Lord: Sequence Master

On the eastern coast of the Thunder Empire lay the Frost and Snow Coast, a region perpetually covered by blizzards and sparsely populated.

Rosen watched the departing Void Whale with a sense of reluctance.

The Demon God was dead, and the Blue Whale Kingdom had chosen to return home.

Had Rosen stayed in the Blue Whale Kingdom, he would have had access to enough resources to reach Sequence 5 without issue. However, he chose to remain in the Thunder Empire instead, as he had intercepted a portion of the Demon God's divinity and divine authority. If the mysterious figure behind the scenes, who had orchestrated the Demon God's escape, were to come after him, staying in the Blue Whale Kingdom would make it difficult for him to escape.

After careful consideration, he decided to stay in the Thunder Empire.

Of course, he made some preparations in the Blue Whale Kingdom too, leaving a few loyal followers to run several businesses there. He still owed Susan a Spirit Realm painting, and eventually, he would have to repay that debt.

As the Void Whale disappeared into the ash-filled sky, Rosen turned and walked toward the Frost and Snow Coast, which was blanketed in ashes. The coast was typically deserted, but its snow-covered mountains were rich in various minerals. Many Divine Domain Lords came here to mine, hunting Ashen Beasts to earn merits on the side.

Rosen summoned his Feathered Serpent Mechanical Mount to cross the mountain range.

The metal wings of the Feathered Serpent morphed into front wheels, and its belly revealed a hidden cockpit for Rosen to ride in. The cockpit wasn't large due to its combat-focused design, but through the display screens around his seat, Rosen could clearly see the landscape outside from all directions.

With a thought, the vehicle's automatic pilot was activated, and the 30-foot-long, snake-like, four-wheeled battle vehicle roared into motion. It zipped through the snowstorms at supersonic speed, blending into the shadows. Had it not been driving in the shadows, the speed would have triggered avalanches everywhere it passed.

Once deep within the snow-covered mountains, Rosen began to grasp the true scale of the Empire. This was why the Scarlet Shadow Principality was confined to an island, while the Thunder Empire occupied a vast landmass.

Just this single mountain range was tens of times larger than the entire Scarlet Shadow Principality.

The outside world was engulfed by a combination of snowstorms and ash, with visibility barely extending beyond 10 meters. The mechanical mount's radar could detect everything within dozens of kilometers, but all it revealed was a vast expanse of white nothingness. As Rosen stared at the screen, he soon drifted off to sleep.

He had no idea how long he had slept before the mount woke him up. Rubbing his eyes, he saw on the monitor that the mount had stopped in a valley surrounded by towering mountains. A river ran through the valley, and along its banks were several Divine Domains materialized into reality, gathered together.

These domains appeared to be engaged in a Domain War, as the surrounding space had been sealed off.

The mechanical mount had halted and sounded a warning because its Shadow Stealth Mode had been disrupted by some external force.

Rosen prepared to have the mount bypass the valley entirely, but suddenly, it shifted into its Feathered Serpent form. The Holy Shield automatically activated, surrounding the mount with a golden divine barrier. As lightning and storms struck from above, the Holy Shield blocked all the damage effortlessly.

Realizing he had been attacked, likely mistaken for reinforcements by one of the warring sides, Rosen shook his head and ordered the mount to transform into its Feathered Serpent Jet form to avoid the conflict and continue the journey.

However, just as the jet ascended, it was abruptly locked in place by a gravity field, causing it to plummet straight back to the ground.

Rosen's mood shifted. He didn't want trouble, but he certainly wasn't afraid of it.

"Passing through by chance—what do you all mean by this?" he said, spreading his spiritual senses across the valley to probe the Divine Domains.

No response came. Instead, the attacks continued.

Now fully irritated, Rosen activated both the Pious Aura and Holy Judgment, tripling his defense and offense. His mount shared his attributes and abilities due to the Riding Trait. The Godslayer Crossbow merged into the mount's head, extending a five-meter-long cannon barrel from the Feathered Serpent's mouth. As the Mind Canvas projected a Dark Element Quad-Shot Bullet into the artist's magazine, the massive bullet was loaded into the barrel.

At the same time, the Hunter's Divine Eye locked onto a target. Rosen activated Death Strike, and the dark-element bullet was fired from the cannon at over ten times the speed of sound, crossing thousands of meters in an instant to strike the outer space barrier of the nearest Divine Domain.

The space barrier wasn't particularly strong—its primary function was to hide the domain. However, "not particularly strong" didn't mean it was defenseless.

