novelraw Chapter 136 - 135 - Greed
Chapter 136 - 135 - Greed
Despite the usual focus on the contest, many visitors had come to gawk at the roped off area where the air was visibly distorted like a Ruin. Many had assumed it was a Ruin until their elders informed them, or the guards had, that it was actually a failure called folded space.
It was further rumored that it was a brutal place on the other side that was barely holding its stability but the guards assured they were close to breaking the nexus that anchored the connection to Cimmeria.
Since there was no sign of the border destabilizing nor Qi flowing violently as times passed, most moved on, but a few experts expressed their concern when they learned how old the folded space was. Even so, all authorities reassured them that there was a final solution that would be implemented before the contest began.
As more powers arrived, the words spread but now only days remained yet no sign of the final solution was being done.
Lind stood once more in front of the folded space. He was wearing a flowing cloak and had a large black emblem on the gray fabric. It was the symbol of the Heavenly Maiden Sect and the formations woven into it were at the peak of tier 1 Sky Realm. It made identifying him impossible and anyone that felt the power gave him a wide berth.
He had quite publicly left the sect after a message had been sent to Captain Drake. It had taken exactly 1 day for Lind to calm down enough to come face the man. A large part of the reason he calmed down were the mysteries.
It was not only publicly known that the distorted area was folded space, the minor clan that had been wiped out was known for reaching for more than they could handle in the past. Their clan leader had delusions of grandeur when he had spoken about the future accomplishments of his clan.
They had been caught with fake artifacts and a few other issues most would consider minor but last year that had changed. They had requested strange materials and quantities that had to nearly bankrupted them, but the mood of the clan members had been arrogant and happy.
The day before their grounds disappeared in a storm of Qi, the clansmen had been all gathered together which was unusual. Most clans would leave their human investments where they could bring the most benefit, but it was the last day of the clan.
Lind found it odd no one could tell him the name of the clan as the first mystery. Everyone agreed to the story, including Vice-Sect Master Lydia. In inquiry to information brokers found no discrepancy but even those brokers found it odd not one source had a clan name.
The quick response from the Stardust Emporium forces was not odd at all. Issues were rather expected so there were extensive formations to monitor and track large movements of Qi that would indicate possible threats.
If powerful cultivators were in the city, they had to register their aura so they can be eliminated as a cause of large Qi flows. Many would normally object but precedent can sway long lived cultivators. As there had been several incidents where Qi was run amok and all powerful cultivators had been implicated, it was hard to deny the need of tracking them.
The loss of benefits was a powerful motivator.
Lind found it odd at the response itself, however. Instead of a massive investigation, the guards had closed it off and begun diving into the folded space immediately. He had spent a small fortune getting information quietly that such a procedure was not normal, but few would question it as the speed of response was applauded.
Normally, however, the guards would close it off and investigate heavily all contacts to learn what they might be dealing with. They would then use some powerful artifacts to see what it was like inside the folded space and to measure its stability. It was entirely possible such a thing could collapse very quickly and violently after all.
Yet, from the very day it appeared. The guards had set up camp and began diving in. Aether children had not been part of the forces back then. They were only added after a month.
Lind's Eyes were closely looking at the border as long as he could and frowned. The cloak kept his face hidden so none knew what he was doing save waiting. It was not yet the appointed time but Lind had come early for a reason.
All folded space incidents had common timelines. The world is rent asunder with Qi going wild until the connection temporarily stabilizes. The length of stability was highly varied but the closer to the end, the more Qi became erratic. Space would become unstable and it would be unsafe for even Sky Realms to fly near such a place.
The floating islands above would be a massive problem normally but Lind was sure there was no issue with whatever this was. It was not a folded space, or at least it was not normal.
Lind had looked at it back on his day of arrival and while he could not pick out everything, he saw no change after months had passed. While he had no personal reference, there had been enough hard data in records to assure him folded space always deteriorated over time. This thing had not.
It was not like a Ruin either, so Lind was not sure what it was, but he strongly suspected why things were not going as people expected, greed.
Cultivators were some of the most patient and powerful beings on many subjects, but when it came to cultivation itself, they were as bad as someone trying to hoard money as much as possible. Reason and logic did not matter, all that mattered was they would be able to get ahead on their cultivation.
The actions of the guards spoke of someone in power and the silence on information spoke of someone very powerful trying to hoard whatever was inside. The illegal use of aether children, a thought that made Lind's anger surge, was also a strong indication that someone fairly high up in the Stardust Emporium or Cimmerian power structure wanted something very badly.
Lind only had a few days so he could not keep digging but Shoti was working on it.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, senior." A voice Lind recognized called out behind him and he turned to find the very broad form of Captain Drake. His eyes had dark circles and his skin looked unhealthy which was odd. World Realms did not need as much sleep or food as a Soul Realm, yet Drake looked like he had neither slept nor eaten in the 3 months since they last met.
It was not enough time for such effects to show on a World Realm but if the man had been burning the midnight oil the entire time since this folded space arrived, it was possible the effects could start to show.
Lind glanced at the guards around them but their blue uniforms were crisp and they looked well rested to him.
Lind bowed and waved forward for Drake to lead him on. They moved back through the small fortress and Lind stared at the pale blue robed aether children that were being led across the yard towards the very door he wanted to investigate.
The guards inside the structure looked worse than Drake. Lind noted it but wondered why they all looked so bad. The aether children were not the same as what he saw months ago but Lind knew that meant the others were likely dead.
He clenched his fist but did nothing else. They finally ascended the tower but turned off into a more elegant room. It was clearly a set of quarters since a bedroom was off to one side but Lind knew it was far more comfortable than the captain's office at the top of the small tower.
