Chapter 249. Unraveling the ploy

Aiden walked towards Cosmo Adams and Arica Nova.

"It looks like they’ve narrowed down on your locations," Aiden said.

"Must have been because of our meeting recently. That’s the only plausible reason why they could identify me even though I did a facial reconstruction surgery in the past to hide my identity," Arica nodded.

"Mmm," Cosmo said. "Also, I recently met my nephew who I used to train in combat before I left the Adams Secret Sect. His name is Alfonse Adams. Aiden must be familiar with him."

"Oh, that guy? The top ranked student in the student rankings?" Aiden thought. "I encountered him during my first lecture. A small world. Didn’t know he was your nephew. But, you were saying something..."

"Right," Cosmo scratched his chin.

"We might have to sit down for this one."

Arica and Aiden nodded. They sat on a bench by the sidewalk.

Occasionally, several professors passing by during their morning workout routines would look their way.

"Professor Vhorn."

"Vice Dean Arica."

"Professor Adams."

The trio responded politely.

"Seriously, your fame is giving us a hard time. We can’t even go out for jogs without drawing attention to ourselves," Arica said.

Aiden chuckled and shook his head.

"Guys, I was saying something serious," Cosmo said.

"Sorry, continue."

"We are listening."

"Alfonse, my nephew, mentioned something about my sister wanting me to return to the sect. When we met recently, he mentioned that his mother tasked him with looking for me. According to him, his mother said to pass on a message to me that our grandfather, Adams Vormor, the founder of the Adams Secret Sect, wanted me home and that he missed me," Cosmo said.

"How did you react?" Aiden asked as a calm glint flashed through his eyes.

"Hmmm." Arica found the whole thing suspicious.

"I’m not stupid." Cosmo shook his head and shrugged. "Reclusive sects are very traditionalistic. They care about their customs and rules more than anything. It’s obvious that my sister lied to her son. Since Alfonse was fond of me, she lied to her son that the old man wants me to return. She knows that her son is aware of sect traditions. If she just told him to let her know my whereabouts in case he discovered anything, Alfonse would have been quiet. So she manipulated him into thinking they genuinely wanted me to return and didn’t want to harm me."

"So that when he identifies your location..." Aiden added.

"...he will gladly report it back to them," Arica added.

"Yeah," Cosmo said. "My sister is a real douchebag. She even manipulated her own son without him realizing it, in order to get to me. Alfonse must have reported my whereabouts to her, thinking he was doing the right thing."

"You mentioned something about being a trashy cultivator in the past," Aiden asked. Several calculations and scenarios were already running through his head.

"I know that look... what’s on your mind, Aiden?" Arica crossed her arms on her chest.

"What’s she talking about, Aiden?" Cosmo asked.

"Just answer the question," Aiden said as he tapped the bench quietly.

"Yes... I was progressing normally initially, but at some point, my cultivation slowed down seriously no matter how hard I tried to cultivate or trained, it returned to normal after several years of leaving the sect though" Cosmo added.

"Did your sister ever express any sort of animosity towards you?" Aiden asked.

"She has always been two-faced. But she never showed that side of herself to me," Cosmo answered.

"I see," Aiden said. "Who used to be the rightful heir to the sect?"

"Me... wait... are you saying..." Cosmo widened his eyes.

"That’s exactly what he’s saying. And I think it makes a lot of sense," Arica added.

Aiden nodded. "Your sister probably poisoned you. Your cultivation slowed down because of her poison. She understands that in this world, power is everything. If she managed to let you lose your cultivation potential, everyone in the sect would deem you trash and she would be able to gain a foothold over the sect heir position."

"But how did my cultivation naturally return to its normal pace several years after I left the sect?" Cosmo asked.

"She is crafty," Arica said. "I’m an alchemist, so I know about poisons well. There are poisons that can slow down one’s cultivation temporarily for some time. But they are very hard to make. I am sure she used a lot of connections to secure them. If she killed you outrightly, it would have been obvious she may have been behind it since both of you were rivals. But if your cultivation slowed down, then people will assume you had exhausted your potential."

