novelraw Chapter 147 - 146 - Gratitude
Chapter 147 - 146 - Gratitude
The Starfire House ballroom was massive. The high quality artifacts projecting divine beasts to the massive piles of good food made the night fly by. Lind was pulled to dance with Qing, Shoti, and Annabelle multiple times and enjoyed it thoroughly.
Thankfully, Soul Realm stamina was much higher than mortals so he was able to indulge dancing all night long. Lind met the new candidates for leader of Starfire House in Cimmeria but politely danced around any inclination.
Daniel was the only one that seemed to hope he was not chosen but Lind suspected that sealed his fate.
Lind had been supremely intimidated as Lydia and Cora danced with him but he did not remotely think of refusing them. He was also glad he had let his mother sign him up for all those dance classes on Earth.
His current life had only time for cultivation and study. Lotus Academy, obviously, did not cover such social niceties so he was able to surprise all the women he danced with. Magda sought him out as she had been called to Starfire House as well.
He had enjoyed a dance with her and the head of her clan relayed deep gratitude. Lind thanked them for their thoughts and wished them well.
Lind felt daggers staring at him as Magda only smiled and laughed when they danced but their conversation was about alchemy and elixirs. On Earth, they would be called nerding out.
Lind also learned she had a young man that had told her for centuries the scar did not matter and never wavered. He was glad. He wished to meet him but the clan leaders wisely kept it quiet as Magda was a hot commodity. They fully supported the union as the young man was from an allied clan that was in good standing with them.
The young man that was also grade 4 was her younger brother who had completed his pill despite the Heavenly tribulation. Lind offered congratulations for both of them. Lind also explained what he did and she thanked him again.
The first night was spent with his 3 close women and Mythra teasing him. Mythra then dragged him out for a dance at Shoti's urging where he was grilled on how he knew who Mythra liked. Lind only smiled sadly at her and pointed at his right cheek.
An understanding flicker in her eyes was all he needed to know she understood. Some relationships were complicated but LInd still felt she should confess. The cultivation world was not so closed minded as Earth. It also had gradations of relationships he was still working on understanding.
There was so much to life and despite all the time he had, cultivation was chewing up his time more than anything. If he could break through to the World Realm, he could slow down a bit. Until then, he had to keep pushing forward.
A bit before dawn, Lind passed out in his quarters in the sect and was joined in sleep by all 3 women as well. Nothing else happened, even if they were in that kind of relationship, the night had taken all their energy even at the World Realm.
Lind spent the next night with Delenn. He was too damned tired! Besides, he offered a dance with her while Shoti and Qing played instruments. Annabelle was still practicing but she carried a tune that left them all stunned.
Delenn had acted stern but she sighed and indulged them. It was a shorter night of fun but it clearly made his Master happy. He then discussed his partial comprehension and did feel like his bottleneck on elixirs and Forging were loosening. He still had a ways to go but he watched her Forge for a while before turning in for the night.
The third night was split.
Lind went to Myriad Treasures early and found Mya smiling ear to ear as she had taken first place in grade 3. He had watched and cheered her on as she refined a shield artifact successfully with a 6 elemental core. She had replicated his feat!
Harold was quite drunk but Qing kept him in line even though he was technically her senior. Annabelle laughed as the apprentices brought out simply silly artifacts that made silly projections or made funny noises.
Mya set up a light show that made them all dance happily under shifting lights and music played from some other artifact. Lind saw a few powerful cultivators slip in and join the fun. The contest was kind of an excuse to put aside centuries of adulthood and be young again.
Lind cherished the feeling but had to apologize as he made his way to the Sunlit Forge. He had intended to go there first but Master Cain had informed them he would not be back until late due to his own obligations.
Lind assuaged his guilt by stating he would see Master Harold first. There had been some grumbling about Lind favoring old fools but Lind knew it was simply Cain's way.
Sunlit Forge was lit up much like the rest of Cimmeria. It was basically a week-long party but now that the first 2 days had gone by, most were shuffling around to wherever they could make new connections or party hard.
Poe and Marin immediately hugged him hard. His revelation on the relationship between elements had inspired them to breakthrough on their cultivation and inscription ability. They had not placed 1st but both placed very high.
