100% DROP RATE : Why is My Inventory Always so Full? - Chapter 208

Chapter 208: Chapter 208 – Set Course
Lucien relayed the news Eirene had shared a week ago.

Marie listened with intrigue. Her cup of tea steamed softly between her hands. The gentle scent of herbs filled the air but it did little to calm the tension beneath their words.

Miss Innkeeper approached with her usual calm smile, though her tone carried a hint of curiosity.

“Wolf brother, sister,” she said warmly. “Lady Eirene visited several times these past days, asking after you both. She mentioned she would come this day too.”

Lucien inclined his head. “Thank you. We’ll wait for her here, then.”

They didn’t have to wait long.

A delicate fragrance drifted in from the hall.

Eirene’s scent.

She entered with the poise of someone accustomed to command. Her steps were silent and her expression was composed yet edged with gravity.

“Brother Luc. Sister Marie,” she greeted, offering a graceful nod. “It’s good to see you both after a week.”

Lucien gestured toward the table. “It seems you bring important news.”

Eirene exhaled softly and accepted the seat offered. “You’re right, as usual. I wanted to speak with you two in private.”

She exchanged a few quiet words with the Innkeeper who soon departed, leading them to a private hall.

And just then, Eirene unfurled a shimmering map across the round table. Its surface was etched with a few characters. Notes, perhaps.

“We’re in the Sareth Region,” she began, her tone precise, “famous for its vast desert and scattered civilizations. Aurion lies here, near the southern edge.”

Lucien and Marie leaned closer. Their gaze followed her finger as it traced the glowing lines of the map.

“To the far south stretch the lands of the Nephralis Sect, whose molten mountains forge the very sky in flame.

To the east lies the Varkhaal Sect, a shrouded domain of twilight where even shadows obey law,” she continued, tapping the map lightly.

Lucien’s eyes lingered on the area between their borders. A wide, pale mark labeled with the characters: Unclaimed Plains.

It was the very place where he had first appeared in this world.

‘So much land… yet no master,’ he thought as his eyes narrowed in thought. There were countless unclaimed stretches like that throughout the Sareth Region. Rich, wild, waiting. His mind was already weighing which of them might someday bear his name.

Eirene’s hand moved northward.

“Beyond Aurion lies the Lunareth Sect, devoted to the Law of Stillness. They hold the northern valleys. And to the west of both Aurion and Lunareth Sect… is the Kardesh Desert, a sea of endless dunes.”

Her voice lowered slightly.

“Scattered across this region, even beyond the dunes, are countless small sects, independent nations, and wandering guilds. The balance here has always been fragile.”

Marie tilted her head. “What does the map have to do with the news?”

Eirene’s eyes lifted, her tone turning grave. “Because something has begun to disturb that balance.”

Marie gave a wry grin. “Let me guess… the powerhouses you mentioned before?”

Eirene nodded. “They’ve begun gathering northwest of Aurion, just above the Kardesh Desert. The location of the Ancient Ruin has finally been confirmed by them.”

Lucien’s gaze sharpened. “As I guessed… so it really is in the desert.”

“Yes. I’m sorry I didn’t reveal it earlier.” Eirene sighed. “The powerhouses are converging on one place. The Meridian Gate Arena. It isn’t a sect or a kingdom, but a neutral city-fortress ruled by the Solar Concordium. It’s a competitive nation built entirely on merit and strength. Every law there is written in the language of combat. Even I tread carefully within its walls.”

Marie let out a low whistle. “A nation that lives for competition. Sounds like a paradise for battle maniacs.”

Eirene’s lips curved faintly. “That’s precisely why it was chosen. The Solar Concordium has hosted intercontinental tournaments for centuries. Even the Celestial Race proxies recognize its neutrality. No one dares break the laws within its arena.”

Lucien rested his chin on his hand. “So… the contest will decide who enters the ruin first?”

“Exactly.” Eirene’s eyes glinted like tempered steel. “Each faction may send its champions. The stronger they stand, the earlier they gain entry. Sigh…The weaker… will have to wait until what’s left is crumbs.”

Marie smirked. “A glorified treasure queue, then. But better than a massacre.”

“Indeed,” Eirene said quietly. “After the last ruin war, the Celestials decreed this system as law. A test of strength instead of slaughter. Still, remember this: what happens inside the ruins, even the Celestial Race cannot control.”

Lucien’s eyes lingered on the map, tracing the path from Aurion to the northwest border.

‘The Meridian Gate Arena, huh…’

Eirene’s tone softened but her gaze remained sharp. “Representatives of the Obsidian Collegium, the Star-Forge Cartel, the Silent Monastery of the Ninth Bell, and even Celestial envoys themselves have arrived. Others remain cloaked, their identities hidden. The kind of power that bends nations just by standing still.”

