Ravaged Federation!
In the Quip Clan headquarters, situated deep within the ocean, there was a Biome Bomb whose space had been mostly cut off. It was turned into a cocoon large enough to house a person within.
Sleeping within it, fully immersed in a mixture of Prana Bomb fluid and Nectar was Kenka Echo. From time to time, gashes littered the body, turning abrasive. Strings of Prana coiled around the wounds, infusing Prana into the body in an effort to heal them.
But the healing speed was awfully slow, even when the Biome Bomb was converting the Prana it was being fed into Mystic Grade Royal Zinger lifespan before supplying it to Kenka Echo.
"Fuoo...ooo...hh..." There was a painfully slow wheeze from Kenka Echo. He had yet to gain consciousness, after close to five years since he attempted to unleash his State of Harmony.
Standing before the Biome Bomb enveloping him was Zhya, her expression placid. Concern flashed through her eyes from time to time as she noticed the nearby Biome Bomb—it had a Bolt of Transcendence and was supplying Prana to Kenka’s Biome Bomb—was steadily growing dim.
"Still not enough?" She frowned upon seeing Kenka’s condition only grow worse over time. His body was thin and his arms resembled twigs, lacking the strength to even lift themselves, not to mention hurl a projectile.
Most of a Quip Clansman’s strength was concentrated in their arms. The fact that Kenka Echo’s arms turned so weak was a direct display of his condition, ’He didn’t even succeed in unleashing his State of Harmony. And even that put him in such a sordid state.’
"Is anyone here?" Zhya muttered softy, and immediately after, there was a team of Zinger Aristocrats who had assembled behind her.
"We await your orders." The Zinger Aristocrats kneeled on the floor in a submissive pose.
"Where is Inala?" Zhya asked softly.
"In a few days, he would reach the Rumtara Kingdom." The Zinger Aristocrat in the lead spoke, explaining further, "His companions remain the same as before."
"Any sign of Gannala’s activities in their vicinity?" Zhya asked next.
"There has been none for more than four years." The Zinger Aristocrat said.
"Are you absolutely sure?" Zhya pressed further.
"Yes!" The Zinger Aristocrat nodded, "We even kept note of the Pranic Beast groups along Inala’s route. None had any sudden disappearances."
"Good," Zhya revealed a faint smile. Without a moment’s hesitation, she gave the command, "We have given him plenty of time to have fun. Go,"
"Eliminate him."
"Yes!" The Zinger Aristocrats expressed vibrantly, having been wishing to be given the command all along. Most of the Quip Clan wanted the same. And now that Zhya had given the order, there was a cacophony of Zinger Shrieks, following which a large army began to march towards the Rumtara Kingdom.
"Representative!" Another Zinger Aristocrat arrived, bringing with her stressful news, "Wally requests to meet you."
"If it’s a request, make an excuse," Zhya said without hesitation.
"No, it’s a genuine threat packaged as a request." The Zinger Aristocrat replied.
"Ah..." Zhya felt a headache immediately. She considered for a few seconds before letting out a sigh, "Make arrangements at the edge of the Dralh Sea. I’ll meet him there."
"Ensure the Mystic Humans don’t interfere or delay my trip." Zhya said next, since she planned to use the route through the Abyss Fall, arrive at the Dralh Sea’s Abyss Ring, and then make her way to the border.
However, the Abyss Ring was where the Abode of the Mystics, the Mystic Humans’ headquarters, was situated.
The Quip Clan would have to get permission and pay a lot of toll before using that channel. Zhya had zero intention of bringing Wally to the Ravaged Federation.
Fundamentally, Wally was just like what she used to be, a perfect Empyrean Snapper. However, Wittral was only given the basic two Minor treasures that every Empyrean Snapper was given at birth to train with.
Wally, on the other hand, was born with an exclusive Minor Treasure and even gained possession of the Cooter Clan’s sole Major Treasure. His growth had already surpassed Wittral’s final moments by leaps and bounds.
’He has yet to reach maturity, but he’s already the 1st Empyrean Snapper in terms of power, throughout the Cooter Clan’s history.’ That was why Zhya was nervous and didn’t wish to meet with him.
Even though the likelihood wasn’t high, if they were to ever fight, the consequences would be disastrous. Both could wield grey sand. That was a horrifying scenario to think about. If even the slightest mishap happens, an entire region could be wiped out before the expanding Sand-Grey Void was brought under control by Sumatra’s Transcendent Eater.
But all in all, Wally was the worst opponent she could face. In a one-on-one battle, Subtle Terrain Domination was stronger than Perfect Biome Domination, since the latter’s functions were a bit more dispersed across different fields.
"I’ll come accompany you later." Zhya patted the Biome Bomb containing Kenka Echo and left the headquarters. Boarding a Biome Bomb, she travelled through the Abyss Fall, accompanied by two Zinger Guards, a Zinger Prince, and a Zinger Princess.
