At the table, Second Elder Inazuma put away the communication jade with a curious frown.
Unsure of what was happening, Kenja inquired, "What does a 'Muddy' Security Level mean?"
Inazuma waved the air away with a smile in an effort to put Kenja at ease, "Ho ho, it's nothing that concerning. You can just ignore it."
Aracha could not hold back anymore. "You can't say such things, Master! A Muddy Security Level is one of the more serious emergencies." She turned to explain to Kenja, "It means an unidentified threat has infiltrated the sect, and we must come together to find and eliminate it."
Such knowledge was commonly known amongst the disciples after spending time reading the various rules and protocols listed in the various sect manuals, but as the Second Elder's caretaker—ahem, assistant, she had to supervise him in such matters lest he forget himself in his lab while enemies attacked the sect.
"You're overreacting, Aracha. First Brother warned me that the serious emergencies would always ring the sect's Silver Bell at least once, ho ho—"
DING DING DING
A ringing reverberated throughout the sect that interrupted Inazuma's laughter.
Aracha's face paled as Shimizu Mizutani finally stopped ruminating over her losses to face the current crisis.
A Muddy-level emergency would already ring the bell at least once as an infiltrator within the sect was a serious matter. Three dings meant that the problem was severe enough to require the elders to take action.
Shortly following the dinging, an authoritative voice echoed to all ears, "Security Level has been elevated to Muddy. All servants, disciples and guests, make haste to Flowing Yard for roll call. Everyone, make haste to Flowing Yard for roll call."
"Three bells is serious. Second Uncle, we should go quickly," Shimizu Mizutani advised Elder Inazuma.
Scratching his neck awkwardly, he agreed, "...aye. First Brother might be angry if we slack off. Little Hikaru will be Fifth Sister's disciple, so it is permissible to have her attend the meeting with us. Aracha, look after her."
Considering how many days he had to wait to meet Hikaru, he was reluctant to part with her so soon. They had yet to converse about the art of spiritual architecture and tool-crafting.
Kenja nodded before looking at the huge pile of spirit stones on the table. "Second Elder, since the match was made invalid, do we void the wager?"
"Disciple! What are you saying?!"
Kenja could feel Snail tugging the skin of his earlobe painfully.
Kenja's question caused Shimizu Mizutani to radiate like a newborn sun filled with boundless hope. If the elder voided the wager, then naturally, her gamble would also be voided.
"Ho ho ho, nonsense. Didn't Sixth Brother lose two pairs of pants? Little Hikaru won fair and square. All those stones are yo—oh, they're already gone? Ho ho ho ho ho," he laughed hysterically with his eye full of mirth. The spirit stones seemed to vanish without notice before he finished speaking.
Elder Inazuma loved building tools, not cultivating. Be it his allowance as a sect elder, the profits from his occupation, or his First Brother shoving them down his throat, spirit stones would fall into his pocket against his will.
If it were any of the other elders, they would find this loss of spirit stones to be quite painful on their storage rings and eagerly jump at any opportunity to void the wager. Unlike the average cultivator, Inazuma was happy to lose them as he would have a good reason to skip out on cultivating.
Shimizu Mizutani wanted to cry.
Even though Kenja and the Second Elder were not intentionally targeting her, she could not tolerate being tormented and played with in such a manner. With Kenja's words bringing her back from the brink of despair to the Second Elder pushing her off the edge, a young lady's heart could endure only so much.
Stunned by the quick disappearance of the spirit stones, she glanced back at Hikaru who wore a sour expression on her face.
Kenja was annoyed because Snail took control of his arm long enough for the three hundred middle grade spirit stones to bolt into his sleeve and vanish into thin air.
"Snail!"
"What? I earned these fair and square, and yet you were about to give it back! You should learn to protect your teacher's things."
Kenja did not bother retorting. He knew Snail would not understand his situation.
A disciple was a disciple while an elder was an elder. Even if the match was not invalidated, the elder could renege on their agreement, and no one would speak up for the disciple.
There was no right or wrong in the world: only those with power and those without. And those with power would decide the rules while everybody else was forced to bow in accordance.
After witnessing the three Nascent Soul experts fight, he began to understand the huge gap between himself and the elders. This was especially true when you take into consideration that they were pulling their punches.
The real mystery that baffled Kenja was Snail.
The more he learned regarding the world of cultivators, the more enigmatic and inscrutable Snail became. Even now, he could not estimate Snail's strength. It was as if he had no bottom line, daring to mess around in front of four Nascent Soul experts without a care in the world.
"Don't forget to grab my thirty stones from the little girly over there, disciple."
Kenja's face soured even more before meeting Shimizu Mizutani's gaze.
Panicking, she proactively handed over two stones with a bitter face. "Junior sister, here are two stones. I will need some time to gather the remainder."
Snail vacuumed them up into the sleeve before Kenja could grab them.
"No need to rush, senior sister. Take your time," Kenja tried his best to put her at ease, hoping they would not dwell on his strange movement.
Neither he nor Snail were in urgent need of spirit stones, especially Snail, and frankly, he could care less if she ever settled the debt as the stones belonged to Snail, not him.