Legacy of Hatred

Chapter 398: Trouble

The actual sale of a martial art was a rare occurrence. Liam had only obtained them from rewards, bargains, lucky findings, or straight-up coercion.

In theory, as long as the technique was valuable, martial arts were the most expensive resources in the cultivation world. Some alchemical products and magical items could match that raw monetary price, but they remained exceptions.

Honestly, Liam wasn’t even sure what price martial arts could sell for, which explained the trio’s shock. Grace had laid out almost twenty sheets, each representing a different technique. Most were rank 1, but that didn’t diminish the magnitude of the potential sale.

Of course, none of those were part of either Grace’s or Liam’s arsenals. Grace had made a point not to reveal anything about what they could do.

’I truly need to claim more inheritances,’ Liam mentally decided. Despite what had happened with the Church, that was the easiest and most direct method to gain access to otherwise unavailable resources.

That thought stuck while the trio kept browsing through the sheets. Erika’s map had given Liam and Grace a better idea of the area, but there was still much the couple didn’t know about.

For once, it seemed hunting magical beasts was the lone cultivators’ main attraction. With no one managing those packs, they weren’t hard to come by. No one even claimed their lairs as theirs, meaning experts could earn resources as long as they were willing to risk their lives.

Now, that wasn’t exactly easy without proper techniques, but the sheer number of cultivators in the area could achieve more than anything Liam had seen in Birgan Falls. They just had to band together, and they would be able to earn without Guilds taxing them.

Of course, Liam’s needs were far beyond that activity. With the potential earnings from his current belongings, he and Grace were at the level of small forces, which only small forces could deal with in any favorable fashion.

Yet, there had to be something else available in the area, valuable places to plunder, natural resources to find, and more. Criminals were supposed to be abundant, too, and some could be as impolite as the Axe Brigade.

’Are there bounties on criminals?’ Liam wondered. ’Can I even go to the Enforcement Guild at this point? Would I find a bounty on me?’

Liam was merely planning for the future. After all, his next order of business saw him entering the longest seclusion of his life, but it was good to think ahead, especially with requirements like his.

’Are there Sect missions outsiders can join?’ Liam considered. ’Those two mentioned missions, so there might be places of interest like the Mutated Battlefield.’

Liam wasn’t a slow thinker. No cultivator could be. It was one of the benefits of being superhuman, but he could take his sweet time dwelling on those thoughts since the trio spent a while reviewing every sheet.

Truth was, there wasn’t much to read. Grace had kept the summaries short, merely meant to give an idea of what the actual martial arts would teach.

Yet, Liam couldn’t blame the trio for being overzealous. He had done the same when he had entered the Pale Moon Sect’s vault. Now that he thought about it, he actually owned more techniques than what he had seen there.

"Are we supposed to decide among these?" Silas eventually spoke, his question hiding another one.

"If there is interest and spirit stones," Grace responded, "You can buy them all."

"Originals?" Samantha asked, sharpness joining her politeness for the first time that day.

"We would give the original tomes," Grace confirmed, "But we have no way of reassuring you about the absence of copies."

There obviously were copies. Grace had made sure of it, but Samantha’s concerns were justified. Martial arts lost value the more people possessed them. It was how market rates worked, and there was another problem.

If Grace had copies, she could sell them to a different force. They would net less than the originals, but they might still expose what Mairis wielded, allowing enemies to exploit gaps in its arsenal.

However, the catalog of martial arts was quite comprehensive. At least when it came to rank 1 techniques, the diversity was vast enough to prevent such issues.

Also, as Grace had said, Mairis’ trio had no way of checking whether the couple had copies. If not the pair, those tomes could easily exist in whatever force they came from.

Usually, that would be a bargaining point. The unavoidable risk could help lower the prices, but Grace’s previous generosity had put the three families in a pickle.

Grace had earned Mairis’ favor during the auction, so it should be the three families’ time to pay her back.

"How much for each?" Silas questioned.

"Five thousand for rank 1 martial arts," Grace declared without a shred of hesitation. "Thirty thousand for the rank 2 martial arts."

