"Book, book, book, alright." Bei Lin was extremely nervous, he felt like a noose was tightening around his neck. He was supposed to go into a library and search for records of historically significant places, or landmarks of the region. However, he would have to be blind not to see all the people that were following him. Lehaim had clearly decided not to leave him alone and he had seen a group of Water Dragon disciples following him all the time, not even hiding their presence.

"He wants to send me a message, Lehaim's way of saying that I am his bitch." Bei Lin cursed under his breath.

He needed to make himself scarce quickly without angering The Black Emperor.

  Suddenly, he got an idea and walked to the street that led through the former manufacturing district that was much more quiet that it used to be, as the inflow of materials was not as plentiful as before and most of the businesses ceased their operation. He was not interested in manufacturing at all, he entered one of the old shops that remained even through all the hardship the city had been through.

"Hello Karzak, how you doing?" He greeted the old shopkeeper and the old man that sat behind the counter had to think for a while to remember the man who was greeting him.

"Oh, isn't it the little broken heart? Here to buy yet another gift to impress a lady?" The shopkeeper laughed and Bei Lin wanted to punch him in the face for reminding him of an incident he wanted to forget.

"No, I decided to study geography. Do you have some books?" Bei Lin claimed with serious face, startling his conversation partner.

"What?! Well, none of my business, but books . . . " The shopkeeper appeared to be confused by the request and scratched himself on his head. ". . my shop has wide variety of goods, but you would find better stuff in a library."

"Libraries do not interest me, they are too stuffy." Bei Lin claimed, not bothering to cover up his obvious dishonesty.

"Stuffy?" Karzak asked questioningly, but his business face quickly replace his inquisitive expression.

"Well, I do not have any books about geography, but I have quite a few maps. If you want books with geography, I have only these kind of books." Karzak pulled out a thin book from one of the cabinets and handed it over to Bei Lin, who opened it on the spot and began to read.

Seven steps east, seven north,

our Elders fart loud and snort.

Seven steps west, seven south,

their disciples have foul mouth.

Gather sister their coins quick,

you just need to blow their dick.

. . . .

"This is supposed to be. . .?" Bei Lin gazed back at the old man in daze.

"Slum fairy tales, or something of that sort. The artist is quite talented, no?" Karzak laughed heartily while slapping his knee, but Bei Lin did not share his glee.

"Alright, it is not that much geographic, maybe a little graphic on later pages, but it is the best I've got, Sir! If you are not interested, here I have some maps." The old man took back the vulgar piece of art and threw a heap of paper onto the counter. Maps of various sizes and qualities that he had gathered over the years.

"I hope there is something solid." Bei Lin sighed and the old man snorted with dissatisfaction.

"Only solid goods in my shop, no deception." He stated and watched the visitor going through the maps one by one.

Bei Lin knew a thing or two about geography of Jinsheng and his old city, which was not common knowledge for a simple conman. He used his knowledge to quickly filter through the maps that were overly inaccurate or false and was left with a much smaller pile.

"You have a good eye, kid." The shop keeper nodded when he observed his selection. The old fox must have known that many of the maps were just thought up fabrications, but he did not hesitate to try and sell them anyway.

"I will take all these!" Bei Lin stated and Karzak brows shot up high.

"You do not know the price yet." The old man looked warily at the young cultivator, he remembered that last time, Bei Lin had not been a particularly wealthy person.

"Will this be enough?" Bei Lin took out his purse and turned it over above the counter, emptying its contents. Gold coins started rolling everywhere, but Bei Lin did not care, because he was aware that The Black Emperor cared little about money.

"Happy doing business with you, Dear Sir! The maps are all yours." Karzak smiled and bowed his head deeply. "If your interest persists, this old man might get you the best books about geography you can find."

"It is alright, the maps will suffice." Bei Lin stuffed the maps into his sack and quickly left the shop, hoping that what he got would be enough to satisfy his superior. In the distance, his unwelcomed companions from the Water Dragon Sect were already waiting for him to remind him that Water Dragon Lehaim was still watching his every move.

Between Lehaim, The Black Emperor and The Purple Flash, he was beginning to realize that what he had gotten himself into was well over his head and he needed a plan to get out of his predicament.

"I need to really make myself scarce somehow, but first I have to deliver the maps." He sighed and sped up in the direction of the city gate as if the cobblestone under him was burning his feet.

* * * *

"Has my brother really run away?" Xin Han asked one of the Void Knights with trembling voice. She was afraid for her brother and at the same time, she knew that his betrayal would have had serious consequences for her safety.

"Unlikely." One of the Void Knights drew a single word in the air.

Karl had to admit that the attack was unexpected.

  Some of his Goblins avoided the explosion and he had seen that an enchanted device had been used during the ambush and the flashy purple robe was also something that was hard to miss.

"It was the Purple Lotus Sect." He wrote, it still boggled his mind what had the Purple Lotus Sect to do with the matter. It happened on the territory of the Water Dragon Sect and other sects had no business operating in their territory.

