Chapter 86: Risky Trade
Yao Shen had decided to personally oversee the construction of All-Haven, which was now on track to be completed on an expedited schedule. While he had not expected a hundred or so cultivators to volunteer after his impassioned speech, their addition was a welcome one.
On the surface, it seemed like Yao Shen had returned to his normal duties. A new residence had been constructed for him just outside All-Havens immediate periphery upon his request, further reinforcing the fact that he would be the first line of defense against any cultivator or spiritual beast that dared to launch an attack on the future mortal capital.
His daily schedule included overseeing All-Havens construction, usually across two or three trips that lasted anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or two. In truth, a single sweep of his Divine Sense told him all he needed to know, but his presence was required for two reasons.
Firstly, by showing his face in public view, Yao Shen assuaged any disciples or for that matter, even Guardians and Elders that had been shaken by the Demons incursion. He had beaten a Soul Emperor level Demon before and now, All-Haven was under his direct protection. The Demonic Path was known for their malevolence, but they would not be foolish enough to launch a second assault without readying countermeasures for his abilities.
The second reason was far more subtle in nature, for Yao Shen had to mask the real reason why he had sought refuge in All-Haven, away from the watchful eyes of the three Patriarchs.
He had to digest the gains from his fight with Gavril, while also making a few tough decisions.
The Bell Artifact had been key to defeating the demon and while Yao Shen put little stock in Gavrils words, the emotional instability when he had released the seal upon his soul was part of the reason why he had been able to trump against the Soul Emperor in the first place. And the shock that both his expression and tone had conveyed when he identified the Bell Artifact with the cumulative wisdom of multiple cultivators was unlikely to have been faked, even if it had not stopped Yao Shen from attacking the Demon in the slightest.
A Relic that was the specific term Gavril had used to describe the Bell Artifact. What was the need to distinguish it from artifacts, when they already served such a wide variety of functions?
Yao Shen had his suspicions, but none of them were concrete enough for him to solidify his opinion on the matter. Regardless, while he had already disclosed his ownership of the relic to the Demonic Path, the same was not true of the Modern Sect and by extension, the righteous path.
While his decision to free the souls trapped within the Bell Artifact seemed to be driven purely by emotion, Yao Shen had only done so after giving the matter calculated thought. Naturally, he never had any intention of entrapping the souls of sapient beings, regardless of their own allegiances in their former life as cultivators. However, where he had leeway was the manner in which he chose to release the souls.
The Bell Relic had been safely nestled in his Soul Lake when he released the tormented souls from their captivity, giving the cultivators of the Modern Sect and the spies among their ranks the distinct impression that the ability to manipulate and entrap souls fell within the capabilities of the Esoteric Human Dao.
Merely because Yao Shen believed himself to be a member of the righteous path did not imply that he trusted its leadership. If the Artifact in his possession was important enough, or powerful enough, as the Demon had seemed to suggest, then it was possible that the Eastern Righteous Path alliance could employ any number of pretexts to divest it from his possession.
Yao Shen could fight away any Demon that tried to steal the artifact from him, but the Modern Sect currently did not have enough political influence to disavow an edict from the Eastern Righteous Path alliance.
He also had no ethical qualms about reserving his ace in the hole the potent soul of the Serpentine Spiritual Beast, which remained trapped in the Bell Artifact. However numerous the Core Formation and Nascent Soul level souls had been, they could not compare to a single, damaged remnant soul of a Lingxi Nagawing, to the point where the comparison had not even been close.
Under the pretext of close door cultivation, Yao Shen had been studying the Bell Artifact and the Soul Emperor level Beast Soul trapped within. It had only taken him a day to conclude that the beast itself had not been far off in cultivation base from Gavril himself, likely at middle-stage Soul Emperor or higher.
Gavril had most likely relied on his own versatility and knowledge to come out on top against the beast, maybe even employing the assistance of other cultivators. Regardless, the fact of the matter remained the Lingxi Nagawings soul was his greatest and perhaps only offensive means that was capable of killing a Soul Emperor. It was not an advantage that he could afford to give up and whilst the Spiritual Beast was a sapient creature, its concepts of morality and the value of human life were too far divorced from Yao Shens for him to afford it mercy.
In the world of Spiritual Beasts, might was king. Domesticating them was impossible unless they were chanced upon as cubs and forcing them to yield to your will only worked until the cultivator in question had the upper hand. Each year, hundreds of cultivators died to Spiritual Beasts, the weaker ones among them driven by a bloodlust that could only be satiated with Qi-Rich blood while the stronger ones among them, at Nascent Soul levels and above, vyied for supremacy amongst themselves until a beast king was crowned.