Liam was too focused on the trio’s reactions to show his own surprise. That was an absurdly high price, but he saw the three considering it.

’Fourteen rank 1 martial arts and four rank 2 ones,’ Liam calculated. ’That’s one hundred and ninety thousand spirit stones.’

That number fell short of what the couple had spent during the auction, but it surpassed the raw amount of spirit stones in the pile since they had compensated with alchemical products.

It was a lot, but there were favorable aspects. For once, it was simply impossible to acquire martial arts through such means, or at all. Moreover, the three families could share that financial burden.

There was another point. That was the first of what the three families hoped would be many priceless business opportunities. Matching the couple’s expectations would repay the previous favor and show that Mairis could indeed be the suitable channel they had been looking for.

Silas, Samantha, and Kris exchanged serious looks, and the former eventually voiced their intentions. "We would like to buy them all."

There were issues on how the three families would have to split that arsenal. Even if they didn’t, copies would have to be made, but that was their problem to handle.

"Wonderful," Grace emotionlessly exclaimed, glancing at the pile. "Do you have enough at hand?"

Silas waved his hand, and tinkling noises followed. A cascade of spirit stones spread on the floor behind the stone desk, revealing his ownership of a space-ring and that he had prepared for that sale beforehand.

Grace glanced at Liam, and he understood her needs. He stored the new translucent pile and the previous one, leaving only the containers behind. Grace’s ring was probably full, while his white one still had some room.

"These are the items you have requested," Grace announced, summoning the books matching her summaries. "It was a pleasure doing business with you."

Grace retook Liam’s hand at that point, seemingly ready to leave, only for the trio to have something to say about it.

"Fairy, Brother Liam, a moment please," Kris gasped, drawing a half of a black jade from his red robe and placing it on the stone desk. "This item is connected to me directly. If you ever are in need, I wish you’d contact me."

"The Pitker family extends the same invitation," Samantha declared, also drawing a half-jade. "We wouldn’t dare to intrude on your privacy, but this area can be hostile, and we wish nothing more than to make your stay more enjoyable."

Silas joined that trend but didn’t immediately speak. Instead, he added a green jade to his black one, seemingly hesitant to voice his thoughts.

"Fellow Daoists, friends," Silas exclaimed. "The Suron family wishes you to have a deeper understanding of the area. Please, take this. It’s Mairis’ way of apologizing for our poor welcome."

Erika’s map had already expanded on that point, but Silas’ green jade promised to be far better, and it was exactly what Liam wanted to make some sense of the border between regions.

However, tension built in the air at that announcement. Many would mistake it for immediate danger. After all, the three families had gotten what they wanted and could now turn their backs on the couple.

Yet, Liam caught up on the real issue and spoke on his own. "Who were those two Daoists?"

"We have ideas," Silas admitted, "But we aren’t at liberty to reveal them. Please understand our position."

Mairis was a relevant player, but not even close to being the biggest one. It probably had several unwritten rules it had to abide by to avoid destruction or more direct suppression.

Even if the trio knew where the two young men came from, they had to keep it a secret to avoid incurring the anger of the force behind them.

"We understand," Grace said, taking the black jades for herself so that Liam could seize the green one. They needed a proper home rather than a hiding spot now, and he was in charge of finding it.

"Fellow Daoists, another thing," Silas continued. "I know you have expressed the desire to live outside Mairis, but may I suggest prolonging your stay for a while? The Suros family would be happy to intercede in the meantime."

The black jades, the map, and that last offer were all ways to preserve the couple’s safety to ensure that more business opportunities would come.

That insistence also proved that Liam and Grace might have indeed made a big enemy.

"Of course, we’ll spare no expense," Kris politely added. "The Crege mansion is completely at your disposal. You’d be honored guests of the highest caliber."

Samantha and Silas looked about to make similar offers, but Grace’s chuckle interrupted them.

"We’ll be in touch," Grace stated, not even bothering to reject the offer directly, leaving the underground warehouse hand-in-hand with Liam, the trio holding back from playing escort again.

Still, the fears were far from unfounded, and Liam hadn’t even needed that reminder. He knew trouble would come along the way, and that was exactly what happened.