"Where have you been? We had a huge dance the first night!" Marin was flush faced and giddy, Lind noticed Eldin was ducking away but he did not let him slip off. He pulled the young man into a hug and noticed he had moved up in the Sand Tier.
Lind felt the warmth of his friends but unlike Myriad Treasures, it was not as full of music or light displays. Instead, apprentices were showing off their best work or had some small contests on how powerful their creations were.
They were watched over by the senior elders but Lind enjoyed it all.
"You have come far, 'Master' Lind." Poe emphasized Lind's honorifics with a smile as Lind rolled his eyes. Technically speaking they were equal but Lind felt Poe was far more solid in his foundation as Lind had to push himself hard to make anything grade 3.
"It is all thanks to Master Cain leading me to my current Master." Poe nodded solemnly as they watched Qing and Shoti help Annabelle toss some small hand axes at a target. Shoti was destroying the competition but Qing was not bad either. Annabelle could not hit the broad side of a barn so far.
"He should be back soon. He went to meet some of the other winners now that they were free." Lind nodded. The elixir masters had sought him out at the Starfire House banquet. The demoness and aether child were officially approached by the Heavenly Maiden Sect too and they looked floored. Lind wondered what they would look like when he showed up to their first lessons.
"I am telling ye both that it will be amazing to see on the last day!" A gravelly voice reached Lind as he smiled to turn and greet Master Cain but both he and Poe froze. Cain was not alone.
A large man was on his left like a massive mountain. The grizzled square jaw of Dred was as prominent as ever but the demoness on his other side was stunning. She had vibrant blue hair and a mask on her face that matched the black and dark gray robes she wore.
Lind suppressed a frown but he knew she had to be the Temptress. No one seemed to know her real name, as she had always come to Cimmeria under that title. While she was very attractive, Lind felt her clothes were made more for her delicate refining process.
Her elements could easily corrode any clothing but the skin tight leathers and chainmail was a far more practical outfit for her refining due to that. Robes could be reinforced but they would always be cloth.
Dred was nodding but Lind felt suppressed just looking at him. Now that he was in front of the Divine Sword Sect refiner he could feel the air split like on a fine blade. Sword Qi. The man had sword Qi even as he stood there! Compared to Solon, Dred was like a knife at the throat ready to kill him at any time.
How many had died for Dred to have that kind of aura?
Cain's eyes brightened as he sprinted forward and swept Lind into a hug. Harold was usually the more touchy of the 2, but it seemed both old men were feeling giddy about the young cultivator that helped their apprentices so much.
"LIND! You are here!" Cain was far stronger than he looked. Harold was more about delicate control than pure strength but Cain was the robust build of a blacksmith from Earth stories. His arms would destroy any arm wrestling tournament and looked like it.
"Come, let me introduce you to these 2 fine refiners!" Lind nodded but kept his face blank. Cain pulled him back to the 2 he left behind. Dred cupped his hands and bowed.
"I greet Master Frey. I also thank you for Master Bord." Lind was pleasantly surprised and nodded back. He bowed to Dred. All knew of his taciturn personality but the joy in his deep voice was clear to all. The Temptress also seemed stunned as she had met Dred at the contest several times.
"He is the master of my friend senior Solon and a fellow 6 elemental. I am glad I had the skill to help." It was plain truth but Dred smiled. It was like a mountain suddenly smiling so it felt odd but Lind could not help smiling back. He liked Dred already.
"We fought in many battles when I was teaching him. He never gave up and I am glad fate blessed him to continue. I made a new sword for him before coming here." Lind smiled wide now and held out his hand. Dred grasped it and Lind winced as he felt like his bones creaked in that grip.
Dred smirked but then let it go before turning to Temptress and back to Lind.
"Listen to her request, please." Dred nodded at her and Lind felt she was stunned as he was. What did Dred know exactly?
He nodded and Cain pulled Dred off to meet Poe and the others. Lind looked at the Temptress but made no move. He knew Shoti and Qing were staring hard but all heard Dred so they made no move.
"If Dred spoke for you, it makes me ask about your first petition." Lind decided to break the silence as the woman in front of him remained still. The words did not even make her flinch but there was a tired sigh.
"I was under orders. My Lord wanted to make a connection with you in any way possible but neither I nor the Crown Prince liked the idea." Lind tilted his head. What did the Imperial Crown Prince have to do with him? He held his hand out and she nodded.
