Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 886: You know exactly what I mean

After a string of brutal battles, Emerald Castle didn't just recover—it surged forward like a rocket.

The invaders had come to plunder energy, bringing with them massive reserves and advanced tech far beyond anything this world had ever seen.

When they lost, nearly all of it fell straight into Emerald Castle's hands.

The research division moved fast, taking full control of the spoils.

Weapon systems from the Vorgar Empire, power cores, spatial stabilizers—each piece was dismantled, analyzed, and reassembled, then integrated into Emerald Castle's own tech framework.

The labs ran day and night. Streams of energy lit up the sky above the industrial zone, crisscrossing like veins of molten light. The whole place pulsed like a living steel furnace that never cooled.

This wave of tech fusion didn't just upgrade their existing gear—it birthed an entirely new generation of war machines.

Among them, the heavily modified mechanoids stood out. The top-tier models could now unleash stable combat power above Tier 32.

From the high platform overlooking it all, Ethan's eyes gleamed with rare, genuine excitement.

He understood better than anyone—

This world was getting more dangerous by the day.

New invading forces kept showing up, some with origins so obscure they couldn't even be traced. In a landscape this chaotic, just holding onto what you had wasn't enough. To keep expanding, you needed a constant, reliable energy supply.

That was when a sudden alert snapped him out of his thoughts.

A massive tiger had appeared in the outer perimeter of Emerald Castle, radiating a strange, unsettling aura.

Its power level wasn't particularly high, but what caught everyone's attention was the unfamiliar mark burned into its chest—

Stormhowl Castle.

The patrol unit subdued it immediately and brought it back to the main hall.

When the tiger was dragged into the center of the chamber, Ethan's brow furrowed slightly.

He had no memory of any faction called Stormhowl Castle in the surrounding regions.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

His voice was low and calm, but carried a natural weight that pressed down like a storm front.

The tiger flinched, clearly rattled. It quickly pulled out a crystal-clear orb from its chest fur and held it up with both paws.

"My name is Tigris. I'm a member of Stormhowl Castle," he said, voice tight with nerves. "We lived in a small, isolated Plane World. Then one day, a terrifying force tore our world in half and opened a spatial vortex… I got sucked through and ended up here."

As he spoke, his expression shifted—part fear, part helpless frustration.

"I swear, I didn't mean to trespass. I'm not here to invade."

Ethan took the orb, eyes narrowing slightly.

Inside, the orb held a dense, stable energy structure, along with a unique life-frequency signature. It was clearly some kind of personal identification device.

From a technical standpoint, it didn't look forged.

But Ethan wasn't about to take that at face value.

He gestured to one of his men, signaling them to take the orb and investigate the location where Tigris had appeared.

The recon team returned not long after.

"Commander, we found an unstable spatial vortex at the site," the soldier reported, speaking faster than usual. "It connects to an unknown world. The energy readings inside are extremely high—pure and concentrated."

Ethan stood up instantly.

A flicker of excitement flashed through his eyes.

Energy.

It was the lifeblood of every high-tier power.

Empires launched interdimensional wars just to secure stable energy sources. Even though Emerald Castle wasn't facing a shortage yet, Ethan had no intention of waiting until it did.

The more reserves they had, the more strategic flexibility they gained.

He took a breath, reining in his emotions, then turned to Feylora at his side.

"Head to those coordinates immediately. I want a full assessment of Stormhowl Castle's world—energy density, stability, and long-term extraction potential."

His tone was calm, but left no room for negotiation.

"You know exactly what I mean."

Feylora's eyes lit up instantly.

She knew exactly what that order meant.

Another small Plane World was officially entering Emerald Castle's strategic scope.

She didn't ask a single question. With a sharp nod, she turned and left the hall, a few goblins trailing behind her.

Tigris, still kneeling on one knee, had no idea what was about to unfold.

All he could feel was that the air in the hall had grown even heavier than before.

Ethan never let his guard down just because someone looked harmless or submissive.

In his mind, any faction capable of surviving in an independent Plane World couldn't possibly be "simple."

Even if this Tigris character seemed awkward and mild-mannered, that didn't mean the world behind him was the same.

Especially when—

That orb alone was already dangerous enough.

"Since you're here in Emerald Castle," Ethan said calmly, "why don't you tell me more about Stormhowl Castle?"

Tigris didn't seem to catch the weight behind those words.

He nodded earnestly and began explaining everything he knew, without holding anything back.

Stormhowl Castle's world was, at its core, a low-tier Plane World—small population, low civilization level. But it held one unique resource: a rare type of mineral capable of absorbing and storing soul energy.

The orb he'd offered earlier was crafted from that very mineral, used as a personal identification device.

As Tigris described the mineral's properties, Ethan's gaze drifted back to the orb in his hand.

The moment his fingers brushed its surface, a faint but unmistakable psychic echo rippled through his mind—like a whisper not yet fully awake.

This wasn't just soul energy.

There was a layer of pure, undiluted mental force woven into it.

Ethan could tell almost instantly—if this mineral were embedded into Powered Combat Armor or high-tier weapon systems, it could deliver a direct strike to an enemy's consciousness on impact. Maybe even tear through their soul structure entirely.

This wasn't just a boost in firepower.

It was a strategic-level game changer.

He slowly turned the orb between his fingers, its sheen catching the light as it slipped through the gaps. His gaze deepened, thoughtful.

Stormhowl Castle had been using this kind of resource just for ID tags?

Either they were absurdly confident in the size of their mineral reserves…

Or they had no idea what they were sitting on.

"You've traveled a long way. You must be tired," Ethan said suddenly, a gentle smile touching his lips. "Go get some rest."

His tone was soft, almost considerate.

But in that moment, the air in the hall seemed to drop a degree.

Two goblins stepped forward in perfect sync, polite but firm as they guided Tigris out of the chamber—leaving no room for refusal.