"How absurd! No one shows kindness to a Dusk Walker! That is our curse to bear!" The speaker, Fourth Elder, snarled from his pillar.

The caverns that housed the Dusk Walker clan had been refined into intricate, grandiose carvings within the Mountain of Eternal Night on a scale that only the Golden Dragons looking down from their cloud castles and the Yellow Dragons of the Earth could truly appreciate. The meeting hall of the clan's Elders had taken some inspiration from the realm of the Heavenly Tribunal of the Myriad Realms, though without the petitioner cage-rooms. There were eighty-eight pillars, but they were only filled during ceremonial meetings. This was a report, purely functional, so only the first twelve Elders sat upon their pillars while Xanta Liam knelt before them.

Dark light spheres highlighted the shadows that soothed a Living Shade's senses. Xanta Liam watched their dance. It helped him remain serene.

"I swear before the Heavens my report is the truth as I know it; may the Heavens obliterate me and cast my soul into the Furnace of Suns if I have lied," Xanta Liam responded, taking a petty delight in the grimaces of pain on the Elders' faces caused by the light of the Heavens confirming his oath. He added, "I cannot tell you how this came about, only that this is what occurred and what was said."

Third Elder tisked. "You need not make such oaths, Cloaked Scout. You are already bound to speak only truth to this council."

"Fourth Elder appeared to require a stronger confirmation, Third Elder," Xanta Liam stated, keeping his tone mild. A scout for the clan was an honored position, and to have developed his shadows enough to be a Cloaked Scout was a prestigious accomplishment. He would not be shamed, nor treated with such outrageous disrespect.

"Could you have misinterpreted the actions of this ... human?"

"I questioned that at the time, thus why I issued the invitation to host She Who Was City Lord of Sortalheim upon her ascension to XiTian. As a Cloaked Scout, I am well versed in observing the physical and magical aspects of our world; it would be grave hubris to believe myself capable of discerning the spiritual aspects as well."

First Elder cleared her throat. Delicately, she asked, "This person, she shared her name to you?"

"She did."

"Her personal name?" the Elder pressed.

"The name by which her friends may call her, yes."

That earned a moment of silence before First Elder asked, "Did she name you her friend?"

"I shared with her my name for I had no other means to repay the gift of passage home." Xanta Liam fully intended to repay that particular theft, but he didn't show how he noticed Eleventh Elder's subtle flinch.

Second Elder coughed in surprise. He was not the only one shocked by the disclosure.

"This ... is concerning," First Elder admitted.

Xanta Liam nodded. "Yes." The situation was very close to uncharted territory for the clan. With great discomfort, he added, "I ... was made aware of her greater title when she challenged Ramakith Ard Who Was City Lord of Sortalheim Before."

First Elder waved a hand. "You may honorably share this, and any other names so disclosed."

The Cloaked Scout drew in a fortifying breath. "Her title is the Harmonious. Her other names are Boom-Smiter."

The council of Elders exchanged baffled gazes in a respectful length of silence.

First Elder spoke the thought in all their hearts when she said, "This is not the name of a simple being."

And then she said something that made Xanta Liam happy, despite the complications it would cause him.

"We will take no action. Cloaked Scout, you will remain upon this realm until further notice. Should you encounter this person, you will fulfill your invitation. I would meet this ... Harmonious One."

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"Master Sung, Master Fujarl is here to see you." The attendant, well used to Eliza's focus when at work, hadn't waited on her to answer his knock.

"Hm? Why is that old tusk seeking me out?" she asked.

"Your damn Sales Office says I have to talk to you!" the man in question groused good naturedly.

Eliza's eyes bulged and she flew forward to block her doorway. "NO! How dare you let him into my workshop! Out! Out! Now!" she bellowed.

Fujarl pulled his head so far back on his neck he gained two new chins. A hurt expression crossed his face, then an avaricious light took hold and he started to crane his head in interest to see past her.

Eliza only hoped her flick of flames dazzled him enough to keep the secrets of her workshop as she slammed the door behind her.

"Now! Is that any way to greet your old Master?" Fujarl asked, peevish once more.

"The honor of the Zonzhi Association is at stake, so yes," she snapped, shooting a furious glare at her attendant.

On hearing that, the man swallowed hard. He knew better than to proffer an excuse.

