Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 979 - 978 - Open for Business

Lind had quickly resolved the Fiend attacks but it left him with more questions than answers. He had assumed the Fiend he felt was in charge of the local network but it was more like a relay itself.

Using their own race as fodder was not new but the current setup most certainly was. He had notated all he had seen but without some context he would have to do his best to piece together how the artifact worked as well as why Fiend Qi was sprawling in that alley but anywhere else it would be suppressed like Celestial Qi.

Regardless, he returned to his suite and recuperated as he still felt exhausted from purifying the Qi and attacking remotely as he had along the connection the Fiends had made between the body and themselves.

It was extremely far but it now gave him a solid lead to find the facility he was looking for when he ascended.

It took him a few weeks to recover but that did not return him to the peak of his condition as he wanted to check if there was any fallout from his brash actions.

Delenn was waiting for him but she no longer wore the black robe from before. She had returned to her more standard robes of silver.

"You are earlier than I expected. How are you?" He smiled but conjured his harmony flames that were not as vibrant as before.

"I am ok, but will still take another week to reach my peak condition. I wanted to see if I had to report my actions beyond the slip I gave you when I returned." She shook her head but then sighed as she rose from the rosewood chair and brought him several jade slips and scrolls.

"Your actions were already confirmed as justified and we received gifts of both restitution and of thanks from the city lord and Administrator Bernard. Further, other factions seemed to send gifts to court you but also to show they supported you as well. Some of it is quite nice." He reviewed the lists of materials, Qi stones, and so forth with a smile.

Some of it would be immensely helpful for both of them but frowned as he noted Delenn had marked how corrupted some of it was.

He might be able to recover the ores or stones but the herbs would likely destroy them. Still, he might be able to harvest some seeds and try to grow them as an experiment.

"I will send my thanks for this but the look on your face tells me there is something else." Delenn was well known to him now. As they had become equal in cultivation, she no longer remained as remote as before.

They were still former master and student but on more friendly and collaborative terms professionally. As such, he could see she had a distasteful look at some of the slips she handed over.

He examined them and felt a vein pulse on his head at the massive requests for his services that would tie him up for centuries!

Even a fully supported Maester could not possibly fulfill all those orders let alone get it done in a timely manner. The facilities of the inn were serviceable but some of the requests were actually above his current skill.

"They are insane or without any experts to do these?" She smirked as she pointed at him.

"It is your fault. For all your research, you gave into the instinct to tear through space. You did not tell me you got that skill back." Blood drained from his face! He had blundered!

Suddenly, a smile crossed his face as he closed his eyes and his feet left the floor! He could fly! He had not even thought to try it!

A feeling of joy surged in his heart and a roar of happiness escaped him before he could stop it!

Delenn had flinched back but then was shocked as she saw him floating in the room!

She tried to fly but her skill failed! She actually stumbled rather than fly!

Lind landed and stretched but then frowned.

"It took about 3 times the Qi to fly with my foundation but my draconic flying seems to be only twice as straining. Based on just floating, I suspect I can only fly for 50 to 100 kilometers before being out of Qi." She nodded at his words but then explained what happened to her.

He had her repeat it and noticed the issue in her meridians.

"It seems harmonic tempering is not as effective as we hoped. It resolves much of the issues but it does not restore the lost skills. I will look into it to see if I can improve it further." He filed that away as he noticed the scrolls were of very high quality. His unspoken question was clear.

"These are invitations from the City Lord, Midas Throne, and Eternal Blossom Sect." The last one was unfamiliar but Delenn only handed them over as they were still sealed with the identity of each one tagged on the seal.

A question did come up as he looked at the sect.

"Does Eternal denote something for sects?" She nodded at him.

"While not required, supreme sects often adopt the moniker once they have 5 Crystal Tier Immortals as their ancestors. So long as they have that many, they are considered supreme as having that many in reserve is a serious milestone." He nodded as that was a bare minimum to be considered at the peak.

Even before the Corruption, raising Crystal Tiers was not so easy. Their lifespans allowed a lot of crossover but as they reached their twilight years, their bodies could wear out and leave only a weakened soul behind.

The longevity of their soul would highly depend on their technique at that point and gaining a new body came with complex requirements as well.

Lind suspected there would be an explosion in Crystal Tiers ascending if he could resolve the Corruption issue.

He set aside the sect's scroll and examined the City Lord and Midas Throne's scrolls. They were very similar in wording but essentially they wanted to meet him for official negotiations.

Midas Throne also included an offer for his products as well but he narrowed his eyes at prices that could be negotiated.

"They suspect I can make better items, don't they?" She nodded at his question but smirked.

"If they knew about your elixirs alone, you could start your own empire in a very short amount of time as they would cater to your every need. Elixirs are more common but due to the variety of primary element combinations, the quality varies greatly. Your 6 elementals will make a killing if and when they get access to the markets here." He also smirked at that.

The City Lord also had a thinly veiled offer to meet his daughters but he ignored that out of hand.

His wives were already more than enough and honestly he had no further desires. He was not like some of those rulers or powerful cultivators that measured their prestige by the size of their harem.

His real fear was if his wives found him a new wife! They were very politically minded but at least took his feelings into account. Sadly, they could cheat in convincing him!

He pushed aside his thoughts but felt amused at his fears. It was ironic that the dream of many men would be supplied by his own wives!

There were no set dates so he set them aside as he carefully examined the last scroll. Unlike the others, he knew sects would be far more aggressive in recruitment or offers as they would move Heaven and Earth to increase their power.

He unfurled the scroll and arched an eyebrow at what he saw.

"They want to offer me a time to give sermons for their core disciples. They are willing to trade me some of their weaving techniques in exchange." Delenn nearly snatched the scroll from him in her shock.

She read over it and nearly broke out in a smile from ear to ear!

"This is a very good deal! Eternal sects are not known to be so generous!" He heard her words and his eyes narrowed.

He recalled how he was generous as a sect master but gained far more from it on his end. While this offer seemed fine he had a sudden suspicion spring to his mind.

"Master, they wouldn't try to offer up their own disciples to me, would they?" She froze before her lips twitched. She was trying not to laugh!

"I understand the City Lord and others have done so in your past but while a Triple Maester is highly desired, no sect would let a promising disciple slip away without getting to keep the target!" Lind slowly nodded but felt his instincts warning him.

The simple offer was too generous! Being able to teach was not a massive issue but why would the sect not want to meet to set conditions or at least hammer out the details?

"Sigh, I guess I should be open for business. I will go back to recover and then review with the kids to see how they are doing." Lind began to make some plans but he knew the authority was his to decide for the moment.

He also decided to make some new artifacts as well to detect the new variant of thralls better than his own senses. He could not keep actively scanning every city he came upon. He needed a foundation to let his reputation spread to act more freely.

He returned to his room and focused on his recovery and plans. He had much to do and his enemies were now aware of him. The battle was joined and he would see where the next line in the sand would be drawn.