Andrew Robinson Leinbach
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Chapter 168: Threat
🕑 Added 2023-07-04 23:40:46 +0000 UTCKrysta
“Okay. That’s actually a really good offer.” Her mother laughed out loud and Krysta didn’t know what to think.
She was still a bit shaken by the giant explosion, but her mother didn’t seem to care about that part at all. All Ms. Alvaro had said was to mention a skill her brother had, a racial ability, and the fact he had a ridiculously powerful race. But she still didn’t know what the skill or racial ability did.
“Mom, could you explain please?”
They were out on the patio on the life tree’s branch and her mother had been looking up at the sky while thinking about something, but now she looked back at Krysta. “Right. Soul Prince is a lord skill, a powerful Fabled grade one which allows direct subordinates to use a half strength version of one or two of the lord’s racial abilities. Heavenly Spark Pure Soul then is an extremely rare racial ability which boosts both the Soul and Attunement stats along with affinity for all Laws. What Ms. Alvaro is offering is basically an increase to my Attunement stat and affinities should I help raise her brother to a level where his Attunement and affinities are comparable to mine.
“Granted, I would have to accept the boy as my master, but that would be a very loose binding. The bigger issue is that the boy would have to rise to at least C rank to provide me any boost whatsoever.
“For you, however, there would be an immediate effect, and it would be the same for Henrietta if my negotiations with her father finish favorably for her. And that is the bigger part of their offer that intrigues me, at least for the moment.”
Her mother smiled. “What do you think, Krysta?”
Krysta opened and closed her mouth a couple times. Then she just decided to tell the truth. “I’m still a bit terrified by the threat.”
Her mother’s smile grew wider and Krysta realized she was about to learn something her mother considered important. “Why?”
“Because I would definitely die to such a weapon.” Even knowing her mother was going to twist her words somehow for a lesson, Krysta still gave her honest answer. She’d learned over the years it generally made things easier.
“There are a lot of things in the universe that could kill you. Why are you worried about this one?”
Krysta felt she could start to see where her mother was leading her, but it was making her feel more terrified rather than less. “Because I saw the aftermath of the weapon and was threatened with it.”
“So, are you more afraid of the weapon or the threat?”
Krysta stopped to think for a few seconds. “The threat. The weapon demonstration just made me realize the threat was real.”
“And what was the threat about?”
“Not to reveal their secrets.” Krysta felt herself growing a bit calmer.
“And are you planning on revealing their secrets?”
“No.” Krysta took a few deep breaths and started to feel quite a bit better.
“Then why were you worried?”
Krysta thought for a bit before speaking. Then she answered. “Given I’ve always had your protection, I’d never really feared for my life before.”
Her mother tapped the wooden table she was sitting at a few times, the life tree dropping a couple fruits from several kilometers above their heads to fall down toward the table where her power slowed their fall. “All they’re asking for is pretty much the standard clause in most contracts I enter into. Inside the soulspace, they just aren’t able to enter into an actual contract with you, and they also might not have someone able to make such contracts.
“Personally, I’m more willing to work with people who would make such threats. It means it’s less likely they are trying to play us.”
Krysta sat down and took one of the fruits from her mother, using her spatial slice magic to remove its rind. “And what about the bomb?”
“What about it?” Her mother removed the rind from her own fruit with life magic, the rind moving as if on its own to fall off the fruit and onto the table. “The boy’s at early E rank yet he’s already making Heroic grade artifacts. And he has 36 Laws. Why’s it at all weird that he’d be able to make powerful one time use artifacts as well?”
They both took bites of their fruits, enjoying the succulent taste of the life fruits as Krysta felt her Vitality stat rise by a point.
“The truly odd thing is the boy’s aura. There are a couple skills which could have the effect you described, making him feel like a mortal, but they wouldn’t fit with the path he is obviously going for. Also, if the description of his affinities and the explanation that he’s a variant Incubus Emperor are to be believed, things don’t fit either. No variant I know of, even a Strong Soul one, is capable of such a thing. So, either the boy, already following a path almost no one in the universe has ever tried, has found a new type of race I’ve never heard of, or we’re being lied to.”
