While Ren and Leinor were gone and Anya retreated because she felt tired, Dermitos, Feynor, and Xendar were out on the balcony, still drinking wine, enjoying the breeze blowing against their faces.
"Should I call you Uncle now?" Feynor asked jokingly.
"Nah, you are the Emperor; you can order me around; it would feel weird otherwise." Xendar ughed in answer.
"Not for long." Dermitos cut in, looking at the two, making them raise their brows.
"Mmm?"
"Soon, you will step down as a General," he continued, beginning to expin.
"And why is it that I don't know about this?" Xendar furrowed his brows but remained calm, waiting for him to continue.
"It's the Forefather." Dermitos took another gulp as Feynor and Xendar seemed enlightened almost instantly. "But you will know more tomorrow night. There will be a lot of things to discuss..."
"We have a problem." Nameless's voice came suddenly as he appeared next to them, and all three simply shook their bodies, expelling any alcohol that could affect their minds.
"Speak." Feynor looked at him as an Emperor would.
"Emergency transmission came from the border kingdom where Prince Lacuss is staying. It came from him directly... We received a message from the Kingdom."
"That was… quick. Has our messenger even arrived there yet?" Xendar asked, surprised by the swift reaction, most likely coming from Rudrick.
"Shouldn't be the case." Dermitos shook his head. "He should still be on his way."
"What was in the message?" Feynor asked.
"Heads," Nameless answered with a stoic voice.
"..." all three looked at each other, and Xendar turned a bit pale as he knew what this meant.
"Everyone?" Feynor asked quietly, taking a deep breath.
"Yes. The whole family line of Yurik. The only living descendants of that bloodline should now be Yurik, Lady Anya, and Lady Ren."
“Fuck… that old bastard…” Dermitos groaned, looking worriedly at Xendar, who resumed his somewhat calm expression, his eyes darting back and forth while thinking.
"Thank you, Nameless. Don't do anything yet; call back the messenger, too." Feynor ordered, falling silent for a moment.
"Yes." Nameless nodded as he disappeared again, hurrying to execute his orders.
"Sending the heads to us prevents us from making any demands ter on. He is a ruthless person, cutting off his flesh like this..." Feynor sighed in the end, shaking his head.
"He is." Xendar agreed, "Now I need to think how to tell this to Anya. Even after the exile, she always thought about her mother and younger siblings... Not everyone was the same as Yurik or her father… or like her grandparents, who facilitated the marriage with you in the first pce." He expined as he gnced at Dermitos.
"I know. Family is important." Dermitos nodded, "The few letters they exchanged every year, I was never against it. Can I help with anything?" he asked, patting his friend's shoulder.
"No… no. I'll tell her tomorrow… or after the meeting. Maybe the wedding will soften the blow." He sighed, shaking his head. "But thanks."
"Hey, we are friends." Dermitos nodded, smiling at him.
"If we are, then out with it. You have acted strangely since you came back. What is it?" Xendar asked, and Feynor also nodded, noticing the change in his Father's aura.
"Yeah, you are… different."
"It is because of two things," he sighed, leaning against the balcony, crossing his hands, and letting out a long breath he was subconsciously holding in, "For once, I advanced."
"Congratutions!" Both of them said it at once, yet Dermitos wasn't as proud as they expected him to be.
"Second… your mother is dead," Dermitos spoke slowly, looking at his oldest son.
Of course, the revetion was sudden, and Feynor needed a few seconds to process the news, so he just closed his eyes before shaking his head.
"I see. Somehow, I knew it. We were never that close, so we rarely met since I had grown up, but I just got this feeling a few days ago..." he muttered, "And I think, the same is true for my siblings."
"I understand. And... It is partly my fault." Dermitos looked at him apologetically.
