CHAPTER 1178: CHAPTER 172: INVITATIONS FROM THE TEN MAJOR CONGLOMERATES (PART 2)

"How many doses can this produce?" La Gui’er glanced at the azure flower at the bottom of the glass jar, which wasn’t much bigger than a palm.

"If fully utilized, it should be three standard doses of potion." ’Temperance’ thought for a moment.

"That’s already quite rare; many Grandmaster Level pharmacists have been unable to produce top-level secret medicines due to the scarcity of raw materials."

"It seems fortune is on our side; no wonder people used to call that great one the Goddess of Fortune." La Gui’er reassuringly pressed her chest and softly prayed.

Afterwards, she looked up at ’Justice’: "Seraphiel, where is that friend of yours, and can we ask for their help again later? I think the price isn’t an issue."

"That’s difficult. My friend is also of an extraordinary status, and I cannot contact them too frequently." This ’Justice’ of the Seven Virtues shook their head.

"Besides, she’s currently on the Federation’s side, so it’s not easy to contact her now either."

"Alright, it seems such good fortune is also hard to come by." La Gui’er looked at the azure flower in the jar with a hint of reluctance.

A few people continued to discuss recent matters, and ’Courage,’ who had been sitting in the corner, spoke of another issue.

"Today, I received a warning from the Cult."

"The Cult? Oh, you mean those guys from Saint Carthanas." La Gui’er recalled.

"That’s right, they pride themselves on being orthodox, warning us not to excessively intervene in the Federation’s internal affairs with the Blanchi matter, claiming it would lead to disastrous consequences."

"Ah, the same old rhetoric. Do they think the Federation will improve on its own if we don’t intervene?" ’Temperance’ spread their hands, blinking with scarlet eyes, shrugging their shoulders.

"Even the ’True Crimson Wing’ has responded to our prayers. Doesn’t that prove something? Those guys are too stubborn and rigid, always staying put in Saint Carthanas. I think they’ll eventually perish from stagnation."

"Although that’s true, the Saintess of the Water is not easy to deal with. I remember the records in the Cult state that 20 years ago, a Sequence 8 assassin from our side was sent to Saint Carthanas to gather intelligence and find hidden tomes, but never returned. It was later discovered that she took action."

"Feruceline..." La Gui’er murmured this name.

"She has the blessing of Sifnelian, and I fear there aren’t many in the Federation who can defeat her one-on-one."

As they talked about the situation at Saint Carthanas, ’Temperance’ brought up another matter: "I heard last year that a new Saintess appeared at the Rock Sanctuary within the Four Holy Great Cathedrals."

"’Brennard’ of the Rock Sanctuary?" The others were a bit incredulous.

Among the Four Originals, ’Brennard’ was the most mysterious and aloof, seldom granting blessings to others. There are few legends and descriptions about her, only that she is calm and rational, and presides over judgment among the Four Originals.

"How come I haven’t heard of it?" Seraphiel, curious and puzzled, asked.

"You’ve been studying in the Central Star Domain and are the youngest among us, so it’s normal not to know. This new Saintess hasn’t been officially announced to the public—only internally to the Sanctuary, indicating that she exists and advising not to be surprised or doubtful should one encounter her in the future."

"I see." Seraphiel sat back down.

"I wonder what the strength of this new Saintess is. If it were just a regular blessing from the Angel, she might not be held in such high regard, given that out of the tens of trillions in the Federation, a few are recognized by the Angels each year."

"I can’t imagine what blessings Brennard bestows. Could it turn people to stone with a glance?" ’Courage’ spoke up, resting their head on their hand.

"It’s possible she turns people into pillars of salt since salt is considered an evolved form of rock in ancient mystical concepts. Many ancient alchemy teachings refer to the Philosopher’s Stone’s materials as ’Black Salt’ or ’Yellow Salt’." ’Temperance’ delved into alchemical terms.

"I can’t fathom it. Forget it; let’s not concern ourselves for now. Even if they warn us, it’s of no consequence. With the new national framework supporting us, the Cult in Saint Carthanas poses no real threat." La Gui’er concluded the topic.

"Let’s call it a day. I’ll check on Blanchi later, and we need to cultivate more ’Song Festival’ members to fill the gap. This time, a considerable number of songstresses sustained severe soul injuries during the adventure to raise the Solar Crowns; they will need prolonged rest to heal."

The meeting adjourned, and the room returned to silence.

...

After the campaign in the Hemu Star Domain, both the Federation and the newly formed ’Rose Court’ refrained from further attacks. Both sides focused on mediating internal issues, so despite the declared war, no major battles occurred in the three months, only minor skirmishes at the border when reconnaissance units were shot down while crossing over.

During these three months, Blanchi underwent various healing methods and slowly regained vitality. In the Central Star Domain, Ying Tianxue’s Ores advanced to a Glowing Moon Level Songstress, steadily progressing toward the Full Moon Level.

Ores already had exceptional talent, and with the accumulation over the years and the Federation’s comprehensive resource allocation, her prowess as a songstress improved almost daily.

Meanwhile, Tilan also surpassed the novice phase of being a mech pilot, gradually mastering various combat techniques with large mechas. Her performance in simulated battles improved consistently, and now, unless faced with an ace mech pilot, no one in the camp could outperform her in the same virtual mecha.

After three months of combat training, Tilan was awarded a rare few days of vacation and boarded a superluminal aircraft, returning to the Emerald Moon Star Domain.

After meeting some visitors who came specially to see her, Tilan received an invitation from Prin.

"Lord Prin hopes you will attend this small gathering," said a man in a black and red uniform as he handed an invitation to the young woman.

Tilan opened the invitation, read its contents, and then put it away.

"Is this an internal party of the conglomerates?" She skimmed it. The names on the invitation were all prominent figures from the Central Star Domain’s major corporations.

Unfortunately, the messenger didn’t know much since Prin Coco hadn’t detailed these aspects to him.

"I understand. You can head back now," Tilan decided not to press him for more information and instead used her personal terminal to inquire about Prin Coco. After a few minutes of communication, Tilan roughly understood Prin’s intention with the invitation.

"Is it to network and introduce me to people from the Central Conglomerates?" She pondered.

Currently, Ores is overwhelmingly famous. With the Federation’s state apparatus promoting her, her renown and influence as a songstress have started to overshadow other songstresses, which works out well for the Elf Families’ gateholders. After all, Ores is an elf and hails from such a family, ensuring that as she rises to a Sunshine-level songstress, her family will undoubtedly benefit.

On the flip side, the large human conglomerates, which had maintained a balance with the Elf Families, were getting uneasy. Even though they had invested and gained from this too, Ores is ultimately an elf, not human, and won’t entirely side with them. If her strength and influence continue to grow unchecked, they would become overwhelmingly passive.

"So, inviting me is likely to explore connections with other songstresses, hoping they might support someone like Ores." Tilan deduced their likely intent.

While not necessarily negative, Tilan felt she might not align with them since achieving her goals would require reforming the Federation by reducing wealth disparity—a prospect unfavorable to the wealth-hoarding conglomerates.

Still, she decided to attend, curious about these major conglomerates’ leaders and their states of affairs.

In the evening, with the help of several maids, Tilan donned a black long dress adorned with berry-like red roses on the side. Her long black hair was straightened and held by a butterfly hairpin at the back, with no other jewelry, accentuating her elegant and unpretentious personality.

Boarding the hover car bound for the agreed hotel, the dark-tinted windows ascended slowly, carrying the songstress into the ever-bustling night.