“Giant Tooth[7], the giant alligator, told me that the Flower Protection Alliance is an organization whose members involve all of the Rank Nine experts of the Carrion Swamp,” explained Zhao Wen. “Its sole objective is to protect Seven-colored Flower City[8]. No matter who it is, once Seven-colored Flower City is under attack, we will join forces to beat back the enemy.
“Moreover, he had also told me that we, the Rank Nine experts of the Carrion Swamp, cannot casually leave the swamp. He added that there is an agreement between us and the Rank Nine experts of various parts of the continent. They cannot enter the Carrion Swamp in large numbers, and nor can we make trouble outside of the swamp. Otherwise, all of the other forces will join together to attack the culprit.”
This was something Zhao Hai and the others hadn’t known of. No wonder there hadn’t been any appearances of a Rank Nine expert coming from the Carrion Swamp and arriving on the continent. Originally, there was this treaty. Zhao Hai couldn’t help but be more curious, so he asked Zhao Wen, “How many Rank Nine experts does this Flower Protection Alliance have?”
Zhao Wen shook her head. “This, I do not know. What I do know is that there should be at least ten who stay nearby and guard Seven-colored Flower City. I was also near the city before. Unexpectedly, someone had previously attacked Seven-colored Flower City, thus, I was asked to defend that area.”
Zhao Hai nodded and said, “So it means that usually, you are free to do what you want and those experts don’t restrict you? By the way, can you beat them?”
Zhao Wen nodded. “There are a few that I can, and there are also a few I cannot. If I retreat, however, they won’t be able to catch up to me. They usually don’t restrict anyone. Only when there is an incident in Seven-colored Flower City will we all gather together.”
Zhao Hai curiously asked, “Have you fought them before? Otherwise, how can you say you could win against them[9]?”
Zhao Wen replied, “Yes, I had fought with a few of them before. If one wants to join the Flower Protection Alliance, then one must accept challenges from five Rank Nine experts. Only then can you obtain their approval[10].”
“Then, why do you have to protect Flower City, the one you’re calling Seven-colored Flower City?” Zhao Hai curiously asked another question.
Zhao Wen shook her head and said, “I don’t know, but I heard from the others that this was the custom of the older generations of Rank Nine experts and was passed down from generation to generation. It is said that Flower City is very important to us, but we don’t dare approach the old city casually. Otherwise, that seven-colored flower will attack us.”
Zhao Hai nodded. He turned his head to Green and said, “What do you make of this, Grandpa Green?”
Green thought for a while and then asked Zhao Wen, “What about the recurring riots that happen where the magic beasts and undead from the Carrion Swamp rampage through the Black Waste. What was the cause of it[11]?”
Zhao Wen took some time to think before replying, “This is something I also don’t know about. With regards to those magic beasts and undead, we Rank Nine experts do not handle them. Rank Eight experts handle these matters, and we Rank Nine experts do not meddle with them. ”
Zhao Hai frowned after hearing her answer. Green continued, “Then, can you order these magic beasts and undead not to go out of the Carrion Swamp?”
Zhao Wen shook her head. “We don’t generally meddle with these matters. I have also heard them say they have reasons to head out. I remember before I reached Rank Nine, that I had left twice. It was due to the toxins within our bodies. We had stored up a lot of it and didn’t have any means to detoxify it. Thus, we needed to find a non-toxic place to remove the toxic substances from within our bodies, else we die.”
Zhao Hai nodded. He was convinced by this argument. In the Carrion Swamp, no matter what, all of the animals, plants, and even water and air, everything was toxic. Although they had already adapted to this toxin, once their body accumulated too much, it would be harmful to them. This was comparable to the saying some people might say about how eating green vegetables would give a lot of advantages, but only eating green vegetables and disregarding other foods wouldn’t be something anyone could bear[12].
Since the Black Waste was adjacent to the Carrion Swamp, it had naturally become the place where these magic beasts and undead go in order to expel their toxins. The reason why the Black Waste became this way was probably due to this reason.