Chapter 258 - Lu Ran’s Goal

The next day, Lu Ran and his group secretly left the country under Manager Ying’s guidance. Since Lu Ran was no longer in a hurry, both he and the baby cloud took their time.

High above the sky, Lu Ran and Manager Ying sat on a large cloud.

“Manager Ying, I don’t think this is right. I asked you to escort me, so why does it feel like we’re exploiting Baby Cloud?”

Manager Ying pointed at the shimmering light outside the cloud and said, “Didn’t I add a barrier? This way, no one will detect us. You don’t expect me to teleport the entire way, do you?”

“But Baby Cloud isn’t even a month old yet!” Lu Ran clutched his chest in distress, then rolled over to find a more comfortable position.

To be fair, this is indeed more comfortable than riding Captain Doofus or Sudden Death King, or even teleporting. It’s soft and fluffy.

“It’s fine. Training should start early!” Manager Ying declared righteously.

It definitely wasn’t holding a grudge against the Weather Sprite for mocking it last time.

“Fine. Fair point.”

Since this was more comfortable, Lu Ran had no problem accepting this explanation. The nausea from teleportation wasn’t something he particularly enjoyed either.

“

Li...

”

As for the Weather Sprite, its blue eyes were glaring and its cheeks were puffed in discontent as it tried its best to fly. It didn’t quite understand how it had suddenly been reduced to a mere mode of transportation.

“Have you figured out how to use that secret realm card? If you have no plans for it, why not give it to me?”

Lying lazily on the cloud, Manager Ying once again set its sights on Lu Ran’s resources.

“Not a chance.” Lu Ran rejected instantly. “I plan to collect more secret realm cards and establish several small secret realms in Green Sea City. For now, the transcendent species there aren’t too powerful and can still integrate into Green Sea City.

“But once their levels increase, and a single yawn from them can affect the environment, they won’t be suitable for living near human settlements anymore. When that time comes, I’ll relocate them all into small secret realms.”

“

Tch...

I should remind you that right now, these transcendent species aren’t strong, nor are they highly intelligent. But once they grow stronger and develop more complex thoughts, be careful to not raise tigers to bring disaster upon yourself,” Manager Ying sneered.

Lu Ran smiled slightly. “For important transcendent species, I’ll definitely have ways to keep them in check. Don’t worry.”

Manager Ying’s concern wasn’t unfounded. Right now, Lu Ran could use his strength and benefits to keep them tied to him. But what if, someday, they encountered someone offering even greater power and benefits? Take Mystic Turtle, for example. It was directly taken by the Merfolk Kingdom, and Lu Ran had no way to stop it.

As other beast factions grew, Green Sea City’s transcendent species would inevitably face the risk of being poached. Lu Ran couldn’t guarantee that every transcendent species would be as loyal as Dark Crow or as lazy as Mystic Turtle.

If that happened, all his efforts in nurturing them might end up benefiting someone else instead.

Currently, among all species in Green Sea City, Lu Ran trusted the crows the most. Once Dark Crow fused with the Legion Domination trait, it could establish a contract with the crows. As long as Dark Crow existed, the ordinary crows wouldn’t betray him.

However, with other species—even the Insect King, which Lu Ran personally nurtured—he wasn’t entirely confident. He felt like it could be lured away by a beautiful insect seduction plan. If even the Insect King had this risk, then creatures like Fire Snake and Ice Bird, who were originally subdued by brute force, would be even less reliable.

Because of this, Lu Ran planned to see if the Kinship beastmaster skill could help mitigate some of these risks. By turning Green Sea City’s stronger beasts into kin of his own familiars, he wouldn’t have to worry about them getting poached.

However, since he hadn’t learned the Kinship skill yet, Lu Ran wasn’t sure how many kin each familiar could have. But given the way beastmaster skills worked, even if every familiar could only have one kin at first, the number should increase with development.

In the worst case scenario, he could just use amplification cards to boost himself a bunch of Soul Cleansing Fruits and push the Kinship skill to its limits.

“Manager Ying, can the portable space you created store living creatures?”

“No.”

“What a shame. It seems that once a secret realm is established, its location becomes fixed and can’t be carried around. Otherwise, I could have a mobile secret realm and bring an entire army of familiars with me.” Lu Ran sighed. “There’s really no way? Do you think there’s any space equipment that can store living creatures and be carried around?”

That would basically be an alternative beastmaster space.

Manager Ying’s mouth twitched.

Your addiction to hoarding beasts is unreal. No wonder you could raise something like Dark Crow.

“What about your Soul-Restraining Bottle?”

“That won’t work. It can’t store spiritual entities, but only the souls of those who have lost their physical bodies. And those souls are on the verge of dissipating, with no self-awareness. They’re no different from dead objects.”

“Then there’s no solution. That kind of space equipment would have to be at least Epic grade.”

As Lu Ran was deep in thought, he said, “If only I had an Epic amplification card, I could take a Rare-grade space equipment, and enhance it to Treasure grade, and then to Epic grade...”

Manager Ying said, “If you’re really that desperate, you’ll have to look into ascension realms.”

“Hm?”

“I only heard about this, but apparently, some level 8 beastmasters on the Stellar Moon Continent had modified their beastmaster spaces into independent secret realms. Those secret realms existed in tool form that could store living creatures and were portable. They were basically Epic-grade space equipment.

