On the riverbank, a spell matrix lit up as 6 individuals materialized above it. Natasha and co looked around curiously, wondering just what had happened above ground while they were dealing with the dungeon beneath.
"Wow, to think they reached this far." Lydia covered her mouth with her hand in shock as she stared at the now spacious riverbank.
When they left, the riverbank was much smaller, limiting how they could move and battle. Now, it was a few kilometres in radius with dense metal qi world energy still present in the air like an echo dispersing in a cave. Countless pieces of loot littered the ground, revealing the signs of the great massacre that had happened previously. The shine from the loot radiated outward, bringing more light to the dim riverbank blanketed by light-absorbing miasma.
Natasha and her friends spotted Will and his counterparts and quickly approached them. They ignored the damage to the environment and were more interested in the chain of events that had occurred after they left.
"Hey guys, you missed out on the party. It was quite the rager." Will had a cheeky smile on his face as he sat cross-legged on the ground wiping his blade with a cloth.
"Solitary, what happened here after we left? Where are my sisters?" Natasha's commanding tone left a sour taste in Achilles' mouth while Lyra also frowned. Will chuckled and responded as if it hadn't bothered him in the slightest.
"An Agonised Banshee of the World Boss category arrived. Your sisters had tools allowing them to hide from it and intended to fish in muddled waters. But they underestimated Peerless Dao Master and suffered greatly for it. Afterwards, the banshee was done in by our epic teamwork. After that, they tried to fish for the loot but like I said, they underestimated their opponent and were lucky to leave this place with their lives intact. They were also lucky enough to snatch a few pieces of loot, unfortunately."
Will's explanation revealed key pieces of information that Natasha and Gianluigi were much more interested in besides the simple outcome of the battle.
The first crucial piece of information was that Peerless had arrived! As a character on their level, it made sense that he was capable of defeating a World Boss if he went all out. But that would also require great help from his subordinates as well.
Natasha looked at Will, Lyra and Achilles with a hint of respect in her eyes. Even if she had Francis and 2 more subordinates at level 99, she doubted she could dispatch a World Boss in such an environment so quickly. Natasha did not believe there was much of a disparity between her and Peerless, which meant that the disparity was in their subordinates!
Natasha's gaze lingered on Will's body the longest as he had aroused her interest the most. She wished she had means that allowed her to see how the swordsman had contributed to the battle earlier, but unfortunately, she did not and had to move on.
The second key piece of information was that they had made off with some loot. Loot belonging to a World Boss was capable of starting wars between sects. The fact that the three maidens had left with such valuable loot left a bitter taste in Natasha's mouth, but there was nothing she could do about it.
It was already impressive that Peerless and his subordinates had defeated their foes and collected most of the loot.
The third piece of crucial information was the fact that the Frozen Asgard Maidens had a tool that allowed them to escape the notice of the World Boss. This required more than simple preparation. In fact, it also required a lot of financial power as such tools were incredibly expensive. Natasha and the others marvelled at Michael Bellingham's foresight. He had used his familiarity with the dungeon to create favourable conditions for his allies and followers, even going as far as to invest heavily in tools that could only be used in unique dungeons such as this.
This was a sign of how invested he was in the outcome of this dungeon exploration.
'The fact that Michael had only assigned low-level individual and foreign allies here shows that this location is still of less value.'
As Natasha mulled this, Palmer, who was usually quiet, stepped up to speak, "Who repaired my magic circle?"
Natasha and the others also perked up at this question as this was also on their minds. As far as they knew, no one on Peerless' squad was capable of such a feat. They doubted anyone there had a high enough affinity for the space element and they did not believe any of them had the prerequisite knowledge of space magic mechanics.
Granted Palmer had completed most of the circle and had only left out a few components, but one had to not only be skilled space attribute mage, but they also had to be somewhat familiar with Spectralian magic.
"Yeah, you don't have to worry about that. Just know that we wanted it fixed, so we had someone fix it, as for who that is, you don't need to know."
Will continued to wipe his sword as he replied in an overbearing manner. Palmer was annoyed by this response. One of the reasons was the fact that Solitary was still just a local, while the other was that he felt that his station was much higher than Solitary's. He felt that Solitary was riding on the coattails of Peerless' name to gain power on this trip.
If Peerless had been the one to say these words, he would not have been affected as much, but the fact that such words were spoken by an individual much weaker than him was somewhat unacceptable.
Will, as a Truthseeker, wanted to avoid lying as much as possible and thus shrugged off the question as if it meant nothing to him.
Palmer was about to respond with animosity when Gianluigi's firm hand clasped his shoulder. The strength in that grip was more than enough to silence Palmer. At the end of the day, be it in power or station, he was not a match for the Crown Prince of Remus. Palmer looked at Gianluigi with a quizzical expression as if to say 'Why did you stop me? He was also insulting you as well!'
Gianluigi used his arms to make a calm-down gesture and looked at Will, "Solitary, I understand that you have the right to keep certain pieces of information from us, but spatial skills are simply too rare. It would be beneficial for the expedition if we at least knew that there were others with Palmer's unique gifts. That way we can plan for it accordingly."
Will appreciated Gianluigi's way of talking. So faras Will was concerned, the Veritas Prince was not as arrogant as he expected him to be. Will believed that he and Gianluigi could even be friends under the right circumstances. Which is why he was more than happy to be polite when facing the young prince.
Will stood up and sheathed his blade. He walked toward Gianluigi and said, "Your Highness, I understand your concerns, but my hands are tied as well on this matter. If I could divulge this information to you I could, but I have no way to go against the shackles that bind me on this matter. I hope you can understand."
Will's oddly polite behaviour caught everyone off guard. It was clear that he was giving Gianluigi preferential treatment. The Crown Prince of Remus was both surprised and pleased by this outcome.
'Looks like being polite to him has borne fruit after all.'
Gianluigi had made it a point to view Peerless as an equal. Hence he also carried that respect to Peerless' subordinates. The House of Remus followed a strict code of honour. One of the commandments of that code was to respect a foe who defeated you in a fair battle, so long as they have not crossed your bottom line. This respect was also to be given to that foe's followers or subordinates as well depending on the circumstances.
Natasha and the others on the other hand did not follow any such code and were still somewhat offended. Natasha however calmed down quickly and zeroed in on what she believed was a key point.
'Peerless ordered him to keep quiet. Looks like Peerless has quite a good hold over his subordinates. Not only was he able to make a Solitary Sword Sovereign follow him, but he was also able to make that Sovereign feel fear.'
Will at this moment in time was indeed acting like a subordinate that feared their superior. This was behaviour that was incredibly rare from Solitary Sword Sovereigns.