The next morning, the Magic Court Hall, usually reserved for intense legal proceedings, was transformed for the Awarding Ceremony and subsequent banquet. The atmosphere was one of celebration and recognition.
Mage Emperor Ian Emrys Skyrune presided over the ceremony. He began by publicly commending the courage of the adventurers. True to his word from the private audience, he officially returned all loots from the massive monster wave to the Dragon's Fury Guild. Guild Master Aethon Ironheart visibly swelled with pride as he received crates filled with monster cores, core fragments, the Wyvern's valuable crystal shards, and the Scorpions' shell fragments.
The Emperor then moved to the financial rewards. Kaelus was personally awarded 1,000 platinum coins, an astronomical sum. The other members of the Obsidian Phalanx and Ironclad Aegis each received 100 platinum coins, and the auxiliary adventurers who participated in the defense were given 200 gold coins each. The total reward package was substantially greater than any typical S-rank quest, leaving the adventurers exhilarated.
Most significantly, Ian Skyrune presented Kaelus with a Mage Star Emblem—a high honor signifying that Kaelus was now eligible to be a Mage Emperor candidate someday. This distinction meant his newly accepted title would be marked in the Hall of Fame for future generations of mages to revere.
At the ensuing banquet, nobles from every corner of the continent attended, eager to network and assess the new hero. Kaelus, having tied his long silver hair back, possessed an elegant, striking appearance that caused young noblewomen to be visibly starstruck. Many approached, attempting to propose alliances and marriages, which Kaelus politely but firmly dismissed, as he was entirely uninterested.
Seated at the head table, the Mage Emperor instructed Morthos to discreetly summon the entire Obsidian Phalanx party for a private chat.
The group, including Guild Master Aethon, was led to a secluded room in the Magic Court and sat at a round table with Ian Skyrune and Morthos.
Ian began by asking Sylva Moonshadow to detail her observations from the Eastern Territory. Sylva took the floor, delivering a comprehensive, concise report. She meticulously described the psychic link connecting the monsters, the method used to break it, the sudden, continent-wide rise in monster ranks, and the three newly opened dungeons.
"There is something that triggered the whole Eastern Territory," Sylva concluded. "Whatever that trigger is, we must stop it, or the severity of these incidents will keep rising. We need to activate the barrier across the whole Eastern Territory and secure the perimeter. We are already closing the hunting spots in the northeast and southeast sectors."
The Mage Emperor was genuinely surprised and impressed by the depth of Sylva's investigation. "I have the previous investigation here," Ian said, handing over a stack of documents from the Magic Court's scouts, "As you can see, we didn't have good information."
Sylva skimmed the documents until she found a contradictory file with a one-month duration, which she read aloud.
The report detailed an investigation from five months prior: the Magic Court scout reached the middle part of the Eastern Territory but couldn't proceed deeper due to an intangible force, like a ward or barrier, that made the mana cores of the scouts unstable and circulation impossible. This natural ward kept even D-rank monsters away.
However, a month later (four months ago), the report stated the ward had vanished. The area was clear, and the scout encountered a massive horde of Forest Trolls, forcing them to retreat.
Sylva looked up, her eyes blazing with insight. "This may seem a random report, Mage Emperor, but from my investigation, this is the start of something. The fact that the intangible force is gone means the growth of the monsters suddenly hastened." She added, theorizing wildly, "The force was so great it was effectively flooding the whole Eastern Territory, which kept the monster growth suppressed."
Ian was stunned by the profound simplicity of her theory. "How about the newly discovered dungeons?"
"It's also connected," Sylva explained. "That intangible force was like the water in a lake. When the water is gone, the lake's biodiversity changes. The current dungeons didn't create new habitats; their habitats were suppressed by the 'water' and are now emerging."
"So that means—" Ian began, understanding dawning.
"Yes," Sylva confirmed gravely. "The dungeons will keep appearing as time passes."
Ian added a crucial piece of information. "I forgot to tell you that these new dungeons have a unique property: they are leaking raw mana, enough to make surrounding monsters grow faster."
"Mage Emperor," Sylva urged, "we must activate the Eastern Territory's barrier. We also need the people leaving in the northeast and southeast to evacuate to the Elven Kingdom and Human Sovereign. You must notify all continent leaders to activate their barriers as well."
Ian slammed his hand on the table. "Morthos, send a message right away to the three territories! Summon their representatives here in the Neutral Empire. I want them here three days later."
"As you wish, your majesty," Morthos said, immediately departing the room.
The others were stunned by Sylva's revelations. Kaelus, however, finally had his answer. Based on the conversation and the investigation, his mother's message made perfect sense. He was the "water" Sylva mentioned; the original stabilizing force. He was the source of the ward that had vanished.
"You must return to the source of your becoming."
But Kaelus pushed the immediate need for answers aside as the Mage Emperor gave his final command.
"I have a secret mission for the Obsidian Phalanx. You must venture further and investigate on the Eastern Territory. I will give you a newly built prototype artifact for communication."
"The Dragon's Fury Guild's Obsidian Phalanx will accept the mission," Aethon announced proudly.
"That's more I like it," Ian concluded. "You will all depart after the representatives' meeting. Also, Kaelus, I'm giving back the S+ monster cores. You have an S+ Fire element monster core from the Crystal Wyvern and an S+ Earth Element monster core from the Armored Scorpion. I heard you failed to upgrade your Wind element to Sound element. You have three days to break through your rank directly by consuming one of those cores."
Kaelus felt a rush of excitement at the possibility. "I will accept the command of the Mage Emperor." If he couldn't evolve his current element, jumping ranks by absorbing a new, S+ quality element was the best path forward.