Michael didn't have much hope when his conversation with Lilica started, but it ended up being quite an interesting one.

He enjoyed it thoroughly and didn't have any regrets when he left. The information he gained today was everything he needed to analyze the importance of Xiltra, the Zentika Empire, and the Temple of the Forgotten.

His territory's position was dangerous, but it was not as if that was breaking news.

Michael picked up Icarus after paying the fee of the mount stall, and they left the city together while the afternoon sun descended slowly.

It was not the last time he would visit Xiltra, Michael was certain of that.

He got on Icarus' back and they ascended in the air.

"You can do it, buddy. Don't worry, I'm here for you," Michael said reassuringly while patting Icarus.

The prideful Greater Eagle was still traumatized from their earlier encounter with the Thunder Pteranodon King and the mythical serpent. Michael's words calmed Icarus a little bit, but the Greater Eagle was still too afraid to fly too high in the air.

Michael was certain that everything would be fine, but he didn't have any hard evidence to prove his point. His certainty was solely based on his gut feeling, after all.

After flying through the open plains for almost an hour, they reached the Untamed Jungle. Icarus was tense the whole time they flew above the Untamed Jungle, and he didn't dare to leave the vicinity of the canopy of the trees.

The Greater Eagle could only feel at ease when they finally reached their territory. Icarus landed in the clearing before he collapsed on the ground. The tension that had accumulated in his body during the whole flight had been released at once, and his body couldn't handle this right now.

Michael was greeted by Tiara and Blaire when he returned to the territory. They told him that Heran and the three Bilrox females had already returned and that the Blood-eyed Minotaur had attacked a second habitat of Tier-2 Monsters.

Blaire retrieved one of the maps she made based on her knowledge of the Untamed Jungle and pointed out the destroyed habitat of the Sabertooth Wolf pack, and the habitat the Minotaur had attacked now.

"It's getting closer to our territory," Michael realized, and both Tiara and Blaire nodded their heads in unison.

"We're not sure if the Minotaur is looking for our territory, or if it's getting closer to us without realizing. However, it's a fact that the Minotaur's second attack indicates that it will find us sooner or later!" Tiara explained.

Michael bit his lower lip in response. He understood what her information entailed.

They had to get rid of the Blood-eyed Minotaur!

"It looks like I won't be leaving the Origin Expanse for the time being," Michael mumbled to himself before he returned his attention back to the two women, "Blaire, search for the Minotaur and secretly follow it. Make sure that it won't find you while you track its movements on the map. I want its movements to be noted down as detailed as possible!"

"Tiara, make sure that everyone close to reaching the next refinement stage will advance soon. You can go out and hunt with everyone, but don't go too far from the territory. Return immediately when I call you guys through the Link of Loyalty. Our Link of Loyalty should be firm enough to transfer a simple pull when I call for you."

Michael didn't stop with these commands. He spent the next five minutes issuing commands to various people, including the Master Alchemist, the Weaponsmith, the Mages, the tamed monsters of his territory, and the Nature Spirit.

Maybe he was overdoing it with the sheer amount of orders he gave out just before the Untamed Jungle would be devoured by the darkness of the night, but he wanted to make sure that everyone would know what they had to do from tomorrow onward.

Some of his construction projects and other plans had to be postponed with the approaching danger of the Blood-eyed Minotaur. Everyone understood Michael's worries. Everyone followed his commands without batting an eye.

Meanwhile, Michael handed out the special techniques he had purchased. He gave them to the Librarians and Scholars to take a look at them. Michael hoped that they could be replicated to ensure that all of his Starless Subjects would be granted a higher chance of attaining enlightenment and the opportunity of a star rating promotion.

Unfortunately, the Librarians and Scholars felt overwhelmed by the special techniques. At first glance, the special techniques looked like ordinary books. However, that couldn't be further from the truth.

The special techniques were techniques that stored the experience of Summons with higher star ratings, their memories, and special skills that could only be fully mastered by 1-Star Summons with the specific occupation that was taught through the technique.

Understanding the special technique was one point, mastering it was entirely different. As for duplicating it, without being at least a 4-Star Summon of that particular occupation, it would be a near-impossible task to duplicate the techniques.

While that was a bummer, Michael was not too disappointed. The inability to duplicate the special techniques meant that they were the real deal. Michael would wait until he received the first results, and purchase a few more once he was certain that they worked as intended.

At the end of the day, the special techniques were an attempt to distract his Starless Summons. He wanted to train them as well, but he was more worried that the Starless Summons, who were willing to fight for their Lord and territory, would use the same sacrificial tactic as they did when the Lionhearts invaded.

Michael hoped that the special technique and the new orders were enough to distract them from foolishly thinking that they stood a chance against the Tier-2 Blood-Eyed Minotaur with their current strength. The Lionhearts and the Blood-Eyed Minotaur were not on the same level. Facing the Blood-Eyed Minotaur would lead to the death of all Starless Summons!

Like that, Michael spent the next four days inside the Origin Expanse.

He didn't leave the territory because he had to be always ready for an all-out fight.

Of course, that didn't mean Michael idled around. He spent his time reading through all Beast Tomes, and the books he purchased in the Rainbow Koi shop. Michael worked out a lot as well. He could clearly tell that he was on the verge of fundamentally changing his breathing pattern.

At first, it felt like his breathing fundamentals changed only subtly, but Michael was certain that he was on the verge of achieving something big. He wasn't missing much. Just a small bit of enlightenment was all he needed to change his breathing pattern completely and reach perfect mastery of the Sun Soldier's Breathing technique.

Unfortunately, attaining enlightenment was easier said than done. It couldn't be achieved at will and would reach him at the weirdest times. Michael was fine with that. He wasn't rushing anything.

Instead, he patiently waited for the last report from Blaire.

According to her detailed reports, the Blood-eyed Minotaur had attacked two more areas with Tier-2 Monster habitats. It continued to get closer to their territory, and it was time to tackle the Minotaur.

After Blaire arrived with the final report, at last, and he read through it, one thing was clear; the Blood-eyed Minotaur had to be dealt with today itself.

The preparations had been completed, everyone was armed to the teeth and multiple strategies had been prepared to battle the Blood-eyed Minotaur.

There was no way that anything could go wrong.