Chapter 630: The Power to Change

Canary gazed at Rhode in silence.

Although she was merely a phantom from his memories, she was still the one who understood him most. It was due to this that she knew how much determination was in the sentence that he said.

The nature of players was always selfish.

After coming to this world, Rhode had always presented a tough and calm image. He was always confident and firm in his decisions before Lize and the others. However, Canary knew that it wasn't easy for Rhode to make this decision. There wasn't only one path laid ahead of him. He could've chosen to enter the Country of Darkness, a great, developed nation, to search for acknowledgment and not the Munn Kingdom, where he could foresee a tough future in resisting powerful enemies. This wasn't only about dealing with pressure in the future, but also being wary of conspiracies behind his back. However, the reasons why Rhode had chosen this difficult path wasn't due to the favorable sense of belonging that he had in the Munn Kingdom or his affections for Lydia. Of course, it was undeniable that these factors had affected a part of Rhode's decision. But Canary knew that his choices weren't limited to only this.

Although there were a lot of choices available, the truth was otherwise. Rhode could have gone to the Country of Darkness, but Humans would only be second or third-grade presences in a nation dominated by Undead Creatures. He wouldn't have picked to become a slave when there were other choices for him. The Country of Light was never in his list of choices. He would rather commit suicide than join the Country of Light and become an accomplice of the traitors. If Rhode was powerless, he would have no choice but to choose this reality. Just like in reality, if one wasn't capable enough to stand out, one would become just one of the masses of common people, where one's life and death had no influences on the society or world. One's purpose among the billions of people was merely the increase and decrease in the population's arabic numerals, that's all.

It was the same for the Dragon Soul Continent.

But it was different now. Rhode possessed rich experience and knowledge. His strength was also slowly recovering. So, why must he follow the crowd blindly and only resist when the shadows of destruction were about to descend above him?

He wished to change everything: the history that had been set in stone. From the start, he had a vague idea, but as time passed, his thoughts had become clearer. From a fuzzy silhouette into a distinct, definite picture.

And now, the final piece of the puzzle was finally about to fit into place.

"Let's go."

After placing the Tear of Asha into his spatial bag, he pondered for a few moments.

"We still have many matters to attend to."

Marlene truly had a lucky pair of hands. Mini Bubble Gum led her to the hidden treasury and discovered the piles of treasures. The Prayer Suit that Canary and Mini Bubble Gum had been constantly keeping in mind was undoubtedly picked out by Marlene. This set of equipment could be considered decent for mid-level spell-casters. Not only did it come with a small spell-deflection shield, but it also came with three storage spell slots, which allowed spell-casters to store three spells for emergencies. Apart from the Prayer Suit, they had also managed to loot a Ruler Suit and some other decent magical equipment. Although the equipment was unimpressive for Rhode and Canary, they would be good enough for others.

And the main highlight was next.

Thereafter, Rhode ransacked the entire monastery. Not only did he pillage the wealth that had been kept hidden in the monastery for millennia, but he also didn't let off the armor and equipment in the storehouse. The Saint Knights were able to be this powerful because their equipment had been meticulously maintained. Although the armor and equipment had survived thousands of years and had some modifications to their designs, they were still great overall. Judging from their attributes, their value was comparable to level 30 equipment.

Rhode didn't touch the armor on the corpses, but he wiped out every single armor and equipment in the storehouse. He thought that he might as well bring them back for his private soldiers without the need to spend any money. After he decided to construct the Holy Maiden Statue, he was determined to live frugally. Even though they had received generous remunerations from constant victories and mission accomplishments, monetary rewards were still limited, after all.

Rhode had thought about expanding the forces of his private soldiers. Apart from Cavalrymen like John, Infantries and Archers were also necessary for a noble. It could also be said that the Infantries and Archers were necessary to form the main members of his private soldiers. Currently, Rhode only had a team of pathetic Cavalrymen and it wouldn't be long-term without regular military units like the Infantries and Archers as he needed his private soldiers to protect and defend the safety of his territory. Although the mercenaries of the guild could do the same, the difference in identities between them determined the differences in their positions. Mercenaries worked for money, but private soldiers were devoted to the overlord. Besides, mercenaries were laid-back in handling affairs while the private soldiers were subjected to strict rules and regulations. Moreover, their attitudes and perceptions were entirely different. Previously, Rhode didn't expand his private soldiers because he didn't have enough weapons and armor. Since he had gotten his hands on so many good items, it would be a waste to leave them to collect dust in the storehouse.

Lize and Marlene gawked in disbelief. Rhode, Mini Bubble Gum, and Canary displayed their player characteristics in ransacking the place. Apart from the items that were tainted by evil rituals or overly heavy items that they couldn't move, every single item from drawings and carpets to armor and weapons were swept into the semi-plane of existence. In other words, anything that wasn't damaged was snatched away completely. Rhode could use some for himself while others could be sold for money. Even though they wouldn't worth a lot, it was still better than nothing.

Rhode's group took everything away with clear consciences. The Saint Knights had been destroyed and it would be a waste to leave the items behind, so he might as well give them opportunities to shine. On the contrary, Marlene and Lize didn't know what to say. Mini Bubble Gum and Canary carried the items around and forced everything reflected in their eyes into the semi-plane of existence, which was unimaginable since both of them were formidable presences in the Legendary Stage. If outsiders were to see them in this manner, perhaps they would've been treated as victims of disasters or even bandits...

Fortunately, Canary, as a Mage in the Legendary Stage, was able to summon the semi-plane of existence. If not, it would be too difficult for Rhode to carry all the stuff back himself.

This was an absolute harvest for Rhode. Not only did he lay his hands on the Tear of Asha, but he had also gotten two magical suits, a legendary weapon (even though no one could use it), 500 fine suits of armor and swords, and wine pots and cups made of silver. He could make a huge profit off them. Besides, this trip to the monastery had brought Rhode to level 50. This went to show that the monastery was indeed the must-go destination to farm EXP and equipment for all players. The only pity for Rhode was that he couldn't grind this map repeatedly. If not, he would've stayed here for another two weeks and transcend into the Legendary Stage...

After ensuring that nothing was overlooked, Rhode got Canary to clean this lifeless place up by lighting it into flames. From here on out, the Saint Monastery no longer existed in Grenbell.

Rhode's group returned to the Fortress quickly through the extremely convenient Teleportation Door. No matter where they were located on the continent, it would only take a blink of an eye to return to the Fortress. They threw everything from the semi-plane of existence to the Fortress and started dividing the ill-gotten gains... Hmm, why did it sound so strange?

Other than handing out the spell-caster suits to Mini Bubble Gum and Canary, Rhode distributed 50 suits of armor to his mercenaries. Even though recruiting manpower was important, it was still necessary to have trusted aides by his side. Fortunately, there were many soldiers who were discharged from their military service due to various reasons in the Guild and Rhode intended to pick 50 of them who were loyal and devoted to him, promoting them as his private soldiers. This was also considered as laying the foundation for future recruited members. Of course, the mark of the Saint Knights must be removed from the armor first.

But nothing could surpass the importance of the Tear of Asha.