Chapter 245 - Visitor from the International Beastmaster Alliance

Crow wings, a beak, and red eyes—combined with eerie spiritual energy and the aura of curses.

If Lu Ran wore the Undead Holy Robe and pulled its hood over his head, his appearance would closely resemble that of a medieval plague doctor.

Lu Ran sighed helplessly. He was a good person, yet with all these familiars’ abilities entwining him, he looked less and less like one.

However, he only felt a brief moment of disappointment before a smile appeared on his face.

So this is the feeling of undead possession? It feels vastly different from Flame Spirit possession.

Dark Crow was a level 30 Low Overlord, but with its possession, the power Lu Ran could exert far exceeded that grade. This made perfect sense. Otherwise, possession would not be considered a signature ability of the Undead attribute and necromancers.

Whoosh!

A mass of gray-black flames ignited in Lu Ran’s palm, and he started to grin.

After extensive research, he had finally mastered Soul Fire!

Once he allowed Dark Crow to possess him, transforming himself into an undead human, this special ability came naturally. His spiritual energy and Flame Spirit fused seamlessly, requiring almost no effort on his part.

Unlike ordinary flames, Soul Fire had a unique trait—it burned souls with relentless intensity, completely ignoring the physical body. Of course, Lu Ran had not spent the past half-month studying this ability just to attack souls.

For attacking souls, he already had Captain Doofus’ Soul-Cutting Sword Intent, as well as his own Psychic Sword Intent. His true purpose was to master Soul Fire as an essential prerequisite for the Soul Forging Technique.

The Soul Forging Technique was an exclusive forging method of the Undead Cult, developed by its blacksmiths after studying traces of Legendary Secret Realms.

Its biggest difference from conventional forging methods was that it eliminated reliance on external tools.

For instance, when normal beastmasters forged weapons and equipment, the final step, which was engraving inscriptions, required the assistance of Inscription Stones, which could not be ignored.

However, with the Soul Forging Technique, Inscription Stones became unnecessary. Instead, blacksmiths could use soul power directly to inscribe Soul Imprints, enhancing the equipment!

Not only did this method not weaken the effects, but it made them even stronger. In addition, the Undead Cult had developed a unique inscription that granted them the ability to nurture a weapon spirit when engraved onto weapons or equipment.

Although Lu Ran had not personally witnessed the birth of a weapon spirit back when he infiltrated the Undead Cult, that was simply because the method was newly developed and required time for the nurturing process.

Still, he had already mastered the entire nurturing method, and once he crafted a weapon using Soul Forging, he could find a place to nurture his own!

***

One day later, the undead incident continued to escalate.

Lu Ran received a reminder from Dr. Gu Qingyi.

“The International Beastmaster Alliance representatives will arrive in Xia tomorrow. Get ready.

“It looks like they’ve brought a necromancer to verify things. He was once an undercover agent embedded in the Other Shore.”

Lu Ran responded, “Understood.”

He sneered inwardly.

So, the International Beastmaster Alliance has its own necromancers as well, huh?

Currently, the International Beastmaster Alliance was primarily led by a few major nations, with numerous smaller nations joining under their umbrella.

Additionally, there was a faction of non-affiliated beastmasters who were powerful individuals from smaller nations.

Upon realizing that their homelands lacked sufficient resources to support their ambitions, they abandoned their national ties and treated the alliance as their second home. They climbed through its ranks to constantly seek greater benefits.

This faction of non-affiliated beastmasters had grown so influential that even the major nations had to take them seriously. They had become an important force within the alliance.

With the alliance divided into so many factions, it was no surprise that there were differing approaches toward the Other Shore. Given the introduction of a new attribute, it would be ridiculous if they didn’t have undercover agents within the Other Shore.

“Finally! I’ve collected 1,000 teeth!”

Lu Ran laughed maniacally while hanging up the call. He brushed aside all other concerns as he turned his focus back to Captain Doofus.

“

Woof.

”

Beside him, Captain Doofus held a Rare-grade Space-attribute sword in his mouth and shook its head.

