As Dawn and the Settlement Lord walked through the Settlement, she noticed not only the changes in the structures, but also the demeanours of the people.
Dawn could notice a myriad of subtleties.
The Settlement's borders were more fortified compared to when she was around.
Passing through the mostly empty streets, Dawn took the effort to analyse the few passing people with Immersion.
She recognised some of the Cultivators from Union Settlement, each carrying subtle unease beneath an otherwise calm face.
Mortal Warriors of the Iron Mountain Quarry Settlement were similarly fearful despite their stoic expressions.
The people of the Settlement were rarely seen out, hidden within their homes, looking within, she sensed that fear and worry were rich in the air.
Dawn could sense a lot of sensations through her Immersion.
However, the place Dawn wanted to look at was the battlefield.
With the Defensive Dao Art restricting Immersion, Dawn can't send her Immersion past the Settlement's borders.
She only had a vague description to think of: charred soil and remains, the entirety of the second tide was annihilated by Silver Extreme.
'Even if Silver Extreme is a First State Cultivator, wiping out tens of thousands of beasts would not be easy.'
'Especially if Spirits were present...'
Arriving at the Settlement Lord's complex, a few Medical Experts were moving about.
The Settlement Lord gestured for one to approach and to question.
"Is Friend Silver in any state to receive an audience?"
"Yes. Lord Silver is recovering from one of his wounds as we speak. It should be fine to talk with him, my Lord."
'...?'
Confusion and shock struck Dawn's mind.
"Did something happen to Silver Extreme?"
The Settlement Lord spared only a solemn nod as he led Dawn to a secluded room on one of the upper floors.
Within the room, Late Hour's faint starlight shed gently through an open window.
In the centre of the room was a simple bed of white sheets.
Besides the bed and a desk, there was no other furniture.
Unlike typical offices in a medical complex or the long rooms full of injured people, this was merely a refurbished study room.
Resting on the bed was a man with loose silver hair, his collarbone revealed by his loose robes and bandages covered some parts of his body.
"I see you have returned, Dawn."
His voice carried little of the authority it used to.
"Silver... What has happened to you...?"
His fair skin was paler, and his strong, firm body exuded weakness.
Dawn did not need Immerison to tell of his weak presence.
"I guess you have not filled her in, Lord?"
"No. No, I have not."
'...?'
Silver Extreme stifled a grunt as he sat up on the bed.
"I will explain."
"During your absence, Dawn, we had laid our preparations to defend the second tide and awaited its arrival."
"Unexpectedly, it was delayed by a few hours; that alone was not a worry. However..."
"The first creature to arrive was a Spirit, a Deceptive Hawk Monarch, and soon after, the first beast groups had arrived..."
Pausing for a moment, Silver Extreme caught his breath before continuing.
"The beast group was mixed between different kinds of beasts. At first, I thought they were simply insane beasts, but after watching their behaviour, there were factors that made me doubt that first thought."
"They made no effort to interrupt the battle between me and the Spirit. There were even Beast Kings present, who couldn't have been insane, let alone group with insane beasts. Unless there were variables that proved our pre-conceived notions false."
Naturally, sane beasts and insane beasts do not mix. Furthermore, due to the nature of the mist, which was responsible for the insanity in the beasts, anything with a sophisticated Way is supposed to dissipate and turn into mist.
Beasts, with a simple, or rather bestial, Way, are not subjected to this effect.
With that in mind, Beast Kings, Mystical Beast Kings, and likely even Beast Emperors, all should dissipate into mist if they were caught in its effects for too long.
These 'kings' have a more sophisticated Way than ordinary beasts, but less sophisticated than Humans.
Although humans, similarly, can't withstand the effects of the mist very well.
Some have survived, some have survived but have become insane, while most have perished.
"However. These Beast Kings were sane, and similar to their insane companions... they didn't try to focus on us, nor were they deterred by my and the Spirit's fierce collisions...."
"That is when I truly suspected something was wrong... and just a few moments after, the second Spirit made its appearance, a Great Winged Eagle Monarch..."
"That, and a Demonic Cultivator..."
"Please, Friend Silver, let me pick it up from here."
Clearing his strained throat with a cough, Silver Extreme nodded and lay back on the bed.
His body was limp and breathing shallow.
Sighing, the Settlement Lord continued from Silver Extreme's words.
"The Demonic Cultivator that appeared is called Life Taming Monarch"
"He was a sickly man with pale hair and green and black robes."
"His appearance was short but incredibly impactful. With two Spirits by his side, and a few tens of thousands of beasts, he wished to annihilate our Settlement."
"That did not happen. Otherwise, we would not be here."
Walking to one of the room's windows, it granted a sight of the Settlement below. Outwards were the Settlement's borders.
Further beyond were the ramparts that Dawn was familiar with.
In front of the ramparts was the battlefield where the mortal forces and Cultivators repelled the attacks of the myriad beast groups of the first tide.
However, the second tide was fought and annihilated by one man alone.
The soil was charred a deep black, which was hard to see with the faint starlight.
Dawn could only tell that the ground there was darker than the other areas that she could see.
"So... Silver Extreme handled both the Demonic Cultivator and the Spirits... and the beast tide alone?"
"Indeed. For a great price, however."
Silver Extreme exposed his stomach under the white fabric, leaving his upper body bare.
A black wound large enough that it occupied most of his stomach, wrapping around his sides as if he were split in half.
"The wound has also charred some of my back..."
It didn't expose his internal organs, but Dawn guessed that he suffered similar black wounds inside.
Without touching, Dawn could tell that it would have a similar texture to charred wood.
"This... This was the price to pay for annihilating the second tide."
"What exactly happened...?"
"..."
Silver Extreme paused to catch his breath, but it was the Settlement Lord who explained.
"Friend Silver detonated one of his Qi Cores to annihilate the tide, drive back the Demonic Cultivator..."
"And... to save our Settlement."