Chapter 423: Chapter423-Oracle-Grade Experts Swear Allegiance
Seventy percent.
What an enormous appetite!
Daniel frowned slightly but showed no reaction on his face.
"Now that I’ve killed the Lords of Crown’s Summit and taken their place, will Mistral Manor hold me responsible?"
"No!"
Pierce answered with certainty.
"The T7 Oracle-grade Forefather of Mistral Manor has remained in secluded cultivation for years, preparing for his Holy Tribulation. All mundane affairs are handled by his servants."
"As long as the annual tribute is no lower than in previous years, no one will interfere."
"When will that Forefather face his tribulation?"
"According to the rumors, sometime this year."
Daniel nodded and dismissed Pierce, but his thoughts began turning.
Barring any unexpected development, that Forefather’s chances were probably grim.
If he had been confident of surviving the Holy Tribulation, he would not have remained in seclusion for so long.
Once that expert fell, the balance of power throughout this starfield would likely change.
But even if he successfully survived, Daniel was not afraid.
It would merely mean that Daniel had to pay a greater price.
...
News of Crown’s Summit’s occupation spread rapidly.
A Divine Descendant had seized the faction by force and replaced its former rulers.
More importantly, that Divine Descendant was already a widely renowned figure.
For a time, fresh waves surged through the Flamefire Star River, which had already been filled with hidden undercurrents.
To the billions of living beings within the Flying Fish Plane, it merely meant that the sky above their heads had changed ownership.
To the trading powers, the replacement of a few Lords would not reduce the price of prized flying fish by even a single coin.
Even so, many experts were shaken by the news.
...
Inside a sanctum with several-thousandfold time flow, a second-stage Oracle-grade lone traveler emerged from seclusion.
His name was Vito.
He was an interstellar warrior who had always wandered the star sea alone.
After hearing that Daniel had established his own faction, he hesitated briefly before quickly making up his mind.
That existence had already planted his banner within the Flying Fish Plane.
If Vito joined him now, he would surely receive considerable importance.
That was how Vito saw it.
Back when that existence was merely a Divine Sovereign, he had already been capable of killing second-stage and fifth-stage Oracle-grade experts.
Now, he had destroyed Crown’s Summit with swift and decisive methods.
As long as someone with such potential and determination did not fall prematurely, his future accomplishments would inevitably be extraordinary.
Furthermore, according to the rumors, that expert did not yet have any Oracle-grade followers.
If Vito pledged himself now, he would become the first.
It was just like joining a mortal king before his empire began to rise—the earlier one pledged allegiance, the greater the future rewards.
Vito intended to become the first follower to attach himself to that rising sacred throne.
"I only managed to advance to Oracle-grade because I stumbled upon the inheritance of a powerful expert."
Vito repeatedly weighed the matter in his heart.
"My foundation is pitifully weak. Whether I can survive my next Holy Tribulation is already uncertain."
"Even with the title of Oracle-grade, it’s difficult for me to obtain any real benefits. I’m not even strong enough to enter a sanctum with ten-thousandfold time flow!"
"Among Oracle-grade experts, I stand at the very bottom. If I want to change my fate, I can only attach myself to a power."
He had already tried joining several major powers.
However, the internal struggles there were equally dangerous. Choosing the wrong side could result in being neglected at best or losing one’s life at worst.
"I’ve been free and undisciplined for too long. I can’t endure the restraints of a major power."
"Joining a smaller faction is the better choice. And what better option could there be than following that existence?"
The Endless Starsea valued potential above all else.
Although that expert was currently only a Divine Descendant, he possessed the potential to become a high-stage Oracle-grade expert—or even an Eternal Sage.
There was no shame in submitting to someone like that!
Vito thought far ahead.
Once he reached his decision, he immediately departed for the Flying Fish Plane.
There were quite a few Oracle-grade experts who shared his thoughts.
However, most of them were only at the first or second stage. There were no third-stage Oracle-grade experts among them.
Once someone reached the third stage of Oracle-grade, they were already a respected figure with considerable status.
They would not easily lower themselves and pledge allegiance to another.
...
Flying Fish Plane, inside the Sanctum of Triumph.
Daniel had not begun recruiting members on a large scale.