The Beast King of the Nayun Forest was responsible for its order, his command the only thing stopping powerful spiritual beasts from tearing at one anothers throats. But the Beast Kings morality and dominion only extended to its own. Human Cultivators, Dwarves and Elves were seen as resources, while Mortals were mere playthings for beast tides to ravage when the population of the Nayun Forest exceeded what it could sustain.
Yao Shen did not see any hope of cooperating with such a race and ultimately, he was no saint. He was a cultivator who was willing to challenge the very heavens in his pursuit for strength.
Thankfully, his own Soul was a ways off from reaching the level of refinement where the base effect of the Bell Relic could no longer influence it. For the last three days, Yao Shen had spent an hour a day bearing the intense, crushing sensation that he was required to undergo if he wished to strengthen his soul.
In a hastily constructed cultivation chamber, Yao Shen sat cross-legged, his white robes completely drenched in sweat as he returned the bell artifact to his Soul Lake.
Its not enough, he spoke through gritted teeth, as his expression twisted to a frown. Mere minutes of undergoing Soul Cultivation had left him drained not long ago, but now he forced himself to bear through hour-long sessions without making a single utterance.
Even then, it was far from enough.
Yao Shen had failed as Patriarch. Even more so, he had failed as a master. His own disciples had been threatened in his presence and would have most likely perished, if not for his own good fortune of having stumbled across the Bell Relic.
The Demon had issued a threat before his departure.
While the Relic made Yao Shen a perfect counter to the Ancient Codex, he had far more important things to preserve than his own life.
Attacking a Soul Emperor was too risky a gambit for the Demonic Path to try again in the short term. But if Gavril only sought to attack his psyche, there were other ways of accomplishing it.
The Modern Sect was presently incapable of defending itself from the Demonic Path.
Vondar, will you not change your price? Yao Shen woefully asked, addressing the hammer and baton artifact that was resting before him.
A few moments passed by in silence, before the Artifact Spirit finally responded.
What you ask for is not greater runescript, The response came, slow and thoughtful. Or rather, you do not understand the true nature of what you ask.
Enlighten me, then, Yao Shen replied, failing to conceal the irritation in his tone.
There were multiple spoken and written languages in your old world, yes? Vondar rhetorically asked.
Yao Shen nodded.
Then you understand that certain intricacies of one language may not translate perfectly to another.
Cultural differences, regional specifics, speech styles and inflections Indeed, there can be many reasons for such discrepancies, Yao Shen confirmed after a moment.
The differences you refer to exist because the languages in your old world were created by man. Greater Runescript, however, is a language that already existed before man, always existed. The Language of the World. As such, there is no such thing as a perfect translation only estimates. Do you understand? Vonder asked, a twinge of scholarly excitement leaking into his tone.
Yao Shen considered the matter for a few long moments, but ultimately Runescripting was not his field.
He shook his head.
The Self-Destruct Rune you seek for your Lumenite Armor is a combination of five different words. However, to reach that specific combination of words to achieve the desired results, my Dwarven Ancestors had to try thousands of combinations of hundreds of different words until they landed upon the correct sequence and consequently, correct translation of the words. The trade is not an easy one to make and many among my kind would see it as tantamount to betrayal. As such, I believe my price to be fair.
Yao Shen grimaced as he understood just how vast and how truly difficult Greater Runescript truly was. Even if thousands of cultivators were dedicated to the task, it would likely require years, if not decades of trial and error before the correct translation for a self-destruct rune was reached. And that was only if Yao Shen could find enough Greater Runescript words to begin with.
I can agree to your price but I have a condition, Yao Shen replied after some thought. Ordinarily, this was a trade that he would not have preferred to make. For whilst the information Vondar sought was dangerous on its own, what truly intimidated Yao Shen was the who.
Name it.
You may pass on the knowledge I bestow upon you to your future successor. However, any inspiration, designs or creations borne from this information must be shared with me, Yao Shen stated, his tone uncharacteristically icy as he did so.
Very well, Vondar agreed without any hesitation. While I hold the key to the Lumenite Mine, you can destroy my soul at any time. If I had any intention to betray you or your sect, I would not disclose any of this information to begin with, The Artifact Spirit tried to reassure him, only serving to acutely remind Yao Shen of the weight of the decision he was about to make- and the reasons why he was hesitating so.
This knowledge was not something that he wished to bring to Eliria.
But if it had the potential to protect the Modern Sect and his disciples from the threat of the Demonic Path when he was not around to protect them..
Then, Yao Shen would not hesitate.
Fine, Yao Shen assented and the trade was made.
Five Greater Runescript Chains for knowledge that Yao Shen had deliberately excluded from the memories he had shown Vondar in their first encounter.
The knowledge of Earths Modern Weaponry.
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