Long brown hair, a beautiful visage that was too otherworldly to belong to a human; a serene look adorning the face, added to that, was the slight smile that calmed one's mind; a perfect body figure, an above-average height that gave her an intimating vibe—everything about this Basil made the people wonder if she had been reborn as a Goddess.
They stayed silent as they marvelled at her beauty. Basil looked at the expression of his family one by one and couldn't help shaking her head in amusement. She was sure they had seen more beautiful people but they were still astonished by her look. She didn't think she looked extraordinary.
"Aren't your clothes too tight?" Danzel blurted out with a light frown. "It may be temporary but I think it is not good to treat your body like a male's." He wondered if Basil realized that her clothes looked like they stuck to her body.
"It should have been tight if I was still a male. These clothes fit just perfectly," Basil explained. They may look too tight on me but they give me a lot of mobility…more than they used to do when I was a male, ironically."
"You always think about fighting, huh? Well, with how things are going, though, I can't blame you."
Danzel's remark brought the dazzled people back to reality. Like him, they shook their heads bitterly as they mused about what might greet them at the end of the journey.
"Xueyi," Basil called, earning the female Daoist's attention. "I can already use my body to fight, can't I?" She knew the answer already but she still asked, so the people could hear it directly from Xueyi.
"You can. You can even participate in the Soaring Dragon Tournament and win," Xueyi confirmed.
"What is Soaring Dragon Tournament?" Shirley asked. "I am pretty sure I have never heard of it."
"Soaring Dragon Tournament is a special tournament that is held once every decade for the youngsters to fight over the right to enter the Tower of Legacy. Out of the 10,000 youngsters that are allowed to participate, only 10 people will have the right," Tian Long explained.
Tower of Legacy was one of the seventy-two Obelisks that appeared in the world. It was amongst the conquered Obelisk. Upon their immigration, the people of Hua immediately put it to good use, making it the only Obelisk that was utilised by humans. It was used to store the legacies of many legendary Daoists.
Legacy, of course, wouldn't be a legacy if no one was to inherit it. Every decade, the access to Tower of Legacy would be opened to let talented youngsters enter it, allowing them to inherit the legacy left behind after passing the trial set by the owners of the legacy.
This had been going on for millennia and a half; however, five hundred years ago, a restriction was put on the number of youngsters who could enter it. After one incident and another, the top ten Daoists realized that many unworthy people had gotten their hands on something they shouldn't.
They decided, from then on, only ten people should be allowed entry. They were, of course, aware of how violent the people would possibly react when they said only the selected people were allowed entry; therefore, they created a tournament to let the people fight for the right fair and square.
That was the beginning of the Soaring Dragon Tournament.
"Unfortunately, you are currently busy," turning to Basil, Tian Long remarked. "If you weren't occupied by that matter, you would have been able to participate in the tournament that will be held in two days."
"I will participate."
"It's too bad, you know? Had you been able to, I am sure you would, at least, climb to the ninth—I am sorry, what?"
"I will participate," Basil reiterated.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
Basil didn't only have one reason to come to Huaxia. She initially did; however, due to how things had developed, she changed her mind. There were two Artefacts which were part of Solomon's 9 Seals in the Tower of Legacy. She couldn't just let them go.
She had initially planned to take them after killing Dantalion because of how tight the time was. At that time, the Guide had told her the treatment would take days. Therefore, when it turned out that the treatment had only lasted for two hours and a half, she quickly changed his mind.
Soaring Dragon Tournament was not her only way to enter the Tower of Legacy; however, while she still had time in Huaxia, it was better to take the two legacies. She would be a little late but it was still better than coming back there just to retrieve two legacies and then left again.
"I am afraid the registration has been closed, Venerable Daoist Tian Long," Chang Yu said, earning a quirked eyebrow from Tian long. "This one will also participate in the tournament and was one of the last people accepted."
"Ho-oh? You registered by yourself, not under the name of the Withering Frost Sect?"
"Yes, Venerable Daoist Tian Long. I am afraid of tainting our sect's name."
Tian Long hummed to himself as he turned to Xueyi. "No wonder you didn't know about it…. Listen, lass, that registration was nothing but a farce. There will be some youngsters—the disciples of the top ten Daoists—who can participate in the tournament without even registering."
"Ah…so, that means…"
"Yes, Basil will participate through the back entrance."