"No, it's not. Mother was… ill." Feynor answered, shaking his head, "She couldn't control it; I never bmed her; I accepted it. I guess she did something now that was…" Then he suddenly stopped, rubbing his face, as Xendar also realized why Meishan died. As long as Dermitos did not cut the energy supply to her mortal body, she could live as long as they did, free from any illness, thanks to her husband's affinity... "It was her, wasn't it?"
"Yes. She sent the letter out." Dermitos nodded at the two.
"Tsk… just because Anya ended up with me… she still couldn't let it go after this many years?" Xendar shook his head. "Haaah..."
"As Feynor said, she was ill." Dermitos continued, looking towards the sky, "Her mind was poisoned, and I was the source of it. I made her that way, and only I am to be bmed for her death and everything that happened before it. She couldn't process that I helped you and Anya end up together, and I refused to accept a gift that was meant for me."
"You gave her a long life, Father." Feynor tried, "Longer than any mortal could dream of, keeping her young all these years. A cultivator who does not train the mind alongside the body can't process the long years. She broke under that and not because of you..."
"It's kind of you to say that, son." Dermitos smiled, but it was a sad smile. "But I know what role I pyed in it. After she passed away, I needed time to think… that was when I advanced. It's still not the most stable state I am in, but I am slowly getting the hang of it. It was her st gift to me," he said with a choking voice, slowly gulping back his emotions before Feynor hugged him, patting his back.
"Hey… It's okay." Xendar joined in, too, comforting his friend.
"I did not want to mess with the youngsters' big day," Dermitos whispered, forcing a smile onto his face, "They had been getting ready for it for a long time. I don't want to publicize it, either... I'll tell Reignar tomorrow and Leinor after that. I'll hold an informal burial when they all know the truth; none of you need to come."
"I will. I think the others will, too. I'll speak with them." Xendar said. "She was still your wife."
"Thanks. And... Sorry, I didn't want to bum you out." He chuckled, looking at them, showing a side of him that only close family and friends knew, as he was now not the Aerthus IX or Dermitos, the second-level Harmony Expert, but a man who was still struggling with the grief of losing his wife of almost a century, someone who accompanied him everywhere in the past...
…….…..
It was close to noon when Ren and Leinor came down to have something to eat, meeting up with the others who were either grinning, like Isha, or just smiling at them with warmth, like Anya. When Ren sat down next to Leinor, she grimaced a little, taking a sharp breath through her teeth, prompting the others to finally let out a pair of loud chuckles.
"Very funny, ugh! Go ahead! Do it! Tsk... Mooooom, you never told me this was going to happen…." Ren moaned skulkingly while Anya just giggled, stroking her daughter's head.
"Everybody is different."
"Well, at least we know you are blessed." Poli whistled, looking at Leinor while Emi was trying to figure out what he was talking about with furrowed brows.
"Khm. Maybe." Leinor cleared his throat, looking proud of himself, making Xendar finally chortle because he was trying to look as cold as he could until now. It was his little baby girl they were talking about, after all! But he couldn't hold it back any longer, remembering his first night with Anya, who was so fussy about it at first, that it was a miracle she turned out the way she is now...
"Why are you so wimpy about it?" Isha rolled her eyes. "You are a level above us all; it shouldn't even hurt."
"Well, it does! Hmph! I'm not as padded as you!" Ren harrumphed, pouting, poking a finger towards Isha's chest.
"Wha-?!" She choked while Zern just patted her back.
"Easy, easy, she just wants to get on your nerves," He whispered.
"Whoa, you go against your master? The nerve!" Ren excimed, looking hurt.
"Yo, Master, I can beat him up for you!" Poli raised his hand, eager to join in on the fun.
"You can't even beat Emi; what are you jumping around like a clown?" Zern looked back at him with a deadpan expression, shooting him down at once.
"Ugh…" Poli flinched at once, because it was indeed true.
"Hey, don't drag me into this." Emi snorted, but she still looked proud, because in the past few days, they had held multiple little competitions, and the score was 4:2 to Emi.