"It has to be The Purple Flash, I am so fed up with that sniffing rat!" Karl thought about what to do next, the good part was that Wu Han had been stunned, not killed, meaning the confrontation had not yet escalated into a war.

"No matter, sometimes leaves fall in the forest. Wu Han will need to use his wits to survive. Let's hope they do not kill him off if they have undertaken the trouble to take him alive in this kind of a stunt." What troubled Karl more was that he had close to no knowledge about the explosive device used. He had not felt the need to ask around, because no one seemed to be using enchantments amass, but such items could clearly play a key role in crucial situations.

"I am as clueless as ever, at least there will be some progress after Bei Lin returns from his mission. Buying information might be my next step." Karl thought about his further plans, it was very difficult to say if it was the right time to leave Jinsheng to explore the region for better Buildings or not. He was decided to leave at some point, but the timing was unclear.

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A person that arrived at the ruins of Fort Orlov disturbed his planning, it was Bei Lin, but he was not alone, there was some sort of an escort tailing him in the distance that obviously belonged to the Water Dragon Sect. Bei Lin seemed to be resigned to the fact and simply ignored them.

"Huh, this cannot continue." Karl stepped towards the cultivator with his Void Knight and wrote with large letters in the air.

"Tell them to summon Lehaim here, we need to talk. I have an offer for him he will not refuse."

  It seemed that Karl had only two options at this point. Evacuate the place and search for another base, loosing any progress he had made at Jinsheng, or involve the Water Dragon Sect to the point it would be in their interest to actively protect his operation.

He continued to write in much smaller letters that the cultivators in the distance could not see.

"Show me what you have found, we need to prepare for the worst case scenario." Karl wrote and Bei Lin paled, but still complied with the request.

"Based on all the geographic evidence I have found, I have constructed a map with places of interest." Bei Lin lied with a straight face and pulled our the best map he had selected in advance. It was not much, but still thousand times better than the fairy tale book.

"Lehaim?" Bei Lin asked uneasily, not sure how nosy he was allowed to be while communicating with the minion that seemed to be in some way possessed by The Black Emperor.

"I need to make some things clear to prevent other sects from targeting my people in a similar way to Wu Han." Karl wrote causally in response and Bei Lin nearly choked on his own saliva.

"I-I will tell Lehaim personally. No need for a middle man!" Bei Lin said hastily and the minion just showed him thumbs up.

An hour later, Bei Lin fell onto the stone floor of the half-completed fortress of the Water Dragon Sect while facing Elder Lehaim, who was frowning at him.

"Water Dragon Lehaim, you need to protect me! I am being blackmailed by a demon! Please save my life!" Bei Lin squirmed on the ground in self-pity, while the few cultivators behind him were shaking their heads. They were the ones who had been following him all day. One of them stepped forth and bowed to Lehaim.

"Elder Lehaim, the demon wants to talk with you. I do not recommend to agree to the meeting in case it is a trap." Although the speaker was dressed similarly to Bei Lin, his behavior was much more professional.

"Bah! A trap?!" Lehaim snorted haughtily. "I look forward to it, it is time to make a move about this whole Forest Demon matter. Lead the way!"

Lehaim left with Bei Lin still on the ground. When he left, he slowly got up and began searching for the most secure section of the castle where he hid himself from the world, all his worldly ambitions dissolved in fear, at least for a time.

* * * *

"What is the meaning of this, Elder Yen Gon? Is it common for your disciples to attack families of other sects on their own territory?" An old man stormed into the office of The Purple Flash, his beard disheveled and robes unbuttoned. He appeared to had been rushing to the Purple River all the way to communicate his rebuke to the old hero that sat in her brand new office.

"Elder Lehaim, what have I done to deserve the Water Dragon Sect's attention? You have never visited our new headquarters before." Yen Gon asked, sighing internally, prepared for yet another fruitless struggle for territory with their neighbor.

"Well, new headquarters." Lehaim looked out of the window at the clearly blue river enclosed by dense green vegetation and held back a snort. In his mind, it was laughable to insist on its new name, but hubris of cultivators had few limits.

"Never mind, as I have said, your sect had seized a family member of our cultivator. I demand his immediate release!" Lehaim refocused his attention at the person sitting behind a desk with many notes written everywhere, obviously still busy finishing the relocation process of the Purple Lotus Sect.

"That must be a mistake." Yen Gon spoke calmly and finally started to pay her conversation partner her full attention.

"It is not. Xin Han, come and tell Elder Yen Gon about the incident." Lehaim called behind his beck and a petite female with white hair appeared from his back, dressed in the traditional garments of the Water Dragon Sect.

  She was obviously stressed out from the presence of both high level cultivators, immediately bowed to Yen Gon and greeted her in the most formal manner she could pull off. Despite her effort, there was no reaction from the other party.

"Who is she? Your maid or something? She is just a mortal." The Purple Flash uttered while gazing sharply at Lehaim who remained stoic. An experienced cultivator was able to distinguish between mortals and cultivators, as all cultivators had their bodies enhanced and moved slightly differently from ordinary humans.

