Legacy of Hatred

Chapter 402: Ruthless

With the fan and swords’ speed, shaking off curious onlookers took no time, but the group kept flying for almost an entire day before building an underground room with Liam’s stone tablet.

Grace set up a short table, some pillows, and wine, getting over the most immediate things after a few rounds of drinks, which ended with Lucas throwing Silas’ green jade back at Liam.

"That’s where the Heavenly Sword Cult is," Lucas explained. "But you sure did a number on Mairis’ families to receive such a map for free."

Liam’s Qi went into the jade, noticing that a cross now filled one of the map’s blank spots. Lucas hadn’t left any precise directions, but that was to be expected.

After storing the jade, Liam threw a longer look at the experts sitting on the other side of the table. He had to admit that he was curious, and only a fraction of that feeling came from the battle prowess shown earlier.

Clearly, the Heavenly Sword Cult was a Demonic Sect. Its name, location inside the Kingdom, and position inside the border said as much. It was quite near the center of that lawless zone, west of the current isolated room.

The attack Lucas had been about to unleash had also felt too dangerous to be an ordinary martial art. A weapon art could explain that, but that angry yet compressed frenzy reminded Liam of the Primal Urge.

Nevertheless, despite those obvious signs, Liam hardly saw any similarity with the Divine Cult. Lucas and Troy looked quite easygoing, even friendly, which Liam knew wouldn’t have been his fate if he had never escaped his imprisonment.

’Every Sect has different methods,’ Liam considered, ’But shouldn’t Demonic Sects be cruel?’

Even righteous Sects could be cruel. Liam had seen it in the Pale Moon Sect, and that was considered one of the good ones. Yet, the Divine Cult had a certain evil to it, one he couldn’t see reflected in the pair.

"What is it, Unreasonable Brother?" Lucas smiled, intrigued. "Planning to make a visit?"

"How is the Heavenly Sword Cult?" Liam asked, unable to suppress his curiosity.

Liam felt slim fingers tightening around his thigh. Grace was at his side, leaning on his arm, feigning ignorance behind her conceited act. Still, she hadn’t forgotten about Liam’s story and could understand what had caused that question.

"It’s not bad, I guess?" Lucas shrugged his shoulders, seemingly unsure how to reply. "We are all mostly on our own. We complete missions, collect rewards, and repeat. Oh, we also try not to kill each other in the process."

That vague description might not mean much for Grace, but Liam had terms of comparison. The killing part stuck out, leading to a seemingly reasonable guess.

’So, can they kill each other freely?’ Liam wondered. ’That sounds messy, but it is a Demonic Sect.’

"Does it mean you are at risk of dying?" Grace interjected. "That’s not suitable for business."

"No one would dare to target my Brother and me," Lucas dismissed. "We used to be rivals, you know? One day, they tried to gang up on him out of envy, and the rest is history."

Liam had stopped following, but Troy added a brief explanation. "We slaughtered our way to the top caves and left the bodies to rot for a year."

’That’s one way to earn a reputation,’ Liam mentally approved. He believed his Master would have done something even flashier.

"You see, I just didn’t want to lose my sparring partner," Lucas sighed. "There was no one else at my level. Now, I’m stuck with a taciturn and protective Brother."

It was an interesting world, ruthless, but interesting nonetheless. In a way, Liam preferred it compared to the political intricacies he had been forced to learn.

"How does one join the Heavenly Sword Cult?" Liam asked. He had no intention of doing that. He was just genuinely curious.

"You kill an existing disciple and take their place," Lucas revealed as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

’What do the Elders even do there?’ Liam couldn’t help but think.

"Though the Heavenly Sword Cult prioritizes swordsmanship above all," Lucas warned, lifting his cup before nodding at Grace. "I also wouldn’t bring your woman along. You’d have to kill half the Sect to play the happy couple in peace."

The first warning addressed Liam’s fighting style. Lucas hadn’t seen him using swords, so the Heavenly Sword Cult probably was a bad fit for him unless he wanted to change his entire arsenal.

Instead, the second warning involved Grace’s beauty. Liam had seen the looks she had garnered from the Axe Brigade, and things would be even worse in an environment where killing was the rule.

Still, Liam remained interested. He couldn’t join Sects, but learning about such environments broadened his worldview and gave him ideas, especially when they seemed to require nothing but strength.

As long as the rules allowed it, Liam could see himself joining a Demonic Sect, taking what he needed, and just leaving. Lucas and Troy looked to be quite free, but there could be more to it.

"Your offer," Troy reminded, his emotionless face not saying whether he had run out of patience or Lucas had been sharing too much.

However, Grace had ways to continue probing that didn’t require direct questions.

"Will you be fine failing your mission?" Grace wondered. "Because we don’t plan on giving away the ingredients."

"There are always missions about ingredients and alchemical products," Lucas reassured. "And the Sect doesn’t care how we get them. If you have access to products, we’ll take those."

"Alchemical products aren’t an issue," Grace confirmed. "I’m more worried about your finances and what else we can get in return."

"How many alchemical products are we talking about?" Lucas questioned. "Rank 2 ones. We have no use for anything else."

Grace glanced at Liam. She had an idea, but he was the master, and they still hadn’t had time to brief each other about the matter.

"Around five hundred," Liam replied.

Lucas had been friendlier, but had remained calm and unfazed. He was enjoying his wine, filling his mouth, when the answer landed in his ears, making him spit its contents to the side.