Zhang Nu discovered that after eliminating Luo Zheng, he not only obtained an extremely high-quality monarch-class soul but also acquired as many as five skill stones, along with a Monarch Crystal.
[Monarch Crystal] Orange quality high grade item. Instantly bestows monarch-level aptitude upon the target.
This Monarch Crystal was a valuable item. In simple terms, it could be used to create monarchs. Regardless of the target's low qualifications or weak talents, as long as this crystal was used, it could forge a monarch. Those below Level 5 would gain monarch-level aptitude, while those at or above Level 5 would directly become monarchs.
For anyone else, this item would be considered invaluable. However, for Zhang Nu, there seemed to be no urgent need. On the one hand, he had numerous units under his command that were no less than monarchs, including Nancilia, Shui Lan, Marilyn, and the Darkness Three Titans. Having one more or one less monarch would not significantly improve the strength of the Chaos Federation. Moreover, Zhang Nu possessed the Soul Altar and the Tree of Eternity, both capable of creating monarchs. Hence, there was no immediate shortage of monarch-level units.
Because of this, he decided not to use the crystal immediately. Zhang Nu planned to save it for the future. It could be used to elevate the aptitude of those with exceptionally poor qualifications, for whom the cost of using the Soul Altar was too high, but still required a significant boost. Alternatively, he might trade it on the Demon King's market for other urgently needed resources.
As for the other five skill stones, two of them were S-rank skills:
[Skill Stone: Arcane Incarnation] S-rank skill.
[Skill Stone: Glacier Descent] S-rank skill.
Both of these skills were extremely powerful, and Zhang Nu believed they would be useful for him. Without further ado, he decided to learn both skills. With this addition, he now possessed three S-rank skills: "Rebirth from within the Flames", "Arcane Incarnation", and "Glacier Descent."
Although Tien City still had the Blood Lion Knights and the Thunderous Society with formidable strength, they were no longer enough to defeat the Darkness Legion. Zhang Nu shifted his attention, confident in the victory outcome. With nearly 200 million gold in hand, he expected to also earn a considerable amount from this battle.
Zhang Nu planned to construct the Rift Tower from the blueprint in his possession. The blueprint read:
[Blueprint: Rift Tower] Level 5 special building. Costs gold x50 million, dark gem x10,000, soul gem x5,263,000, space gem x3,000, time gem x1000. You may construct a Rift Tower within your territory.
Although it consumed gold like the other important Level 5 buildings, the gems required were all rare attribute gems. Particularly scarce were the space and time attribute gems. While Zhang Nu had a considerable gem inventory, he lacked some space and time gems. He had no choice but to purchase them from the market. Apart from 50 million gold, he estimated he would need to invest nearly another hundred million to procure all the materials.
The construction cost of this Rift Tower was indeed intimidating, and it was fortunate that Succubus Queen Han did not ask for this blueprint. Otherwise, with her current financial resources, how could she possibly afford it? However, Zhang Nu believed that the Rift Tower, with its advanced level, would not disappoint in terms of functionality and output.
Although it was expensive, it had to be built. The Chaos Federation had been exceptionally wealthy, and the business in the Aofa City, Kregi, for constructing the Job Advancement Tower, had been booming lately. The expansion of business in the Azure Water Federation had also been quite ideal. All things considered, within the next half month, with significant expenditures and a growing population, the net income of the Darkness City could easily surpass an average of 30 million gold per day. From this perspective, the cost investment was just a matter of a few days of income and was not worth mentioning.
With this in mind, Zhang Nu had contacted several gem suppliers and simultaneously posted information on purchasing space and time gems on over a hundred channels.
Meanwhile, Empress Shui Lan had already left the Darkness City. She had used the teleportation tower in the Dark City to directly teleport to the residence of the Dark Dragon Chamber of Commerce in Pale Moon. Throughout the entire process, the Demon King had not interfered, surprising Shui Lan. Did the Demon King trust her so much and let her leave so easily? Won't he be afraid that she wouldn't return?
This trustful attitude from the Demon King had made her very appreciative and admiring. Shui Lan had had no intention of seizing power; she had no interest in authority. In fact, she had been well aware that she did not have that ability. Six thousand years ago, the federation had not been named after her, and in her lifetime, she had never called herself an emperor. The name Azure Water Federation and the honorary Emperor title had both been obtained after Shui Lan had driven away the Evil Gods and suppressed the Abyssal Trench.
Six thousand years had passed, and things had changed. Six thousand years ago, the federation had been entirely different from the current one. Although Shui Lan still held a lofty status in the hearts of the sea tribes and races in this region, as well as a well-known reputation, it was merely a symbolic representation. She had been a hero of the federation, but for the powerful and influential, they had only needed the image of a hero, not the hero herself.
Shui Lan had no other intentions; she had only requested a seven-day break. She had planned to spend three days exploring this place, which she had once guarded with all her efforts and dedication, to see what it had become now. The prosperity of Shengtao City pleased Shui Lan immensely. This was the significance of creating the federation! Instead of lingering in the city, she directly entered the sea, swiftly traversing the ocean at speeds of tens of thousands of miles per day.
Six thousand years might be an exceptionally long time for most life forms, but from a geological perspective, it was not that long. The underwater regions of the Pale Moon Kingdom, as she remembered, had not changed much.
However, at this moment, a scent of blood filled the water. Thousands of young male and female fishfolks were driven forward by hundreds of sharkfolks, resembling livestock. Their bodies were covered in wounds, and the source of the bloody smell came from them.
