The Inner District Iron Ward was a strange mix of high class and commoners. Those powers that were self-sufficient but not overly powerful in the Empire could install their own mansions, but well-to-do commoners could also live here if they pulled in enough money.
Lind found the flying bird symbol easily enough near the best side of the Iron Ward and proceeded through the gate as the guard announced his arrival. This meeting was an odd one. He had only met the 2 girls at the start of the Ruins, but afterwards it had only been the younger one whose name he still did not know by chance on that eventful day.
His gold badge was on his chest but he covered it partially with his hood as it was pulled back. Lind knew Qing and Tyr would wait for him as none of them expected an issue for this meeting. It was also Lind who chose to go alone despite all 3 of the other people being in the World Realm that were meeting him.
The courtyards were quite nice but not ostentatious. Lind smiled at the mix of power and humility that reminded him of his childhood. The Frey Clan was much weaker than the Zephyr Clan but Lind saw a similar mindset that the Old Man would encourage.
"Ah, welcome to our humble abode, Lind Frey." A robust man called out and the 2 sisters were on either side of him. A dark wooden table was bathed in sunlight beneath a pavilion canopy stretched around a gazebo-like structure. Lind liked it as it was in the middle of a lovely courtyard in the sunlight.
It was clear at a glance that the women were related to the man as all 3 had similar golden eyes, but the man had a full head of white hair. He seemed too vibrant to be old so the white was likely his natural color. His skin was as darkly tanned as theirs so their clan must spend a lot of time outdoors as he had noticed the dresses covered the arms of the sisters but he had heard from Cyntilla that they were quite pale arms.
"I thank you for the invitation and I congratulate the 2 sisters on their breakthrough to the World Realm." Lind could faintly make out the fonts they had formed when he stood up from bowing. He was curious how cores were turned into fonts but it was still not clear to him. His Eyes were not omniscient.
Lind took a seat and accepted a sweet from a tray between them. There was also a refreshing fruit drink of some kind he had never tried before. It reminded Lind of a more vibrant fruit juice on Earth, but there was a pleasant aroma that told him it was also spiced. It did not have alcohol, but it was enticing to drink.
"This is a local delicacy of our Clan. We grow these large red fruits to the west that only thrive in that area. It can be very finicky that way, but worth it to harvest as it is also useful in alchemy in grade 1." Lind instantly knew what this was! Rango fruit was not rare but it was immensely difficult to grow in a quantity to be used save under strict conditions. The right humidity, temperature, and the soil had to have just enough nutrients of fire elements to make it thrive. Lind looked at the 3 people again and understood what kind of clan the Zephyr Clan had to be.
Controlling wind seemed obvious given the 3 people in front of him, but clearly they lived outdoors a lot. Farming such a picky plant to the extent they could make this drink told Lind they made far more than he knew was possible in the Southern District.
"I can only praise this use of it as it feels invigorating." Lind looked at the drink more seriously but even his Eyes could not pierce the secret of the spices that made this drink so tasty. He chuckled inside his head as an elixir master, a simple drink eluded him.
"Thank you, but I know your time is limited so first, I must thank you for whatever help you gave my daughters." Lind was surprised as he looked at both girls and they smiled at him but said nothing. They had not told their own father? Crown Prince Ryu had tried to find out, but Lind had not revealed the secret to respect their privacy more than his own.
"I simply returned a kindness from when I first entered the Academy. My group was accused of special dispensation to get to the Ruins, but your daughters stood up for me." The clan master turned to them and Cassandra pointed at her younger sister.
"Leah, you defended someone?" The shocked words made Lind have to suppress a giggle as the younger sister, he now knew as Leah, blushed deep red as she pouted.
"He beat me fair and square at a formation puzzle so I would not let him be picked on!" Chuckles came from the rest of them and the formal atmosphere dissipated instantly. Small chatter began as Lind heard of the 2 years the girls spent as Inner Students.
They were not each other's roommates at first, but as time passed, no one else wanted to room with Leah, so Cassandra took her back. Lind enjoyed the feeling of a small family getting together and came to look favorably on the Zephyr Clan.
"You should have seen Pyren's face, Lind! It was glorious!" Leah was practically bouncing in her seat as she relayed the story Lind had only heard the gist of from Ryu. He could not deny a certain pleasure from the fate of Pyren due to his own foolish actions.
Cassandra had become crimson for some reason, but Leah pushed on as she began to gush about Crown Prince Etrigan sweeping Pyren off to some room to no doubt suffer for a while. The Academy rules were rigid about World Realms. A student who broke through and was from a power would be considered a graduate and have a ceremony that would be held after a month to make sure a number of them could graduate at once.
It was also true, whether they had been through the ceremony or not, that World Realm students were treated as respected seniors immediately. Lind could well imagine the idiots not even bothering to realize they could no longer feel the aura of the girls as they tried to kidnap them away. They thought they were immune but reality crushed them heavily while taking their leader with them.
"I am sorry I could not see that, and I wish we could have spent time together as Soul Realms in the Academy." Lind saw the smiles vanish but he knew this exception for a meeting was made in part because he was leaving. The other part he was going to address soon.
"Father, could we have a moment please." Cassandra asked her father to step out and he looked surprised but then sighed and nodded.
"I will erect a formation so I will hear nothing in this courtyard, but hurry as it will draw attention." Lind waved for a moment and summoned a formation plate from his ring. The Clan leader's eyes bulged as he noticed the ring on Lind's hand. Lind Frey was known to be from the Southern District and none of his missions took him near Ruins or Inheritances as that would have to be reported per the rules of the mission hall.
