The Forest Elves were not the only race preparing to approach Michael for his Spirit Armaments, combat prowess, and Soultrait Symbols. The Valyr Lordess, her daughter, and the higher-ups of her family's Clan were all present.
"We have sacrificed a good portion of the Clan's resources to claim the Savannah Region, but we're still facing too many issues. The Lords and monsters bordering the Savannah Region are intentionally creating as much trouble as possible to slow the construction of the border settlements!" One of the higher-ups, a Valyr with four horns, said annoyedly.
"But isn't that obvious?" An elderly woman, the Valyr, seated at the end of the table, asked with a shrug, "My daughter lost her territory in the Regional War. She was betrayed and forced to retreat but managed to claim the entire Savannah Region at the end of the day. The Savannah Region is roughly 70 times larger than before. Valkyria didn't have enough time to prepare for such a large-scale expansion. It is only obvious that the enemies bordering the Savannah Region test Valkyria's defenses to determine if she's a threat or if they can attack to claim her land instead."
The burly Valyr seated next to the elderly woman groaned.
"Valkyria didn't do anything. No, she did something. She lost her territory because she was foolish enough to believe her allies wouldn't betray her. Then she tarnished our reputation by seeking asylum in another Lord's territory, only to end up relying on that Lord to claim the Savannah Region."
The burly Valyr was the Valyr Lordess' father. Valkyria always had issues with her father, who was never satisfied with her. The worst, however, was when she married someone her father hated to the core and when she gave birth to Zira.
Her father loved his granddaughter from the bottom of his heart, but he was disappointed in his one and only daughter. She was a disgrace in his eyes.
"I…" Valkyria's lips parted, but she didn't know what to say.
Zira hated seeing her mother like this. She was usually not that flustered. Valkyria was strong and determined. The Valyr Lordess knew what she wanted and would do everything to acquire what she desired. However, in front of her father, Valkyria was powerless.
"Gramps, please don't be so harsh on Mother. It was obvious that the Trilance would lose. The Zynur Lord's betrayal was bad, but I never expected that we would survive this long against the massive power of 106 Lords. Their council was filled with flaws, yes. Nonetheless, their numbers were more than a hundred times greater than ours. Don't you think it was already a miracle that we survived so long against their council?"
Zira's grandfather wanted to say something, but his wife elbowed him gently. That's enough. Her eyes said with a dangerous glimmer in them.
"How about we pay more attention to the main topic of today's meeting?" She asked lightly but with a trace of determination in her voice.
The main topic. That's what they called their worries and doubts about the Lord of the Untamed Jungle, the man who managed to obliterate an army of millions singlehandedly. He was still a Lesser Lifeform, but his Soultraits and horrifyingly high physical strength pushed his combat power above the thresholds of an ordinary Higher Lifeform.
The Lord of the Untamed Jungle killed dozens of Higher Lifeforms, both Awakened and Summons.
"He has at least seven Soultraits. One of his Soultraits altered his physique drastically, increasing his physical attributes. It should be a High-Class 6-Star Soultrait. His eyes are special as well. It's very hard to notice in your visualized memories because his eyes usually glow. However, the marks around his eyes intensify alongside his glowing eyes right before his enemies falter. I think he can unleash either mental or spiritual attacks through his eyes. Given that the attack also affects Higher Lifeforms, it should be another High-Class 6-Star Soultrait," A young man pointed out. He projected several short clips that had been extracted from the memories of the Valyr Lordess, Zira, and the Valyr Reinforcements that had survived the final battle of the Regional War.
"He can teleport through space while carrying multiple people. His teleportation is near-instantaneous and consumes little energy, resulting in an insignificant release of spatial fluctuations. That makes it harder for his enemies to detect him when he appears nearby. It is probably a Supreme Class 5-Star Soultrait or an Elite Class 6-Star Soultrait."
An image of Michael teleporting all over the battlefield at will appeared on the projection before everyone.
