Chương 555: Chapter 523: A Faction Worth Fighting For

Thalion had a surprisingly pleasant talk with Pikar whom he found hanging out in a garden together with Ricarda. The two had apparently just been talking though about what exactly Thalion neither knew nor cared. It was however slightly annoying that they had been this far away from the base. Pikar informed him that things were progressing extremely well.

Seraphina discovered several new reefs every day and they already had multiple locations marked on the map containing massive crystals protected by multiple high E-grade or even D-grade beasts. Obtaining those enormous crystals would make powering the walls significantly easier but so far nobody had dared to challenge the creatures patrolling those waters. Seraphina apparently wanted to try but she also carried too many responsibilities and they couldn't risk her getting injured while Thalion was gone.

Ricarda meanwhile had apparently done nothing except grow plants and level while Pikar had fully focused on his insects. They had already established entire plantations of aquatic plants within the bay close to the base which could be used to create health, mana, stamina, and several other potions Thalion had never even heard about before. Overall things looked incredibly promising. As long as the Chosen didn't discover them it would likely remain that way too.

Since Pikar, Ricarda, and Seraphina were all important members of the faction by now, Thalion invited them to dinner and drinks together with the others. It was about time everyone properly met since they would all have to work together in the future anyway. It also gave Thalion the perfect opportunity to explain their plans moving forward. There was however one major downside to everything. The food.

The elves had absolutely no idea how to cook and the one human who had loudly claimed to be a master chef had produced food so horrible Thalion had seriously considered banishing the man from the faction. Thankfully they possessed a portal connected to a divine realm which meant ordering food from there wasn't difficult at all.

"I still think we should kill that man for wasting all this food. Even Vorlok didn't want to eat it," Kargul muttered to Thalion while the two stood before the buffet preparing their first plates.

"Killing him might be a bit excessive but you could almost believe the guy was actively trying to poison us," Thalion replied while trying a strange plant soup that smelled absolutely delicious. Since he would soon gain access to many new forms anyway he decided he would only test forms from time to time instead of every single meal he consumed. From what he understood, most beasts served here had specifically been bred for consumption anyway which likely meant their skills were mediocre at best.

He also decided to start lightly and save most of his appetite for the main course and desserts. Kargul of course didn't share that opinion whatsoever and piled his plate high with basically everything available. The mansion Thalion currently lived in possessed such a massive dining hall that even Vorlok could comfortably lie in one of the corners.

It took some effort but Thalion eventually managed to convince two unfortunate humans to continuously bring the Sky Turtle food and effectively act as its personal service staff for the evening. The poor souls practically sprinted nonstop between Vorlok and the buffet tables. It was also surprisingly difficult for them to determine what exactly the turtle wanted since it couldn't speak and merely nodded toward random dishes.

The two servants would then rush over, gather as much food as possible, sprint back, and carefully throw everything into Vorlok's giant open mouth while the turtle swallowed the entire mountain without chewing once.

"So far I really like this new faction. It's much smaller and we aren't stuck in constant war. Oh and the best part is definitely the food." Kargul declared before immediately stuffing nearly half his plate into his mouth.

"Yeah things are going surprisingly well so far. I just hope the Chosen keep fighting each other for a while without anyone clearly winning. That would give us the best chance to gather all the good loot," Thalion replied while taking another spoonful of soup on the way back to the massive stone table everyone would sit around. The table itself looked incredibly plain despite its enormous size but nobody really cared about appearances when the company was this good.

"Jo how furious do you think those Chosen are now that we're gone?" Jakob asked while carrying a plate overflowing with appetizers.

"That Ethan guy is definitely exploding right now," Evelyn laughed loudly.

"Ryan and Elara too. I was the reason Ryan got kicked out of the first system event early and during the attack I even fought together with Elara. Well at least until Ryan arrived. Thanks to her buff I managed to steal the plants from that elven plant Chosen." Thalion chuckled.

"They're probably all fuming. Maybe I'll even see them tomorrow during that weird show." That earned him several shocked looks but Ricarda was the first one unable to hold herself back.

"You secretly let yourself get buffed by a Chosen healer and then used that strength to destroy Olyndra's most important plant and steal the seeds?" Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Do you have any idea what kind of damage you caused her? She used all her credits during the tutorial just to buy that seed and even then she must have bent the rules quite a bit to get it. Replacing that plant will be impossible for a very long time."

"Hugh really? It didn't even seem that strong. Only took two slashes before it toppled over," Thalion wondered out loud.

"You managed to cut through it with two strikes? Just what kind of weapon do you even possess? I don't think even the king and queen own something like that. Do you know what that plant does? Everything! It empowers all surrounding plants, increases the chance for passive skills, improves rarity evolutions and skills, buffs every plant in the area by making them tougher and stronger while also empowering their vitality and mana. It attacks with light beams and can even cast powerful illusions."

Ricarda nearly ran out of breath speaking so quickly.

"Hah, quite the plant you killed and then stole its babies from," Kaldrek laughed loudly while slamming his fist onto the table hard enough for it to thunder through the room. They had also gotten some surprisingly good drinks and Kaldrek already stood on the edge of being hammered. Probably because he was sitting between Evelyn and Kargul while Maike glared at him angrily from the opposite side of the table.

