"Find Resha?" Orakha was surprised by the mention of the name, "Do you know where he is?"
"The last I saw him heading to the Guna Caves." Inala replied, "I don't know anything about him beyond that."
"Brangara wiped out the Dralh Sea branch of the Cooter Clan." Orakha said with a despondent expression, "He's able to passively use Subtle Terrain Domination without activating the Nature. If Resha was at the Guna Caves, then I'm afraid his situation might be compromised."
"No, if Resha wanted to flee, no one on Sumatra can catch up to him." Inala said with confidence, "He wields complete control over gravity. In terms of brute combat power, he's still unrivalled. All he needs to do is repel himself from Brangara and he'd never be captured."
If Resha were to get killed, Blola would know immediately. As that hadn't happened, the only other compromising situation would be Resha getting neutralised by Brangara. While Virala, Orakha, and Gannala spied upon the Zahara Kingdom, they didn't see any signs of Resha's capture.
So, Inala's conjecture was more likely to be the truth. And after some thought, Orakha nodded, "I'll focus on finding him."
Inala then asked, "What's the Dralh Sea's state now?"
"It's under my control." Virala thumped his chest, "I'll gradually populate it with Mystic Humans like myself."
"Will they be as strong as you?" Inala asked next.
"Not as strong as me, but they'll be at the pinnacle of Gold Grade." Virala grinned, "I don't mind revealing details about my plans, but in return, you need to reveal yours too."
"So that you'll copy mine?" Inala raised an eyebrow.
"I'll draw inspiration, if it suits my desire. But I'm pretty content already." Virala patted his thigh, "I only need to train and reach the 10-Life Stage before the Fourth Major Disaster to be ready for the final fight."
"I control all the Zingers, including their Natures." Inala revealed his hand first, "Even if the Nature is in Astral Chart or Astral World, when in my range, they'll obey only me. That's my absolute authority as the Royal Zinger."
"And currently, I'm rearing the Clansmen version of Zingers here." Inala pointed in the direction of the Biome Lattice, "That is something I made to absorb Prana from the Phells. Using it, I spawn Zingers. My powers have remained the same as before, the only difference is my absolute authority over it."
"Let me get this straight." Virala felt his heart accelerate as he asked, "Suppose Yarsha Zahara absorbs your power, can she use it?"
"Against others, yes, albeit with severe difficulty." Inala nodded, "But against me, it'll be futile. I'll be able to reclaim the effects of my powers instantly."
"I didn't make the Attribute a part of my genetic information for no reason." Inala concluded, "My Prana has all the characteristics of my power and my authority. And only the Royal Zinger can use it, which is me."
He tapped the table and used Perfect Bome Domination to condense tree bark and transform it into paper, on which pages of information appeared. The extent of control he displayed was tremendous, stunning the duo who stared at it.
'This level of control is already on par with a mature Empyrean Snapper.' Virala thought in excitement. He then began to speak, "Mystic Humans can fuse with two bodies, of any Grade. I can become the Empyrean Boar King and a Mystic Ewworm. My followers can become Spirit Eaters and Gold Ewworms."
"Spirit Eater…" Inala thought and muttered, "It is a Sumatra Continent version of the Transcendent Eater?"
"Yes," Virala nodded, "However, only Mystic Humans can use their power. Anyone else who tries to possess them will fall under the control of Sumatra's Transcendent Eater."
"So, that's your failsafe." Inala nodded, "There is another failsafe too, right? Your words at the stone house back then hinted that."
"Yeah, the more you understand and gain information about my powers, the more you'll try to become a Mystic Human. But once the process starts, you have a year to succeed." Virala grinned, "You either become a Mystic Human and worship me or die trying."
"Can that be used on Brangara?" Inala asked immediately.
"Yes, but I can't guarantee its effectiveness." Virala shook his head, "His Tertiary Nature is that of a Major Treasure. So, he might be able to go beyond the rules of my ability."
"Do you have full information regarding his powers?" Inala asked in excitement, "I only managed to glean a portion of it at the Attributed Region."
"Yup, I do." Virala grinned and stared at Orakha, "Grehha was the one who obtained it. He managed to steal all of Yarsha Zahara's plans."
"If we have all this, then why the heck are you afraid?" Inala flashed Orakha an incredulous gaze, "You can literally alter your powers according to your will. So, it'll be the most difficult to counter you."
'Besides, Maroppa can use Mystic Sumatra Art. With it, she'll continue to grow stronger.' He thought and observed Orakha's expression, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't our chances still plenty?"
"There's nothing I can gain from this war." Orakha shook his head, "I only intend to live a safe life with my family."
"Alright, that's your desire. I won't speak against it." Inala nodded and stared at Virala, getting information about the data Grehha had gained from Yarsha Zahara, including the full version of Mystic Sumatra Art.