Fujarl, on the other hand, sighed and set aside his curiosity for the moment. Not that he wouldn't love to know what secrets his former apprentice felt worthy of such a response. Zonzhi's founder had Ascended to the Divine Realms, and his descendants were happy enough to remain among the Immortals, able administrators of his legacy. The threat of provoking a Divine Celestial was not one most people brushed aside.

They settled into Eliza's tea room and observed more polite manners before she allowed Fujarl to explain himself.

"I went to negotiate licensing that new Water Extraction technique your group developed, but Tang Serick said the Zonzhi contract was yours, though it does mention the Alchemist's Guild, but he had no standing with the contract to license the technique to us. So, what's going on?"

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Eliza pulled a copy of that contract out of her storage broach. She looked it over, then passed it over to Fujarl. "I was able to quibble a few details, but the gist of it was dictated by the newest Emperor of Wood. I have my own reasons to seek out Miss Kestra, but at the time I met her, she was unable to ascend beyond the Mortal Realms. Whether that is still true, who knows?"

Fujarl pursed his lips. "I think ... this should be sufficient for the Guild to operate under assumption of license. Can I take a copy of this for the Guild?"

Eliza debated for a moment, then nodded. "I'll provide you with a technique scroll for the member price, but you'll have to also turn over sales records when you deliver payment to her account with the Zonzhi Association, or else you're on your own."

Fujarl tried to haggle, but Eliza shook her head. "There's an Emperor involved, Master. I'm sticking my neck out as it is, as much to prevent you walking on that one's honor."

"Oh, fine! But you'll have to come down to the Contracts office with me, then! I'm not explaining the report details you're going to require to them, only affirming our agreement." Then, with a crafty look, he asked, "That reason you're looking for this Emperor's pet alchemist wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the salts all over your lab, would it?"

"Yes," Eliza said, sighing. "Let's strike a deal: as soon as I get word of where she is, I grab you and we both go down. That way you can get an Affidavit of Consent to add to the licensing for the Water Extraction, and we can discuss the techniques I'm verifying for licensing. In return, you don't muck about with the information you may or may not have gleaned from that look at my lab until you talk with the author of them."

"Fair enough. Would you like a heavenly oath?" he asked, joking.

Eliza wasn't when she said, "Yes, actually. The Emperor scared me, Master, and he has great enough pull with the Association to have his own password."

That sobered the old man. He made the oath, receiving Eliza's in return to seal their bargain.

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"How many of the Awakened are still roaming around?"

"Grandfather?" Hozinzi asked, not sure he had heard the question right.

The man who had asked it had the white jade complexion of one who had completed every possible stage of cultivation, including awakening and then forming a Celestial bloodline. His hair was as pale as he eyes, both nearly translucent but for their luster. Not a line of age marred his features, but now frown wrinkles emphasized his worry.

"I'm concerned by the harm that will come from the Awakened being about in the Lower Realms. Even the Ascended forget their strength, but they, at least, comprehend mortal manners, even if they are so far removed from them."

Hozinzi couldn't disagree with that. He did, however, wonder, "Why didn't you go?" The question slipped out. Hozinzi froze, shocked at himself.

Grandfather merely glanced at him with amusement. "Wherever the Seed is, it's safe enough. If it were out and about, that would be another matter. Then we might have to move to claim it merely to deny it to someone like the Hashinals. No, that flash was a tease intended to stir up the Myriad Realms. We, it seems, have been stagnating too much of late. Yet, the reports from the Mortal Realms have been quite mixed, haven't they?"

Hozinzi considered what he had been privy to: the Enlightenment of an Elemental of Wood, four cities taken over by people from the higher realms, ostensibly to fulfill quests, and new options within the City Stone interfacings, two dungeon cores claimed and removed, and those were among the good reports. On the bad: the destruction of a Divine Elemental by Tribunal in relation to a befoulment over fifteen kilometers wide, a nation's capital decimated for the guards slighting a Divine, and who knows what happened away from the cities?

"Mixed is one way to put it," Hozinzi agreed. "Chaotic would be another."

Grandfather turned to face Hozinzi more fully. "Why haven't you taken off after this Divine Seed?"

That was easy enough, getting a puff through his nose of amusement. "I don't want it. I like my life. The only thing I actually do want is to find a wife, have a marriage like you and Grandma, and have my own children."

