Chapter 664 664. Coerce
Thirty-seven couldn't contain his excitement when he saw one of the core areas of the copying technique.
"Breaking the limits of the Attunement method! Amazing! Amazing!"
The automaton repeated himself as he began to study the shining lines under him.
Even Flying Demon and Dreaming Demon felt surprised in front of that scene.
It was clear that Chasing Demon was the only one in the entirety of the Hive capable of building something so intricate and powerful, but that still surpassed the limits of his cultivation level.
The growls of powerful beasts echoed through the azure walls of the underground room, and Noah's body instinctively analyzed them.
Noah felt a series of information reaching his mind in a matter of seconds, and he gained a general idea of the kind of creatures trapped behind those tunnels.
'Chasing Demon has been busy in these years.'
Noah thought when he understood that the Patriarch of the Hive had captured more than two hundred different specimens!
That feat was even more surprising since Noah could sense the presence of ten magical beasts in the fifth rank, as well as a familiar one.
There was a familiar screech coming from the tunnels on the south.
Noah could recognize that screech since it belonged to the rank 5 Giant sandworm that ruled over the desert.
The defenses of the Hive would be extremely sturdy with so many and variegated beasts to copy, but that realization brought a bit of worry on his mind.
'The number of rank 5 specimens dwindles as the colonization advances. I'll be forced to travel a lot in the future. I might even have to explore the depths of the sea.'
Noah evaluated when he understood that the available prey on the new continent were diminishing.
Yet, that thought didn't dishearten him.
His body was already strong, and his instincts were so intense that his rank 4 sea of consciousness found them hard to control.
Also, the drawback of his body-nourishing method would become a real issue only when he reached the higher tiers of the fifth rank.
He could still feed on peak rank 4 creatures and weak rank 5 beasts at the moment, it was pointless to worry about beings that he couldn't hunt.
'My focus right now must be on my other centers of power. I need harmony, and I need to deepen my individuality.'
Noah put that matter aside at that point and focused again on the group around him.
Elder Julia was silently floating in the back of the group, and the Demons remained silent as they stared at the excited automaton.
The three of them didn't know where to start with their story.
The bad memories that accompanied the past events didn't help in that matter.
Then, Dreaming Demon broke the silence.
"Rufus."
The cultivators in the area turned toward her when they saw that she was beginning to speak.
Of course, Thirty-seven kept on studying the formation and wholly ignored the humans above him.
"You were one of the weakest among Master's disciples, but you stand at the very top of the heroic ranks now. Also, you have been able to wield Master's teachings and make them yours. I'm honored to have been your companion in the past."
Dreaming Demon bowed when she finished her phrase, and Flying Demon imitated her gesture.
The feelings behind her voice were honest, and she really meant what she said.
Chasing Demon had managed to survive the exile of the demon sects and reach the sixth rank without anyone's backing.
There was some luck involved with his feat, but that wasn't enough to reduce the greatness of his achievement.
Chasing Demon went from being the weakest disciple of Divine Demon to the leader of the fourth force in the Mortal Lands!
"Friends, please, straighten yourselves and tell me your story. We will drink for days once these matters are settled."
Chasing Demon replied as he waved his hand to break their bow.
The two elders could only reveal helpless smiles when they saw that their junior was now able to affect their movements with his mental energy.
Yet, that discovery only made them more willing to help him and the Hive.
The Demons began to speak at that point.
Their story started from the exile and went through the events in the separate dimension.
Flying Demon didn't mention many details, but Dreaming Demon made sure to add them every time her lover tried to hide something.
She didn't do that to put shame on her lover, she only wanted Chasing Demon to have a complete understanding of the situation.
Also, she wanted him to know how much did Noah sacrifice to help the two of them.
They didn't have resources in their possession, just some techniques that the other Demons had shared with them.
Only Chasing Demon had the assets to reward the Demon Prince appropriately.
Elder Julia remained silent on the side as the three Demons caught up, but it was evident that she was extremely interested in their stories.
The events in the separate dimension mentioned a divine being, and there were three disciples of another divine entity right in front of her.
Her eagerness to learn more about those lofty cultivators was understandable, and that feeling even increased when Flying Demon mentioned the gains obtained in the palace.
No one cared about the delicacies and wine, they would only be able to reduce the usual expenses of the Hive slightly.
Yet, the vast knowledge stored inside Noah's ring and the automation expert in many inscriptions' fields were precious.
They could probably solve one of the most significant weaknesses of the Hive and make it improve in all the aspects that an organization had to have.
The issue was that the automaton didn't seem intentioned to follow anyone's orders.
Chasing Demon finished listening to the story of his companions and turned his gaze toward the ethereal man studying the shining lines at the bottom of the area.
Thirty-seven's only interest was the inscriptions and all the schools connected to them.
So, it was clear in Chasing Demon's mind that he could only be coerced in aiding the Hive through those methods.
"You, Thirty-seven. Would you be willing to pass down your knowledge to the members of my organization? You could create inscription masters able to meet your standards in that way."
Chasing Demon tried to persuade the automaton, but the latter simply ignored him.
Thirty-seven had eyes and ears only for matters that interested him, threats and kind words couldn't stop.
His personality was even more stubborn since he was an automaton, he didn't have values that would usually force a human to compromise.
Then, Chasing Demon decided to use his most valuable asset to grant a proper teacher to the Hive.
"Thirty-seven, I'll make you take a look at the original lines of this technique if you manage to educate inscription masters."
The automaton halted his actions when he heard the Patriarch's words and raised his head toward the mighty existence in the air.
Everyone in the room could guess from his expression that the Hive had obtained another expert.