Yet, strangely, the Dark Element Quad-Shot Bullet encountered no resistance at all as it passed through the barrier. It disappeared without a trace, and Rosen lost all connection to it.

Puzzled, he wondered if he had misjudged the situation. Could these domains belong to Sequence 5 lords, not Sequence 6?

In the blink of an eye, however, all the domains in the valley—at least a dozen of them—suddenly vanished as if they had never existed. The entire scene seemed like an illusion, a mirage.

But the Holy Shield had undeniably blocked real damage earlier. And without those domains, the ash in the valley would have dissipated.

After a few hours of scouring the valley, Rosen found nothing and could only continue his journey, though this time he stayed alert. His Main God Computer screen appeared on his retinal display, and he connected to the Main God Network to search for information on the Thunder Empire.

A vast trove of information, uploaded by members of the Main God Hall, was available. Rosen opened the most-read entry, which offered a free introduction.

From the records, Rosen learned that the Thunder Empire was quite unique compared to the rest of the world.

First, the magnetic fields in the region could record sounds and images, and second, lightning generated these magnetic fields. Thunderstorms were a common phenomenon in the Thunder Empire, and the people there held a natural reverence for lightning.

Human thoughts could generate faith, and fear could also create faith. Before the World Government was established, there was a God of Thunder in the Thunder Empire—a conceptual god born from the fusion of natural phenomena and human belief. Although it possessed divine power, it was ultimately controlled by the human church at the time.

When the World Government was founded, the Thunder Church refused to join. The result was predictable: both the church and the God of Thunder were utterly eradicated by the World Government.

Even the Sequence 0 Thunder God was torn apart and devoured by the World Government, leaving behind the Thunder Horn, a Sequence 0 extraordinary artifact. Though the Thunder God struggled before its death, a portion of its power was scattered across the empire just before it was fully destroyed.

This residual power caused the empire's lightning and magnetic fields to change. Lightning elemental beings frequently emerged, and the god-infused magnetic fields could record historical events and replay them under the right conditions.

The valley Rosen had passed through was likely the site of a Domain War between two groups of lords. The magnetic fields had recorded the battle, and what Rosen encountered was a replay of that past event.

Due to the spiritual nature of the recording, it could affect reality, which explained why Rosen's mount had been attacked, even though the scene itself was merely a "spiritual film."

This phenomenon wasn't common in the Thunder Empire, but it wasn't particularly rare either.

The empire was an excellent place for Photographers to grow, with as many as 30% of the nobility pursuing that path—a terrifyingly high percentage, dozens of times higher than the norm.

Now that Rosen understood it had been nothing more than a random event, he prepared to take another nap.

The Stomach of Gluttony was still digesting the extraordinary essence, with the Time Gaze skill already stolen by Greedy Hands. The core photography abilities were being absorbed by the Hunter's Divine Eye and Void Realm Eye, but there were still fragments left to digest.

Having a full stomach often made one sleepy, and Rosen relaxed in the reclining seat as he drifted into a pleasant slumber.

When the mount woke him again, he saw a city nestled between the snow-covered mountains ahead.

It wasn't large, spanning only a few thousand meters, with a population of less than 100,000. The entire city was constructed from ice and snow, showcasing the work of skilled Architects and Sculptors. Outside the city, a massive snowman and an enormous ice sculpture of a bear stood guard. Rosen had no doubt these colossal figures could come to life.

As he passed by, he took a closer look. The snowman was likely the work of an Art Designer, while the bear was crafted by a Sculptor. Both had reached Sequence 6, standing watch over the small city in the perpetual snowstorm.

Even such a small city had two Sequence 6 protectors, highlighting the Thunder Empire's deep reserves of power.

Without a specific destination, Rosen decided to stay in the city for a while, explore the local customs, and see if there were any resources he needed.

Surrounded by ice walls, the city gates bustled with extraordinary humans coming and going. Rosen presented his noble crest, registered his identity, and received a temporary ID card.

When the cockpit door opened, he instinctively shivered at the cold. It was around minus ten degrees, but the chill wasn't just physical—it was infused with spirituality, reaching the soul. Living in such an environment was far from pleasant.

Unsurprisingly, there were few ordinary people in the city—most residents were extraordinary humans.

Given how many extraordinary beings the city could support, it was clear the surrounding area was rich in resources.

Spotting a café on the roadside, Rosen parked his mount, put it away, and decided to go inside for a warm drink. He ordered a cup of coffee and planned to learn more about the city.

Upon entering, however, Rosen realized this wasn't just an ordinary coffee shop.

In addition to ordering coffee, there were "special services" available. These services included both real people and creations by Painters and Sculptors—a variety so extensive it made Rosen's head spin.

