"Where were you two?" David screamed the moment the married couple reappeared.
"Can you please stop screaming in my ears? Gosh, you just sounded exactly like your father the first time he caught us coming home drunk from a party." Ken retorted as he cleared his ears after this sudden sound attack. "In case you forgot, me and Shyla are newlyweds, and that comes with certain perks, if you get my drift."
David stared at Keiren with his jaw practically down on the floor, his eyes wide open as his body was shaking from anger, especially after the comparison with his father, something his best friend knew that he despised.
"Hey, darling, don't forget that he's now your brother-in-law, so please stop burning him to crisps for worrying about his family. David, please ignore his remark, we both know you're nothing like our old man." Shyla added to the flames.
"So this is the thanks I get for caring for my only family in this goddamn place? Last time, a vengeful Goddess with an inferiority complex outright banished us from Earth, but fine, next time the two of you disappear, I won't bat an eye," David exploded.
"Alright, I'm sorry for making you worry. I simply intended to show off the new skill I awoke during my collapse, and I thought we would be back before anyone notices us missing. I never planned on making you worry," Ken explained, his hands held up in an apologetic manner.
"Sure, whatever. My family is the worst, can't I just trade you two in for my girlfriend?" David grumbled.
"Don't you dare to drag my sister into your fight, that's a dick move. It's not Ken's fault that she isn't with us," Kerum growled at David.
"But..." David tried to complain, but Kerum barked: "NO BUTS, SHUT UP OR I SWEAR TO GOD YOU WILL REGRET IT."
Richard walked up to Kerum and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Calm down, Kerum, you know he didn't mean it like that. He just misses her, same as you."
Kerum turned around and gave Richard a menacing stare.
"Guys, guys, let's not turn on each other. I just wanted to make a joke, but I admit it was in poor taste given the circumstances. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to discuss our next course of action. In accordance to the wishes of my System, I plan to build a City, a seaport to be precise, and I want to invite you all to help me with that. Galatris do you know a good position to build a city with the ability to control all waterways in the Eternal Summit?" Ken asked.
'Good kid,' Galatris thought. "As I've told you, the Eternal Summit is split between the Seven Great Powers. My Thunder-eagle controls 3 of the 12 big cities, as well as 7 of the 24 small cities, making us the strongest force in the area. Our upper echelon consists of 2 Eternal Immortals, 5 Immortal Emperors, and 10 Immortal Overlords, though only half of those numbers are known publicly, with the rest in hiding in case our enemies decide to attack us."
"There is a spot that should suit your needs perfectly. It has a naturally protected bay, one that is big enough to build a seaport, and with time it could grow to become yet another big city. The best thing about it, is that it has the potential to suppress all other cities in a domination of trade. However, be warned that It is a highly fought-over position.
"I could choose to outright claim the position, but that would mean WAR, thought contrary to what you might think the war will not be fought among the Immortals. Instead, it will be a massive clash of Mortal Realm cultivators. You would be constantly under siege by vassals from the other Six Powers."
"The only reason why that spot remains vacant is that no one dares to make such a bold move in the open. None desire to lead to a massive war. Although a war of such a scale may not hurt the foundation of any of us, it does bear the risk of destroying the paper-thin peace we have established. A real war between the Seven Great Powers can cause the power balance to shift in unexpected ways…"
"... to sum it up, that gold mine remains undisturbed because people can't decide between greed or caution?" Kerum asked.
"... well, I suppose, if you want to simplify it to that degree, you could say it that way. The inner politics of the Seven Great Powers are complicated, but I won't bore you with the details. Suffice to say, the Holy Asura Clan and the Dragon Ascension Sect can be regarded as the Thunder-eagle Clan's allies, the Open Treasure Sect and the Monastery of the Fallen Sun are neutral, whereas the Moving Sword Sect and to a lesser degree the Moon-hunter Sect are antagonistic to us.
