Nobody told me this wasn't a game.

But this ability failed to work on Leonard.

Hongyan tried again, but it still didn't work. He let out a sigh of relief and said, "Agnice, don't be nervous. With us protecting you, we can at least be sure that Mr. Leonard is alright. No matter how powerful the Dragon Princess's abilities are, her magic will eventually fail."

Agnes nodded: "As you said."

boom--

Suddenly, a dazzling light flashed in the dream.

Leonard looked up, somewhat surprised.

boom--

boom--

The golden-red light flashed twice more, and Leonard realized that this must be the power of the God of Fire.

He was overjoyed and said, "Mr. Devil, has General Red Rock come to save me?"

"Maybe, perhaps. I'm not sure."

The war demon spoke with a smile.

Must be!

Everything can be faked, except divine power. It is unique, possessing a distinctive and iconic power; it cannot be fake!

If Brother Hongyan has arrived, then it means we are safe!

Leonard breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Mr. Devil, when will this dream end?"

A sinister smile crept across the war demon's lips: "After I... collect my reward."

Chapter 368 Mediocrity is not an option!

Remuneration? What kind of reward?

Leonard paused slightly, his unease growing stronger. Maintaining his composure, he smiled and said, "You saved my life; I should reward you. Your Excellency, may I ask your name?"

"My name is..."

The black and white spotted puppy stood up and walked around twice.

"I am now the 'Lord of Paradise Island,' the guardian spirit of the witches, the maintainer of ancient knowledge, and the spectator awaiting the feast. If you wish, call me the 'Fire-Stirring Demon.'"

Arch...the demon of fire?

It sounds neither just nor evil, just plain annoying.

The war demon looked at Leonard and said, "Are you feeling a little anxious right now?"

Leonard didn't shy away from the truth: "As you said, yes. It all stemmed from my blindness, and I bear an undeniable responsibility for what happened today! If I had been more vigilant, this shouldn't have happened."

The demons of war paid no heed to Leonard's self-reflection.

Its smile grew increasingly sinister as it spoke to itself, "People inevitably feel anxious when they lose something they cherish. Watching their savings dwindle, watching themselves grow old, or... the slow loss of power."

"..."

Leonard remained silent.

The war demon continued, “Furthermore, human intuition is quite fascinating. Even if you are unaware of something happening, you can still have a premonition. You don’t understand why you feel that way at the time, but when the truth comes out, you suddenly realize—ah, I see.”

Leonard's gaze turned serious: "You 'fire-starter,' what are you trying to say?"

The war demon looked up: "Now I want to talk to you about payment. Payment for saving you once."

"...What do you want?"

"Your water god power."

"What did you say?!"

"Goodbye Leonard, I've taken what I wanted."

The figure of the war demon slowly disappeared, and the dream shattered at that moment.

"Well!!"

In the command center, Leonard suddenly opened his eyes wide and let out a breathless sound.

Before he could even grasp the situation, he stood up in disbelief. After a moment of disorientation, he slowly began to see his surroundings.

"Mr. Leonard, you're awake?"

General Hongyan, who was leaning against the wall, spoke.

I'm awake.

but……

It vanished. Leonard examined his body and found that he only possessed the most basic magical power, with no trace of "source" remaining.

That feeling of being intimately connected with water, that exhilarating and wondrous sense of being able to remotely perceive all things in the world through the moisture in the air, like a creator, has vanished completely!

"Father……"

Agnes stood up and squinted.

She looked at Leonard and asked, "Where is your water god power?"

Leonard turned his head and saw that Agnes' eyes held no concern, only shock and anger.

He covered his forehead and after a long while said, "Gentlemen... we need to hold a meeting to discuss the current situation and the next steps."

It was at this very moment that all the members of the Hessé family suddenly realized—

They were no longer the followers of the water god.

……

……

"Got it! Open the door!"

Aloe was overjoyed and said excitedly.

Without hesitation, Fan Kou channeled his magic into the star chart, opening a teleportation portal. The three of them filed in and appeared inside the Heavenly King City Lord's Mansion. Fan Kou then performed a second ritual to urgently close the spacetime tunnel.

After doing all this and confirming that no one was chasing him, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He turned his head and stared at the dazzling blue light in Aloe's hand, momentarily lost in thought.

