Global Beast Mastery: Only I Can See the Hints - Chapter 689 689: A Mutual Destruction Was Always the Plan

Once Charles confirmed that Harbor had truly left, he slipped out of the spire, using the shadows to cover his movements.

Once he was away from the heavily guarded spire, his nerves eased. He moved quickly through Gold Fortress, weaving through the shadows. It took him less than fifteen minutes to reach the fortress walls.

He waited for the right moment when the patrols were clear, then effortlessly scaled the walls.

In no time, he vanished into the vast, desolate desert.

Just as Charles disappeared from sight, Harbor suddenly emerged from a thicket near the walls.

His face was expressionless as he watched the direction Charles had gone.

A slight smirk curled at the corner of his lips.

“Get ready,” he murmured to himself.

Then, his form became faint, quickly vanishing into the shadows.

At the top of Gold Fortress’s spire, the crown prince of the Stellar Empire watched as his servants brought forward a massive sword that glowed with a golden light.

This greatsword was a royal treasure of the Stellar Empire.

It was said that one of the royal ancestors had found it on a battlefield left behind by gods after a global war.

The sword constantly radiated powerful holy light, so it was known as the Holy Light Greatsword.

Its light-based power was incredibly strong.

The crown prince himself also wielded light-based powers, which is why he was seen by most of the Stellar Empire’s citizens as the rightful heir to the throne.

Even though he had fierce conflicts with the empire’s prime minister, the prime minister was still unable to convince the emperor to strip him of his status as heir.

Conquering the Serpent Empire was the key to securing the throne.

So, at this critical moment, he was ready to bring out his greatest asset.

“Your Highness, the light energy within the Holy Light Greatsword has reached an unprecedented level. Should we continue to follow your previous command and infuse more light power into it?”

The crown prince’s personal servant asked, nervously.

The servant knew the prince’s temperament well, and he understood that the crown prince hated anyone questioning his orders.

However, the light power in the sword was already so immense that cracks had begun to form on its surface. The servant was worried that if more holy light was added, the sword might be destroyed by the overwhelming force.

Such a consequence was not something a personal servant could afford to bear.

If the crown prince were severely injured or killed because of this unexpected situation, the emperor would definitely punish the servant.

So, the servant knew he had no choice but to voice his concerns.

The crown prince shot him a cold glance.

“Do you think you understand the Holy Light Greatsword better than I do? Stop talking and follow my orders.”

Faced with the crown prince’s absolute command, the servant had no choice.

He gritted his teeth and began to carry out the prince’s orders.

Soon, a large number of light-powered gems and Beast Masters controlling light-based mystical beasts were brought in.

All the light energy would be quickly transferred to the Holy Light Greatsword.

As massive amounts of light power poured into the greatsword, the entire room became flooded with the overwhelming energy.

Even the light-based mystical beasts struggled to bear the pressure.

Others felt the pain from the sheer force of the light energy.

Only the crown prince, with a manic smile on his face, watched intently as the Holy Light Greatsword gleamed with golden light.

“Don’t you have a dark-attribute god-tier mystical beast? I’m curious to see if this dark-attribute mystical beast can withstand the Holy Light Greatsword’s attack!”

The crown prince wielded the Holy Light Greatsword and infused even more light power into it, intending to use it in the final battle to destroy Charles’s dark-attribute god-tier mystical beast, the Dark Demigod.

From the perspective of the clash between light and darkness, this plan seemed logical.

However, the crown prince was clearly unaware of a crucial piece of information.

That is, the Dark Demigod, as a god-tier mystical beast, possessed a dark power that was much closer to its origin.

Ordinary light-based power could not eliminate this deeper, more primal dark energy.

The crown prince didn’t know this, but that didn’t mean the Ancient Academy didn’t.

Harbor was well aware of this important intel.

But he had no intention of telling the crown prince.

At nearly the same time, Harbor gathered the key members of the Ancient Academy in the Atacama Desert.

There were only two others besides him.

One was Anke, who had arrived two days ago to assist and had failed a mission, losing two important mystical beasts in the process.

