Chapter 544: Three months

That was a first for Liam. The woman had actually accepted the danger he posed and respected it before he uttered any crazy threat.

Of course, the swiftness with which Liam had disposed of two rooting experts despite belonging to the same stage had played a huge role in that impression, but he also understood something else.

’The Tribes aren’t too strong,’ Liam realized. ’Or maybe she just doesn’t want her faction to suffer.’

As strong as Liam appeared, the damage a rooting expert could inflict was limited, at least in theory. The woman taking such precautions inevitably spoke poorly for the Tribes’ power.

Still, that openness also enabled a change of plans.

"Who have I killed?" Liam questioned. Since the woman was so cooperative, he would expose his ignorance.

"Chester, first Young Master of the Invincible Oasis Tribe," The woman revealed, using her eyes to highlight the corpses. "And Jacob, third Young Master of the Red Sandstorm Tribe."

Those names didn’t mean much to Liam, but he could still connect the implied hierarchy to what he had seen with Mairis’ families.

"Were they important?" Liam asked.

"Young Master Jacob’s death is ... workable," The woman said with some hesitation. "But the Invincible Oasis Tribe won’t overlook Young Master Chester’s death."

That summary fit Liam’s initial understanding of the Tribes’ hierarchy, but his following question carried ominous vibes that added value to the woman’s fears. "Do Tribes have leafing experts?"

The woman gulped, somehow retaining her smile. That terrifying foreigner had implicitly announced his lack of fear toward branching experts.

"They don’t," The woman hastily responded. "My noble Father and Mother, leaders of the Dark Heaven Tribe, have brought it to its current unmatched splendor as high-stage and mid-stage branching experts."

The oversharing was suspicious, and it didn’t end there.

"Big Brother, allow me to introduce myself," The woman bowed. "I’m Rachel, daughter of the Dark Heaven Tribe, sole child of its great Patriarch and Matriarch."

’She is a princess,’ Liam summarized, smelling the ploy in that oversharing, which didn’t take long to understand. "You want to entangle me in this."

Liam’s murders wouldn’t only cause problems for him. Since Chester and Jacob had been chasing Rachel, chances were that their Tribes would implicate her in their deaths.

Basically, stealing had been fine, but death demanded a stronger answer, and Rachel wanted to ensure Liam’s support in the fights to follow.

As for using Liam as a scapegoat, that was a possibility, but Chester and Jacob’s Tribes couldn’t possibly know about his wealth. They would probably use him to extort the Dark Heaven Tribe instead of the other way around.

Of course, there was also the danger that Liam would force himself on Rachel. She was completely in his power, so she wanted to be on friendly terms.

"Nothing escapes Big Brother’s eyes," Rachel said, smiling fearlessly despite being caught. "But this little Sister is also grateful for Big Brother’s help. Her fate would have terrified any young lady, so my noble parents will want to repay you with their support."

Liam had heard the word "harem", so he could guess the implications. Considering that Rachel was her Tribe’s leaders’ only child, saving her had indeed earned him a great favor.

’Well, works for me,’ Liam thought. He didn’t know how those noble parents would take the fact that he had poisoned their daughter, but the conditions around that first foothold were decent nonetheless.

"Where is your Tribe?" Liam asked.

"Two weeks of flight southeast," Rachel revealed. "Big Brother, the Great Quiet Desert might be bothersome to navigate, but you will never get lost with little Sister here."

"I won’t come with you," Liam declared. "You go ahead and wait for me. Do you have a communicator?"

The news surprised Rachel. That desert was truly harsh. Even the best experts could get lost easily, which usually meant death due to the Qi-depleting heat and other dangers. It was why tracking methods were so common.

Still, defying Liam wasn’t an option. That much had already been set in stone, so Rachel summoned a black jade from one of her rings. As the daughter of branching experts, she had storage devices.

Liam didn’t take the jade. He imprinted it on his unified communicator, which gained a new mark. Afterward, he did some mental math and took out fourteen flasks with a pale-red liquid.

"The poison will kill you in a week," Liam explained, showing the flasks. "These will suppress the symptoms. Only take them every six or seven days. They won’t last you otherwise."

There were dangers with giving such a large stock of antidotes. Fellow alchemists could study and reproduce them, but that didn’t apply to Liam’s. Without his blood, nothing could be achieved.

"Big Brother," Rachel muttered, staring at the flasks, her smile making way for fear. "The best experts can get lost in the Great Quiet Desert. Without a guide, you might fail even to get close to the Dark Heaven Tribe, and this little Sister-"

"Three months," Liam interrupted, his fingers showing that number. "I’ll be there in three months at most. Now go."

Liam gave Rachel no room for negotiations, so she could only cup her fist and jump on the spear, hurrying south-east.

Once Rachel disappeared from Liam’s perception, he summoned a container with his stockpiled venom and poured it on the corpses. Their flesh melted as he jumped on the fan and also headed south-east.

That direction wasn’t ideal, but compromises were necessary. Besides, Liam’s travel pace was bound to increase immensely soon enough.

Liam made sure never to catch up with Rachel, stopping only in the depths of the night. The scorching heat had disappeared, replaced by a frigid cold which still somehow demanded his Qi to fend off. Still, the drain wasn’t as harsh as during the day.

The scenery was genuinely enchanting, especially since it was Liam’s first time in that environment. The desert at night was desolate but strangely alive, the sky empty but full. The sight was rather mystical, but he couldn’t indulge in it.

Once Liam felt he had put enough distance from the murder site, he used his Master’s tablet to create a small underground room. He undressed right afterward, summoning his greatsword and pipe.

It was time for Liam to fix his greatest weakness. It was time to become a branching expert.