This was definitely not the wind.

At this point Michael knew he could no longer blame it on coincidence.

Well, perhaps the only coincidence that existed was that the Legendary Stage human just happened to have a bloodline that could transform it into a serpent, the same bloodline the royal family of the Black Serpent Empire carried, and he just happened to find a similar treasure to one a prince from that same empire had used.

"That man was most likely from the Black Serpent Empire. And considering his power was near demigod level, I won’t be surprised if he was one of their most important figures. It’s hard to say if he was the only one, but he was definitely one of them."

Michael knew a bit about the Black Serpent Empire.

Even the three most powerful kingdoms that could function as empires themselves in other regions could not match the empire’s greatest combined. The empire was simply that powerful. Combined with the presence of Legendary Stage beings, their might was considerable.

This was why Michael had been heavily worried about getting entangled with them. It was only after his advancement to Rank 3 that he had become considerably more indifferent.

"With the loss of that man, isn’t the empire something of a paper fortress now?"

Though he respected the unknown figure for his power, Michael was a little pleased by his absence. The weaker the empire was relative to him, the better.

This way, not only could he do as he wished, at least in the regions dominated by the empire, he would not need to fear anyone. If they dared to come to his doorstep he would show them what a near-demigod creature was capable of.

Though he had not yet merged the blood pool with the undead Drakeblood, Michael was almost certain it would be able to match the level that both the Legendary Stage human and Shojo had reached before their deaths. And the undead Drakeblood was not the only Rank 4 creature he had either.

"Unless the Empire has an actual demigod, I don’t need to worry about anything. Even if they link the death of their prince to me, they should be the ones worried about giving me an excuse to retaliate."

As for the possibility of the Black Serpent Empire possessing a demigod, Michael did not believe it was high.

Even a highly advanced civilization like Aurora did not have many of these beings. Michael did not know the actual number, but he was sure it was not large. This could be discerned from how the vice dean had dared to attack two Rank 4 Federation officers on his behalf.

If the Federation were all-powerful Michael did not think she would have dared. It was most likely because she knew the Federation could not touch her over that particular matter.

Michael did not believe the Black Serpent Empire could compare to Aurora in any meaningful way. Looking at his current resources alone, he could probably take them on himself. Four Rank 4 undead with thousands of Rank 3 undead behind them. Only a demigod-level being like the vice dean could realistically suppress the current him.

"I’m getting ahead of myself thinking like this."

Michael caught himself before the thought could settle too comfortably.

A Rank 4 power was still a Rank 4 power.

The Black Serpent Empire had been operating at that level for hundreds of years. Against that kind of depth, his barely approaching a year as a supernatural was a humbling comparison regardless of how unusual his trajectory had been.

Though he found it hard to believe they had a demigod, possessing very strong trump cards was entirely believable.

In any case, there was no active conflict between him and the Black Serpent Empire. They had no confirmed knowledge of what had happened to their prince, even if suspicion existed. As long as they did not bring the matter to his doorstep, there was no need to be thinking about attacking them.

He had more than enough on his plate already.

Michael exhaled and straightened slightly.

"In any case," he said quietly to himself, "I’m a gentleman of good morals and sound principles. I don’t go looking for trouble."

Michael turned his attention back to the epic grade item in his hand.

There was also the three-star Extraordinary Grade treasure to consider.

The Emperor’s Aegis Shell was a defensive treasure. When activated through mana infusion it released a dome-shaped barrier capable of withstanding attacks up to Peak Rank 3 strength for up to sixty seconds before requiring cooldown.

As long as mana was supplied it could be reactivated repeatedly, making it less a one-time emergency tool and more a sustained defensive resource. Among Extraordinary Grade treasures, its defensive performance was considered among the finest of its class.

Michael had already planned to give the Emperor’s Aegis Shell to his cousin, and he still planned to do exactly that.

He held no genuine expectation that Lily would succeed in becoming an awakener, let alone achieve it within two months. That said, she was already a supernatural now.

For her, the Emperor’s Aegis Shell was an extremely reliable safety measure. Overkill in terms of grade relative to what she currently was, certainly. But Michael had never particularly subscribed to the idea that protection should be calibrated exactly to current need.

Better to have something that would hold through more than she might ever face than something that would fail precisely when it mattered.

The barrier it produced could hold against Peak Rank 3 attacks for up to sixty seconds with mana to sustain it. For Lily’s current situation, in the world she was operating in, that was more than enough to keep her alive through almost anything she was realistically likely to encounter.

And if by some chance she actually succeeded at the awakening ceremony and became an awakener in the future, the usefulness of the item would not decrease. If anything it would only extend. An awakener with access to a top-tier Extraordinary Grade defensive treasure would find it relevant well into the stages ahead.

Michael turned the Shell over in his hand once before placing it back into his storage space.

He turned his attention back to the epic grade item.

"Seeing as they both carry the name Emperor’s Aegis, this might actually be a set of items. I wonder if the rest are at the empire or scattered somewhere else."