"I apologize for the accommodations but I was very glad to receive your letter. I also apologize for my initial actions when you arrived here, Master Frey." Lind knew he was seen through already but the polite tone was expected. A peak grade 3 elixir master was a powerful figure. Being backed by the Heavenly Maiden Sect and protected by Starfire House made Lind practically untouchable in Cimmeria.
He pulled back his hood and took the tea offered. It was very good but he noticed Captain Drake grimaced while drinking it. Why? It seemed quite nice.
"I have become concerned about your issue and discussed what I could do to help resolve this dangerous issue. I heard my shields have helped but they are not enough?" Drake nodded and produced a distorted hunk of metal. Lind examined it and had to withhold his shock.
It was the remains of one of his newly designed puzzle artifact shields. The metal had been rent asunder from within by Qi tearing it apart but that was not what shocked Lind. The traces of Qi on the metal was not normal, it was anti-Qi! The inverse of normal Qi was just barely still there but Lind schooled his face aside from confusion.
"How did this happen?" Lind did not need to lie at that point. He really wanted to know. Drake rubbed a finger at his temple but Lind quickly recognized pain, not thinking, to be the cause. What was wrong with the man in front of him?
"The bog in there is worse than we imagined but we got to the nexus finally. Unfortunately, there was not enough time to resolve the issue. We have been modifying what we need to do, yet still no success thus far." Lind arched an eyebrow. What he described was impossible. Whatever destroyed that artifact would turn a cultivator into a puddle of goo yet here it was in front of them. So someone brought it out.
"So has it become time for the final solution?" It was a normal question but Lind was looking intensely at Drake. The flicker of rage in the man's eyes was greater than expected but the man suppressed it.
"We are not there yet, the folded space is more stable than expected." Lind kept his face blank but the outright lie was unusual. Drake was a gruff and blunt person, so why was he trying to lie? He was bad at it. He had to know but Lind let it go.
"Even so, I am sure the pressure from above is bad. I want to offer my services as I indicated." Lind summoned and pinned the peak golden grade 3 badge on his chest. When Drake saw it, there was an instinctive flinch to bow but the man did not complete it. His eyes, though, had a flash of greed in them so strong that Lind nearly wanted to lean back.
"I very much appreciate that, but what can you do for us?" Drake's question was valid but Lind smiled wide for the first time. Vials began to appear on the table between them. Crimson, violet, pale green, and a myriad other colors. Lind had never stopped expanding his abilities and upgrading his existing elixirs.
Grade 3 could not increase the number of effects, but the power jumped immensely. Healing and Qi recovery with the crimson vial for instance would let even a Gold Tier have a massive jump back from being heavily injured and depleted.
Drake nearly swept up the vials but held himself back from what Lind could see. What had happened to the straightforward man from nearly 6 months ago? Cultivators were as fragile as any human but heart demons had stronger symptoms as he personally knew. Drake did not show that issue, yet his personality was as thin as glass with a beast beneath.
"I stand corrected, we desperately need as many of these as possible!" Drake almost leaned over the table to stare at the vials but they all suddenly disappeared and he looked up in anger at Lind before he school his face back to a stable appearance. "Apologies, it has been hard on me and my men."
"I can see that, but these are not all I offer." Lind then produced several of the single element tempering vials, all at peak grade 3. These were unique to Lind. No elixir master offered these tempering elixirs despite many attempts to replicate them. Lind now knew why.
His understanding of the relationship between elements allowed him to create these elixirs. The dual and tri-elemental temperings were harder but he could still make them. He was working on others but he needed time to study other cultivators more.
Drake was strangely not interested in any of the 6 vials. He even looked slightly more pale than before. Lind had a sudden suspicion but there was no way to prove it so he pushed it back.
"I can make these because of my 6 elements and other specialty elixirs for disease or other niche uses. However, I need research to make them." The vials vanished once more as Drake looked up at Lind in true confusion. "I want to learn what specifically is happening to stop your men and try to make an elixir to complement the shield artifacts."
Lind expected rage, maybe harsh rejection, but he had not expected fear. There was fear in Drake's eyes. Lind knew fear very well after his near death experiences but that fear paled compared to Drake's eyes. It faded but the man's hands were shaking until he steadied them.
"I appreciate the offer but–" A plate landed on the table that made Drake freeze. It was imprinted with an ark tapered off until a large yellow explosion seemed to surround it. It was the mark of the master of Starfire House.
"I have been instructed to help you and 'no' is not acceptable." Lady Estelle had been as intrigued as Lind to know what was going on. Apparently Leon knew nothing and did not care about 'minor' incidents outside his interests. While the Stardust Emporium was higher than the Starfire House, it was not by much.
If Drake could ignore this plate, it meant the highest levels of Stardust Emporium were behind the current venture. Lind knew that would deadend his investigation, but his instincts told him they were not that high. If they were, they would not have to hide so much information.
It meant they were afraid of being found out. Drake looked like he was very ill but Lind felt him examine the plate. Lind frowned as his Eyes saw damaged Qi coming from Drake. Why could he only see it now?
"I see. Then I guess I must tell you the truth about our efforts." Drake's facade of civility fell away but he still sat politely across from Lind. Lind quietly sipped at his tea and waited. It was a nice feeling having the power to overcome a World Realm while in the Soul Realm but then the doors opened and more guards came in.
Lind never felt anything so how did Drake reach them?
"Take Master Frey here to the storage facility. I think that will answer all his questions. Also, prepare for the next expedition. We have what we need." A chill went down Lind's spine as he quickly tried to use a communication jade but nothing happened. Lind's Qi dispersed as if it never existed.
He had seen that effect before! It was 4 years ago in a Ruin unlike any he had ever heard of. Anti-Qi. All of these men had anti-Qi in them!