In the end, he ordered three cups of coffee, reserved a private room, and hired two companions for some proper conversation.

"What should I call you?" Rosen asked, taking a sip of coffee.

"Nata, I'm familiar with the situation along the Frost and Snow Coast."

"Erin, I know more about the Thunder Empire itself."

The two companions introduced themselves as they sat down to chat.

"Do you know what information I'm looking for?" Rosen asked in surprise.

"We could tell, sir. You're clearly not from around here," Nata replied with a smile. "The snowstorms on the Frost and Snow Coast carry a faint spiritual coldness that penetrates the mind. Locals who come to this café almost never request conversational companions. Also, the arrival of the Blue Whale Kingdom at the Frost and Snow Coast has been all over the networks for days."

"I see. Tell me more about the Frost and Snow Coast and the Thunder Empire," Rosen said, placing 200 spiritual crystals on the table.

Over the next few hours, Rosen gained a basic understanding of the Thunder Empire.

The small city he was in, Frostsnow City, was the only city on the Frost and Snow Coast. The majority of its population were extraordinary people who had come from other regions to explore the hidden resources buried in the snow-covered mountains. If they were lucky, they could find rich mineral veins and make a fortune. But if they were unlucky, they could spend years searching with no results.

For those who weren't Divine Domain Lords, discovering and defending these veins was nearly impossible, as several highly reproductive extraordinary creatures lived deep within the snow, attacking any outsiders who ventured into the mountains.

Each year, the Lord of Frostsnow City hired people to scatter bait throughout the mountains, deliberately triggering beast tides that would then be killed outside the city walls. If left unchecked, these creatures would breed to the point of causing a full-scale tide that no small city like Frostsnow could possibly withstand. This system of controlling the population of extraordinary creatures contributed to the city's prosperity.

Unlike other countries, the Thunder Empire had an unusually high number of extraordinary creatures. This was partly because the undying lightning that regularly swept the empire helped dispel the ash covering the land, keeping ash concentrations relatively low and preventing many creatures from becoming Ashen Beasts. Additionally, the empire had a magical array that gathered spiritual energy from the surrounding seas, leading to high levels of spiritual energy. This environment made it ideal for extraordinary creatures to thrive.

As a result, humans here didn't need to venture into the Spirit Realm to sustain themselves—they could live comfortably by hunting extraordinary creatures in the physical world.

However, the Spirit Realm of the Thunder Empire wasn't an ideal place for extraordinary humans to gather resources. Due to the death of the Thunder God, its divine kingdom had shattered in the Spirit Realm. Entering the Spirit Realm here was more dangerous than it was profitable. Without Sequence 5 strength, it was too risky.

That said, while the Spirit Realm in the Thunder Empire was perilous, the chances of finding Soul Gems were slightly higher here.

At Sequence 7, Rosen had plenty of skills from the three sequences he had mastered, but his noble sequence's divine structures were sorely lacking in Soul Gems for enhancement. The main reason he had left the Blue Whale Kingdom to come to the Thunder Empire was because he had heard the chances of finding Soul Gems were higher here. It turned out that the shattering of the Thunder God's divine kingdom in the Spirit Realm was the reason for this abundance.

After leaving the café, Rosen checked into a hotel, preparing to enter the Spirit Realm from Frostsnow City to hunt Spirit Realm creatures. At the same time, he was interested in the mineral resources hidden in the snow mountains. Both the Gray Rat and the Cave Demon were adept at burrowing underground and finding hidden mineral resources. If they made a discovery, he could potentially strike it rich.

During his time in the Underground Kingdom, Rosen hadn't had much time to master Trap-Making Techniques. After nearly getting caught up in the Demon God's turmoil, he now finally had some peace. Rosen spent his days studying trap-making in the Trap Space or setting up traps around his Void Gallery and Divine Domain. In his spare time, he even painted another piece of The Rose of the Poor.

Two months passed, but neither the Gray Rat nor the Cave Demon brought back any particularly good news. The mineral veins they discovered weren't very valuable—the easily accessible veins had long been mined out over the past 20,000 years. Even finding low-value veins had become a difficult task at this point.

Rosen was about to call back the Gray Mouse when it suggested digging deeper underground. Over the past couple of months, the Gray Mouse had finally restored itself to Sequence 7 from Sequence 8. In addition to its core Bloodthirsty Assault ability, the Gray Mouse had also gained Fear Gaze, Divine Regeneration, and Treasure-Seeking skills. Combining its Myopic Vision with Treasure-Seeking, the Gray Rat could potentially rise all the way to Demi-God. Its abilities allowed it to find hidden treasures, giving it a natural obsession with treasure hunting.