Through repeated energy compression training, they collected many teeth faster than expected.

The purpose of this sword was to help Captain Doofus develop affinity with the Space attribute so that it would be easier to master Sword Domain.

“Leave it to me. In a few days, I’ll forge you a divine sword!”

Lu Ran patted Captain Doofus’ head and was about to start analyzing the forging process when another call came in.

It was from Zhu Kaixin. His nickname in the Twelve Zodiacs was Pig God. Lu Ran answered, but before he could say anything, Zhu Kaixin exclaimed excitedly.

“

Heh, heh,

my brother, great news! I got my foreign buddy to give me an extremely suitable Treasure resource for you!! I had to beg and plead, but he finally handed it over.”

Lu Ran froze in surprise. Zhu Kaixin was truly someone worth associating with!

Beside him, Captain Doofus’ ears perked up.

A resource?

Its expression shifted, its mouth curling into a wise, knowing grin.

“Guess what it is? Ah, forget it, I won’t tease you. Didn’t you say your Gale Sword Dog was training Sword Domain and that you wanted to develop its Space attribute in the future?

“Well, I got you a Space-attribute resource! It’s called Dimensional Rift Root!”

“What is that?”

Hearing that it was a Space-attribute resource, Lu Ran was in a great mood. He hadn’t expected Zhu Kaixin to come through so well.

From Zhu Kaixin’s perspective, this was a fair trade. After all, he had received an Undead Resurrection skill card from Lu Ran, and considering Lu Ran’s ability to solve the undead attribute’s growth limitations, he had essentially gained multiple extra lives.

As a first-generation top-tier beastmaster, Zhu Kaixin understood the dangers of this profession. Forging a good relationship with Lu Ran was similar to buying life insurance. Investing just one Treasure resource was a small price to pay.

“It’s a special plant that grows with one half in an alternate dimension and the other in the outside world, absorbing void energy to mature. It’s a Treasure-grade Space-attribute resource.

“But it’s different from the Ethereal Flower. While the Ethereal Flower grants a familiar the Space attribute, the Dimensional Rift Root only allows it to attack Space-attribute enemies.

“Let me put it this way. Space-attribute familiars can manipulate their energy flow to enter an Ethereal State, constantly shifting between real and unreal. Normal attacks, unless they distort time and space, struggle to hit them.

“But if a familiar eats this root, its teeth and claws will undergo a transformation, gaining Space properties. It will not only be able to wound Space-attribute enemies easily, but when its teeth shed, they’ll make top-tier Space-attribute forging materials.

“This also enhances space affinity which will aid in domain training and potential future space fusion...”

“

Woof, woof, woof, woof!

”

“Huh? Lu Ran, did you hear a dog barking? Am I imagining things? It almost sounded like cursing.”

Lu Ran’s mouth twitched as he glanced at the furious Captain Doofus beside him.

Yeah, you should be cursed.

Painstakingly collecting 1,000 teeth, only for Zhu Kaixin to casually send over a new resource, telling them that the teeth could evolve further and gain Space-attribute properties...?

Now what? Should we swap out the materials?

If they didn’t, the weapon they forged wouldn’t be of the best quality. But if they did, they’d have to start the whole process over again...

Lu Ran took a deep breath and calmly said, “Nothing, just your imagination. Bro, this is an amazing resource. No need for formalities—it’ll be incredibly useful for me. I’ll gladly accept it.”

“Haha, no big deal!” Zhu Kaixin thumped his chest proudly. “Out of everyone, I bet I got you the best resource!”

***

After hanging up again, Lu Ran and Captain Doofus locked eyes.

Lu Ran reassured while scratching his head. “Don’t worry, we won’t switch.”

Captain Doofus wagged his tail, looking a little lost. This wasn’t about what Lu Ran wanted—it was its own inner conflict. If it could have an even better weapon, it naturally wanted it.

