I Refused To Be Reincarnated

Chapter 232: Ethereal Alliances

"Tell me more about him and the country's level of development," asked the ghost king, his interest piqued by the prospect of an alliance with such a righteous-sounding ruler.

"I don't know the details, but from the little I saw, their capital city is bustling and extremely vast," Adam answered the second question, smiling playfully before responding to the first, "The Beast Emperor uses transformation magic and is an archmage."

"What?! That's impossible! The southern continent's archmage died a thousand years ago," Ossian replied, his pupils constricting. He had followed this case closely, as it took place a few days after he reclaimed the canyon's city. The information travelled around the world, making it impossible to be faked. Zuberi Nyota died that day.

He was sure about it.

"He? But we saw and negotiated with him face-to-face a month and a half ago," Adam said, puzzled by Ossian's disbelief. Was he confusing the Emperor with someone else or his predecessor?

After hearing Adam maintain his claim, Ossian's brows furrowed in concern. He halted his interactions with the outside two hundred years ago, meaning the emperor rose to his level on his own and in record time. After all, not anyone could become an archmage in the open. Strict requirements must be met, not to mention the approbation of the world's dark sovereign.

"I'll test the waters with a messenger first. If the alliance goes through, I'll ask him to build a Gate in the canyon," He muttered pensively, unwilling to see the emperor in person before he reached his rank.

Although negotiating with such a powerful man posed risks, he needed support and their magic engineers to survive a full war. Truthfully, he wasn't afraid of the hidden armies but of the kingdom's mythical artifacts. Powered by so many mages, the one possessed by the Belloria kingdom would deal a devastating blow to his city.

But that wasn't all. If the world was really planning to wage war in every corner, it was also an opportunity. 'If I handle politics well, I can climb the chaos ladder and reap immense profits,' he thought, multiple plans forming in his head.

After a minute, he spoke, "I need time to consider everything. You can freely explore the city for the next two days. Don't forget to follow your guide and the rules."

As his words linger, he phased through the marble floor, disappearing from the throne room.

Finally having time to think, Adam's brows furrowed and his veiled face distorted into a grimace. "I need to sleep for a bit. Explore the city without me," he said, closing his eyes to return to the dream place and review his defeat.

Even if he acted relaxed and congratulated Julius for his victory and astute use of the Luminous Wildeblade, he felt terrible about this defeat.

'That's not how I'll protect my friends,' he thought, wondering if Misha would be disappointed with a sad smile. After all, he gave his all in this battle, surmounting his fear and pressing forward. Yet, the result was all that mattered: he almost died.

Before Julius could answer, his eyes turned dim, signalling he was gone. With a disappointed smile, he walked to pick up the ghost's essence before turning towards the two girls.

"Where do you want to go?" He asked, forcing a smile.

"I want to visit my big sister to complain about her flawed advice," Nova said, her voice echoing like a song. She also wanted to confirm Morgane's words and see if the ghost she married had as doubtful morals as she claimed.

"I want to see her too!" Morgane said, curious to meet the person Nova spoke so much about.

"Our next destination is set," Julius said, walking towards the luxurious room's exit and admiring the corridor's art pieces he missed earlier while the girl spoke spiritedly behind him. Yet, he would have preferred if his big brother accompanied him.

After leisurely strolling, taking time to recover his bright mood under Nova's helpful radiance, they reached the palace's gates, meeting with the soul reaper again.

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"Happy to see you back in one piece," he said, his back against the wall, and his arms crossed over his chest before frowning. "Why is your friend still unconscious?" He added, confused by the situation.

"He said he needed to take a brief nap to recover, but he is completely healed," answered Julius before sharing their destination with him.

"I see, Banshee number one's house it is," the guard said with a nod and swung his arm to ask them to follow him.

"By the way, how long are you allowed to stay?" The guard suddenly asked, worried about the population's reaction.

"King Ossian said two days. We'll leave after exploring and discovering your culture a little," Julius answered, genuinely interested in how sane ghosts lived.

The soul reaper smiled wryly before answering, "Our daily life doesn't differ much from yours. Citizens use their time to craft soul items or wander the markets while guards train their weapon masteries. The only difference is we don't need to eat."

"Oh," Julius said, a little disappointed, before looking at the spotless white houses and paved streets. Then, he asked, "Can I see the crafters at work later? I'm intrigued by the soul items you mentioned and the materials used to build the city."

"No problem. I'll take you to the city's best soul smith later," answered the guard with an approving smile, happy about the boy's interest.

As they walked through the city's streets, the citizens scrambled into their houses, frightened of the potential consequences of meeting living beings. After all, dark mages and necromancers enjoyed enslaving and torturing them until they became mindless, evil ghosts under their control.

Unbothered since they knew the reason, they navigated the empty streets until they reached the eastern district, where meritorious citizens lived.

Standing before a large house, the soul reaper said, "I'll wait for you outside. Don't press yourself for my sake. I'm just carrying my duty."

With thankful nods, the trio knocked on the door, anticipating their meeting with the only Banshee who succeeded in marrying whil guarding the passage.