Born in apocalypse

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Following Dhruv’s gaze, the trio also noticed the new intruders. As soon as they became aware of their presence, the first thing they thought that coursed through the trio’s minds was to eliminate the unwanted intruder from the island as soon as possible. They were about to launch an attack but managed to restrain themselves when they realized that Dhruv hadn’t issued any orders.

While the other two—Alaric and Azarex— managed to calm themselves, Vexar, being a different breed, was still charging forward. He was almost halfway to the intruders, sword in hand, its blade slowly catching fire as he ran with all his might.

[Stop]

Vexar had to abruptly come to a halt when he received a telepathic order from his master. Stopping in his tracks, he glanced to his side and was surprised to see that he was the only one charging forward. He then started to walk back toward Dhruv at a calm pace, as if nothing had happened.

"Ughhh! How many times do I need to tell him not to rush towards the enemy like this?" Dhruv thought in frustration. Planning to properly teach Vexar this lesson at a later time, he turned his attention back to the group once again.

He observed them and noticed that they were standing in their positions without budging an inch as if they were awaiting someone’s orders. In their group, there were members of all age groups and genders. Many children were present, as well as older people, but still, the majority of the group consisted of adults. He also noticed that there was a boat parked slightly left of them.

’So with the help of this boat, they have come to this island.’ Dhruv though.

After visually checking them, Dhruv wanted to know how much of a threat they posed to him. He blinked his eyes twice and peered at them with the Sorcerer’s gaze. Upon close examination, he sighed in relief, realizing that they weren’t strong enough to pose a significant danger to their group.

However, Dhruv remained cautious, as it was possible that they might be using some sort of skill to hide their true strength.

The group consisted of slightly over three hundred members, with the majority being at Tier 2. Dhruv counted around 15 members who were in Tier 3. Ten of these Tier 3 members were guarding their leader, who was also at Tier 3. The remaining four were likely following some sort of assassin-like class, as they had remained hidden until he had used the sorcerer’s gaze on them.

Dhruv found the leader of this group to be particularly intriguing. The most notable feature about her was that she was blind. The leader of the group was a woman, which wouldn’t have been an issue if she hadn’t happened to be blind.

With just one look, Dhruv was certain that she was a beauty beyond compare. Her long, flowing hair cascaded like a waterfall of spun silk, radiating in the purest white. Every strand glistened like moonlight on freshly fallen snow, gracefully framing her delicate features with an otherworldly elegance. Her porcelain skin, flawless and radiant, served as a canvas for the subtlest hints of rosy blush on her cheeks.

Dhruv couldn’t explain why, but the blindfold over her eyes seemed to enhance her beauty tenfold. Even without seeing her eyes, he sensed a profound well of wisdom and kindness within her. Her lips, as soft as petals, curved into a gentle, inviting smile.

Despite standing in the territory of an unfamiliar person, there was nothing but a smile on her smooth face. Dhruv even briefly wondered if he was being influenced by some sort of skill to have these wonderful thoughts about her.

Shaking his head to snap out of the trance, Dhruv signaled Azarex to send one of his undead to convey their message. Dhruv decided not to go himself or send the trio because it wouldn’t look appropriate for the master or their guardian to handle the negotiation directly.

A Crystallce undead approached the leader of the group and stood in front of her for a few seconds. After a while, the undead turned its attention toward Azarex, appearing to establish the necessary connection for communication.

"Master, what should I ask?" Azarex asked, seeking guidance from Dhruv.

Dhruv didn’t respond immediately. He took a moment to think before opening his mouth, "Ask them about their purpose for visiting this island."

This was the most important question that could help him determine their intention. If the reply happened to be vague or evasive then he could 100 percent confirm that they were telling lies. The reasoning behind this conclusion was that traveling to this island required traversing dangerous areas and they wouldn’t do that without having a clear reason.

Where that danger comes from is clearly obvious as the second quest was happening worldwide, a fact he had confirmed through Coby.

If they responded with confidence and provided a straightforward answer, Dhruv could gauge the situation based on their reply. They could potentially be of use or simply turned into exp and coins. Dhruv had no intention of sparing anyone if they showed even the slightest hint of hostility toward him.

While Dhruv was lost in thought, a response came from Azarex,

"Master, I don’t understand the meaning behind her answer. Should I repeat the question word by word?" Azarex asked, appearing puzzled by the response he had received.

’Are they speaking in different languages?’ was the first thought that crossed Dhruv’s mind upon hearing Azarex’s response. Not knowing how to proceed, he simply nodded in acknowledgment.

"This is what she says: ’I wish to meet with his majesty,’" Azarex conveyed the leader’s response to Dhruv.

"Heh!" Dhruv exclaimed, wearing a dumbfounded expression. He had never imagined that anyone from this era would speak in such a manner.

Thinking about the term ’majesty,’ Dhruv pondered, ’Is she referring to me?’

"Tell her, ’Why should His Majesty meet with you?’" Dhruv instructed Azarex.

After conveying the message, Dhruv observed Azarex, who appeared to be both sending and receiving messages simultaneously. A few seconds later, Azarex looked at Dhruv and said,

"Master, they want to become citizens of this island," Azarex reported.

’Huh! Why?’

Dhruv was once again dumbfounded by the answer, but he managed to conceal his surprise and didn’t let it show to the trio.

"Tell her, ’Why should His Majesty believe that you haven’t come here with ill intentions?’" Dhruv instructed Azarex.

After waiting for a moment the reply came,

"Master, she says she is willing to accept the Mark of Asteri," Azarex conveyed to Dhruv.