“There’s no best, only better. Once you evolve, your teeth quality will improve. Will you want to change materials then? When you awaken the Space attribute, your teeth quality will increase again. Will you swap again? This is good enough for now.”

Lu Ran put on his best understanding boss face.

More importantly, if the material improved further, he wouldn’t be confident in successfully forging it...

The Void-Slashing Sword was already sufficient as a transition weapon. There was no need to forge an Ice-Wind-Space triple-attribute Treasure sword as the difficulty would be absurdly high.

Even forging a dual-attribute sword was already pushing it. He wasn’t even sure if he could pull it off.

“I’m drained.”

Since he wasn’t sure how long forging a Treasure weapon would take, he didn’t rush to start even though he had all the materials ready. He decided to wait until the International Beastmaster Alliance representatives left before focusing on forging.

For now, he wanted to attempt forging a lower-tier version of the Soul-Restraining Bottle.

Soul-storing items were the key to whether the undead attribute could become mainstream. Even the Undead Cult’s high-ranking members considered them essential. Even their missionaries carried Unique substitutes for the Soul-Restraining Bottle.

As time passed, a team of two men and one woman arrived at Xia’s Mystic City International Airport.

Inside the airport, Gu Qingyi, a member of the Twelve Zodiacs, leaned against a railing, casually scrolling through her phone. She only looked up when the trio approached.

“Welcome, Heavenly King Caesar. Welcome, Dr. Pall.”

Within the International Beastmaster Alliance, there existed a Secret Realm Raid Team that was composed of alliance-appointed beastmasters from different nations. Those who made significant contributions in public realms could earn the prestigious Heavenly King title. It was a mark of strength, achievement, and status.

“The dragon master, huh? No need to bother with formalities,” the burly young man, Heavenly King Caesar, responded nonchalantly.

“Dr. Gu.”

The blonde woman, Dr. Pall, wearing a gray camisole under a white lab coat, with her hair styled in sharp golden spikes, added,

“Heavenly King Caesar is only here to ensure my safety. The verification process will primarily be conducted by myself and Mr. Nolan.”

Gu Qingyi glanced at the renowned International Beastmaster Alliance researcher and the undercover agent who had been embedded in The Other Shore.

“Dr. Pall, I’ll accompany you to Green Sea City then. Professor Lu has been waiting there for quite some time.”

Moments later, the three of them boarded a private jet with Gu Qingyi. Inside, they saw Zhu Kaixin, Shi Zhen, Lin Nian, and a few others already seated, snacking and chatting.

The International Beastmaster Alliance trio paused, their expressions unreadable.

Is Xia really this worried we’ll try something against Lu Ran?

Did they really need such an overwhelming escort lineup?

***

In Green Sea, while playing with a few small bottles, Lu Ran looked up as Manager Ying approached.

“Hey, kid, they’ll be here soon.”

Lu Ran nodded. “I can already see them.”

“You can... see them?”

Manager Ying was confused but then quickly understood.

At Green Sea City Airport, the moment the International Beastmaster Alliance delegation stepped outside, they saw countless black crows perched on top of the surrounding buildings, all staring at them in eerie unison.

“

Caw

—”

“

Caw

—”

One by one, the sinister crows began to call out. At the forefront, the lead Dark Crow locked its gaze onto the visitors. The trio from the alliance froze upon seeing this particular Dark Crow.

Lu Ran’s Twin Crows?

Although this Dark Crow hadn’t reached a high level, it was still an Overlord. More importantly, it was the first Undead-attribute Overlord with a curse ability!

The Eagle Federation’s elite had been turned into pigs by this very crow. Even until now, they remained cursed, making them an international laughingstock. Facing this crow, the three representatives did not dare to be careless.

In fact, they were slightly uneasy.

After all, research on curses and souls in the Blue Planet’s beastmaster community was still extremely limited.

“Follow me. I’ll take you to see my king.” Dark Crow flapped its wings and spoke.

K-King?

“It’s just a title, like Heavenly King in the alliance. Nothing to worry about.”

Beside them, Gu Qingyi smiled slightly.