Now, let's return to Yellow City. And let's not forget that a lot of time has passed here. To be precise, months had passed. Although the arrival of newcomers to the city had caused some discussions and problems, none of them were unsolvable. The important figures of the younger generation of Yellow City were now aware of the remains. The time to open these remains was at hand.
At Mais's house, little Valeria was trying to serve tea to Mais. Her eyes were fixed on the teacup she had brought from the kitchen, which looked as if it could spill at any moment. It looked as if it could spill from the corners of the cup at any moment. Mais, sitting on the couch, was equally tense. He had asked Valeria to bring tea and assumed she would bring the teapot and fill it here. Why had she filled it in the kitchen and brought it here?
"Don't we need to make a plan? Our combat strength is very low compared to the capital's teams."
This was said by a beautiful, sweet-looking woman who didn't even glance at Valeria. As the representative of the Yellow City, Maria was in a very tense position because she was responsible for guiding the city's experts in the Core Realm.
There weren't many experts who met the requirements anyway. Kasuur and Maria were clearly the leaders in this regard. Malehit would command his own team, but he had agreed to work together at some point. With his brother's help, Evra had successfully reached the Core Realm, as had Ulam with the help of his grandfather, who had come as a protector of the capital's young geniuses. Jalal was in the Origin Energy Realm and immediately accepted a job as a porter when offered a suitable price. He had no idea how dangerous the journey would be.
The most surprising person among them was Mais himself. His presence surprised many experts, but no one objected. Honestly, there was no reason to. If they wanted to end the child's life, they wouldn't try to convince him otherwise. In the Yellow City, at least, those who could speak to the city lord about the situation had decided not to. The locals, on the other hand, were unaware of what was happening.
"We are taking three people with us who know the forest inside and out. Master John seems to have done a good job training Kasuur with the sword, and his twins are in the Core Realm. Even if Master John can't enter the ruins with us, his children are still in the Core Realm, and they will be useful when we enter the ruins," Mais said. But Maria still frowned.
When Valeria poured the tea, she startled Maria by raising her voice. Luckily, the tea had already been placed on the floor.
"They have SAGES! A few low-level Core Experts won't change anything. Our rivals are Sages!"
"They won't be the ones carrying us at this point anyway. It's you and Kasuur. Was all the effort I put into you for nothing?"
No, it wasn't. Maria and the fat kid sitting indifferently beside her were actually quite powerful. Maria calmed down a bit after these words, but she still waited for Valeria, who was scared, to leave.
"You're right. Kasuur and I are the main force of the group, but we still can't compare to our opponents. You can't sleep comfortably thinking that two novice core realmers in their thirties can help us."
"No, but they're distracting."
Maiz bowed his head, pulled his staff in front of him, and looked straight ahead at the pair in front of him, holding his head high. He couldn't quite gauge their exact position.
"You're overcomplicating things right now. Remember that once we enter the ruins, our main fighting force will join up with Malehit anyway. Our current fighting force will reach a whole new level then, and you won't be the leader anymore. We just need to hold out until we get in. I don't think we'll need the power of a sage for that. The twins and Master John will distract attention from our real strength. Maybe not everyone's attention, but it could cause some foolish city sages to underestimate us."
Mais's tactic wasn't very effective. Although Maria felt a little relieved, she still wasn't completely sure. The plan wasn't solid. What if one of the city sages attacked them?
Mais was aware of the young girl's doubts. "If a real problem arises, don't forget that our group has a sage, too."
For a moment, Maria was fooled into thinking the rising aura was Mais', but then she noticed the small cat head rising from between his clothes.
"That bastard cat can take care of low-level Sages."
The Immortal White slowly turned her head and looked at the child who had called her a bastard. Then, she raised her paw and drew a huge circle in the air. Seeing this, Maria chuckled softly.
Her mood seemed to have lightened a little.
"It seems like she thinks you're starting to resemble a ball."
Kasuur grumbled, but he didn't have the strength to fight the cat. He had to stay quiet and bow his head. Besides, that cat wasn't going to die anytime soon. Once he reached the Sage Realm, he would defeat it.
For now, Maria seemed a little more relaxed. Opportunities like the Remnant of the False Dragon were rare. Before meeting Kasuur, she rarely saw geniuses who were more powerful or talented than she was. Now, even when she randomly scanned her surroundings, it wasn't difficult to spot geniuses. Kasuur was much more talented than her, and so was Mais. He would turn 11 soon, but this little boy had definitely entered the Core Realm.
Moreover, there were many experts in the city who, while not as talented, were much stronger. Maria needed to catch up to them.
No one thought she could participate in the Star Path Tournament, but she wanted to prove herself in the third Ferua. She had someone she wanted to prove herself to.
"Should I go then? I have some things I need to do," Kasuur said. Mais lifted his staff slightly and tapped it on the ground. He frowned. He knew about Kasuur's whims. He was going to visit a few girls who flattered him. Kasuur didn't want to work at all, and Mais didn't know how to convince him.
"We still don't know anything about our rivals," Maria said, but Kasuur had already stood up. He spread his arms wide and began to speak mockingly.
"What is there to learn? They have no reason to attack us. Besides, Malehit is the one who should be dealing with them. It's not us who should be fighting them."
"But if we want the fortune, Malehit isn't our friend either! We'll have to get past him, too!" Maria said. Kasuur's indifference bothered her. Kasuur began to speak more gently so as not to break this beauty's heart.
"How wonderful! Our rivals will eliminate each other, and we'll continue on our way. Once the Sages are gone, I'm confident that I'll be able to claim the inheritance for myself." But Kasuur didn't know how he could claim the inheritance. It wasn't something you could just walk into.
Maria frowned, turned her whole body toward Kasuur, who was sitting next to her, and placed her hands on her hips. She was looking directly into Kasuur's eyes, much more serious now.
"What makes you think Malehit can defeat the Sages? He's just—"
"Enough. We can end today's meeting now. Let Kasuur go."
Kasuur seemed to have been waiting for these words all along. He vanished in an instant. Maria turned to Mais. She still looked angry, but she calmed down. Despite his authoritarian attitude, she knew Mais was still a child.
A powerful and charismatic child, but also blind. She shouldn't have lashed out at him.
Kasuur was only two years older than Mais, but Maria had no desire to soften her attitude toward him.
"Why did you let him go? He needs to know that not everything can be solved with force."
"You're right, but your words will go in one ear and out the other. He doesn't care about things like that. Only time and experience can teach him why he needs to think about these things."
Maria paused and looked at Mais for a moment. He was saying all this, but Mais was only ten years old. He hadn't learned the necessity of tactics through experience. Maria herself had been taught this by her father. Who had taught Mais?
"What if he doesn't learn? What if he doesn't understand that he needs to think as he progresses in life?"
Valeria entered and took Mais's finished tea, not noticing the piece of cake on the corner of his mouth. As she left, Mais looked after her as if he could see her. It was as if he was watching her footsteps.
"Then natural selection takes over. The lineage and life end at that point, and the thinking generations continue to live."