"This is Flower City, Teolhora's only Garden City," E'livia introduced as they approached.

Flower City was precisely what its name suggested: a vast flower field. It didn't have trees or any kind of "larger" nature. Instead, flowers littered the ground as far as the eye could see, an ocean of beauty only broken by the bare minimum of the built structure required to call this place a city.

Sandstone-paved isles were scattered everywhere, each at least fifty yards away from the next. They were circular and ranged from ten to thirty yards wide.

Each isle had a few benches to sit on or a single doorframe, with wider isles having wider doorframe. Every doorframe lacked a door, and some were fancy ones of beautifully crafted metal, while others were simple wood or cloth. Shen saw a person go through a doorframe and disappear as if walking through a portal. Each portal's destination was written in the local language atop each doorframe using intertwingled flowers.

A few hundred people were around, almost all wearing superimposed cloth pieces like E'livia had before she donned her armor. Nearly everyone had an enamel pin on their chest depicting a green tree, some with traces of bronze or silver, but none also gold like E'livia's. The few exceptions were like Shen, a seemingly random assortment of unrelated people going about their business in a Garden City.

Most cultivators were peak D-rank, with a few weaker ones and a dozen C-ranks. Some were moving, but most were resting on the benches while having tea or just admiring the view with their colleagues.

Most of them were unan, the metallic, bronze-skinned people from both the Void town and Alaans. Ten odd D-ranks and two C-ranks, not counting E'livia, were holins.

Her arrival was like the return of a queen. Except for the two holin C-ranks, everyone from the Gardener Sect immediately turned to her, cupped their hands before themselves, and bowed low. The unaffiliated people were surprised by the scene but were quick to mimic the local rulers and bow to E'livia.

"Is your rank that high?" Shen asked.

"I guess?" she replied, her tone accusing the confusion she felt by the display. "I'm quite high-up in headquarters' hierarchy, but I'm wearing armor; my sect badge is hidden. They should only know me as a VSU Delegate. I don't know how they know who I am."

The holins approached, and Shen guessed he was about to find out what was going on.

Both were male. One was like a moving statue, seemingly almost millimetrically chiseled to be the perfect alpha-male specimen—at least according to... not drow, but some other culture on the tip of Shen's tongue, though he couldn't name it. His eyes were a deep red, and his hair was platinum blonde, tied in a bun on top of his head. His cloth pieces were black and silver, and he looked to be in his late twenties.

His Path had one Law from each of the three Axioms: Staff, Life, and Death. They were all mastered, but Shen would be willing to bet he didn't have a domain. His Path felt weaker than E'livia's, somehow. Considerably so.

The other holin "merely" looked like a handsome, albeit young, high elf with golden hair and green eyes. He resembled E'lemer more than E'livia, but the resemblance to her was still evident. He wore white and red. If he were drow, he'd be in his late teens.

His Path also had three Laws, all from the Axioms of Life. Only one was mastered.

The two males cupped their hands and bowed slightly to E'livia as they approached.

"Sister!" the younger one greeted.

"Cousin," the other said less enthusiastically, though the reason might be Shen, whom he was staring daggers at.

They were speaking Stangue. Shen wondered if it was out of respect for him but doubted it because they mostly ignored him.

E'livia cupped her hand but didn't bow; she was higher than them in the hierarchy, as evidenced by their green and silver enamel pin lacking any gold. She did remove her helmet, though, storing it in her hidden spatial treasure.

The motion distracted the cousin from Shen. The guy stared at the girl's beauty like a dog who had just seen a juicy bone.

So that's why E'livia hadn't enjoyed how Shen looked at her! It was a bit dedrownizing. The guy looked at her as if she was nothing more than an amusement park, not a person with feelings. Some people might be okay with that, but E'livia wasn't—and Shen realized he also wasn't very keen on the idea of sex just for the sake of it. Then again, he also had no strong opinions against it to the point that it would stop him if he were simply feeling like it one day.

The guy's looks made E'livia tense slightly, and her voice was a bit cold as she asked, "Brother, cousin. What brings you here?"

The question allowed Shen to guess they were also from headquarters. They should be the source of the news that E'livia was a hotshot. Shen would've asked about it if not for two reasons. First, it might make the older guy even more aggressive, and Shen wanted to leave quickly. Second, the more he made himself matter, the more likely E'livia was to talk about him, and for longer.

"Father sent me, Liv!" the brother said. "I have your new orders, but I can only give them to you after you complete your mission. We'll be waiting for you here."

"Very well," she nodded and left.

Shen made to follow, but the cousin blocked his path. Shen stopped and raised an eyebrow at the guy before looking at E'livia. She had also stopped, and when she turned around, her face was not happy.