"Pirates?" Shui Lan questioned.
"No, it doesn't seem like it... these sharkfolks driving the fishfolk captives are soldiers from a certain territory in Pale Moon!" Shui Lan observed that the sharkfolks driving the fishfolk captives were all wearing uniform equipment. Clearly, they were not pirates. Judging by the patterns on their equipment, they seemed to be soldiers from a certain city in Pale Moon.
"Who are you?"
"Wanna die?"
"Get out of our way!"
Sharkfolk soldiers wielding tridents approached. The leader among them assessed Shui Lan with a glance. "Well, well, well, we were tasked with capturing some fishfolk slaves to sell to the underwater mining camps. We didn't expect to encounter such a prime specimen like you!"
"Hahaha!"
"How fortunate!"
"Boss, look at this merfolk's quality. If we sell her to human merchants, she's probably worth more than the combined value of these thousands of these fish-heads. We're about to strike it rich!"
"Hey, let's first find out more about her before asking. What if we capture someone we shouldn't? We might be in trouble!"
"What are you afraid of? Who's gonna know that we did it?"
The sharkfolks approached with sinister intentions. A minute later, the sharkfolks fell silent. They were all cut into at least ten pieces, their mangled limbs scattered on the ground, attracting a large number of fish to feast on. Shui Lan untied the fishfolk villagers, but they did not express gratitude. It was rather the opposite, their faces were filled with fear and numbness.
"You... you killed the covenant nobles' soldiers!"
"You're going to die, we will all die!"
"It's over, it's over!"
Shui Lan was taken aback. "Covenant nobles? What does that mean?"
The fishfolk village chief explained, "You don't even know about the Covenant Nobles? Could it be that you're an outsider seafolk? The covenant families are selected noble sea clans chosen by Empress Shui Lan. They've had a covenant for protection, which has been passed down to this day. The entire Azure Water Federation is under their influence. Other sea tribes have been enslaved by them for generations!"
Shaking her head, Shui Lan asked, "They commit such atrocities to your people, why didn't you resist?"
The fishfolk elder sighed, "Resist? With what? Over the past few thousand years, some sea heroes have risen in rebellion, but the covenant families are protected by the covenant. It's doomed to be useless!"
Six thousand years ago, in order to end the endless conflicts, Shui Lan had taken great risks to find an ancient contract from ancient ruins. Using her immense strength and influence, she forced the most powerful sea tribes at that time to negotiate. Eventually, they established power boundaries, signed a contract, and formed an alliance. Since then, the chaotic sea region had been pacified, and peace had almost continued until now.
However, the vastness of the ocean posed a problem. Shui Lan could not bring all the tribes and forces under the covenant. She could only select influential major forces, leaving the other 90% of the forces and those emerging later doomed to be excluded.
Over the millennia, serious issues had emerged. The most severe problems were "internal corruption" and "class rigidity." The covenant nobles were always the legitimate rulers of their respective regions, regardless of how cruel or absurd their actions were. No forces had the power to overthrow them.
Countless small sea tribes were enslaved, vibrant new kingdoms were destroyed, and countless insightful individuals dedicated to changing the ocean were crushed by the gradually decaying community. Even among the covenant nobles, internal conflicts were intense, but war was not an option to resolve their issues due to the contract. Thus, they chose more ruthless forms of confrontation.
In summary, the appearance of the Azure Water Covenant had been a great contribution in the first two or three thousand years, but in the subsequent three thousand years, it became the root cause of corruption. It stifled the source of fresh blood in the ocean, allowing the decaying and corrupted old nobility to act recklessly.
Nowadays, every year in the Azure Water Federation, at least millions of sea tribes are captured and trafficked. For the old nobility under the Covenant, there's nothing they won't do for their interests. After all, they are the permanent legitimate rulers who signed the Azure Water Covenant and are protected by it.
"Our tribe is finished!"
"We're all done! My wife, my children are all dead!"
An angry fishfolk shouted, "It's all because of that damn Azure Water Empress! If it weren't for the protection of this tyrant's covenant, those damn nobles and brutal kingdoms would have been overthrown long ago!"
The fishfolk elder hastily interjected, "Watch your words. The original intention of Empress Shui Lan wasn't like this. But how could she have foreseen the current situation in her lifetime?"
The fishfolk angrily retorted, "Where did I say wrong?"
Others joined in, saying, "Exactly!"
"Tyrant Shui Lan is the root of all evil!"
"If it weren't for the protection of this tyrant, those damn kingdoms and nobles would have been destroyed long ago!"
The fishfolks were filled with righteous indignation. The Azure Water Empress, who was worshiped like a deity by various sea nations, was seen as a tyrant and the source of all evil by these tribal villagers.
Watching the plight of the fishfolk refugees, Shui Lan was deeply moved. She realized that the prosperity and harmony in this sea area were just illusions. Countless small and medium-sized forces, numbering in the tens of billions, were living under oppression. Angry and hateful sentiments had accumulated for generations and spread to every corner of the ocean. Most of the sea kingdoms had already decayed beyond recognition. Once the fragile balance was disrupted, this ocean would erupt into a war more devastating than ever before, possibly directly destroying all current civilizations.
Shui Lan felt a chill throughout her body. Could it be, as the Demon King said... was she wrong? Like the story of Gun and Yu, she had adopted Gun's method, and the covenant was like the Xi Rang soil. Although it could temporarily take effect, it might trigger even greater disasters!"