Poe tossed Lind a key and they moved to a more secluded area of the forge. He waved off Shoti and Qing while Annabelle looked worried. It was a little quieter but the glow of the forge made the Temptress look alluring in her robes.
"I am Lind Frey, peak grade 3 elixir master. How may I help you?" Lind was curious now. Dred knew something but he had no idea what it could be. For the first time, however, the Temptress seemed nervous.
She slowly touched her mask and pulled it down. A twisted mass of flesh was revealed as Lind saw a necklace flare with Qi.
"I am Viola Tare. I was left for dead long ago but survived by the grace of the Imperial family. Many have looked at me but none can help me. I am dying." Lind was stunned by the last sentence. He pulled out a cot and had her lay down. She was low Diamond Tier but he could use his Talents to examine her.
She laid down and looked her over. Her Qi was a mess. There were many scars and what looked like artifacts helping her compensate for her damaged meridians. He could also see cracks in her foundation even if he could not see her fonts.
It was not just her face that was twisted also. The Qi was literally tearing her apart. It had to be so painful, yet she had controlled her Qi so expertly. It was beyond him. It was all far beyond his ability to heal.
He sat down and thought but then an idea occurred to him. He had made something to help him but he had to take some precautions.
"I need you to explain what the Demon Empire wants from me." Viola's face was impossible to read but her eyes were dim to him. They were some kind of bright violet.
"I am not here as a citizen of the Empire. I am not here on any orders. I did not even know you were going to be here. I love refining. Master Cain is well known to me and helped me last time I was here." Lind heard it. The smile she could not show and the tears barely held in. She could be acting but an instinct told him she was not.
"I can help you but I will be vulnerable. Also, I can only do this once. If I fail, I will need to break through to try again and I have no idea when that will be." Lind was not lying at all. He would be pushing himself hard and it was complicated by the fact she was a demon. If she was an aether child or human, he would have far better odds.
It would take a long time to stabilize his Qi after one attempt.
There was a long pause until she knelt. Lind knew every movement was agony from what he saw. How could she move like that?
"I swear to Heaven and Earth to reveal nothing of what you show me." Lind nodded and then took out a communication jade. He relayed what was about to happen and then began to set up his Forged artifacts.
He had made several demon elixirs but it took far more Qi for him to do it and the results were not consistent. He had been experimenting for the last 3 months with artifacts helping him. The 6 elemental cores were essential for it to work at all for what he was about to do.
He had several beast cores but he looked carefully at Viola and found them all wanting. He then had a thought and used 2 cores instead of his usual 1. It felt right. He brought out over 10 herbs and Purgatory Stones. Demon Qi at the World Realm was often called Purgatory by the demons themselves while the stones were always distinguished by the word to quickly identify them.
Viola made no comment but he could feel her shock that Lind had such materials ready at hand. He fully concentrated and knew he was going to push himself harder than any attempt previously.
"Whatever happens, do not interfere." She nodded and he began. It was like pulling teeth to use his Touch to crack the 2 beast cores. He had to use the artifact diffusing Qi into faux demon Qi for him to manipulate. There had to be a better way but Lind had not figured it out yet.
It was hours before he finally cracked the cores and Purgatory Stones. The herbs were much easier. The hard part happened now, though. A special artifact was sitting in front of Lind as he channeled his Qi into it. Acid and cold fire sprang forth at his command. It was a strange feeling.
Pressure was building as the essence kept fighting him but the outer ring of artifacts pulled in more Qi for Lind to absorb as quickly as he could. Sweat poured down his face as he walked the knife edge. It was wrong. Something was wrong, but not impossible.
Inspiration finally struck him and he smiled. He brought it together as sparks began to appear around him. He was about to summon demon lightning when the sound of thunder came from overhead. Lind did not look up but sent a prayer of thanks anyway.
As the essence came together, the sound of glass shattering reached his ears as the world went white. The Heavens had sent their tribulation but Lind used his Sky Touch to quickly divide it up into 4 vials.
It was a success! It was a grade 4 elixir!
Lind swayed and fell but a pair of arms caught him. He smiled up at the disfigured person and barely lifted his arm.
"Realignment Elixir. You will need them all." Lind then passed out but he had a smile on his face. His bottleneck was gone!