"Souls aren’t enough!"
When Rod saw these words, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
He immediately turned his gaze to the Soul Altar and was shocked to find that a large section of the Crystal Wall on the altar had emptied.
Apart from two Great Souls, there wasn’t much left.
I killed so many King Ants, Big King Ants, so many strong, very strong souls, didn’t I?
Fuming, Rod leaped into the Dream Realm and grabbed the Book of Knowledge urgently, demanding, "What’s going on? Have you eaten all the souls?"
The Book of Knowledge answered in hasty and sloppy script, "Is your brain broken? I don’t have a star, I don’t have an altar, I’m not a monster, how could I eat souls?"
Rod snapped, "Then where are the souls? All those souls of mine?"
"They were used for repairs!"
Rod had already noticed the Light Platform in front of him. The silver-white platform was covered with a layer of dim light, and a huge silver sphere restrained its radiance, lifted by a rectangular array formed by circular silver tracks.
Compared to before, it was like comparing a thatched hut to a grand palace.
The change was indeed substantial, but the cost was even greater; these were originally meant to ignite the eighth star.
"Why does repairing it take so many souls?"
The Book of Knowledge wrote impatiently, "This is just preliminary repairs. More complete repairs require finding Dream Fragments. The Light Platform is one of the most essential structures of the entire Dream Realm; its uses are beyond your imagination... The repairs aren’t complete yet, stop disturbing me."
Dejectedly, Rod let go of the Book of Knowledge, which immediately jumped back next to the Light Platform and merged with its light.
"How many more souls are needed for the repairs?"
"Three to five very strong souls, around six hundred thousand souls," it wrote.
Rod was shocked and quickly turned his gaze to the Obelisk.
Indeed, there were hardly any souls left inside the obelisk.
Rod was almost beside himself with anger.
That was nearly thirty million souls!
He had killed for so long, using all kinds of methods, massacring Demonized Ants everywhere, to gather that many souls.
And they had been used up just like that!
If there aren’t any eye-catching skills after the repairs, you’re done for, damn book!
Angrily, Rod left the Dream Realm, and the Book of Knowledge didn’t forget to remind him.
"The souls are running out!"
Holding back his irritation, Rod once again joined the army of hunters.
But for some reason, the pressure now seemed much smaller than before; large groups of Demonized Ants were nowhere to be seen, only the occasional few scattered about, quickly annihilated by them.
If you weren’t quick to act, you wouldn’t get any.
Pressure at all Lighthouses had dramatically decreased, but the two Commanders were filled with gloom.
"The Insect Queen is about to advance, gathering its strength."
For those with keen perception, the air itself seemed uneasy, the powerful Spiritual Energy held back, giving one a sense of an impending storm, a great calamity looming.
Everyone became tense, their eyes fixed on the central area, a specialized operator came to take away the Space Waypoint. As soon as the Insect Queen completed its advancement, he would immediately place the waypoint on it, to guide Alar’s dimensional journey.
In such a situation, not many were participating in regular combat.
The Book of Knowledge kept urging him relentlessly, making him unbearably annoyed.
Now, the invading Demonized Ants were considerably fewer, and King Ants were even rarer; obtaining a very strong soul was very difficult and he wasn’t allowed to enter the central area.
Had it not been for Rod possessing complete Spiritual Vision and Spiritual Energy to detect enemies, he wouldn’t have found many monsters at all.
But such behavior also caught the attention of the commanders.
If there had been some approval before, now there was some vigilance.
"Rod, you don’t need to participate in these routine fights, the warriors can handle them," First Commander Herman sternly said to him.
"Don’t think about sneaking into the central area. It violates strategic directives and would get you sent to the War Judgement Court," he added.
Third Level Commander Tyrion persuaded, "I know you are frustrated, but you are still too weak. Calm down, reflect deeply, and make yourself stronger quickly. That’s the proper way."
Rod retorted dissatisfied, "I understand all that, but isn’t it your fault? If you hadn’t split my melon, why would I have to go fight?"
Tyrion was perplexed, "When did I split your melon?"
Just as Rod was about to explain, a chill surged through his soul, and the Book of Knowledge immediately appeared in his mind.
"What are you doing? I’ve told you many times not to reveal the existence of the Dream Realm to other sentient beings! It will bring misfortune!"
Rod frowned, so this was also not allowed?
It was barely a touch on the edge, what exactly was the Dream Realm?
Herman said sternly, "Anyway, I won’t allow you out of the Lighthouse anymore. The warriors can fully handle the current fights, and when the Spirit Realm invasion arrives, and the Insect Queen advances, Alar will come across dimensions and defeat them. Just enjoy watching Trolian’s mightiest warrior in action; your mission is over!"
Rod was quite dissatisfied in his heart but knew he had to respect the authority of the First Commander, who was the highest responsible person for the entire regional battle. He merely grumbled,
"What if Alar fails? Wouldn’t it be good for me to help out?"
At this, Herman and Tyrion both showed peculiar smiles, the kind that adults give when a child says he wants to save the world.