All eight of them huffed in unison. This whale-shaped human had no respect or consideration whatsoever.
"We also came to resolve another matter. We want our descendants," said the high elf from Litharion, dryly.
"Hm?" The whale turned to the high elf and stared at him coldly.
He swallowed his anger and continued. "I came to make him my disciple. I’m willing..."
"No need," the whale cut him off without a second glance. "He has already agreed to go to your family, but he will be Azali’s disciple."
The high elf nearly exploded with his qi, but only roared. "She’s just a common elder! I’ll hand him over to you..."
"No, I’ll go with Azali. My master taught me that starting from the bottom builds the road, but the lessons are greater and lasting. Sorry, sir, but I’m just a humble mortal. If I’m spoiled, my blade will lose its edge," Corin said politely, looking at the high elder.
The high elder, in turn, looked into his eyes and sighed. He didn’t want to humble himself and beg, though he wanted to; his talent was terrifying at this point. All the high elders fought to be the ones who came here and had the chance to have him as a disciple. He won, but in the end, he got nothing.
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Meanwhile, Azali was empty-eyed, unable to believe it. She was experienced enough not to let her emotions get the best of her. She simply nodded for Corin to approach and imagined the chance she received from the heavens... and also her daughter. He smiled slightly and approached, but seeing that look from the elder, he broke out in a cold sweat. Calirer spent the night intimidating him and making it clear that she would tear him apart if he did anything funny out of her sight. He had to keep a safe distance and make things clear.
Kaiyka watched the conclusion and cast a glance at Ruri and the whale. Ruri subtly nodded and floated to the side of the high elder without exchanging a single word. Everyone was a bit stunned. How did this cold woman win over the whale and that young one? Only the elder behind knew a bit, as Kaiyka spent days arguing with the family to cover up the events in the side branch.
Now it was the high dwarf’s turn. He approached Vuard and scrutinized him closely. Then he said, "Cultivation a bit empty... but your will is strong. Did you really forge all the weapons of those cultivators?"
"Yes, in the realm of the dwarves... the one that the twelve families exterminated," replied Vuard, his eyes turning cold and bloodthirsty, causing the high dwarf to look at him seriously. "There was a temple and an inheritance from the forge god’s disciple. I can’t consider myself his disciple, but luckily I received the inheritance before everything was destroyed by those bastards."
All members of the four families sighed heavily. The forge god’s disciples were known for not staying long in one place. They were spotted on mortal, ascending, and divine planets randomly, and then they left. It wasn’t uncommon for them to like something or someone and leave something behind. But... the twelve families just wiped everything out without checking. They were true idiots, destroying a rare inheritance in the whole universe that could have been used by them.
"Great, come to our family. We import many materials from the divine world, and we can also sell them to them. Soon a demand from the divine world will arrive, and you can gain prestige and many resources easily. Our family will only keep half of the profits, as a fair trade," said the high dwarf slowly, trying to convince him.
The whale intervened. "He has a pregnant wife waiting for him. Plus, his three children were killed in the war because of your incompetence. Do you think he or I would trust your words?"
The high dwarf heard this seriously and turned to Vuard. He had a cold and painful look, as if remembering his dead children. The high dwarf became seriously concerned. How to convince him after having that put on the table?
"I’ll go, but not without being able to give a reward to my wife. Our son will be born soon, and I want to provide her with a queen’s life that she deserves. I want to keep 90% of all profits, and you will allow me to visit my wife and son weekly. It’s that or nothing."
The high dwarf huffed, considering keeping only 10% ridiculous. However, the prestige of having a disciple of the forge god in the family was immense. Moreover, he would have a wife and it would be nice to visit her regularly and have many other children. He would pass his techniques to them, and the family would have generations of forgers; there would be no real losses. Maybe they wouldn’t earn much at the moment, but in the long run, it would be worth it.
The negotiations were concluded, and Vuard received the assurance that the agreement would be upheld. All members of the other families were witnesses. If something went wrong, they would be happy to take Vuard from them and keep that forger for themselves.
Right after, a couple of divine beasts in human form approached Loeus. He stared at them indifferently. The high elder of the Yangta was a tall and strong man in his human form. Loeus, on the other hand, was practically human; living among beasts would be burdensome and dangerous for him.
But Loeus was the first to speak. "I want to make it clear that I have a wife and five children. The culture of the beasts is different from humans. If you want to recruit me to turn me into a breeder, I refuse."
"I understand, it’s a shame," said the elder woman. At that moment, Langrum narrowed her eyes and stared at her coldly. It became immediately clear to both who his wife was.
The high elder spoke calmly. "We didn’t have that intention. You were born with our bloodline, although it is very thin. We have methods to strengthen it. Obviously, you will always be more human than beast, but hybrids are common throughout the universe. We will still treat you as family, and you will receive equal treatment to all."
