The Head Elder of Lotus Academy felt like he had aged centuries in the last day. The Demon Empire envoy, Myst, had bypassed their security, invaded a student's rooms, and caused a near disaster by the sound of it. Princess Cyntilla Fang had reported all of it but he had also heard from his Imperial Majesty's spies as well.
Honestly, he was frustrated he could not help Lind Frey out more. His observations had shown a humble, hard working, and diligent cultivator over the past year. He had burned through far more books than most students but it was understandable as Lind was stuck from a technique aspect. His staff gave him a work around, but it did not help him comprehend from what the Head Elder had observed.
His quarters were a wreck save some shelves that held simple puzzles. Lind, himself, was in the care of expert healers as possession often left a body destroyed. He was lucky to still be a cultivator! Heart demons of that strength were unheard of in a Soul Realm cultivator. The frustrating thing was the edict and decrees stopped the Academy from doing more than healing him. They could not let him die or that would besmirch the honor of Darkmoor.
Helping him overcome heart demons, however, was all on Lind's shoulders. The report was optimistic at least. Meridians and dantain somehow had no damage. His mind also seemed intact. The rest of him, however, was not so good. Something had stopped him from bleeding out, but that was all it did.
His muscles, tendons, and bones were severely damaged but not beyond repair, only just. His organs were stressed to near failure. The fact he was conscious was quite frankly the mercy of the spirits. There was one more thing.
Both the Demon Empire forces and Cyntilla affirmed some senior shooed them all out and likely did a little care for Lind until the Academy could arrive. No one, however, could confirm such a being anywhere on academy grounds. The aura, words, and everything were all confined to the wreckage of Lind's quarters.
All of that was a tragedy, but what put the Head Elder in a near rage was one of the culprits currently sitting in his office! The Demon Empire envoy was currently sipping his favorite tea as her 2 attendants stood behind her as she sat on the dark leather couch. The tea set was a dark jade that was very rare but she treated it with disdain when he served it.
Her skin tight leathers were clearly meant to draw the eye from the dagger she likely had on her person. What she wanted here was beyond him, but Lotus Academy was far below the power of the Demon Empire. They could send out multiple Diamond Tiers where only a high Gold Tier ruled here.
"You seem stressed, old man. You should trim that white beard of yours off and you would look younger. Still old, but would look younger at least." A twitch of veins on his forehead were hard to hide but a snide smile covered his face as he sipped the tea as well.
"Your tricks are unnecessary but compensation is owed don't you think?" A slight frown crossed Myst's face but she clearly knew they were caught red handed. Her orders did not concern much outside of the promising seed she had found. Causing destruction to the Academy and nearly killing her target were very much going to be blamed on her when she got home.
"I can certainly cover the damages, but I am still taking Lind Frey." She would not bend on this insane request. The Head Elder knew this would be a difficult negotiation but both parties would not bend on the placement of Lind Frey. Fortunately, he had a simple card to play.
"You're welcome to take him if he wishes to go, also…if you can." A true smile spread on his face as hers paled. The senior had clearly called Lind his disciple. Also, the fact he worked with Lind meant he was not a power from Darkmoor nor the Lotus Empire. It was absurd to think a peak Gold Tier could mistake whoever it was for a Diamond Tier. That only left 1 possibility left even if they were uncertain, Sky Realm.
Since it was a man, that left slim possibilities, but the Head Elder already eliminated Darkmoor, the Demon Empire, and the Heavenly Maiden Sect. While the Divine Sword Sect was possible, they had no reason to take Lind in. He did not use a sword nor was he a good support at his current realm.
Indelia had several Sky Realms but none of them should know about Lind either, and an itinerant cultivator was laughable to exist at that realm. This left them with a mystery but one that was beyond them to defy.
"Perhaps I need to be more clear then. I am willing to negotiate for Lind Frey to study in our Empire. He would be treated far more warmly by us for certain compared to here. There is also the matter that he has been named as heir to the Altairan throne." The Head Elder had only confirmed that himself. It was a loophole. Lind had been named the heir but no other action had been taken. No one knew why Lind was chosen but it likely had to do with his feats since coming into the public eye.
His brother, Kor, while a decent cultivator had not shown anywhere near the capability of Lind. Kor seemed content to stay at the Frey Clan all of his days and had already sworn to Heaven and Earth to never sire a child. His sisters were disowned by the Kingdom of Altair due to 'impure bloodlines' or some other nonsense. Still, no one was certain what the Reagent was thinking.
"Politics are not my area of concern and if you think I like the current situation your vaunted intelligence agency is a sham!" The Head Elder was not faking his rage right now. A truly good seed had been dropped into their lap and politics had ruined it. If curses could kill, several officials would be long dead in the Darkmoor Kingdom. The Lotus Emperor had watched his sister be sacrificed so it was harder to hate him but it did not make the cursing any less.
"Besides, even you heard the healers. He is not going anywhere for a month at least. Whatever happened during that possession nearly ripped him apart." It was damned odd. Possession usually destroyed meridians and dantians first, the body second, but Lind was reversed. It was like his body took the brunt of it while his cultivation was left intact. "You also owe him an apology."