'I can make the Phells within the Phell Nuke cultivate Mystic Sumatra Art. Over time, this will strengthen them further.' Inala thought, feeling a headache as hundreds of plans popped into his mind space, giving him the urge to test them all until he finalised the ones practically effective against his target.
The trio continued to discuss for the next couple of days, exchanging lots of information, at the end of which Inala asked, "Is Gannala planning something with the Mammoth Treasury?"
"She already did." Orakha said, "I don't understand the process, but somehow, she managed to give the Tertiary Nature of Cultivator to all the Empyrean Tusks. She also gave Empyrean 100 to the Mammoth Chief."
"Hahahaha! As expected of my daughter!" Inala roared in laughter, overjoyed by the information. He then took out five glowing orbs from his back and placed them on the table, staring at Orakha to say, "Give this to her. Consider it a gift from me for her hard work."
"Yeah, there's one per each Biome Bomb." Inala nodded, "I've already instructed them to obey Gannala. So she can use them as she pleases."
Saying so, he took out a gun made using a Biome Bomb, sporting slots to insert the orbs within, "In times of emergencies, she can shoot a Bolt of Transcendence at her enemy."
"This is how much I can afford to set aside, so keep them with care."
"Can you give me one of these too?" Virala asked, sporting a tone akin to currying favour towards Inala.
"You have no use for it." Inala shook his head, "Besides, a single Bolt of Transcendence won't be able to kill the current you, not to mention in the future when you become even stronger."
"I want to place it in my palace as decoration." Virala said, "It'll be something my followers can admire. And maybe one of them will find a use for it."
"Alright, I'll think about it." Inala said, "The next time you return, bring me something of value to exchange for one of these."
"Sure," Virala nodded, beginning to think of the ways in which he could take advantage of a Bolt of Transcendence. He was currently brimming with ideas after his conversation with Inala, happy to return home and begin experimentation.
Soon, they were done with their conversation, intending to return. Neither of them asked anything about the Major Treasure of Pet. Orakha planned to leave. And even otherwise, he planned to hide himself.
He had no plans to seek the Major Treasure of Pet, and hence wasn't too keen on making waves in the Ravaged Federation. Virala, on the other hand, was different.
He made a deal with Inala to send in a batch of Mystic Humans to produce Parute Fruits for his endeavours. In return, he'd be supplied with Nectar, with which he could increase the success rate of creating Mystic Humans out of Free Humans.
It was a beneficial deal for both sides; and with Virala using Tratham for travel, the journey only took five months, which was a short duration. Virala would also be purchasing medicines and other resources from the Brimgan Empire, which he planned to begin immediately after returning.
He'd act as the intermediary and make purchases on Inala's behalf and ship them to the Ravaged Federation. And in return, once he had made enough contribution, Inala would give him a Bolt of Transcendence.
Virala had some ideas to use it. He planned to use the upcoming months to think of ways in which he could strengthen himself further and finalise a plan of action.
Orakha was the first to exit the Biome Bomb, carrying five orbs and a gun with him. Virala was right behind him but stopped at the entrance. Turning around, he stared at Inala and whispered, "I didn't tell this to Orakha."
"I managed to converse a bit with Sumatra's Transcendent Eater. And there's an issue with Sumatra Chronicles. The dates of the Third and Fourth Major Disasters stated in Sumatra Chronicles don't coincide with Resha's age when he experienced them"
"It doesn't coincide?" Inala thought for a few seconds and understood what Virala was getting at. He didn't mind it though and said casually, "Sumatra Chronicles is a trap set by Renduldu that forces us to face Brangara at every Major Disaster. We're subconsciously driven to act accordingly. Even I can only avoid that when I'm at peak power."
Inala didn't reveal that he had to be at the Mystic Grade for that to be possible, as he intended to conceal his power of dropping Grades. However, peak power implied Mystic Grade, so Virala got the message correctly.
"So, you're saying this discrepancy is meant to control us?" Virala asked.
"Yeah, remember that we were edited out from Sumatra Chronicles. So, there are imperfections in it." Inala nodded.
"That cleared up some confusion, thanks." Virala nodded and waved his hand, leaving upon leaving behind a string of words, "One more thing. Something major will probably happen after the Fourth Major Disaster, something worse than Brangara."
"No use in worrying about that." Inala shrugged, "We can think of those things if we survive the Fourth Major Disaster. However,"
His expression turned fierce as Inala proclaimed, "Based on my schedule, I'll be finishing my current plans before the Third Major Disaster."
"I'm not waiting until the Fourth Major Disaster." He said with resolve, "In the Third Major Disaster, I'm going in for the kill."
"Brangara won't survive past the Third Major Disaster."