novelraw Chapter 996 - 995 - Kun City Suffering
Chapter 996 - 995 - Kun City Suffering
The Elder outlined a rather grim issue with Kun City.
An envoy including the sect master of the Eternal Flame Sect arrived the very day Lind left. His accidental destruction of the Gate stranded them by months from the nearest Gate!
The Kingdom Lind first landed in was actually at odds with the Eternal Flame Sect and had the power to resist the caravan as it was.
The issue, however, was what came after it was clear the Gate was beyond repair and had to be replaced. The Eternal Flame Sect demanded compensation for their wasted time and the current treaties did put that responsibility on the City Lord!
There was a limit but the Eternal Flame Sect pushed it to the very border they could! The City Lord was not held responsible for the collapse of the Gate, obviously, but getting the materials, experts, and general logistics resolved was not that easy!
Kukan stone was limited and very rare in general. Still, reserves had been set aside as some Gates had failed before but never so completely as in Kun City.
Inside the first 2 years, the coffers were bled dry for everything the city needed to operate and lawlessness would have ensued if not for the Eternal Blossom Sect and some powerful businesses like the Golden Vermillion Inn.
They had investments to protect and acted to do so.
That action, however, irked the now thuggish Eternal Flame Sect members essentially bleeding the city dry. They had actually been benefiting from the chaos but the reinforcement for the City Lord brought that to an end.
Cultivators, of course, do not take loss laying down.
Fights began to break out and poaching of resources in the surrounding forests. Everyone knew who was responsible, but no solid proof could be produced. The City Lord appealed to his superiors but they told him to deal with it himself!
So long as Kun City stood, it was not their concern to resolve the squabble between children.
Lind felt his blood boil as such dangerous thoughts but he also suspected bribery being involved as there was a clear threat to Kun City and its associated allies!
All of that was the large strokes, but in the background was the Immortal negotiations.
The fact a certified Triple Maester came out of nowhere and their origin could not be determined was a problem but not a big one. It would get the auction houses, powers focused on production, and many powers lacking such an expert piqued, but a powerful production master was a good thing for all.
What was causing issues was Delenn.
She had used her family badge to exert her authority. It was verified and now the Eternal Flame Sect confirmed her identity. It had shocking repercussions compared to Lind's own.
She was the famed lost Princess! The City Lord was humiliated that such a powerful individual slipped away without gaining any benefit at all! He was now in hot water with his superiors!
The Eternal Blossom Sect was not too pleased either as it brought the thrice cursed Eternal Flame Sect to their door.
Other powers began to invade from nearby to see if they could find leads but all realized fairly quickly the last 2 riders had to be Lind and her escaping!
The demon children and 2 human girls were still there! Thus all tried to find them at the Golden Vermillion Inn but the owner refused all inquiries for nearly 3 years since Lind left.
After that, one of the demon children had now become a young woman but she was wearing the Golden Vermillion Inn robes as she performed an errand. She had been attacked but the robes protected her.
The Elder confirmed she was unharmed.
It was only after that that the Elder planned to leave as the sect had become even more tense due to the rivalry between them and the Eternal Flame Sect. The loss of resources was making many do desperate things to advance.
Deaths were on the rise!
Lind felt a headache form as he realized there was no easy solution to the problem. Despite his ability to tear through space, he could not resolve the greater issue of the Corruption on the teleportation arrays.
He had zero idea how to build a Gate with kukan stone either.
He could, theoretically, offer up some resources but he had seen how his artifacts and other constructed items would be slowly destroyed by the tainted Qi.
His starship failed because it sucked in Qi like a sponge so it was exponentially faster. Plus, he could not protect it in the desperate fall they had suffered.
"The final thing I knew of was the superiors of the City Lord were on their way. It does not bode well for the city or the lord as they will likely try to crack down on things. Their arrogance will only make things worse." The Elder finished his report and Lind looked lost.
