Weeks after the inauguration of the Saltstar City & Metal City train line, Nova and Layla had advanced one level and had finally become Sovereigns!

As Vicente had instructed, Nova left the city with a group of Fuller family soldiers shortly after she had advanced a level to hunt for her fourth pentagram.

The plan was for her to have her fourth pentagram before Vicente left the kingdom, so she didn't have much time.

As for Layla, Vicente wanted to take her with him on his journey to the north of the continent. So she was still in the city.

She remained in the city because her promotion was new, and she primarily served as Jasmine's guard.

If she were to be sent to other Congregation of Revelation posts, since she had just been promoted, she would have time to report to a new post.

The most important members of this organization could take time off to hunt for their pentagrams after advancing one level.

She had only advanced a few months before Vicente and his group left. Then Layla could easily wait for them.

Meanwhile, Jasmine wasn't far behind, but she was still missing something to reach the 4th stage. The same was true for Eve, Benson, and some of the other High-level Mages in the family. With all the progress the family had made in the past few months, several of the magicians in the group had reached this level.

However, Vicente didn't expect most of them to advance in the time they had left in Scott Province. And even if someone did, he didn't want to take them with him.

He wanted to take a small group on his hunt. Only Rory, Layla, Sarah, Casey, and Lina would join his hunt besides himself and Onyx.

...

"So Princess Lina Seidel has advanced to the 4th stage, huh?" Vicente commented when he heard the news from one of his men who had just entered his office with it.

From what he had just heard, Lina had advanced after a few days of meditation after returning to the kingdom's capital after passing through Metal City.

With Lina's progress, all those he wanted to take with him on the hunt for his next pentagram were at the 4th stage.

He clenched his fists in satisfaction, seeing that everything was going according to plan.

Newton was with him at the moment and noticed Vicente's signs of anxiety. "Do you think this team will help you get your cyan pentagram? Remember, if you're lucky, you'll probably have to face a High-level Paragon to get it."

"Before I go hunting for my pentagram, I'll let them absorb their new essences. I'll try to help Onyx become a Low-level Paragon, and I'll try to reach the absolute peak of the 4th stage," Vicente commented. "But if that's not enough, then nothing I do will be. I cannot become a Paragon without my fourth pentagram."

"Sigh... That is going to be pretty dangerous. But I hope it works. If you use Casey's power, combined with Layla's speed and the mix of your powers with Rory's, you might be able to endanger even a High-level Paragon. But you'll have to be perfect. No mistakes.

If such a strong creature manages to attack your group, everyone but you and maybe Onyx will die." The professor commented, trying to imagine the level of this team.

"I know. When we're ready to hunt for my fourth pentagram, we'll take every possible precaution before the fight." Vicente said as he closed his eyes and imagined how much easier things would be if they could find a magical essence that was independent of living beings.

Unfortunately, they couldn't count on such a thing because information about natural essences was even more difficult than about 5thand 6th-level beings.

"You should prepare robotic armor for your allies. Even if they can't do much against Paragons or stronger magical beings, they might give your hunting companions some extra defense." Newton commented.

"Hmm, I was planning on doing something like that. Now that I can produce 4th-grade items with 100% efficiency, I'll be able to arm them with robotic armor and my most advanced firearms," Vicente commented to Newton, hoping that this would give them some advantage in the hunt for the fourth pentagram.

"If I succeed, I may become a Paragon."

"Yes, I imagine that's the case." The grey-haired man commented.

"If I succeed, I'll search for my fifth pentagram before I return home. I'll take advantage of the fact that I will be already in a powerful area with a presence of compatible beings, and I'll secure my next essence."

Ideally, Vicente's next pentagram after receiving the fourth essence for his first Magic Gem would be an indigo pentagram. However, such a pentagram had never appeared in Polaris Realm.

There were legends that some peak 6th-stage creatures, Archmages, had already cultivated this kind of pentagram on the continent. But there was no history of any magician having achieved such a thing.

According to the legends, only a legendary magician who could reach the 7th stage would be able to absorb such a pentagram. Since there was no history of anyone becoming a Magus in the Polaris Realm, finding an indigo pentagram would be unrealistic even for Vicente.

Neither he nor Newton considered looking for a fifth pentagram that was different from the cyan essences.

"That's best for you." Newton agreed. "If you return from this hunt with five pentagrams, you can truly defend the kingdom against all kinds of threats.

Even if the magical civilization falls to monsters and vampires, the Metal City can become humanity's home, where no monster can enter."

"I'll do my best," Vicente promised, not to Newton, but to himself.

"I know... If the situation gets complicated, I'll take Nina and those with her, and we'll go to Metal City. We'll wait for you there if you take too long to get back." Newton said as he thought back to their stay in the capital before things got worse.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"My only concern, Vice, is whether this Metal City will be able to hold everyone who wants to go there. If things get out of hand, everyone who knows about this place will want to move there." Newton said in a serious tone.

He honestly didn't see how humanity could put up with the vampires' legendary plan!

He was almost sure that civilization, as they knew it today, would end in 10 years or less!

When that happened, places like Metal City would be sought after by every surviving human on the continent!