Chapter 1354 First Expedition [2]
Every hundred levels of the Demigod rank was classified in its own way. They had their own names, but for the sake of convenience, most people just referred to them as low-rank, middle-rank, and high-rank.
There was a qualitative difference between each rank, and unlike the levels of lower existence, it was common to see both people who could fight between ranks and people who would be absolutely suppressed by those of higher rank.
Because along with one's level, the state of one's Divinity was important.
Someone with a Divinity like Damien's [Hegemon God] could fight someone who was at the peak of the Demigod ranks if that person's Divinity was a mere [Flame Controller] or something equally common.
The nuances didn't really need to be mentioned, since individuality made it hard to put a conclusive definition on who could do what, but it was easy to understand it when it was taken from case to case.
Though, that didn't need to be done now.
As Damien continued to study the Heavenly World's mana and plan for the future, the starship continued its journey across the Eastern Region and after a few more weeks, it finally reached its destination.
Damien had a great trip after his accommodations were provided, and by listening in on the conversations of the other passengers, he was able to discover more about how the hierarchy in this world worked.
It wasn't like he was learning anything that would progress him forward, but rather than encroaching on more ground, deepening the knowledge he already had was more important at the moment.
And when the time finally came to disembark from the ship, Damien met Yulia one more time and thanked her before disappearing into the crowd.
As she watched him go, she called her shadow and gave another order.
"Take a team and follow him. Don't interfere with his activities or stay close enough to intrude when he doesn't want intrusion. Just keep track of his location and help him if it looks like he's going to die."
She couldn't do anything to offend someone with his identity, but she wanted to keep him close until the things she spoke about with her brother were confirmed.
However, just as she gave the order…
"Hm?"
Her eyes widened.
A slight smile formed on her face.
"What a sneaky brat."
Her shadow barely had time to leave before he was summoned back.
"Forget it. Someone of your level can't track him anyway."
The order he was given was retracted in less than a second, and the reason was more than simple.
Even Yulia herself had lost track of his life aura within that second.
Damien was clearly hiding much more than he was willing to reveal, and if someone of her caliber could still be fooled by him, her shadows didn't have any chance at all.
'That makes things even more amusing.'
A genius who lived up to expectations could only ever amount to that much, but a genius who surpassed expectations to the extent of making those who held them feel helpless…
The achievements of that kind of genius would be unpredictable in the best way.
And frankly, those who were watching them would be at the edge of their seats as they anticipated what was to come.
***
'Nice. Looks like this works as well.'
Damien smiled as he brushed through the crowd.
Existence was an extremely convenient law. Just as he was able to change his entire genetic structure to match that of a Nox when he was in Al'Katra, he could easily make himself into a different person at a level where no other person could recognize his identity.
Whether it be physical traits or mana signature, they could all be manipulated freely.
The current Damien was still an exceedingly handsome man with sharp features, but his bone structure and everything else were completely different. His eyes were a cool shade of blue that held similarities to his father's, and while his hair was still black, it was now short and clean, unlike how he usually kept it.
His demeanor still stood out from the crowd. Nobody who saw him would ever believe he was just an average person, but that was also to his benefit.
He was now a Demigod. There was no such thing as a Demigod who looked ordinary, so if he tried to emulate the most unimpressive appearance he knew, he would only be more suspicious.
He didn't want to discredit himself, because acting as a lower existence in this world would be extremely annoying. He just didn't want people to know he was "Damien Void."
'I should keep Spacetime under wraps for now too. I'll use Destruction Law to get around and use Existence as a whole when I'm not in a situation where I can be easily exposed. That way, connecting me to Void Palace would be basically impossible.'
The only question was how Yulia would act, but he could slowly observe in the future.
'Asteron is a pretty prevalent city here. I should be able to find something to do soon enough.'
The Eastern Region had 10,000 principalities under the control of the Aequitas, Virtus, Libertas, and Sapientia Clans.
Asteron was in the Verdant Principality under the Sapientia Clan and was responsible for a majority of trades through the upper quarter of the Eastern Region.
People would travel through the city constantly from all corners of the land, and information was as easy to get as dirt from the ground if one just looked for it.
The city itself was massive and modern, with skyscrapers and other similar structures lined side by side for several hundreds of kilometers. It looked like a futuristic Earth more than anything else, and though there was a lot that was foreign to him, Damien felt oddly at home here.
As he walked the streets and took in the sights, he enjoyed the ambiance and listened to the conversations of passing pedestrians.
Whether it be random news about personal affairs or more broad rumors about happenings across the Eastern Region, he heard it all.
He singled out those bits and pieces that would be relevant to him, and while there was a lot going on that he could get involved in, he didn't hear anything particularly interesting.
'At the end of the day, I'm working to get stronger and find my way to Void Palace, so I need something that can push me towards those goals.'
Random expeditions weren't what he needed now.
Instead…
"...why would I lie to you? I heard it personally from my cousin who works as a guard for their estate. The Norn Family really is looking to explore the Vanishing Dunes!"
"There's no way. Even if they're a subsidiary of the Sapientia Clan, isn't that too arrogant of them? Especially to hire mercenaries instead of sending their own troops! Do they not have any regard for our lives?"
"No, you know the reputation they have. The Norn Family is known to care for the people, but they can't afford to be careless this time. The mercenaries are being hired to act together with their personal army, because…"
"Don't stall and just tell me!"
"Alright, but keep this to yourself. Nobody is supposed to know this."
"You know I will, so just tell me already. What do I even gain from spreading the news?"
"True…well, from what I've heard…the 2nd Young Master, Asher Norn, disappeared into the Vanishing Dunes three days ago. This party isn't just to explore the ridge, the main purpose is to find him."
The conversation took place in a hidden location that nobody should've been able to eavesdrop on them, but the two men were unaware of the presence of the Demigod casually drinking tea in the shop below them.
'A clan directly related to one of the four major clans and an expedition to a strange place, huh…'
Damien grinned, his face twitching as he tried to stop himself.
But he couldn't.
He had to do it.
'This…'
He took another sip.
'...sounds like my cup of tea.'
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