Fools Here, Fools There
“Mmh… From what I can tell, My Lord, this piece of paper only needs to be injected with a small amount of ki to reveal its function–Said function seems to be to transform. I would presume that it will cause it to shift into a map detailing where a potential meeting should take place”
“Ah, I suppose such simplicity was to be expected… Though with the frightening lack of information they had on me to believe that such a message could sway me–Mmh… Would they really expect me to be able to produce ki of all things? Or did they forget that not all cultivators are like them? Perhaps they pretend to be uninformed purposefully?”
Edrick grabbed the piece of paper between his index and middle fingers and, using what he had learned thanks to the gifts of the Magus-King, injected a small amount of ki specifically into the piece of paper. Just as Luxuli had guessed, the piece of paper revealed itself to have been a refined tool, as it transformed into a map.
It wasn’t direct in the way it pointed to the meeting spot, but it was still fairly obvious. It used three points that needed to be linked so that they would cross through one another, and the spot where they all converged would be the correct place.
‘Let’s see how serious they are about this. If they have a good deal, I’ll spy on them. If they don’t… I’ll play by their rules’
“Thanks for the help, Honey”
He caressed his fourth wife’s face, but just as he was about to leave, she grabbed his hand. It wasn't like she could stop him from leaving, but feeling her touch, he stopped nonetheless.
“My Lord, please be careful. Being able to deliver this message isn’t nothing. They might have some powerhouses stationed in Leynlornd already, so…”
He placed his hand against the top of her head.
“Don’t worry, Luxuli. I don’t know the situation in full, but the one who sent this message was certainly a powerhouse invited by the Elt clan for negotiations who thought they were slick by doing this. Or perhaps just a messenger who used a talisman to cast a spell. Either way… Real powerhouses wouldn’t be able to infiltrate Leynlornd, and certainly not so close to my clan”
“We might be in the countryside for the most part, but we keep tabs on our surroundings, just like all great clans… In any case, I won’t engage an enemy I can’t defeat. I’ll be back”
He leaned forward with a smile.
“Be prepared for my return. You know how excited I can get after a good fight, right?”
“I’ll be ready for you, My Lord”
“Good girl. Tell the others about my absence for a little while. Let’s not worry them”
With these parting words, the patriarch left the room and soon left the residence itself.
He climbed onto the back of a horse appropriately large to support him and rode out of the clan, though he stopped for a moment as he was about to get through a tunnel carved through a mountain that would officially lead him out of the clan grounds.
He got off the horse and approached a lesser clan member–Still linked to him by the clan lineage, but a bit distant.
“Excuse me, Valli, we currently have guests, don’t we? Would you mind telling me their identity?”
“We do currently have guests. They are meeting with the patriarch and matriarch–Probably not a very pleasant conversation for the visitors. They are two men from Journomanp: A dignified elder and his disciple, whom he brought along to supposedly show him the world. I am not clear on their identity, but they are from the Yingzi Sect”
“Yingzi Sect, huh? If I remember correctly… They have something to do with shadows?”
“Indeed, they specialise in using shadows to attack, so they are basically a bunch of assassins and spies. If the meeting hadn’t been scheduled, I would have let them in at all. People like this are generally bad news, but them being from Journomanp only makes it worse”
“I see, thanks for the information… Do spread the information that one of them manifested a shadow humanoid to intrude into my residence”
“They did what?! Thanks for the tip! These motherfuckers will be lucky if their diplomatic status lets them keep their limbs!”
Anoteros watched as his Valli absolutely lost his mind, grabbing a refined tool to spread the word.
‘They are either stupid, very brave, or the shadow humanoid wasn’t even something they were aware of… In any case, they’ll need an airtight explanation…’
Edrick rode out of the sect grounds toward where the map was pointing. The location was actually not an obscure one. Not too far from the Elt clan, there was a well-known ruin that had long been completely emptied, but instead of being demolished or rebuilt for another purpose, it was left as is for the sake of Labyrinth Palace.
Their disciples are taken there as part of their learning of architecture, and since it isn’t that far from a few towns and villages, it is a common spot for lovers to meet in private. All in all, not a very discreet spot to pick to conduct secret meetings... But the scion could only assume that cultivators from Journomanp wouldn’t be all that knowledgeable about one particular ruin in Leynlornd.
‘They are rushing… Are the different forces in Journomanp competing with one another to have achievements against Leynlornd? It seems like they are serious about starting a war’
Of course, their typical bad habits seemed to be shining through once more. Since all forces were basically always at odds with one another, they were attempting to one-up each other, leading to the making of crucial mistakes that could have been easily avoided.
They would surely wisen up once that attitude harmed them enough times, but for now… They had not yet learned their lesson.
Anoteros stopped and got off his horse at a distance from the ruin. It was quite noticeable, standing in a plain with the only trees around being those growing through the remnants of this place–Which was once a small fortress that had belonged to an opulent lord.
‘Let’s see, I’ll act like I am interested at first, and assess the situation. But before that… Let me check how many of those fuckers there are…’
Edrick focused and channelled one of the spells of the Magus-King.
Bestial Senses wasn’t a spell that needed much explanation. It was an augmentation-type spell that focused on enhancing the senses of its user... The young noble wasn’t yet good enough to manipulate the spell to enhance specific senses in particular, but it wasn’t necessary right now.
Combined with another spell, he was able to tell enough about these foreign cultivators…