Seberus was absolutely gobsmacked to learn that all 5000 of Michael’s allies had the same impenetrable shield as him.
After all, the Absolute Unity Defense that Michael had was something that could defend against any and all kinds of spells.
No matter what element it was, as long as it was not stronger than the wielder of the defense, then they wouldn’t be affected by any spell.
“Yeah they have it,” Michael said matter-of-factly. “But theirs is called the Lesser Unity Defense. It’s a bit worse than mine. Since I’m a 4-star mage, any 4-star and below magic spell would not do anything to me. But for them, if they’re a 4-star mage, then they can only protect themselves from spells that are 3-star and below.”
Michael explained it with a bit of a disappointed tone in his voice, as if it wasn’t already one of the most powerful defenses in this world.
Even the best defensive spells only protected against specific elements. For example, the [Turtle Shell Chitin] was a defense spell popular among Fire mages because it gave them protection against Water spells, a natural counter to Fire mages.
However, that spell had a weakness against Earth spells. So, if they wanted to defend against Earth spells, then they would have to learn another defensive spell to counter that.
Of course, mages couldn’t learn too many defensive spells, or else they wouldn’t have enough time to learn their offensive spells.
So, even the Lesser Unity Defense that Michael was so disappointed by was already something even better than the defenses of high-level mages like Seberus.
It was also a skill, not a spell, which meant that they didn’t need any mana to cast their impenetrable defense. It was like a second skin, always present, always protecting them without a limit.
Seberus finally understood why the Dwarven Kingdom allied with Michael.
After all, these demi-humans were the non-combative type, yet they were already a force to be reckoned with just by themselves. One would need tremendous amounts of force just to break through their innate defenses.
It was a terrifying thought to think of the time when Michael would gather an entire army for himself, each having the ability to deter any magic spells just through their normal defenses alone.
They were resistant against all elemental spells while also having the ability to cast any type of elemental spell.
His army could charge through a tightly guarded territory and still come out unscathed, all without using any of their spells or other abilities. That was how powerful their defenses were.
It was a smart decision for the dwarves to ally themselves with Michael so early on.
Seberus never really put much thought into the ‘nation’ that Michael built over in the Parched Lands. But now that he saw a glimpse of their potential, he couldn’t help but be glad that he became friends with Michael.
It seemed that the rumor was true. Those who obtain a Supreme Skill would end up ruling the world or changing it entirely.
He was thankful that Michael was a good guy. If he had gone the complete opposite route, he could easily lay waste upon this earth if he wanted to.
Seberus shuddered at the thought.
…
…
…
A few hours later, the demi-humans finally finished the five Mithril Artifact wands that Michael requested. Each of them had different elements to show its different effects.
Seberus was incredibly curious about their technique but knew that he or any other mage wouldn’t have been able to make Mithril even if they knew how to do it.
It was a prerequisite for one to have a multi-elemental mastery to create Mithril. Seberus was sure of it after he saw the demi-humans create one from scratch.
This meant that only Michael’s allies could create Mithril because only they had mastery over all elements.
Severus wasn’t that disappointed with this. Even if he couldn’t replicate it, there was still a lot of knowledge hidden within the Mithril that he would like to study.
“Thank you, Michael. With these wands, we can find out more about the mysteries of Mithril,” Seberus said as he accepted the wands and placed them in a safe chest.
“I feel like there’s still a lot more we can do with Mithril, so it’s assuring that we’re not the only ones who are trying to study it,” Michael replied.
He wanted to find more uses for Mithril and having a renowned 8-star mage’s insight was a tremendous help.
“If you get the chance, you must visit the Guild of Arcana. I’m sure that if you present them with a Mithril artifact, you will gain their favor, which will be a tremendous help in your endeavors,” Seberus advised.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re planning on expanding your business to the Queens region, right? Well, you will find a lot more obstacles in spreading your Reborn products there than you did here in the Kings region.
The Guild of Arcana has a lot of connections, especially in royal and sovereign territories. I’m sure that with their help, you can much more easily establish your company there.”
Michael knew that expanding into the Queens region was a lot more troublesome than in the Kings region, but he didn’t know just how much.
“Can you tell me more about these ‘obstacles’?” Michael asked inquisitively.
“The Queens region is filled with territories that are not exactly working well together. Some of them are like the Dwarven Kingdom, in that they don’t like outside business interfering with theirs, while others are far too crowded with companies and businesses that fully saturate the market.
It is not like the Kings region, which is considered the rural area of the country.
Basically, you’ll find a lot more competition in those territories. Even if your products are really good and well-liked by the customers, it won’t matter if the lords of that territory refuse to let you sell it in their land.
I’m not saying you won’t be able to do it. After all, you were able to convince even the stubborn Dwarven Kingdom to ally with you. That is something that not even your grandfather was able to do.
However, you’ll find it much easier if you have help from the bigger, more established groups in the Queens region.
For example, the Guild of Arcana can help you with establishing yourself in a lot of markets.
You could also ally with the Lionheart family, the name famous for their swordsmen lineage. They can help deter any unwanted attention.
You could also seek help from the Montgomery family, who has political connections with almost every territory in the Queens region.
Or, you can even ask your grandfather for some assistance. After all, the Vanderbilt name carries great weight when it comes to all markets.”