"What is the meaning of this, T'onir?" she asked without hiding the displeasure from her voice.

"Uncle was punished because of this Outsider," the man said. "That's enough meddling with the E'holin for a lowly one like him. I'll ensure he leaves your family alone, cousin."

So that's why they were speaking Stangue. They wanted Shen to understand his place—starting with the fact that they completely disregarded him while talking. That should be considered politics if it was kept to that, but this direct challenge soon after made things more straightforward and likely okay. Shen took note of it for the future.

E'livia was confused for a moment, then her eyes widened in alarm. She looked at her brother. "Dad got punished?!" The guy was turning to look at her but instantly avoided her eyes. "E'forion! You! How could you hide it from me?! What happened? I demand you to reveal it to me at once!"

E'forion opened and closed his mouth a few times before sighing and replying, "Father pleaded with the Gardener to replace you in your punishment. The Elders... Your trial..." He teared up—red blood. "The Elders couldn't accept it, E'livia. A VSU Delegate attacking people to kill just because they call you arrogant? They said... They said..."

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He started crying copiously and didn't finish. His face became a bloody mess. Crying blood seemed very inconvenient to Shen.

"They said one attempt on the Outsider's life would be bad," T'onir added, never taking his eyes off Shen. "Twice was one too many. You were to be sent to the Abyssal Borders. You weren't meant to survive."

E'livia paled, while Shen almost recalled something when he heard about the Abyssal Borders. Almost. The Heavenly Lightning blocked the memory.

He frowned, but not because of his memories. If the guy wasn't exaggerating the dangers of the Abyssal Borders, something was wrong here.

"Isn't this a little too much?" Shen asked, and T'onir stepped back in shock. "You were being monitored. You only messed up in one situation, and no one was hurt." T'onir behaved as if each sentence Shen said was a slap to his face. "Your father said he would've protected my life, too, if I was about to die. Why even test you under such controlled circumstances if failing means death?"

Shen still didn't fully trust that E'lemer would've saved him, but he was less doubtful. If this wasn't all some grand scheme, the Gardener Sect did want to punish E'livia heavily for her crimes. They seemed serious enough about not having their members abuse their power.

"Y– You dare!" T'onir yelled like the idiot he was. "To interfere in Gardener Sect business!" He shouted with so much emotion and enthusiasm that he lost his breath. "To bring politics to our doorstep!" He extended his arm sideways, and a beautifully crafted green and brown metal staff materialized on his hand. "Death! You deserve death!" The next moment, black and silver armor started to materialize around him. "In the name of the Gardener Sect, surrender to capture or be put down like the criminal you are!"

E'livia started moving, probably to protect Shen, but a voice put an end to that ridiculous tirade.

"Enough!" a man bellowed.

Shen wasn't surprised to see E'lemer appear out of nowhere, clad in his golden and white-silvery armor. There was no way in hell a guy who dotted so much on his daughter wouldn't have come to say goodbye to her.

This shouldn't count as politics, which was weird. Shen guessed E'lemer himself hadn't known he wouldn't be able to leave without talking to E'livia. He had tried something else first, then changed his mind when it failed. That should be okay if not premeditated.

"Dad!" E'livia shouted and threw herself in his arms. She looked at his face, which lacked a helmet this time around, too. "Did you, really?" she started crying red blood already.

"Silly girl," he said warmly as he patted her head. "What kind of father would let her daughter be sent to such a dark and cold place like that? This is nothing. Nothing."

"It's the Abyssal Borders!" she said loudly. "Dad! Please, don't! I shamed the sect! Not you!"

"Gates," her brother interjected mid-cry. "Father will go to the Gates, not the Border."

"Dad!" E'livia cried desperately.

"Anyway, isn't this punishment a little exaggerated?" Shen insisted.

If T'onir had been outraged before, now he was shocked silly at Shen talking to E'lemer like that. Evidently, the Gardener Sect only taught people not to be arrogant after they reached B-rank. Only E'lemer wasn't a dickhead here. Even the young E'forion had disregarded Shen as if Shen was dust by the roadside.

E'lemer looked at Shen and smiled slightly. "Ah, Outsider. How could you understand our culture? The Gardener Sect... Maybe you'll understand if you compare it to a pantheon. We're not quite like gods, but each of our members is treated with utmost respect when we travel the Myriad Worlds. If we're on a mission, our word is akin to a Heavenly Decree. To belong to the Gardener Sect is the most tremendous honor and privilege. To abuse this is the worst of sins.

