God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Three days was not a long time.

In fact, it went by in a literal blink of an eye for Cain who had busied himself not only studying the thirtieth volume of the [Records of Akasha], but was also studying a wide array of ancient runic characters.

He also had other priorities.

As he had been the one to fell General Arltzwalt, naturally, he had taken command of the military camp.

His first move was to make the entire place much more livable, even if they were going to leave in the nearest future. Find adventures on empire

He also had a lot of logistics to attend to.

There was the matter of making sure there was enough food and water going around.

The regular humans needed sustanance, or things would get ugly very fast.

They, the Blessed and those with acces to the system, also needed food and water, just much less frequently.

Thanks to the knowledge he had gained from the [Record of Akasha XXX], he had quickly found a balance.

He had placed Jenny, Sue, Li, and Stan in charge of handling the distribution of the resources.

'Why handle it personally if I can have others do it instead.'

Under Arltzwalt's leadership, the military camp had not done bad at all. He had managed to keep them moderately fed at the very least. Enough to keep them from complaining at the very least. Anyone that was dissatisfied was advised to pick up a gun and give hunt their own prey.

Under Cain, things had become better. Now, there were no longer people sitting on the sandy sidewalks, waiting for a soldier to show pity on them and toss them a low grade mana shard, or a slab of Mutant Beast meat.

Instead, each individual was handed a portion of food and water for the day. More could be obtained using mana shards, or anything that was of value too.

Since it was dangerous to be stepping outside the dome to look for catches, Cain periodically sent the soldiers and Hunter's through the {Spatial Gate} should they wish to go on hunts themselves. A percentage of their findings would go to him after every successful hunt.

This way, he had maned to earn himself quite a good standing in a short time.

He heard a few people were calling him a savior.

To him, however, praise like those were inconsequential.

Cain calmly looked around,

"This place certainly hasn't changed at all."

He was currently seated within the Temple of Sands.

Seated to his sides were Evangeline, Susan Jenny, Lukas, Rollo, and Hunter. He had called on those that had not been at the camp just for this meeting.

On the other side of his gaze, seated and decked in full plated armor was the Guardian of the Pilgrims. However, for some reason, he had chosen not to wear his mask today, revealing a decent looking middle aged man with grey eyes and a head full of black hair.

His demeanor was valiant, but his gaze was uncharacteristically dark. It was as though he was fettered with heavy burdens.

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And it wasn't just him who was unmasked.

A beautiful woman dressed in a light, silk robe that did little to hide her shapely body was also seated before him, occasionally flashing him a smile when their eyes met.

Feeling the heated gazes on his neck, Cain opted not to stare at her too much. For both their sakes...

Then, there was another woman, this one much more plain looking. However, he felt something odd about her. Something that was beyond mystical, and was just downright creepy.

Sure, she seemed unassuming when he took a look at her. However, the more he looked, the more he felt he wasn't looking at a person.

It was odd and off-putting, and for some reason , she refused to look straight at him, so he tore his gaze away from her as well.

Then, there were three other people; the Sky Ward whom he had met in the past, Abigail, and a third woman with a rather pretty but young face and deposition. There was a playful glint in her eyes, and she looked like she was ready to pull a prank on someone at any moment.

Abigail cleared her throat,

"I believe introductions are in pla–"

"I think that won't be necessary." Gilead suddenly said.

His gaze was fixed on Cain,

"You are Cain right?"

Cain nodded, "Yes, I am."

Gilead frowned, "You look a bit different from what I expected. Are you also a Beastman like your men?"

Sensing all their gazes drift to the small horns jutting out of his temples, Cain's expression turned a bit dark, but he managed to keep a straight face,

"No, my situation is a bit more complicated."

He then shrugged, "I am not exactly a hundred percent human anymore though."

Gilead's frown deepened,

"Then how am I supposed to trust you? Whatever it is you are becoming, how am I sure you won't put humanity on the back foot?"

Cain raised a brow, "Are you an idiot?"

