--- Chapter 49 ---
Two years ago.
Douluo Continent was shocked by the sudden appearance of a mysterious and unknown organization, Dragon Nest. They appeared out of nowhere and claimed small islands on the southern edge as their territory. Every major faction was surprised and obviously curious by this new organization.
Friday, Thirteen.
Every major faction on the Douluo Continent suddenly was visited by two people in white robes with a dragon's head symbol on the back. They were Dragon Nest's higher-ups, Liu Beng and Murong Qianxue wanted to announce the Dragon Nest's existence to the world.
Even though they visited the major faction calmly without any aggression, some didn't agree with Dragon Nest's appearance and tried to attack Liu Beng and Murong Qianxue. It was a big mistake because both higher-ups showed absolute domination against their ambushers.
People who witnessed the brutal fight spread this news and made another sensation, saying Dragon Nest has two Title Douluos with extreme strength. Eventually led to a formal brawl between Liu Beng and Murong Qianxue against everyone who didn't agree to accept Dragon Nest's emergence.
The result is not surprising as Liu Beng and Murong Qianxue stomped everyone on their paths. They destroyed a good portion of the East Ming Desert, a dead land between the Heavenly Spirit Empire and the Dou Ling Empire. And people named that place Dragon Origin Desert now, honoring the first step Dragon Nest made on the Douluo Continent.
One month passed quickly without any activities from this new organization, leading everyone to become more curious about them. Some smart people decided to send agents to the Southern Edge Sea, finding Dragon Nest's base on the small islands. They witnessed hundreds of people from the nearest area getting recruited and accepted into the organization, creating a new wave once again.
People from across the Douluo Continent were intrigued. What kind of benefits did Dragon Nest even provide? However, no matter how much outsiders wanted to spread or know, Dragon Nest never gave forthright answers and only told new members after pledging their loyalty to the organization.
"Dragon Nest only accepted people with hearts to grow and become stronger together. We valued "loyalty." more than anything."
Huo Yuhao's decisive action in the past, killing traitors for Dragon Nest, caused every member to become saddened because their young leader had to carry such a heavy burden that they didn't even realize existed. From that moment, they valued loyalty more than one's qualifications.
Ten months passed, and a few groups became agitated about Dragon Nest's rapid growth. They spread a false rumor about Dragon Nest, trying to paint the new organization in a horrible light. However, actions speak more than rumors.
Dragon Nest held a grand banquet and invited everyone to join the winter night. It was an event where over 100.000 people "thoroughly." were introduced to Dragon Nest's culture for the first time, including foods, fashion, lifestyle, entertainment, and even martial art techniques.
The Douluo Continent was amazed, but they only knew about the surface level because Dragon Nest had never shown a single technology created through Spirit Engineering. After all, such a thing would trigger more chaos than good. So people only know that Dragon Nest was a rich-cultured organization left far behind by factions like the Sun and Moon Empire in technological advancement. Oh boy, How wrong they were.
The winner is always the one who saved their cards for the very last moment. Huo Yuhao used deception and tricked the whole continent into thinking that Dragon Nest was just an outsider with no fundamental knowledge about their civilizations. It's easy to make people believe something when they know "absolutely." nothing about it.
After the grand banquet held by the Dragon Nest, the trade between the organization and the faction started. Dragon Nest traded unique products like potions and pills to get some items from the Douluo Continent. It created chaos because the medicinal potency of those items was higher than anyone expected.
If the Shrek Academy was known for nurturing powerful Spirit Masters for ten thousand years. Then, Dragon Nest was known for being an organization with miracle-like medicine in just a year.
Another year passed fast, and Dragon Nest established itself as one of the influential factions on the Douluo Continent, having enough members to become a small empire. Of course, Dragon Nest became the number one medicine supply because no one could replicate their product. Many people have tried to copy the medicine, but none succeeded.
Many, including Dark Spirit Masters, attempted to break into Dragon Nest's secret. Those people were either dead or getting prisoned for eternity because Dragon Nest had more than two Title Douluo, which left everyone speechless.
"Don't come to Dragon Nest with ill intent because you'd anger the Dragons inside it." That simple line sent a shiver down everyone's spine alongside the corpse on their front doors.
...
...
Java Island, Melati Hotel.
