Chapter Twenty
Under the Gazes
Under the scorching summer sun, the caravan looked enormous, consisting of about a hundred giant beasts the size of elephants, with bodies resembling a mix of rhinos and bulls, known simply as rhino bulls. Along with thousands of horses with shining iron hooves.
Not only that but the caravan was accompanied by tens of thousands of both mage and pathless traders, along with more men for protection, many of whom were from the Vyre and Ying Tao clans, in addition to wandering traders and hired mages.
"Stop the rhino bulls!"
"Bring the tents and prepare to rest!"
"Hey, you! Tie the horses! And you, go fetch them the best carrots, they deserve a reward for their hard work."
As soon as the caravan stopped, a huge camp was set up in a nearby forest, the size of a small clan. By midday, the camp was bustling with life and activity.
In one of the large tents, the old man Ying Tao Jiu and Vyre Sabi sat with senior traders and their guards. Both of them were their clans' representatives and fifth path mages and top traders between the third and first path, with some being pathless.
"We’ve passed through six clans and sold enormous quantities! This journey has been one of the best decisions the Ying Tao clan has made!" Ying Tao Jiu laughed while lifting a goblet of wolf grape wine, known for its quality, sour taste, and intoxicating effect strong enough to bring down a tiger, showcasing Ying Tao Jiu’s power.
"You're right! Fortunately, we still have high-quality goods for the Ryokin and Geist clans," Vyre Sabi replied as he continued drinking.
"I just hope they don’t get us into trouble. The conflict between the two clans echoes throughout all of Lan Grasslands, and as traders, we hate disputes," added Ying Tao Jiu with concern.
"Yes, yes, conflicts kill our customers. And what is a trader without customers?" Vyre Sabi added.
"But, in reality, the Geist clan monopolizes the only passage to the Yao Shi Mountains, as the Lan Grasslands are trapped between two mountain ranges and can only get out by the northern storm sea," said Ying Tao Jiu.
"Honestly, if the Vyre clan didn’t control the eastern calm coastal part of the sea, we would be in the same position as the Ryokin clan," replied Vyre Sabi.
"Speaking of Ryokin, I heard they have an abomination, which explains their confidence in attacking the Geist clan. That woman Annalise is a beast in herself," Ying Tao Jiu sighed, "How many fools have tried to invade the Geist clan only to find their lineage erased by her?"
"The volcanic tormentor Shiasu, the blood sword Annalise, and the venomous snake of the Lan Grasslands Nyoska. This monstrous trio has subdued everyone who tried to threaten the Geist clan. Indeed, those who live by eating snakes acquire poison. Hardships create beasts, and beasts create hardships. It’s good that these three accepted to deal with us and allowed us to pass to the Yao Shi Mountains," Vyre Sabi grumbled while drinking the wine in one go, accompanied by a burp.
"You rotten old man," laughed Ying Tao Jiu and the other traders in the tent, sharing in the festive and relaxed atmosphere that enveloped the camp.
........
With a cold expression, Sero sat on the bed, half-aware of Alice's words that didn't let his mind drift for even a second. His eyes caught the small details in her expressions, her way of speaking, and even the deep breaths she took between sentences. These details occupied his mind, but he was well aware that Alice hadn't lost sight of him.
Every few moments, she would ask him to repeat her words, probing him deeply about the lesson until he gave an answer that satisfied her. This went on for three long hours, her words flowing like cold water into his mind, freezing every thought that tried to escape.
"Good then, it seems you've understood the lesson, contrary to my expectations," Alice said with a slow clap, her eyes watching him closely. But Sero showed a grim face, unintentionally revealing his irritation. To him, everything she said was just basic knowledge he had mastered in his previous life. Hearing it again was a huge waste of time, time he could have spent strengthening himself, and enhancing his power. But he realized something important.
"Was Alice trying to suppress me?" he wondered to himself. Perhaps she sensed his rapid growth and decided to stop him so he wouldn't become a threat to the rest of the clan's offspring. After all, he'd gained many advantages despite being of impure lineage. True, those advantages were mere scraps compared to people like Lysa or Drada, but Alice knew that his cunning and planning could surpass them.
But the truth was that Alice had no fears regarding Sero. Rather, she felt a hidden admiration for him, something she didn't express. She saw in him a promising young man, someone who could change many things in the future, but this admiration was a mix of curiosity and caution. She knew well that such a person could become a threat.
As thoughts seeped into Sero's mind, his thinking was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a faint yet tense knock at the door. Upon hearing it, Alice's face shifted from a smile to severe coldness, as if she was putting on a new mask for the upcoming encounter.
The sound belonged to Jokai, the Herfult family teacher who arrived with Drada, who showed a gloomy face as if expecting the worst. "Lady Jokai has come personally to discuss the young master's fate. Frankly, I didn't expect you to favor this faction," Alice spoke in a disgruntled voice, but Jokai didn't even glance at her, instead looking straight into Sero's eyes.
