Legacy of Hatred

Chapter 391: Nail

’It’s over,’ Liam thought, knowing without a shadow of a doubt, that certainty going beyond what his senses captured from Mairis’ trio.

Nutrients were the most important thing for cultivators, both to continue growing and to delay withering. Their cores were where their superhuman standing came from, what made them immortals rather than mortals.

However, Qi alone couldn’t show what that superior status could truly amount to. It provided a passive enhancement that was beyond anything mortals could dream of. Still, only proper channels could turn that magical energy into destructive might that even the world had to bend to.

Alchemical products were useful and even crucial to a cultivator’s growth. Magical items possessed both flexibility and power that could give the most ordinary expert a chance against elites.

Yet, both categories had limits, be it due to finances, mental capacity, or the number of items that could be used simultaneously. Moreover, they remained external forms of power. Cultivators might over-rely on them, only to lose them and go back to where they started.

Instead, martial arts were permanent enhancements that allowed true expression of what cultivation amounted to. They were priceless assets that became part of a cultivator’s being, which couldn’t be lost once learned.

Which was why Sects and similar forces created an artificial scarcity around martial arts. No one but them could own the means to groom the best cultivators, creating a vicious cycle.

Resources would build the strength to acquire and monopolize more resources, turning them into even more strength. Meanwhile, everyone else could only stand aside and drool at the sight of opportunities they had no hope of contesting.

If it weren’t for Grace, Liam would have fallen prey to that predicament. At best, he would have had to sell himself to a superior force in the hope of rewards that might never come.

After all, even in the Pale Moon Sect, Liam had to achieve the impossible to get his hands on martial arts. Those forces were stingy, only allowing the few who could add strength to their ranks to acquire power.

Grace might have concocted a small miracle in the Roaring Thunder Sect, but that didn’t change the truth. Liam had to claim an inheritance that had turned him into the enemy of one of the greatest powers in the Kingdom to complete his set of techniques.

Mairis’ three families seemed to have a good thing going, but they were probably suffering from the same suppression. Their current standing was the result of what they had the power to achieve, not what their ambitions dictated.

It was unclear how many cultivators in Mairis worked directly for the three families. Yet, if even a fraction of them could be groomed to become quasi-elites, those forces could hope to become on par with Guild’s branches.

It wouldn’t be easy or peaceful, but gaining proper battle strength would allow the three families to go after better resources, maybe even birthing branching experts, starting the vicious cycle in their favor.

Grace’s last blow almost sent Duke to his feet. Even Erika was shaken, and Silas couldn’t help but hide his gulp behind a mouthful of wine.

There was a valid reason for wanting to sell martial arts privately. If the news that such techniques were up for sale spread, forces greater than the three families would step in and claim them.

Of course, the secrecy also worked in Grace and Liam’s favor since they didn’t want that kind of dangerous attention, but the Mairis’ trio didn’t care about being used if the benefits were so great. It was an exchange of favors, one that heavily favored the latter.

"What auction can be worthy of your time?" Silas questioned. He didn’t say it, but there was already agreement. Everything else was about deciding the details.

"Finally," Grace exclaimed as if she had always known that things would have ended like that. "Let’s see. There’s goodwill, and then there’s charity. Why would we buy things that we’d only sell back to you?"

The whole act had made it sound like Mairis had nothing that Grace and Liam’s force might desire. After all, since the couple had so much to sell, they could keep their stuff instead of replacing it with something else that would suffer the same fate.

"I doubt this place has any real treasure," Grace continued. "Even if it did, we aren’t so overbearing as to force you to part with them."

It truly seemed that nothing would work, which was exactly why Grace’s following words sounded like a concession.

"We’ll go for the most basic resource," Grace declared. "Alchemical ingredients. We can at least earn a profit from those."

Liam had been at a loss for words for a while, but that was the last nail in the coffin. He didn’t know how much had come from planning or improvisation, but Grace had led that whole situation exactly where they needed.

Silas and Duke glanced at Erika, who stared at her cup. She had sensed that reaction, so she knew the outsiders had seen it, too, meaning she had to explain it.

"The Crege family handles those supplies," Erika said, remaining vague. "With the other families’ agreement, we could find a deal."

"I shall repeat myself," Grace stated. "We don’t care for your squabbles. You can handle your politics by yourselves."

"If that’s the case," Silas exclaimed, standing up and cupping his fist. "Would you mind waiting here? Anything this place has to offer is yours to enjoy in the meantime. My treat."

Duke and Erika also stood up, joining Silas in the salutes. Clearly, creating an auction tailored for Grace and Liam required more than the three of them, both when it came to individual authority and cooperation among their families.

"You should hurry," Grace chuckled, leaning toward Liam’s chest, glancing sensually at him. "The last time we got started, my beloved didn’t let go of me for an entire week."

Liam didn’t know what face to make. He understood what Grace had wanted to convey, and he couldn’t call it a lie. The most superficial meaning of her words was the truth. Liam had indeed carried Grace on the fan for a whole week.

Still, the partial slip of Liam’s mask showed the intensity with which he looked at Grace, making Mairis’ trio feel as if they were intruding, so they left without daring to disturb the couple any longer.