Legacy of Hatred

Chapter 403: Scary

Lucas coughed violently, the wine having gone down the wrong pipe. Meanwhile, Troy had his brown eyes fixed on Liam, wider than usual, betraying shock.

Even Grace changed the way she leaned on Liam. She had seen him do much more in the Roaring Thunder Sect, but his skills never stopped being shocking. He was her handsome golden goose, so she rubbed his thigh sensually, resting her head on his arm.

Of course, that high number had a lot to do with the absurd amount of ingredients Liam and Grace had purchased. However, Liam’s skills played a big role, too, and he now knew they weren’t the norm.

’Right, I’m good,’ Liam recalled. ’Well, as Master’s disciple, anything less would bring him shame.’

Liam might have learned pride, but was too devoted to his Master to take credit. He might have concocted until he had collapsed multiple times, but it was the great Horace Rauret who deserved all the praise.

’Thank you, Master,’ Liam thought. ’Disciple will make the entire world chant your great name.’

A bitter smile appeared on Liam’s face as his thoughts went to his Master, Melissa, Joel, and the Pale Moon Sect. He had left them during such a big crisis and hadn’t heard anything about them since.

The echo of a familiar pain spread from the top of Liam’s head. His Master would have gotten angry if he had caught him worrying about him.

’Disciple is keeping himself alive and growing strong,’ Liam reminisced. ’As long as I do that, I’ll meet you again, right, Master?’

Movement snapped Liam out of his pensive state. For some reason, Grace had stood up, and Liam had to spread his legs in a hurry when her feet landed between them.

There was no warning or outward request, but Grace elegantly sat between Liam’s legs, even taking his free hand to place it on her waist, shooting her temptress look at him.

Yet, Liam saw the lie now. At least, it felt deeper than before. Grace’s act hid something that tasted warm, like concern for the face Liam had made.

’I still have her,’ Liam thought when meeting those green eyes, not realizing that his hand on Grace had started to apply pressure, pulling her closer.

Lucas finished coughing and cleared his throat, reclaiming the couple’s attention.

"Are you King and Queen of some part of the Kingdom I’m not aware of?" Lucas asked. "Five hundred rank 2 alchemical products?"

"Our favorite roleplay is princess and prince," Grace shamelessly declared. "Though I seem to understand that you can’t bear such a trade."

Lucas and Troy exchanged a look that left little to the imagination. They were flabbergasted, both due to the absurd number Liam had named and to what Grace expected of them. They were just two rooting experts after all. They couldn’t possibly have such finances.

"The Heavenly Sword Cult has no means of production," Lucas explained. "It will accept virtually anything. However, delivering such quantities will attract attention. Even the Elders might get involved."

Liam didn’t need to ask. It was one of the first rules he had learned about the cultivation world. A connection like himself and Grace was priceless, so the pair’s fellow disciples and Elders would either claim a piece of the pie, seize it entirely, or destroy it.

"It’s still unclear what you can offer," Grace reminded. "If it’s just spirit stones, Mairis can already provide."

Liam understood that conundrum better than Grace. He had lived in a Sect after all. It was easier to obtain spirit stones in the border, but disciples tended to trade in contribution points.

Troy and Lucas were likely completing missions to use those points on Sect’s rewards, which probably couldn’t leave the Heavenly Sword Cult’s perimeter.

Still, Liam smelled the trap, and it seemed Lucas felt it, too.

"Sister Grace, please," Lucas called, his empty smile returning. "You showed us your rank 3 weapon. You revealed the size of your trade, at least part of it. Let’s not do this."

Liam brought his cup to his mouth despite Grace being in the way. He was tall enough to drink comfortably, and the gesture hid his surprise when he heard Grace’s endgame.

"It’s wise practice to establish multiple channels," Grace declared. "We still want the spirit stones, but we can accept discounts if you can provide information otherwise inaccessible."

Sects operated on a higher level. Lucas and Troy might know things about the area that Mairis would never learn about throughout its existence.

That especially applied to opportunities only Sects controlled, just like the Mutated Battlefield had been.

"What do you think?" Lucas inquired, glancing at his companion. "He is strong, and she is scary."

Troy didn’t need long looks now. He seemed to have already made his decision since he fished out an inscribed strip of yellow paper from his robe and ripped it in half, placing a piece on the table.

That talisman was another communication device, a cheaper one with a shorter range, which served the couple perfectly as long as they remained on the border.

When Grace seized the half-talisman, Lucas downed his drink and stood up. Troy did the same. The two were ready to leave.

"We have taken enough of your time," Lucas exclaimed, glancing at Liam. "Contact us when you finish the products. We’ll be on the lookout for opportunities worth banding up for."

Lucas had already decided that the group was a team now, which was reasonable. He wouldn’t just give away good opportunities to Liam and Grace. He would only let them join in.

As for the first part, Lucas had gotten it right despite the few clues. He was only sure that the couple had mass-purchased ingredients and that Grace had needed Liam to come up with a number, but that seemed to have exposed him as an alchemist.

Grace feigned ignorance and tapped Liam’s free arm, so he summoned his stone tablet and opened the underground room. The pair directly jumped out, leaving the couple alone.

"Proper disciples are always harder to deal with," Grace sighed, resting her head on Liam’s chest to look up at him. "Master, do you also find your inseparable prized possession scary?"

Part of Liam believed he shouldn’t tell the truth, but it escaped from his lips anyway. "It’s one of the first things I thought about you."