Listening to Orion's words and witnessing the disbelief in his expression left Olivia momentarily speechless. She grappled with a mix of confusion and irritation.
Why did he consider her weak?
'What does he mean by that?' she thought, her lips beginning to twitch in annoyance. The thought of being at the Crystal Sage Rank being dismissed as easy irked her.
In her mind, achieving such status was an impressive feat, only surpassed by becoming one of the Five Major Clan Heads or entering the royal family.
"Do you think reaching the Crystal Sage Rank is as easy as grabbing a fruit off a tree?" Olivia retorted, her irritation apparent as her lips twitched. She was about to elaborate, "Besides, even the Queen, the most powerful Prismerion in the kingdom, holds only the Crystal King Rank, so that..."
However, she abruptly halted her words, her hands swiftly covering her lips as she processed the unintended implications of her statement.
"The Queen is at the Crystal King Rank," Orion reiterated aloud, his eyes widening at Olivia's revelation.
He immediately began to ponder. If using one of his Vylkr containers could make him as strong, if not stronger, than those at the Crystal Radiant Rank and the Crystal Luminary Rank, then didn't that also imply that utilising his second container simultaneously would grant him the strength to physically compete with those at the Crystal Sage Rank and even the Crystal King Rank?
And all of this without even tapping into his gift. If he did use his gift, Orion believed he could go toe-to-toe with a Crystal Emperor Rank.
As for the potential strength of the Vylkr warrior mode at this level, Orion pushed it to the back of his mind.
Even though he could potentially reach that state again with the help of the Princess of the Garden's lake essence that he had consumed, he didn't want to risk activating the mode until he had fully realized his potential and was certain it wouldn't harm his body in any way.
'Wait,' Orion thought immediately. 'Doesn't that mean...?' His eyes scanned the frowning Clan Mistress Olivia, who had probably realized her mistake in divulging such an important piece of information, evident as she massaged her temples with her fingers.
Orion's thoughts raced to Fifi, Leftward Stronghold Leader Zogar, the Village Chief, even his fellow warrior students, and the rest of the warriors in the village, many of whom were 2-star or 3-star warriors. With their combined might, could they potentially overwhelm the Prismerian Kingdom and erase any trace of their existence from this mountain?
Especially considering that a lot of them, including Fifi, could freely use their Vylkr warrior mode without fear of drawbacks if the two sides were ever to clash?"
He had feared for nothing. A smile immediately graced Orion's face as these thoughts coursed through his mind. There was nothing to be afraid of!
Certainly, he needed to maintain friendly relations with the Prismerian Kingdom, as he and Saria were still here with no means to contact the Village or inform them of their current location, especially considering the myriad of strange and mysterious techniques they possessed.
Nevertheless, even without that, armed with the newfound understanding of his strength and the disparities between them and the Prismerian Kingdom, Orion was confident that he could hold his ground and make a statement if he ever had to defend himself against the royal family or the Crystalforge Clan should they turn against him or break their promises.
"Why are you still smiling?" Olivia asked, a hint of irritation in her voice.
While she was well aware of what he must be thinking after witnessing his display of strength equivalent to that of a Crystal King, she had no intention of vocalizing it.
"Isn't it obvious?" Orion responded, his smile broadening into a mischievous smirk.
"If you're considering some kind of advantage because of your strength, think again. The reality is that you're still at the Crystal Luminary Rank, even if temporarily you have the strength to match someone at the lower tier of the Crystal Sage Rank."
"Unfortunately for you, the Prismerian Kingdom boasts other higher-tiered Crystal Sage Ranks like myself, not to mention the Queen who is at an even higher rank. I'm just letting you know to make you aware of the difference in our ranks and to keep this information a secret for our mutual benefit," Olivia explained, unable to resist giving him this piece of advice.
'Our?' Orion repeated internally, his surprise was evident. He closely examined Olivia's sharp and contemplative expression, a stark contrast to her previous look of shock and defeat.
"What do you mean by 'our'?" Orion asked, raising an eyebrow. He noticed a glint in her eyes as she locked her gaze on him, returning to her previous stoic and serious demeanour as she began to explain.
"We, of course," Olivia replied confidently. "With the Quaztrwraith Clan on your side, you don't have to worry about being double-crossed or betrayed by the Prismerian Kingdom in case things take a turn for the worse."
She harboured doubts that anyone capable of betraying him would escape unscathed; one or two life-threatening injuries seemed likely.
"We can continue to share important information with each other, maintaining an official mutual partnership in secret. This way, if the royal family betrays you or reneges on their word, you can count on the support of the Quartzwraith Clan, willing and prepared to help you obtain whatever compensation you desire. I think it's a fair deal, considering we're offering information and protection in exchange for your knowledge of the outside world," Olivia added, her confidence radiating from her as she contemplated the merits of this plan.
In fact, it was a brilliant plan!
This approach eliminated the need to fret over the royal family or the Crystalforge Clan's clandestine schemes. Moreover, it presented an opportunity to gain valuable insights about the outside world, safeguarding their interests should the Crystalforge Clan decide to hoard information.
However, as for standing up to protect him if things went awry, Olivia couldn't help but inwardly scoff at such notions.
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