Chapter 40: The Mind Behind All
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Hi guys. This is a long chapter and I would have like to dedicate more time to polish it, but I am already one day late so there's nothing I can do.

This is the last chapter of this arc. 

After this, I will take a break of one month to organize not only this novel but my personal life (tons of things I should have done before). I hope you wait for me.

Hope you enjoy the chapter

 

In a valley in the middle of two small mountains, there was a simple wooden cottage placed right in between. In front of this cottage, a blond man was drinking tea while enjoying the view of the lake that was in front of him. With a tranquil lake that reflected the sky perfectly and the beautiful flora and fauna, although it could not be called a paradise on earth, this place was a wonderful spot to relax.

“Oh, Adra is coming, I hope everything has gone fine.” The handsome blond man, who was seated in a luxurious chair talked to the man by his side. Sitting next to him in a similar chair, was a man with brown and short hair and a mustache of the same color. His name was Ulim and he was also part of Heavens Vault. He exuded a dignified air, but he was using black plain robes that didn't fit with his own refined attitude or the place he was. Yet, neither the blond man not him seemed to be concerned about this as they kept talking like always.

“She is a capable one, and you left detailed instructions. Plus, you maintained contact with her and sent indications regularly, making it very hard for anything to go wrong.” A dissatisfied grimace appeared on the mustached man's face. “If I may say, you pamper her too much, Headmaster.” The man said after some thought.

“Nonsense, I just want her to grow safely.” The Headmaster of Heavens Vault smiled, and although he denied it, it was clear by his satisfied face that he liked to spoil his disciple. “Besides, although it is not really that important to our overall situation, this was a rare episode. I had to dedicate some of my time to this incident.” Said the man with a slightly more serious tone.

“Well, I have to admit the matter was quite important to let everything be run by her. But…” Ulim was stopped before he could make his point.

“Shhh, shhh. She's already too close, I have to enter into my cool master mode. You know what to do. ” The Headmaster shut him up quickly while snickering.

“Haaa.” Sighing, the mustached man stood up with a practiced and frequent despondency. This was a common occurrence for Ulim.

Although he was one of his subordinates, the Headmaster always treated him and his men very kindly. Never putting any airs around him. That was just how he was, with the sole exception of the times when his disciple was present.

When she was just a kid, Adra had seen the Emperor and how his subjects always treated him with respect. She voiced out loud to her master how could the Emperor was for having everyone paying respect to him no matter where he went. And from that day, this farce began.

Ulim was sure Aldra could tell something was odd every time she walked on his master and his subordinates. She was not a kid anymore and she could tell her master often spent time, and even wasted some, talking with every one of his men like equals. He liked to find interesting aspects of people’s lives and talk about them, often getting distracted from other, more serious, matters. From the hidden secret assets like Ulim to the public and simple shop clerks, he spoke with everyone like equals. Yet, the man seemed determined to maintain this charade every time Adra was present.

Uim raised his head and saw Adra entering the valley, flying while standing atop a fan. This fan was small and only one foot could be used to stand on it while in flight. In spite of that, she managed to look elegant while doing something that would make others look extremely awkward.

Besides her, was her subordinate and protector assigned by the Headmaster himself, Laom. The man was sent to pick her up midway to make sure Adra was safe on the way back. He was respectfully flying a few feet behind her.

‘Sigh’ Ulim gave an inward sigh seeing her coming like that. The journey from Hilua to this secluded place was not short. It was painfully obvious that Adra did not have the cultivation base to support such a long flight and take so little time to reach here. Everyone in the scene knew for sure that for her to reach so soon, it was needed the help of her protector. She was without a doubt, carried here by him. Then, when they were near, she made him stop to start flying by herself and make herself look better. ‘Seriously, she picked up all the wrong habits form the Headmaster.’

Once Adra was above them, she jumped down from high above and landed perfectly in front of her master. “ I have completed the task, master. Oh, it has been a long time, uncle Ulim.” Said Adra with a radiant smile greeting her master and Ulim, both of them just nodded.

Once Laom landed, Adra turned to him. He was carrying on his back a rectangular box warped in a long piece of cloth which was then strapped to his back. The man took a step forward and presented the unwrapped box to Aldra, who in turn presented it to her Master. She put it over a small white table in front of her master, trying not to hit his half-full teacup.

The moment she opened the box, her master looked like a child seeing a new toy for an instant, before returning to his more composed manner. Adra had to suppress a giggle, honestly, she enjoyed looking at those rare moments where her master slipped up from his act.