"In case the three of us decide to act together, the others will oppose us out of principle alone. On paper, we have the advantage in the Immortal Emperor Stage but in the Immortal Overlord Stage we are outnumbered by 10 meanwhile we only have 2 Immortal Emperors advantage it would shrink to a draw should the Missing Supreme Elder of the Moving Sword Sect show himself again because he is worth 2. If you can give me 10 Immortal Overlords or another Eternal Immortal, I could declare a war at once, though."
"What about Rajansam?" Ken asked, "I remember he was an Eternal Immortal. He might not be as strong as you, but wouldn't his participation give you the upper hand?"
Galatris sighed: "That is like buying bread with the honor of your brother. Rajansam is an Eternal Immortal, yes, but he is also a Demon-Asura. Asking the Holy Asura Clan to work alongside him is the same as asking them to spit on the sacrifices of their ancestors who fought against his kind. Besides, it would be unwise to expose one of your biggest trump cards so early in the game, Master."
Suddenly the giant bird thought about Defrem who was going to be back in a few months with support for Keiren and was an Eternal Immortal himself. "I might have an Eternal Immortal that I can ask for support, yet I'm afraid of the price I'll have to pay for it."
"What would be the price?" Shyla asked.
"He paid me a visit on the same day you arrived, wanting to request my help, but I rejected him due to your arrival. If he helps me, I'll naturally have to repay him, only his desire might lead to both our death."
"What could be terrifying enough to possible kill two Eternal Immortals?" David asked innocently and ignorantly.
Galatris let out a humorless laugh: "Hahaha, that's easy, a Supreme Immortal!"
"Are they that much stronger than an Eternal Immortal?" Richard asked. "Isn't a Supreme Immortal simply an Eternal Immortal who has reached the Peak Layer of that Stage?"
"Sigh, it really shows that none of you have any experience in cultivation, but given that you hail from another realm, I can't blame you. While the difference between a single Layer might not seem like much, at higher Stages it is the same as the difference between Heaven and Earth.
"Of course, that is just a general truth, and each cultivator is different from another. Some are simply trash who have been fed expensive pills to reach their Cultivation Realm, and with the right technique they can be taken out by others whose cultivation is below theirs.
"However, there are also geniuses who can surmount their Cultivation Realm and slaughter those above them, and everything in between. My friend happens to be a genius who is nearly as strong as I am, despite me being one Layer above him. The two of us taking on that Supreme Immortal is an enormous gamble… and given his vast experience, even if he was such a trash, he might be able to beat us still."
"So to summarize you either need a single Eternal Immortal to help me or a group of Eternal Immortals to help your friend right?" Ken asked. 'System is there a way to summon a Supreme Immortal or a group of Eternal Immortals?'
# Of course, there is a way to summon experts on this Level, Summoner, but you lack the necessary funds. It would require you at least 250,000 SP, but I can only advise you against taking such a reckless action. To use a saying of Earth, you would be robbing a bank with a nuke. #
Galatris raised an eyebrow. "Yes, that is correct. Don't tell me you can summon Eternal Immortals like you can summon Tier-G talents! If you can, then me being a Guardian is nothing more than a fancy title for acting as your pet."
Ken winked at Galatris and began to laugh: "Hahaha. Don't worry, you're not obsolete. While my System tells me I might be able to do that in the future, it will take me a long time."
"That's good… though also terrifying. Back to the topic of building your city. You can pick the spot. The question is if you can hold it long enough."
"How long is 'long enough'? When would the others start attacking?" Ken asked impatiently. He was getting fed up with having to factor any of those 'factions' without ever having met any one of them face to face.
"I would say a year at most until I have everything ready to suppress the other forces. The first attacks will probably come one or two months after it gets discovered that someone took over that spot. First, some people will come and talk bullshit and try to suppress you until they realize that you have four Immortals by your side.
"Then they will come and use force, but I will give you some of my slaves, and a little more useful gift. I want to give you one person, in particular. Although he was born a slave, he has a Star talent and at the ripe age of 72, he is already a Peak Layer Mortal Overlord!"