She glanced toward the window where sunlight spilled across the wooden floor.

“This expedition will be… difficult. The lesser sects and growing factions across Sareth have little chance this time.”

Lucien said nothing.

Eirene looked back to them. “That’s why we’ll go to Meridian Gate as well… to observe. To measure the strength gathered there… and to remember the faces we must never offend.”

Marie leaned back, grinning. “A field trip to a battlefield? Count me in.”

Lucien’s tone stayed calm. “When do we leave?”

“Tomorrow morning,” Eirene replied. “My transport caravan is ready. Meet me at the west gate of Aurion.”

Lucien nodded once. “We’ll be there.”

When Eirene departed, silence settled once more.

Lucien moved to the balcony. Aurion’s spires gilded in fading light. Beyond that, the desert waited, endless and ancient, where an Eternal’s secret slumbered beneath the sands.

Marie sipped her tea beside him, her eyes glinting with excitement.

“A contest watched by gods, fought by legends,” she murmured. “Finally, something worthy of our effort.”

Lucien chuckled softly. “We won’t be fighting, remember? Just observing.”

Yet even as he said it, his blood stirred… burning quietly with anticipation.

Tomorrow, the storm would begin.

And the two of them would walk straight into its eye.

•••

Dawn crept softly over Aurion. Lucien and Marie walked toward the western gate.

The streets were quieter than usual. The two walked side by side in silence.

Ahead, by the open gate, a familiar figure stood waving.

Eirene.

Her smile was calm yet expectant. Two others stood behind her… both emanating faint but unmistakable Celestial Realm pressure. Behind her were a group of experts with Transcendent and Ascendent auras.

Lucien’s gaze lingered on the two Celestial Realm experts briefly. “Two Celestials under your command,” he murmured. “You’ve come well-prepared.”

Eirene caught the note in his tone and smiled slightly. “Old friends, not subordinates. They volunteered. Senior Dawnbinder has… other priorities. He doesn’t fancy ruins.”

Marie stretched lazily, smirking. “Can’t blame him. The man radiates retirement energy.”

Lucien smacked her head lightly.

Eirene chuckled. “Perhaps. But I wouldn’t mistake that calm for weakness.”

Lucien didn’t respond but nodded faintly. He knew Florans had sharp instincts. If Eirene trusted these companions, they were safe enough. The Floran Race could sense deceit like a heartbeat in still water.

Then he saw what she called the caravan… and even he paused.

Hovering beyond the gate was a vessel that looked halfway between a ship and a fortress.

Its hull gleamed with inlaid silver veins. Its surface was carved in intricate Floran patterns that pulsed faintly with living light. Large weaponry was mounted along its sides, concealed beneath panels.

Marie’s mouth fell open. “That’s your caravan?!”

Eirene gave a modest laugh. “We called it Verdant Ark. A bit extravagant, I admit.”

Lucien’s eyes traced the flowing runes along its hull. “A flying fortress with life energy woven into its frame… It’s not just extravagant… it’s alive.”

Eirene tilted her head approvingly. “You noticed. The Ark was grown from a hybrid seed of living wood and void alloy. Its heart beats with compressed ley sap. That’s how it sustains flight without wind or core stones.”

Marie’s grin widened. “So basically, a flying tree with cannons.”

Lucien allowed himself a rare smile. “At least we’ll travel in style.”

Eirene led them aboard.

The deck hummed under their feet. Inside, the corridors curved gracefully like the veins of a leaf. The air smelled faintly of rain and sap.

Marie ran her fingers along a wall. “This ship breathes.”

“It does,” Eirene confirmed. “Every Floran vessel does. We design them to be partners, not tools.”

Lucien nodded, impressed.

Soon they reached the main lounge, a chamber large enough to fit a banquet hall. Seats were arranged in a crescent overlooking a translucent window that displayed the world below. Supplies were stacked neatly in the cargo hold.

“Comfort and defense,” Lucien murmured. “Balanced perfectly.”

Eirene smiled knowingly. “Would you expect anything less from a Floran’s design?”

They took their seats. Outside, the gates of Aurion began to open.

Then, a voice brushed softly into their minds… a gentle, commanding echo.

[Be careful, everyone.]

Dawnbinder’s voice.

Eirene’s expression softened. Lucien and Marie inclined their head slightly.

Finally… Eiren smiled faintly then raised a hand toward the helm.

“Set course. Northwest, toward the Meridian Gate Arena.”

The vessel stirred.