"In addition, E'livia was also born and raised here. The sect invested countless resources in her. She shamed the ones who trusted her all these years, and she shamed the Gardener Sect before the Myriad Worlds.

"Her actions, if not properly punished, will spread dissent and chaos. Every sect member will think they can do the same with little cost. Everyone in the Myriad Worlds will distrust us. Order will crumble. You might think her actions look minor and claim she was being monitored, but a test outside the sect is punished or rewarded almost as if it wasn't a test. She knew that. She showed a lack of judgment and control all the same. She shamed us all the same."

Shen wasn't convinced. "Shouldn't the ones who gave her those resources be punished instead? Why take it on her?"

His smile became even sadder. "We were punished, Outsider. My soul still aches." Shen opened his mouth to reply, but E'lemer raised his hand. "Things are not as dire as my nephew made it seem. E'livia had a good chance of surviving the Abyssal Gates—around one in four. Knowing her, she would've returned stronger and more beautiful to me. Yet, how can a father leave his daughter's fate to chance like that? Once more, I dote on my little girl by taking her place. Maybe, just maybe, she'll learn the lesson this time." He looked at her, and his smile became filled with love.

"How good are your odds of surviving the Abyssal Gates?" Shen asked.

E'lemer looked at Shen again; this time, his eyes showed no sadness or compassion. There was only a clear warning: some things were not to be discussed.

"Dad?" E'livia said. "How good?"

Shen gulped and decided to help E'lemer change the subject. "You still owe me a favor," he said. "I'll be ready to collect in one year at most. Will be here already by then?"

E'lemer's murderous look worsened. "No. I'll serve on the Gates for five years."

E'livia yelped, and Shen was quick to continue with his original intention before E'lemer actually killed him. He was already being punished for attempted murder, in his daughter's place. Perhaps actual murder wouldn't be much worse.

Shen asked, "Then how about you do something for me now? I thought of a thing that won't make anyone or anything upset."

"Yes?"

Shen pointed at the guy's daughter. "E'livia. I need a guide around the Myriad Worlds for one year tops. I still need to ask her if she's willing, but if so, allow her to come with me. I mean, as in some sort of official sect business or something, so she won't be pulled away. I promise to protect her to the best of my ability for the duration of her guidance. I also promise I won't allow her to do anything that might be punished by greater forces."

Shen had been worried ever since E'forion said E'lemer had orders for E'livia. He had a feeling that the overly protective Dad would want his daughter to steer away from a guy undergoing a Heavenly Tribulation. That Shen's report about the Void had placed her life in danger—which E'lemer certainly knew about by now—only made Shen's fears more likely.

E'lemer squinted as if seeking some hidden meaning in Shen's words. Before he could answer, T'onir spoke.

"Preposterous!" the annoying idiot screamed. "How dare a lowly one suggest such a thing to the exalted E'holin bloodline?!"

E'lemer looked at T'onir contemplatively, then back at Shen. He kept silent for a few moments while E'livia kept trying to get some answers from him, only to be ignored and petted on the head.

"My nephew has a point, Outsider," E'lemer said eventually. Slowly. Deliberately. "You're too weak to claim to be able to protect my daughter. You must prove yourself first. Should both agree, you and T'onir will fight to the death—under the protection of the sect's formations. The first to be considered to have received a lethal strike will lose. If you lose, you're to leave my daughter's presence forever. If you win, I'll allow you to ask her if she wants to go with you. And if she accepts, I'll make it an official sect mission."

There was no hidden ploy here: the way E'lemer looked at Shen made it obvious that he thought Shen would lose and that such a result would please the holin.

"Agreed!" Shen and T'onir said almost in unison before E'lemer had second thoughts about it. Shen quickly added, "But I need to buy better equipment first."

Shen didn't believe for a second that he would lose to T'onir. However, Shen also didn't think E'lemer was an idiot. If the B-rank thought T'onir could beat Shen, he should have a reason for that.

Better safe than sorry.

"That is acceptable," E'lemer replied. "I'll expedite any purchase you want. Don't worry about going to the Gargener Bank; every seller in Flower City is connected to the bank and able to automatically subtract any cost from your account. I give you half an hour to purchase your equipment. If you aren't here by then, it'll be considered a forfeit. Son, take the boy whenever he asks you. And may everyone in Flower City know that, as much as I'd rather the Outsider lose, to get in the way of this Honor Duel is to get in my way."

His last sentence traveled Space itself, even getting through the portals, ensuring everyone knew better than to mess with his plans. Knowing he was going to a place he had a chance not to return to gave his words a heavier weight. He had little to lose.

"Yes, father," E'forion replied, dried his face on his sleeves, and looked at Shen.