The obsidian overlord continued, "Anyway because I know the truth, the gods have been targeting me and doing everything in their power to stop my influence from reaching the Thousand Great Worlds. They don't want their constant supply of faith, which is the source of their power, to be cut off. No one would worship them once they find out about their true nature."
"That is also why I have turned my attention to the Far West Major Realm. It is a place free from the prying eyes of the Gods, and I see great potential for trade there. But, as you know, there is no link connecting it to the void, so I am making one myself. I chose the Ashen Land as it wasn't claimed by both humans or the beasts and couldn't be invaded by the undeads of the uncharted lands due to the holy barrier. However, I was misled by my own useless guide. There are countless dangers in this area. I was not aware of them when I first set my plans in motion. They started delaying the process. Now, I can't stop the process. It will have to become a part of my realm, allowing me to transverse to and fro from the void and the Far West Major Realm. Until then, I am forced to dump my resources into it. But that can't continue forever. As a businessman, my main purpose is to make more profit than loss. And this has have only been unprofitable for me so far."
The Obsidian Overlord was a good business. He wanted to make friends, not enemies. Thus, he chose to set up his base in the Ashen Land, which was outside of the Great Forest and the Empire. He also didn't like undeads, which could be discerned from his tone.
"So you need my help to weed out those troubles, right?" Roy asked with a raised eyebrow.
The Overlord nodded, "I need you to kill Voss. He is the one behind most of the problems I am facing in the Ashen Land. Once he dies, it won't take long before the connection between our two worlds is established. Then, I will be able to descend here personally to wipe out that entity. If you succeed in this mission, I will reward you with my Void Battalion. Of course, you can choose to get an advance."
Roy thought for a moment before replying, "I am willing to help you. Give me half a year, and I will vanquish Voss."
The Obsidian Overlord was caught off guard.
"I didn't expect you to agree so easily," he said.
"I have some unfinished business with Voss," Roy replied, "But before we proceed, I have some questions that need to be answered."
"Of course, I'll answer truthfully," the Obsidian Overlord replied.
"What is Void?" Roy inquired.
"Void is enormous, as big as the Thousand Great Realm, and it's divided into multiple layers. My siblings and I govern most of its levels. We're not many in number, but we're the strongest, and we have direct control over the void," the overlord explained candidly.
"That's not what I'm asking," Roy interjected. "I want to know its purpose."
"My earliest memories go back 30,000 years," the overlord responded. "As far as I can recall, we've always been occupied with building amiable relationships with various galaxies in the universe to expand our business empire."
Roy began to understand that they were an intergalactic brand involved in trading across the universe.
"Do you have any more questions?" the overlord asked.
"Yes," Roy nodded. "What would you do if Far West was threatened with destruction?"
After a brief pause, the overlord spoke. "It's a tough question. We of the void have certain protocols to follow when our partners are in peril. We can offer a minimal level of aid without expecting anything in return. It can be seen as either relief or charity. But we cannot offer any further assistance unless we're promised something valuable in return. Even the kings of the void must abide by these protocols as they were established by our forefathers. Defying them could lead to dire consequences, and none of us is stupid enough to play with our lives."
"What kind of aid can you offer without expecting anything in return?" Roy inquired.
"An entire regiment comprising of 100,000 low-level and intermediate-level soul cultivators. As per the power hierarchy of the Far West Major Realm, low-level soul cultivators could be as weak as trainees and as strong as peak-level weapon masters, while intermediate-level soul cultivators are even stronger," the overlord responded.
"One last question," Roy said. "You were unwilling to even reveal your name when we first met, but now you've revealed a lot of things to me. What made you change your mind?"
The obsidian overlord replied, "It's because of you and the necklace you're wearing. I underestimated your strength at the time and didn't realize that you were connected to my friend."
Roy tugged at his necklace.
"What does it have to do with your friend?" he asked.
As far back as he could recall, he had been wearing the necklace. Even when he was abandoned as a child on Earth, he was wearing it. And when he transmigrated into Roy Badilf Baldwin, he was still wearing it. He had also seen it on Ninam!
"You won't know even if I tell you. Just know that that necklace wouldn't have found you if you weren't related to him. He died ten thousand years ago doing something extremely foolish," the obsidian overlord sighed. "If only he had listened to me and stepped back, he wouldn't have fallen."
That necklace was special to his friend. He had personally crafted it for someone. Except for that certain someone, no one could have it. Even though his friend was dead, there were special power in place that that necklace would find its way back to the person it was created for.
And since Roy had it, it could only mean that Roy was the person whom his good friend had created the necklace for!
'Could his friend be Night?' Roy wondered.
Ten thousand years ago, he was the most reputable figure in the Thousand Great World. And he was proanly the only one worthy of being the Obsidian Overlord's friend!