She smiled again while looking at Krysta. “I’m leaning toward the former.”
* * *
Kalin
Kalin Hewin, King of the Hewin Kingdom and the youngest elder of the Violet Mountain Sect, walked into his master’s chambers near the center of the Violet Mountain Blessed Land’s Crystal Mountain and knelt upon entering, bowing his head toward the man sitting cross-legged on a straw mat in the center of the room.
The Violet Mountain Lord was just sitting there, but his aura felt like a scorching volcano, filled with the elements of fire and death, and it was oppressive. Over two million years old, the Violet Mountain Lord didn’t look it, seeming like a man in his late twenties at most, with fiery red and black hair, the dark skin common among the Carium Galaxy Cluster’s humans, and pure red eyes.
His voice, however, was aged and raspy. “Do you know why I called you here, Kalin?”
“No, Master.” Kalin didn’t even look up.
“It is eight years until the System’s universal auction, which only happens once every 2,985,984 years.” The Violet Mountain Lord sounded irritated. “And, before the auction, the System will grant rewards to all the universe’s forces based on their strength, size, and growth. According to the notes of the previous clan leader, of particular note are the rewards for the leaders of powerful forces. But these rewards don’t go to leaders as old as me, but to our successors, and I have yet to name one.”
Kalin felt himself start to grow excited, though he still didn’t raise his head. “What then do you need from me, Sir?”
“Do you know why you aren’t my successor, Kalin?”
Kalin looked up, his emotions doing a quick reversal, but he tried not to show it. “No, Sir.”
“You don’t have enough support from the other Elders.” The old man frowned. “Several just don’t like you, saying you are arrogant. A few think you are petty. But the most important reason is they don’t think you are strong.
“You lost against a D rank while I was away?”
The Violet Mountain Lord had been exploring the universe for the last several thousand years and had only just returned.
“Yes, Sir.” Kalin couldn’t do anything else but bow his head again. “I lost against Epecteos Ka’Dravone, a peak D rank in my territory.”
“Hmm. Pathetic.” The Violet Mountain Lord’s voice sounded angry. “Try to change the other elders’ opinions of you within five years. If you can’t, I’ll have to choose someone else as my successor.”
Kalin was able to see the Violet Mountain Lord wave his hand in his peripheral vision. “You may leave now.”
“Yes, Sir.” Unable to do anything else, Kalin left, but, as he walked, he started to feel excited.
The Violet Mountain Lord favored him, so all he had to do to gain the throne was convince a few elders. And all he needed for that would be to kill Epecteos Ka’Dravone, something he was now certainly strong enough to do.
When he returned to his own mansion, he called out to his chamberlain and the old D rank human entered his throne room. “Where is Epecteos Ka’Dravone now?”
“I do not know, My Lord.”
His chamberlain was looking down at the ground, as he should in the presence of the next Violet Mountain Lord, so Kalin didn’t see any need to show anger.
“Find out for me, then.”
“Sir.” His chamberlain raised his head to look at him. “It’s not that we haven’t kept track of Mr. Ka’Dravone’s whereabouts, but that we just don’t know where he is. According to his servant, he went out adventuring and he hasn’t been back in several years.”
“Hmm.” That would be a problem. “Summon Orianthi for me.”
“Yes, Sir.” His chamberlain pressed his head to the floor, then stood and left the room.
About an hour later, Orianthi entered and gave him a pleasant surprise.
“You’ve managed to make it to D rank?”
“Yes, grandfather.” The useless girl kept her forehead on the ground as she spoke.
“If you’ve already made it to D rank, why haven’t I heard of anything happening to Ka’Dravone’s spawn?”
“Sarra’s been in closed door training for the last several years, Sir, not going out to do her normal charity work.” His granddaughter slammed her head into the floor. “I’ve already made preparations for when she does.”
“Good, you are dismissed.”
The girl quickly left and Kalin remained on his throne to think. It seemed he’d just have to wait. If nothing happened in the next three years, he’d have to instead force things, but there wasn’t a need to do anything drastic when he was the one with all the power. For now, he’d just head back to his own territory and wait for Epecteos to return.