What a clear and magnificent blue it was!

It's as clean as a baby's, and every shimmer gives you a sense of peace and joy.

"What a nice view……"

He muttered to himself.

With such a precious treasure before them, everyone's breathing became cautious, and a greedy desire arose from the depths of their hearts, a desire to possess the source of the gods and wander the world.

However, everyone present was intelligent and quickly suppressed the idea.

Aloe solemnly placed the Water God's Root on the table. After thinking for a moment, she took a box and packed it away.

Then, she looked around and said, "Captain Mu, Captain Fan, let's celebrate! We have exceeded our mission and successfully seized the Origin of God. The process was so smooth that it was unbelievable. This is both good fortune and destiny! This credit belongs to the three of us, and I will write down your contributions in the report."

Ah this.

Musogen and Fankou exchanged a glance, both realizing that Aloe might want to say something.

What was she trying to say?

Musogen hesitated for a moment, then said, “If we’re talking about credit, it’s definitely Leader Aloe who deserves the most credit! Without the secret passage, we couldn’t have infiltrated, and you were the one who discovered it; without the formation, we couldn’t have stolen the Root Source, and you were the one who set up the formation. I did almost nothing, so I dare not take credit.”

Fan Kou also said, "Aloe, I apologize for my previous recklessness. Your abilities exceed my expectations. You possess both courage and strategy, making you a qualified leader."

Aloe smiled and shook her head, then suddenly said, "You two, I think... we need to help each other; it's beneficial for everyone."

"??"

Musogen frowned, still puzzled.

Fan Kou, however, understood immediately and laughed, "That's right! I spoke with Mr. Bai Lin these past two days—Mr. Bai Lin is a very friendly person. He said that almost all of the general's subordinates are his old men: Vanguard Bird, Chief Rose, plus Mr. Bai Lin himself—they are all people who fought alongside him in the past and are deeply trusted! The three of us are newcomers, and since we arrived, we haven't received any decent appointments..."

"Of course, I'm not doubting the abilities of the Heavenly King's former subordinates. They are all prominent figures, and the fact that they are valued shows that they are indeed outstanding."

"What I'm trying to say is... if the three of us can help each other out, it's better than fighting alone, isn't it?"

Ambition.

Musogen sensed the scent of ambition.

If he still didn't understand after all this, then he had lived in vain. Old Man Mu thought to himself, "So that's how it is. I joined the Heavenly King's ranks to try and break through to the fifteenth realm, to become the Supreme One; but Fan Kou and Aloe are obviously more proactive and eager than I am. They want not only power, but also authority."

"That's understandable. High-ranking positions and generous salaries, along with being respected by others, are things everyone would love."

"Both Fankou and Aloe realized that the old guard of the Heavenly King was a small circle, and it wouldn't be easy to integrate. So they tried to form an alliance to guard against possible shocks."

"but……"

Based on what Musuogen had seen and heard since joining the group, he believed that Bailin, Feiniao, and even the infamous "Blood Rose" were not difficult people to get along with.

What's even more commendable is that those around the Heavenly King General didn't have a strong desire for power; the most obvious manifestation of this was—

They never form cliques.

Aloe and Fan Kou don't seem to realize this yet. They come from the 1555 community, and the generals of the 1555 community lack prestige, so the infighting among their subordinates is extremely fierce. Aloe and Fan Kou are probably applying their past experience to the Heavenly King General.

Musogen hesitated for a moment, then said, "Aloe Captain and Fan Kou Captain, you have only recently joined, so you probably don't know General Tianwang yet. Compared to other places, this place is very pure."

Aloe smiled slightly: "Mr. Mu, you misunderstand. I just want to do more. I am a member of the Aloe family, the leader who inherited the name 'Aloe'. I will not allow myself to be mediocre."

Chapter 369 doesn't really understand

Everyone has their own aspirations, and Mu Suogen respected others' choices, so he remained silent.

As for whether to accept Aloe's invitation... he felt it was neither a question nor an answer. Having more friends meant having more options, and as long as he was careful and stood firm on matters of principle, there shouldn't be any major problems.

So he agreed to Aloe and Fan Kou's proposal and went with them to Zuo Chang's room.

"what?"