"Yes, what a glorious story and what excellent food. The gods are truly generous with us considering the garbage the humans back in Eric's base had to eat. Though I am going to miss that cook," Kargul roared.

"Yes this one goes to the cook," Kaldrek agreed loudly and both raised their glasses before smashing them together so hard that half the liquid spilled onto the table. Thalion tried the drink as well and had to admit that he really liked it. It tasted somewhat similar to beer but with a sweet aftertaste that made it strangely addictive. There was definitely strong alcohol mixed into it but Thalion quickly realized it simply wasn't potent enough to affect him anymore.

Between the Primordial Bloodseed, his divine race, and the power of the Outsider it seemed almost impossible for him to get drunk now. That fact was quickly noticed when he emptied his glass far faster than Kaldrek.

"Oh you're already done? We need to get you another one!" Kaldrek cheered loudly the moment he noticed.

"Nah no need. Doesn't seem like I can get drunk from this anymore," Thalion sighed which immediately earned him loud laughter from Kaldrek.

"You know what the problem is?" Kaldrek shouted.

"You have too much vitality. That's why I keep putting my points into strength and agility hehe."

"I'm more worried about Ethan and his rangers. They were clearly watching us and the next time they see us they'll definitely try to kill us. Kael, Kai, and Sylas have also grown much stronger. They might reach D-grade around the same time as we do." Maike sounded genuinely concerned which immediately dampened the mood somewhat.

"Sylas definitely followed me through the city a few times," Evelyn added.

"Ryan is also an idiot. He tried asking me out three different times can you believe that?" Annie shared.

"Oh right wasn't that when Lee claimed you were already together and then Ryan challenged him to a fight?" Kaldrek burst out laughing after downing the rest of his drink.

"Gods I need another one." Kargul and Evelyn immediately joined him.

"That Ryan was lucky I'm still only E-grade otherwise I would have drowned him for such insolence," Thalassan hissed and just hearing the way she pronounced Ryan's name gave Thalion chills. He had to admit she had grown absurdly powerful. Even judging by his title he would probably rank her second strongest after himself among everyone present.

"Really? You actually possess a special skill specifically for drowning people? Also does it work on water mages too?" Seraphina asked with obvious interest.

"The primary purpose of the skill is not drowning someone. It enriches water with extremely high concentrations of salt which draws the moisture out of living beings. It became a necessary upgrade because people can simply hold their breath for too long underwater," Thalassan explained happily.

"So technically they die of thirst instead of suffocation?" Seraphina sounded almost impressed.

"Yes but I'm already developing techniques and skills to improve it further. I'll probably need to reach D-grade first though," Thalassan nodded. Thalion honestly wondered how someone even came up with something like that and more importantly how exactly they tested it. Deciding not to think too deeply about it he instead focused on finishing his soup. He had to admit the food was absolutely delicious and Solan just kept sending more through the portal.

The meals were carried in by ordinary F-grade elves who could move through the portal freely since they weren't important faction members and didn't possess high rarity races or classes. For the main course they received all kinds of meat, vegetables, and bowls filled with side dishes. Thalion's personal favorite were the over two-meter-long grilled beasts served on massive platters. They also quickly became Kargul's and Vorlok's favorites as well.

Vorlok in general probably pushed at least one poor cook to the brink of complete burnout. The evening turned out surprisingly great for Thalion and they talked about all sorts of things. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he had laughed this much. Especially after a completely drunk Lucan loudly declared that it was finally time to discuss the truly important matters. Crafting.

The smith proudly explained how he had managed to build himself proper body armor together with multiple weapons that now allowed him to become an actually dangerous opponent even in close combat. That conversation immediately reminded Thalion of his own crafting projects. Now that he possessed so many allies and would soon gain access to some of the strongest forms in the multiverse supplied directly by gods, dedicating time to crafting probably wasn't a bad idea at all.

Once the teleportation circle to Integrated Space was claimed, things would likely spiral completely out of control and that definitely wouldn't be the right moment for massive crafting projects anymore. With his crafting skill he might even be able to improve Saranya itself but currently the sword remained top tier already and it would probably be smarter to upgrade everything else first. He especially needed proper armor that wouldn't melt apart during future battles like last time.

When it came to knowledge and runes the gods would likely be able to help as well. Several members of the group also wanted to personally visit the gods for training and simply to see what actual gods looked like in person. Thalion honestly had no idea if such a thing would even be possible since he doubted Solan or the others would really care enough to meet them personally.

Funny enough everyone was incredibly excited about the stupid show and since it could only be watched properly from Integrated Space, half the group would probably travel to the divine domain tomorrow. They all seemed to think the whole thing would be hilarious. For Thalion however it mostly sounded annoying. The last thing he wanted was to get broadcast across the entire multiverse. And then there were of course the clothes Nyssa wanted him to wear which would almost certainly become another disaster entirely.

Preparing himself mentally for whatever insanity tomorrow would bring, Thalion eventually returned to his room and sat down to cultivate his soul once more. Hopefully this time he would finally discover some clue on how to get rid of the system marks.