"A little monster," Jokai thought, then dragged Drada by his hands into the hall. She could see it clearly, a fierce spirit hidden under a calm mask, a spirit that held thousands of secrets.
"How much do you want as compensation for keeping the truth about this brat using a shard on academy grounds?" Without any pleasantries and directly to the point, Jokai spoke, uncaring of Alice or Sero.
Sero looked at her disdainfully and repeated his demands as they were when he discussed them with Alice, causing Drada's eyes to widen as they waited for Jokai's response. He was studying every reaction, every glance, knowing that this wasn't just a negotiation over terms but a silent fight.
"A little brat! He dares to extort us using this weakness as an excuse? Does he think this old woman before him was born yesterday? He intends to shamelessly rob Drada of his shard to prevent him from defending himself in the future!" Jokai screamed in her heart, unaware that she had fallen directly into Sero's trap.
Then she sighed, trying to appear calm and composed, "I agree to all the conditions except the last one. Stealing his only shard is reckless, even if he misused it." This response was expected, but Sero showed no reaction of disappointment. On the contrary, his eyes gleamed with coldness.
"Then it's fine, as long as he doesn't use it against me in the future," Sero waved his hand as if pulling a trump card from his pocket. Then Alice pulled out a shard from her sleeve. It was strange to Sero, as Alice was skilled at hiding her intentions, but he noticed something new.
"Does this woman hide all her shards in her sleeves? How strange," Sero thought silently, and then his pupils slowly dilated when he saw the shard.
Stolen story; please report.
"This is the Orchid of Poisonous Nectar Shard from the second path. I believe you know well what it does, old hag," Alice spoke calmly, but inside she knew that the game had begun. She knew that this shard wasn't just a tool but a declaration of psychological warfare.
"Of course, I know, for this old woman still retains her sanity. You want us to stay silent about this little issue," Jokai sighed with slight annoyance, trying to maintain the same level of confidence that Alice displayed. But in her heart, she knew that the situation wasn't that simple.
"Upon using this shard, we will all receive a flower tattoo on our hearts, and if any of us breaks the promise, the tattoo will penetrate the person's heart and turn into a powerful poison that causes paralysis. It can only be used once before it breaks, so I can't tamper with it even if I wanted to," Alice explained calmly, but despite that, her words were suspicious. She was trying to show that the situation was under control, but Sero knew that things could take an unexpected turn.
Sero was certain that a shard like the Orchid of Poisonous Nectar didn't pose a threat to high-path individuals like Jokai and Alice. But for him and Drada, it was deadly. He knew that just being in this situation was a test of his mental strength, and every step he took would determine his fate.
But that wasn't the biggest problem; it was the fact that Jokai could easily heal Drada from the tattoo, the same thing with Alice. In short, the biggest loser was Sero.
He was aware of this, naturally. How dare a filthy orphan to extort the Herfult family and continue his life? Drada had been trying to suppress Sero throughout the lesson, and he could only rely on Jokai. He knew that this struggle could last for a long time and that every step had to be carefully calculated.
Since Sero had swallowed the poison, why not lick the plate to spite everyone? But luck favored him this time, as it was Alice who suggested the idea. By showing no bias towards him, Alice demonstrated that the Anira family controlled Sero effortlessly and that all his actions were being monitored, thus he posed no threat to Drada's future, thereby protecting him from his support faction.
But even with that, Sero stared at everyone with a cold face. His mistake was not doing things more secretly and trying to gain the clan's attention, ending up attracting the attention of dangerous people like Jokai.
But since when do things go as one wishes? Even if Sero was an immortal with a thousand years of experience, all that was mere nonsense in his case. Experience alone isn't enough to survive in a world governed by power and cunning, a world that constantly changes and demands bold decisions in critical moments. Manipulating others required more than just knowledge.
Alice activated the shard, and the moment was filled with tense silence. Everyone's eyes focused on the shard, which resembled a withered flower, with red and yellow gradients, the size of a pen, but its impact was far greater than its small size suggested. As Alice turned it in her hand, the energy it emitted made Sero feel a looming danger, as if he was standing on the edge of an abyss.
"This is a moment that cannot be undone," Sero thought. He had agreed to the terms, and he knew that his fate and Drada's were now tied to this shard.
When the shard finally exploded, a strong scent, like the smell of cinnamon, spread through the air. The scent wasn't just a fragrance; it carried something deeper, something with a spiritual significance. The air felt heavy as if the scent itself carried a strange energy that touched their senses.
