"How long can you maintain such a friendly stance?"
Muria, sitting atop Meisha's head as they soared into the sky, muttered to himself while gazing down at the base he had just plundered. Most of the Phantom Knights around him carried various technological devices, each holding at least one. These were his "compensation" for his efforts, although he had taken them himself. After all, these extraterrestrial visitors weren't exactly eager to give him anything, yet they hadn't stopped him either.
Muria didn't particularly value these items; he was merely using them to test the boundaries of this interstellar civilization. Now, he had come to realize that this civilization seemed to be like a turtle—remarkably patient. Despite all his provocations, they hadn't made any drastic moves. Of course, Muria didn't believe this civilization was run by a bunch of ninja turtles.
Their reluctance to act must stem from some underlying fear. Otherwise, a civilization with the technological prowess to crush the Ikonans wouldn't bother with negotiations at all. The basic premise for any deal is that both sides must be somewhat equal, or at least not vastly different in power.
It was clear, however, that the Ikonans and this interstellar civilization weren't even remotely comparable. Yet, their behavior indicated they were definitely wary of something.
"Legendary creatures!" Muria thought. In a world with no technology but extraordinary power, only creatures akin to natural disasters could make a civilization tread carefully.
"Once I become a bit stronger, I'll explore the entire Ikonan world!" Muria resolved, his gaze lingering one last time on the military base below before leading his forces away.
Although Muria left, his actions had a profound impact on the Ikonan tribes surrounding the base. Due to the existence of divine trees and extraordinary powers in their world, the Ikonans did not view these technologically superior foreigners as gods. However, interacting with them still left the Ikonans with mixed feelings.
But Muria's actions—bringing nearly two hundred Phantom Knights into the base, looting, and leaving—all left the Ikonans in awe. It made them realize that when one is powerful enough, they can indeed do as they please.
...
"King Ur, what should we do with these things?"
When Muria returned to Cloudview Peak with his loot-laden Phantom Knights, they looked at him with a mixture of confusion and anticipation. Most of them had no idea what use the items Muria had taken might have.
"..." Muria fell silent for a moment as he glanced at the Phantom Knights in front of him. Most of what he had taken were machines capable of producing large quantities of weapons, armor, and tools, as well as intelligent systems containing vast amounts of data.
The problem was that while Muria could probably figure out how to use them with time, the Ikonans couldn't. These people were essentially illiterate, uncivilized primitives.
Of course, Muria could teach them himself and expand the curriculum at his academy, but doing all the teaching alone would be exhausting.
"So, I need some teachers!" Muria rubbed his chin, deciding on the next step for Cloudview Peak's development.
"Store all these things carefully for now. Then, go to the foreigners' base and 'invite' some of them over for me. The more, the better, as long as you don't alert their main forces."
"Understood!" Although the Phantom Knights were perplexed as to why King Ur wanted to kidnap the foreigners, they still obeyed. After all, King Ur was far more foresighted and wise than they were. Every order he gave was bound to be the right one.
"Oh, and when you 'invite' these foreigners, go on foot. Don't ride your Phantoms," Muria added. He wasn't ready to have a full-scale conflict with this civilization just yet, knowing he was still too weak.
After giving his orders, Muria was about to return to his palace to continue his training. He had discovered a new path, and with the foundation of the Bagdad training method, he believed he could keep progressing.
But just as Muria leaned back against Meisha, the divine patterns on his body glowing as he prepared to resonate with Meisha for training, a mysterious sensation entered his mind.
It felt like a summons, as though something not far away was calling him.
"That direction..." Muria looked toward the source of the sensation, hesitating for a moment before slowly rising. After soothing Meisha's confusion with a gentle pat, he started walking in that direction.
"It's here!" Following the sensation, Muria arrived at a place between the trees—an area he had long regarded as forbidden. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, then stepped into the area.
In the middle of a carefully cultivated forest was a circular clearing about a hundred meters in diameter. At the center of this clearing stood a tree, only about five meters tall.
The tree resembled a willow, with long, drooping branches, but its entire body was pure white, emitting a soft, gentle glow. It wasn't blinding or harsh to look at, and simply gazing at it brought an inexplicable sense of peace.
"A divine tree!" Muria felt a twinge of sorrow as he looked at the tree. Part of the reason he had left the Tunan tribe to settle at Cloudview Peak was to avoid the divine tree there.
Yet, much to his frustration, as soon as the Ikonans at Cloudview Peak reached a certain population, another divine tree had quietly sprouted, blooming serenely in this floating mountain range. The Ikonans were delighted by its appearance.
But Muria was not. Ever since he first saw a divine tree at the age of seven, he had avoided them, determined to stay as far away as possible.
He had come to realize that unless he lived completely alone, it was impossible to avoid divine trees. Though he could not escape them, Muria never approached them willingly.
To him, divine trees were akin to the Colossus Beasts of Erathia, both being extensions and manifestations of the world's will. But the divine trees of the Ikonan world were even more pure, representing a direct embodiment of world will.
Thus, Muria did his best to stay away from them. He had no desire for close contact with world will, fearing it might expose his true identity. If the divine tree discovered his original form, there was an 80% chance he'd have to pack up and leave this world.
Yet now, after sensing the tree's summons and detecting some sort of unknown change, Muria found himself standing beneath the divine tree of Cloudview Peak.
The reason wasn't just because of his Ikonan body's sensitivity to the call, but because even his true form, sealed and hidden within his Ikonan heart, had sensed the summons.
This unprecedented turn of events forced Muria to stand under the divine tree, gazing up at it with a hint of sadness.
"If I had cut you down when you first sprouted, things might not be so complicated now," Muria thought as his mind wandered.
He realized that his true form had likely been detected by the world's will after prolonged exposure to the divine tree.
But there wasn't much he could do about it. The primitive, undeveloped Ikonans were his key to gathering source power in this world, and he couldn't afford to isolate himself.
Even though his true form had been noticed, Muria held onto a sliver of hope. He hadn't sensed any malice from this world yet, which was why he remained here.
His mind raced with thoughts, but his actions were swift. Muria extended his hand and placed it on the divine tree. Instantly, he felt himself connect with a vast, emotionless will.
"Where did you come from?" A voice, a cacophony of tens of thousands of Ikonan voices mixed with the roars of beasts and the chirps of birds and insects, entered Muria's mind.
"I came from beyond the void," Muria replied, making no attempt to deceive the powerful will before him. The will of an entire world was far beyond his own capacity to challenge.
"What do you intend to do within my body?" The voice of confusion entered Muria's mind, causing his head to buzz and his eyes to swell with pressure. His body wasn't equipped to handle prolonged communication with such a vast will.
"Help your children grow faster! Clear all threats within your body!" Muria answered honestly, stating his true purpose in this world. After speaking, he quickly withdrew his hand from the tree, knowing that if he didn't sever the connection, his body would soon collapse.
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