Chapter 700: 700. Pack

The Ballor family shared the same kind of secrecy of the Balvans, and the same applied for the nobles strictly connected with the Royals.

The Elbas family usually annexed loyal families in their ranks through marriages and similar events, but some nobles liked to maintain their identity.

The Ballor family wasn't one of them, but June had no intention of marrying a Royal just for the sake of her family.

On the other hand, the Balvan family simply didn't trust the rulers of the country.

Noah had been able to thrive because the Royals wanted to add him in its ranks, and no one believed that they had simply neglected to check his identity.

Yet, they made up for that act with tons of benefits, and they had even helped Thomas in reaching the fifth rank.

Their relationship was strange, but they were allies.

Those details ultimately influenced the transformation that the Utra nation experienced after the raids.

The smaller families slowly gathered near the large-size families, creating vast empty areas that were soon occupied by bold packs of magical beasts.

The population divided itself into three crowded areas that were mostly inhabited by cultivators.

The northern side of the country saw the families loyal to the Royals moving there to stay near the capital. The defenses there were the best in the nation, and gathering there was a clear sign of subservience.

The eastern coast witnessed a similar event near the Udye family. Nobles loyal to the Cause or merely angry at the Elbas family for not handling that dangerous situation before had moved there to create a united front.

The last crowded area appeared in the southern part of the country, where the domain of the Shosti family was. The families that had moved there didn't want to choose a side even if they were inclined to remain loyal to the Royals. Yet, they had chosen the southern territories to remain somewhat independent.

Nobles had their pride, and many of them wouldn't give up on their names to obtain some benefits.

Of course, that relocation wasn't cheap, especially since most activities handled by commoners couldn't just go with them.

The economy of the Utra nation soon took a heavy blow, but the cultivators there didn't feel it like the commoners. They found themselves without any protection against the tides of magical beasts that finally had the chance to explore those territories, which inevitably led to a high number of casualties.

The nobles didn't care about it. They only worried about the invisible threat that was destroying entire families without leaving any clue about its origin.

They didn't care if the economy of the country plummeted as long as they remained safe.

Also, the Elbas family had long since moved its focus on the new continent, so the activities on the old one weren't that remunerative in comparison.

"I don't see us reaching your family without being discovered, and Amos can't find much. It seems that the Balvans didn't reveal anything in their last years of cooperation with the Elbas family." Flying Demon said as he sat with Dreaming Demon right next to the entrance of Noah's cave.

A few months had passed since their raid on the medium-size family, and the forces of the Hive didn't have an opportunity to attack the nobles in that period.

"Noah, there are two large-size families there, and a total of thirteen weaker families. Also, the records about your family are too cryptic. There might be a lot hidden in those mansions." Flying Demon explained.

Noah heard those words but remained with his eyes closed inside his cave while the Divine deduction technique consumed mental energy to analyze the situation better.

'The large-size families didn't bring their full power here since they still have to defend their respective cities. The defenses of Mossgrove city are the only real issue.' Noah thought as his mental energy created a representation of the southern area of the nation inside his mind.

The Demons had given him many pieces of information, but there wasn't anything accurate about the Balvan family in them.

'We can't attack like this… I need to see the mansion with my own eyes before planning a move.' Noah thought.

He could only accept that as he reviewed the situation from every possible angle.

According to the Udye family, one of the two large-size families there had a hidden powerhouse in its ranks, which meant that the Demons might encounter some difficulty in taking care of them.

Also, the sheer number of heroic cultivators in that area was a problem.

Noah and the elders would be fine if they avoided the Shosti family's defenses, but someone was bound to notice them when the destruction began.

Noah couldn't reveal the presence of the Hive to obtain his revenge.

Sacrificing his backing and possibly causing a war against the Elbas family wasn't what he wanted.

His revenge was necessary in his mind, but everything would be pointless if he lost part of what was allowing him to cultivate in peace in those years.

It was his power that had brought him so close to his revenge, and he was fully aware that he would just be less than an ant without it.

'I need a distraction to gain the exact layout of my family. I should be able to use the magical beasts now.' Noah thought as he exited his cave and faced the sitting elders.

They didn't even try to hide their surprise when they saw him suddenly appearing in front of them.

After all, only a few months had passed since Noah became a rank 5 mage. That period was enough to become used to his new stage, but it was too short to tune his new power to his abilities.

They couldn't understand why he wanted to leave so soon, especially at a point when they didn't have a strategy.

"I believe there are new danger zones in the empty areas, right?" Noah asked.

The two Demons nodded, but they didn't gather specific information about that field. Even the Udye family had limited itself to study the movements of the other nobles and discarded the migration of the magical beasts in that period.

It couldn't be helped, no one would think that a cultivator could use them, especially not while the Hive was in the middle of its raids.

Yet, Noah wasn't a no one, and he didn't even know if he could consider himself as a simple cultivator anymore.

"I'll learn everything that I can from Amos. You stay ready to expand the dimension in the meantime." Noah said as he flew toward the array that connected the separate dimension with the Udye mansion.

In his mind, he was already set on building his first pack.