"It's unfair… I'm handicapped. Literally..." Poli mumbled, sounding like a little kid.
"It was you who suggested all of the things we should compete in," the fox girl added with a sly smile, striking at the opening.
"Tsk… Next time-"
"No." She shook her head, and her words made everyone look at her. "I'm going home."
"Oh…" Poli flinched, falling silent instantly.
"Are you okay now?" Leinor asked as Emi still had the long scar over her body, but more or less... she was able to move around without issues.
"I am back to a stable strength," She nodded, "I can travel the forest without a problem, and once I'm back home, I can recuperate at Lady Rumira's pce."
"I see!" Ren sighed, smiling, "Do you need someone to escort you back?"
"I'll go with Niji until the forest, then I'll go by myself. Sorry, but I'm not willing to reveal our home to you yet."
"Yet?" Leinor raised his eyebrows.
"We will see how things turn out. I'll make my report to Lady Rumira honestly." Emi answered calmly. "She will make the decision."
"That's the only thing I ask of you. Thanks." Ren nodded at her with an honest smile.
"Mm." She wiped her mouth with a napkin, looking at the suddenly crestfallen Poli. "What...? It's that hard to accept losing to me?" She asked sarcastically, taking a sip from the orange juice before her.
"Huh? No… I'll miss you." Poli answered honestly, without holding back.
"Pft?!" Of course, hearing him say that, Emi spat the drink right out of her nose onto the table, "W-w-what are you saying?!"
"Huh? I said, I'll miss you; I really like you." Poli blinked his eyes innocently, while Ren just held her hand to her mouth, trying not to ugh, as did the others watching with great interest.
"Like? Me? Huh?! You lost your arm to me, and we almost killed each other! What are you on about?!"
"Oh… yeah, that happened." Poli nodded, shrugging, "But hey, I survived, my friends survived, you survived, so it's water under the bridge!"
"I can't deal with humans!" Emi moaned, standing up quickly. "Thank you for the meal," she bowed a little and stormed off, not wanting to stay any longer.
"Did I say something wrong?" Poli looked around with uncertainty.
"No. She's just shy." Isha leaned back. "Still… You are pretty straightforward, huh?"
"Huh? Um, why should I pretend otherwise? I realized she was not a bad person. Stupid, yes, but not bad." He expined, looking at them, not getting why he was being examined in this way.
"Who do you call stupid?!" Emi suddenly stormed back, huffing and puffing, surprising everyone.
"Whoa, you are still here?" Poli flinched.
"Ugh! You! My ears are not just for decoration, you dumbass!" She stomped in pce, twitching them.
"She did learn some new words..." Leinor whispered to his nodding wife, agreeing.
"Listen well, you half-armed dork!" Emi kept saying as she pointed at him. "For your insult, just so you know, I'll come back and have a rematch with you! I still have not forgiven you for almost killing me! We will have our duel when we are back to top form! Don't say I did not warn you in time!"
"Sure! The loser gets to be the other's maid." Poli nodded.
"Sure! Wait. What?" Emi agreed immediately, but then just blinked her eyes as her foxtail trembled, realizing what she had accepted...
"We are the witnesses." Ren stood up immediately. "It is settled then!"
“Wha… wait… ah… uuughh… You all! Fine! Fine! Hmph!" Emi stomped angrily before storming out once again.
"Don't lose." Ren looked at Poli with a grin, "I won't help you out."
"No problem, Master~!" He leaned back, now with a satisfied expression. "I won't."
…….…..
It was close to the evening when all of them met once again, but now they were in the pace's conference hall, and surprisingly, even the Emperor sat around the giant oval table and not at the helm, which was left empty for now.
Those invited were the currently living or avaible bloodline of Aerthus, namely Carthus, Dermitos, Boursat, Feynor, Reignar, and, of course, Leinor. Then there was Ren and her family and friends; the only missing ones were Niji and Emi, who were already out of the city, returning to the forest.
