Chapter 1778: 485 Gray Spider and Seahorse
Chapter 1778: 485 Gray Spider and Seahorse
...
The brawny Tauren unconsciously tiptoed.
A youthful and naïve voice came from within the iron barrel, creating a stark contrast with its clumsy exterior:
"That, that..."
"I can't fly."
He seemed ill at ease with interpersonal communication, finding even these few words arduous to speak, revealing an embarrassed demeanor.
Matthew and Melinda exchanged glances.
Neither felt any malice from the other and quickly descended to the ground.
"Thank you!"
"Thank you!"
As they went down,
the young person inside the iron barrel bowed politely in gratitude.
And it was during this process
that Matthew caught a clear glimpse of two notably small, adorably stubby horns extending from the sides of the helmet on top.
"My name is Konda, the latest disciple taken in by Master Guda."
The young man introduced himself honestly:
"Master Guda sent me to find you two and to guide you to the direction of the Outer World of Earth Core Dream."
Matthew sized up the respondent and suddenly asked:
"Star Realm Tauren?"
"You're not undead?"
Konda shook his head:
"I am still alive, so certainly not considered undead."
Matthew wondered aloud:
"Then why would you put yourself in an iron barrel like that?"
Konda explained:
"This is to imitate the appearance and attire of Space Essence."
"In Sky Heart Land, many aliens who follow Master Guda or other Ancients in their spiritual practice dress in a similar way."
"Sky Heart Land does not discriminate against aliens because Master Guda believes that any life with spirituality, perseverance, and wisdom is qualified to become an Ancient."
"But initially, as some of the Space Essence who advanced to become Ancients habitually clung together and repelled alien practitioners, in order to reduce their xenophobia, the alien practitioners willingly started imitating their attire."
"Until now, in Sky Heart Land, the proportion of alien Spiritual Practitioners to Space Essence is about fifty-fifty, but mimicking the Essence's dress has become a custom..."
Matthew nodded slightly.
They were actually willing to accept disciples from other races as spiritual practitioners.
He began to change his view of the Ancients.
At least they were much better than the Imperial Descendants, who only knew plundering and enslaving others!
What Matthew was curious about was
whether Master Guda sending Konda, this Star Realm Tauren, to guide them was because Konda was Guda's favorite disciple, or was it to ease the tense relationship between themselves and the space undead?
Soon,
Matthew had his answer—
It's likely Master Guda hadn't thought that far and just sent a very talented, loyal disciple to carry out the task.
Because Konda seemed so innocent.
Whatever question Matthew would ask,
Konda would answer honestly, without holding anything back.
This young Tauren spiritual practitioner was as pure as a blank slate.
Matthew suspected that if he spent more time with him, he might even be able to get a hold of the secrets of psionic practice!
"Are all Ancients like this?"
Matthew couldn't help but ask Melinda privately.
Melinda was also puzzled:
"I haven't encountered many Ancients; the few I've met before mostly had a sour expression, and when you talk to them, they often just pretend to be deaf and mute. Although they're not aggressive, they're also not as... simple as this one."
When she mentioned the last descriptive word,
Melinda took several seconds to think before choosing a relatively neutral term.
Matthew couldn't help but chuckle.
And just then,
suddenly a rumble came from above their heads, followed by the quaking of pebbles on the ground.
"An army is approaching!"
With the sensoring of the Sky-reaching Matrix, Matthew received the latest intelligence.
"It's okay, let's hide for a bit!"
Konda grabbed Matthew and Melinda and sat down under some nearby rocks. Then he pressed his hands together, murmuring an incantation, and his iron armor emitted a soft, white light.
The light was gentle and silently enveloped the figures of the three.
Moments later,
hovercrafts and Sky Patrol Airships roared past overhead and through the vicinity of their ground hiding spot.
The force was not only aggressive but also very thorough in their search.
They inspected the nearby area three times before slowly regrouping and departing.
"That was the 'Gray Spider'."
Melinda whispered.
Matthew came to a realization.
Earlier on the way, Melinda had told him about the four strongest forces of Storluk Industries, as follows—
Old Dragon;
Seahorse;
Gray Spider;
Undead Phoenix;
Among them, Old Dragon was the most mysterious, likely a special operations force, and rarely seen by the public;
Seahorse was responsible for operations related to the seas across Storluk and all planes;
Undead Phoenix was part of the space combat sequence, most of whose elites were in the hands of the exiled Undead Prince;
The remaining Gray Spider was the strongest elite force native to Storluk Planet.
"The main force of the Gray Spider is currently led by Captain Elephant of the same faction as Captain Gray Eagle, and their mission is to search for the Ether Core..."
Melinda looked towards Konda, the Tauren:
"They're here, which means the butterfly disappeared nearby?"
Konda nodded:
"To be exact, it wasn't that it disappeared but that it was summoned."
Summoned?
A flicker of insight shone in Matthew's eyes.
He hurriedly inquired about the direction of the butterfly.
Konda was really straightforward, detailing on the spot:
"Ever since the Imperial Descendants noticed that the Ether Butterfly, codenamed God of Truth, might be forced to land on Storluk Planet, Gray Spider and Seahorse have been fully deployed."