Watching the huge floating city slowly moving away but gradually gaining speed until its total disappearance, the soldiers and soul evolvers stationed on the most dangerous wall of the entire Washington D.C. base finally looked at each other in dismay.
What happened? The captain of the troops stationed there for the purpose of stopping the ferocious sea race that never seemed to tire of launching attacks towards the surface looked back at the person who was even now staring into the sky even though the floating city was no longer there.
The only person who knew what had happened was precisely this man, the Leader of them all.
Angelo could feel many eyes on him. Curiosity, puzzlement, amazement... He could feel them all.
"Back to your stations." Angelo turned and began to walk away as he waved his hand as if shooing away flies, "If you have free time to croak then use it to work and earn your living."
Jack looked at his best friend's back with wide eyes. After a last glance at the sky, he and the others quickly followed Angelo.
"Hey, Angelo!"
"What's wrong, Jack."
"What's wrong...? What's supposed to have just happened up there? Don't tell me... Don't tell me Bai Zemin agreed to leave in exchange for Andrea and Eleanora..."
Angelo stayed in the floating city for a little over half an hour before returning. However, the most amazing thing of all was that when he returned, he asked both Andrea and Eleanora to accompany Bai Zemin and his faction for a while.
Dylan, the African-American man whose size stood out above most of the main team, whispered to avoid being overheard by others, "I understand Bai Zemin targeting Eleanora... Those two seem to have built some kind of relationship after all. But why Andrea? I mean, they both have chewable asses but even then... Bai Zemin has a lot of beauties on his side, particularly that little white-haired lady."
Angelo rolled his eyes as he listened to his team theorizing and babbling all the way back to the center of the base, yet he didn't say too much nor did he stop them from having their own thoughts on the matter.
Even he was amazed by everything that was going on, and he knew he would need time to come to terms with it. However, there was one thing Angelo was absolutely sure of now.
'Bai Zemin... What an interesting dude.' Angelo chuckled, feeling infinitely more relieved.
... Hero City, throne room. Andrea felt apprehensive as she eyed the young man sitting on the stone throne warily. Although she obeyed Angelo and entered Hero City to follow Bai Zemin, the reality was that she couldn't help but feel like a little rabbit running into the big bad wolf's lair.
On the other hand, Eleanora was calm and her indifferent expression to the situation was the best proof of that.
Bai Zemin carefully watched the two beautiful women in front of him for a moment before looking only at Andrea, "Don't be so nervous, I won't eat you."
"I wonder about that." Andrea smiled slightly but the slight frown on her face and the trembling in her eyes gave away her true feelings.
Bai Zemin simply shook his head. He really was curious about what kind of thought or image the others had of him, but at the same time, he didn't care too much either.
He got straight to the point: "Andrea, the reason I asked Angelo to send you with me is because I and my faction will need your help in the mission we will be carrying out soon."
"My help?" Andrea couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise, "Is there something I can do but you can't?"
"Something like that." Bai Zemin didn't explain too much but waved his hand freely, "For now rest. We'll need your defensive skills later... Also, I'll have someone explain a bit of what's going on so you won't feel this lost."
Andrea sighed as she glanced sideways at the smiling Cai Jingyi who was looking at her curiously from the side. She nodded as she muttered to herself, "I'd appreciate it."
Not long after, Andrea departed with Cai Jingyi playing as her personal guide.
Eleanora watched over her shoulder until the doors closed behind her with a slight bang. Suddenly, she felt an object flying towards her but far from feeling fear the corner of her lips lifted slightly upwards.
Reaching out her right hand and catching the small object with ease, Eleanora turned her head to look at Bai Zemin before looking at what she had just caught.
"Just as we agreed before." Bai Zemin rested his chin on his right hand as he looked at Eleanora curiously about her next action, "That key will guide you to your new residence here in Hero City and it's also the only one that can open or close the doors of the place. Even I wouldn't be able to get in unless the power of the runes ran out completely."
Eleanora looked at the small golden circular key covered in strange engravings at the same time as Bai Zemin's words filtered down to her heart. Finally, she averted her gaze to look at the red-hued black-haired young man and asked, "How many people will be able to live here?"
"Mmmm... I think about a hundred thousand to keep the place from looking like an anthill." Bai Zemin slowly explained, "Each of the residences here in Hero City will be given as awards to those people who have made great contributions to the Transcendent faction."
