037 Kane

While Karen busied himself with increasing his strength, Ogoron’s good days at the market lasted only a few more days before hardship returned once again.

After Karen reached an agreement with the Silver Hand and the Bourbon Kingdom, the trading forces of both nations officially began pouring into the market.

For the market, this was naturally a good thing.

The more merchants there were, the more prosperous the market became. But whether it was a good thing for Ogoron was another matter entirely.

Both the Silver Hand and the Bourbon Kingdom had essentially made their agreements with Karen public upon returning home.

The merchants of both nations also knew that Karen had bowed his head to the Silver Hand and the Bourbon Kingdom this time.

And once Karen lowered his head, his prestige in the market began to decline.

It was an unavoidable development. As Karen’s prestige fell, Ogoron could clearly feel that the market was becoming increasingly difficult to manage.

Gradually, there were already signs that it was returning to the way it had been at the beginning. Several months of effort were on the verge of being destroyed in a single stroke, and such an outcome was difficult for anyone to accept.

But what difference did acceptance make?

If Ogoron could not accept it, how could Karen?

In truth, this had never been Karen’s intention. He had originally planned to face the Silver Hand and the Bourbon Kingdom with an entirely different attitude.

But there was no helping it. Kraine’s appearance had made Karen understand with perfect clarity that he no longer possessed the qualifications to negotiate with them.

If they wanted to kill him, he would have no power to resist whatsoever.

So he had no choice but to lower his head—and he would keep it lowered until his strength was sufficient to raise it again!

Karen believed that day would not be far away.

During those seven days when Karen kept his head bowed, the same seven days in which he raised his strength to the peak of the fourth extraordinary tier, more than just his own power was changing.

The market also began purchasing large quantities of the Whispers of the Dead cultivated by the Silver Hand and the Bourbon Kingdom.

Three months earlier, several cities in each of the two nations had begun small-scale cultivation. With Karen’s technical support, both sides had achieved fairly good results over the course of those three months, and their crops had begun maturing one after another during the past few days.

As soon as Karen returned to his territory, the market sent over one hundred and thirty thousand blossoms of the Whispers of the Dead. And this was not even the full amount—only a very small portion of it.

According to the information Karen had obtained beforehand from Flor and Cliff, the amount of Whispers of the Dead soon to mature in the two nations totaled at least five hundred thousand blossoms.

If Karen could absorb this entire batch of Whispers of the Dead, the energy of his territory would be able to break through ten million in an instant.

With such a terrifying foundation of territorial energy, once Karen’s strength rose, his territory would undoubtedly develop at an unimaginable speed.

That was why, after returning, Karen became even more determined to improve his own strength.

His first act was to order Ogoron to devote all his efforts to collecting cultivation techniques, combat arts, and similar materials from this world. He did not rely on Ogoron alone, either. Karen even contacted Old Jack and asked the “Forest Wardens” to help with the collection.

In this world, the power of capital remained formidable. Once Karen began collecting these things without regard for cost, countless combat arts and cultivation techniques soon appeared before him.

In just three days, the market had received more than a hundred combat arts.

As soon as they were collected, they were sent directly to Karen’s territory for him to study.

At first, Karen was rather excited when he received them.

But that excitement quickly faded. He discovered that among the hundreds of combat arts, not one was of much help to him. The result left him extremely agitated.

And while Karen was sinking into this state of frustration, his territory once again received a new visitor—one who was entirely beyond his expectations.

…

“Long time no see!”

When Kane strolled leisurely into Karen’s territory and came before him, smiling as he offered his greeting, Karen did not even know what expression he should wear.

What shocked Karen was not Kane’s strength, which allowed him to enter the territory with ease, but Kane’s identity.

This Kane was the very same Kane from Dolay Village—the other choice Karen had encountered, apart from Old Jack, when he had first opened his eyes to the world.

Karen had never imagined that Kane would be such a powerful figure, much less that he would come to see him at a time like this.

“Surprised?”

“Yes.”

“Then it seems you really have been somewhat anxious lately. Otherwise, the moment I arrived, you should have been able to guess my identity.”

“You and Old Jack are on the same side?” Karen suddenly realized.

“That’s right. I was originally Marshal Iron’s aide-de-camp. At present, I am wanted by the kingdom.”

When Kane spoke the words “wanted by the kingdom,” the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a self-mocking smile.

He had devoted his entire life to the Bourbon Kingdom, yet in the end, he had become a criminal in its eyes.

But Karen had no inclination to study Kane’s feelings at that moment. The instant he learned Kane’s identity, he understood the purpose of his visit and rejected him before he could even speak.

“I know what you want to say, but you can see my current situation. I can barely hold on to my own market. As for me now, I completely—”

“In truth, when Old Jack and the others hurried over to reveal themselves to you last time, it was not merely because they wanted to bring you into our camp before Kraine could. More importantly, they wanted to help you.”

Kane’s words left Karen stunned.

“Help me?”

“Yes! Help you!

“We can more or less understand why you bowed your head to Kraine and the Silver Hand. Ultimately, it comes down to strength.

“Although you command a formidable undead army, your personal strength is too weak—so weak that they could kill you whenever they wished. Under the threat to your life, you had no choice but to lower your head.

“But what if someone could guarantee your safety?”

Kane’s words made Karen’s brows draw together, and a flicker of interest appeared on his face.

Clearly, Kane’s proposal was a considerable temptation. But very quickly, Karen suppressed that impulse.

The matter had both advantages and disadvantages—and the disadvantages outweighed the advantages.

It was true that under Kane’s protection, Karen’s safety might be somewhat guaranteed.

But the situation before him would certainly be shattered outright. More importantly, Karen had too many secrets of his own. He could not allow Kane to remain by his side for any extended period.

Thus, Karen had been prepared to refuse almost immediately.

Yet when the words reached his lips, they became, “Let me think about it.”

After taking a deep look at Karen, Kane turned and left the territory.

“That’s fine. But you had better decide quickly. Your current situation is not nearly as safe as you imagine.”