novelraw Chapter 170 - 169 - Lying Humans
Chapter 170 - 169 - Lying Humans
Lind looked down at the closed gate of Sage's palace and saw a fairly decent crowd. It might have become bigger but there simply was not enough space on the small plateau carved out along the path.
Lind looked up but did not see any of the flying figures come down to join the argument.
"Sky Realms do not get involved. It is a general rule of cultivation in sects that Sky Realms are protectors or working to advance to the Floating Isles. In our case it is the latter position." Sage was calmly sipping the tea as if the argument below between Gold and Diamond Tiers was perfectly normal.
Lind arched an eyebrow and Sage laughed a bit as he understood his confusion.
"The Heavenly Maiden Sect and Divine Sword Sect would be exceptions. They have the Sky Realms to spare to the point of intentionally rotating them for duties. At least, that is how I have understood it." Lind nodded and understood. The resources to raise a Sky Realm for most sects were steep, but those 2 sects had no such issue.
"How long will they argue like that?" Annabelle was staring in awe at the display of immaturity from beings that should have been somewhat beyond such petty feelings. Lind would have agreed but unlike humans, aether children did not grow up really.
They were born adults with amazing abilities to comprehend their elements and Arts. It would not be wrong to say that such displays showed the cost of such an existence. The Heavens were fair but cruel was a common saying but Lind thought it somewhat cruel for prestigious Gold and Diamond Tiers to still be at the mercy of their emotions like that.
"The last real argument lasted a few months but I believe the climax passed in a few days. I suspect this will go for a week, though." Sage motioned for them to move back and he activated an isolation formation that cut off the sounds.
"How, exactly, did I cause the rift to deepen?" Lind felt frustrated he was being blamed when he was all the way in Cimmeria Forging and making elixirs. How could he affect another sect entirely?
Sage smiled at the refreshing naivety of Lind.
"You underestimate how much you affected the world. A true elixir master that can teach others to be just as good as himself. A new Forger that is rumored to have made a difficult dual elemental reach unprecedented heights with a new artifact. A well loved guest elder of the Heavenly Maiden Sect. A close VIP of the Starfire House and a big name in the Sapphire Auction House." As Sage listed off just the highlights, Lind began to blush as Annabelle giggled at him.
"Exactly how could you not affect the continents? The Demon Empire alone wants you so badly that their agents have been combing the countryside looking for you the last 3 months. It is something of a miracle they dismiss us as even remotely a place you would come." Lind felt tense as Sage outlined only 1 power's pursuit. There were, no doubt, more.
"I see. I thank you for the invitation once more." Lind bowed to Sage who nodded back. Their tea time became more relaxed with occasional glances from Sage to the gate.
"Senior Sage, why are they angry at Lind?" Annabelle brought the conversation back to Lind being the cause of a deeper rift within the Aether Sect but Sage scratched the side of his cheek in embarrassment. How bad could it be?!
"The aether children you saved mostly joined with me to come back to the sect. While most of them disparaged the humans of Cimmeria, they sang your praises." Lind did not see the problem. The dead creatures that had been the guards of Cimmeria certainly only came to be due to greedy humans and he had saved them. What was wrong with that?
The clear look on his face must have been able to convey his thoughts because Sage laughed as he set down the pristine white cup to refill his tea.
"The half of our sect that loathes humans and demons thought they were getting a huge influx of disciples but the majority came to mine. If it was due to me, they would not care. The few things we agree on are saving our own kind from horrible situations, only our methods differ." Lind nodded as he used his own fire Qi to reinvigorate the tea bot. Sage smiled and accepted the refreshed pot.
"So far, I do not see how I am responsible." Lind may have been a savior but he was not the only one. The Heavenly Maidens had brought the hammer to stomp on their enemy as well and rescue the aether children.
"It is because of 2 things. The majority that you saved remembered your nearly dying down there. You willingingly opened a path to life and stayed to die. The fact you lived was earned in their mind and a sign to support our side. They want to reach out to humans like you and the Heavenly Maiden Sect." Lind began to see the problem. A disparate group of relative strangers expressed a similar opinion against the human loathing side likely could swing members on the edge between the 2 philosophies.
"And the other?" Lind asked but Sage produced a jade slip. Lind picked it up and sunk his sense into it only to find his theories on the relationships between the 6 elements. He was confused at first but then a chagrined look crossed his face. "You are kidding me?"
Sage shook his head and seemed to enjoy venting to Lind.
"The fact a human, a 6 elemental that is considered useless, discovered and confirmed the relationship between all 6 elements to improve cultivation and all our comprehension of them. We are born of the elements but we are as in the dark outside of our innate abilities as anyone." Lind nodded and realized this was likely the greater issue than him saving the aether children. The 2 combined just made it worse.
"I understand the irritation, but the execution?" Lind had been identified on arrival, no doubt part of the crowd down there knew who he was on both sides. Sage sighed tiredly as he leaned back.
"Basically, they want to expose you for a liar." Lind felt a headache. He almost could recall the politics of Earth being just as insane. Facts did not matter, what mattered was a point of view winning. The cultivation world was not much better but strength could bring truth to light.
Lind did not have the strength.