Hero City would eventually become the safest city of all. Not only would the most powerful soul evolvers live there but even Bai Zemin himself would be staying most of the time in the Sky Emperor Palace.
A huge, all-terrain, mobile city with supreme amenities. Eleanora glanced again at the small key in her hand before slowly saying, "So... Our partnership ends here?"
"You don't want that?" Bai Zemin wasn't really surprised but feigned ignorance as he remembered, "Our agreement was that I would give you an important position as well as one of the best residences in Hero City in exchange for your help in keeping my faction and your faction from clashing, we haven't talked beyond that have we?"
Eleanora was a very cold and indifferent person when it came to the death of others; even if they were her compatriots or teammates, she didn't particularly care about anyone. She simply respected and felt some appreciation for Angelo because he helped her in the past, but that was the limit of her kindness.
It was precisely because of this that as Eleanora witnessed with her own eyes Bai Zemin's simply colossal strength she understood something that all the other members of her team refused to believe or accept.
'Eventually, the Transcendent faction will swallow the United States of America.' Such a thought popped into her head naturally, and the more she thought about it the more Eleanora understood the circumstances she and everyone else was in.
Therefore, in order to avoid a meaningless bloody war, she and Bai Zemin cooperated.
Not long ago, Eleanora's mind reading skill evolved. Now she could not only read minds but, in a very subtle way, she could also influence the thoughts of others using words.
For many months, Eleanora continued to try to persuade Angelo to surrender his position to Bai Zemin without a fight. She talked about the difference in strength but in a subtle way and even exaggerated some of the things she had seen; all this with two goals in mind.
First, to prevent the death of many people. Second... To personal advantage.
In some people's minds, Eleanora would be considered a traitor if they knew what she had been doing. However, Bai Zemin did not see it that way.
If not for her, Angelo might have put up resistance and this would have led to Bai Zemin being forced to act with severity.
How many would have died in vain? Right now, Bai Zemin needed humans to unite to fight outsiders instead of fighting each other. For that, he was grateful to Eleanora.
"What is your goal really..." Eleanora looked at him with an extremely complicated expression. Her soft voice echoed inside the empty room, "It's clear that you have no intention of ruling over America, but then what do you really want to do...?"
If Bai Zemin wanted to lead and rule over America the first thing he would have to do was to remove Angelo and his trusted men from their current positions. However, he did nothing of the sort.
In fact, nothing really seemed to have changed. Bai Zemin looked at her silently for a moment before closing his eyes.
"Did you forget?"
"Eh?" Eleanora blinked in astonishment when she heard his voice.
He looked at her again and remarked, "I told you... I'll be on top of the universe eventually, Eleanora. You didn't believe me then, but now that you know about the Higher Existences and their identities maybe you don't think the same way anymore."
Eleanora's sweet little mouth opened slightly but no sound came out of it. Her eyes trembled softly as she remembered the conversation she and Bai Zemin had a long time ago, a conversation in which she ended up mocking and scorning him for his crazy thoughts.
"Who said that one person needs to be in charge of everything and in everything? All the Emperors of the past fell, and I think I know why."
Bai Zemin's voice was the only thing Eleanora could and wanted to hear.
"Who said an Emperor can't have Kings working for him? China, America, Russia... Every country on Earth will be a different kingdom, regardless of whether some larger smaller countries should merge with others. I will be the highest authority, but I will not be there for everyone at all times... Earth is just the starting point in my eyes, Eleanora. I will soon be gone and I don't know when I will be able to return, so before that happens I will make sure to leave capable and trustworthy people who can make each realm prosperous for the imperial colossus I will eventually build."
After a long time, Eleanora couldn't help but sigh and close her eyes.
"You really are crazy in the head."
Although she said that, a faint smile had formed on her lips. It was obvious that, after seeing everything she had seen, Eleanora no longer thought Bai Zemin was a lunatic for saying that he would eventually be on the peak.
Even the Biblical God was forced to back down for him even though he was still so small, what else could stop him then?
... A few hours later, Hero City stopped in the sky over a large human base stationed south of Mexico.
That was the real beginning of the union of the Earth, as well as of a huge bloody war between races that took place not only on land but also under deep water.
* * * * * * * Really thank you very much to all those who send gifts to the novel and support with valuable Golden Tickets. I hope we can all keep it up <3

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