Chapter 58: Chapter 57 - Friends
The formation strength in this area put the VIP suites to shame in Lind's senses. He would guess this was the maximum power the Sapphire Auction House could use to protect the privacy of its customers. Lind could have had his profits delivered but like with coming early, that would have helped watchful eyes zero in on the elixir master he was.
Shoti no longer teased him but they chatted and he learned she had returned to her sect invigorated to improve herself. Her tricks had helped in her cultivation journey, but Lind's honest advice let her put more faith in her techniques.
Her training paid off in achieving the effect of union with her whip weapon. It was not like intent, but more of a synergy of control. She knew where her weapon could go and could guide it in ways she manually wielding it would not produce. She still did not reveal what it was made of though.
Her seniors had been happy with her renewed focus and Shoti had been promoted once she broke through to World Realm 2 months ago. She was now a sect Elder of the Outer Sect. Lind was happy for her and told her as much. From what he gathered, she had come to the Lotus Empire as she was familiar with the powers here and the Sapphire Auction House yearly events here were usually fruitful.
Lind did not ask what she sold, but he felt he could likely guess it was the grade 3 items or materials given the power of the Heavenly Maidens, but he was curious how Shoti would react in a bit.
Irene finally led them to a comfortable room that had a fire and a set of tea with food laid out. Neither of them had the opportunity to eat the promised meal but Lind felt guilty and only nibbled as he drank the tea. Shoti looked at him in confusion but happily chowed down as she had at the Tri-Clan tournament years ago.
A gentle smile crossed Lind's face and he felt a bit misty eyed. Happy memories were usually painful, but Shoti made them good again. Her very clear smile told him she understood and no words were needed. The pleasant atmosphere left Irene feeling a bit awkward but she could not deny that smile made Lind look far more handsome.
"I almost forgot!" Shoti then looked mischievous as she pulled out a jade slip and gave it to Lind. He looked at her confused but she merely made a shooing motion and he sunk his sense into it. He bolted from his seat in the next instant but it was with a shaking hand that he clutched the jade slip.
'My Little Lind, The strange woman from the Heavenly Maidens stops by from time to time to talk with me. I do not approve of how she dresses but she plays with the little children so contentedly that it is hard to reprimand her. This current visit, however, she offered to relay a message to you as she was going to the capital for some event. I openly wept as I have not heard from you since that horribly tragic incident and your siblings miss you so much! I wish I could cover all that has happened but there are 2 things I know you want to know more than that we are all fine. Teyla and Teylin are getting married! Sheyra Gu will be having Teylin marry into her Clan while Teyla finally convinced Kang Li to speak his heart!'
Lind was crying. The writing was his mother's! A gentle embrace encircled him as Shoti let him vent a little over a year of isolation from all he loved. Darkmoor Kingdom and Lotus Empire could stop small powers, but they could do nothing to stop a Heavenly Maiden or Divine Sword Sect if they were determined. Shoti even used the cover of coming to the capitol to allay any suspicion if they should meet up.
Lind separated and then hugged Shoti himself in joy. He was smiling wide like a child as he dove into the jade slip and found letters from his mother, Kor, Granny and all his loved ones. Shoti had collected them over time by the sound of it as his mother's had the most up to date compared to the details he found in others.
Kor was at tier 8 of Soul realm! His sisters were closing in on World Realm! They all were talented cultivators. He knew the jump to World Realm would be hard for them as they started late, but Old Man and Granny had nurtured them hard. They could acknowledge them as grandchildren now after all.
Teyla's letter had been overbearingly pestering on how he was and how ridiculous the restrictions were, but she had been picking on the love birds Teylin and Sheyra too. Lind smirked as Teylin had been much the same with her and Kang. Lind was glad his fallout with the Empire had not distrubed the Frey Clan too much. Apparently the Gu and Uld Clans had objected strongly to the harsh treatment but he doubted they did that out of altruism.