"How's your new daughter?" Ren asked with a smile, looking at Reignar at the other side of the table.
"Fine," He answered, not bothering to correct her, "She still has sudden headaches sometimes, especially if she works herself up, but it is manageable. I left her in the library, with aun-khm, with Queen Anniel."
"I should thank her." Feynor chuckled, smiling at his younger brother, "She started to ask if we could try for an heir. It seems taking care of her from time to time awakened something inside her besides the love of reading and studying." Feynor joked around, making the others chuckle as well.
"I see everyone is here!" came a cheerful voice, and when everyone looked, Aerthus was already sitting in the empty chair with an excited expression. "No need for formalities, as all of you guessed already; I am Aerthus. It's good to meet you all!" he said with a casual line, skipping any formality, waving a hand, signaling to them to stay seated.
"Oh, the legend himself?" Ren blinked her eyes, licking her lips. "Third level?"
"Ahaha, you have sharp senses, girl." He nodded as her father tried to signal to Ren not to be disrespectful. "I was surveying all of you in the past weeks, and I'm pleased with what I saw. I'm assured now that you will be the backbone of my Sect."
"Sect?" Most of them looked around while Ren's eyes started to shine, as this was what she was waiting for.
"I have a question first!" she raised her hand, while Xendar just facepalmed, realizing nothing could control his daughter by now.
"Sure, go ahead!" Aerthus nodded.
"Where are the others?"
"Others?" Carthus looked around before realizing her meaning.
"My grandson, Urgius, has been missing after he tried to cross the desert. We don't know if he died or not." Aerthus answered, referring to Aerthus III. "He tried to cross it at only the first level…" he said, shaking his head, sighing, feeling that he had never survived the trip. "My son, Levictus, warned him before leaving, but he did not listen. Speaking of Leviticus, he stayed on the other side. He is simir to your second son," he chuckled, looking at Dermitos. "You all know how my fourth successor died in battle, and about his sons…." Aerthus fell silent for a minute, reorganizing his thoughts and recalling the reports he received periodically when something important happened back home. "Aerthus V, namely Erborus, after abdicating the throne, went on a tour to try to reach the second level. Because he never reappeared..." He sighed again, shaking his head, "He may have tried to cross the desert; we don't know, as we lost contact with him after twenty years."
"That is correct. Still no updates on that." Carthus nodded, confirming him as Aerthus took a peek at him. "Same with his brother, who succeeded him, Astran, Aerthus VI. He was maybe the first to be an unwilling emperor, more focused on cultivation than anything else. Sadly, I don't think either of them is alive, or they would have shown themselves."
"My father was not the best at communicating with people," Boursat spoke up, as he was the son of Astran, "I never met with Uncle Erborus. He left before my brother and I were born. To be honest, we were only conceived because the throne needed an heir. After we came of age and to strength, he immediately passed the throne to his heir and then left. To where we still don't know, some clues point to the Forest, but nothing concrete... It was then that everything started to go awry. Not the best times," he shook his head, remembering his brother, who slowly turned from a talented, bright boy to a bloody tyrant.
"Everything takes its natural course." Aerthus nodded, unbothered by the many failed successors who came after him, "Did we satisfy your curiosity?"
"Yup!" Ren grinned. "For now!"
"Great! Now let's talk business. I already scouted out a great pce along the Shert River." Aerthus began as he id out a giant map on the table, showing the river and the two kingdoms on its opposite banks.
For one reason, it was one of the most conflict-ridden zones along the river. It broke into two streams, going around a huge mass of nd, forming an independent isnd in the middle, before joining back at the other end of it, flowing on its merry way onward.
The isnd in the middle was about the size of the capital city and its surrounding territories, and was named Teardrop Isnd because of its shape. It changed hands more than anyone could keep track of, as the western bank, where the Rorik kingdom bordered the river, was loyal to the Aerthus line, while to the east, where the Naulin's puppet state was formed, the Qun kingdom was loyal to the silver-haired line.