The four inhaled the scent simultaneously, and the results were immediate. In an instant, a tattoo appeared on each of their hearts—a complexly designed flower, beautiful yet deadly, unfurled its petals on their hearts as if settling into its eternal place. The tattoo was not just an ornament; it was a mark, an unbreakable contract. Everyone knew that this tattoo carried a terrible danger—breaking it meant paralysis, but that was tame compared to getting the wrath of the other party.
Then, after the shard completed its task, it slowly shattered into fine dust, disappearing into the air as if it had never existed.
"Now, let the four of you swear to keep Drada's violation of the academy's no-shards rule a secret," Alice spoke calmly, and the four swore in unison.
After the oath was sworn, everyone stared at one another. The atmosphere was tense between Jokai and Alice, while Sero silently turned the pages of his mind, weighing plans and possibilities.
Suddenly, Jokai handed Sero five signed receipts. Four were for stores managed by the Hervolt family, and one was for the family bank.
"Since it's over, I don't think we should waste any more time. Let's leave," Jokai sighed and left with Drada, who had remained silent the entire time. The silence hung over him due to Alice's constant gaze, as if reminding him of his cowardice in seeking Jokai's help to cover up his failure to control himself.
As they walked toward the family mansion, Drada's steps were heavy, as if his soul had left his body.
"Don't worry, little one. That bastard is just an obstacle on your path to the throne," Jokai tried to reassure him, giving him a slight boost of confidence.
But despite her reassuring words, the worry did not leave Drada's face. He was well aware that things had spiraled out of his control.
As for Sero, he was on the verge of laughing at the foolishness of those around him. Not only had he easily obtained resources, but he had also removed any suspicion from himself regarding Drada's rule-breaking.
"It was a busy day, but to be honest, I felt bored staring at the room all day. So, I'll excuse myself," Sero spoke cheerfully, which left Alice feeling confused. How could he be happy? But she didn't dwell on it.
Her main concern was Jokai's interference in protecting Drada, fearing it would lead to a conflict between Drada's faction and the Anira family.
...
As Sero made his way toward the Anira family's mansion, his eyes attentively scanned his surroundings while his hands clenched a bag of five hundred mana stones—a fortune he had cautiously earned by using one of the receipts, saving the rest for later use. However, he knew well that this wealth would be coveted by many.
He didn't have special storage shards, but he had enough money for daily living until the caravan arrived, which he planned to exploit with the rest if the receipts to gain additional resources.
Inside, he knew that eyes were following him. His sudden success in the trial, and his dominance over his classmates, he was bound to raise suspicions, especially with his growing influence and wealth. Such a large fortune would undoubtedly attract attention, stirring questions and possibly even accusations.
In the worst-case scenario, he might be accused of theft and face another trial, and worse still, Nyoska may bring him to her using her ability to detect lies, which might force him to tell the truth, thus activating the poison in his heart and causing a big problem.
Naturally, that was the worst-case scenario. So, Sero decided to avoid any actions that would arouse suspicion until the caravan arrived.
He needed to appear weak and insignificant to everyone who gets lucky in the caravan, giving him the time and excuses for his actions.
Days passed with Sero pretending to be a lazy, sad person, deliberately sleeping in class under everyone's eyes. Every time he closed his eyes, he felt the sharp gazes of hate directed at him from his classmates fade away, replaced with sights of disgust and mockery.
Even Alice, who although frustrated with him ignoring her lessons, began to find comfort in his modest and unimpressive presence. His classmates started mocking him openly, calling him a lazy drunk, and Sero accepted those labels with a bitter smile.
But he never lost sight of his plan. Outside the academy's walls, he drew closer to Hirlo Jin Bi and his companions, drinking with them, hanging out, and pretending to be extravagant while buying the cheapest meals.
But he secretly worked on hunting stags near the area of the deceased mirror jade mage magic realm, driving the prey away from the area and thus keeping the hunters away, preserving the secrecy of the place. He continued doing this until the magic realm dissipated and disappeared without a trace.
He knew well the suspicions when he showed his mirror jade shards would dissipate if he appeared preoccupied with the daily troubles of life and getting them from the caravan, while in reality, he was diverting attention from his other plans.
On each hunting trip, he returned to the Anira mansion, handing a receipt from the deer meat storage to Doska, who generously paid him with mana stones.
Doska's dealings with him were intriguing. She slowly transformed from that gentle lady with a sharp tongue to a reckless beast, her body became capable of breaking a bear's jaw with ease, yet she still maintained the appearance of an elegant lady.
"Her secret shard, no doubt..." Sero muttered as he noticed the gradual increase in her strength over the days
Behind the closed doors of his room, Sero continued to train his body relentlessly. His bones groaned, and his muscles screamed with each exercise, but he did not stop. He knew that every drop of sweat contributed to building his strength for the future.
After each grueling training session, he would sit to absorb mana, slowly and steadily strengthening his watery magic realm, and that lasted until the day when he would receive his Blood Dagger Shard.