Lehaim simply clasped his hand behind his back and remain staring at Yen Gon, while Xin Han stayed in her deep bow.

Seconds ticked and The Hero of Jinsheng began to play with a pencil that lay on her desk.

When she nearly broke her pencil, Yen Gon sighed and leaned into her chair.

"I hope you do remember what we have talked about before, Water Dragon Lehaim." Her purple eyes were fixed on the old man, who acted as if everything was just business as usual.

"Despite being old, my memory serves me well." He smiled lightly, stylized into the role of a good and wise old man.

"In that case, we should not delay reuniting the . .. " She paused and glanced at the still bowed person in front of her. A smirk appeared on her face briefly. " . . . a member of your sect with her family. Still, I will count it as a small favor for the Water Dragon Sect. "

"Of course, Elder Yen, of course." Lehaim said quickly and turned to leave the office. "We will wait outside, admiring the beauty of your Purple River."

The two members of the Water Dragon Sect left and Yen Gon kept staring at the door absentmindedly.

"You better take your promise seriously Lehaim, because I will." She whispered and called a guard to arrange the release of their prisoner.

  She could not babysit a figure like Lehaim, who needed to take responsibility for his own schemes in case his plans backfired. At the same time, it would serve as a lesson to Artoan, who had made a reckless move without her knowledge. Despite the whole situation ending as a farce, it was useful to know that the force hidden behind Lehaim bothered to save a nobody like Wu Han.

  After some time, far away from the Purple River, three people dressed in the robes of the Water Dragon Sect entered an access tunnel hidden among stone rubble and descended until they reached a simple closed wooden door, a tall figure covered in plate armor standing in front of it. To its left, there was a halfblood cultivator of a low rank. She was dressed in dimple leather armor, fidgeting from time to time, obviously not used to the her outfit, her hair that were half green and half black swaying every time she decided to adjust her stance or the clothing underneath.

"The Black Emperor is expecting you." The girl said, opening the door and the monster knight stepped aside.

  The people of the Water Dragon Sect entered a large hall carved into rock. Lehaim guessed that the space was supposed to be a throne room, but the art and the style of the room was too dark and deviant for his taste, almost to the point of being chaotic.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Your Majesty." Lehaim gestured for the two people at his side to continue forward, he himself halting his steps long before reaching the monstrous knight.

"The pleasure is mine, sect master Lehaim." Karl responded with purple text floating in the air as always. "I see that you have not reported my presence as promised, a wise choice."

"My sect will always strive to protect your secrets, Your Majesty. As long as we control the territory, no one will bother you." Lehaim bowed slightly and Karl thought he might vomit blood if he listened to Lehaim for longer, even though he was just a stone. The sect leader was obviously trying to manipulate him into helping the Water Dragon Sect defend their territory and hijack at least a part of Karl's business that turned out to be more successful than expected.

  It was without surprise, Karl's minions could get even rare materials that required venturing far from the safety of the high city wall. Who cared about them being eaten by wolves several times? More minions simply picked up the cargo when the previous ones met their demise and continued with the delivery. A scheme that would normally never work.

Karl had no bad conscience about it, he was almost sure that his minions were not sentient, there were no signs of it.

"I am sure we will be able to ensure stable environment for our prosperous future." Karl decided to play along and let Lehaim exploit him just a little, he was in need of the cover that only a sect master could provide.

"As you say, Your Majesty. I will leave your subordinates in your presence, they are safe and sound as promised." He gestured in the direction of Wu Han and Xin Han. Lehaim wanted to continue and say more, but closed his mouth before uttering a word. Most likely, he decided to postpone whatever he had in mind saying, not deeming the moment right for his request.

I will take my leave." Lehaim clasped his hands together to pay Karl respect and departed the ruin that served as the current entrance to Karl's underground lair.

After the siblings fell into each other's arms and left the gloomy throne room, Karl wandered about.

  He remembered the map he had seen and hoped that the incident was the last political trouble he had to stick his nose into. It was certainly not the last, but he could use some pause considering the integration process into Jinsheng would be slow and gradual.

Afhter a brief walk, he ended up where he started.

  He commanded his knight to sit again at a throne he had crafted out of stone, his latest artistic venture and gazed at the map Bei Lin had brought him once more. There was a beautiful picture of a city with a word Jinsheng written next to it. The picture had a river running through it and when he followed the stream with his eyes, his eyes met another picture of a city, similar to the one that represented Jinsheng.

A single word written next to it, Edo.

"What a peculiar name." Karl thought and his interest had been piqued.

  He looked around the room with many murals and his magnificent throne in its middle, spiral columns positioned randomly around him, their purpose not structural, but to show what was within his mind without in the form of art. The eerie feeling of his throne room was magnified by the Void light that emanated from the Void Knights' present.

He was a pioneer captain on the ship called insanity, and he had just chosen his destination.

"Edo it is."