Chapter 126: Dorian and Nixia
"Well... it’s good enough," Nova said after reading the description. "I’ll be able to conceal everything and only show what’s natural.
Not even Emperor Realm or higher Realm powerhouses should be able to discern my secrets unless I reveal them myself."
Liya nodded.
{ Yes. Your choice was excellent. This skill will be extremely useful — not only in the Abyss, but also back in Astrea. And lastly... you should upgrade one more skill. I think you already know which one. }
Nova nodded in agreement and selected the next skill he wanted to upgrade.
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[Skill: All Appraisal Eyes]
Rank: A
Upgrade to S-Rank
Price: 80,000,000 EP
Would you like to upgrade it?
[YES] [NO]
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Nova frowned when he saw the price. "Why is this one more expensive than the previous skill?"
{ The price depends on the value of the skill you’ll receive after upgrading, }
Liya explained.
{ All Appraisal Eyes is already more valuable because it gives you detailed information about opponents and objects. Once upgraded, it won’t be limited to only lower-level targets anymore. That’s why it costs more than Origin Concealment. }
Nova understood Liya’s explanation. Even though he was spending a large amount of his hard-earned Evolution Points, the skill was necessary.
Right now he couldn’t even properly appraise mid-King Realm experts. After experiencing the difference between A-rank and S-rank skills earlier, he knew the upgrade would be worth it.
In the end, he clicked [YES].
[Congratulations!]
[Your skill All Appraisal Eyes (Rank-A) has been upgraded to Absolute Appraisal Eyes (Rank-S)]
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[Absolute Appraisal Eyes]
[Rank: S]
Discription:
Allows the user to instantly analyze the complete properties, abilities, origin, rarity, and hidden details of items, beings, skills, bloodlines, physiques, materials, treasures, and formations. The skill can fully appraise anything below the ??? Realm, while entities at or above that realm may reveal only limited information or resist appraisal entirely.
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Nova carefully read through the description and frowned slightly.
"What’s with the ??? Realm? Is the name hidden because I’m not supposed to know it yet?"
{ Yes, that’s exactly the reason, as I told you before, I can only reveal certain details about this world when you’re actually experiencing them. }
Nova nodded in understanding and checked his remaining Evolution Points.
[Evolution Points: 275,254,960]
He still had a little over 200 million eft. Although he could upgrade more skills, he decided it was better to save the rest for the gacha and any emergency situations that might arise.
Suddenly, something clicked in his mind. "Oh right... I also received Fate Points. How many do I have now?" The panel shifted, revealing the new number.
[Fate Points: 153,000]
Nova recalled the conversion rate and immediately said, "Convert all of them into Evolution Points."
Ding!
[Fate Points successfully converted into Evolution Points]
[Result: + 153,000,000 Evolution Points]
Nova nodded in satisfaction. Just like that, he had gained another 150 million evolution points. He then gave another command. "Add them all together and show me the total Evolution Points I currently have."
Ding!
[Total Evolution Points: 428,254,960]
Nova smiled with satisfaction after seeing the total Evolution Points and said, "I’ll do the gacha after some training."
Liya raised an eyebrow, a knowing look on her face.
{ That’s very unlike you. I thought with so many Evolution Points, you’d be dying to pull the gacha right away... Looks like you’re still very worried about Asia and Rieka. }
Nova didn’t reply. He simply nodded once, then turned and shot toward the crowd of King Realm dummies that Liya had just summoned.
....
Far away from the Abyss, in the capital of the Aureth Kingdom —Vaunis — inside a large office of the Frosthall Hunters Guild, three people were seated.
Rieka and Asia sat side by side on a sofa, both wearing heavy, worried expressions. Traces of dried tears could still be seen on their faces. Their veils had been removed.
Across from them sat a man with neat blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. He possessed handsome features and a strong, solid build, radiating the calm yet powerful aura of a peak-King Realm expert. This was Dorian, the Guild Leader of the Frosthall Hunters in Vaunis.
Suddenly, the wooden door creaked open.
A beautiful beast-folk woman entered the room. She was a cat-kin with soft brown hair, cute cat ears , small sharp fangs, and a gently swaying cat tail. Her mature figure was both elegant and striking.
Dorian’s expression had been tense ever since the two young women arrived. He was especially worried about Asia. To him, she was almost like a niece. Her father, Theodore, was his close friend and the main financial supporter of the guild.
Theodore had brought Asia to the capital several times when she was still a small, cute child. Now, that same little girl had grown into a breathtakingly beautiful young woman.
They had arrived at the guild only a few hours ago. At first, Dorian hadn’t recognized Asia. It was only after she presented her Frosthall Hunters identity token and mentioned her father’s name that he realized who she was.
She had urgently requested a private conversation. Given how serious the matter seemed and with the tense atmosphere already spreading across the kingdom due to news of the war between the Demon Generals — Dorian had immediately brought them into his office.
The guild was currently crowded and busy, and the sight of two veiled, beautiful women entering had already drawn unwanted attention.
Inside the office, Asia had explained everything: how they had been traveling toward the capital, how they had been caught up in the sudden war, and how their husband had been trapped while protecting them.
Dorian couldn’t fully grasp every detail, but he understood enough. The war had already begun. What shocked him even more was that the two of them had managed to escape safely from a battlefield that even involved an Emperor’s domain.
He still didn’t know who this "Nova" was, but one thing was certain — the young man was no ordinary person if he had managed to protect them in such a situation.
After comforting the two worried young women, Dorian had sent his vice leader, Nixia, to gather any information she could about the recent events.
Dorian turned toward the cat-kin woman and asked, "What news have you gathered, Nixia?"
Although Nixia was a beast-folk, the human continent maintained a good relationship with the Beast-Folk Continent. Under the direct order of the Human Emperor, beast-folk were to be respected, and slave trading involving them was strictly forbidden.
The incident in Frostholme, where beast-folk had been illegally traded, was a rare and serious case. Theodore had ensured that those responsible faced proper judgment from the king.
While secret slave traders still operated in some darker corners of the continent — occasionally with the quiet support of corrupt officials — they remained a minority.
In most regions of the human continent, beast-folk lived freely and were a common sight. Nixia herself was a powerful mid-level King Realm expert and Dorian’s most trusted subordinate.
Nixia walked over and sat down beside Rieka, gently placing a hand on her shoulder to offer some comfort. Then she turned to Dorian and began her report.
"Most of the details about the war have been heavily concealed. Almost the entire army was wiped out. Only a handful of King Realm experts and a few peak Grandmasters managed to survive."
Dorian’s expression darkened. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how devastating the battle must have been. Beside him, both Rieka and Aisa clenched their fists tightly upon hearing the news.
"The Demon Generals managed to escape," Nixia continued, "but they lost the heart."
A visible look of relief crossed Dorian’s face. If the Demon Generals had succeeded in taking the heart, the consequences for the world would have been unimaginable. After a moment, he asked,
"Did the members of Twilight manage to recover the heart?"
Nixia shook her head. "No."
Dorian frowned. If neither the Demon Generals nor the Twilight Order Generals had taken it... then where had the heart gone?
His curiosity deepened as he asked, "Then where did the heart disappear to?"
**
Thanks for reading...