Elven cultivators

Anton's gaze swept across the field and found that there were fourteen teams gathered there, of mixed races and diverse backgrounds.

There were minotaurs, clad in heavy plate armor and with burly, hill-like figures.

There was a snake-man shrouded in a wide cloak, with only his eerie green eyes visible.

There were also several sea giants whose bodies were covered in fine scales and who held tridents.

What made Anton raise an eyebrow slightly was that Byron was also there.

The gray-haired wolf-man was sitting with his people at the foot of a gentle slope, staring at them with hostile eyes.

When he met Anton's gaze, he smirked and gave a cold snort.

Surprisingly, Alvin's team was also there.

Upon seeing Anton, he paused slightly, then a gentle smile appeared on his face as he walked over.

"Chief Anton, what a coincidence, we've met again so soon."

Many people present recognized Alvin.

Seeing him greet a strange elf with a warm tone, everyone's attention was immediately drawn to him.

"Who is that? Alvin seems to know him quite well."

"Never seen him before. Judging from his attire, he doesn't seem to be from the Emerald Court. Could he be a key figure from some large elven clan?"

"Being able to establish a relationship with the Sun Elf must be no simple matter."

Whispers, like the buzzing of a swarm of bees, spread through the crowd.

At this moment, a human suddenly spoke up and said, "No need to guess, that person is the patriarch of the Silvermoon Clan, the Meteor Dragon Sword Saint Anton Silvermoon."

"The Meteor Dragon Sword Saint? The one who killed the Shining Ember Dragon?"

"So it was him. No wonder."

"I heard that when Anton came to Annihilation Fortress not long ago, Grant, Igna, and Alicia all went to the dockyard to greet him personally. What a grand occasion!"

"The three Star Pillars personally came to greet us? That's quite a show of respect?"

"What's so strange about that? Anton did the Meteor Dragon Society a huge favor. If he hadn't killed the Shining Dragon and exposed the dragon race's secrets, we might still be in the dark, and there wouldn't be this war today."

"That's true..."

The murmurs gradually subsided, but the gazes directed at Anton became more curious and scrutinizing.

Byron listened to these discussions, his face darkening.

The minotaur Clyde, who was not far away, saw the change in his expression, grinned with a hint of schadenfreude, and stepped closer.

"Byron, I heard you recently clashed with this Meteor Dragon Sword Saint in the Hall of Burning Beacon?" His voice wasn't too loud or too soft, just loud enough for the surrounding teams to hear clearly. "And you even suffered a bit of a loss at his hands?"

Byron's eye twitched, cursing inwardly for bringing up such a sensitive topic.

Although the Ironskull Tauren and the Bloodclaw Wolfkin are both allied races of Bloodhowl Keep, the relationship between the two groups is not harmonious.

Bloodhowl Fortress has many allied races, and their open and covert struggles for resources and influence have never ceased.

Clyde brought this up at this point, clearly wanting to stir up trouble and humiliate him.

Byron scoffed, "That's because he used underhanded tactics to ambush me, catching me off guard and causing me a minor setback. He's just a newly crowned legend; do you think I'd be afraid of him in a real fight?"

Clyde chuckled and didn't provoke Byron any further.

Although he was happy to see Byron make a fool of himself, he wouldn't lie and say that Byron was less capable than Anton.

After all, Anton has only been a legend for a little over a decade, while Byron is already a veteran pillar of legend, and the difference between the two is obvious.

Even so, Clyde's gaze lingered on Anton for a moment longer.

The fact that a newly crowned legend could inflict a hidden loss on Byron suggests that this Fallen Dragon Sword Saint's methods are probably not as simple as the rumors suggest.

Anton paid no attention to the discussions around him.

He exchanged a few pleasantries with Alvin and then took the opportunity to inquire about the information regarding the spatial node in front of them.

Alvin didn't hold back and shared the information he had.

They arrived here two days ago, making them one of the earlier groups.

However, neither they nor the other teams immediately entered the space node. Instead, they chose to wait outside, intending to gather as many people as possible, until the moment before the space node was about to change positions, before entering.

This way, the chances of destroying the spatial node are maximized.

"How many troops has the Dragon Clan deployed in this spatial node?" Anton asked.

Alvin's expression turned serious, and he shook his head, saying, "We can't be sure about that either."

"But so far, the three spatial nodes discovered by the allied forces are each guarded by at least one royal dragon of the peak legendary rank, along with dozens of ordinary dragons and hundreds of pure-blooded dragon descendants."

"The allied forces failed in their three consecutive attacks because they misjudged the number of enemies in the space nodes and entered without adequate preparation."

"The number of enemies in this spatial node shouldn't be much different from other spatial nodes."

At this point, Alvin's tone became more serious.

"If we're unlucky and the enemy is too strong, we can only hope that we can hold out until the spatial node position changes and the entrance reopens, so that we'll have a chance to escape."

"This process can take anywhere from a few hours to half a day."

Anton understood.

This situation is somewhat like opening a blind box.