“But these tools are extremely rare. Even on the Stellar Moon Continent, there were hardly any circulating. Blue Planet’s beastmasters have little information on them. If you manage to become a disciple of a Legendary beastmaster in your next realm, you could try investigating it.

“Of course, obtaining such an item would be even harder than inheriting a Legendary sect. Even your necromancer master was only a level 7 beastmaster, right?”

“For real?”

After hearing Manager Ying’s intel, Lu Ran didn’t focus on the difficulty. If a portable space truly existed, he had to get his hands on one. Once he learned Kinship and Dark Crow fused with Legion Domination, he’d need it badly. In the short term, it would even boost his strength faster than opening a new beastmaster space.

“Well, it should be real. Consider that intel a freebie.”

“Alright. Once Captain Doofus evolves, I’ll head to the ascension realm and see if I can obtain one.”

“What? I was just saying it in passing! You actually took it seriously?” Manager Ying looked at him in disbelief.

There wasn’t any difference with him claiming he’d go into a secret realm and walk out with an Epic-grade artifact. Even the Undead Cult might not have possessed such things. To get one, he’d have to raid the Imperial Beast City palace.

And even if such an artifact existed, it would most likely be in the hands of the Imperial Beast Empire’s legendary powerhouses.

Lu Ran smiled faintly.

“One should always have dreams. Besides, once I finish my ascension mission, I’ll have nothing else to do. I might as well set another goal to pass the time.”

A fake beastmaster diligently completed their ascension mission. A true beastmaster began world exploration once the mission was done.

***

After arriving at Other Shore Island, Lu Ran and his group met up with Lin Nian. Upon seeing her, Lu Ran didn’t immediately bring up the Undead Secret Realm.

Instead, he asked, “Is there a vampire named Crimson Earl on this island?”

Lin Nian folded her arms.

“I remember. When we first arrived at Other Shore Island, it helped us a little. Afterward, Gu Qingyi beat it to a pulp and locked it up. Right now, all members of the Other Shore are imprisoned. As planned, we’re investigating their past activities before making any further decisions.

“However, even though they’re locked up, those necromancers seem quite happy after eating the soul food you provided. Not a single one of them has complained about not being released.” Lin Nian’s expression turned amused.

She hadn’t expected this outcome. Some necromancers even openly stated that as long as they were given food and shelter, they didn’t mind staying imprisoned for a year or two.

Lu Ran was confused.

Have these guys been starving for so long that even prison life feels luxurious?

Well, it made sense. For many who were forced into necromancy, simply feeding their familiars was already a struggle. They lived in constant hardship. Compared to that, this situation might actually be a rare moment of peace for them. This wasn’t so much imprisonment as it was rehabilitation.

“I need to see that vampire earl. To enter the secret realm, I need high-quality blood, right? It’ll do.”

Beside him, Manager Ying was smirking.

Someone is about to suffer.

From the way Captain Doofus held grudges, it knew Lu Ran wasn’t any different.

“Sure,” Lin Nian replied indifferently.

She wasn’t particularly concerned about what Lu Ran intended to do.

Other Shore Prison had been built by the Other Shore itself. Special minerals were embedded in the walls to prevent Space-attribute abilities. Once imprisoned here, even teleporting to Limitless City would be difficult.

Led by Lin Nian, Lu Ran and Manager Ying teleported to a specialized prison cell. Inside it, there was a disheveled vampire that sat chained to the wall with anti-magic shackles. Its eyes were half-closed.

As spatial fluctuations shimmered, it slowly opened its eyes. The moment it saw Lu Ran, it grinned widely and shook its chains.

“

Hahahaha!

You’ve finally come. Now you can release me, right?”

Crimson Earl was deeply dissatisfied with the way Xia handled things. It was among the first members of The Other Shore to provide resources and intelligence to Xia. Imprisoning the other higher-ups for investigation was one thing, but why was it locked up too?

Just as Crimson Earl was about to greet Lu Ran, Lu Ran summoned Dark Crow. Its expression was cold and indifferent as it stared at the vampire.

So, you’re the one who dared to injure the my king? Unforgivable!

“Dark Crow, turn it into a pig. Then we’ll extract a kilogram of its blood to open the secret realm.”

Crimson Earl was flabbergasted. The next moment, the entire prison echoed with pig-like screams. As Lin Nian watched the scene unfold, she raised an eyebrow.

Just how deep is this grudge?

***

With the temporary secret realm key secured, Lu Ran followed Lin Nian’s guidance. Dark Crow released its spiritual energy, wrapping it around the blood crystal to activate the Undead Secret Realm.

Just like entering the Youxiong Clan trial realm, Lu Ran experienced a teleportation effect and was directly transported inside.

However, the moment he arrived, he froze in place. Just as the level 5 necromancer had described, the Undead trial realm was indeed an ancient battlefield.

The surrounding devastation made it clear that an incredibly brutal war had taken place here. But when Lu Ran looked into the distance, the mountain ranges were familiar—completely shattering his composure.

This secret realm’s environment was identical to the Undead Cult’s headquarters. For a moment, Lu Ran almost thought he had returned to the cult from the previous ascension realm.

His eyes flickered, and his expression grew heavy.

“In the normal historical timeline, what exactly happened to the cult? Why did it turn into a battlefield? Wasn’t the cult’s headquarters created by a follower of the Death Dragon? Could it have been destroyed by the imperial army?”