After two months of training, Rosen's Elemental Trap-Making Technique was ready to be upgraded to Level 3. This was a critical level, requiring careful consideration of what enhancement materials to fuse into the traps. The best materials would be non-attribute or, better yet, all-attribute extraordinary materials. However, finding high-quality materials was no easy task.

Rosen took out a pair of virtual glasses he had recently purchased, which looked no different from ordinary eyeglasses. Once they were on his nose, he immediately saw a display interface projected onto his retinas. These glasses functioned as a portable computer and a login device for the Thunder Empire's virtual world.

The Thunder Empire's virtual world was vast, able to simulate reality and even surpass it. Many ordinary people were addicted to it, as it allowed them to travel freely to famous tourist spots within the empire and beyond, sample gourmet food, and even experience what it was like to be extraordinary. If daily login time weren't strictly limited, many would prefer to live their entire lives in the virtual world.

Through this virtual world, the Thunder Empire's government continually absorbed the spiritual energy of its billions of citizens.

Rosen logged into the virtual world. Unlike ordinary people, who would fall asleep in reality when logged in, extraordinary individuals could invest a bit of their spirituality into the virtual world and remain awake in reality while their spiritual consciousness explored the virtual space.

After browsing some information, Rosen quickly found the all-attribute extraordinary materials he needed. There were some available in the official marketplace, but after some research, he decided to go hunting for them himself.

Leaving the hotel, Rosen headed to a Wizard Tower in Frostsnow City. Using the tower's teleportation array, he was instantly transported to Natural Sky City—a city floating high in the sky, bathed in lightning. Below it lay the largest natural rainforest in the Thunder Empire.

Rosen arrived at the Hunters' Guild in Natural Sky City and hired a team of five extraordinary individuals, all at Sequence 7. After signing the contract, the six of them boarded an Alchemical Dragon and left the city.

The dragon descended vertically into the Natural Rainforest, and Rosen stood on the crown of the miniature fortress, looking out at the towering trees that seemed to cover the sky. The forest was massive, covering roughly six million square kilometers. The Thunder Empire, constantly bathed in lightning, had abundant water resources thanks to constant rainstorms.

For some unknown reason, the concentration of ash here was much lower than in other regions. In the Natural Rainforest, Ashen Beasts were rare. However, the less frequent their appearance, the more dangerous they were when they did emerge. The core of the forest was home to many Demi-God-level creatures.

Naturally, Rosen didn't plan to venture into the core. At most, he would hunt near the middle periphery.

Even so, caution was necessary. Ash interfered with perception, rainstorms disrupted senses, special magnetic fields caused interference, and the dense vegetation made ambushes a constant threat. Vigilance was required at all times to avoid being attacked by something outside the group.

Rosen had initially considered traveling through the air in search of prey, but after learning more, he realized this would be reckless. In the sky, one could easily be struck by lightning or attacked by Storm Thunderbirds, creatures unique to the Thunder Empire. The biggest issue was that any retaliation against these birds was forbidden. Storm Thunderbirds were wild but easily tamed extraordinary mounts, exclusive to the Thunder Empire, and hunting or capturing them required special permits.

"Boss, can you finally tell us what we're hunting?" asked Terry, the Jungle Hunter, as he watched the downpour from the terrace.

"I need to hunt a mutated Hydra," Rosen replied.

Terry's pupils shrank slightly. In the Natural Rainforest, there was only one place where Hydras appeared—and that place was far from friendly. No wonder Rosen had paid such a high price to hire their team.

Though it would be dangerous, the pay was worth the risk.

Terry returned to the living room to brief the team on their mission. They spent half an hour planning the route to the Muddy Swamp, where the Hydra was known to reside. Afterward, they consulted Rosen to revise the plan, and another half hour passed before they were ready to set off.

Once they left the fortress, Terry and the others immediately activated various detection skills. The Shadow Assassin sent out several shadow clones to patrol the area, while the Jungle Hunter used special plants to sense nearby dangers. The Holy Knight, carrying a tower shield, stayed close to the team's doctor, prepared to counter any ambushes. Lastly, the Elemental Sorcerer cast elemental shields on everyone before they set out into the rain toward the Muddy Swamp.

Rosen walked in the middle of the group, alongside the doctor, in the safest position. While he didn't need to take part in the scouting, he still released the God-Hunting Eye to survey the area. He also activated his Void Vision to scan the terrain, and kept Greedy Hand ready to use the stolen Time Sight ability if needed.