“You have done well, really well, Adra.” The Headmaster smiled and nodded as he tilted forward to appraise the two arms without getting them out of the box. Although it looked like a casual look, Adra was sure her master could tell a lot from that simple glance.

After a short moment, he tilted backward again, resting his back on his chair. She then recounted with much detail the whole incident, although her Master already knew most of it.

With his gaze now focused on Adra, the Headmaster said, “Well, tell me what you learned from this experience then.” He made a gesture with his hand, motioning for her to sit on the chair next to him.

WIth Ulim rolling his eyes in the background at the rapid change in his expressions, Adra sat and began to think hard on what to say. She was good at martial arts and even at business, but she always found it hard to answer this kind of question. “Mmmm… I would say to always be open to change and be willing to modify the plan. The situation dictates the plan, even if you have to modify the very basis of it. I know for a fact that when we first arrived at Hilua the plan was completely different. You kept making slight arrangements as the days passed, according to the circumstances. In the end, those circumstances ended up favoring us, enabling us to go for the most profitable plan.”

“Yes, that's true. And…” The Headmaster made a gesture with his hand, urging her to keep going.

Completely out of her element, Adra pouted a little, “ You want more.” She continued. “That the fights of others are good opportunities for us, for example, the current power struggle in the Capital that extended even to the small City of Hilua. Provided that we are able to maintain or selves outside of said struggles, that is.”

“Okay, that's enough. You are on the right track, but I would like for you to pay more attention next time. If everything goes right, you will always have me for this kind of scheming. Even if you go on your own, you can always ask me about these strategic issues. But, you will always be limited if you don't learn how to handle yourself and scheme in this world. It will forever remain a shackle that you will never be able to break free from.” The Headmasters tone turned serious.

“If I were to die, you would be on your own, Adra. I have made arrangements, even if all Heavens Vault gets decimated you will still have some people and riches to command. But if you don't learn to use your wits, you will be scheme against, only for the things you have to be taken away by others. They don't even have to be more powerful than you. Of course, with enough power, most schemes are useless. Either way, the best will always be a combination of power and mind.” He looked at his disciple directly to her eyes, worry evident on his blue irises.

“You won't die, Master, stop exaggerating,” Adra said wth confidence. She didn't say that to reassure him or herself, she enunciated that sentence as a matter of fact. In her mind, there wasn't someone who could defeat her Master.

She roughly knew his strength, but that was only part of the reason why she was so confident. The other part was because she knew how good at scheming he was. Saying that the waters of Heavens Vault run deep was an understatement. What's more, Adra was sure that what she knew was only a tiny fraction of her Master's real capabilities. His real strength was a mystery to her.

Although he was inwardly happy at his disciple's confidence in him, the Headmaster shook his head. “Adra, the world is a big and scary place. Although I'm not afraid of it, I do respect it and so should you. Out there are people insanely powerful and old enough to be as sly as devils.” He looked again at his disciple but seeing her expression unchanged he decided to put it another way.

The Headmaster looked around to the lake and the whole valley.“Let's see, one of the big points you should have learned about is to always, and I mean always, look at the situation of the world. You said that one has to always adapt according to the situation, and that's not bad. The only thing is, for that to work, you have to be cognizant about the overall situation. The big picture, if you would like to call it that way. Then you have to create the possible scenarios and be prepared to change from one to another, minimizing the looses.” He paused for a moment to let her process.

And then he continued once he saw her nodding. “ You want to know the origin of how those arms came to be? Of how did I get the right info?”

Adra nodded repeatedly, “Of course, this whole deal is a mystery to me. What are those arms, to begin with, Master.? You say they were runic arms, but what does that even mean?”

“I guess I can start with that, in fact, it is the best way to start. Those my dear Adra...” Said the Headmaster as he pointed to the arms.”... belonged to a human, and they are the latest invention of the Astral Runes Sect. They are called runic enhancements, and you can be sure they not only make arms.”

Adra was surprised when she heard that, she had theorized many things, but she hadn't thought about that. The craziest theory she had was that it belonged to a creature that was sealed by the Astral Runes Sect.

Seeing her shock, the Headmaster nodded. “For now, they are just a prototype, the people compatible with such enhancements are few. However, they are making huge progress in this area. If they can mass-produce them, these type of runic prosthesis will impact the power balance in the whole continent and even in all the lands of Elemeth.”

“How...how powerful are these things?” Adra asked with not entirely convinced.

