Chapter 187: Stocktaking and a Better Sanctuary

After handing the route to the apartment to Jack, Kamiyu sat in the passenger seat, humming a little tune while tallying the results: “If it’s like this…”

“Hehe, earlier we killed 5 First-Tier Ability Users, 1 Third-Tier Ability User, and 1 Fourth-Tier Ability User. 5+3+16 equals… equals…” Kamiyu frowned, counting on her fingers.

“24,” Jack answered first.

“Ha, who asked you to butt in?” Kamiyu threw a little punch at him.

“Hey, hey, don’t mess around, I’m driving!” Jack gripped the steering wheel tightly, almost using his Golden Body to defend against Kamiyu’s attack.

Jack thought to himself, “So this girl is bad at math, no wonder she often doesn’t keep track of how many Enhancement Points she gets and frequently misses enemies. Her little brain just can’t keep up with the calculations, only knowing how to kill the enemies in front of her.”

“Hmm? But then why is she so good at calculating others and scheming?” Jack really couldn’t figure it out.

Kamiyu glanced at her Player Panel and said, “Including the previous Enhancement Points, I now have 123. What should I do with them?”

“How do you still have so many?” Mephisto suddenly interjected.

He exclaimed inwardly, “This little girl still had so many cards up her sleeve when she fought me? She didn’t go all out?”

Jack analyzed, “I suggest saving them and not using them. Dragon Roar City is a major city with a population of ten million, and including the surrounding satellite cities and counties, the population reaches twenty million. There are probably many High-Tier Ability Users.

And as you said, if the Fear Emperor really Revives, these 123 Enhancement Points won’t be nearly enough.”

Kamiyu tapped her fingers on the car window.

“Hehe, don’t listen to that kid. Don’t you like living on the edge? 123 Enhancement Points are plenty for you to use.”

Mephisto’s words should be taken in reverse. He is naturally fond of deception, having completely fooled Lei Yao.

When he says the Enhancement Points are enough, they actually aren’t. He knows that I know he’s lying, so he deliberately tells lies.

So the meaning of this sentence is that they are not enough.

Such a Sneaky, multi-layered schemer.

“I need to Kill more Ability Users,” Kamiyu said.

Mephisto saw through Kamiyu’s thoughts and, like a mentor, instructed her: “The Fear Emperor’s power is extraordinary. If it truly Absorbs the soul power of twenty million people, its instantaneous Strength might rival that of a Demon King Level being.”

“Like you?” Kamiyu shot back with one sentence.

“Cough… cough…”

“I am a broken body, with less than one percent of my former peak power. I’m kindly reminding you; you should learn to respect your elders.”

“Are you even human?”

“Pfft.” Jack couldn’t help but laugh.

“Cough. Kamiyu.” Mephisto got angry, excitedly calling her name.

“Calling me won’t help.”

“I’m seriously reminding you, those First, Second, Third, and Fourth-Tier Ability Users are mere ants to you. They are just tools for the Fear Emperor to collect lives and gather power.

But when it comes to Fifth-Tier Ability Users who have performed Blood Sacrifices on the scale of millions, they are equivalent to Clones of the Fear Emperor, bestowed with a portion of its power. These people will ultimately merge with the Fear Emperor Tree and become part of the Fear Emperor,” Mephisto said seriously.

“So they’re really powerful?” Kamiyu also stopped joking and asked seriously.

“Exactly. If you continue playing with your current mindset, you’ll run into trouble sooner or later. I’m only reminding you because you’re my granddaughter, and that electric stew trick just now showed potential for becoming a Demon King.”

“Stop talking about it, you’re making me nauseous again.” Kamiyu thought of those heads popping like bubbles, and her recently settled stomach began churning once more.

The car continued driving.

Seeing Kamiyu struggling to think of a solution, Mephisto spoke up again: “Don’t worry, child. Don’t you have my daughter’s altar with you? Establish the first Sanctuary in this world, so you humans will have a place to stay.”

“With a Sanctuary, your status will be equal to the Fear Emperor’s. He has the Fear Emperor Tree, you’ll have a Sanctuary. Your Sanctuary will be like a nail driven straight into the Fear Emperor Tree.”

Jack’s eyes widened, and Kamiyu’s face lit up: “You’re a genius.”

Originally, Sanctuaries were meant for reclaiming Main City Seriga, to deal with the Aberrant Beast Demons occupying the main city. Now, building one in the real world to counter the Fear Emperor Tree was also a brilliant move.

Kamiyu thought to herself: First, she could practice and learn how to operate and use the Sanctuary, testing its power. Every Beta Tester had a Sanctuary, and being able to survive each Hell Tide meant it must have formidable strengths.

Second, having the Sanctuary in her hands would be a powerful tool for attacking cities and capturing territories. With a Sanctuary, she could advance to attack or retreat to defend. She and the hundreds of warriors from the Invincible Guild who would arrive later would also have a place to stay.

Third, as Mephisto said, she would be the first player in the real world to build and own a Sanctuary. The strategic importance of this was self-evident. Later, this Sanctuary could remain undismantled, serving as a “port” connecting both worlds.

“Building a Sanctuary here takes full advantage of timing and location—all that’s missing is human harmony,” Mephisto said.

“Stop being cryptic and explain in detail,” Kamiyu urged.

“By timing, I mean this is a once-in-a-millennium moment when two worlds are colliding. The rules of both worlds are clashing, chaotically mixing and overlapping. A Sanctuary built during this time node will be much more powerful than one built later when things stabilize.”

“As for location, this is the key point. This is the Fear Emperor Tree’s stronghold, essentially within the Fear Emperor’s lair. To revive itself, every branch and root here has absorbed the essence of this world. Using these to build a Sanctuary makes for absolutely top-tier materials,” Mephisto said with envy in his voice. “In ancient times, such wood materials were specifically used to build Demon Kings’ Palaces.”

“So that’s how it is. Building a Sanctuary here now would enhance its effects, provide ready-made materials that are even more powerful, and save me from wasting the materials I worked hard to gather in my backpack,” Kamiyu summarized.

Now even Jack got excited, quickly speeding up toward the apartment where the Black Sphere was located to assemble with the main troops.

“But what about human harmony?” Kamiyu asked. “What’s the problem with human harmony?”

Mephisto said simply, “Numbers, you don’t have enough people. Building a Sanctuary requires manpower. When Lei Yao built the Cliff Sanctuary back then, it took hundreds of their Official Players a full month.”

Kamiyu’s previously joyful mood instantly cooled, as if doused with a bucket of cold water.