Myst blanched. She had never had to apologize to any junior for any reason. She clearly enjoyed toying with people and luring them into traps. Her profession was also obviously the same as her guards, assassin. It made for a decent envoy as attention to detail and reading a room were key traits but having the lethality to back up any threat was probably even more useful.
If Darkmoor Kingdom was a head on attack, the Demon Empire was the blade in the dark. The warriors of Darkmoor loved combat, but rarely killed for sport. They were harsh, but it worked both ways on demons and non-demons. The Demon Empire, on the other hand, was well known for taking their sweet time slaughtering far more than they needed. It was rumored that only the strong could survive to adulthood let alone cultivate in the Demon Empire.
No one knew as few spies ever returned.
"His healing I can accept, but I will not let him stay here." Her stubborn refusal confused the Head Elder. The Demon Empire came like all the other powers due to the strange tribulation but why was she so fixated on a Soul Realm student?
"His wishes were clear and we will enforce them. You may be an envoy of the Demon Empire but you have no claim to this boy. If he was a demon, you might have a claim, but as he is not, I would say you have failed." There was no joy in his voice, just a statement of fact. The truth was, if they had approached him openly, Lind might have listened. The Head Elder would find it hard to blame Lind for leaving the Lotus Empire at this point.
Myst's face was showing her frustration but also contemplation. Her delicate fingers traced a circle on the lip of the tea cup before she set it down and suddenly became serious. There was no longer the teasing nor seductive aura, just the representative of the Demon Empire.
"I was instructed to retrieve the cause of the material tribulation. I have found him, thus I want him." The Head Elder froze. His brain tried to process what she had just said but the illogical words refused to imprint. Lind was the source of that strange tribulation? What was a material tribulation? His confusion caused a flicker to pass her face but she remained serious. "The tribulation was not for a cultivator, it was for a crafter breaking realms whether it was a pill, a weapon and so forth. The signature is unique to the crafter and Lind Frey matches."
It was impossible. A month of investigation had turned up no leads and the elixir master became of far more importance to those that came.
"I am afraid she is right, Head Elder." A new voice broke the stalemate between them as an aether child dressed pristinely entered the room. The mix of red and green scales confirmed it was indeed Mythra from the Sapphire Auction House. Her confirmation floored both of them. It was near legendary how far the auction house would protect its guests' privacy. So why was she breaking it now?!
Her dark blue gown was nowhere near as revealing as what she wore to present the auctions but the Head Elder noticed a contract talisman in her hands. A sudden suspicion sprung up in his head but he could not confirm it. He quickly activated the formations to protect the room and Myst reluctantly had her guards leave.
There were few powers that could make the Demon Empire bend, but the Sapphire Auction House was one of them. The sheer number of powers that could be brought to bear at the Empire at their request would leave them with no hope of survival.
"Understand I am here due to a clause of a contract. Lind Frey seemed to worry about being abused once more by powers he could not control and asked if we could protect him in any way." Mythra did not sound like she was close to Lind, but the respect she gave him was odd. What did Lind do for the auction house? "Per that clause, I am empowered to report that Lind Frey is already contracted with a power."
The pin drop silence filled the room. Myst looked like she was ill while the Head Elder looked hopeful. A power had chosen to reach out to the boy?! That was amazing! The Head Elder truly hoped it was one of the righteous powers and not something like the Stardust Emporium. They were far from evil but they were not monolithic. Business weighed far more on them than anything else.
"Here." The talisman was put forth and Qi flowed into it before a woman appeared above it. The formation usually stopped eavesdropping but as the talisman was inside already, it became a connection outside to the other end of the talisman.
"What have you done to Lind Frey?" A fierce woman in white battle dress held a whip in her hands as her image flickered above the talisman. The Head Elder felt dizzy. The Heavenly Maiden Sect! How was Lind contracted with the Heavenly Maiden Sect?! "Speak!"
The commanding tone made Myst wither. Although she knew she was stronger than the individual speaking, Myst knew the Heavenly Maiden Sect was the one power the Demon Emperor would never cross again. They had lost.
"He became possessed by a heart demon, a strong one. He then demonstrated some kind of promotion like I have never seen before. His cultivation seems to be intact but his body was ravaged for at least a month to heal properly." The haughty demoness was gone and replaced but a buearcrat. It was pointless to hold anything back at this point as she had tried her trump card on the Head Elder already.
"Damn it, I told him to deal with those!" Shoti looked angry then turned to the Head Elder. "I presume the ludicrous state of your edicts prevent you from helping him beyond pills and healers?" His quick nod made Shoti look frustrated but there were limits to what she could do.
"An envoy of my sect will be arriving. Lind Frey is to be treated well, and if anyone tries to force him to do something the spirits will not grant you mercy, am I clear?" Both nodded their heads solemnly. It was not a legend about the authority of the Heavenly Maiden Sect, it was a fact of life. The wars that had spilled so much blood were quickly ended by 2 sects, but of the 2, the Heavenly Maiden Sect was merciless to its enemies. The reticence of the Demon Empire to expand spoke volumes of how scary 1 sect could be.
"Thank you, Mythra, we will take it from here." The admiring smile from the aether child told the Head Elder she was a fan of this Maiden. The talisman flared and the connection was severed. It was a one-time use item but it could not be blocked. Negotiations were over, clearly.