The seemingly unimportant patch of nd in the middle of the river was always a source of conflict as both kingdoms cimed ownership of it. Through the centuries, the two families in charge of their small domains were supported by the giants behind them, fighting proxy wars for so long that the hatred between the two sides was so deep it could not be reconciled.
"I checked the isnd; there is an untouched CC mine under it." Aerthus tapped on the isnd's drawing while the others looked at him with question marks in their eyes. "Sorry, I forgot you don't know about it. Let me expin," he chuckled, looking around them before organizing his thoughts.
“CC… is it…?” Ren thought aloud, and soon a small smile formed on her face. By just mentioning the name, she was sure who Aerthus had met while he was away, as it was a term that she was very much familiar with. It was even used as currency in the old days, as it was a rare yet useful item for cultivators, helping them advance their cultivation when used correctly.
"It's an abbreviation." He expined, "My mentors say its old name was Cultivation Crystals, but everyone calls them CC for short. They are a kind of mineral found in different pces around the world. How and what forms them are unknown, and they predate even the Cataclysm..."
"Are they rare?" Dermitos asked.
"Yes. And no. Let me expin." Aerthus leaned forward, "There are a few pces where you can find mines, and where you get them from. But usually, when a vein is found, it is rge and deep. Really deep. On the other side, a dozen or so mines are known to us, all under the control of a regional superpower, more precisely, a sect. They strictly control the flow of CC because its multi-purpose usage is invaluable. After the Cataclysm... new mines were also discovered, dormant before it..."
"Do they use it as currency? Or only to forge weapons and armor?" Ren asked suddenly, with a half smile, not wanting to give away too much.
"Hah… you are really sharp!" Aerthus grinned at her, "Yes to all of them. These crystals have this name for a reason! They can facilitate the convergence of energy in the air and help a cultivator draw in their affinity, strengthening it, especially in the body-refinement realm, greatly speeding up the process. This consumes the crystal, so depending on its size, it can be used for hours, days, or weeks. Combining it with Ren's method will give a boost I am stoked to see!" He ughed before continuing, "Secondly, they can be used in forging; adding them in the process will make the final product conductive, greatly helping the wielder's powers through the weapon or armor you make out of them. Your sword." He pointed at Poli. "It contains a great amount of it; somehow, it fused with another kind of crystal, but seeing you wield it and the characteristics of it, it has a great amount of CC inside, that's for sure."
"Is it worth a lot?" Poli asked, gulping, making Aerthus nod.
"Oh yes... Because it is widely used and sought after by cultivators, it is used as currency in the cultivation world. For mortals, it's useless; for us, it is priceless."
"So we will establish the sect on the isnd?" Xendar thought, looking at the map, already devising how to establish defenses.
"Yes, and I also want this as a test." Aerthus nodded.
"What kind of test?" Carthus furrowed his eyebrows.
"To see who is fit for what." His ancestor said, "The Sect will have strict orders and rules that, if broken, could result in severe penalties. I'll act as Sect Head; under me, there will be a Council of Elders, who will be responsible for different aspects of the Sect. Namely, the following:" He said, holding out his fingers:
"1) Disciplinary Department: This group will oversee the members and resolve conflicts inside the Sect.2) Alchemy Department: This I will expin in more detail ter, but it is a fascinating field I picked up while traveling.3) Formation Department: Same as before, it's a trait that can enhance our strength greatly. Honestly, this will be under my son's leadership; you will know ter why.4) Artifact Department: I brought back a lot of grand schematics of weapons and armor; we will need people proficient in forging, but this can be put on hold for now."
After finishing, he waited for them to repeat it inside their heads before continuing.