These four accompanied her whenever Zhya exited the Quip Clan. Even within the Clan, their prime function was to protect her.
In the absence of the Royal Zinger, the Zinger Representative with the suffix of Echo held control over the entirety of the Quip Clan.
The Gold Biome Bomb trailed four strings of Prana behind it. They flapped like the find of a fish and propelled the Biome Bomb through the Abyss Fall. They had to move against the flow. So, it required a lot of effort and Prana.
The return journey was smooth though, as no Prana was required to complete the journey.
The Gold Biome Bomb released the same presence as Phells. That was how it avoided being bombarded with attacks. If even Phells were to attack it, even a gold Biome Bomb would be destroyed in a matter of seconds, unless Prana was rapidly consumed to mend its damage.
The Quip Clan experimented with it a few times. And in one of the instances, the Phells managed to eat through a Gold Biome Bomb within 16 seconds. It was a nightmarish event due to the sheer number of Phells that had gone ballistic.
An overwhelming number of pores were released into the water, most of which hatched by using the shattered fragments of the Gold Biome Bomb. An event almost a Minor Crisis had occurred in the Abyss Ring, giving ample headache to the Mystic Humans.
Zhya watched a crimson submarine speed forward. It was being driven by a pair of Mystic Humans. Accompanying them was a Zinger Aristocrat bringing Zhya’s news to the Mystic Human Council.
The crimson submarine released a forcefield around it, preventing the Phells from drawing close. It kept accelerating until soon, it was out of sight.
A few days later, the Gold Biome Bomb carrying Zhya jumped out of the Abyss Fall and floated on the water. Slowly, it rowed towards a port on the Abyss Ring.
An entrance formed on the Gold Biome Bomb as Zhya and her entourage exited it. The Biome Bomb shrunk to fist size and attached itself to the side of her hip.
"On behalf of the Council, I greet the Quip Representative!" Councilman Hyak stood on the port to greet her.
"It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Zhya greeted respectfully.
"The honour’s all ours." Councilman Hyak made a curt bow and then led the group to the outer edge of the Abyss Ring where a Tratham Ship was waiting, "We’ve made arrangements for your travel."
"We have our means to travel." Zhya had no intentions to board the Tratham ship, unwilling to owe a favour to the Mystic Humans for no reason.
"Please, we insist." Councilman Hyak quickly changed his stance upon seeing Zhya’s stubbornness, "We don’t intend to interfere with your activities. We only intend to escort you safely to the edge of the Dralh Sea, since we’re currently making a bunch of arrangements across the region."
There was some standoff between the two before eventually, Zhya accepted the offer, ’He’s become more of a snake in recent times.’
’It’s pretty annoying.’ In recent times, the Quip Clan was facing a lot of resistance, especially in aquatic regions.
Ever since they attacked the Empyrean Snappers, the Cooter Clan has been steadily flexing its influence and interfering with the Quip Clan’s arrangements in various areas.
The Quip Clan was still able to expand in faraway regions where news of their military capabilities hadn’t reached. But in areas that were aware, the resistance was high, especially against the Quip Towers.
Zinger Roar was released through the Quip Towers. If it were in a region, then anytime in the future, if the Quip Clan felt displeased, they could release a Zinger Roar to destroy the region.
Even Danhral’s Empyrean Mist Deity form was almost killed by a single attack. Even regions populated by Gold Grade Pranic Beasts were mere prey before such an attack.
The Quip Clan was aware of the consequences of revealing their trump card. But the situation forced their hand back then, ’If only Wally had hurried back then, we wouldn’t have had to take action.’
This was precisely why Zhya didn’t wish to meet with Wally, because she knew Wally had delayed his arrival on purpose. And now, when various regions were nervous due to the presence of the Quip Towers and hesitated in trading with the Quip Clan, Wally used the opportunity to strengthen the Cooter Clan’s influence over the marine regions.
"Phew," She exhaled a soft breath as she alighted the Tratham ship and journeyed on the land extending from the Dralh Sea’s border, ’It has been a while since I was this tense.’
An hour’s journey later, a small pond came into view. In the centre of the lake was a house, propped up only by pillars. There were no walls. And inside, seated on a wooden chair, was her younger brother. He was alone, casually drinking a glass of tea.
The Zinger Aristocrats who had brought him to the place were currently standing guard at the edge of the pond. Upon seeing Zhya, they bowed in respect.
"Stay here." Zhya commanded her entourage and lithely jumped on the water. The moment her feet touched the water, a gentle shockwave was released into it, turning the water still.
And then, Zhya walked on the water, slowly approaching the house in the centre, "You should have at least built a path to reach the centre."
"It’s not necessary if you haven’t lost your touch." Wally turned around and stared at Zhya’s feet. His face then beamed as he made eye contact, "I wanted to meet you all along,"
"Sister."