“It depends, from what I know from my one and only source there, the power varies depending on the spirit beast one takes the part from and the runes one uses. Normally, the power is set by the flesh of the spirit beast. For example, these arms belonged to a red demonic ape from the north. It is a very powerful Earthly Beasts as powerful as a Qi Manifestation cultivator.” The Headmaster drank some tea and continued while looking at the arms. “If this is a normal enhancement, then that would be the level of power one would get. Meanwhile, the runes would be there just to attach the body to the arm.”

“So, they can attach any part of a spirit beast into a human. It is like creating body cultivators without wasting time on cultivation at all.” Adra quickly cached what the main issue was about.

The Headmaster nodded again. “Precisely, and Earthly Beasts are not the limit. What's more, they can even add more runes to these parts and give them other powerful abilities. It is a monstrosity.” His gaze turned very serious now. “It also raises questions like, if they can engrave runes on the flesh of dead spirit beasts, then, can they do it on the flesh of humans? Or how much can they engrave on those arms? I have many more doubts as to whether it is possible to remove the parts and replace them for other more powerful enhancements or if these enhancements can grow with the cultivator. Hopefully, this gift will help me uncover some truths.”

Adra's eyes were literally glowing as she heard her master, there was a lot of potential in these things. “ I didn't know these were so important master. Why didn't you tell me sooner!”

“Hahahaha” The Headmaster shook his head while laughing, “Nothing is that easy. I am sure that even the Astral Runes Sect doesn't know exactly how the process of the mysterious runes worked. Remember that they only know how to use them thanks to some instructions found inside a Circle of Runes. They are far from actually grasping the meaning of these mysterious runes. Much less us, who don't even have the instructions on how to use them. The Astral Runes sect plays with those runes and tries different approaches, but the ignorance of their own runes makes it hard for their progress to be too fast.”

Adra felt that today her image of the world was drastically changing. “I can't believe it, they are so powerful yet they don't even know what the basis of their power is.”

The Headmaster just shrugged his shoulders at this, “Do you know exactly what the sun is? Yet, you use its light to see and even warm yourself. Do you know exactly what is the mechanism of how your body moves? No, yet you move your arms and legs regardless of that. We are surrounded by such examples, it is nothing weird at all.”

“Now that I think about it…” Adra noded although she still thought it was kinda ridiculous for the Astral Runes Sect to not know how their runes worked.

“That doesn't mean they won't protect such a powerfull weapon prototype. This was a well-kept secret, that took my informant a lot to just tell me the rough details. Not because he didn't know any, but because to circumvent the restrictions an insane amount of effort and time is needed.” He stopped for a moment like reminiscing something really dangerous until he shook his head.

Realizing he had strayed too much from the main issue, he tried to get back to the real point he wanted to make. “Now back on topic, the reason why we took the course of action we used to get those arms originated from a seemingly unrelated event. This is what I want you to learn” He looked at Adra in the eye.

Seeing he got her complete attention he continued. “Almost a year ago, in the Free Central States passing the northern mountain range, the Heavenly Crown Bird started nesting right outside the Capital city. This may seem like something rare but natural. However, to those of us who knew, it was a move instigated by the Spirit Beast Sect.”

Adra frowned, truth be told, she didn't know much about other countries and sects. When her master told her about the big picture, she was still thinking about the Sidrin Empire and what happened within.

The Headmaster wanted to make his student understand that she had to pay attention to the big picture, and also, that out there were powerful entities she should be careful of. That was his real motive.“ This move was made to test the waters indirectly. They wanted to probe and see whether the old Protector was still alive. His disciples were still comparatively weak, but for the old Protector, that kind of Heavenly Beast could very well be a farm chicken. The thing is that everyone was aware he was approaching the end of his life. Unlike most of the peak experts who are at the colloquially known Emperor level, he was the only ruler of such a big expanse of land that was of a lower level. Yet, he was so powerful that he could suppress most of those so-called peak experts.”

“I may not know much, but I know of the famous ‘old Protector’, Master.” Adra felt like she was being treated like a child when her master repeated such basic knowledge.

“Ahem” Clearing his throat a little awkwardly, he continued. “The thing is, that the Spirit Beast Sect has had many conflicts with the Free Central States. So, they took this chance to test the waters. For a whole year, the bird was allowed to nest right at the doorstep of the Fee Central States. That was like a huge slap in the face for the Central States. In the beginning, many believed it was a bait, but as time passed everything indicated that the Protector was death, incapable of coming back, or could not be reached. Either way, many started to harbor thoughts. I won't lie, even I had some thoughts about taking some advantage of it, hehehe.”

