Chapter 691 691. Requiremen
The two Demons worked together to send Thirty-seven back inside the separate dimension at that point.
They couldn't control the automaton, but the fact that it was losing energy, coupled with a few promises, convinced him to return to the Hive.
Thirty-seven could travel through the dimension freely since he had set its structure, and he wasn't affected by its length like ordinary cultivators.
He could just travel from side to side in a matter of hours since he could directly fuse with its fabric.
That greatly helped in setting exits in strategic points since Chasing Demon couldn't just leave the headquarters of the Hive.
Flying Demon had to learn how to create entrances and exits in the years spent inside the tunnel, but it didn't take him much to achieve that with the help of the automaton.
Yet, in the end, the Hive obtained a tunnel that connected the desert in the southwestern coast with the Coral archipelago and the Udye mansion.
Noah and the two Demons followed Ian that led them in the private quarters of the powerhouse of his family.
Daniel, Octavia, and two other heroic cultivators went with them and bowed when the aged figure of a rank 5 cultivator appeared in their view.
Noah and the Demons performed polite gestures too when they saw an elderly man sitting in the middle of a hall illuminated by a multicolored light.
The elderly man had long white hair and a long white beard, but he appeared refined and full of energy.
The source of the multicolored light was a peculiar fire burning behind the cultivator.
The color of the tongues of flames changed every second in a perpetual cycle.
They would go from the brightest red color to the darkest blue shade, only to return red after passing through other colors.
The trio from the Hive could immediately understand that the cultivator used that fire to gain enlightenment on the laws of the fire element.
"The power of your family is surprising."
Dreaming Demon said after the doors of those quarters closed behind her back.
Noah couldn't help but nod internally at that compliment.
Noble families usually struggled to have heroic cultivators in their ranks, but the Udye family had five of them in the fourth rank and one in the fifth!
'This is surprising even for the strongest noble family. The other big nations are lucky that the power of the Utra nation is so fragmented.'
Noah thought as he updated his calculations concerning the assets of the other forces.
The Hive had a bit more than sixty heroic cultivators after the growth experienced in the last years and the return of the two Demons.
However, he knew that the big nations were bound to have a few hundred of them.
The Papral nation and the Utra nation didn't have a united front though, so that number didn't reflect the actual power that the Council and the Royals could unleash.
"Please, my family isn't worthy of your compliments when it failed to achieve the same feats of the archipelago. I'm Amos Udye, and I officially welcome you to my family. May our plan benefit us both."
Amos stood up to perform a bow after he said those words, and some of the nobles in the room showed complex expressions at that sight.
Their family had asked the help of the Hive, which was renowned for being the house of traitors and criminals.
Also, Amos had bowed toward Noah too, who was more than famous for his crimes against the nobility.
The end justified the means, but some of those nobles weren't happy to see what they considered criminals receive so much respect.
Of course, Noah and the Demons simply ignored the reactions of the rank 4 cultivators and neared Amos.
It didn't matter what those nobles thought.
They would still be stronger than them.
"How is the situation? Do we have a target already?"
Dreaming Demon asked when the trio reached Amos.
She was the politest of the three and the most refined too, so she would obviously in charge of those negotiations.
"Yes, we have prepared a detailed map."
Amos waved his hand, and a table that had the map of the Utra nation drawn on its surface appeared among them.
The other nobles neared the table, and the nine heroic cultivators in the room simply gathered around it, waiting for more explanations.
"The Utra nation has twelve large-size families, thirty-three medium-size families, and fifty small-size families still inside its borders. The arrival of the new continent has deeply modified the previous political environment, and the Royals didn't hesitate to exploit that event to their needs."
The trio from the Hive nodded when Amos began to explain, but only Noah could understand how deeply the situation had changed there.
'There used to be far more noble families in the past. I bet that most of them have moved in the new continent or pledged loyalty to the Royals in these years.'
Noah thought, without moving his gaze from the map.
His eyes wandered on the southern part of the nation, where the Balvan mansion was.
Even the Demons were busy memorizing the map.
The separate dimension required precise calculations to avoid mistakes in placing the exits, which was why the Hive had to wait for the Udye family before appearing in its mansion.
"We should take out the small-size families still loyal to the Royals and then move to the medium-size ones."
Flying Demon said at some point, and Amos could only nod at his words before pointing toward one of the small dots on the map.
"This is the Carner family, and it only has one incomplete heroic cultivator in its ranks. We have already planned a safe road-"
"No need, we just need to know the exact location."
Flying Demon's interrupted Amos's phrase, and the latter showed an expressionless face at that gesture.
It was clear that the Hive intended to use its methods during that battle and that it wanted to keep them a secret from the Cause.
Yet, the Udye family couldn't just open the doors of the Utra nation to an enemy nation.
The Cause would just exchange one ruler for another at that point.
To tell the truth, the Hive had no interest in that territory.
It just wanted to plunder as many resources as it could, while also weakening one enemy.
However, the Udye family couldn't be sure of that, and it had to take as many precautions as it could in that matter.
Amos remained silent for a while before giving voice to his conditions.
"My family will provide all the information that you need, but you must take Daniel with you."
"Impossible."
Dreaming Demon quickly rejected Amos' offer, but the latter took out a token that radiated the power of the fifth rank before adding a few words.
"Bind him to an oath, but take him with you. The Cause won't be on your side if you refuse even this small requirement."