The Bellingham Conundrum

Will heard Palmer's report and was happy. It was concise and left out nothing. The group had not encountered much. They had only met 3 groups of monsters on the way there. Only two were led by Sector Bosses which required a few of the generals to take action. The weak mobs were often smoothly dealt with by the deities while the Spectralians were often responsible for purifying their path ahead from the poison.

Almost everyone born on Spectralia has a certain affinity to the light element. They were not only known for their prowess in light magic but their purification skills were quite well known. Among other things. The light element had too many uses and was quite rare. Thus Spectralia enjoyed quite the position.

A few people with powerful Truth capable of resisting the poison went into the Poison Miasma to explore, but the results were not pleasant. They had discovered that the poison mist had a creature called a Wailing Banshee. This was a ghost-like creature that screamed the moment it attacked.

In its normal state, it was intangible but when it screamed it became tangible for the duration of its yell. This was often when it attacked. Thanks to the poison, it was almost impossible to detect until it was close. According to Odysseus, its body was poisonous and the Wailing Banshees of this mist had a potent version of Fafnir's poison that even high-level cultivators feared. A single scratch would put one at risk and even the best healer among them would need a few minutes to cleanse one of the poison.

Wailing Banshees were already a nightmare normally as they were immune to physical attacks. In their intangible state, they could only be harmed by certain attacks imbued by the Light Element or Mental Energy Attacks. In their solid state, one needed enormous amounts of qi or mana while higher powers like Truth could damage soul-type creatures under the right circumstances.

"The Eternal Night scouts discovered that the Spirit Link that had been on Lydia was cast by someone from the Bellingham Empire, there was a minor clash but Death Calling ordered a swift retreat. There were no major injuries or casualties. Aside from that, there have not been any major incidents to report." Palmer smoothly finished his report without a pause.

"Thank you, Palmer. I think I have an idea of what's happening." Will replied as he fell into thought.

Earlier on, although he could hear what was happening, he was putting most of his effort into his area and did not have much brain power to plan ahead. There was planning needed since the Bellinghams were involved.

The Mystos Alliance was a large organization within this part of the system. Of the large factions present, the ones involved with the Mystos Alliance were: The Bellingham Empire, Spectralia, The Veritas, and Frozen Asgard. Spectralia and The Bellingham Empire were under the protection of Everlasting Willow while the Frozen Asgard Sect and The Veritas were extremely large organizations spanning large distances. Alas, Natasha and Gianluigi were not the highest ranking within their respective organizations, hence despite the size of their organizations being the largest, their statuses were the same as Mercedes and Ulysses. One could even say their statuses were even lower due to the higher level of talent the Spectralian duo had.

Michael Bellingham on the other hand, although talented in cultivation, had a much more feared skill, strategy! His tactical acumen and proficiency in the art of war had made many aware of his presence. In a world dictated by cultivation, he was able to raise his own value through his mental capabilities. Ulysses did not see Michael as a rival, but he could never turn his back on him. Mercedes was also quite weary of his schemes.

Will knew of the complicated relationships between the members of the Mystos Alliance as he had been informed of this after his tournament meeting with the others. Now he had to apply this knowledge, which in and of itself, was a difficult task because Will was not a schemer by nature. He was an average strategist in military movements, even though he enjoyed strategy it was not a talent he possessed. But he still had a useful talent when it came to adapting on the fly.

"Okay, guys here is how we are going to navigate this. The Bellinghams are probably going to attack us soon. We are led by Odysseus while they are being led by Siegfried himself. Hence this is their home ground. They know way more than us. Not only that, but Michael also saw our selection tournament, so you can bet he knows how most of us can fight. This means what he doesn't know is our advantage. In this case, that is yours truly."

Natasha, Francis, Gianluigi and the others paid attention and nodded. But the question was, how useful was Solitary?

"I have a Mental Energy ability to detect spiritual beings that get within a ten-meter radius of me. That's how I discovered the Spirit Link. So I need a team of guys with quick reaction speed. I will use the Breath of Solitude to clear the poison and that should help us out. If any Wailing Banshees attack, I will warn the guys with me and they can counter." Said Will with a hand on his chin.

