Chapter 0116

“What is all this?” Cardis asked in a dangerous voice.

Mayday.

Mayday.

Mount Vesuvius is about to erupt.

All citizens of Pompeii should evacuate the city post haste.

I repeat, Mount Vesuvius is about to erupt. All citizens of Pompeii should evacuate the city post haste.

I repeat, Mount Vesuvius is about to erupt. All citizens of Pompeii should evacuate the city post haste. All citizens of Pompeii should evacuate the city post haste.

Tempest didn’t need the alarm going off in her head to realize Cardis was mad. The best option for Tempest right now is to stand there and try to explain. Cardis is angry, but he isn’t unreasonable.

The excellent survival instinct Tempest claim to have told her to make a run for it and she did just that. Eventually, Tempest would learn how to gauge a situation with her mind and not her instinct. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have enough experience to diffuse the situation. Her running makes it worse.

Cardis caught her by the collar like a mother cat would when they wanted to move their cute little kittens.

“Care to explain?”

“I need money. The fastest way to raise the funds I need is to sell the weapons I saw in the Weapon Pavilion.” Tempest blurted out her plan. She was going to admit to it anyways. Might as well stick to the plan.

“Why do you need so much money?”

“To redeem my friends.” Tempest proceed to explain the situation her friends are in. Cardis listen attentively although he did frown when she mentions brothels and their professions.

Tempest heart sank deeper and deeper. Even though she tried to emphasize the good and downplay the bad when narrating her story, it didn’t seem to do much good. Cardis didn’t look interested in helping her and she needed his help if she were to redeem them.

Tempest knew how people viewed entertainers and prostitutes. They were unclean women who sell their bodies for money. They lack honor, pride, and dignity. They aren’t to be trusted. No man wants a woman who gets around and probably slept with all of his friends and then some.

Tempest hated it.

Tempest hated the judgemental labels the sanctimonious bastards slap on the poor, prostitute and downtrodden. Yes, people beg, steal and sell their bodies to make a living, but did anyone stop to consider why they did what they did? If they weren’t poor, would they do it? If they weren’t weak, would they do it? If society gave them a chance, do they have to work the dirtiest job to get by?

Those righteous judgemental bastard slap labels on those they view beneath them, never realizing they could be in the same situation if they weren’t lucky enough to be born in the right household.

For all of his flirtatious ways, Tempest had hope Cardis would be different, that he’d see beyond their ugly profession to the kind and gentle person they really are.

Silence reigns once Tempest finished her narration.

Tempest waited anxiously for Cardis to pronounce his judgement.

Cardis hugged his little Successor gently before asking the hard questions. “Tempest, you can save them once, but you can’t save them for a lifetime. What do you intend to do with them after you redeem them?”

Tempest breathe a sigh of relief. It wasn’t outright rejection. She still had a chance.

“I intend to test their immortal potential then send them to the best place suitable for their cultivation. As for how our relationship pans out, that is for them to decide. If they are sincere to me, then I will return their feelings. If they intend to use me for their personal gain, I will toss them out and cut all ties with them.”

Tempest understood they are not the same person Athena met back on Earth. She knew that in her mind. Her heart yearns for the friendship she once had. She wasn’t obsessive enough to pushed to past onto the present. Friendship and love take time and effort to maintain.

“A little helping hand is all I’m going to give them.” Tempest lied to herself without realizing she was lying to herself. Cardis saw it.

“Everything seems too much of a coincidence.”

“Yeah, it might be. I’d blame it on the crazy Soul Liner, Aria Se Jivock and my spirits. Aria pointed me the direction and the spirits fine tuned the encounter.”

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“Tempest, I’ve told you before, the spirits have their own reason for helping mortals on their path towards immortality. Some even outright manipulate their mortal. Shove that knowledge deep into your brain.” Cardis smack Tempest’s head for emphasis. “And this is one of the times they are directly manipulating you.”

“Why’d you say that?”

“The spirits can eat karma lines.”

“I’m worried about the crazy psycho for nothing!” After Aria Se Jivock amazing attacking using karma line as a medium, Tempest feared the power the crazy woman had over her. She knew she had a karma line with Aria Se Jivock. Who knew when the insane psycho was going to yank on that string and make Tempest do something she does not want to do. Given Aria Se Jivock’s mastery over karma, Tempest doubt anyone aside from another Soul Liner can challenge her. Tempest dreaded meeting the insane woman again.

Insane people, and in Aria Se Jivock case, insanely powerful insane psycho, have no limits whatsoever. They will do whatever it takes to get what they want. You can’t reason with them either. Their thought process follows no sense or logic. It’s why they are considered insane!

“That’s not the point!” Cardis despair over his Successor stupidity. He should have taken that fire mage as a student. He wouldn’t be in this predicament otherwise.

“I know. The point is the spirits manipulate their mortals.” Tempest sound cavalier about the spirits manipulation. She wasn’t. She knew enough about the spirits and their sneaky ways to be wary of them, or so she thought. It’ll come back to bite her in the butt soon enough, but for now, she believes she knows enough to handle her spirits.

“Listen silly! You might think you know enough to become a player in the game, but you never were. Even someone as strong as me is but a pawn in the hands of the spirits. They are old. They’ve forgotten more things than everyone in the guild combined! They are patient. They have all the time in the world to plan and their schemes run deep. And they always, always put their goal above everything else. What is a little bit of sadness compared to a billion years of planning?”

“I can handle them.” Confident ooze out of Tempest. She was confident she can handle the spirits. They are helpless parents in front of her superb baby throwing a tantrum routine.

“You can’t take care of yourself, much less supernatural entities billions of years old.”

“Hey! I’m smarter than you think!” Tempest had to protest. She isn’t the smart scheming type. She knows it. He knows it. However, Tempest got the feeling Cardis thinks she is really stupid, as in her IQ is in the negative triple digits. She’s at least average! She won’t ask to be a genius with a positive triple digit IQ but at least double digit is doable.

Seeing Tempest unconcerned attitude, Cardis decided to change the topic. “Let’s discuss your friends since you won’t heed my warnings.”

Tempest immediately got serious. Everything she did since she has left the brothel until now is for her friends. Everything will go to waste if Cardis refuse to help.

“I’ll give you two choices. First, sell the weapons and get the money to redeem your friends. I’ll help you place them in a suitable place if they can cultivate or find a good place for them to live out the rest of their short lives if they can’t. If you chose this route, you would have to cut off all contact with them after I place them.”

“Hey!”

“I’m not finished.” Cardis sent a stern glare towards Tempest then gave his second ultimatum. “Second, earn the money yourself. After you redeem them, I’ll help you place them. You can remain in contact with them. If you chose this route, I would give them each a charm. They can make one reasonable request from me. I’ll do everything in my power to help them. But after they use their charm, they have to cut off all contacts with you until they gain my approval.”

“It was never really a choice Cardis.” Tempest complained.

“A favor from me is no small matter.” Cardis is a legendary mage. He changed the Emblemic Mountain Range from a series of regular mountains to a chain of active volcanoes because he was testing out a spell. One can accomplish a lot with a favor from him. Cardis offer is small to say the least.

“I know. I chose the second option.”