Even though he was laughing, his eyes were deadly serious. “But a few cycles ago, out of nowhere, all the disciples of the protector banned together to repel the beast. They valiantly showed their strength. Even then, many outsiders believed it was just a last show of strength on their part before being crushed by the Spirit Beast Sect.” The Headmaster looked at the nature around him, especially at the little squirrels and animals lurking around.

The Spirit Beast Sect was often underestimated because their disciples were weak without their pets. Thanks to the Monoliths, they couldn't launch a large scale attack inside most countries. But the truth was that outside the range of the Monoliths, in the wilderness, they had immense power. Every animal around, from mortal animals to the more powerful ones could be under their control. The wilderness was their domain. What's more, they actually had a solid intelligence network that used wild mortal animals to gather information. It wasn't too fancy, they could only make these animals do a limited range of actions like smuggling letters with informations. But it was very hard to get rid of such a network.

 

And the Headmaster, like some other old cultivators, knew that although it was very hard for them, the Spirit Beast Sect could send very powerful creatures inside the range of the Monoliths. They could not completely control all Heavenly Beasts, but they had many ways to manipulate the patterns of their behavior. Coupled with some secret rituals, they could make these true threats to humanity fly right into any city, forgetting their fear of retaliation. That was how they managed to cause trouble for the Free Central States.

The Headmaster only paused fora few seconds, to allow his words to sink in before resuming with his explanation. “Apparently, the truth was different. Because, a few days later, the skies of the northern mountain range and the Free Central State were painted green. Followed by a powerful laugh that resounded throughout that territory.” The Headmaster remembered how he had strained his consciousness to peer into that huge qi disturbance at the distance. Luckily he was in the wilderness, otherwise, that strain could make him stand out and he would have been found out easily.

The disturbance was so powerful that he believed a massive catastrophe had occurred, or that many peak experts were fighting. When he stretched his senses, a powerful voice sounded in his mind. ‘HAHAHA, THAT WAS CLOSE, I ALMOST DIED! AHAHAHAHA!’ The old man was laughing at his close brush with death. He must have used some method to extend his life long enough to breakthrough.

Adra saw for the first time in her life a trace of fear in the eyes of her master, but very quickly he shook his head. His eyes regaining their natural calmness. “I almost made a huge error regarding that issue. That powerful disturbance was the old Protector breaking through and reaching the current peak of cultivation. Do you remember all those legends about him?”

A little lost at her master's initial show of fear, Adra answer honestly, “Yes, one of my favorites was a secret story you told me, master. Of how he fought with the Ice Emperor. The later was forced to use his protective technique sealing himself inside indestructible ice. Just before he completely sealed himself, the Protecto forced him to stand on one leg, almost falling. His sealing technique kicked in and he got stuck in a silly posture for days, with the old Protector laughing at him until he got bored and destroyed half of his palace before leaving.”

“Hahahaha. Yes, don't tell that to anyone, if the Ice Emperor knew that embarrassing scene has been leaked out to the world he would kill you. ” The Headmaster tone tuned more jovial and then it instantly went back to a more dark mood. “See, all those stories were with him being a level weaker than the rest of his opponents. I can't imagine the power that the old monster has now. I know for sure I don't want to be the first to test his new powers.”

Adra nodded, finally seeing at that old figure of legends as a real person. That fear she saw in her master was because of that man. He had started to think about taking advantage of the weak Free Central States without knowing that the already powerful expert guarding it was becoming more powerful. For the first time, Adra could see how stressful was for her master to manage the whole of Heavens Vault.

“We have astray from the topic one more time.” The Headmaster stopped Adra's train of thought. “Now, we know that the reason why his disciples chased the Heavenly Crowned Bird out was that their master was returning. They naturally didn't want him to see everything in a mess. The Heavenly Crowned Bird flew south, where he clashed with the Heavenly Mountain Snake at the border of the Forest of Eternal Nightmares.” The Headmaster paused to make some emphasis in the upcoming piece of information. “What only I knew was that a group of disciples from the Astral Runes Sect was trying to entrap the Heavenly Mountain Snake in a formation. Amongst them, for I reason unknown to me yet, was someone using these enhancements.”

“Oh, so they died in the sudden clash between the two Heavenly beats!” Adra finally knew what happened. The Astral Runes Sect disciples, if they were well prepared in advance, could take on higher-level creatures with their formations. This group was a clear example of that. Nevertheless, it was extremely dangerous. Just like what had happened with this group, any unexpected incidents could send them to their deaths.