"I am human, therefore I am a liar, therefore I must be punished for taking credit for an aether child's discovery?" Lind spoke the insanity but Sage nodded while looking embarrassed once more.
"That is stupid!" Annabelle could no longer keep quiet and her anger was clear. She finally caught up to Lind at the peak of the Soul Realm but she was not ready to break through yet. Barely a year since he found her and she had come so far.
"That is politics, my dear junior." Sage seemed to grow very tired in front of them but he finally waved his hands and the wooden doors opened.
There were 2 aether children there. A male in green and blue at the Gold Tier, mid tier compared to the high tier of Sage, and a woman in black, brown, and red at the Diamond Tier.
"My fellow Lord Rain, and Vice-Sect Master Raistar, please come in to meet my guests." Lind rose but Sage waved for him to remain seated. Even so, Lind stood and bowed to Sage in apology before bowing to the 2 new arrivals. Annabelle stared in anger at the one called Rain but bowed with Lind.
"I greet you, seniors." Lind heard Annabelle speak with him but then he summoned his 2 badges and pinned them on his robes. "I am Master Frey, peak grade 3 elixir master and peak grade 2 Forger."
Raistar smiled wide at them both while Rain frowned deeply but clearly some norms still applied. Lind, despite being only a peak Soul Realm, was considered at least an Iron Tier in status.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Master Frey. I thank you for the lives you saved and the knowledge you freely shared with the world." Rain seemed to want to object but he held back now. Lind was curious how the argument was settled outside but he was happy to simply have a calmer talk.
"Thank you for bringing our sister to us. You may leave, human." Lind did not have time to respond when the room vanished to them all. An ice storm with temperatures lower than the void of space had icebergs falling out of the sky to smash with lightning and force onto a blasted land.
Rain looked shocked and his aura did not dispel the illusion despite knowing it had to be.
"Annabelle, please stop. He is allowed to express himself civilly like this." Lind only spoke calmly but the icy wasteland vanished as a seething Annabelle was now openly hostile to Rain. He was looking stunned at her while Raistar was holding the back of her hand to her lips to hide her smile.
"I apologize for her attack just now, but she is somewhat over protective of my reputation. To be sure, I am over protective of her as well." Lind's voice was calm but his dark green eyes were firm staring at Rain. The Gold Tier gritted his teeth but a fear was in his eyes if what he was seeing was real or not.
"Welcome to the Aether Sect little sister. I see where you stand and you!" Rain pointed at Lind but then glanced at Annabelle before continuing in a calmer tone. "Leave as soon as possible. We don't need you disrupting our sect!"
Rain swept his robes into his hands and left quickly. Sage and Raistar seemed surprised at his reaction and looked appreciatively at Annabelle.
"That was most impressive. Your illusions are even better than rumored. Was that also your work, Master Frey?" Lind shook his head while Annabelle nodded. More giggling came from the World Realms while he sighed at the now blushing Annabelle.
"When I first met her, she assumed the shape of an aether beast and I never suspected until she released the illusion. She could replicate that feat to any Diamond Tier at the Heavenly Maiden Sect. The wide area of effect was mastered in the months before we left Cimmeria." Lind squeezed Annabelle's hand as she blushed deeply at his praise.
"Oh ho ho. You are both adorable!" Raistar took one of the free couches and joined them for the tea. "You always have good tea leaves, Little Sage." Lind nearly choked on his tea as the young looking Raistar called Sage 'Little.'
"You are not that much older–" Lind suddenly found great interest in the stitch of the cushion he was sitting on as molten level heat appeared in the room and Annabelle was shaking her head at Sage. "I mean you are younger every day, Vice-Sect Master."
Sage's words were clearly insincere but it got past the awkward moment.
"Very well, now, Master Frey. We have a situation to the east, in the depths of the Silver Peaks, that you may be uniquely qualified to help us with." Raistar brought the gathering to business and Lind looked at her. He thought he would be learning about elixirs or Forging but instead he saw a map laid out in front of them.
"There is a Relic we suspect has a great secret inside. The Ruin it came from burst millenia ago, but the Relic endures." She gave the textbook definition of a Relic but Lind nodded and waited for why he was needed. "The Relic is very unique in that it is not a trial from what we can tell but it is heavily protected by traps that uses all 6 elements."
Lind was stunned. While Inheritances could have Arts or treasures to allow 6 elements to work together, the formations and traps generally leaned towards the primary elements of its creator. There was only 1 exception he had heard about in his research. The same one he got his staff and tempering technique from.
"W-were there any signs of 6 primordial Immortals making it?" Lind knew Ruins were shards of Inheritances that fell when the forces binding it together fell apart, but it was near unheard of 2 Ruins coming from the same Inheritance.
Raistar shook her head but she pointed to a dot on the map.
"Not that we know of, but your revelations allowed us to delve deeper than ever before to find something interesting. There are flows of pure elemental Qi in the Relic. Like nothing we have ever seen. It also has many complicated formations and traps still in our way. Some would call it…a puzzle." Lind instantly perked up and smiled at Lady Raistar. He looked at the map and simply nodded while he heard Annabelle sigh next to him.
He apologized in his heart to her, but he really wanted to see this Relic and learn what he could. Perhaps, if he was very lucky, it was another piece of the 6 Primordial Inheritance!