The City Lord gazed at the two individuals before him, understanding that they were the strongest enemies he had ever faced. He first focused on Hazak, thinking, 'A Red Demon that's at the peak of its weight class and has mysterious powers.'
He then looked at Krune, thinking to himself, 'So, that's Krune. As expected, he has mysterious powers but looks no different to a human. If he didn't use any powers, he would blend right in with us. Though, his rainbow-colored hair is a dead giveaway.'
After freezing up Raka, Krune removed the dye on his hair using his abilities, causing his hair to return to its original color.
Just as the City Lord had intended to communicate with him, his mother, the previous City Lord, patted his shoulder, stepping forward. Gazing at Krune, she asked, "Child, what's your identity?"
"Do you know of someone named Gehen?" Krune asked in return.
"Gehen? Sorry, that name doesn't ring a bell," The old lady shook her head as she replied..
Krune sighed for a moment, realizing that the old lady was different from others. He didn't wish to fight her, not when the other party had no intention to fight him. Pointing at the ground, he said, "I'm from below. If you know…"
"I see." Her eyes widened as the old lady nodded. "That makes sense, then."
She then asked, "Final question. Are you an ally or an enemy to our city?"
"I don't care about it, to be honest. I plan to leave soon anyway," Krune replied.
"Then..." The old lady said as she pointed behind Krune with a trembling finger, "Can you make it disappear? I won't be able to be calm with that here."
"You can sense it?" Krune was surprised for a moment as he snapped his finger, causing the layer of ice on the Cloud Whale to shatter, revealing its appearance. At present, it was in its full glory, spanning a length of 25 meters.
Upon seeing it, even though everyone was alarmed, the tense situation disappeared. They could feel their minds return to ease, their fighting spirits disappearing.
Upon seeing the situation, the old lady thought, 'My killing intent is waning just in its presence. If we actually fought, I wouldn't be able to unleash the entirety of my strength. This Krune isn't just a strong individual.'
She then said, "Your tablet and armor are in my custody. Follow me to retrieve them."
"Sure, let's get going then," Krune said, causing the side of the Cloud Whale to shrink as he jumped atop it, riding it like a vehicle. Hazak sat behind him as Krune patted the spot before him, telling the old lady, "Please sit here. We can move pretty fast through this."
"Excuse my presence, then," the old lady said, making a light jump as she gracefully landed atop the Cloud Whale. She then looked at the City Lord, pointing at the two sculptures on the road and at the ice-covered prison. She then told him, "Handle the situation here. I'll take care of the rest."
Even though he was worried, the City Lord decided to trust in her judgment, beginning to clean up the damage while some of the warriors started to break the ice on the prison.
The Cloud Whale gently increased its altitude before flying towards the center of the city. Throughout the journey, no words were exchanged between them. An hour later, the Cloud Whale arrived above a massive palace that was situated in the center of the city.
Upon the old lady's directions, it landed at a massive open balcony, one where massive banquets were usually conducted. Deactivating the Cloud Whale, Krune followed the old lady. As for Hazak, it walked a step behind Krune, ready to react to any ambushes.
"Our ancestors arrived approximately two thousand years ago and settled in this place due to its geographical advantages. Not much of that time has been recorded," the old lady started to talk, leading them towards a secluded chamber, opening the door into the treasury.
"Placed here are objects our ancestors had brought with them. Unfortunately, we can't even touch them now. If we do, we'll die immediately," the old lady said.
Entering the treasury, Krune gazed at the numerous items before him, unaffected. After all, they were just weapons and armors that he could create if he had enough materials. Looking at a sword, he muttered, "Three Stars God Foundation equipment."
He then looked at a shield, muttering, "One Star God Core equipment."
"Seven Star God Core equipment... Three Star Nascent God equipment... One Star Godly Fusion equipment…what the heck?" Krune iterated the levels of every item he came across. After doing it for some time, he turned around, noticing the old lady look at him in shock, her mouth agape.
She was unable to control her astonishment, asking in a fluster, "Do you know what they are?"
"Of course, I'm a blacksmith myself. I've created quite a few shields of that caliber," Krune replied.
"Then, how can we wield them?" the old lady asked, excited at the prospect.
"You can't," Krune replied, gently touching a shield as he noticed the nerves on his hand protrude, bursting out after a couple of seconds. "This is what will happen to anyone that touches them. As mortals, we cannot touch equipment wielded by the gods."
His healing energy coursed through his hand, beginning to heal it as Krune told her, "The difference is too vast. You'll simply die if you try to wield it. After all, you're just a mortal."
"The equipment of the gods…" the old lady muttered, dazed.
"Then, how can I ever wield them?" she asked soon after, anticipating his response. Even Hazak looked at Krune with widened eyes. It had touched a sword only a little but sensed that its hand was already on the verge of breaking down, even though the contact had been short.
It made Hazak realize the true extent of the powers dwelling within the items and the power an individual had to possess to wield them. It understood the true extent of its master's power, raising its hand as it proclaimed, "Master is a godly being!"
Krune noticed his tablet placed atop an altar in one corner, arriving before it quickly as he touched it once, caressing it longingly before double-tapping it, watching it enter his glabella.
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