Chapter 369 A Month Goes By
After seeing what happened to traitors, more than a hundred players left the organization in fear of being forced into becoming traitors and experiencing a similar fate.
As planned, Alex made Venedikt, Andrei, and Saahira leave the organization and rejoin two weeks later and operate only under permanent disguise.
Venedikt and Andrei were also on paper working for Shiekh, while Saahira did not know the truth yet because Alex had yet to trust her enough to share such a secret, but she was also safe from any harassment as she had means to prove she was not was a member.
As the guilds had said, they had also stopped harassing the organization members, but Alex knew they were playing the long game and would strike when an opportunity presented itself.
The biggest opportunity the guilds currently had was making their loyal figures take influential positions in the organization, and for that, they were not holding back the Recruit groups that would have become big names associated with the top guilds in the future.
Alex was those members because he didn't know if many of them were even working for the big powers at this stage of their life, and even if they were, it was easier to deal with an enemy you know than one you don't.
Alex had also made some improvements to the training chamber in the real world because, in two more weeks, Venedikt and Andrei would be coming to America and would be spending months in the chamber, with the hope they could awake.
Alex knew that Zero shouldn't have any problem with his plan to awaken individuals as he sold the technology and information needed to awaken people, but he still confirmed his plans with him.
The information he bought stated that if a virgin body, one that has not experienced mana, were to get exposed to high-construction mana, it would act as poison and cripple them.
So, proper knowledge and technology for things to work, and that's why Alex bought the best of what was available to him.
---------- The elven continent was a thing of beauty comparable in size to the human continent, but it was vastly different as it stood as a testament to nature's grandeur.
Verdant landscapes stretched as far as the eye could see, teeming with life and vibrant ecosystems, while the air was thick with mana and freshness that was unfamiliar to an outsider.
Massive trees, ancient sentinels that bore witness to centuries of elven civilization, rose like majestic pillars and covered the whole continent in their embrace.
The continent was a diverse creation of nature that bore witness to a delicate balance of power as it housed various biomes ruled by clans of elves and other sentient species, showcasing the diversity that thrived within the jungle's embrace.
From the regal high elves overseeing the lone Ruling Empire made of tens of elven clans to nomadic orc clans, clever lizardmen, and demi-humans, the land buzzed with a rich mosaic of cultures and civilizations.
In the heart of various biomes, the elves, masters of the magical arts, wove their cities seamlessly into the natural tapestry. Elven metropolises, constructed within the heart of nature, were marvels of both magic and architecture, creating a living testament to their harmonious coexistence with the environment.
The common means of travel was teleportation rooms, which both groups and lone individuals used, connected the sprawling cities and biomes.
The elves extended kindness and hospitality to those who respected their distinct rules, which varied among clans. For instance, one clan prohibited hunting in their territory, while another encouraged the extermination of nightmarish flora and fauna within their domain.
But such rules were only applicable in the core areas, and with clans hardly covering a tenth of the whole continent, one didn't need to worry much about getting in trouble with the Empire when roaming the continent.
The elven continent stood out as a prime destination for players above the fourth Rank, offering a diverse array of rare creatures to hunt with lucrative rewards. However, amidst the wonders of this abundant land, the jungle proved to be both a paradise and a perilous domain.
It embraced those who could adapt and thrive, but it swiftly challenged the weak. The allure of hunting and exploration echoed through the dense foliage, attracting thrill-seekers and adventurers.
In the heart of this enigmatic realm, where beauty and danger coexisted, the elven continent stood as a testament to the intricate dance between civilization and nature, a living testament to the resilience of its inhabitants.
After Alex arrived at the Elven Continent, he used the daunting reality mask to record the appearance of a blood clone of a dark elf created by Elder Darrien that was a replica of his original physique, with only the appearance being different.
Alex took the name of Aeonrykro, combining the name of his persona and an elven name that meant the end, so he could use the name he was already familiar with by making it short. After the preparations were completed, Alex left for one of the smallest dark elves' cities that was near the core area of the continent, a place with the highest form of competition, but with the city being small in size, it would be easy for him to gain recognition and start the preparations for his plans.
The city was under the control of a major, and joining their army would give him a direct route to the Elven Royal Guard trials after he earned enough merits.
While he worked on rising through the ranks and gaining the required merit points, he also planned to gather the three peak elementalist Core of Light Elk.
The task of collecting the cores was going to be a challenging one, not only because the beast was very troublesome to hunt even with a full team but also because Light Elks were sacred creatures, and anyone found guilty of killing one would experience an instant death sentence and the rule didn't even exclude high elves.
This was also the reason why all the areas inhabited by Light Elks were under watch to protect them from hunters, but Alex knew about a hidden area that housed those majestic creatures and was also the place where the pool of rebirth was located that could refine an ordinary elf into a high elf or even an ancient elf.
However, going there was nothing short of asking for a quick death because the area was hidden inside a pocket space hidden by a strong illusion and was located in the hub area of the continent where the wildest creature roamed free, and even peak Elementalists didn't dare venture alone.
So, with a plan in mind, Alex went to the city named E'fanor, and after, he registered for a new identity and, under the disguise of an NPC dark elf with the strength of peak fifth Rank, joined the army as a soldier without any issue.
As the city was at the edge of the core area, with the surrounding being a lush, dense jungle, attacks from beasts were frequent, so to prevent them from reaching the city, soldiers were deployed to keep the few kilometers of surrounding clean of any dangerous creature.
The city served the sole purpose of keeping the best population in check and keeping an eye out for any beast tide because only a few kilometers from the city, one of the biggest mine metropolises was located and was the target of frequent beat tides because of the mana ore being mined there every day.
There was also a constant supply of missions related to hunting and information gathering, so besides doing the daily guard duty, Alex spent his time between hunting and meditating, trying to understand the mysteries of his elements.
Alex's current focus was learning the concept of space, which would allow him to use void sense, an advanced form of mana sense.
While he additionally needed to learn to wield space to be able to advance his phantom walk further and turn it into the void walk, but the level of space understanding he needed was a set higher, making it a milestone not achievable in a short period of time.
Alex was additionally working on learning three more blade intents, as he needed to learn five to perfection to complete the first stage of the nameless battle.
As days turned to weeks, and swiftly a month passed without much happening besides Alex's army Rank having advanced from Greenleaf Recruit to Starshaper Hunter, he was just one more promotion away from meeting one of the requirements.
Alex had tried to gather any rumors about where the emperor could be kept, but there was no luck besides wild speculation from drunk soldiers.
Things for the organization were devolving fine as the Recruit groups that numbered twenty-eight were running as Alex envisioned, and in just a month, 784 individuals had joined the official chapters that were still nameless.
Alex left all seven chapters nameless because he thought it would be a fitting reward for the first chapter master to name his chapter, and after knowing it, the followers had a small contest in the chat of who could come up with the best names that the future chapter master could pick.
As the month came to an end, it was the day when Venedikt and Andrei flew to America with their mother, and while Alex was sorting out things before logging out, the emergency alarms of the city blared to life, informing everyone of the incoming creature tide.