Arthur broke off the connection between him and the Ocean Vein Tree before handing it towards his Father.
It would be better for the strongest expert in the Village to take care of such a thing, as well as to make sure that Arthur wouldn't get cheated when he announced to the rest of the Clan Elders what he was going to do.
Niklos placed a hand on his third born son's shoulder, smiling gently as he unconsciously nodded.
'He looks so much like his mother..... I suppose at least one of my children will be able to defend the Village from underhanded tactics....'.
Niklos was an excellent leader, and an extremely powerful Fae Master. No-one in the entire Village doubted his battle prowess.
However, when it came to using.... less than honourable means on the battlefield, he had to take a step back, and let Elder Velika; Ratimir's grandmother.
She may only be a solid topaz origin essence Rank 3 Fae Master, but her schemes were enough to send shivers up Niklos' spine.
Niklos may be slightly fearful of her, but against his own son.... he believed he had absolutely nothing to fear.
Arthur peered to the side, slightly red in the face.
"I... I know that this is a bad time.... but do to reckon you could tell everyone that Dominic found it? I think it would be better if he were the one to have found it".
Dominic, who was standing beside Arthur went wide eyed before shaking his head.
"No! No way! Not a chance! Arthur, you were the one to have found this spiritual vein type fae, so you should be the one who gets the contribution reward for-".
Arthur raised his hand and cut his older brother off.
"I'm not saying that I don't want the reward for finding this fae, I'm just saying that if it were the next Clan Leader who contributed this Fae to the future of the Clan then perhaps you can win a few.... favours, from the other Elders. Especially those whose grandchildren or great grandchildren are about to be born?".
Niklos raised an eyebrow before nodding and turning to Dominic.
He was just thinking about how normal schemes would make him wary, but schemes that his own family came up with make him happy.
Niklos almost immediately agreed with Arthur's decision.
"That's.... not a bad idea Arthur. If Dominic were to take the credit, and you the actual reward, we might get even more support from some of the other Elders. Especially those who aren't aligned with any of the other powerful Elders".
In times of war, Niklos possessed an absolute authority in the Clan.
It was his duty to maximise the number of causalities on the oppositions side, while minimizing the number of his own. No Elder, past or present had the capacity to take away the Clan Leaders authority during wartime.
But outside of wartime, some Elders might possess a strength or authority that exceeded the Clan Leaders. Like the protector of the Clan Reserves, or the Medicine Hall Elder.
They had the judgement to deny those who wish to render their services, and could theoretically charge any price, so long as it wasn't a ridiculous one.
Dominic showed a slightly conflicted expression on his face.
He didn't find the fae, so it didn't seem right to take the credit for it.
But it would help him become the next Clan Leader, and would allow him to benefit the Clan more than if Arthur were to have handed it in.
He sighed.
"Alright then. I'll say that I found it".
If both Arthur, the one who found it, and his Father, the Clan Leader wanted him to do it, then who was he to say no?
They were his family after all.
He smiled before turning towards Arthur, a slightly wry smile could be seen on his face.
"I suppose you should tell me what Fae you want exactly? I could even get a Rank 2 Fae as a reward, could you handle something like that?".
Arthur smiled before nodding.
"If I'm not mistaken, I should be able to get at least 3 Rank 2 Fae from the Clan Reserves. One Rank 3 if I really wanted to".
Dominic rolled his eyes at his younger brothers appetite.
Being a Rank 1 Fae Master and possessing 3 Rank 2 Fae? Would that mean at Rank 5, he would use Rank 6 Immortal Fae?
Arthur jotted down a few different types of Fae, listing the ones at the top as the greatest priority.
Niklos frowned at the list before opening his mouth to speak.
"Arthur, we do have a Rank 2 wood essence fae in the Clan Reserves, why wouldn't you choose that?".
'Wood Essence Fae?', Arthur thought.
Like the bloodseeker leaf fae it regenerated origin essence for a Fae Master. However, it needed Rank 2 Fae materials in order to work, most of which were expensive within Parachenko Village.
Arthur shook his head.
"It needs to look like Dominic will use this Fae. Why would someone at the peak of Rank 2 Fae Master, need a Rank 2 Fae which increases cultivation speed?".
All the fae that Arthur listed were combat related Fae.
Even if he couldn't use them effectively, it would still destroy whatever Rank 1 Fae Master, or knight Ranked spirit beast was in front of him.
Also, if he was in a pinch, he could use it as a trump card if he ever got stuck in the future. Surprising a Rank 2 Fae Master with a Rank 2 Fae, or a lord Ranked spirit beast would be good if he needed to turn the tables around.
The one at the top was the one Fae that Arthur wanted the most.
"You actually want the moon piercer fae? How bold of you younger brother".
Arthur's cheeks turned slightly red as he nodded smiling slightly.
The Rank 2 moon piercer fae was the natural evolution of the Rank 1 moon thrust fae.
Similar to the moonslice fae, it worked well with the moonsword fae, but functioned essentially like the woodpecker fae did.
It increased piercing power significantly, and could also generate a silver thrust out of the tip of his fingers, or sword which could shoot towards an enemy.
The distance and power was much greater than the moonslice fae, even at the same Rank. However, the thrust itself wasn't very large, and while a moonslice might take off an opponents arm, a moon thrust might only cause extremely profuse bleeding.
But still, these fae were all complimentary. They positively influenced each other, bringing out their strengths while minimizing their weaknesses.
If Arthur had the moon piercer fae during his fight with those two Rank 2 Fae Masters, he probably would've killed them without getting injured.
He smiled politely.
"I think the coming days in Parachenko Village are going to be quite interesting, don't you think?".