He had never intended to cause such issues. Escaping with Delenn was one thing but breaking the Gate had been an accident!
The results caused an entire city to suffer!
"I have to go back." He spoke the words but all 3 protested to him. The Elder told him over 3 years had passed. There was no way of knowing what had happened, but it was over!
Teegan was similar but also that he had no authority unless he revealed he was a True Lord. Delenn's identity had already caused a wave of misery, his would be much worse.
Dragons would come from far and wide to find him and would not take no for an answer.
He nodded at that but he did not need authority. He never did. He had made choices and had to accept the consequences. He was not looking to solve all the issues but those girls were his disciples.
Delenn objected because it was clear the very man who banished her in a trap so long ago had only become worse! Further, his power was much greater.
They had no backup or support to pull on to face an entire sect.
He looked at them and smiled sadly.
"You all are right but it does not change the fact I have to go back. I will go back alone." Before anyone could move, he activated an item inside his ring.
The instant the cube lit up, his mind connected to the 14 rings he had created. He now knew EXACTLY where he was.
He became grim as 2 of the demonic rings were fainter than they should be. They were still alive but their cultivation was wrong.
His hand sliced open the air to the shock of all 3 before he vanished from the cavern. Delenn could not follow him unless he allowed it, so she was safe.
Inside the Law Binding, her tempered body would be fine for centuries.
The world shifted but Lind felt odd. It was like it was easier than before but he had no idea why.
He emerged in a damaged street. It took him a few moments to realize it was the same street he had guided the wagon up to the Golden Vermillion Inn!
He examined his surroundings and found signs of open battle! The tainted Qi was easily above 50%! The Laws were shattered all around him as well! The once cohesive wards and structures were splinted by something powerful!
He narrowed his eyes as the place where the Golden Vermillion Inn was supposed to be was just nothing. No damage nor a hole in the ground. It was just flat land.
He slowly walked across the debris strewn street and noticed wreckage of carriages and the corpses of both animals and people.
He was currently alone but his nose could detect fresh blood from somewhere nearby. It was mixed too much with old scents to confirm its origin.
He walked up the street until he came to a spot of open land where the inn should be. He carefully put his hand on the open land and felt dirt under his fingertips. He closed his eyes and confirmed the rings were coming from in front of him.
All 14 were together but he did not quite understand what he was dealing with. He sighed as he did not want to scare anyone.
[Haro, can you do it?] He had not had the spirit strain himself as the Corruption could affect him like anything else.
[At this range, Master, it is possible but I think the space has been displaced. It could cause issues.] Once the spirit pointed it out, it made sense. The inn was still there but also not.
He closed his eyes and shifted slightly out of phase until the gold and crimson doors appeared. He walked forward and simply went in.
The interior was not as neat as expected. The lobby was full of broken furniture and bloodstains. He also saw some signs of corpses only being removed relatively recently.
The bluish blood of a demon was also stained on a cushion that he recognized!
His emerald eyes narrowed but he had to snap up his hand to stop a sword from cutting his head off.
"Felicia, is your memory so short?" He calmly asked as a familiar woman looked at him in shock. She was cut up on her face a bit, but her beauty was still apparent.
"M-m-maester Cord?!" He nodded but then looked at her in concern. Her meridians were heavily corrupted! Her body was not doing well at all!
"It will take too long to explain but I was made aware of what has happened in the last few years." He saw her nod before he had to catch her as she collapsed. The sound of running feet reached him so he examined Felicia and administered elixirs to repair the damage to her body.
A sudden gasp did not surprise him as he looked up into the pale face of Belia.
"My deepest apologies for being late. Take me to the demons. I want to know everything." She bowed low as he carried Felicia in his arms and they moved deeper into the inn.
He felt his rage building but he focused it on what had to be done. He had to help first and get a clear idea of the current state of affairs before acting. When he did act, however, he knew all his plans would go up in smoke.
He would no longer be unknown from anyone ever again.