Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 130 - 129 - Power of Knowledge

Lind smiled at the projection as he pinned his peak grade 3 badge on his robes.  Lady Estelle was sitting now as well but only a portion of the image was shown compared to before.  Previously, she had stood over them in her robes, likely colored as bright red flames given others he had seen in his time in Cimmeria.

"Well, peak grade 3 means you have surpassed my expectations.  You have withheld selling grade 3 in auctions due to worries about your safety, I assume?"  Lady Estelle cut to the heart of the matter concerning elixirs.  In theory, being a peak grade 3 elixir master should give Lind equal standing with a peak Iron Tier cultivator.

The reality was far different.

It took almost all he had to make peak grade 3 elixirs.  He had to recover after each attempt and depending on his goals, it could take longer to experiment as well as he had to earn funds to get more ingredients.

That shortage of ingredients could be easily used to pressure Lind into giving himself up to a power as there were many ways to stop him from procuring them.  The Heavenly Maiden Sect was the current solution to that issue and they both knew it.

The other danger, the more practical one, was if various Sky or Heaven Realm powers learned of his potential.  Elixirs were highly sought after and while grade 2 elixirs were relatively rare, they were not enough to pique the interest of those higher powers.

If a peak grade 3 elixir showed up and it was learned it was a Soul Realm making them, that cultivator would be prime prey for those powers to gobble up by any means necessary.  If Lind broke through to the World Realm, it would not be so disturbing, but being in the Soul Realm and reaching grade 3 showed great promise.

"It is a grave concern as there are many ways to get to me and my existence is pretty much an open secret to those that wish me harm."  Time revealed everything and cultivators had plenty of time.

The first elixirs showed up in the Lotus Empire and then the Sapphire Auction House secured a steady supply from a mysterious guest elder of the Heavenly Maiden Sect.  It had to be that status as otherwise the sect would hide any such talent from the world.  It was implied then that someone asked and received the protection of the sect.

Shortly after, Lind got special treatment and escorts from the Heavenly Maiden Sect after several tumultuous events at the end of his 2 years there.  Trynith may hate Lind for having Cyntilla's mark on him, but it would not take that demon long to piece together the truth let alone those not distracted by such matters.

The Demon Empire already suspected him while he was at the Lotus Academy and nearly paid dearly for it.  Lind feared them the most as their power was not as limited as Trynith.  If they wanted him badly enough, then they would come for him.

He also knew that they had higher relations in the Floating Isles that could indeed come down in force if they knew his exact location.  Cimmeria was an excellent place to hide but the downside was it was not closed off from anyone.

"Are you not worried we will sell your new status due to your little outburst before?"  Lady Estelle was not asking for an answer.  She was showing that while she very much understood his anger, there were limits to her side as well.  Lind knew that, but he smiled wide at her.

"I am a Forger."  Pin drop silence filled the room.  This piece of knowledge was only known to Lind.  He produced a bronze badge and put it on the table.  This badge also had a peak on it but only a 1 and emblems of the 6 elements attached to a disc.  Elements merging into an item was the symbol of a Forger.

It was Lady Estelle's turn to frown.  If Lind was to guess this was worth more than elixirs.  Elixirs had excellent uses and could go beyond pills in realms, but they were ultimately not much better than pills as a consumable.

It meant that the supply was limited and would be unable to be mass produced no matter what anyone wanted.  Even enslaving Lind would not change that.  A Forger, however, was an entirely different matter.

If elixir masters were sought after commodities that some powers would bend the world to acquire, a Forger was a master of skill no one dared offend.  Refiners were common enough that only the good ones were truly sought out, but their skill in creation was protected.  Unlike alchemists that have guilds to protect them, refiners never needed one.

It had to do with mental fortitude.  If the mental state of a refiner was bad, regardless of skill, the results would be horrible.  The past had proved that to even the Demon Empire.  Enslaving a refiner was useless.  The skills would be lost.

A Forger, was a step above refiners.  They were rarer than elixir masters by far and just as refiners, needed no power to protect them.  Lady Estelle knew Lind Frey's history by now and likely studied his activities in Cimmeria closely.

It did not take long for her to piece together the month of lost spying was the time it took for Lind Frey to become a peak grade 1 Forger.  That was frightening!

"Anything else you want to reveal?"  Lady Estelle was not one to dance around or try to save her face.  She thought she had a card to play to put things back in her favor but Lind Frey had trumped her with a simple badge.  Even a grade 1 Forger would be beyond her ability to control.

"I have a message from my master:  Should any fool try to take my apprentice before the contest 2 months from now, I will bring down my tribulation to wipe them from the world forever."  Lind was stunned when Delenn told him to relay this message but he did not know if she knew Lady Estelle.  The effect, however, was clear.  Estelle had fear in her eyes.

"I–I see.  Ahem!  It seems I will be revisiting Leon on how foolish he has run the Cimmerian branch when he arrives."  Lind did not know who Leon was for sure but a glance at Mythra made him guess the former head was who was talked about.  "It would seem we are on a different footing now, Lind Frey."

She did not call him junior but that was fine.  He was far below her in cultivation yet his professions could make him surpass her quickly.  Lind, however, was not done.

A small sphere was summoned that all recognized as the new core Lind had created.  The current one felt smoother to all present but then he produced a strange contraption.  It was an open triangular box.  As opposed to the simple box Master Harold had made, this one had 3 flaps exposing the core slot.