Neither side can be certain of the other's final strength before they actually engage in combat.

However, the Dragon Clan will likely distribute their forces evenly across the eighteen spatial nodes, ensuring that the difference in troop strength between each node is not too significant.

After all, they couldn't be sure which spatial node would be discovered first.

If a node's garrison is weak and happens to be found and successfully destroyed by the coalition forces, the difficulty for the coalition forces to find other nodes will gradually decrease.

It can be said that the attack and defense of the first spatial node is of paramount importance.

In fact, the contribution value of the allied forces that failed to capture the first space node has been continuously increasing.

It has now reached a level so high that even legendary powerhouses are tempted.

"How will the spoils be distributed?" Anton continued to ask.

"Whichever team kills the dragon or dragonborn, that team gets to dispose of the corpse," Alvin said. "If we're lucky enough to successfully destroy the spatial node, the credit will ultimately be distributed according to the team's contribution in the battle."

"When you received the scroll, you should have also received a few recording crystals, right?"

Anton nodded slightly.

They did indeed obtain three recording crystals, supposedly the latest production from Heart of the Mountains, capable of recording all scenes occurring within a wide field of view.

The coalition officer in charge of distributing supplies also reminded them to activate the recording crystals when attacking space nodes, and to hand them over afterwards as proof of their contribution.

Alvin said, "When the record crystal is handed over afterwards, it will be judged and estimated by the priests of the Tide Temple."

"The priests of the Tide Temple?" The Third Elder mused. "That's somewhat convincing."

The other two elders also nodded in agreement.

Unlike the other four top powers, whose power structures are based on blood ties, geographical ties, or military alliances, the Tide Temple is more like a religious sanctuary and cultural center than a coercive power institution.

It maintains the balance of the entire ocean world.

Its main tasks are to coordinate territorial disputes among different sea tribes, record changes in ocean currents and the movement of stars, and safeguard the ancient knowledge and prophecies of the sea tribes.

The temple does not worship any specific deity, but rather the vast and boundless ocean itself.

To the sea creatures, the ocean is the source of all life and the ultimate destination for all life.

The ocean has its own will; the tides are its breath, and the currents are its lifeblood.

The temple's duty is to listen to the voice of the ocean and interpret its will.

This belief does not involve specific power or interests, which is why the Tide Temple enjoys extremely high prestige among the entire sea race.

The Temple Master, also known as the Tide Saintess, is the spiritual leader of the sea people.

When conflicts break out between two sea tribes, they often seek the intervention of the temple to mediate.

The temple will also uphold the principles of fairness and impartiality, and make the most appropriate mediation without any favoritism.

Over time, the temple's reputation grew ever more exalted.

Over the long years, its influence gradually spread to the continent, where it accumulated considerable credibility among other races.

Their priests act as "judges," and most races trust them implicitly.

As Anton was pondering, a commotion suddenly arose in the crowd.

He turned his head and saw a group of dwarves striding towards him.

"They are the team from the heart of the mountains."

"The one leading the team is His Excellency Valin!"

"Great! With a top-tier legend leading the team, our chances of destroying the spatial node are much higher now."

All eyes turned to the unusually tall dwarf at the head of the group.

His beard was an almost incandescent silver-gray, like ashes repeatedly burned by flames, and deep within his crimson pupils, it seemed as if lava was slowly flowing.

His unusual appearance, so different from that of ordinary dwarves, revealed his lineage.

Forge Dwarves!

It's worth mentioning that Igner was also in that dwarf group.

Upon seeing Anton, he whispered a few words to Valin, then strode toward him with a smile.

"I never expected to meet you in the warp. It seems we are destined to meet."

Anton gave a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.

These words, coming from the mouth of a burly dwarf, were anything but pleasing to him.

Moreover, he knew that Igner had never given up on trying to extract information about the airship from him.

Even if we have to compromise, we must persuade him to trade the manufacturing techniques of the Spirit Stones and Spirit Fire Talismans.

Unfortunately, Igna was destined to be disappointed; Anton would never agree to either of these options.

Igna merely nodded slightly to Alvin, appearing somewhat distant.

Alvin didn't mind, smiled slightly, said something to Anton, and then turned and left.

Igner glanced at Alvin's retreating figure and asked in a low voice, "How did you end up with this guy?"

Anton shrugged: "We ran into each other on the road earlier and chatted for a bit."

Igner frowned and lowered his voice, saying, "This guy and Alicia don't get along. You'd better not get too close to him."

Anton glanced at him, and after a moment's thought, he understood.

It seems that the Jade Court is already showing signs of factionalism and fierce infighting.

Alvin and Alicia, one a member of the royal family and the other from a collateral branch, naturally wouldn't have a good relationship.

It's normal for Igna, who is Alicia's friend, not to like Alvin.

Just then, all the legendary experts present suddenly sensed something and turned to look at the mist.

The grayish-white mist suddenly expanded, and the mist at the edges churned and boiled, emitting a low hum.

Everyone immediately realized that the spatial node was about to change position.