Cain shook his head, "Worrying about the future now is pure foolishness. We aren't even certain we will love past this week. Refrain from doubting my intentions for now. Let us focus on the matter at hand."

Gilead stared at Cain silently for a few more seconds before nodding,

"Alright. I was just a bit curious is all."

Cain waved dismissively,

"It doesn't matter."

Gilead sucked in a deep breath,

"I heard what you want from Abigail. You want all those from the military camp to move here. You also want a portion of Valestorm for yourself to serve as your base within the City. Is that correct?"

Cain nodded.

Gilead's eyes narrowed, "You also demand that we provide you with all the information you want about the Otherworld. I assume that is all, but do tell if there is anything I am leaving out."

Cain shook his head with a smile,

"No, that is all."

Gilead dropped his head, his eyes hidden by his hair,

"Just a few weeks ago, we fought one another in a battle to the death for no apparent reason. Many of our people died and there is bad blood between us, no doubt."

When he raised his gaze once again, there was a dangerous glint in them,

"Tell me, Cain. What could you possibly give us that would not only make us agree to your demands, but also let the deeds of the past fade into oblivion?"

Cain was silent for a moment.

'This guy definitely isn't simple. His choice of words are rather intriguing. Not provocative, but compelling enough to make sure his intentions are clear.'

Cain smiled,

"Indeed. You are right. However, you keep forgetting a rather crucial part of this story."

His smile disappeared, and was replaced with a grim glare,

"Our true enemies are the beings waiting outside this glass bubble. The moment it pops, they'll have all our asses. No, we can run away. The lot of you wouldn't be so lucky."

Gilead smirked, "We can always run away to the Otherworld as well."

Cain sneered, "Really? And leave behind the home planet that is all you have ever known for the uncertainty of some unexplored world? Like I'd believe you would actually commit to such idiocy."

Gilead was silent. Then he leaned forward,

"So tell me, Cain. What do you offer us?"

Cain's sneer morphed into a grin.

With one swift motion, he threw a small leather bag into the air.

Gilead caught it and asked,

"What is in here?"

Cain shrugged and leaned back,

"Take a look..."

Gilead paused for a moment. Then passed it back without opening it,

"Sky Ward, open it."

Cain raised a brow, "Really? Do you suspect me so much?"

Gilead shook his head,

"Forgive me, but one can never be too careful."

Cain sighed and waved his hand,

"Sure, go ahead."

If he was feeling fear, then Edward didn't show it, as he calmly opened the leather pouch.

However, once he opened it, whatever facade of calm he was trying to maintain instantly broke away.

"H-holy shit!"

Gilead frowned,

"What is it?"

Edward took a moment to calm himself before passing it back to Gilead,

"It's better if you see for yourself."

Seeing as Edward wasn't dead, Gilead decided to take a look himself.

What he saw drove him to sputter curses as well.

Cain felt satisfied watched their expressions.

After all, who wouldn't be dumbfounded, seeing so many mana cores all at once?

Everyone of them were familiar with Mana shards.

However, the only mana cores they had been able to get their hands on were those from the system store. However, due to how inflated the system's system of mana resources was, the mana cores were rather pricey.

After he had managed to calm down, Gilead gave Cain a strange look,

"How did you–"

Cain chuckled, "I got those from a Demon. But we need not worry about their origins. Instead, let's talk about their destination."

His eyes narrowed,

"The barrier is dying. With Balangol's influence gone, it needs a definitive power source."

Cain lightly rubbed the ring sitting in his index finger,

"If you think that is all I have, you should think again. I can keep the dome powered for a while. I need this place, which means I need you all to stay alive. It is a sacrifice I need to make. All I want is a way to make up my losses."

A sly shadow swam through Cain's eyes, shedding light to the crookedness of his thoughts.

But Gilead and the other Head Priests were too dumbfounded to notice,

Cain chuckled and crossed his legs, leaning against his chair,

"So what's it going to be, Guardian of the Pilgrims?"