Chapter 319: Power was power

Orion had long since gotten a way to handle the Curse of a Hundred Blossoms from Arthas. The reason he had never used faith energy and transcendent power to wipe the curse clean was because he understood it might not necessarily be a bad thing for him.

A few years ago, when he killed Lord Ariel’s will projection, the Curse of a Hundred Blossoms had actually served as a kind of protection.

His instincts told him now wasn’t the right moment to remove the curse. Besides, Violet hadn’t returned yet, so Orion had left the curse alone.

The belt—Curse of Sorrow—he’d just drawn from the survivor’s chest was a pleasant surprise, since it could keep the Curse of a Hundred Blossoms in check. At least for a good while, Orion no longer needed to fret about it.

"Well, that’s actually for the best," he thought. "I can focus on growing my strength."

────────────────────────

Leisurely days passed quickly, and two weeks went by almost in a flash. That day, while Orion was browsing the Survivor’s Platform for deals, he noticed new messages from Leonidas and Arthas in the public channel.

Your journey continues at NovelBin.Côm

Leonidas: "Squiddy, Hulk, we’re back!"

Kraken: "Hey, big guy—did everything go smoothly?"

Leonidas: "Very smooth. We’re still divvying up the world essence, so you’ll have to wait a bit before getting your share."

Kraken: "All good. We’ll follow your lead."

Reading back and forth, Orion saw that Kraken was much more deferential compared to Leonidas, addressing him with great courtesy. Orion knew, however, no lord ever rose through the ranks without facing countless crises. It was highly unlikely Kraken was really so mild all the way through.

Still, Orion guessed that Kraken genuinely respected the senior members of the Champions Alliance—power was power.

Even Orion himself showed a polite face to Deputy Commanders Edward and Alexander, whom he didn’t know well.

Hulk: "Leonidas, thank you for taking me along on that invasion. I cleaned up quite a lot of loot for my Horde. If there’s ever another chance, I’d love to join in again—and hopefully be more of a help to you next time!"

Orion kept his tone just as courteous as Kraken did. He wasn’t above showing humility; after all, if an arch lord invited him to journey together, why not?

Leonidas: "Hahaha… Hulk, don’t you go acting all meek like Squiddy. We’re allies, so let’s just keep it real."

Orion smirked at that. Leonidas sure knew how to flatter—no wonder he got along with Arthas, whose air of mystery tended to intimidate others.

Hulk: "Haha… guess I’ll be counting on you to watch my back, then!"

In the public channel, Leonidas briefly filled them in on what went down after Orion and Kraken left. Hearing about the Black Sun in the sky finally opening its eye only confirmed Orion’s gut feelings.

Leaving the public channel, Orion reached out directly to Arthas.

"Hey, bro, I need a favor."

Arthas replied back almost instantly, in his usual compact style.

"Speak."

Orion didn’t waste time either.

"Purification Tower—your territory probably has one, right?"

He sounded slightly tentative, but Arthas didn’t give a verbal response, instead sending Orion a trade request. Yet Arthas didn’t place anything in the trade window.

Orion immediately took the hint, offering up four tainted Lord’s Stones.

"Come back for them in three months," was all Arthas wrote next. Sometimes that aloof manner made him seem downright cold, but Orion was used to it and got along just fine with him.

After a little thought, Orion sent Arthas another message.

"By the way, are you interested in Rebirth Stones?"

He initiated another trade, putting up three Rebirth Stones. Arthas didn’t refuse; the undead race coveted any object brimming with vitality or strange powers.

"That’ll be payment for Arthas purifying the Lord’s Stones," Orion decided with a smile, reading Arthas’s response. That was simply how Arthas did things.

"Hey, bro, what exactly is a Purification Tower? How do you get it?" Orion asked, curious.

"It’s a special building that, just like other ones, can drop from survivor’s chests. In some highly developed magical territories, you can also craft it. But keep in mind, whether you get it from a chest or build it yourself, you’ll need at least one Lord’s Stone."

Orion was stunned by that. Up to now, aside from the Horde Hall, he hadn’t heard of another special building requiring a Lord’s Stone to activate. Just as he was about to press for details, Arthas seemed to read his mind.

"If you take the time to read the Lord’s Stone’s description, you’ll see it’s not only for upgrading to Legendary-level. It also has a role in territory construction.

Every special building can be fused with a Lord’s Stone—especially a territory’s core. The more Lord’s Stones you slot in, the stronger the building’s defensive and offensive attributes become."

That left Orion speechless—and equally blown away.

────────────────────────

Necro Realm, upon the Bone Throne.

Arthas eyed a baseball-sized Rebirth Stone for a moment. Then, to no one’s surprise, he popped it into his mouth and chewed.

"’From death back into life’… it’s just a pipe dream," he said quietly. "If it were that easy, after all the Rebirth Stones I’ve devoured, I should’ve been reborn a long time ago."

Rebirth Stones were extremely precious to most undead skeletons, but Arthas had never been short on them. In his early days, by invading alien worlds, he’d occasionally come away with a few.

Plus, his Champions Alliance allies—Edward, Leonidas, Alexander—often gave him some whenever they happened upon any.

After consuming so many, Arthas was crystal clear about one thing: a Rebirth Stone was hope, nothing more.

"Still," he muttered, "that raw lifeforce is a tasty flavor."

Once he’d finished chewing, Arthas quietly sighed.

"Is it too soon to tell Hulk the difference between a lord and an arch lord?"

"Ah, never mind. I’ve already said it."

"For someone like Hulk, who’s all about growing stronger, maybe it’ll do some good."

Arthas had only explained to Orion that the Horde Hall and other special buildings could be fused with Lord’s Stones. Once fused, the buildings’ innate defensive and offensive powers would level up greatly.

In fact, that was one of the key differences between an arch lord and a regular lord.