“Yes, they had been working at ti for days, but they didn't manage to set the formation before the two beasts clashed. It was obvious, without me even checking, the fight between the two creatures had killed them. And with the prototypes being so sturdy, they were likely to be remains of the enhancements. ” The blond man stoked the arms on the box gently. “But I couldn't just go there myself and pick them up. The Astral Runes Sect would surely investigate the matter. That is another enemy that is currently outside my capabilities, Adra,” Said with sincerity.

Adra opened her mouth to say something but ended up closing it up again. The Headmaster smiled. “Well, I said currently, you don't have to lose so much faith in your old master. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to keep these arms.” Seeing his disciple cheering up at this he continued. “I decided to leak the information to two parties. One was the Spirit Beast Sect, because they would be interested in these arms and because they would get here very fast despite the distance. The other was the Sidrin Empire, to be more precise, the crown prince.”

“That, I can't understand it. Why not chose the Silver Moon Kindom, it's right next to the Sidrin Empire. Is it because they are too weak?” She asked with ingenuity.

The Headmaster launched a fulminating glance at Adra that made her shrink her neck. “Never again underestimate the SIlver Moon Kingdom, it could cost your life. I won't enter in details now, because it would distract us again from the main topic. The main reason is that they wouldn't move right now, they are restructuring and reorganizing their lands. And the appeal of this arm is not that high to them, at most, they would simply return it to the Astral Runes Sect. Unlike the Sidrin Empire that would want to study it before giving it back. Don't mistake that lack of interest with weakness, Adra, because it is pride that makes them so indifferent towards it. Besides, they would have sent one powerful cultivator to check it out, and that would have thwarted my plans. ”

He was angry out of worry, underestimating the Silver Moon Kingdom had been proven to be a wrong idea during all the course of history. Not for nothing this country was one of the oldest, if not the oldest, in the world. But that was for another time to discuss.
disciples

 

“ With the breakthrough of the old Protector,” The Headmaster continued, “The Emperor and the crown prince went to congratulate him. At the same time, I organized a special auction back at the Dragon's Heart to keep most of the top experts occupied. The only one who could make it in the shortest amount of time was the City Lord of Hilua. On the other side, the ones closer to the place were a group of disciples with an elder leading them. This group was roughly on par with the forces of the Sidrin Empire. My idea was to get the Sidrin forces to win and take the arms, but only after they had lost some men. Although, I think it is not necessary to tell you that I already had a plan in mind in case the winner was the Spirit Beast Sect.”

“In the end, it was a closer fight than I thought. The City Lord almost got killed by the elder of the Spirit Beast Sect. I had old information regarding this elder who had recently broken through. But besides that, everything went according to the plan thanks to the high talent of the scion of the Ethergel family. The rest you already know, we leaked information about the condition of the City Lord to the Crimson Claw.” He started to recount a little faster from this point onwards since Adra knew a little more about this.

“However, we only told the boss of the Hilua branch about the arms. The whole situation evolved with some different results of what I expected. All in all, the outcome ended up being better than I thought. We first planned to deal with this branch of the Crimson Claw slowly over time, and use the pressure after the incident to uproot them. But those two kids were a real surprise.” The Headmaster showed a satisfied smile on his face. He didn't say it out loud but the first plan to sprout in his mind was to kidnap the cultivator who had the arms while he was far away from the sect. This would expose some of his true forces, so he was not sure to go through with it. In the end, he was very lucky and adapted quickly to the changes. But that would sound to unrefined to his disciple.

Adra who was for the first time taking part in her master's plans was in awe. A whole city was in chaos just with his master using the right information. Without even moving a finger, he used three superpowers of the world as pawns to his game. She knew that nothing was as smooth as her master made it look, but she also knew that he didn't put too much thought into it either. This was more of a diversion, or a side job, for her master. It was just meant to keep things interesting.

Not knowing the impact he had on the impressionable mind of his young apprentice, the Headmaster started to think about the consequences. “Now, Grujil came out alive from all this, and he will be blamed for escaping with the runic arms. That makes things easier now that he will be working for us. Maybe, we can make him appear in public once or twice while carrying the box to make the story more believable. After that, it will be enough to put him to work in a distant place in the shadows. As for the crown prince, he will surely try to hide everything regarding the runic arms. Knowing him, It would be too embarrassing for him to say ‘ I had the arms, but I lost them’ he would prefer to pretend ignorance.”

