"Yes, that's also the time needed for Nina to grow up and for her future to be better decided," Vicente said, indicating that he had no intention of doing this before his sister turned 14.
Nina was almost 11, so that would give them about three years to prepare.
"We have until her awakening..." Rory murmured, leaning his back against the cushion of a chair. "Well, I don't know if we'll have Sovereigns in the group by then, but we'll certainly be much stronger."
"I have plans for that. Let's worry about the 'little' time we have another time." Vicente thought about his new ability to temporarily increase the mana density in his surroundings. "Besides what I have in mind, our business will grow in the next few years, and new opportunities will surely arise.
Let's just worry about what's closest to us for now."
Rory and Eve agreed and said nothing more on the subject.
Neither of them considered the existence of Onyx and Torne in Vicente's plans. They didn't know about Torne, and as for that beast, even if it was already at the end of the 4th stage, the chances that it would manage to become a Paragon in 3 years were zero.
It would be difficult enough for someone to become a Sovereign in Scott Province, but even in the kingdom's capital, the richest place in the state, it would be practically impossible for someone to reach the 5th stage there, even with outside resources.
Why was the family with the strongest Sovereigns the leader of a state as large as the Seidel Kingdom?
It was because no Sovereign seeking the 5th stage would waste their time in the kingdom, and Paragons wouldn't benefit at all from ruling or living in that area.
So even if Onyx were halfway to becoming a Paragon Beast, it wouldn't happen as long as he lived in that state.
The ones who could really improve a lot in the group were the Mages, as there was enough wealth in the province and the kingdom for 3rd stage people to have prospects for growth by living there.
Vicente narrowed his eyes and changed the subject. "After I broke up with Layla and Casey, I discovered The Vile Altar in the Kenyth Empire. That's where I found Onyx and the artifacts I brought with me."
"Oh?" Eve was surprised, for the legends said that the order's outposts had all been ravaged and subsequently exploited by enemies of the order or even common explorers.
"I thought there were no more altars with such resources. How did you get so lucky?" Rory asked with interest in his eyes.
"Not far from the border of the empire and the kingdom." Vicente smiled. "But this was not a unique encounter, my friends. In this place I found by accident, I discovered something important about the Cataclysm Order and its altars."
Eve and Rory listened to Vicente with interest. They both believed in what the Congregation of Revelation preached, but they weren't the kind of people who would pass up an opportunity just for the sake of it.
"Some of the order's altars were not publicly known places. So there are places from this ancient religion that have been preserved and contain not only resources but also intact and useful structures for those with similar goals to ours." Vicente showed them what he wanted with his gaze.
"I have the locations of three secret outposts of this ancient religion."
Rory asked after he understood what his friend wanted. "You want to explore these places and then use them as outposts for our group?"
"Exactly. Most of the resources we'll find in these places won't be useful to most of us. Still, the artifacts and other things could be very important to the family. I found over 11,000 gold coins and 30 magic stones in the secret place I visited.
Imagine what we could accomplish if we were to clear out the other three outposts?"
"Thirty magic stones?" Eve's eyes widened, for that would be enough for someone like her to raise her cultivation from Low-
level Mage to High-level Mage quickly.
If those stones weren't used for strengthening, they could be used as an energy reserve for about 6 different Low-level Mages, enough to temporarily give them the power to try to fight High-level Mages.
"That... Did you get all that?" Rory asked as he opened his mouth, not expecting Vicente to have found so many riches in one place by chance.
Vicente smiled at both of them. "I told you. The place was preserved. Enemies of the order or explorers didn't discover it. If we can find places like this, we can not only greatly increase our resources but also obtain outposts that we don't need to invest in defensive structures at all.
It would be enough for us to send our groups to occupy and manage our operations near each of these outposts. Eventually, we could even have our own place to awaken the magical powers of allies in the future without having to depend on the Congregation of Revelation!"
As much as the two youths in front of Vicente believed in the teachings of the Congregation of Revelation, they had their own selfishness. They couldn't deny that it would be highly beneficial to the group to have a place where they could awaken the powers of allies.
Not only was it of great value because it could make it easier to recruit talent for their group, but it also had the potential to provide security for their future partners and subordinates.
They were all well aware of what had happened to Lauren and how the Awakening Temples didn't protect young people who awakened their powers. They could do things differently if they had places like the Awakening Altars!
Rory asked. "Where is the closest Altar to us?"
"According to the map I found at the outpost in the Kenyth Empire, there is a secret altar in the Diamond Province. The terrain there may have changed a bit in the millennia since the fall of the order. But if we search for a while, we could eventually find that outpost and absorb its resources and structure." Vicente was sincere.
He already knew about this place, but in his rush to settle his affairs and return to Saltstar City to deal with the vampire, he hadn't invested his time in searching for the outpost.
He had passed close to where such an altar should be, but since there were no Dark Path creatures around that place, it would have taken him time to search for such an area. So, he decided to go back to the future and explore that area.
"That would give us a secret outpost near the capital."
"Exactly." Vicente smiled, seeing that his friends understood how important this could be for them.
"All right, I'll prepare a group to send there in the future after we've explored and mastered the terrain." Rory agreed with him. "When do you plan to go there?"
"After we've taken care of the vampire."