The ties of the Frey Clan were to a rising power, so they were likely trying to stay in their good graces for future prospects, especially the Gu Clan.
Lind gently held the jade slip to his heart as he rocked back and forth and cried some more. He had dearly missed them all. It was not the same as seeing them, but after a year of almost nothing, he felt a great weight off his heart. Suddenly, it was not just a metaphor!
Lind immediately assumed the lotus position as he circulated his Qi to figure out what was going on. The flow of elements to his harmony thickened suddenly and Lind felt lighter as turbid air left his body.
"I figured you might have a heart demon, even if minor, from all of that." Lind looked up at Shoti in dawning realization. He had read about those! Heart demons were not a small thing to a cultivator. They could form unexpectedly, but they would be there waiting for when a cultivator broke through a major realm. It could cause major Qi deviation and in the case of tribulations, death.
"Thank you, my friend. I owe you more than I can ever repay." Lind spoke from his heart and swore if Shoti ever needed him, he would go without question. His firm determination got an approving nod from Shoti.
"You have more heart demons and should face them before attempting to break through to the World Realm. Be wary of them and pursue them if you can." Her advice was sound and Lind also nodded that he would do so. He already suspected one after the auction the last couple of days but he was unsure how to deal with that one.
Before anything else could happen, there was a knock on the door and Lind saw the familiar face of Lady Su. She was near the top of this branch of the Sapphire Auction House and she also bowed to Shoti even though Su was of a higher cultivation. It showed how much they valued the business of the Heavenly Maidens.
"Lind, you requested Lady Shoti to join us, may I ask why?" Lind paused at the title of Shoti and glanced at her but she only shrugged her bare shoulders and lounged on her chair in a completely relaxed manner. He filed his question away and first had Irene come forward.
"I trust her and first I must apologize. I caused the incident yesterday." Shock filled the room as both Su and Shoti now stared at Lind. Irene then produced the 2 elixir bottles. Shoti shot up from her seat instantly and stared at the 2 vials. They were not the same as what was auctioned! Her soft brown eyes now stared at Lind in true awe.
Su was nearly bowled over by the revelation and now the compensation. This would net a tidy profit for the auction house beyond anything imagined. They now had a gauge of what the elixirs were worth to buyers, but Lind did not retract his offer. She bowed and accepted the 2 elixirs.
"We thank you for your consideration. May we know what you did for future reference?" Lind paused here as even he was unsure if he should explain but he carefully brought out 1 vial of the unknown elixir and was then shocked as Shoti uncoiled her whip. One whip of water and another of darkness enclosed both Irene and Su.
"Swear to heaven and earth to never reveal what you have just seen!" Shoti had never looked so serious before to Lind. He was stunned by her reaction and noticed the aura of her weapon was far beyond any he had encountered. It was likely above Iron Tier!
Both ensnared women felt the pressure and swore as Shoti asked. Shoti then turned to Lind and made the very same oath she asked of them which made all 3 drop their jaws at her. What was this elixir?!
"Lind, you broke realms. Do you understand what that means?" Lind knew elixir could cross realms but he doubted that is what Shoti meant. His confusion was clear and her sigh was heavy, but she then pulled him down to sit next to her on the couch in the room as she pointed to the glowing elixir.
"This is a grade 2, I think peak high grade 2, elixir. It is not, however, just grade 2. Lind, do you know about the higher realms, like the Floating Isles?" Lind nodded and Shoti was glad as it saved time. She then brought out a pill vial that gave off a similar pressure to Lind's elixir. It also glowed!
"As you may or may not know, Heavenly Maiden Sect is a power unto itself in this mortal realm. Our name, however, is literal. Our main branch is not on this continent, but in the Heaven Realm." Lind was stunned but he noted Su was not. Irene simply faded into the background for now but her lack of reaction indicated she knew as well. "Lind, you bought the stone dral core, yes?"
