Death… And Me

Chapter 4416: Good Chance!

The twins’ group still had nine of the ten Godly Predator Crystals they had obtained previously. Even so, after this expedition, another 104 Godly Predator Crystals were added to their personal stockpile.

It was an astonishing amount.

At first glance, it might not seem particularly impressive since the ruins had contained thousands of those crystals to begin with. However, once the distribution was taken into account, the twins’ group realized just how fortunate they had been.

There had been ten Elite Exploration Groups participating in the expedition, each one expecting its own share. Arcis had also been present, and as the Law God leading the operation, he naturally received a considerable portion as well. On top of that, every exploration group had willingly agreed to donate half of the total Godly Predator Crystals to the Besgol Region.

Even after Harksha’s group was awarded thirty percent of everything that remained, those rewards still had to be divided among ten members. Since Harksha was the group’s leader, her own portion was naturally a little larger than everyone else’s. Looking at it from that perspective, receiving another 104 Godly Predator Crystals was already an incredible harvest.

The level two crystals, the ones from Godly Beasts, were a different matter. Those were not donated.

Still, only two of the Spatial Boxes recovered from the ruins had contained them, so the total amount available had never been very large. After the final distribution, the twins’ group received roughly another five hundred Godly Beast Crystals.

Five hundred would normally be considered a huge reward. Unfortunately for those crystals, they were being compared to over a hundred Godly Predator Crystals. The difference in value between the two was simply too enormous.

Naturally, that didn’t mean the twins’ group was disappointed. Far from it. You would probably have to kill Celis before he willingly gave up cultivation resources without an extremely convincing reason.

Finally came the Guild’s official reward for completing the exploration mission itself. Compared to everything recovered from the ruins, however, that reward looked rather modest. Each member received the equivalent of twenty-eight Godly Beast Crystals after all bonuses had been included.

That wasn’t a small reward by any means. Under normal circumstances, such a payment would have been considered excellent. It’s just that this expedition had simply been so profitable that the Guild’s contribution paled in comparison.

The Elite Exploration Groups remained together for a while longer, chatting about the expedition and exchanging information before gradually parting ways. The twins’ group naturally intended to return to Jufafner Country. After so much time spent outside, everyone was looking forward to finally resting for a while.

They soon arrived at the launching platforms, and Rean had just reached for his Spatial Ring to take out his repaired airplane when all four members of the twins’ group received the same Divine Sense message.

’Come with us. There is something we wish to discuss.’

The four immediately looked toward the source and spotted a rather plain-looking airplane parked not far away.

It belonged to Tobao.

Unlike Rean, Tobao had never cared much about appearances or unnecessary comforts. His airplane looked almost simplistic, reflecting the lifestyle of a monk. That didn’t mean it lacked performance, however. Every important array had been installed, making it one of the fastest airplanes in the Besgol Region despite its humble appearance.

Since Tobao had personally invited them, none of the nearby cultivators tried to stop them. The twins’ group boarded the airplane, where they found both Tobao and Arcis already waiting. Arcis had naturally assumed his humanoid form. Otherwise, his true body would never have fit inside the cabin.

”Err... why are we here?” Kentucky asked while looking around. ”Did something happen?”

Instead of answering immediately, Tobao calmly sat in the pilot’s seat and activated the airplane. ”Wait a moment.”

The airplane slowly lifted into the air before accelerating away from the Guild. No one complained, quietly taking their seats while waiting. Arcis remained completely silent with his eyes closed, seemingly deep in thought. Even Tobao’s usually peaceful expression looked somewhat more serious than usual, making it obvious that whatever they wanted to discuss wasn’t something trivial.

Only after they had climbed well above did Tobao activate the autopilot. The monk then walked over and sat across from the twins’ group, his gaze settling on Roan first.

”You helped us once before.”

Roan already knew what Tobao meant. ”The farm.”

Tobao nodded. ”Exactly. There is another issue now, and we’re uncertain how to deal with it. We hoped you might have another suggestion.”