Liu Mei had a tea break with a few people from the major factions. She placed her cup on the glass table and looked at them calmly. "How was your rest, everyone?" She asked with a smile.
"I hope the hotel service was satisfactory to your liking."
Jing Hongchen glanced at the guests and asked Liu Mei, "I'll be frank, what's the reason Dragon Nest suddenly held an open auction for the first time? We haven't had any problem trading things in the last few months, no?"
Liu Mei smiled and replied, "We have some items that can't get traded by normal means. They are rare resources and medicine coming from a faraway land. Thanks to Sun and Moon's empire help, we developed the Spirit Guidance Tool to transport our goods here."
She placed a tablet on the table, and everyone frowned at such a small item until a light screen manifested in the air. "This is the list of items we would place on the Auction." She continued while swiping the screen, revealing over a hundred precious materials and herbs. They weren't too shocked that Dragon Nest was able to create a device that recorded data and showcased it.
"Purple meteorite." Jing Hongchen was surprised when seeing one item on the list. This rare metal only appeared in a small portion of the Douluo Continent.
On the Shrek Academy's side, Yan Shaozhe's eyes focused on the higher list and saw an item that would make his disciple's life easier. He clenched in disbelief because that herb shouldn't exist anymore.
"Ice's Heart Apple." Yan Shaozhe muttered while thinking about his student's problem. "Xiaotao's martial soul has been acting up in the past months. This medicine would be perfect for easing her pain."
Sin Lin'er noticed her friend's pained voice and shook her head because this man was so miserable. After losing his love life, Yan Shaozhe's only family was his student. She sighed and saw everyone staring at the Auction's goods.
"Hmm?" An item caught Sin Lin'er attention.
"What's this Rune Stone?"
Hearing that question, Liu Mei smirked inside because someone finally took the bait. Such an item obviously would catch one's attention sooner or later as they had never heard about it, and Rune Stone's appearance would shake the Douluo Continent.
Liu Mei pressed a button on her tablet and showcased Rune Stone's information without opening her mouth. The Dragon Nest's secretary watched the guest's eyes widen in astonishment upon reading Rune Stone's description.
A brown-colored stone with a unique black marking and the size of an adult's hand entered everyone's eyes.
[Name: Rune Stone(Black)]
[Type: Dragon Nest's Assets]
[Grade: B+ Item]
[Description: Rune Stone is Dragon Nest's resource specifically developed to preserve Spirit Ring using a "special." method, which allows anyone to absorb the essence without any spiritual mark attached]
"N-No way..."
"This is..."
"How did someone even create this?!"
"This item was going to change Spirit Master's way of cultivation forever."
"An item that can store a Spirit Ring. Any spirit master who needed a spirit ring to reach the next realm could absorb it without worry about the spiritual imprint." Jing Hongchen couldn't help but frown when reading this. He shook inside, and his curiosity as a scientist was burning.
"Is there any proof this thing works?"
Liu Mei clapped her hand, and a maid came with a small wooden box. They watched the maid gently place the container on the glass table and remove the lid, revealing the same brown-looking stone with purplish markings.
"This is Rune Stone with a 6.900 Years Old spirit ring, coming from the Golden-horned Rhino. It's a pure attack type Spirit Beast known for its solid physical ability." Liu Mei said while lifting the Rune Stone from the wooden box.
"And to use it..."
Crack!
Liu Mei clenched her hand casually and crushed the stone into a fine dust. A purple ring emerged from the marking and floated in the air, shining dimly with the faint image of a golden-horned rhino in the center.
"It's real..." Someone among the guests muttered, and everyone could feel the attraction from the Spirit Ring with no imprint attached to it. You can't absorb the Spirit Ring that someone else killed, a fact everyone has known for ten thousand years, but it shockingly was broken today.
"New era..."
"A new era for every Spirit Master."
Liu Mei waved her finger and drew a clear line in the air while picking an empty Rune Stone from her spatial ring. She used her Rune Mastery and sealed the purple Spirit Ring back. "Are you guys interested now?" She said while playfully swaying the Rune Stone in her hand.
"The Auction Hall would put 300 Rune Stones, so feel free to trade your treasure for them later because Dragon Nest would only sell this out to the public in 2 months."
"Any question?" Liu Mei said amusingly.