Loeus listened attentively and nodded. The high elder continued. "You mentioned five children? I also have five. I won’t force anything, but we can arrange for them to meet, or even your children can visit the family in the future."
Langrum nodded contentedly beside Loeus. If there was nothing forced, it wouldn’t cost anything and his children would benefit from it. But they still waited silently for Loeus to speak. After seconds of silence, the high elder spoke.
"Well... do you wish for anything? I can provide, if possible."
He spoke calmly, sincerely. The whale noticed his fluctuations attentively; he wasn’t malicious, but still exuded an aura of blood and death, indicating he wasn’t a good person. The Yangta seemed to have a tendency towards neutrality, which represented a great opportunity. If Loeus could win them over, he could sway all the neutral members to his side. Surely, the Yangta had the greatest potential among the families, but the risk of failure and turning them all hostile was equally significant.
"You must be aware of my physical condition. I’m only alive because my wife keeps me balanced. I want to have her always close, but she rules the city," said Loeus slowly.
The high elder of the Yangta thought quickly and nodded. "I will grant you authorization and a spatial pass. You’ll be able to come every other day to see her. Each use of the channel will cost some resources for the family. Using it for free is a privilege no one in the family has; it will be a proof of our sincerity."
Langrum was pleased, and so was Loeus. She already started to want to have children again; now she’ll be able to continue working without too many interruptions. Moreover, their children will have access to the family and opportunities. It was an excellent deal for them.
The whale nodded without saying anything. Loeus and Langrum had already discussed this before; they wanted something close to this. After meeting the young woman from the Yangta, Loeus conceived this strategy. They planned to mix their descendants among the Yangta, which would facilitate their influence.
Not necessarily through marriages, as was almost proposed; if it happened, great. Both were convinced that their children could stand out in the family and help with the plans. After all, the whale left countless things that the family hadn’t even dreamed of having. The five grew up and lived amidst war and battles, and survived. They were experienced and well-trained warriors. If they had an opportunity, they would seize it with all their might.
Their five children were a source of pride, and Langrum wanted to build an even larger army. Loeus would have to survive to satisfy this woman; he silently thanked to only have to see her every other day. Then, he nodded to the high elder.
The two Yangta nodded contentedly and floated upwards, followed by Loeus. All four families finalized their deals and convinced the descendants to leave with them.
The whale exchanged silent looks with the three, and they nodded. Then, they turned with sorrow to Ruri, who gazed back at them with a trembling look; it was like a cold dagger in both their souls.
"Be a good girl. Kaiyka will help you, and you can come back from time to time. If you do everything perfectly and help others, everything will be over quickly. I’m counting on you," said the whale through the array, addressing only Ruri.
Ruri seemed to struggle to swallow that and turned away; she needed to leave soon before she broke down. At least they promised that in the future they wouldn’t make plans that kept them apart. The excuse was that when they planned the current situation, they were just master and disciple; from now on, everything had changed.
Kaiyka noticed the atmosphere between them, but her expression remained as cold as ever. She turned around, and the channel was opened again. Everyone from the other families did the same, and before leaving, Kaiyka spoke softly.
"Now that everything is settled, we’ll gather everything left of them in that place. And we’ll send the formations and entry keys to you soon. Goodbye," she said before leaving with the others.
Everything became silent and empty; only the whale and Langrum remained standing there. The whale snorted and turned back towards the city. For a while, the families should stay away from each other again. They just acted guilty to be able to take these four, then they would pretend nothing happened and ignore everything for a thousand years. Until the time comes to use them as their slaves.
Justice and fair exchange? That didn’t exist for the powerful. They were the ones in charge, and it certainly wouldn’t be long before they went back on their promises. Well, it didn’t matter. He would figure everything out before that.
But he desperately needed resources to advance in cultivation. This was the best opportunity he had received. With the families’ eyes turned elsewhere, he had a place to go where he knew he would find what he needed.
A region that no cultivator, not even those from the divine world, would dare to try to go. This place was on this simple ascending planet. They received knowledge about it when they were still among the evil cultivators.
The rumors and information from outsiders said that on the opposite side of the continent on the planet, there was a small region with land, and in that place, a mortal power nullified all cultivation and Qi from everyone. Even the sea beasts that lived in the sea stayed away from that place, forming their underwater cities very close to the continent.
There certainly was where the main body of the Behemoth was sealed. In that land, which had existed for thousands of years, under the influence of the primordial beast, there would be infinite resources and powerful divine beasts.
In the three locations near the seals they visited, the land gave life to strange crystals and treasures. In the place where the main body of the Behemoth was, the seal would be strongest. There should be unbelievable things for them to take advantage of. This would be the opportunity for them to rise, and now was the perfect time to explore.