His nod confirmed it all and he could see Su's eyes turned into saucers to stare at the elixir. Shoti smiled at Lind and ruffled his hair a bit as she used to when they first met.
"What you did was incredibly dangerous, it invited a tribulation after all. There is a division of the grades beyond their numerical level. Grade 1 is still Body Refining Realm, but there is Mortal, Heaven, Immortal, and Divine to go with them. Lind, you made Heaven Grade 2." Shoti's words made Lind suddenly grasp something in his memory.
Moving the essence of the beast core had been incredibly hard. There had been massive resistance but once he did it, it was like all the strain fell away. The sound of breaking glass had been sharply heard in his memory. Was that him breaking through the realm?
Lind had dangerously depleted his body, so he knew the risk but then it left a question in his mind that Shoti seemed to expect.
"The grades are universal but trying to create a Heaven Grade 2 in the mortal realm relies solely on the cultivator and obviously could drain them dead or crippled. You are ok?" Lind nodded that he was but he remembered how sore and wiped out his Qi had been. It also explained his tempering increasing to peak 6th tier as he had jumped realms by a ton.
"Lind Frey, as previously agreed, the Sapphire Auction House will protect your identity. I assume Lady Shoti is here as your friend, thus I understand now." Su was quick on the uptake and Lind nodded. He then proceeded to fill in most of the blanks for Shoti but he noticed she was a bit confused at why he was coming to her.
"I am glad you trust me so much, but would not Solon be more to your liking?" Lind had indeed thought to ask Solon but he felt the swordsman was focused on his cultivation journey, but there was another reason even before the jade slip was given to him.
"You are my friend too, Shoti. Even before you gave me such a wonderful gift, I could feel it, you are a good person." Shoti looked shocked and then blushed slightly. She suddenly separated from Lind but he was confused as to what he had said to cause such a reaction. Su coughed to remind them she was in the room and Irene simply looked at Lind with a strange tilt to her head.
"Anyway, would you be willing to help me out?" Lind offered his hand and Shoti took it but seemed nervous now. Lind skirted over asking and smiled at her widely. He also asked her to request if her sect needed any elixirs at grade 1 as he was still unsure if his enlightenment had truly unlocked grade 2 yet.
"We will draw up a contract then shortly, but first, you both have profits to collect. As it is no longer secret from Lady Shoti, Lind, here are your storage rings and World Stones." A massive pile of World Stones appeared with 2 dark rings. Lind studied the rings but discovered they were far more profound than anything he had ever encountered.
With the new knowledge he had just learned he looked to Shoti and she saw his question.
"Storage rings, to the best of anyone's knowledge, are Immortal grade items." Lind nearly dropped them right there. He quickly imprinted one and found it had over 100 cubic meters of space but more than that, he felt like he could organize it. The treasure he had now he had to be careful nothing broke as he stacked things but this ring seemed able to handle that on its own.
Lind looked at the other ring and had a thought.
"Shoti, as a mark of our partnership in business. Please use this other storage ring for your sect. Would that be appropriate?" Lind worded things carefully so no misunderstanding would occur and Shoti seemed to appreciate it but was still floored as he offered the other ring to her.
She slowly reached out and picked it up. A smile stretched on her face as she suddenly put out her left hand to Lind and he rolled his eyes but put it on a safe finger. She frowned up at him but her teasing was back in full force.
"This should be very interesting, Lind, very interesting indeed." Shoti then sat and seriously began the discussion of how this new arrangement would work. Lind also became a guest Elder of Heavenly Maiden Sect as a cover identity. It would make it damned hard to find him and also there were very few powers that would incur the wrath of Heavenly Maiden Sect. His future was now going in a good direction in one aspect at least. Lind felt the closeness of a friend in his heart once more as he finally headed home for the day.
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mythosarcana
mythosarcana I think I am figuring this out a bit, but will see if I can maintain it. I am working on my other series too and that is lagging! Vote with stones and leave review/comments.
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