You keep collecting weird things , - Ogras commented as he took out a bottle of wine .
Like you’re one to talk , - Catheya laughed . - If it’s not ghosts , then it’s shadow creatures . -
Well , we don’t all have powerful empires to help us out . We commoners have to get our hands dirty if we want a shot at the good life , - Ogras shrugged .
Yeah , poor you , - Catheya said , her voice dripping with sarcasm . - Show me the imperial in our generation who wouldn’t get green with envy upon hearing all the lucky encounters you’ve stumbled onto since meeting Zac . -
Alright , you two , - Zac groaned . - You guys keep bickering like an old married couple , I’m starting to get jealous . -
Like he’d ever survive being married with that mouth , - Catheya muttered . - We have time to discuss all these issues , but I think we need to figure out what to do with Valsa’s subjects . -
Isn’t it obvious? - Ogras said . - They need to die . I admit I don’t know the next thing about Supremacies , but I don’t feel comfortable trusting that the seals of the Perennial Vastness will keep us safe . -
Honestly , I think the risk of someone like Lova exposing your identities is far greater than Supremacies breaking through the System’s seals to extract the information , - Catheya sighed .
Agreed , but we can’t do anything to them , - Ogras shrugged . - The deathsworn is a nuisance we can deal with . If nothing else , it’ll help us in the short-run . We’re lucky no new batch of guests has arrived over the past week . But I wouldn’t be surprised if the Seven Heavens sent another princeling into the Perennial Vastness to recoup their losses . After all , they now know there’s a Flamebearer in here . -
Zac sighed upon hearing the demon echo his thoughts . That was exactly his worry and why he’d asked Lova for assistance . Sendor already said he wouldn’t bar the young generation from entering the Perennial Vastness . How would they be able to focus on their Core Formation if a constant stream of imperials came out of the woodwork?
Killing the deathsworn won’t change that fact , but it will make their work harder . They’ve failed once and know we’re on guard . They’d have to make the second attempt count . I would be hesitant to launch an all-out strike unless I knew with certainty who to target and how Valsa failed the first time , - Catheya said .
And if we kill all the helpers and destroy all evidence , they’d have to start from scratch , - Ogras added . - Not just the investigations , but echelons , non-public intelligence of zones . You name it . We could just stay in high-echelon zones for the rest of the gallery , and they wouldn’t be able to touch us . -
Alright , - Catheya said as she took the Information Crystal from Ogras . - You two stay here , I’ll deal with it . It’s time those - helpers’ of ours put some work in . -
65
GETTING STRONGER
Neither Zac nor Ogras were surprised Catheya chose to take on this bloody mission . She was simply the best suited for it .
There are nine names , and there’s even fourth-echelon cultivators among them , - Ogras commented . - Dealing with them will be . . . Expensive . -
Zac grimaced at the thought . He remembered his encounter coming to Catheya’s aid just after entering the Perennial Vastness . He’d lost over 500 Mana killing the leader . Wiping out the whole group inside Vastness City would levy extraordinary fines on the killers . And it was easier said than done to lure them into a Red Zone .
Valsa struck me as someone who’d rather sacrifice all her deathsworn to empower herself than leave safeguards for others . I can’t believe so many people remain , - Zac said .
She probably would have if their strength were up to snuff , - Ogras agreed .
It doesn’t matter , - Catheya said . - It’s exactly for this type of thing they sent reinforcements . -
In this case , - they’ referred to the Undead Empire . The Eternal Clan siblings he met back then had already left the Perennial Vastness , but over a dozen new undead had cropped up over the past years . Two had just stumbled upon tokens , but the rest were sent with an explicit mission to shore up their position inside the trial .
Oddly enough , not one of those entering was a member of the Divine Races . They were all Revenants , Spectrals , and Corpselords , seemingly from completely different parts of the Undead Empire . What they had in common was incredible strength , easily surpassing the average guest . Zac had once found them highly suspicious , even suspecting they were part of the hidden threat .
Now that the threat was gone , the reinforcements came in handy .
Make sure there’s no trail leading back to you , - Zac said . - People will be talking about this for a while . -
Don’t worry , - Catheya smiled . - You two just don’t go creating any more problems before I’ve cleaned up this mess , right? -
Catheya left , and Ogras turned to Zac . - So , you got another sealbearer . You think he can be trusted? -
I think so . -
Still , having his seal wakened was a mistake . He’s a far bigger threat than those people on the toad’s list . What if he gets greedy upon his return? The knowledge he holds is worth a lot of money , and he doesn’t need you anymore . -
Kruta would never do that willingly , - Zac said . - If anything , he’ll keep our secrets out of self-preservation . He knows how these Imperial Clans act . If word gets out about his seal , his whole tribe will get implicated . They’d extract all knowledge before killing him to move the seal onto one of their own . -
Fine , - Ogras sighed . - I doubt you’re willing to kill him even if we found the opportunity . -
Of course not , - Zac glared .
Then we’ll just have to see where the pieces fall , - Ogras said . - At least you’ve completed your cycle now . That’s one problem dealt with . By the way , did the brute really gain an epiphany? Your girl said that wasn’t the case . -
The seal was thrumming with that weird energy , - Zac confirmed . - Maybe it’s because it was from the Indomitable Court? -
Either that or it’s Fate , - Ogras said . - You have to admit , that particular court is perfect for him . He’s also connected to you , the walking seal magnet . He has far more affinity to the Left Imperial Palace than some random guy who’s killed a sealbearer . -
Affinity , - Zac muttered . - That might be it . -
It made sense if you looked at it from a suitability perspective . If the deathsworn had held a seal of the Daedalian Court like Ventus , such a pairing wouldn’t have been suitable .
Guess we’ll find out during the war , - Ogras said . - It’s good news for us , at least . Means we might be able to gain epiphanies even if we find our final pieces inside the bodies of the Kan’Tanu . -
That is good news , - Zac said . - Unfortunately , I have some bad news as well . -
Zac explained the connection between the Primo and the Hollow Court . The demon didn’t have Catheya’s conflict of interest and needed to know , especially when what would happen during the trial was up in the air . What if Ogras appeared inside the Hollow Court and consumed whatever treasure was within?
Nine treasures , and my court’s ultimate prize just had to belong to an old monster who’s still around? What kind of greedy bastard sticks around that long? Just pack it in and let us youngsters live our lives , - Ogras swore , his face scrunching up . - Did you siphon off all my luck? Is that what this is? -
Hey , you’re not under a contract , - Zac smiled . - Feel free to go for it . -
And have some undying monstrosity breathe down my neck for the rest of my days? - Ogras spat . - I’d rather marry a Barghest . Still , it might be an opportunity . If those undead imperial hotshots get turned around , and we get the thing on our own . . . -