Chapte 0198
“Damn it, Cardis, it wasn’t my fault things went the way it did. Why the hell do you have to blame me?” Tempest yelled as she got up from the small crater her body created at impact. The spirits were doing their part in changing her body. She would have died from the impact if she was the squishy little girl who first arrived in the Cardinal Realm.
“That was nothing compared to the punishment I’ll dole out once we get back,” Cardis growled.
“Cardis, what was spoken can not be unspoken. Tempest was rash in her actions but she meant well. There is no point in hiding so you might as well announce it to the whole and give it your protection.” A melodic voice cut through the banter between Cardis and Tempest. A veiled woman with blue black hair, garbed in a high rank defensive mage robe emerged from a dense mist no one noticed.
The arrival of the woman put the group on edge. Regardless of how terrible their sensing abilities maybe, they shouldn’t miss something that smacks them right in front of their face.
Cardis opened his mouth to retort to Kataigida but unlike the socially dense Tempest, Cardis was quite aware of his surroundings and he can read the confusion on their faces.
Cardis chuckled softly before going into full blown laughter.
These bunch of fools. They were fooled by a simple trick.
Most of the cultivation world envy high affinity mages as they don’t suffer bottlenecks as other cultivators do. The road to immortality was smooth sailing for them. High affinity mages were supplied plenty of mana by their spirits. Their bodies were tempered by their spirits. They were taught the underlying laws of their elements by their spirits. Everything was handed to them on a silver platter by their spirits!
This line of thought was promoted by the Magus Alliance to attract cultivators to cultivate the heart as their immortal potential.
The Magus Alliance doesn’t advertise the fact that mages have the hardest time crossing the threshold to become an immortal.
Other cultivators have small bottleneck along with their cultivation. Mages have to break their huge bottleneck at the Mastery stage of their cultivation.
The Governing Board of the Magus Alliance doesn’t allow the knowledge to spread about the Mastery stage of cultivation for a mage because they would lose most of their disciples if they did.
The Mastery stage doesn’t mean mastery of their body or sense after the spirits temper it but mastery of their elements. In the Mastery stage of mage cultivation, the mages become their elements.
Cardis is the Son of Volcano. He can become a living flame, a part of the earth, the wind itself or any or all combinations of his elements.
When Kataigida emerged from the mist previously, everyone thought she was another mage at the Mastery stage of cultivation instead of a puppet being controlled by one of Tempest’s water spirits.
When one of Tempest’s water spirits took control of the puppet, Cardis was worried Tempest’s water spells would lag behind her wind and lightning spells since the spirits have to exert their mana to control a puppet.
Cardis needn’t have bothered. Although the spirits very unified in their collectives, they can act independently when they want to. One spirit can control the puppet while another teach enter Tempest’s sea of consciousness to teach Tempest.
Tempest forgot her previous aggravation in the face of Cardis’ humor.
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“Care to share what so funny?” Tempest asked when Cardis’ laughter died down.
“Ah, a bunch of grown adults fearful of a little girl wet behind her ears.”
“Cardis, who are you calling a wet behind the ear little girl?” Kataigida asked sweetly but everyone present can hear the underlying steel in her tone. Everyone here thought the same, the veiled woman should be underestimated.
Cardis heard the honey coated poison in Kataigida’s voice and went to damage control mode. “Kataigida, love, sweetheart, Successor. I was referring to Tempest. She shows a little spine against me and everyone thinks she’s a powerful mage when she is only a stubby red mage -”
“I’m a yellow mage now.” Tempest interrupted.
“-who is only valiant because she knows I can’t don’t anything to her because of you. The two faced fox is using you to blackmail me.” Cardis expertly shifted the blame to Tempest. His years of experience flirting dealing with the jealousy associated with his flirting allowed him to appease a woman as fast as he gets into trouble with them.
“Who are you calling a two faced fox?” Tempest protested, “You are the two faced fox, not me. See, see, Kataigida. Did you see how he changed his tune the minute he realize he’s in trouble? What is that if not being a two faced fox?”
Kataigida couldn’t help herself. Tempest looks so cute when she acts like an elementary student tattling on the school bully to the teacher. Her small body shivers with excitement as her clear bright eyes shine with joy as she sought to gain her, Kataigida, approval.
With a squeal, Kataigida bundle Tempest into her embrace and started giving her the snuggle snuggle and the cheek-to-cheek kisses Tempest hates so much.
“Kataigida! Unhand me, you unscrupulous knave!”
“Just a bit more.”
“Cardis help. I’m being molested by a pervert.” Cardis turned to address the rapt viewer watching the play being performed before them, all too happy for Tempest to distract Kataigida with her shenanigans. “The veiled mage cuddling the runt over is my acknowledge Successor, Kataigida.”
The Magus Alliance Council Members nodded as if they knew all along.
“Congratulations are in order Cardis. You accepted a fine Successor.”
“So young and so skilled. I’m sure she’d surpassed even you one day.”
“Of course she’d surpass him. With her status as a True Daughter of Storm and a Resonance Bond Holder to share her burdens, unless she is a brain dead idiot, she guarantees to surpass him.”
“Dear sir, what are you implying with the brain dead idiot comment?” Tempest had broken out of Kataigida’s hold and ran behind Graden, expertly using him as her human shield.
After having her fill snuggling with Tempest (for now) Kataigida was in no hurry to grapple with Graden for her runaway child. She made her way to Cardis’ side just in time to hear the tail end of the last comment.
Mizu, controlling the puppet called Kataigida, took an exception to the statement. Tempest’s 98 water spirits back on the spiritual plane also took exception to the remark. The Mizu in Tempest’s sea of consciousness didn’t care because a puppet is a brain dead thing animated by mana supplied by the spirits.
Kataigida smiled at the flustered man before her.
As a water spirit, Mizu tends to be easy going. It is a part of her nature. That said, Mizu is only easy going when she is around Tempest. The same applies to the other spirits. They act like their stereotypes around their mortals. With everyone else, they can be as unbridle or shameless as they want.
And Mizu wants to be unreasonable. “Please elaborate on your comment.”
“I said,” the man was about to repeat his comment but noticed the malicious intent Kataigida made no attempt to hide and decided prudence is better than valor. Even though he is on the Governing Board of the Magus Alliance, Cardis is an immortal who can kill him as easily as breathing. There is no need for him to break relations with Cardis and the Eternal Spirit Guild over a miscommunication. “Ahem, I said even a brain dead idiot can tell you will grow up to be a magnificent mage.”
“Thanks for your compliment.” The mouth says one thing, the mind thinks another. No one was fooled by Kataigida generous acquiescence, not even the socially inept Tempest.
The group lapsed into an awkward silence. No one wants to step in to help their fellow Magus Alliance Council Member. They gain the enmity of Cardis and his Successor while receiving nothing in return.
Tempest looked around like a lemming hopped up on stimulants, wondering what she should do to get this group moving along. She had sisters to save and the faster they move out, the better it is for her.
Just as she was about to open her mouth and move things along a masculine voice filled with the vigors of youth called out, “Master, I’ve finally found you!” followed by a boy about 12 or 13 years old throwing himself at Cardis.
Everyone looked at Kataigida, then Cardis and finally at the exuberance boy speaking a mile a minute with him.
They relaxed and decided to wait to see the show.