A pair of icy blue eyes pierced through an elderly man and his black-haired associate sitting in a dimly lit military tent in the shipping yard of Meridian Bay. The chilling gaze gripped their hearts with anxiety and made them nervous about the future.
"No one switches sides unless they have a reason to—especially spies." Evalyn said coldly, "Yet you're telling me that a demonstration of power was all it took to turn against your people?"
"Please understand, General Skye." Calvin explained quickly, "In my nearly two thousand years of life, I have never heard a rumor of a technique that used gravity to amass liquid nitrogen.
We don't know how you got a sacred-grade technique, but that proves you process something special or a powerful backer. So you cannot fault us for being confident in your success."
Evalyn blinked twice in surprise, turning to Kaze. He gave her a heaven-grade technique, Arctic Seed, yet they were claiming it was a sacred-grade technique! He force-fed her a divine technique, and her head nearly exploded—she'd know if he gave her a higher one!
"Not just that… you've inspired us." Amy said somberly, "Most in the Sky Plane suffer from oppression under the strong, as it can take centuries of meaningless work to get a new technique. Yet you've given your soldiers high-level techniques and trained them for free.
Not only do we find that desirable, but it could easily win the war. If there weren't so little time, we'd have assumed your success from the start."
Evalyn was confused why they hadn't done it if that's all it would have taken. However, she figured it had to do with power culture, so she pushed it to the back of her mind.
"Do [you] trust them?" She asked the emperor, "While I believe their motivations, I don't trust any enemy that hasn't met crushing defeat. Fear and trauma are safety belts in prospering worlds of power—you taught me that."
"I mostly agree with what you said." Kaze smiled ominously, "However, I don't rely upon trust to accomplish what I need, so to me, trust is irrelevant."
"So you're binding their souls to a non-betrayal pact?" Evalyn smiled, remembering Martha and the guilty Lainwright soldiers.
"Our souls!? W-Wait, we're going to be slaves?" Amy cried in panic.
"Shut up, foolish woman!" Calvin snapped breathlessly, "Would you rather die a needless death!? We don't have—"
"Cease this simple-minded rabble!" The emperor ordered boldly, "We're creating a contract that will prevent you from betraying us and harming our people, not enslaving or exploiting you. Do not judge us by the abhorrent standards of Andrew Killian and your sullen people.
I'm leaving one of you to serve under General Skye as an aid and mentor. We're establishing her conditions for trusting you without shattering your spirit first."
Kaze's words wrapped around Amy's heart with emotional razor wire, ripping open wounds but releasing the pressure. She was horrified that she'd be subjected to centuries of torment like so many others she knew and would rather face death. So when she learned that the emperor had no intention of exploiting them, tears streamed down her cheeks.
"So long as they cannot betray us or harm my soldiers, I do not seek further assurance." Evalyn said coolly, ignoring the woman, "I will treat them no differently than my soldiers."
"Then so be it." Kaze smiled, closing his eyes. His body turned golden, and runes developed around his body, lighting up the tent in radiant light, "I offer you, Calvin Olman and Amy Ryas, a soul pact.
Under this contract, neither Evalyn Skye nor I will kill or harm you for your affiliation to the Killian Faction or the crimes you committed following their orders."
Runes inscribed themselves on the cultivators with ink as he spoke, forcefully unlocking their Soul Cores. It was an uncomfortable experience that felt intimate beyond explanation.
"In exchange, you shall disclose all information regarding Andrew Killian, the trial, and related information to the best of your knowledge.
You will not betray me, Evalyn Skye, or Immortal Skye, speak of us to cultivators, or harm our people outside of self-defense." The emperor continued, "If you do, you must attempt to resolve matters peacefully before taking action in self-defense. Give your name and consent if you accept."
? "I, Amy Ryas, accept your pact." Amy declared boldly.
Golden streams of Qi leaked from Kaze's body, creating golden streams in the air. They rapidly twisted in the air, threading into her body through the runes, filling her tiny Soul Core.
"W-What is this!?" She cried, feeling a strange sensation.
"I've created the contract with the Soul Qi of the nearly ten thousand people you cannot harm." Kaze smiled, "That way, you will not fear self-defense if someone [could] be considered one of my people. No conditions of a soul pact can lack definition; hence you cannot speak of us to cultivators to prevent unintentional betrayal."
Calvin's eyes widened in shock. He had never heard of soul pact before, and now he was hearing that not only was he a soul cultivator, but he had mastery over it. "I, Calvin Olman, accept your pact."
Once again, the runes on his body accepted Soul Qi to create the pact.
"With that, it's complete." Kaze smiled, turning to the blonde, "Which would you like as an aid?"
Evalyn frowned, hearing the option to choose. Amy was a relatively attractive woman, so the thought of her being one of his aids made her feel nauseous. However, Calvin's power, experience, and knowledge vastly surpassed hers, so she sighed internally and turned to the man.
"I seek to employ you under my aid if you are willing to follow my orders without question or distinction." The Ice General announced, "If you do, I can guarantee relative prosperity, fairness, and opportunity standard. I will also petition techniques, treasures, and items if you deserve rewards.
Will you join me and follow my command? Or shall I ask her instead?"
"I accept." Calvin's heart pulsed in confusion, "We in the Sky Plane are conditioned not to question our orders or superiors."
"Excellent." Evalyn smiled, "Welcome, Soldier. Starting today, you will help my soldiers with their Qi control training."
"As you wish, General Skye." He bowed his head.
"As for you, you'll be one of my associates' aid, mentor, and bodyguard." Kaze explained to Amy, "They are level-headed and will treat you with near-sycophantic respect. While such a torture is unsavory, it has benign charm and merits."
His ridiculing words gave her a deep sense of comfort, making her smile tiredly. "I look forward to it."
"Now that we have that out of the way, let's get to business." He said professionally, "What treasures did the faction bring to the Mortal Plane? Speak truthfully and with conviction, lest you seek a swift demise."
"To my knowledge…." Calvin swallowed, thinking carefully and choosing his words, "We brought spirit weapons, healing treasures, techniques, and body constitutions, tempering and cleansing treasures, spirit concentrations, and restructuring treasures for the cultivators.
We brought treasure seeds and Spirit Veins for the environment, which we planted during the last influx."
"Most leave with the cultivators, but overseers like myself have them to help promising candidates." Amy added, activating a spatial ring, "I have ten earth-realm spirit swords and bows, five cleansing treasures, five spirit concentrations, and ten healing treasures."
She immediately pulled out the items without question, placing them on the desk.
"Thank you, but please return them aside from the cleansing treasures." Kaze smiled, satisfied she disclosed her spatial ring without his mention. He then looked at the older man. "Where is the spatial reserve?"
Amy was confused, but Calvin took a sharp breath when the emperor asked where the link to the spatial ring was. Spatial rings store items in physical locations. Therefore, since the cultivators had rings, a base existed to manage them.
"There is one per every 300 Earthian miles." Calvin swallowed nervously, "I only know where two are, as I lived at one. While they usually acted as a home for the overseers, Crux's disappearance sparked a full investigation into whether the Reto Alliance had infiltrated the trail.
When the Silver Medallions disappeared, they sent a pre-made force to the region. Therefore, there are sixty cultivators in both bases, with nine being Heaven Realm cultivators."
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