Only players were qualified to become official members of the Sanctum of Triumph.
The entire factional structure had been designed specifically for players.
Once a player reached the peak of quasi-sage, they would graduate from Triumph Academy and directly join the Sanctum of Triumph.
The system resembled the relationship between a football academy and its first-team club.
As for the Divine-grade experts, they could only be considered peripheral employees of the Sanctum of Triumph.
The time was not yet ripe.
Tens of millions of players were currently pioneering Daniel’s exclusive secret realm.
Furthermore, the order within the Flying Fish Star System had not yet collapsed.
There was no suitable battlefield for the players to display their abilities, so Daniel had no intention of releasing them for the time being.
At that moment, Pierce hurried over.
"My lord, several Oracle-grade experts have come to pledge allegiance!"
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"Oracle-grade experts? Bring them in."
Pierce accepted the order and left.
Before long, he returned with several Oracle-grade experts.
"Greetings, my lord."
The Oracle-grade experts adopted extremely humble postures, taking the initiative to bow the moment they entered.
Daniel nodded and looked toward Pierce.
Pierce understood and began introducing them.
"This is Ian Hartmann, a native first-stage Oracle-grade expert of the Flying Fish Star System. He previously worked for Mistral Manor and has come to pledge allegiance because he greatly admires your achievements."
"This is Aldrich Winst, a second-stage Oracle-grade expert from the Highwater Star River. He has traveled throughout our Flamefire Star River for many years and was once a member of a major power in the Highwater Star River. He deliberately left his former master in order to pledge himself to you."
"This is Vito Orlando, a second-stage Oracle-grade expert from the Deep Shore Star River. He is a lone traveler who came here specifically after hearing that you had established a sanctum within the Flying Fish Plane."
After completing the introductions, Pierce tactfully stepped aside and closed his mouth.
As he introduced them, each of the Oracle-grade experts released a trace of their aura, allowing Daniel to clearly sense that their strength was genuine.
Daniel nodded.
Oracle-grade servants...
Back when the master of Starvault Sanctum had expounded upon the profound mysteries, both Divine-grade and Oracle-grade servants had busied themselves around him.
Even Jevan, that fifth-stage Oracle-grade expert, had possessed several Oracle-grade followers.
It was not unusual for Oracle-grade experts to serve as followers within the Endless Starsea.
There were only so many resources beneath this starry sky, and the competition for them was exceptionally brutal.
Although Oracle-grade experts gathered together for mutual protection, they still had to endure the suppression of the Greater Cosmic Will.
They might possess tremendous strength, but there were never enough resources to go around.
Ultimately, the Endless Starsea valued potential.
Yet living beings with genuine potential were exceedingly rare.
Such experts could enjoy preferential treatment and vast amounts of resources even before reaching Oracle-grade.
Daniel was the perfect example.
Once he became an Oracle-grade expert, the resources he received would unquestionably surpass those available to many ordinary Oracle-grade experts.
This was only natural.
Even those Oracle-grade experts themselves would have nothing to say about it.
Strength reigned supreme!
Therefore, ordinary Oracle-grade experts were placed in the most difficult position and had no choice but to find ways to survive.
One path was to become the follower of a high-stage Oracle-grade expert or an extraordinarily talented prodigy.
High-stage Oracle-grade experts stood far above others and naturally possessed the greatest amount of resources.
The master of Mistral Manor, for example, was a T7 Oracle-grade expert who could effortlessly claim the output of an entire star system.
As for monstrous prodigies, their present strength might still be insufficient, but given enough time, they would inevitably become high-stage Oracle-grade experts.
They could likewise provide resources to their followers.
Ultimately, everything came down to resources.
Even ordinary Oracle-grade experts within major powers would receive nothing unless they completed missions.
Holy Tribulations directly determined whether an Oracle-grade expert lived or died.
No Oracle-grade expert would dare hold anything back when preparing for one.
And the result of going all out was the complete exhaustion of everything they had accumulated.
Although Daniel did not fully understand every hidden rule involved, he could infer most of the situation.
"Do you sincerely submit to me?"
His voice was calm as he asked the question.
The three Oracle-grade experts answered in unison.
"We are willing to serve you, Master, and swear to follow you unto death!"
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