Chang Yu blinked her eyes as she turned to Basil. She couldn't believe what she had heard. She used to believe that the top ten Daoists were all honest and wise. Never had she dreamt of the day when she heard that they were just cunning as any other people.
"L-Let's compete fair and square…" she extended her clenched hand at Basil.
Basil stared coldly at it, making her involuntarily gulp in horror. Basil then raised her hand and then extended it toward her as well. "N-Now that I think about it, I think let's not fight…" she squeaked, failing to stop Basil.
As she expected the worse to happen, a warm and soft hand landed on her head. Basil was patting her with a fascinated look on her face.
"Is this what women consider cute? This girl is just stupid, in my opinion."
"…."
Basil had a very charming look; however, her tongue cut deeper than Durendal. Chang Yu didn't know how she should react to Basil's words, so she just stared at Basil blankly.
"I hope you can help her during the tournament," Xueyi remarked. "This is not me asking for payback—I am just asking you to do something that will make me happy if you agree to."
"Do I have to help her climb the tower as well?" responded Basil, referring to Chang Yu.
"No. Let her accomplish it herself."
Turning to Chang Yu, Basil once again patted her head. "Little one, I will carry you to the top 10. Please, do tell me whether you are competent enough to ride on my coattails."
"Of course, I can…you don't have to be so harsh on me," Chang Yu muttered depressively.
"Look at this little thing…"
"I am not small—you are just tall!"
Chang Yu was 165 centimetres tall, which was considered average for women; however, Basil's height made her look shorter than she should. Basil found a peculiar satisfaction from teasing her about it but she was not amused by that.
She knew how old Basil was. She was a proud 24-year-old woman, meanwhile, Basil was a tall 19-year-old woman. To be treated like the younger one was a blow to her pride. In addition to that, Basil knew exactly how to make her act like one.
Basil stopped patting Chang Yu; her face suddenly turned solemn. "Since there are still two days until the tournament, I am going to contact Iliana and the others. I need to tell them that I will be late, so they won't recklessly charge at Dantalion's army."
"You seem to need some private space," Danzel remarked. Turning to Tian Long, he said, "We will be waiting in the castle's guest room. Come join us after you are done."
Tian Long nodded his head and then got up from his seat. The others did the same, prompting Xueyi and her three disciples to guide Danzel and the others to the guest room.
When no one was in the vicinity, Basil took out her Visual Orb and then put it on the table. She put her hand on top of it, hesitated to call for a few seconds and then inserted her Mana.
When it connected, she faced Iliana and a couple of others with her most detached look.
….
A few minutes before Basil called, Iliana and the Warriors—the past Pacifer's servants—were discussing how they would act should Dantalion come with another Chimaera. Like Basil said, after all, there was no guarantee Dantalion wouldn't come before a week of truce.
Basil wouldn't return before a week, so the possibility of them fighting without him was quite high. The current him might not be as strong as the entire army—so they believed—however, his absence was a solid blow to the army's morale, which was why they had to concoct a special strategy.
"I don't know what he is doing in Huaxia but I have a strong feeling that he will spend a good amount of time there," Iliana said to Xander, who was sitting beside her. "It is not a desirable situation but we have to prepare another weapon to replace Basil."
She looked at the people sitting at the long-rounded table with a solemn look. 10 Chieftains of the Elf Tribes, 6 Elders of the Dwarves, 2 human Kings and 1 former human King stared at her back with the same solemn look on their faces.
Compared to Goap, Dantalion's army was not of concern. Thirty-six Legions of Demons were not a problem they couldn't handle; however, what Dantalion was capable of—his knowledge regarding creating Mythical Monsters was terrifying.
It wouldn't be irrelevant to worry that he might resurrect Scylla.
Bloop!
A light disturbance was felt in the air at the same time the Visual Orb that was put in the centre of the table lit up. Everyone's eyes turned to the orb. They knew who was calling. Only one person could reach them through it—their leader.
"I will answer it." Iliana extended her hand and projected the image the orb created.
When the image was projected, all of them were stunned to find a brown-haired goddess staring at them with absolute detachment. They were captivated by her beauty but, after a few seconds, they wondered where their leader was.
"Basil…?" Iliana was the first one to open her mouth.
"I tripped myself and became a woman," replied the brown-haired Goddess.
Iliana wanted to curse at how ridiculous it was; however, the moment she saw Basil's golden Pacifer Seal, she chuckled in absolute bemusement.