The Headmaster had to admit it, this had been a casual move with not much thought put into it. Despite that, even if he had planed it for years, the result may not have been as good it was.

“Headmaster, I should depart now.” Ulim, who had retreated a few hundred miles with Laom, playing the role of a faithful subordinate, took him back to reality. “It is time for me to leave.” He really had to do much work and he was wasting time here playing along with this charade. He could hear the interesting talk of the Headmaster but he couldn't talk or ask questions. Which was exasperating. It was better to go back to his ow business.

As if he had forgotten about Ulim's presence, the Headmaster turned around and after a while, he nodded, “Oh, of course, Ulim. You may leave. I will see you again back at the Dragon's Heart”

“Goodbye, Uncle” Adra said goodbye with a warm smile. Contrary to the cold and aloof expression of her master. Ulim just sighed and took flight.

“Are we going back to the capital? I have a few more questions.” Adra asked once Ulim was out of her sight.

Her Master kept looking in the direction Ulim had gone as if he was still able to see him, and probably he could. His gaze didn't move, looking out for him, even though he was already miles away. Adra liked how her master looked out for his subordinates and how he tried to not look like he was doing it. So, she waited for her master's reply with patience.

“We are going to make a stop first, and then we will go to the Capital. What questions do you have, I think we covered almost everything.” The Headmaster kept looking to the same direction, not once moving his gaze. His long experience had taught him to always expect trouble, especially when things were going well. The only way someone could really try to hurt him would be through his faithful subordinates.

“Mmm, its about the two boys. Why didn't we kill them? They are a major loose end. Besides, Grujil told me that apparently, they have a finger from the runic arm. That's what they used to stab him.”

“Ahhhh, the kids. They are indeed a loose end. But you know what they did and how capable they are. Think about it, they are just beginning and they have already caused such chaos. Heehehe.” The Headmaster couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of how much they had influenced the whole outcome of his plans. If he were to tell someone that his plan and all those incidents that happened in Hilua rested on the shoulders of those to youngsters, people wouldn't believe it. “They are really capable, and you put them to test. They passed the test. They are not people that would kill mindlessly, at least, they hesitate.”

Contrary to what Aleran believed, they had actually caused a good impression on The Headmaster. “This world doesn't lack people who would kill at first thought. But these people are unreliable, no matter how good their results may be. It's like working with a wild beast, they were hard to predict and they were capable of doing something really stupid. Many mistakes can be mended and reverted, death is not one of those. These two kids understand that.”

“But what made me decide was their abilities, they are truly something else. From what I can tell, this branch of the Crimson Claw doesn't have anyone capable of breaking into the vault of the City Lord. It had to be them, the ones who stole the runic arms.” When he leaked the news, The Headmaster thought the Crimson Claw would ask for help to some of the most famous assassins guilds. They could get almost anywhere and they would have been the perfect people to incriminate when the envoy came looking for the runic arms. Yet, they didn't contact anyone. Coupled with the rest of the information he gathered, it was obvious who they were going to turn to. Now, with Grujil in their hands, they could confirm his assumption at any time.

Finally, the Headmaster turned around to look at Adra. “As for the fingers of the runic arms. Let them be. The fingers only have a few runes and those are not even the most important. In the hands of someone who doesn't know, they are just a powerful and fancy dagger. In the unlikely chance that they get to glimpse something from it, the insight they could gain would be very little in comparison to the whole arm. In the end, they have earned those fingers. After all, we really ripped them off with the deals we made, hahaha.” He closed the box with the runic arms and said to Adra. “I'm looking forward to working with them again. Satisfied? Now, tell Laom to prepare the carriage, we are going to the Free Central States. Its time for you to meet another important country besides the Sidrin EMpire. After that, we will go back.”

Although she was already at the Qi Circulation third phase, she didn't have much experience. When she had ventured outside of the Sidrin Empire she went most to small towns or tribes. And with her master, she had only traveled to the southern wilderness once to train her martial arts. Now, it seemed her master wanted her to see other countries to learn more about how they affected each other.

“Sure, Master.” She stood up and with an excited expression went to the back of the cottage.

The Headmaster looked at his disciple's excited face and couldn't help but smile. “Ah, today was a good day indeed. And from now on, the situation here in the south will become more and more interesting. The Dragon's Heart will also start to get more and more bussy, hehehe.”

 

Thank you to all of you who took the time to show me my mistakes, they were really important. I dot want to keep going because it will feel like a goodbye when it's not. So, see you in a month.

Next chapter around October 8th.

Thanks for reading!

 

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