In the Laotonus Faction's territory, William was secretly searching for information about their Patriarch's whereabouts. Some information seemed to have been leaked regarding his appearance in the Velos Continent, and the five Factions became wary of his presence.
He had already created havoc in the Revista Faction's territory, and the Velos Faction was forced to hold a meeting between him and their most renowned Alchemist. The remaining Factions were beginning to think that William wanted to take over the entire Continent, so many were preparing for wars of their own.
Any signs of William's movements were reported to the Patriarchs' subordinates, who only spoke to them through communicators, while defenses were shored up near the poisonous miasma to better track the movements of Miasma Navigators.
If anyone were to cross the lines between factions, they would know immediately. Well, in theory.
What they didn't know was that William had perfect immunity to the Soul-Sapping Necrotoxin and could walk through it without a care in the world. As long as he knew his destination and kept a sense of direction, William wouldn't have to worry about anything.
He switched his identity to that of Serio, the mysterious bounty hunter with Fire and Darkness Magic, before systematically approaching the most populous areas of the city. He browsed shops for special equipment and materials, even taking the initiative to buy some interesting ones while listening to the conversations of the people around him.
"Did you hear that there's a Region Event in the Laotonus, Beronius, and Andorea Factions?"
"I heard there was one, but I didn't check the forums yet. What is it all about?"
"Apparently that NPC from the Azures Continent is here now and might kill the three Factions' Patriarchs, but if we can protect them for a week, we will get a lot of Points."
"Which NPC? And why would it be a week?"
"I don't remember their name, Willort? And the hell if I know, I'm just listening to the Region Notification. How could you have missed it?"
"Ahaha, I haven't logged in for a while."
NPC? Points? Logged in? William recognized the familiar terms amongst the conversations. It was odd to hear gaming terms from people in this World.
A slight breeze flew past William's face, slowly wiping away the memories of the earlier conversation. His Mind Talent and Cultivation tried to resist, but he was only able to remember "Logged in" and the necessary information related to the Continent.
System, what did you do? I can only remember half of what they said.
Mana Storage: 10,000,000/10,000,000
Durability: 4,000/4,000
Does not stack with other equipment. Stacks with Titles.
———
William smiled and reverted his appearance, then turned the dial on his Artifact Belt, activating the Artifact for the first time and limiting its use to the Life Element only. Too much influence from the other Elements would turn him into a magical beacon, and that was something he'd rather avoid.
Regardless, the sudden appearance of abundant Life Mana made many people in the city simultaneously turn their heads, thinking a natural treasure had just formed somewhere nearby. Dying flowers turned vibrant again, while many with slight cuts and other injuries from a day's work found themselves perfectly healthy once more.
The Nascent Soul and Soul Formation Cultivators ran eagerly to William's location, where instead of being showered by a more intense Life Element, they were met by the horror of an Ascended-level powerhouse that could crush them to a pulp in an instant.
"Run! Tell the Patriarch that William is here!" they screamed as they manipulated the Elements to speed up their escape. William didn't bother trapping them here, instead focusing on his Life Sense Spell.
Even as a mere S-Rank Life Element, the four hundred percent increase of the Artifact Belt plus his Cultivation and Titles were more than enough to cover many Cities and multiple kilometers beyond.. His senses spread out, isolating the Tribulation Transcendence auras and locking onto each one individually and storing the information for later.
Even if he didn't know what the Patriarchs were like, he was sure someone else would. With a bit of Mana manipulation and his own aura, William could mimic the aura of others slightly, enough for someone to identify which one was the Patriarch.
It's still not that strong, though. My Life Sense only covers a quarter of the Faction's territory. William sighed.
POTENTIAL POINTS: 104,940
But thanks the Beast Tides, I once again have over a hundred thousand Points. Not only that, but reaching X-Rank with a Rare Element is very cheap compared to Chaos. I have barely enough!
System, upgrade my Life Element to X-Rank!
-97500 PP
-Upgrading the Life Element, please wait...