Chapter 444: A Breath of Normalcy


    For the inhabitants of Earth, Christmas and New Year passed like fleeting shadows, eclipsed by the oppressive presence of fric beings. It was hard to find joy in the festivities, just a mere memory in a world haunted by constant dangers.


    Even the most enthusiastic celebrators found neither space nor desire tomemorate. Despite global despair, in some regions blessed by Luan''s intervention, hope blossomed. Here, people from all backgrounds united to n a week of festivities, a daring challenge to the shadows still looming over the world.


    This idea gained momentum and quickly spread as soon as the inte was restored, circting around the world.


    However, this wave of celebration did not reach every corner. With over 1 billion living beings lost globally and countless having their loved ones transformed into fric beings, in many ces, the wounds were still too open, the grief too profound to allow any thoughts of festivity.


    In some parts of the, the struggle for survival was still a reality. Even though Luan had resolved most of the problem with the fric beings, he had not yetpletely eradicated the root of the problem. Not long ago, he had to confront a new wave of these fric beings. Moreover, in some countries, the presence of particrly dangerous and hard-to-eliminate mutant and fric insects remained a significant threat...


    Regarding the holidays, on the Dimas'' private ind, the day went by with a carefree barbecue for close guests, an oasis of normality in a transformed world, filled withughter and casual conversations.


    The Elite Troop was there, including Elias, who had just returned from a mission.


    "Ah, yes, Luan," Elias called out, holding a beer can in his right hand.


    "Yes?" Luan turned his attention to him.


    "I heard about your recent progress, congrattions," Elias said with a broad and somewhat rxed smile, which turned intoughter.


    "Thank you," Luan replied. "And good that you''re back in time from your mission. I haven''t asked yet, how did it go? Everything went well?"


    "Yes, as I mentioned before, it wasn''t a challenge for me," Elias scratched his head with his free hand. "It turns out I''m one of the few with Fifth Order power among the army members, so this mission was assigned to me."


    Elias preferred not to borate on the details of his mission. It was a confidential matter and, despite trusting those present, some things were better kept secret. Moreover, sharing this information wouldn''t benefit them. Unless it was something that could positively impact their lives, it wasn''t worth discussing.


    "Elias, you need to rx a bit," Catharina jokes, patting him on the back. "When you''re out of uniform, drop that formality."


    Elias coughed twice in response.


    Unconcerned with his difort, Catharinaughed and, while patting Elias''s back more lightly, advised: "You need to unwind more. When not in uniform, forget that formal posture and loosen up a bit."


    "Uh, I''ll try," Elias responded, stroking his goatee. "But, I''ve gotten used to speaking and acting this way."


    "Too formal," Catharina protested. "And that goatee really doesn''t suit you. If I were your girlfriend, I wouldn''t let you kiss me with it."


    Elias was speechless for a few moments, but then dered firmly, "I''ll shave it off now!"


    Catharinaughed contagiously. "My God, I was just giving my opinion. Even if you take it into ount, you don''t have to change if you don''t want to, and even if you do, it doesn''t have to be right now." N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "I''ll take your advice," Elias affirmed.


    Christina, confused, intervened: "Is it just me or are you two dating?"


    "Cough... Cough... Cough...!"


    This time, both Elias and Catharina started coughing simultaneously.


    Elias even spat out a bit of the beer he had just sipped...


    In response to Cristina''s inquiry, Catharina promptly denied any romantic involvement.


    "Of course not!" She reacted. "Why would you think that?"


    "Well, the way you two interact always gave me the impression that there was something more," exined Cristina. "Was it wrong of me to ask?"


    "There''s no problem, but it''s a misunderstanding," rified Catharina. "Elias and I are not dating."


    "I understand," agreed Cristina, appearing thoughtful.


    ''But why do I feel that there''s something beyond a simple friendship between them? Am I thinking too much?'' Cristina kept her doubts to herself.


    For a brief moment, a glimpse of mncholy passed over Elias''s face, quickly masked by his usual carefree expression.


    ══════『??』══════


    [On the 50th Floor of the Tower]


    Luan, using the artifact he himself had created, the ''Dismemberment Box'', found an efficient way to automatically dismember monsters. This device significantly speeds up the process by separatingponents like cores, organs, skins, among others.


    Moreover, he devised a n to enhance another natural artifact, the ''Lightning Heart'', which was with his other version on Earth. Among the magical beasts defeated, many had the essence of the lightning element. Luan carefully collected the purest essence from the blood and the purest magical cores of these creatures, rejecting those with excess impurities through his Negative Qi. However, in doing so, he inadvertently dissipated a considerable part of the power of these cores.


    Unlike the natural artifact ''Ancient Tree Heart'', which enabled the fusion with the Leviathan, the ''Ancient Tree Heart'' to which Luan was bound was at the Fourth Order. Until then, he had not developed this artifact, but now he clearly intends to reach the Fifth Order. Such progress can be attributed to the fact that Luan was absorbing the blood of magical beast corpses of this order, while gathering resources to create new dungeons on Earth.


    Nearby Luan, Nora and Lenore were also absorbing the essence of the blood of the beasts. Lenore, especially, was about to advance to the Sixth Order and wasmitted to elerating her evolution through the pure essence of exceptional magical beasts, including the blood essence of a three-horned unicorn.


    "Luan, what do you n to do with these magical cores?" Nora inquired curiously.


    Observing her, now with traces of blood on her red lips and seeing her lick the remnants, Luan was captivated by the scene that exuded an exotic and seductive beauty. However, he did not get distracted enough to forget her question.


    "With the Negative Qi, I am refining the lightning magical cores," Luan exined, his voice calm hiding theplexity of the process. "My n is to reduce their impurities, raising their quality, and send them to my other version on Earth."


    Nora immediately understood Luan''s intentions, without needing further exnation.


    "But, won''t this process result in the loss of a lot of Qi from these cores?" She questioned. "From what I observed, it seems that there is a significant reduction in their power after purification."


    "Yes, it''s true," agreed Luan. "Purification always involves some loss. In the process, even the purest Qi can be dissipated or refined to be something purer, even though in smaller quantity. But, it''s precisely this that, in my opinion, makes them more valuable."


    On this issue, there are many debates. Many prefer to consume the cores with impurities to maximize profit, avoiding the substantial loss that apanies the purification process. Additionally, Luan''s method is considerably more radical, resulting in a more marked reduction in power level. For instance, he managed to diminish the power of a Sixth Order core to almost the level of the Fourth Order, at the lower limit of the Fifth Order...


    While most cultivators would be distressed by such a loss, Luan was unfazed. He cannot be considered an ordinary cultivator. For him, this decrease in power was not so significant, as his priority has always been quality over quantity.