'I've never seen this reaction,' Noah thought while inspecting the glowing Soul Stones.
That material could store chaotic laws, but it generally had a limit. Noah had never thought that it could reach superior levels after prolonged exposure to the shining waters.
"Does someone care to explain?" Noah asked through the inscribed notebook.
"That's how a complete mine should look like," King Elbas replied through the inscribed notebook. "That's what Elmer says, at least."
The value of the mine was incredible, but society had gone past money after Radiant Eyes' crisis. The human environment had collapsed, and the cities had turned into ruins.
The Legion might have taken control of those lands, but the hybrids didn't care about rebuilding the previous social environment. Noah had even brought many magical beasts into his organization, which made the use of Soul Stones as a currency completely pointless.
'It's a pity to eat it right away,' Noah thought while studying the lake. 'These waters should be able to transform the environment for a long time. They are a source of chaotic laws that can benefit my entire organization.'
Greed usually drove Noah's actions, but he was thinking like a leader now. Devouring the lake and the entire mine right away could lead to decent growth, but it wouldn't provide any sharp benefits. Preserving that structure seemed the best approach.
It would have been different if a breakthrough were near, but both his body and dantian still required some time. Moreover, Noah wouldn't lose the lake if he gave it to his underlings. He could always absorb it when his centers of power required a final boost.
"How is the situation in the other structures?" Noah asked through the inscribed notebook.
"Every mine is the same according to Elmer," King Elbas promptly replied. "We are confirming it now. There seems to be a lake at the center of every mountain."
'That's too precise to be mere luck," Noah thought before sending more instructions through the inscribed notebook.
Robert questioned the prisoners thoroughly, focusing more on the stronger leaders. Answers quickly arrived, and he didn't hesitate to convey them to his companions.
"They say that the area creates a natural field capable of attracting chaotic laws," Robert explained. "The absorption doesn't happen in the sky. The energy flows through the underground world."
Noah nodded even if he was alone inside the mountain. He had understood why his consciousness couldn't sense the currents of energy flowing through the region. They existed underground, and the power released by the various mines hid that phenomenon.
"Will they remain the same if we relocate them?" Noah asked, and a positive answer soon reached his mind.
"They attract chaotic laws on their own," King Elbas explained. "The location isn't the issue. That can only affect the amount of energy that reaches the mountains. Still, we can't move them freely. We might affect their radiations if we sever their connection with the world."
Noah came up with a better idea right away. First, he questioned both the prisoners and King Elbas to understand how many Soul Stones he could take for himself. Then, he left the mountain and summoned Night to take care of its base.
The Pterodactyl cut the ground of the Immortal Lands and severed the mountain from its base without affecting the mine. Then, Noah stabbed his hands inside the fissure and proceeded to lift the entire structure.
Night went to take care of the other mountains. The creature severed all of them from the ground, and the experts shook their heads when they saw Noah lifting one of them. They had already understood what his plan was.
"Wilfred!" Noah roared, and the hybrid quickly flew toward him.
Noah didn't say anything. He limited himself to drop the mountain on Wilfred's shoulders before diving toward the ground to lift the others.
Moreover, King Elbas proceeded to reinforce the mountains with defensive inscriptions that improved their stability. Wilfred wouldn't need the fear of dropping them after that procedure.
"Return to the Legion and contact Second Prince," Noah ordered before the expert could complain. "We need to plant these in specific positions and study them further."
"What about the prisoners?" Wilfred asked as clear annoyance appeared on his face.
Wilfred wanted to fight, but he agreed that securing the mountains came first. That source of energy was too valuable for the Legion as a whole. Also, his team was too threatening, so most forces would avoid a direct conflict during that mission.
"Robert and Luke will go with you and bring the prisoners away," Noah announced. "This mission is turning out to be less dangerous than we expected anyway."
The involved experts made up their minds about that task and left the area after performing a second round of questioning. The prisoners told them everything they knew, and the inscribed notebooks could keep them in contact even after the separation anyway.
"Where to now?" Noah asked while grabbing a Soul Stone and letting his dark matter devour it.
Noah had far too many Soul Stones now, so it didn't hurt to use them to improve his growth. Also, he wanted to see if he could learn more about that energy to make his Devil's influence intensify.
"We can keep hitting the branches of the Rotway family," Steven explained. "They always build them around mines."
"We can't carry them without Wilfred and with me busy with the mission," Noah explained. "Let's try something that has more connections with Heaven and Earth this time. We might actually find a fight there."
"I know of a lone branch of the Sailbrird family not too far from here," Steven proposed. "You might find a battle there."
"What are we waiting for then?" Noah laughed, and Steven promptly shot ahead.
The other experts followed Steven and let him lead them through the Outer Lands. The winds intensified as they flew toward the edges of the Immortal Lands, but those chaotic laws couldn't make them flinch.
Steven eventually stopped, and the other experts gathered around him. The cultivator turned toward his companions, and his admonishing eyes soon fixed on Noah.
"Can we do this my way now?" Steven asked, but his expression froze when he saw Noah's reaction.
"No," Noah said while shaking his head and summoning Snore.
Divine Demon and Sword Saint didn't hesitate to join the snake. They launched a deadly offensive aimed toward the surface, and their power made the entire area shake.
The area was nothing more than an azure plain that featured a few small rivers, but everything vanished when the attacks reached it. The very ground shattered before a storm of violent dark matter covered the entire area.
A relatively large area didn't tremble during the storm. The defenses that hid the structures there slowly crumbled and revealed the large mansion that featured the emblems of the Sailbrird family.
Lights glowed as the dark matter ran through the region. More defenses were falling apart, but King Elbas didn't wait for the end of the storms to continue with the offensive.
A fiery spear appeared in his grasp before he pointed it toward the mansion. Noah shot a confused expression toward the expert, but everything became clear when he saw a beam of golden light shooting out of the weapon and crossing the storm without losing power.
King Elbas had created disposable weapons capable of ignoring the violent dark matter.