Everyone became interested.

”Could it be...” Rean hesitated before asking, ”the contents of that last Spatial Box that Senior Arcis refused to show?”

”The very same,” Arcis answered.

With a wave of his hand, a single Godly Crystal floated into the middle of the cabin. The moment it appeared, everyone could feel the terrifying amount of Godly Energy contained within it.

Celis’ eyes nearly popped out. ”Holy mommy... It has even more energy than the Three-Eyed Raven’s crystal. Is... is this...”

”Yes,” Arcis confirmed. ”This is a Godly Apex Crystal. As you already know, Godly Apexes are fifth-level Godly Creatures. There were twelve of them inside that last box.”

”Twelve...” Celis stared blankly at the crystal before swallowing hard. ”C-Can we have two? Or... maybe three?”

Tobao rolled his eyes. ”We didn’t call you here to hand them out. Besides, giving one to an Anchor God right now would simply be wasteful.”

Roan ignored Celis entirely and looked at the two Law Gods instead. ”You don’t know what to do with them.”

”Correct,” Tobao admitted. ”You gave us the farm idea before, and it solved a problem none of us had considered. We thought perhaps you would have another useful suggestion.”

Arcis continued, ”These crystals obviously aren’t anything like the Crystal used in the Farm. They will be used as consumables, and they could greatly benefit both Tobao and me. They could also be used to help Peak Stage Zone Gods break into the Law God Realm. The problem isn’t how useful they are. It’s everything that comes after revealing they exist.”

”So you’re worried they’ll create the exact same situation as the farm,” Roan concluded.

”Precisely,” Tobao and Arcis answered together.

Rean looked thoughtfully at the crystal. ”Couldn’t the two of you simply use them yourselves? After everything you’ve done for Besgol, I think you’ve earned that much.”

A faint smile appeared on Tobao’s face. ”Thank you. I appreciate the confidence. Unfortunately, according to the Guild’s rules, these crystals belong to the exploration groups that found them. If greed weren’t such a concern, this discussion wouldn’t even be necessary. We would need a very good reason to do something else with them.”

Roan gave a quiet snort before replying. ”The first thing you should do is exactly what the idiot suggested. The two of you should each keep one crystal.”

Everyone looked at him in surprise, Kentucky included.

”...You actually agreed with Rean?” Kentucky asked.

”I did,” Roan answered without the slightest hesitation. ”You’ve protected the Besgol Region for countless years and risked your lives more times than anyone else. You deserve one crystal each.”

Neither Tobao nor Arcis spoke. They genuinely hadn’t expected Roan to be the one to say those words.

”As for the remaining ten,” Roan continued, ”they’re actually your greatest opportunity.”

Arcis frowned. ”Opportunity?”

”When that Crystal used for the Farm appeared, many cultivators wanted to consume it themselves instead of turning it into the farm. The farm solved the issue, but don’t fool yourselves. Many people remained dissatisfied.”

Roan leaned back before continuing, ”So use these crystals to satisfy everyone. Hold a tournament, trials, or whatever format you prefer. Let every Peak Stage Zone God compete for the remaining ten Godly Apex Crystals. Ten prizes are enough that everyone will believe they have a genuine chance of obtaining one.”

He paused briefly before adding, ”More importantly, don’t hide the fact that the two of you already kept one crystal each. Tell everyone there were twelve crystals in total, that you could have concealed their existence, but instead chose to reveal everything while only keeping one apiece because you’ve spent your entire lives protecting the region. I highly doubt anyone will object.”

Silence filled the cabin.

The more Tobao and Arcis considered Roan’s proposal, the more reasonable it sounded. It not only followed the Guild’s principles but also gave every Peak Stage Zone God a fair opportunity while preventing resentment from festering.

Then, a cold smile appeared on Roan’s face.

”Besides,” he said, ”it’ll also give you the perfect opportunity to discover who tried to steal the Farm Crystal last time.”