Lind put the core into the box and all had their eyes go wide as the core blended with the box before Qi flowed into the exposed surfaces.  He forged right in front of them!  Lind then closed the box and shifted the 3 sides until it had a small center and 3 sharp edges sticking out.

A 6 elemental shield popped up but the shock did not stop there, he tossed it to Qing who barely caught it.  The shield never dropped nor flickered.  It held steady and clearly had a mechanism to allow it to follow the box itself.  In other words, it could be activated by Lind and then a true 6 elemental shield would protect whoever held the box!

"I have corrected the issues with my shield artifacts but currently I have to forge them to work.  I believe they do not need to be and they are not true forged items as the box was made with refining."  Lind revealed that he had not simply mastered grade 1 forging but completed his previous project as well!

Shoti was smiling like the cat that caught the canary while Annabelle was simply happy next to Lind.  Qing was testing the shield and was stunned that it was almost at low grade 3 strength!  Clearly it was the limit, but still, it meant this grade 2 artifact could take attacks from a Sand Tier easily.

"Sigh, my subordinates at Cimmeria were idiots.  They got too greedy."  Lady Estelle could only lament that her position was due to Leon and Alea's foolish choices.  They had learned through their contacts that Lind had been consistently creating grade 3 elixirs to the Heavenly Maiden Sect but their greed made them try to ensnare the boy rather than work with him.

Now, he had made himself even more invaluable but the relationship was tarnished.  Even with the punishments, she understood that Lind was not a naive boy any longer.  Maybe he never had been as he had secured the Heavenly Maiden Sect when the arrangement started.

"If you are about to tell me you successfully broke through to the World Realm without issue, I really will beat Leon to death."  Lind smiled but unleashed his aura.  All could tell he was now at the peak of 8th tier but his elements were slightly higher.  He had made it to high tier 9 with his tempering!

"Lady Estelle, I ascertain he is still a Soul Realm.  Peak tier 8 foundation with high tier 9 tempering."  Su relayed what she felt as at low Gold Tier she could easily perceive it.  A relieved expression passed over Lady Estelle that made Lind wonder what kind of monster they took him for.  Despite all his progress on his projects, the looming barrier of the World Realm was still impassable.

"Very well, then let me begin again.  Forger Lind Frey, the Starfire House would like to feature your items at grade 3.  Let us hammer out the details."  Lind nodded but then pointed to Mythra and Su.

"I would prefer to continue to work with Senior Su and Lady Mythra in the future so long as they wish to do so."  Lady Estelle quickly nodded as she had expected that choice.  The 2 women had done well at the beginning and since to impress Lind Frey.  If not for their loyalty, he would likely have broken off all possibilities of working with them.

"Qingyue Su, you are hereby promoted to personal representative for Lind Frey at the Starfire House and Sapphire Auction House will report to you for the current grade 2 and below sales as previously done."  Estelle did not give time for that announcement to process before she turned to Mythra.  "Mythra, you shall be adopted by my family and become the personal auctioneer for Lind Frey's products.  For those below grade 3, ensure they are correctly and appropriately tagged, but at grade 3 and above, you will be called on for any auctions we hold to manage them."

These were massive promotions for both women and they were unable to keep up as the conversation moved on.

"My Master has tasked me with participating in the contest 2 months from now.  I will refrain from elixirs for obvious reasons but I will not mind submitting some for promotional reasons."  Lind was a different man in front of them all.  Only Shoti had a glimpse of this over 3 years ago when he had called her in to gain the backing of the Heavenly Maiden Sect.  His revelation of peak Heaven grade 2 elixirs had disrupted the tone of that conversation.

Lind was a former office worker.  If you wanted something, you had to negotiate for it and prove the benefit to the company.  His time as a cultivator had shown that those skills were how most of them lived.  If there was no benefit, most cultivators would not allow it to affect them.

Lind was strange because he did not operate from that perspective.  It had burned him at times, but he refused to see people in the view of benefit or no benefit.

Lady Estelle nodded at his choice and the negotiations went from there to the protections Lind would need going forward so grade 3 elixirs could start to be sold.  Lind also stated how Captain Drake wanted the shield artifacts for his work with the folded space issue.

They negotiated resources allocation for that project as well as a few more things but the day passed before anyone realized that only Estelle and Lind had been talking pretty much the whole time.  The 3 Maidens and 2 employees turned to see Vice-Sect Master Lydia pouting in a corner.  No one knew when she had moved but clearly she had been ignored, yet that changed at the final point Lind put forth.

"The final thing I want to say is if I succeed in making grade 4 items, the Heavenly Maiden Sect will have exclusive rights until we renegotiate our terms at that time."  Lydia perked up and saw Lind looking at her.  "They took a stance to stand by me when they could have worked around me to still benefit from me.  I will never forget that."

Lydia actually blushed in embarrassment.  Lady Estelle could see her and smiled wide.  At least one person knew how to value talent properly that she had taught back in the days she was still in the lower realm.

"Since I know that will be a deal breaker for you, I am forced to agree to such a clause but I will add that we will wait till you reach mid-grade 4 as that will show progress worth moving you up to a much more interesting arena of sales."  Lady Estelle hinted that there was something much more profound but Lind was hardly surprised.  The more he learned about the higher realms, the more he realized how little he could comprehend.

He wondered what was at that horizon but he would have to make it there first.