The other was Maxwell, who had always acted as Harbor’s assistant.

Harbor shared the crown prince’s plans with the two of them.

Both of them looked extremely surprised.

Anke furrowed his brow and spoke slowly.

“The map I provided is indeed detailed enough, but that doesn’t mean simply following it will lead to success.

Even without considering the Sandworms in the underground area of Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis, there are powerful cursed forces in some of the underground regions’ dark rivers. If you accidentally wander into those areas, you’ll be killed by the curse without a doubt.”

He paused for a moment before continuing.

“Why didn’t you stop the crown prince, Your Highness? He is the person we must rely on in the final battle. Without the assistance of the Stellar Empire, it’s impossible for us to defeat Charles and the Serpent Empire on our own.”

After his failure, Anke had become far more cautious than before.

He had learned to value the power of allies much more.

As soon as Anke finished speaking, Maxwell quickly chimed in.

“I have the same concerns. Charles is extremely powerful. We definitely can’t win on our own. So, we must stop the crown prince from taking such a risky action.

What if the crown prince and the Serpent Empire end up in a mutual destruction? He won’t be able to provide us with the help we need in the final battle.”

Maxwell had never been particularly strong, so he hoped the crown prince would provide more assistance.

Just as Maxwell finished speaking, Harbor snorted coldly.

“Do you really think the crown prince is genuinely offering us help? The relationship between us and the Stellar Empire is nothing more than mutual exploitation.

Everett Dean doesn’t want the Stellar Empire to completely control the Atacama Desert either. The entire desert is full of valuable gems and ancient ruins, not to mention mystical beasts that can be contracted.

Such an important resource area should belong to the Ancient Academy, not the Stellar or Serpent Empires.

So, having both the Stellar Empire and the Serpent Empire destroy each other was always the goal from the start.”

Harbor openly stated his true intentions.

Anke and Maxwell exchanged a glance.

Though they understood the reasoning behind Harbor’s plan, they both wondered: Would it really lead to ultimate success? Neither of them felt very confident.

Moreover, they both feared that if the crown prince learned the truth, he would be enraged.

At that point, it wouldn’t just prevent them from teaming up to fight Charles; even if the Ancient Academy wanted to coexist peacefully with the Stellar Empire, that would no longer be possible.

Maxwell didn’t dare argue with Harbor, so she suppressed her doubts.

But Anke was different.

He stepped forward, speaking in a sincere tone.

“I know you understand the situation in the Atacama Desert better than I do, and I know you’ve spent more time with the crown prince of the Stellar Empire. So, normally, I shouldn’t question your decisions.

But I feel like this decision might be a bit too hasty. A mutual destruction? That’s only going to mean mutual destruction between the Stellar Empire and the Serpent Empire.

Charles won’t be severely injured by the crown prince. His strength is far superior to that of the crown prince.”

Harbor stood up and shook his head.

“Charles is indeed strong, but I wouldn’t say he’s far stronger than the crown prince. And the crown prince will be using the Stellar Empire’s divine artifacts in this operation.

I believe that even if the crown prince fails, he can still inflict some damage on Charles. Besides, Charles and the crown prince are sworn enemies.

I’m just going with the flow. If the crown prince really disagreed with this risky action, how could I have persuaded him? So, don’t keep trying to change my mind.”

After saying this, Harbor waved his hand, signaling that they could leave.

Anke and Maxwell turned, heavy-hearted, and walked out.

As they reached the door, Harbor’s voice called out from behind them.

“Keep preparing for the upcoming final battle. Focus only on that. The rest doesn’t concern you.”

The two exchanged a glance but said nothing before leaving.

Harbor watched them go, slowly shaking his head.

“The Ancient Academy is running out of talent.”

He couldn’t help but sigh.

Both Anke and Maxwell had disappointed him.

Anke, sent specifically by Everett Dean, should have been a valuable asset.

But after his failure, Anke had become overly cautious and careful.

While caution and care aren’t exactly flaws, for a Beast Master who needs to constantly push forward and grow stronger, being too cautious could cause them to miss many opportunities for growth.