Chapter 303: Far Superior Status

Within seconds, Priam found himself in the middle of a luxurious hall. Looking around, he realized he was completely alone—none of the other disciples had been transported with him.

Mishnar appeared directly in front of him, with an extremely serious expression.

"I’ve already sent the message to the main sect. A Central Elder should arrive soon." She stared directly into his eyes and, after a brief pause, continued. "Tell me, what are you hiding?"

She had clearly realized that the disciples of her branch had encountered something serious and abnormal, but she refused to speak before Priam did.

Priam merely snorted. Without saying anything, he took out a spatial ring and handed it to Mishnar.

The woman took the ring and inspected its contents. The next moment, her eyes narrowed.

Inside were the emblems of countless Mages from the 11th Branch, which had been kept by members of the 4th Branch.

Priam took a deep breath. Then he explained the situation as coldly and directly as possible.

The 8th and 4th Branches had allied themselves with several other branches to deliberately hunt down the disciples of the 11th Branch. Those emblems might not serve as definitive proof on their own, but...

It wouldn’t be difficult at all to cross-reference the accounts of the survivors from the 11th Branch and the smaller factions. That would provide strong enough leads for the Sect Leader Elders to investigate all the way to the end.

Then, all they had to do was capture the survivors from the 8th Branch and forcibly read their memories. For a Sage of the Sect, doing that was trivial. It wouldn’t take long for everything to become crystal clear.

The aura around Mishnar changed, becoming sharp and icy like a blade. Her anger was overflowing.

But Priam wasn’t finished yet.

Since he possessed Dioma’s complete memories, it wasn’t difficult to expose exactly where the evidence of his involvement, his family’s involvement, and the involvement of others with the Sorcerers could be found.

Mishnar listened in absolute shock.

Priam revealed deep details: how, where, and when Dioma contacted the enemies. He listed the names of numerous accomplices, coordinates of planets, and an endless amount of other incriminating information.

It was a vast and detailed report, and Mishnar committed every detail to memory.

Her expression became blank. Once this reached the ears of the main sect... a true storm would erupt.

She had believed the betrayal was limited to a few isolated members of her own branch—a problem she thought had been solved when Priam helped her before. Now, she discovered that the disciples of the major outer branches were deeply involved in something infinitely worse.

"I’m not going to tell you how I know all of this, nor do I need to prove anything. You can investigate it yourselves, and it won’t be difficult to see the truth," Priam concluded indifferently.

If, after all this, the Sect didn’t eradicate the traitors, it would be through sheer negligence.

*Buzz*

Before Mishnar could react, a hum resonated through the center of the hall.

A figure emerged from the distorted space.

It was a tall, muscular man with a long white beard. He wore simple sleeveless clothes, exposing strong, calloused arms. He looked more like a manual laborer than a supreme authority.

Coming out of her stupor, Mishnar hurriedly bowed.

"Greetings, Central Elder Maut."

The figure nodded and turned his attention to Priam.

Bringing a hand to his beard, he silently evaluated the young man for a few moments before letting out a faint smile.

"Great physique. Despite being thin and short, your physical power is unbelievable. It’s been a long time since I’ve encountered a wolf dressed as a lamb."

His tone was friendly and casual, without any oppressive aura. He seemed like nothing more than an old laborer one might meet in a merchant city.

"You flatter me too much. Just dedicated training."

"Great, I see it’ll be easy to talk with you," said the Central Elder, nodding.

"The entire Sect is in chaos. All the Central Elders have been summoned to an emergency meeting for one single reason: you obtained the Sovereigns’ Essence. With it, we may finally have a chance to stand on equal footing with the Sects of the other planes... at least in this generation."

Priam was surprised. That ’golden egg’ was really that valuable?

Still, he knew there was no point in asking why. It was far too important a matter, reserved only for the upper echelons of the main Sect.

