Erin Drey sat in front of his father with a pensive expression. His long hair, usually tied with a golden string, was sprawling over his slanted shoulders. His face was a bit pale, his bright red clothes were messy and he looked exhausted.
"Is this true?" Claude asked, absent-mindedly tapping the armrest of his cushioned chair. Erin gave his father a silent nod.
"When?" He asked.
"Yesterday, when the Ashen-Heart Tree fell," Erin answered. "I am surprised they managed to suppress the leak for that long, to be honest."
"What else?" Claude's expression darkened.
"The sect will issue a Bounty Notice on Amon Kressler, much like they did with his father a few years ago. Rumors say that it will be one hundred high-grade Elemental Crystals." Erin sighed. The pitch of his voice had lowered considerably over the past few months, and the overall feeling he gave was one of serenity rather than the eagerness and arrogance of the past.
"The Abyss Sect doesn't have this kind of money to spare," Claude furrowed his brows. "We have barely been holding on thanks to our trade with the Sacred Sects and a few of the smaller sects in the Central Continent."
"Isn't this much just spare change for our sect?" Erin was taken aback.
"Unlike the other Sacred Sects, we don't have crystal mines and we can't directly increase our elemental crystal reserves. What the sect has is supposed to be used to raise the younger generations or in emergencies." He explained.
"What the sect has is a lot of fertile lands and thick qi. We sell the other cardinal sects our crops and the byproducts of the spirit beasts we hunt in the Broken Forest, especially to the Noan River Sect, but we have steadily been losing profit for a good while now." Claude continued. "Although our products can be said to be better than all others due to our lands rich in qi, the Eastern Continent also has extensive farmland and the rise of the Central Continent’s smaller sects in the trade market was surprisingly steady. I don't want to brag, but I've been doing this for a couple of centuries now, and even I wouldn't be able to achieve the results those sects achieved this fast, especially the Rising Sun Sect. That move of using the Olen Kingdom as a proxy to start making use of the Broken Forest was plain nasty. We already took a hit, and given what just happened yesterday things aren’t looking any better. Those organizations all either have geniuses commanding their business or someone is pulling the strings from somewhere."
Erin listened attentively and started frowning like his father. Their resemblance was uncanny, although Claude's graying hair and ever-growing wrinkles made their age difference all the more apparent.
"If your information is sound, at best the Abyss Sect will lose most of its income in one blow when the other cardinal sects impose an embargo on us. At worse, we will have to face a war we have no chance of winning, although I doubt it will come to that. Either way, I don't think the Abyss Sect will be able to maintain its current state for much longer," Claude concluded in a low voice. Erin's eyes widened as he heard his father's words and realized the severity of the situation.
"What do we do?" Erin asked.
"You make the most out of your new status. Sect Master Borgin is most likely dead, as well as a few of the Inner Sect disciples. Amon Kressler is missing alongside his mother and Lawrence Meyer, his son, Richard Layn and the surviving Inner Sect disciples are gravely injured. The Abyss Sect is already in chaos, even if it doesn't show yet. Whichever of the four protectors that manage to become the new Sect Master will hardly be able to put the situation under control, and that is without taking account the retaliation of the other cardinal sects." Claude closed his eyes as he explained the situation. "There is now a clear void in power in all of the ranks of hierarchy in the Inner Sect. This is both a problem for the sect and a chance for us.”
"Cultivate like there is no tomorrow, and try to hoard as many elemental crystals as you can. Thankfully the tenth elder took you as a disciple, so you have more resources available than most of the people in the Inner Sect. Do your best to get on his good side and show all of your talent. Make connections. Don't hold back," Claude's expression turned grave. "In a few months, you are already well over your way to the middle stages of body tempering. If you reach the elemental purification realm in a couple of years that would be perfect. The sect should be able to hold on until then. After that, my savings should be enough to push you to the peak of elemental purification, or maybe even elemental core if I trade all the water, earth and wind crystals I have for fire crystals."
"Dad..." Erin started protesting.
"Don't," Claude interrupted him. His gaze softened, and a gentle smile made its way to his lips. "I already achieved all I could in regards to cultivation. I already achieved all I could in regards to standing in the Outer Sect. Those elemental crystals were always meant to be used on you when the time came, and it seems it has come. I won't let the stupidity of the ones running this sect ruin your chances of striving for something greater."
Erin looked at his father's loving expression and felt something welling up his chest. He put on the best fake smile he could, but he couldn't hide the sadness in his eyes. Seeing this, his father could only sigh.
"Your merchant's smile still needs some work," Claude said in a playful tone. Seeing Erin's expression not easing one bit, Claude gave a tired smile.
"Erin, we will all die one day. I know it is unfair to ask you to accept this when you are so young, but it is the truth. The people you love will eventually leave you, or you will eventually leave them. All we can do is to enjoy the time we have with them," he said in a gentle voice.
"Your mother's passing still saddens me, and I am sure it will continue to do so until the day I die, but remembering the days I spent with her still can make me smile despite how much I miss her," Claude stood up and put a hand on his son's shoulder. "What I learned in my centuries of life is that having someone to share the journey with you is what makes it worth it. I am thankful I had the chance to accompany your mother throughout hers."
Erin weakly nodded his head, and Claude could see his eyes starting to redden.
"That Amber girl, do you like her?" he asked, almost out of nowhere.
"I do," Erin answered in a low voice without hesitation.
Claude raised his head, looking at the ceiling. His son might be way too young, and Amber was only the first girl of what could become many that he ever showed interest to. On the other hand, she might also be the one that will accompany him throughout his life, even if the chances were impossibly slim. How could he, of all people, say that it was impossible?
Having a chance of success was better than a certain failure.
"Maybe you can bring Amber to live with you in the Inner Sect. Help her out with whatever spare resources you have, introduce her to some people, help her create a foundation in the Inner Sect so she can start growing by herself, by your side," he proposed. "As long as you prove that she won't affect your cultivation the tenth elder might allow it."
Erin quietly nodded, making Claude's smile widen a bit.
"Now come on, stand up and straighten your shoulders," Claude said, rubbing Erin's back. "Go pick a good set of black robes and keep it in your bottomless pouch for now. Then, return to Hell Keeper’s City and act as if you know nothing."
"I'll offer master some help," Erin proposed with a hoarse voice as he stood up. He lightly rubbed his face against his sleeves as he tried to recomposed himself.
"Yes, try to be considerate. I imagine he won't deny your offer and will give you some small tasks," Claude nodded in approval.
"But why the black robes?" Erin couldn't help but ask. Although he had managed to somewhat control his expression, his eyes were still red.
"For the funeral, of course," Claude answered, averting his eyes.
People lived and died. There was nothing that could be done about it. For him, it was better to live a good life if it was meant to end anyway. The best way to live was to treasure every second the same way a greedy merchant treasured every penny. And like a merchant, one couldn't live alone. Life was all about trading with others.
People that lived alone had no chance to grow their riches. They wasted them instead, one second at a time. Their end would for certain be poverty. A merchant in a dying business would do well in reconsidering his surroundings and his approach if he wanted success, otherwise his failure would forever be his own fault, whether they knew it or not.
For Claude Drey, there were no people more pitiful than those that lived alone.