A few eyes flashed with insight as they remembered Will's spiritual acumen. Mental Energy practitioners could indeed harm soul-type beings. There was no doubt. And the Solitary Sword Sovereign manual was a Mental Energy Cultivation manual at its root. So many were inclined to believe Will, but that was only half the problem.

Lydia raised a brow in doubt, "The poison here is incredibly thick. You would need an output at least 20 times your previous Guided Strike to clear this area, how can you achieve that if your last attempt made you unconscious?"

Lydia sounded rude but she asked a question on everyone's mind. The Breath was an ability that allowed one to be a conduit for raw World Energy without having to store it as mana or qi. Will's maximum output under the Breath had been measured. Thus it stood to reason that his actual output was much less than 4 kilometres. He would barely be able to clear a large enough area for their troops.

Will had predicted this and had an answer ready, "Oh it's simple really. I won't clear the entire thing, I will just clear a path. I know the path we need to take. The poison is a tool we can also use. If I create a path through the poison, a few elites can travel inside and go to Fafnir's Gravesite. The rest will stand guard here and make sure that no one enters through the path we cleared."

"But Michael will just send people to hunt us down." Chimed in a worried Francis.

Will smirked, "That's what I'm hoping for."

Francis tilted her head in confusion, but Palmer quickly added, "I see. To chase us, they have to defeat the soldiers guarding the entrance you make or they have to charge through the poison!

The Bellingham have an advantage in terms of knowledge but we have the advantage when it comes to top quality combatants! They only have a few people capable of chasing us through the poison!"

Francis and the rest of the people in the room revealed expressions of insight. The Bellinghams could not wait until they cleared the guards at the entrance. They had to give chase.

"This plan assumes that the Bellinghams won't have many troops stationed here. If they had some method to arrive at the Gravesite in large numbers, then the elite squad we sent there would get wiped out." Added Lydia.

Will smirked in derision and said, "What do you think Michael's goal is. Is it to stop us? Or is it clear this dungeon first? You think he is like Peerless, focusing on the corpse of the beast first and ignoring the treasures that the beast died protecting?"

The treasure was no doubt the primary target, hence it was impossible that Michael would station the majority of his troops at the corpse site as it was not of as much value.

"If we go in as elites, they can't ignore us. They will at least send a squad to distract us and keep us here while they focus on the treasure. So, now the question is, who in here has the guts to go in there with me?" Will asked as he narrowed his eyes at the group.

Gianluigi laughed uproariously and put his arm around Will, "The Veritas have no cowards, and no one can use Truth better than us. I and 2 of my brethren shall join you. I also want to bring Achilles along as well. I want to experience The Macedonian Charge myself." His red eyes glimmered as he looked forward to the battles ahead.

Gianluigi respected the strong. Solitary Sword Sovereigns were known for their feats of bravery bordering across the suicidal. Hence it was not hard for Will to receive respect from the battle-obsessed Veritas. They were also a Mental Energy organization as Truth was a power of the mind. Hence he felt a connection of sorts to Will after learning of his identity.

"Include Lydia and Palmer from our end as well. Palmer has the ability to inscribe teleportation circles. He can create a way back for you if he establishes a link here." Mercedes added. Lydia's face became ugly while Palmer's expression didn't change an inch. He carried on with his casual smile as if the whole world was in the palm of his hands.

'Does this mean Lady Mercedes is giving up the control of this mission?'

"However I will only agree to this if Natasha agrees to lead this mission."

Mercedes' words stunned most of the listeners. There was a large chance she would refuse. Odysseus couldn't force her to go and she had a sensitive identity that even Mercedes had to respect.

'She will most likely say no. If she agrees, the chances of the mission succeeding are high, but if she says no then I have an excuse to cancel the mission. It's a win-win for me." Mercedes was pleased by this move, but Natasha did something unexpected.

"I agree to your terms.