"However, this Soultrait is the weirdest. If you cannot block it, your body will be dissected. However, there are multiple functions to that. Sometimes, golden tendrils burst out of the ground around the Lord of the Untamed Jungle. The tendrils attach to his enemies and suck them dry. Their lifeforce and origin energy are drained as the Draining Touch Soultrait can achieve. But that's not the end of it. He can create a domain with this power. The domain was strong enough to kill everyone below Tier-3 near-instantly. Even our Elite forces at Tier-3 had to retreat once the domain manifested," The young man explained, all while various clips played in front of everyone present.
Zira's grandfather shot up from his chair when he noticed a particular clip. He gestured for the young man to stop and focus on the clip before him.
"Curses," He groaned, his eyes flicking to his wife, who also noticed the Cursed Seals, "Is he an Apprentice Curse User? I heard that only Higher Lifeforms…"
Her attention flicked to her husband.
"That's good," She mumbled.
"Good?! We will be dead if the SHA finds out!" Zira's grandfather, the patriarch, cursed.
"Wouldn't we be dead when the Supreme Human Alliance finds out? It's not like they like us 'lesser beings' either way. At least, we now know that the Lord of the Untamed Jungle won't join the Supreme Human Alliance at any time. He is a Curse User. They don't fit well into the SHA."
Zira's grandfather shook his head, "But that doesn't mean he's a member of the Nest. He cannot even control himself!"
He pointed at one of the last clips from Zira's memories. They showed the Lord of the Untamed Jungle as he lost control of his body. The memories demonstrated the destructive power Michael could unleash if he used his whole power.
"According to my calculations, his main Soultrait is a Mythical Class 7-Star Soultrait. These marks all over his body enhanced this Soultrait's power drastically, granting him a decisive advantage against the council," the young Analyst from before pointed out. He had been waiting for this moment for a while and couldn't hold back anymore.
"I consider that his Mythical Class Soultrait can dissect the living with so much precision that he can rip his enemies' Soultrait Symbols out of their souls!"
Zira nodded vigorously when she heard, "I knew Michael was weaker before. He must have gotten his hands on more Soultraits after he defeated the Kitsun Lord. His Soultrait is probably also how his Subordinates got so much stronger. He gives them Soultraits and strengthens them!"
Zira's grandparents looked at each other, understanding dawning upon them.
"That's also why he queried for living criminals. He takes their Soultraits," The grandfather said, only for the grandmother to nod slowly.
"We're feeding him with Soultrait Symbols…What a sly fox. He didn't lose anything by selling the Savannah Region to us. "
The Valyrs continued to watch the visualized clips of the conversations the Valyrs had with the Lord of the Untamed Jungle. More details and slightly more private topics were mentioned every now and then. A snippet where Michael queried about Zira's Soultrait appeared as well. Usually, the Valyrs would frown upon that question because their race was known for their low-ranked Soultraits, but the expression on the Lord of the Untamed Jungle's face attracted the viewers' interest instead.
It was almost like there was a hidden intention in his expression. Everyone got more serious as they continued watching the projected snippets of memories. The Lord of the Untamed Jungle was dangerous. It was essential to find out what he wanted and if he could become a threat to the Valyrs. However, at the same time, the Lord of the Untamed Jungle was an opportunity. Maybe it was possible to change the Valyrs' fate with Michael's power.
Over several hours, the Valyr learned a lot about Michael. They understood enough about his business deals, tactics, the powers he'd exhibited, and personality to conclude that the Lord of the Untamed Jungle wouldn't attack them as long as they were useful to him.
They understood that Michael didn't have the means to control larger areas of land yet, that his race didn't support him like the Valyrs supported their kind.
The Valyrs finally found something they could make use of.
If the Lord of the Untamed Jungle didn't have a race to rely on…how about the Valyrs become his pillars of support? For an equivalent exchange, of course!
Michael knew nothing about the Valyr race's ideas but would be happy to hear about them. He had always known that the Valyrs' Soultraits were below average. Providing them with some Soultrait Symbols and Soultrait Upgrades would help the Valyr Lordess keep the Savannah Region safe. That meant Michael would have fewer adversaries to face from the Savannah's direction.
Of course, Michael wouldn't hand over his Soultrait Symbols and SoulStar Fragments for free. He was a Lord and businessman, after all!
