The Aether God: Chapter 26 - Daily Upkeep
I say this that you might listen, my brothers, in good conscience.
Yes, we are in good conscience.
The Market District: General Cho’s Eatery
Cerulean and the three boys decided to spend their afternoon together at Triton’s favorite diner. They were sitting at a small table in the corner of the restaurant as they ate. Much of their time was spent in silence, though every so often one of them would joke or try to lighten the mood. These moments of levity were brief though, because after the laughter subsided they would once again sit in silence for a number of minutes… There was a certain weight to the atmosphere.
“Can I get you four anything else?”
“Can I get some rice? Thank you…”
Once the server had retreated, Triton let out something of a sigh. Hearing it, the four boys all looked up at one another with relatively blank expressions. Under normal circumstances, this would lead to them laughing with one another. They didn’t feel particularly inclined to speak out and address the tension, as it was unnecessary to do so... There was an unspoken understanding between them.
Cerulean sat for a few moments. He was shifting his bottom jaw and licking his molars, trying to think of something to say, as he felt guilty for the situation in a number of different ways. He shook his head for a moment before rubbing his eyes.
“Guys…”
The boys looked towards him and lifted their eyebrows, quietly acknowledging the question.
“You know… I- ...”
Cerulean let out a strained breath as he tilted his head and winced. Much was going through his mind, but he began.
“I thought there would be a reason to keep it in for so long, like everything was some sort of fun thing to experience… But so much is going on that I’m getting tired of upholding certain things. Sorry I’m not explaining it well… But I’m actually sort of an old ass reincarnated man.”
Cerulean sighed, feeling somewhat silly. He wondered in his mind, why a reincarnated elder’s first order of business was to start something akin to guerilla warfare against a little valley’s legendary sects. Furthermore, he was involving hundreds of children in these “grand schemes.” Sure, half of him was a child, and everyone was his own age… But shouldn’t the Daedalus half have known better? Was the whole ordeal stupid? Couldn’t he have just gone into seclusion for a great number of years before returning to enforce his will upon the valley? Was that just too boring for the Cerulean half of himself? Perhaps he had acted too hastily, costing a young girl her own life. The icing on the cake was that he was now “opening up” to three children emotionally in some manner.
Hearing his question, Triton and Reed simply smiled at one another and continued eating. Cedar, though, dramatically winced and started digging into his pockets.
Cerulean was taken aback.
“Umm…”
Cedar soon pulled out two gold coins and handed one each to Triton and Reed. They put the coins into their pockets before the three of them continued eating.
“I- I- Uh…” Cerulean had no idea what to say, so he just began to laugh. He covered his face with his hands and began to laugh even louder.
“Oh heavens…” Cerulean continued to laugh for a couple of minutes before dragging his hands down his face. He then stretched while letting out a loud groan.
“What is even going on?”
The boys once again sat in silence for a number of minutes. At one point in time, they all looked up at one another with relatively blank expressions. This time though, their lips were quivering - they were indeed trying not to smile. Triton smirked and broke the silence with a jagged gust of air through his nostrils, and soon they had all broken out into laughter. Cerulean really felt, at least for a moment, that he ought to stop taking himself so seriously.
…………………
The Caladrius School South District
Cerulean laid in the little grove, leaning forward and petting a small bird which had just perched on his knee. A number of other disciples were scattered around the grove. Some sat in groups or pairs, while others sat alone. A number of couples could also be seen resting their heads against one another as they gazed at the clouds. After a while, a boy and girl walked up to him: Griffin and Cashmere Darkwater.
“They really do look like him, the more I think about it.”
Griffin had a friendly smile on his face, though the same couldn’t be said about his sister. She was looking around as if specifically avoiding meeting eyes with Cerulean.
"Ever the conscientious type... I see where she got it from."
The boys shared a short greeting with one another before Cerulean addressed the both of them.
“Have a seat guys, I have a proposition for you two…”
“What’s up?” Griffin sat down. Cashmere followed his lead soon afterward.
………………………
Glyph Guardians Market Pagoda
Cerulean stood in the center of the room with a regal expression - the twins were acting as they usually did. He knew though, that it was because they just had particularly wonderful senses of humor.
“We have many things to report, Master Cerulean.”
“Go on.” Cerulean held his hand up, as if a king allowing a peasant to speak.
“First, the Aurora Sect. They are concerned with nothing but their own ima- I mean Latia Aurora. Second, the Scorchbloom Sect. They are concerned with nothing but their own ima- I mean the young master’s ex-fiance, La- Latia Aur- Aurora. Ahem…”
As Solene spoke, she began to break character as she stuttered, clearly restraining herself from laughing. Celestia started blowing gusts of air as well. Solene licked her lips, calming herself, and then continued speaking.
“Third, the Starfall Sect. They have begun lowering their prices and releasing more R4 elixirs. Since we have toned our own down for the time being, they have likely surpassed us in sales. They also seemed to have retracted many of their eyes from our markets. Tensions seem to be falling for the time being. The same could be said about the other sects as well.”
Cerulean nodded. Everything seemed to be moving in a linear pattern at this point.
“Fourth, the Meadow Sect… They seem to be remaining neutral for the moment. They will be hosting this month’s Great Valley auction, so it will likely be occupying a good bit of their time for the next few days. Fifth, the Whitehorn Sect…”
Celestia and Solene looked at one another for a moment.
“Word has come in that you and Triton gave a somewhat bizarre display on Wednesday. Your names appeared on their discussion agenda yesterday… Luckily, they didn’t seem to think too deeply about it. Please exercise greater caution going forward, Master Cerulean. They will likely be watching you two very closely.”
Cerulean smiled.
“Thank you Solene… I will surely do so.”
“We followed your instructions regarding the Frostbane and Blackwood sects, which have no reports.”
“Thank you… Now can you two tell me all about the monthly auctions?”
………………………
Elixir Alliance Market Pagoda
“Of course, of course.”
Nora and Cerulean were once again sitting across from one another as they concluded their meeting.
“And last, but not least, here’s the list of all of our members and their attributes. I don’t know if you wanted this many names, but…”
Cerulean accepted the list and smiled.
“This will do. I'll start bringing some manuscripts and artifacts by in the next few days. Thanks again!"
Cerulean stood and headed toward the door, but before reaching it, he turned toward Edith.
"I have a present for you, Edith."
Cerulean materialized a large stack of manuscripts and a smaller number of Azurean Artifacts.
"Please take good care of them... I see such bright things in your future."
After handing the items to her, Cerulean smiled as he opened the door, and disappeared before it slammed shut.
Edith blushed for a moment, but she soon came to a frightening moment of realization. Soon, her eyes ever-so-slowly drifted towards Nora, who was staring at her with a most smug expression on her face.
"Don't..."
Edith covered her face in a most dejected manner, resigning herself to Nora's playful torment.
………………………
Caladrius School South District: Residence Hall 5, Dorm 31
“No… Most people just flew around if they needed to get somewhere. I had a few beasts that would bring me around the city.”
Cerulean was once again stamping a large number of artifacts at his desk. Latia was sitting on her bed, kicking her feet against the side of the mattress.
“So… How were you smarter than everybody if everybody lived forever? Wouldn’t some people have been like ten million years older than you?”
………………………
?????????????????
A dim crimson light revealed seven tapestries adorning the walls. A few hundred silhouettes could be seen which filled the chamber. Dust motes danced in the dim rays of illumination, swirling in unseen currents that seemed to spiral with a sinister energy.
Copyright © 2024 Ritchie Charles Fiction.
All Rights Reserved.
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZB9f3Pf8
Patreon: patreon.com/RitchieCharlesFiction
