A massive oak tree which towered high above all structures, both manmade and natural, existed at the exact center of the city. With a tree trunk as thick as a dozen city blocks and a verdant canopy as wide as half of Firecast, this was an Asaparagon Tree! It was a strange tree, capable of attracting copious amounts of World Energy around itself. This, in turn, boosted the vitality of all creatures living nearby! That was why the entire Feldoren Valley that the capital resided in was overflowing with life, making it the most beautiful place in the human world! Moreover, the overabundance of World Energy created a holy ground for magic research. Arcanists could easily replenish their Core in a fraction of the time here.
Curling around the Asaparagon Tree was a golden dragon building. It seemed to shoot for the stars, embodying the sigil of the Zino Kingdom: a dragon reaching for the heavens! This was the Celestial Court, the central governing body of the Zino Kingdom. Here, the Ten Dawns and the Ten Auroras would report to the Three Sages. Together, they would decide the future of the Zino Kingdom! Their word was law!
Ten Dawn Rosemary was talking with the Second Sage when the aura storm crashed through the room like a tsunami. Their bodies buckled under the enormous pressure weighing down on their souls. It was the suppression from a superior being! Shock and fear were written across their faces. They could sense that the Magic Energy inside their Cores began to rampage out of control. Much like Inari and his partner, they could not begin to imagine the power behind this phenomenon! The energy was too powerful as Second Sage Alana nearly fainted. She was Half-Condensed Drop so her resistance was a notch below Ten Dawn Rosemary's. The two women desperately tried to tame their Magic Energy and ignored everything else.
At the top of the dragon building was the dragon's head, the palace for the Conquestian! The Conquestian stood above the Three Sages as the supreme ruler of the Zino Kingdom! He was the king and Protector of the Zino Kingdom! Of course, the latter title was unofficial. How could one person protect the entire kingdom? That would be nothing short of nonsense. He was a far cry from the likes of Sword King Sin, much less Lord Wenmord or Drifting Snow Serenity Emperor. At his level of Condensed Drop, his power was too insignificant! Therefore, the Conquestian was less of a deterrent, but more of a symbol. His incredible accomplishments in his youth helped pioneered Arcania to its current state! He was the founder of the Zino Kingdom!
In the palace's innermost sanctum, burrowed into the Asaparagon Tree, was a lavishly decorated room. There were bookshelves on one side, filled with precious magic spells and research. A comfortable living space was created while pretty gems hung on the ceiling, directing light from the outside in. The natural light, combined with a few plants, produced a very relaxing environment. One could not help but feel their worries drift away. A large circular platform occupied the center of the room. Since it was one of the most optimal focusing points for the tree, a constant stream of World Energy channeled toward the platform. Anyone who trained here would see a significant increase in efficiency. It was the number one location to train Arcania in the human world!
An elderly gentleman was sat cross-legged on the platform. His white hair, wrinkled skin, and feeble body showed his advanced age. He looked like any normal grandfather one might have. Despite that, he remained in that position for an unknown time. His eyes were shut tight in concentration. World Energy condensed around him in the form of finger-thin tendrils of rainbow light. Under his constant refinement, he converted the raw energy into Magic Energy before depositing it into his Core. A martial artist trained their body while an Arcanist trained their Core. Fundamentally, it was the same concept. Since this person could condense liquid World Energy, it meant he achieved Condensed Drop!
He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. His aura rapidly transformed from a weak old man to a strong and powerful tiger! A visible layer of liquid World Energy surrounded him in the shape of a sphere. It was no longer as thin as a finger, but as thick as his body now! The small stream of energy bent to his will like a tame kitten. Although it looked comparable to Elizabeth's feat in the battle with the emperor, she could not control anything, whereas this man could! This display revealed his Core Level to be solidly in the realm of High Condensed Drop. Obviously, he was the current Conquestian and ruler of the Zino Kingdom, Conquestian Zaru!
Relaxing his body, the ambient World Energy dispersed into the environment again, returning the room to its previous inert appearance. Just as he was about to stand up, the aura storm exploded through and drowned him. It was so stifling and surprising that he temporarily lost his breath and balance. He quickly charged up his own Magic Energy to resist the effects. That said, it was only marginally better than before. He could not negate the pressure! The Conquestian grew shocked. He was very familiar with this level of pressure! It was not Peak Condensed Drop or even Half-Step. It was the legendary level above that… Blue Depth Core Level!
Clang! Clang! Clang! The sound of a distant bell chime rang from the top of the palace throughout the city. It was extremely distinct and unique, distinguishable from any other bell in the city. Furthermore, due to its height and the valley structure, it echoed several times throughout the valley before stopping. The Conquestian's expression became grave. Ringing this bell meant that a great calamity had arrived for the Zino Kingdom! Connecting this with the massive aura storm, did it mean that a Blue Depth Arcanist was attacking the capital? That was no laughing matter!
Just look at Sword King Sin and Lord Wenmord. Both displayed power at the Rank 3 standard! The Sword King could effortlessly annihilate the First Hand using his Cloud Sea Style. It had to be mentioned that the First Hand was composed of thirty Perception Realms! They were not common street thugs! There were around three hundred Perception Realms employed as knights by the Alzar Kingdom. That meant that the Sword King could kill one-tenth of all the apex combatants! That was an absurd idea!
Yet, Lord Wenmord was even more absurd. His spell could easily destroy the Lannisail Household, nearly kill both the Sword King and the three strongest knights, and unleash a massive shockwave that travelled across multiple cities! Just the fireball alone could be seen several provinces away. The difference in levels at Rank 3 was enormous, truly enormous! If Lord Wenmord's spell detonated in the heart of Firecast, how much damage would it cause? It would be catastrophic! The Conquestian grabbed his clothes and mantle before marching out. He would not go down without a fight!
As soon as he stepped out of his palace, he began releasing his Magic Perception. Unfortunately, the suppression from the Blue Depth Arcanist restricted his range. As if a thick fog enveloped him, he could sense half the range of what he could normally. Despite that, he sensed two familiar people nearby. They were Sage Alana and Ten Dawn Rosemary! When he reached them, the two were still struggling to control their Cores. They did not notice his presence. The Conquestian raised his wand and casted a spell on the two. A faint translucent barrier was erected around them, sheltering them from the invasive aura. After a few minutes of catching their breath, their condition improved.
"What happened?" Conquestian Zaru asked with a grave expression. "Who is attacking the kingdom?"
"We know as little as you do, Your Majesty," Ten Dawn Rosemary said awkwardly.
The man nodded. "We need to determine if its an enemy, ally, or neutral party before acting."
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, we should mobilize our military," the Second Sage said.
In her mind, she could not help but disdain these troublemakers. Who did they think they were? This was the Zino Kingdom, one of the three great civilizations of humanity! Besides the Alzar Kingdom or the Xingyuu Empire, was there any organization that could threaten them? Even the Whispering Shadow, one of the largest underground criminal organizations, would never antagonize the Zino Kingdom directly! The Zino Kingdom was truly not to be trifled with. They could easily summon an army of thousands of soldiers to annihilate any force. Just a hundredth of their military could drown people in despair. Furthermore, that did not count the Perception Realms or Condensed Drops in their ranks. She was determined to show the power of the Zino Kingdom!