"I need to take this with me. Kid, tell me what you want from the Sect," Maut’s voice became serious, his eyes fixed on Priam. "But understand this: we can only act within the rules. I can’t, for example, turn you into a central disciple. The guidelines left behind by the Sovereign Goddess are absolute. We have some subtle room to maneuver, but nothing that major. Still, you deserve to be rewarded accordingly."

Priam pondered silently for a few moments until an idea came to him.

"I came from the mortal plane, and I have a family that needs me. I don’t know how long it’ll take me to get into the central sect. I’m already ready to attempt the Sage test, but..."

The Central Elder calmly interrupted him: "The next test will take place exactly three years from now. Even if you become a Sage, you’ll have to wait. That’s an absolute rule I can’t change."

Priam frowned and slowly nodded. "Three years? Wait... exactly how much time has passed in this world since we left for the mission?"

Mishnar was the one who answered, her voice solemn: "This time, the temporal dilation was a little over tenfold. While you were there, a little over 11 years passed in our world."

Priam froze.

It felt like all the air had been knocked out of his lungs at once.

’Eleven years...’

The image of his family in the mortal plane hit his mind like a devastating blow. His little sisters, who had been just little girls when he left... his father... his mother...

When Priam left, he said he’d be back soon, since he was leveling up so quickly.

More than a decade had passed, and he hadn’t returned. His father and mother’s worry must have been immense.

For Priam, only two years had passed. But for them, twelve years had gone by since the last time they saw him.

He closed his eyes, forcing air in and out of his lungs several times. When he opened them again, his expression was filled with unwavering determination as he faced the Central Elder.

"As I said, I have a family in the mortal plane. They’re my biggest concern in this world," Priam said firmly. "If the Sect truly wants to reward me fairly, my only wish is to not have to wait three years before I can bring them somewhere safe, under the Sect’s protection."

Maut lightly snorted, scratching his long white beard as he pondered for a few agonizing seconds.

Priam stared at him in silence, his chest tight with anxiety.

"Alright," said the Central Elder.

Those words made Priam’s heart race.

"There’s nothing in the central guidelines that forbids this. I’ll do the following: I’ll grant you the special title of Semi-Inner Disciple. You won’t be able to attend the inner sect yet, nor directly enjoy its resources. However, within the outer branches, your status will be far superior to that of any other disciple. And the most important benefit guaranteed to you by the inner sect will be the immediate right to bring your family to your branch. They’ll be able to live in the noble area, where the outer Elders reside."

Priam clenched his fists tightly, feeling a colossal weight lift from his shoulders.

"But, to be fair," the Central Elder continued, "this reward is still small compared to what you’ve brought us. Do you want anything else?"

Priam thought quickly. His mind was still focused on his family’s safety and future. Until a crucial detail sparked in his memory. He turned to Mishnar and asked urgently:

"The selection test for new disciples of the Sect takes place every 20 years, right? If I’m not mistaken, the date is coming up."

Mishnar promptly nodded. "Exactly. It’s been a little over 19 years since the entrance test you took. The next one will happen in 7 months."

"Great!" Priam’s eyes lit up. "I have two sisters who should be 19 years old now. I want them to take the entrance test fairly, exactly as I did. Could you give me 2 Faction Leader Emblems?"

Mishnar immediately agreed.

Priam’s sisters? If they had even a fraction of his terrifying talent, the 11th Branch would only benefit from it. Besides, they’d go through the trial from scratch, just like he had. If they were incompetent, they’d be eliminated by the test’s own rules.

With that matter settled, Priam turned to the Central Elder again, wearing a daring smile. "I’d also like to ask for... let’s see... a copy of the specialties of all the outer branches."

The man gave a crooked smile. "Greedy, huh? It doesn’t go against the rules. If that’s what you want, you’ll get it too. But your benefits end here."

"I don’t think so," Priam said with a touch of irony. "If I’m not mistaken, the Sect will receive a gigantic bonus from the Sovereigns for successfully completing the mission. When do I get my share?"

Mishnar let out a heavy sigh at the boy’s audacity, while the Central Elder burst out laughing.