He placed the plate down and a massive aura erected around them. The 3 World Realms instantly felt the suppressive aura of the Sky Realm and stared at Lind as he calmly sipped at his drink.
"I do not need to delve too deep to know you both swore to keep secret what I gave you, but I never asked you to do that. Thank you for valuing me so much." Lind was truly touched that they had gone so far as to not even tell their father what he had given.
A vial appeared on the table that swirled with an aura the 3 of them recognized as grade 3! It was an elixir of a single element, the light element! No one in any hall of power had not missed an elixir master had been found by the Heavenly Maiden Sect, nor that they were capable of grade 2 elixirs that were able to temper cores immensely. The air and light combination was a very difficult element set to temper but was quite common.
The elixir solved the problem very well. It even increased comprehension as had been discovered by accident during a sale in the Divine Sword Sect lands. The news had spread like wildfire to all corners of the continent.
"Y-you are the elixir master and your grade 3?!" Clover was shocked. The young man calmly sitting in front of him was who many powers were desperate to find and now he was right there! His 2 daughters bowed to Lind solemnly but he quickly waved it off and smiled.
"I had a lucky encounter and discovered I am an elixir master. The Sapphire Auction House is aware, of course, and as announced, I am a guest elder of the Heavenly Maiden Sect." A token appeared on the table with a profound aura that told Clover it was authentic as that level of imbued Qi was incredibly hard to fake. Beside, 2 Maidens were outside his gates! "I will be going to their lands for a time as I have a serious issue to address there."
This confirmed yet another rumor that Lind Frey suffered from heart demons, strong ones. It did make for a good cover but Clover then stared at his daughters in understanding. Elixirs! Lind gave them elixirs because they had shown him kindness once!
"I am humbled, Lind Frey. Thank you for your generosity." Clover bowed before this amazing young man who was only in the Soul Realm. The clink of several more vials were heard and Clover looked up to see Lind smiling.
Lind liked this kind of people the most. He arranged 3 sets based on what his Eyes were telling him. Cassandra had air, water, and earth in front of her. Leah had air, light, and darkness in front of her. Clover had all 4 primary elements set in front of him.
"I am not asking you to hide what I have done, but because you reminded me of home I miss so much and kept my secrets, please use these for yourselves." Lind worried that while things were going well for them right now, the future could be bleak if Darkmoor or other higher powers tried to ply them for how the sisters broke through.
"Why?" Clover was confused. His daughters may have earned goodwill from a past action and the choice to protect his secrets, but Clover himself had done nothing of the kind. Lind then pointed at Cassandra.
"You did not even pause to indulge the wish of your daughter to ask my permission. You love your children and their character speak of yours. I am leaving this Empire and the Darkmoor Kingdom. I do not want those that benefited from my good will to suffer if I can help it. That is who I am." Lind had gifted the elixirs on a whim but now that he saw more into the upper echelons and how quickly they piece things together, he grew concerned.
He could not undo the past, but he could protect the future.
"I swear before heaven and earth to return this favor should you ever ask of me." Clover spoke solemnly to Lind and he accepted this. The 3 of them whisked the vials into their various storage treasures. A bit of more chat followed before Lind removed the formation plate back into his ring.
"I have to go. I wish you well and hope you will find joy in the future." Lind bowed and they returned the bow. Although he was a Soul Realm, he was a grade 3 expert. So far as cultivation was concerned, this gave Lind the clout to be their equal.
The walk out was fairly quick but Lind felt lighter in his heart. He wished he could see his family but he could not push Darkmoor and the Empire too far. Lind found Qing and Tyr waiting as they walked towards the Diamond Ward to get to the teleportation array.
****
Clover felt a weight on his shoulders as he looked at the 4 vials in front of him. The room in his mansion was heavily warded by privacy formations, the best he could buy, but he was waiting. Until the knock came, he had a choice and Lind Frey had left him to it.
He had not asked Clover to keep the secret but Clover knew his daughters would. They were not released from their oath but could talk to him about it as he now knew. Lind Frey was a strange man. He could have demanded anything and Clover would have granted it. If he had asked for his daughters' hands in marriage, the man would not have paused to shove them over, but Lind asked for nothing.
Time ran out as a knock arrived and Clover unlocked the formation to let the person in. A cloaked man walked in and the piercing blue eyes revealed the identity quickly.
"You called for me, lightweight?" Clover cringed at his nickname. Of the 3 of them, Clover could hardly drink. Lan was an alcoholic fish so far as Etrigan and Clover were concerned but Clover could not even handle one.
"I think you know." Clover pointed at his oakwood desk. Etrigan looked at the vials and a tired sigh escaped him. The Crown Prince looked like he aged a century. It was night outside so the boy was long gone. It was the most Clover could do for him.
"So, he was the one. Fate makes fools of us all." Etrigan knew only a handful knew about Lind Frey's identity. "I will seal all information on your daughters and admit my interest in one of them led to a gift. Do you have any objections?"
Clover smiled and simply relayed what he had noted during the meeting. It was enjoyable to see Etrigan blush as he learned Leah really did like him. Both laughed as Cassandra clearly liked Lan.
"Very well. Keep them as they were gifts from a grade 3 master. Hopefully, in the future, we can repair this relationship." Etrigan waited for the formation to break and left as quietly as he arrived. Clover sent a prayer up to the spirits in thanks and to watch over the remarkable young man on his journeys ahead.