Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Eren's core beliefs remained unchanged even after landing in Labh Salem.

He continued to work hard to sharpen his skills and build a steady foundation.

He kept investing in himself, making full use of the rich and diverse resources available in Labh Salem.

Even though Tantra's practice improved his speed and efficiency, Eren didn't cut down on his efforts. On the contrary, it made him even more steadfast on his Path than ever before.

One could say that what Sansara Sage was attempting to do after achieving Perfect Sainthood was being done by Eren when he was just a Grandmaster Ranker.

He was essentially living multiple lives through the use of his clones, broadening and perfecting his Path even more than before.

All he needed to do at the Ranker's Calamity was to fuse all his experiences and smelt them to achieve Sagehood.

Of course, by this point, Eren had also come to realize that the Ranker's Calamity that he was going to trigger in Labh Salem would be anything but normal. He needed the right place and time to go through such a ground-shaking experience– something he wasn't prepared for yet.

As such, Eren didn't become anxious because of his temporary pause in the Ranking Progress. In fact, he even felt somewhat relieved that he didn't have to deal with the problems that would arrive if and when he triggered the Calamity.

***

Eren and Altair conversed for a while and reached an agreement. Due to their busy schedules, meeting in person was not feasible.

Unlike in Anfang, Eren had no intention of establishing a White Raven cult or an Elder Ichor temple in Labh Salem. Simply because it did not serve his purpose.

Consequently, he didn't extend an invitation to Altair to join him. It was much better for Altair to help him from a distance.

Eren also had plans to contact Osha Daman to help him out with some of his affairs. This ambitious Sage was also making a name for herself in Labh Salem because of her exceptional Individuality. Contacting her directly would make Eren come into the limelight as well, which was something he didn't want.

Eren had basically turned his two Sage allies into mercenaries with the way he kept in touch with them. Of course, he made sure to align his goals with the two Sages' interests as well, forming mutually beneficial relationships.

Eren's divinity was unlike any other god or demigod.

The butcher's abominated divinity didn't require him to follow the traditional faith-centric path to generate Origin Force Points from his followers, so he didn't bother.

Why complicate matters by introducing unnecessary factors into a solvable equation? It was more prudent to leverage his peculiarities and remain concealed, away from prying and unwanted eyes.

The geographical distance between Eren and Altair's respective locations was substantial. Additionally, neither Altair nor Eren could use the Void Dimension, which they both had access to, for the transfer of the demonic entities.

Since their dealings were off the books this time and they wanted to avoid involving their respective forces, official channels were not an option, especially for transporting a large batch of demonic cultivators.

This prompted Eren to choose a coastal city as his residence. The sea, being vast and beyond the control of any single organization, offered a faster and safer means for such clandestine transactions.

Eren had established pirate routes to facilitate the receipt of a significant shipment of "experimental disposables." He had replaced the regular pirate gangs with some of his fiends. In essence, there was nothing Eren couldn't import or export to and from Sunhaven using these sea routes.

Equipped with various Array Formations, Freya and Tidebreaker, the two capable ships in Eren's possession, served as powerful vessels to transport the demonic entities while keeping them imprisoned. Among regular sea-traveling merchants and small pirate gangs, Freya and Tidebreaker instilled fear, causing them to change their course upon sighting the ships.

Eren assured Altair that one of his associates would soon contact him with the location and time for the handover of the "goods." He then closed the communication channel with Altair before reaching out to a specific individual.

It didn't take long for someone to respond to Eren's summons.

"Are we out of trouble?" Naya asked as she appeared in Siren's Sanctuary.

Similar to Reen, she had been alerted by Eren while she was outside Sunhaven to stand guard in case any temple forces or demonic cults decided to strike.

In her humanoid form, Naya had become even more mysterious, powerful, and beautiful. Her demonic heritage and beastly aura were concealed after coming to Sunhaven, presenting her as a regular mortal girl in her early 20s.

Naya, like others from Eren's team, had managed to reestablish contact with him during the last five years. Originally a demon beast formally bound to Birmond Remus, Eren had altered the Faustian Contract after her original owner's death, making her his allied demon beast.

Progressing significantly since her entry into Labh Salem, Naya was also in the A-Rank, slightly trailing behind Eren. Labh Salem's abundance of resources suited the demonkind, making Naya feel like she had transitioned from a backwater origin to a prosperous place.

"Yeah," Eren nodded before assigning her the task he had discussed with Altair.

"I want you to take Freya and act as the leader of the fiends stationed aboard it," Eren explained the details of their plan.

After a brief chat, Naya left for Freya straight from Siren Sanctuary's backyard. Eren watched her depart aboard Freya before turning around, muttering to himself, "Goddess Sekhmet's annual celebration is tomorrow. I guess I gotta get ready."

Eren anticipated this annual celebration due to an invitation from Wilfer, making him a potential bearer of the Virtue Series Marks. Eren wanted to test if his soul could carry the Virtue Series Marks.

Confident in handling potential ramifications with his immortal soul, he decided to try his luck and see if God Aleph's bloodline unlocked additional benefits for him.

===

AN: Freya was mentioned in chapter 987. Tidebreaker was given to Eren in chapter 1264.

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