"These will be the four cornerstones of the Sect. Each department will have a leading Grand Elder who is also a member of the Council. Below them will be the Core Elders, who act as sub-leaders of their departments. Every department's sub-leaders can elect one representative to attend council meetings. The Council itself will have the power to decide the course of action of the Sect, the financing, recruiting, expeditions, and everything. At the same time, I, as the Sect Head, can overrule and make the final decisions when there is no chance for a consensus. But if I do so, we will have another meeting and discuss it again until we get closer to a unified goal."
".." Most of the people here quickly memorized his words, looking at each other, but Aerthus was not done yet.
"Outside the departments, there will be the Sect as a whole. I don't want the different departments to act all the time independently; they should work together, not against each other. I don't mind competition, but only if it's healthy. Any other conflict, I'll nip it in the bud."
"What about the disciples?" Ren's voice came again while the others were still thinking over his words.
"The first yer will be outer disciples." Aerthus continued, "They will be those who wish to join, or we see potential in them and accept them into the fold. They will be the working ants of the Sect. They will be assigned menial tasks because they will be the ones numbering the most people... They are paid with resources, public lectures, and a chance to improve themselves."
"A chance?" Boursat asked, raising an eyebrow.
"To take the test, I came up with." Aerthus smiled at him. "To cut it short, it will test many sides and a cultivator's talent; if they pass, they can be called inner disciples. They will have their own pce; imagine them as proper students. They will focus on cultivation and have mandatory csses with regur examinations. Failing to meet requirements can result in their demotion back to outer disciple. Once an inner disciple shows great potential, they can be assigned a master and become a core disciple. Those talented people will form, as the name suggests, the core of the Sect and can even host public lessons for the inner and outer disciples, and so on; they will be the ones on whom we focus our most efforts. Every one of the core disciples has the chance to ter become an Elder and rise even further. As for the Elders," He looked at the adults around the table, "They can take on disciples, and ter on, if the needs arise, I can establish more departments for them to look over." Then he looked at Feynor with an apologetic expression, "The Empire, and the Sect will be a different entity, or to be more precise, the Empire will serve as a subordinate of the Sect. You will be an Elder in Name, like every Emperor. Their sole responsibility will be to ensure the stability of the Empire and to guarantee that there will always be fresh cultivators who can be inducted into the Sect and that the required resources will be supplied to us. Those who do not meet the criteria of the Sect will be reassigned to strengthen the Empire."
"Why the apologetic face?" Feynor asked as he ughed. "I am here to care about the millions living under our Empire. It's a great honor to be their Emperor!"
"I'm gd that I still have descendants like you," Aerthus smiled at him. "When an Emperor abdicates and passes on the throne, he will have the chance to be promoted to an actual Elder position in the sect," he added, "We will talk more about how the successor of the Emperor will be decided ter; for now, I'm not pnning on changing it. Now… is there any question?"
"So the test that is waiting for us is to see who will take the role of Grand Elder, Core Elder, or just as an Elder, am I correct?" Ren asked.
"Yes." Aerthus smiled with a satisfied expression. "Age does not matter. Bloodline does not matter. What does matter is the effort you put in. I will choose the positions by talent and not by bloodline connections." He said sternly, mainly looking at his descendants. "So, for the test itself, it is pretty simple. Take control of the isnd. That's all."
"That can be done in multiple ways," Dermitos murmured.
"Yes." Aerthus nodded, "I want you all to take your time and think about how you would do it. You have three days; we will meet again, and I will listen to everyone's suggestions." he looked around them sternly. "I know this was a lot to dump on you all; rest and think it through. After three days, we will meet again!" With that, he stood up, signaling the end of their first meeting, and after everybody acknowledged his words, he just disappeared.
"I feel like the test is already on its way." Ren chuckled while the others just looked at her. "If you are not careful, I'll be your supe-ouch!" came a smack to the back of her head from Anya, resulting in some ughter coming from the others, and even Carthus let a small smile creep up on his face, watching as Leinor patted his wife's hand to calm down the now-sulking Ren, who wanted to boast that she may become the boss of everybody present.
