Tier?"
"That's true."
Ed nodded, thinking to himself that this was not all; perhaps a certain Samuer, who wished to remain anonymous, had also secretly taken a sip of the soup.
With the death of [ Giant Arms ], some licked the corpse, some divided the Authority, and some even collected the death itself, making it a triple win!
"However, we can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Reaching the Transcendent Tier requires time and accumulation; it's not something that can be achieved simply by dying a member of our race."
Ed stood high in the air and thought for a moment before saying:
"Compared to the Skeleton Alliance across the sea, I actually find the Eternal Domain to be a greater threat—"
" The Twin Kings are all quiet; they must be up to no good."
Upon hearing this strange expression, Balund understood it and nodded in agreement:
"The reinforcement plan for the northern defense line is already underway, but the troop strength in the Graycast Corridor is ultimately insufficient, and we don't know about other directions..."
Ed understood what Balund meant and realized that although the other party had stepped down from the position of Grand Foundry Master, he still kept an eye on the power that he had built.
His influence didn't actually diminish much after retirement; whether in front of Gray or the Great Labyrinth City, his and Aiboke's words still carried considerable weight.
"I see."
Ed's tone was very reassuring:
" The Theocracy has decided to completely annex the Wilderness of Chaos and push its borders to the point where they meet the Eternal Domain."
"At that time, the Eternal Domain will be bordered by the Graycast Corridor to the south and the Theocracy to the west. We can launch a two-pronged attack, and we can also support each other in defense and counterattack."
"We should also pay attention to the situation in the south."
" The Skeleton Alliance had long since mastered the route to the Corridor, so there was no need for them to put on a show after this battle."
"If they cannot swallow this insult, they will surely cross the sea again and frequently harass the Graycast Corridor."
"Building a port in the Sea of Flowers now might be a bit late, but if the Great Labyrinth City agrees, I believe some Soul Returner would be happy to use the ships from the Graycast Corridor to cruise the seas."
Upon hearing Ed's request for collaboration, Balund nodded repeatedly:
"That's certainly a good thing, but I've already stepped down. As long as the Great Labyrinth City's Machine Spirit agrees, that's fine."
"Speaking of Machine Spirit."
Ed seemed to remember something:
"I think we can gradually implement the previous suggestion to activate the Machine Spirit of other cities."
" The Graycast Corridor is not that strong overall, but it is rich in metal resources and Blood Corpse resources."
"Unleashing the city's Machine Spirit will undoubtedly elevate the overall strength of the Graycast Corridor to a new level."
"While the High Tier in the Graycast Corridor won't increase, they will have few rivals in terms of mid-to -Low Tier combat power."
Balund stroked his beard and nodded:
"That makes sense, but with so much cooperation and aid, I wonder what kind of reward you, or Theocracy, would require?"
Ed's gaze swept across the ground, where a large number of Soul Returner had emerged from the ruined streets and alleys.
Some helped clear the rubble, others infiltrated the Corridor Guard to reassure the public, and still others had already brought aid supplies in carts or small fortresses and begun distributing them...
Ed thought for a moment and said:
"Letting the Soul Returner stay in the Graycast Corridor for an extended period is already a good reward; don't you see they're all quite happy?"
He paused, then suddenly changed the subject:
"But if you really want to give something, then send Keen Risos and Brenfield to the Theocracy."
"Those two are both High Tier, killing them directly would be a waste. Taking them back will make good use of them. To be honest, our Theocracy has a specialty called ' Dungeon,' which are specially prepared for people like them."