Chapter 728: Con(trivance/spiracy/venient)
*Bing-Bong*
We interrupt this chapter because of the writer of this work thought it would be a good idea to include yet another one of these ripple effect type deals, despite the previous chapter suggesting that we’re focusing on the main characters…again.
Don’t worry, this should be the last one.
Thank you.
…
Seriously? Just…seriously?
|Oh hush you, there was no better time to include this last portion then right now.|
Whatever you say…
*Bing-Bong*
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It was no secret that the Zhen Clan had fumbled the ball on an international level.
Hopeful young warriors from across the world had gathered at their arena in an attempt to earn honor, glory and backing from one of the most prestigious clans in the Pearl Scale Empire.
For those with little to no background, this meant that this was a chance for them to become a somebody, an elite warrior that others had to respect the moment they walked into a room.
∆∆Once I’m a member, I’ll climb their ranks and become a hero that’ll put even the dragon princes to shame.∆∆
“A chance for redemption…what a rare thing to find.”
{The first step to greatness…and saving my family…}
But for those with some form of background, nobility, royalty or simply those from a prestigious warrior clan, this victory meant that they could open up a political channel to a premier warrior clan that could help them turn their own scions into powerhouses or simply borrow their might in military conflicts.
∆∆If we can secure the backing of the Zhen Clan, the Wushen School will have to back off!∆∆
“A trade deal with the Zhen Clan will bring us profits unimaginable! I gotta win this thing, for the company!”
{With the Zhen Clan’s help, the Clear Sky Kingdom is as good as mine.}
In fact, if one were to dig up the history books of several different clans across the world, they’d find multiple instances of multiple different factions maintaining or enhancing their positions in society thanks to the martial aide of the Zhen Clan. And how they managed to secure it thanks to the Zhen Clan’s competition.
On a related note, this trend was known enough amongst the movers and shakers of the world that they would regularly send in people to not only act as participants, but also as spies to keep tabs on their rivals and enemies.
∆∆I fucking knew it! Long Fan did send his children to participate! The bastard…∆∆
“And you’re certain Princess Iona is here? Of course she’s trying to find foreign help…”
{What ill winds are at work to bring are two families to conflict here again? Perhaps…it’s actually an opportunity…}
In other words, there was an expected pattern of behavior in regards to how this competition normally played out, and how people would conduct themselves during this grand event, so everyone was caught completely off guard when the Fallen Clan attacked.
It also didn’t help that so many of these up and coming scions that were kidnapped from right under their noses were being used for good old fashioned ransoms.
Needless to say, the blackmailed parties were not happy about it in the slightest in receiving these notices.
∆∆Ten kilos of Snow Jade Lotus Roots?! That’s absurd!∆∆
“One ton of Scarlet Blaze Iron…how the hell did they find out about that?”
{I don’t care how long the art has been in our family, it’s the only Major Ethereal Grade art we have! That’s more than worth the price for my sole heir!}
The aggrieved families, of course, pinned the blame mostly on the Zhen Clan for this situation.
It was their enemies that attacked their event,so they should’ve anticipated an attack of this magnitude.
It didn’t matter how many times the Zhen Clan promised and apologized to make things right, they were still the main target to a lot of animosity.
∆∆Some hero makers they turned out to be! They can barely protect a bunch of kids.∆∆
“If I find even one misplaced hair on her head when she’s found, I swear to the gods that I’ll -!”
{This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t supposed to happen at all…}
But amongst all of these tears and fears of missing heirs, there was another topic of conversation that seemed to pervade everyone’s mind a touch more.
Well, in the mind of everyone that didn’t have a missing scion to worry about.
∆{“Who/what was that monster?”}∆
While a lot had happened that day of the attack, at least three particular events stood out in everyone’s mind, especially in the minds of certain spies that had used the chaos to their advantage to figure out the full depth of this attack, or at least see if they could get in a sneaky assassination or two and have the resulting death be marked off as collateral.
The first event was simply the initial assault, kind of hard not to forget how quickly things went from zero to a hundred as several dozen people suddenly start randomly attacking everyone while a creepy demonic fog began manifesting out of nowhere.
The second event that stood out was the arrival of the Fallen Clan’s War Elder, and his subsequent trading of blows with the Zhen Clan’s matriarch. Despite not many people being able to witness this clash of Aether Emperors on a firsthand basis, many people could at least hear the sound of fists strong enough to pulverize mountains colliding with one another and feel the distorted waves of aether produced by the two mortal foes vying to rip out the other’s throat.
As for the third and most memorable event, it was the appearance of strange monstrous being devouring a [Ghost Flame] bomb.
Not everyone present to the competition knew what [Ghost Flame] was exactly, but those who did know, knew that such a dangerous flame could’ve annihilated everyone in that city, due to how it could spread.
When [Ghost Flame] is used to kill someone, the killed do not turn into ash, but instead turn into a strange, spectral being made of flames, whose very screams could cause the heart of anyone weaker than an Aether Grandmaster to suddenly stop in their chests. The fact that the Fallen had manage to prepare an entire ass bomb made of the stuff for the sole purpose of wiping out the Zhen Clan, indicated that they really, really wanted them dead.
The only ones even remotely qualified to handle such a dangerous flame were either high tiered alchemists or cultivators with a lot of familiarity in handling death aether and death aether related treasures.
So the fact that such a dangerous flame was not only tamed, but literally devoured by some unknown monster that nobody, not even the wisest of scholars that were hidden in that crowd, could identify was…memorable to say the least.
It was downright terrifying to a select group of people though.
∆∆What kind of monster was that thing? Hell, who did that monster belong to? The only time I remember hearing about such strange monsters were in…no…it can’t be…∆∆
“I know what I saw that day wasn’t an [Avatar]. It’s aura, it’s energy wasn’t anything like an aether beast either. It’s hard to describe, but it was like…wait…I just remembered something…”
{Wait…that feeling…I think I remember reading up on this phenomenon, once. But that last known entry of that guy was at least four centuries ago! And it was confirmed by multiple sources that that guy was dead…right?}
From the wisest of hermits to the most privileged of leaders, many of the people who had attended the Zhen Clan competition and had witnessed this turn of events had all come to two questions.
What was that monster and where did it go?
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‘I FUCKING KNEW I FORGOT SOMETHING! SHIT!’
=It’s not too bad of a thing milord. From the looks of it, our route out of here and back to Pearl Scale Harbor stops by the Storm Queen’s tomb. Well…technically.=
‘Technically?’
=It’s where the entrance should be.=
‘Is this the part where you tell me, my predecessor’s tomb is located in the Abyssal Lands?’
∆How’d you know?∆
‘Kind of guessed it based on how the Fallen’s War Elder…hang on…Pathos, why do you sound different?’
∆Don’t worry about it. Just dealing with the multiverse being an ass.∆
‘Okay then…if the tomb is in the Abyssal Lands, that means that spot on the map should be an entrance to not only my predecessor’s tomb, but the Abyssal Lands as a whole…right?’
=That is accurate, milord. That entrance should be the most direct route from the surface area of Roaring Tide, to where the Storm Queen’s buried in the Abyssal Lands. At least…where it should be buried. The Abyssal Lands are kind of a transient hot mess.=
=Oh hey, your voice changed back.=
‘Back to the matter at hand…it appears that I have two options on how to deal with this issue.’
<=Two?=>
‘Two that I don’t hate.’
<=Ah.=>
