The Witch closed all communication devices and set up the highest level of isolation barriers around the room.
Only in such an absolutely private environment did she dare to reveal her true emotions.
Exhaustion, unprecedented exhaustion.
It’s not just physical exhaustion, but also a heavy burden on the spirit.
The war had lasted for thirteen full years, consuming too much of her mental energy and resources.
More frustrating was that victory still seemed far away.
She slowly walked to a specially-made safe in the center of the room and used her blood and Soul Seal to unlock layers of seals.
Once opened, there was only one thing inside—a mysterious card glowing with a dazzling starlight.
The existence of this card was the true reason she persisted in this conquest.
The material of the card looked like solidified starlight itself, with a touch as smooth as jade, yet carrying a mysterious texture beyond substance.
The front of the card was engraved with a striking pattern of a sword and crown.
The sword was made of pure light, with the blade flowing like a galaxy, each ray containing an unspeakably sharp will;
The crown was inlaid with seven gemstones of different colors, each representing the origin of a fundamental force.
Time, space, matter, energy, life, death, and existence itself, beyond all else.
Cassandra gently caressed the surface of the card, able to feel the terrifying power contained within.
Just touching it made her feel infinite possibilities, as if the entire universe was opening its arms to her.
Beneath the sword and crown was a slender progress bar.
This progress bar was designed with extreme precision, not a simple numerical display, but composed of thousands of tiny runes.
Each rune represented a specific conquest achievement, only lighting up once the corresponding condition was met.
But now, this progress bar was less than half lit.
About one-third of the runes were glowing faintly, indicating the current completion level.
And after the recent battle with the god, several more runes had lit up.
"Damn it... still not enough..."
She cursed softly, her eyes showing extreme annoyance.
Initially choosing the Vital Republic as the target for conquest, she thought with the strong power of the Wizard Expeditionary Army, it would be completed within ten years at most.
But now it seemed this judgment was overly optimistic.
The Vital Civilization didn’t just have strong power; more importantly, their civilization traits perfectly matched the "charging conditions."
The card required not just simple military victory, but profound civilization conquest.
You must completely destroy their spiritual network, enslave their collective consciousness, even rewrite their way of existence.
Only then could the card’s harsh requirements be satisfied.
Once all conditions were met, this star-level "conquest" card would fully awaken...
Cassandra’s eyes showed a fervent light.
She had already experienced the power of silver and gold-level cards.
Activating these cards had allowed her to take a big step forward on the wizard path.
As for this star-level one, the intensity of its contained power was almost unimaginable to her.
Perhaps it could allow her to grasp some authority in advance, to resist the Witch King with her Great Wizard status, just like the Clock King Erica in history...
But the problem was that at the current pace of war, completing the conquest would take at least several more years.
And her allies clearly did not have such patience.
The Great Wizards of the Elemental Garden had already begun to complain about the heavy losses;
Victor from the Tower of Vibrations was also hinting at reconsidering the strategy;
Even some of the Conquest Faction wizards who had always supported her were starting to doubt the prospects of this war.
Worse still, the recent appearance of the god had also caused huge losses to the wizard fleet.
They began to ponder one question:
Is it really worth paying such a huge price to conquer such a powerful and resilient civilization?
Chapter 399: The Ancestor’s Coldness
Cassandra gazed at the star-level card in her hand, the light in her purple eyes growing deeper.
After a moment, she sighed softly and returned the card to the safe.
The temptation from the deep rules of power almost irresistible, but reason told her now was not the time.
The quagmire of war, allies’ dissatisfaction, resource consumption... each issue was like a sharp blade, hanging over her head.
"And then there is Eve’s matter..."
She recalled a communication with her daughter a few days ago, that bold idea about using Ron to breakthrough during the Favor feedback to treat Demon Devouring.
She had promised to seriously consider it at the time, but it now seemed, this decision was far more complex than imagined.
Cassandra walked deeper into the cabin, where there was an altar made of living flesh.
The surface of the altar was crawling with dense blood vessels, each pulse releasing weak temporal and spatial fluctuations.
This was her only means of direct communication with the "King of Absurdity"—her ancestral bloodline.
She placed her palm at the center of the altar, spiritual power began to extend upwards along the bloodline, trying to reach that great existence beyond time and space.
"Ancestor... I need your guidance..."
Cassandra’s call was like stones sinking into the sea, with no response in the void.
She frowned, increasing the output of her spiritual power. The blood vessel network began to throb violently, emitting a sound like a heartbeat.