Chapter 150: Best Friend

"You jest," the old man wheezed, wiping a tear from his eye. "Setting aside the artifacts I surrendered to the Sovereign earlier... imagine if this pauper-like old man were to produce three more Provincial-grade artifacts on demand. Would that not be tantamount to robbing me of my life?"

"If that is your perspective," the lead Archon said coldly, "then this matter might prove difficult."

The trio exchanged a single glance. Without another word, they launched their assault.

Three concentrated bursts of Exarch-level Aether erupted, aiming to incapacitate the old man before he could mount a defense.

"Oh my. Not even a warning?" Corvus taunted. He did not flinch. He did not even raise his staff.

Instead, he reached into his frayed robes and retrieved a palm-sized token forged from meteor-iron.

The inscription read: Zenith Legion.

At the sight of that single word, the three Archons’ expressions contorted in horror. Their pupils dilated.

All three men spat blood simultaneously. In their desperation to halt their own attacks before striking the token’s bearer, they had reversed the flow of their Aether-meridians, suffering severe internal backlash.

Corvus chuckled. He had not lifted a finger; they had injured themselves out of sheer panic.

"Your Excellency is a member of the Central Continent’s Zenith Legion," the lead Archon gasped, wiping blood from his chin with trembling fingers. "Why did you not say so earlier? We were at fault. We shall make way immediately."

"Had you disclosed your identity, we would never have dared to draw our weapons," the second Archon groaned, clutching his chest.

The Zenith Legion was the personal guard of the Central Continent’s Grand Commander. Entry required a minimum of Exarch-level cultivation. Provoking them was suicide.

"I did not expect you three to act with such haste," Corvus said, tucking the token back into his robes.

"But Your Excellency," the third Archon managed, looking genuinely confused. "If you carry the Zenith Legion’s token, why did you submit to the Abyssal Sovereign’s extortion earlier? Surely even he would respect the Grand Commander’s authority."

Corvus leaned on his staff. "Meeting each other is fate, so this old cripple will offer you some advice. Do not provoke that man."

He turned away, his limping gait surprisingly swift as he ascended the valley path. Before cresting the ridge, he cast one final glance back toward the smoking crater that had once been House Rullus.

I have had the privilege of watching the Grand Commander deploy his Supreme-tier arts,

Corvus thought.

But that Sovereign’s Aetheric density... it rivals the Commander’s. Perhaps exceeds it. Where did such a monster come from?

He shook his head and vanished over the ridge.

Left alone in the valley, the three Archons exchanged wry, defeated smiles.

"Let us go our separate ways," the lead Archon sighed. "We cannot provoke the Sovereign, and the Zenith Legion is entirely beyond our means..."

"What a disaster," the second muttered. "We lost a fortune in crystals and artifacts just for being spectators."

Humiliated twice in one afternoon, the three provincial rulers dispersed, nursing their internal injuries and their damaged pride.

---

The Eastern Marches. The Ashford Sword Sanctum.

Guided by Elder Vane and Elder Caelum, Seraphina and Cassia arrived at the sprawling, majestic base of the Sanctum’s primary mountain.

Towering swords of carved granite lined the stone steps, and the Aether density was thick enough to taste.

"Senior Sister!" Cassia suddenly pointed toward a miserable patch of weeds near the outer perimeter. "Look! That is the house I used to live in when I was stationed here!"

Seraphina followed the younger girl’s finger. Her brow furrowed instantly.

Tucked away in the shadow of the grand statues was a crooked, mismatched shack constructed from scavenged timber and rusted iron siding.

It leaned to the left, lacking proper windows, and looked as though a strong breeze might reduce it to kindling.

It was a structure far beneath the standards of even a rural village, let alone one of the Empire’s premier martial institutions.

Seraphina’s eyes narrowed behind her spectacles as she turned a dangerous glare upon Elder Vane.

The Ashford Sanctum presented itself as a place of honor, yet they had relegated her junior sister to a dilapidated hovel in the dirt?

Before she could voice her outrage, Elder Vane caught the murderous look in her eye and nearly leaped out of his boots.

He knew exactly what she was thinking...

"Operative Seraphina, please, there is a misunderstanding!" the Elder shouted, waving his hands. "On the mountain peak, we prepared a grand pavilion for Cassia! She is the Eastern Branch’s designated Sword Prodigy! We treat her with the utmost respect!"

"Then why," Seraphina asked, her voice dropping ten degrees, "did she live in a shack?"

"Because she built it herself!" Elder Vane cried, looking as though he might weep. "The grand pavilion is inside the primary ward-network. She constructed this... this architectural atrocity right on the boundary line so she could sneak out at night, bypass our security patrols, and run her illegal businesses in the provincial capital!"

Elder Vane held his breath, watching Seraphina anxiously.

If the Sovereign’s senior disciple reported that the Sanctum had mistreated her junior sister, the entire Eastern Branch might wake up to find a Primeval hammer descending on their courtyard.

Seraphina stared at the dilapidated shack for a long moment. Then, she let out a long sigh.

Without a trace of doubt, she believed the Elder. Building an architectural hazard just to bypass wards and run a black-market enterprise was exactly the sort of thing Cassia would do.

"Hey, Senior Sister!" Cassia beamed, pointing at the siding. "It’s quite decent, isn’t it?"

"Well..." Seraphina adjusted her spectacles, suppressing the urge to draw her sword and level the monstrosity just to improve the landscape. "It certainly possesses... four walls. More or less."

"See? The Boss’s senior operative appreciates architectural ingenuity!" Cassia declared.

The misunderstanding resolved, the two Elders exhaled in profound relief.

"Let us proceed up the mountain," Elder Vane suggested, eager to put the shack behind them. "We can continue our conversation at the peak."

"Wait! Hold on!" Cassia darted toward the shack. "I need to bring my best friend to introduce to Senior Sister!"