The First Legendary Beast Master

Chapter 2116 The Underlying Friction

Karl stepped inside, and immediately found the leader of the Janill Clan laughing at his Elder's rejection of the sales clerk. The girl was not giving up, she had just changed to a softer approach, and had brought out drinks for them, while setting up a healing beacon in the yard using her skills as a druid.

The compound naturally healed anyone standing in it, but that was a slight and subtle effect. The totem of a Void Immortal Druid was much stronger.

"Guild Leader Karl, it's a pleasure to meet you. We represent the Yam Zabat Warrior Association and we were hoping that we could get a bit of your time."

"Of course. Please follow me, and we will speak in private. There is a room specifically designed for that right here in the store area."

Karl gestured to the back room, and the High Priestess gave the Supremes an evil smile.

She had told them the same thing, but given the prejudice against the Dark Elves, they had assumed that it was a heavily warded holding cell, and that she was intending to imprison them for interrogation.

She had considered it. But she was under orders to be nice to potential customers, and it was hard to argue that they were not customers when the other clerk on duty was doing so well at hustling their Elders out of their savings.

"Now, what brought you all this way? As I recall, the city your association is named after is on the north side of the Great Lake, far to the east of the Yizimon Clan that we have a mining agreement with.

The Clan Leader nodded. "Indeed, that is the location. But what brings us here today is the common concern of everyone. The regional tensions. You see, the Great Lake itself is ready to go into its resurgence, and that will bring dozens or hundreds of hidden realms and new dungeons to the region.

Once those supplies are available, there will be no stopping the powers that obtain them from attacking. Once the war in the south starts, it will pull us all in, and our Association is part of a larger alliance on the south side of the lake.

We cannot afford to be behind the curve when it comes time to fight.

And for that reason, we are willing to offer your Darklight Host an extremely favourable agreement to join our faction. We have raw materials, manpower, territory, access to dungeons. Everything that you might need."

Karl liked that they had at least done a little research, and didn't offer him anything stupid, or things that he wouldn't accept.

But their information was outdated.

"Unfortunately, I will not be joining any faction in the civil war. In an effort to prevent expanding this conflict to branches beyond this world, I have signed a nonaggression pact with Legend Eryman.

Neither of us will be joining in the hostilities, as if either of us does, it will trigger our factions to send an army of Supreme and Legendary fighters from the Divine Battlefields to this world."

That shut down their proposal in a hurry.

"We don't ask that you fight directly, there are always ways around such agreements, and we wouldn't ask you to break your word to a Legend." The Clan Leader began, though Karl could tell that was exactly what he was requesting.

"If you wish to sign a trade agreement, we can discuss that. However, my agreements prevent me from joining any of the factions involved in the civil unrest."

"Do you believe that agreement will hold once the war starts?" The man asked carefully.

Karl nodded. "I do."

The leader of the group paused, and one of the other warriors spoke up.

"I know that the fear of spreading the Divinity Wars is a strong one, but surely the factions wouldn't go so far as to push them to this world, with its lower power levels. It's hardly worthy of trying to attain divinity here. That's why all the stronger Supremes and Legends with dreams of becoming a Battle God leave."

Karl shook his head. They didn't understand just how powerful Eryman was, even if they were right about those with grand dreams leaving this world.

Either by choice or because they were drafted by more powerful factions on other worlds.

There was a chance that the same thing would happen with Karl when he reached Supreme Rank. The Darklight Host was active on so many Divine Battlefields that there was a constant need for manpower, and he was very capable.

But that was a problem for later.

For now, it was more important that the war not come to them directly.

"Can you at least explain to me why everyone is so reluctant to back down this time? These tensions have existed for some time, as I understand it. Why is it only now that they're pushing the whole region into civil war?"

The warrior shrugged. "There are a number of Clan Leaders nearing Legendary status. They want the power that comes with controlling the region, or they want someone in particular to take charge and settle things in the way they prefer.

That's why they want Eryman to lead the church. He doesn't want to do it, so they all know that he will appoint bureaucrats to do most of the work, and that's a great way for his loyalists to usurp power.

But the rest of the region is putting their backing into other candidates for leadership. Either from the church, or from one of the other powerful factions that could take over from the church.

The current leadership is too weak, they can't stop the uprising anymore, and for that reason alone they have to go."

Karl hummed as he considered the answer. So, it was simple ambition and rivalry. That shouldn't have shocked him at all. But their description matched what he had heard from Eryman, though it was told from a different viewpoint.

Still, Karl shook his head. "Their ambitions are not my ambitions. This territory is, and will remain, neutral ground."