Legacy of Hatred-Chapter 75: Lucky

Before Randall’s comment could give birth to other problematic statements or questions from Liam’s side, Joel took the situation into his hands. That short interaction had told Joel everything he needed to know about Liam’s social shortcomings, and he didn’t want to deal with them any longer.

"I hope the Crimson Warrior Sect’s disciples are satisfied with this demonstration," Joel announced. "I speak for the Pale Moon Sect’s disciples when I say that we are."

"We are more than satisfied," Cecilia said, picking up on Joel’s intentions. "We can move to the mission’s location."

Cecilia set off while her words were still echoing in the area, and the trio from her Sect was quick to follow. Joel darted after her right afterward, forcing Liam to put his confusion aside and join him, since Melissa and Randall also moved.

The two groups kept a safe distance from each other, remaining within sight but outside of ear’s reach for reasons that became evident once Joel began to speak.

"Cecilia and I both have a metal core," Joel revealed. "We found each other through the Messengers Guild since we had problems obtaining resources to advance through the rooting stage."

The group was heading West, but Liam pushed that information to the back of his mind to focus on Joel’s words. It seemed Joel was finally about to reveal something, and Liam felt glad to be able to follow him.

It wasn’t just about the core’s talk. Liam had also met descriptions of the Guilds in his reads, gaining a basic understanding of their purposes and affiliations.

The Sects were relatively independent from the Dragon Kingdom. They still paid tribute to it, but their management was mostly autonomous.

The Church of the Man shared a similar status. No records of tributes existed, but it was completely apolitical and self-governed. Apparently, its charity-oriented nature made the Dragon King turn a blind eye to its existence.

Instead, the Guilds were organizations that responded directly to the King. They served many purposes, but they remained core assets of the Dragon Kingdom. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

In hindsight, Liam had made the safest possible choice in reaching the Sects directly. Avoiding getting flagged by the Recruiters Guild had added a new layer of secrecy to his existence, and his itching forearm vouched for how much he needed it.

"This place I want you to explore," Joel continued, "This overrun, ruined Sect was said to have a precious mine of a Qi-enhanced mineral at its center. Many actually believe it was built around it for that exact reason."

"And Senior Brother wants us to retrieve it for his cultivation," Randall concluded.

"Exactly," Joel confirmed. "Such minerals are rare in nature, and manually enhancing them requires formation masters. Neither our Sect nor the Crimson Warrior Sect has such Masters, and a single rooting expert isn’t enough to justify their expensive services."

Liam suddenly realized how lucky he had been. The Disciplinary Elder had been right. His arrival at the Pale Moon Sect had been fortuitous. Without its capable Alchemy Elder, Liam would have soon found himself in the same situation as Joel.

"I mentioned this place to the Elders," Joel explained. "Cecilia did that, too, but they are worried that our interference might cause an outbreak and flood these areas with magical beasts."

"Why haven’t the Elders gone, then?" Liam questioned.

"Rewards that might be appealing to us aren’t appealing to them," Joel sighed. "They’d also have to deal with jurisdiction issues. If any Elder makes a move, the neighboring Sects might take interest and interfere."

’They’d rather destroy it to prevent others from obtaining it,’ Liam recalled his Master’s words, which rang especially true that night.

"Cecilia and I have an agreement," Joel stated. "We’ll split any shard of that mineral equally. I don’t know how she convinced her Brothers to help her, but I believe my terms are quite beneficial."

Liam nodded internally. He even realized why Joel was the only one at risk of being tricked. Cecilia might hide anything her team found, while Liam and the others could avoid looking for the mine entirely.

Calling it a long shot didn’t do it justice. Joel’s arrangements reeked of desperation. He was accepting quite unfavorable terms to create an unlikely opportunity of obtaining what he needed.

Once again, Liam acknowledged how lucky he was. Thanks to his Master, he probably wouldn’t have to worry about his core even after reaching the rooting stage.

Yet, Joel’s situation provided a much-needed different perspective. If and when Liam left the Sect, he would face similar problems, meaning that he had to accumulate resources, skills, and knowledge as much as possible in his current peaceful time.

"Senior Brother," Randall called, trying his best to sound respectful and polite during that hurried sprint. "How do we know that there are any rewards left for us? I don’t mean to insult your investigation, but this place has been a lair for a long time, hasn’t it?"

Time alone could destroy a lot, let alone when magical beasts joined the equation. Chances were the overrun Sect had nothing of value left.

"Two reasons," Joel smirked confidently. "First, for so many magical beasts to gather in one place for so long, this place must radiate a lot of Qi, which already confirms the presence of something valuable."

Neither Randall nor Liam had objections on that, while Melissa remained silent and unconcerned as always, only for Joel’s second statement to involve her.

"Second," Joel continued. "Junior Sister Melissa didn’t rely on the Qi Control earlier. That was the rank 1 Water Shield she found the first time she explored the place."

Both Liam and Randall’s gazes snapped at Melissa, only for her to continue running undisturbed. She ignored her two Brothers, but they understood what all that meant.

That wasn’t the first time Joel had sent a team into the ruined Sect. Someone had also already obtained rewards from it.

"Neil was also part of Cecilia’s previous team," Joel revealed. "We think he has obtained something, too, but Sister Melissa wasn’t able to find out what."

’So, she can communicate,’ Liam concluded, inspecting his silent companion, before Randall distracted him with two relevant questions.

"Senior Brother, how many times did you explore the place?" Randall asked. "And what happened to the other teams?"

"This is the second expedition that Cecilia and I arranged," Joel explained. "The first also had outer disciples. Only Sister Melissa and Neil returned that time."