Aiden nodded. "That’s not all. I’m sure she wanted to find a future covert opportunity to get rid of you after you became the disgrace of the sect. When you are not valuable anymore and you die, people rarely pay attention to you. That was her plan. However, you disrupted the plan by leaving the clan permanently after the engagement issue with the Nova Secret Sect. To her, if she manages to get rid of you now, using the sect tradition of killing defectors, and the fact that she’s acting on the orders of your grandfather, she would have a justifiable reason to be trusted as the next leader of the sect."

Cosmo sighed deeply. His eyes were strangely calm.

"I see. It all makes sense now.Since she wants to get rid of me so badly, then she will die first. I will become strong enough to get rid of her."

Aiden tapped his shoulder.

"I don’t think you can afford the time to do that, Cosmo. They will send more assassins. This time they are also working with the Nova Secret Sect," Aiden said. "The Nova Secret Sect wants to get rid of Arica because she also defected from her sect. Considering what you guys have said about the traditions of these secret sects, the next time they send assassins, they will send legendary Rank 3 assassins. I have a plan to deal with the Nova Secret Sect and the Adams Secret Sect. But some surrounding sects will become collateral if it will work."

"Seriously, what the hell are you cooking up?" Arica said as an expression of fear appeared in her eyes. Aiden was simply too terrifying.

"Aiden, what are you planning to do?" Cosmo asked with a puzzled expression. No matter how he thought about it, he didn’t see how Aiden could pull something like this off.

But considering Aiden’s past scheming feats, and the recent event that had earned him the name, The Ghost Strategist, he didn’t doubt Aiden one bit.

"Don’t worry. Just wait for the news. By the time I return from the Serma Empire, the Nova Secret Sect and the Adams Secret Sect won’t exist anymore," Aiden said.

"Also, don’t say you want to come with me. Your sects want you dead. Heading to the Serma Empire with you is literally walking into a death trap," Aiden added.

"You didn’t even allow us to protest," Arica sighed.

"It’s like you knew what we were even going to say and you countered us before we could even say it," Cosmo said.

"Force of habit, sorry," Aiden smiled. "Fill the others in on the situation when you meet them for barbecue in the course of the week."

Aiden stood up. "Since I have to leave for the Serma Empire, I’m done jogging."

Glints of gratitude flashed through Cosmo and Arica’s eyes.

To the world, Aiden was a madman who would go to extremes to get what he wanted.

But to those he intentionally decided to be loyal to, he was a faithful friend to rely on in case they needed his help.

Since Aiden had promised them that the two sects won’t exist, then they won’t exist. They didn’t even worry about how he would make it happen. This was how much they trusted him.

"Aiden, thank you," Arica said.

"Thank you, Aiden," Cosmo said.

"You are welcome, guys," Aiden said.

"Also, it’s a perfect opportunity to absorb large amounts of blood essence. I can’t pass up a chance like this. After executing this plan, I’m sure only the Paranormal Liberation Order will still keep sending assassins after me.

After the plan is complete, I need to openly show up and reveal that I’m the one behind it. This will deter those sending assassins after me from doing so, since they will be scared to do so. Fear, when weaponized well, helps," Aiden thought.

Of course, he hadn’t forgotten about those he had unfinished business with, like the Cyrenthia Empire military, and the industries in the Eldorath Empire. As for Leonis Eldorath, Vanum Deepsea, and the other three Eldorath Empire admirals, Aiden would beat them up and drag out information about the Order from them when his power hit the level of a Rank 4 warrior before he killed them.

For the powers in the Waldhar State of the Iron Empire, Aiden didn’t think it was necessary to go after them. In fact, by the time he dealt with the secret sects and revealed he was behind their destruction, they wouldn’t even send the assassins they were planning on sending after him. No one in their right mind would do that.

Arica and Cosmo watched Aiden’s retreating back.

"It looks like whatever he has planned... it will take Endra by storm. After he pulls off whatever scheme he has planned, I am sure for the first time on Endra, a beginner Rank 3 warrior will appear on the Tyrant Fate Rankings," Cosmo said.

"We are really fortunate we are his loved ones and not his enemies," Arica sighed.