"Only one wife?" Grandfather asked with an amused quirk of his lips.

Hozinzi laughed. "You've met my mother, yes? Not to mention your wife? Oh, the slippers that would fly if I dared!"

"I heard that!" a feminine roar called into the office.

"Yes, dear!" Grandfather called back, amusement brightening his gaze.

A tiny woman just as luminous as her husband glided in to deposit a tea tray. She turned and set her hands on her hips. "And I wouldn't say no to you having more than one wife so long as you all get along. Why, I'd get more great-grand-babies!"

"What if it was Grandfather wanting a second wife?" Hozinzi asked. His grandfather shook his head and waved off the question, his face a look of horror, much to the tiny woman's amusement.

"No! Grand-babies and great-grand-babies go home! If I'm to raise up more brats, they'll only survive if I remember how many months I suffered pregnancy to birth them," Grandmother declared darkly, staring at her husband while suppressing a grin.

Then she huffed out a breath and turned to Hozinzi. "And you're getting stuck in your ways. You really need to take a tour of the Realms if throwing a few parties a year and writing bad poetry makes you happy."

Hozinzi was about to reply when Grandfather's aura slipped his control. It was just a flash, but the weight of his presence put Hozinzi on his knees, his head swimming.

No, wait. That was Grandmother's presence!

"What is it, darling?" Grandfather asked as he helped Hozinzi clear the oppressive weight from his mana body.

"An ouroboros has been laid," she stated.

Grandfather stilled. "Darling?" he asked, confused.

Grandmother's eyes were filling with golden light. "An ouroboros has been laid," she repeated.

"Yes, dear, but what does that mean?" Grandfather asked.

"It means every Elemental just got notified that somewhere in the existing realms is a nascent nexus about to get a brand new guardian."

Grandfather sucked in his breath, but it took Hozinzi a moment more to understand. "They're going to tear the Realms apart looking for it, aren't they?"

"They're going to tear apart whatever realm sea that ... egg ... goes to?" She trailed off, her expression turning confused.

After a moment of silence, Grandfather prompted, "Dear?"

She turned her gaze to them, utterly baffled as she said, "The Agents are issuing an Elemental Tournament. The prize is to be uplifted to fill the ouroboros egg, which will be given to a 'closed world'. I don't know what that means."

Worry and fear rippled through Grandfather's mana and expression. "Do you have to participate?"

"No," Grandmother said.

"Do you want to--?"

"No!" She snapped, then gusted out a breath. "No, I decline!" Then she turned her gaze to Grandfather. "But we should probably fortify the mountain, dear. I suspect quite a few of the Emperors will collide, and we may even have a few attempt to take the High Emperor title again."

Grandfather's expression flattened. "Joyful," he deadpanned.

Grandmother frowned. "We're sending the children to roam," she decreed. "My slippers to it," she added, with a fierce glare.

Hozinzi swallowed. "Yes, Grandmother," he agreed, not even thinking to contradict her when she put her slippers to an order like that.

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Dreaming-Kestra put the last touches on her personal realm upgrades and stepped back to appreciate the changes. Her storage realm was still, and would remain, separate from her retreat realm, but now there was a connection between them. On the retreat realm-side, it let out into an outbuilding beside her tower, dubbed the entrepot. Kestra put the outlet in her storage realm where Inspri had designated.

Inspri was taking the expansion with complicated joy: she was getting to leave her domain of the storage realm and inventory the whole of Kestra's retreat realm, which pleased her purpose. However, she would only be allowed to order the non-sapient, non-ambulatory things that went into the entrepot. And she wasn't to make it obvious that she was doing that.

Kestra's third realm was absolutely not getting connected. There was still a tome filled with divine revelations nestled up to the World Seed she had earned during Elamshaq's Blessing of Tribulation. And a realm anchor. Her World Seed had settled into a kind of somnolent suckling at the mangled mana of the befoulment, but until the monitor the Agents of the Myriad Realms had promised arrived, Kestra didn't want to chance anyone going near that whole ... whatever.

A joyful tickling warned Dreaming-Kestra that the time for waking was nearing. She had some paired cultivation lessons to attend, and her partner-teacher was ready for her. She gave everything another check, then woke up to her lover's attentions.