Noah and Divine Demon felt compelled to perform a polite bow after hearing the expert's words.
"Human, you can go," The expert said after Noah and Divine Demon straightened their position. "I wish to talk with Noah alone."
The woman's words created waves of shock in the duo's minds. They had never revealed Noah's real name to Ian and the others. She could have learnt it only when she inspected their mental seas.
The azure halo radiated by the woman's eyes became less intense and allowed the duo to think properly again. Divine Demon slightly relaxed and gave one last glance at the expert before winking at Noah and leaving the room.
Noah turned toward the expert at that point. He didn't know how much she had managed to learn from the inspection of his mind. Still, he suspected that the reason behind her request concerned his memories.
"My name is Theodora," The woman said after a few seconds of silence. "I speak for the entire Legion when I say that it would be our honor to have you in our ranks. Your achievements are impressive, to say the least."
"How much did you see?" Noah asked as a tinge of annoyance inevitably leaked into his voice.
Noah didn't like that Theodora had inspected his memories. He had stored many valuable scenes there, and most of his valued relationships were there as well. The Legion could have learnt about the entire Hive after that short interaction.
"Do not worry," Theodora replied. "I've sworn to use my gift only against the enemies of the Legion. I won't spread anything learnt from your mind unless you hurt my organization."
Even if Theodora didn't add any malice in her words, Noah took that line as a threat. His memories would be safe as long as he didn't become her enemy.
"Gift?" Noah asked.
It had become a habit to learn everything he could from the existences that he met. Seemingly useless information could become a trump card in a specific situation, so he always tried to probe his potential opponents.
"I have nothing to hide," Theodora said as a knowing smile appeared on her face. "I have the blood of the Psychic Carps in my veins. That places me among the weakest hybrids in terms of battle prowess, but I make up for that in fertility. The weakness of my species gives me the chance to give birth to my kind."
Noah didn't dare to think anything when he heard those words. Theodora had already shown that she could read his mind easily, so he preferred not to ponder about that information at all.
"Oh? Afraid of your own mind?" Theodora said as she stood up from her throne and neared Noah. "I wonder what June would think when she learns about your desire."
Noah didn't move. He watched Theodora stretch her arm to caress his shoulder. Her hand then slid toward his bare neck.
"What do you say, little dragon?" Theodora continued as her voice became even more tempting. "Your kind is so rare. I can help to populate it, and June won't even learn about it."
Theodora touched his neck, but her hand froze when she noticed Noah's cold gaze. His eyes didn't flicker under that temptation. His mind had remained calm under her warmth.
"Don't underestimate my will," Noah said in a cold tone. "Also, I suggest you keep this from June. You will have to use my memories otherwise."
Theodora retracted her hand and covered her mouth as a soft laugh came out of her. She seemed strangely pleased that Noah had managed to reject her so easily. That outcome didn't hurt her pride at all.
"Go now," Theodora said as she returned to her throne. "I know that I will see you soon. You might not need the Legion now, but you will eventually accept us. You will even help us when the time is right."
Noah didn't question her anymore and turned to descend the staircase. His mind relaxed once he left the range of her azure radiance, and countless thoughts flew out of his mental sea as he reviewed those scenes.
He wanted to blame himself for his carelessness, but he had to accept that the situation had been hopeless. Even Divine Demon had to lower his head in front of a rank 8 existence. Noah never had a chance to hide his thoughts in front of Theodora.
'I wonder if the other leaders are like her,' Noah thought as he exited the building. 'As for what she said, I guess she was speaking about the migration of the human domain.'
The powerful existences of the Immortal Lands seemed to view that migration as inevitable and imminent. The attack of the magical beasts would force the humans to move their domain, which would inevitably make them enter the Legion's lands.
That would be the beginning of a war with multiple battlefields. One side saw humans against magical beasts, while the other featured cultivators against hybrids. Noah would have to decide whether to join the battles or remain on the sidelines at that point.
'I have been through this already,' Noah thought as he found Ian's group and Divine Demon waiting for him outside the entrance. 'I need to become stronger to seize benefits in the imminent war. My power must come first, or I won't obtain anything even if I fight.'
Ian and the other hybrids appeared surprised that Noah had come out so soon. They were aware of Theodora's habits, so they had suspected that Noah would remain in her quarters for a while.
Noah ignored those gazes and exchanged a glance with Divine Demon. The two understood each other in an instant, and they soon turned toward the hybrids while expressing evident greed.
They had done everything Ian had asked them to do. It was time for the Legion to honor its side of the deal. The hybrids had to show them the path toward Supreme Thief's inheritance.
Ian understood the duo's intentions, and he promptly sent a series of mental messages to create a new team. Some of the hybrids living in the encampment around Yellnbel set off to meet him in the sky. They had specific tasks, but they all were near Supreme Thief's inheritance.
"Let's go," Ian said before shooting in the distance, followed by the rest of his team.
Noah and Divine Demon chased after him, and their travel resumed. Different regions began and ended in their vision as the group flew through the sky, and more years passed as they moved toward that famous destination.
Then, a tall structure appeared in their eyes. At first, that scene made Noah and Divine Demon think they were about to venture through another mountain chain, but they soon understood that something was off.
An azure region stood above another land, and a structure grew from its peak. The building was different from those seen in Yellnbel, and it was far bigger than anything in Vagona city. It was even taller than Great Builder's pyramid.
"Do you move the whole region when you have to hide the inheritance?" Divine Demon asked as he studied that scene.
"Of course," Ian replied. "We can't put the inheritance inside our storage devices since no artificial space in the world can contain the legacy of a rank 9 existence."
"Won't eventual enemies see you?" Noah asked as he joined Divine Demon in the study of that immense structure.
"It is always gone by the time enemies are about to reach it," Ian replied. "This is Supreme Thief's inheritance. The Legion won't even come close to risk losing it."