Chapter 578: Welcome

The second-order effects were nothing bad, far from it. The same went for Liam’s mistake. After all, his kindness had been to blame there.

Liam knew that his ability to produce venom that grew with him was among his greatest advantages. It was definitely the greatest when it came to his profession as a poison master since it gave him constant access to the best ingredient he could weaponize.

That edge was so incredible that Liam had even taken it into account before the breakthrough. It was a core aspect of all his plans, something he would rely on for the entirety of his cultivation journey.

Yet, Liam also had plenty of venom, an endless amount, actually, so he had parted with it without batting an eye, his only cause for concern being the risk of enemies developing countermeasures.

With the Tribe promising only to use the exact amount of venom it needed and Liam not parting with the antidote, the matter had been over for him, only to be reminded of a simple truth.

Liam was basically giving away tons of powerful rank 3 weapons before receiving anything at all. He was arming the Tribe with tools Guild branches would struggle to accumulate throughout their existence.

Sects likely possessed similar wealth, but they would never part with it as quickly or willingly as Liam had. No one would, so Liam’s image in the eyes of the Tribe inevitably improved by leaps and bounds.

The consequences had obviously been headache-inducing.

The gifted laboratory was the Tribe’s way of starting to repay Liam. The same went with the wine and Rachel basically becoming his personal attendant.

Liam had hoped Uriah’s overprotectiveness would save him from that predicament. Still, Uriah had been unusually quiet about it, even when Amber pushed to create opportunities for Rachel to be alone with Liam.

Worst of all, attempting to refuse anything, even the slightest thing, was met with overbearing shouts involving the Tribe’s honor and the other excuses cultivators liked to use, so Liam eventually gave in.

Which was a problem, really, a huge one.

’They are truly treating me right,’ Liam thought, his gaze fixed ahead, but lost. ’They are good people.’

Liam’s level, gifts, and actions had played a part in that treatment, but he knew how deals went, and that wasn’t it. The Tribe wasn’t handling him as a business. It was genuinely welcoming Liam, building him a suitable home rather than just repaying him for what he had done.

Yet, Liam would have to leave. He had explicitly said as much to the Dark Heaven Tribe, even mentioning that his partner was waiting for him, but things weren’t as easy anymore.

Liam’s mere presence had changed the playing field in the Aetacia region. Even if he suddenly left, the waves he had caused wouldn’t disappear, and the Dark Heaven Tribe would be the sole target of their consequences.

Things had been different in the past. Liam and Grace had been alone against the world, never affiliating themselves with any force, knowing that they would have been forever on the run.

Even when the couple interacted with or formed partnerships with forces, the treatment had been poor, so leaving had been easy, while the very opposite went for the Dark Heaven Tribe.

’Solving their problems won’t ensure anything, will it?’ Liam realized. ’It’s like I stained them forever.’

Liam knew it was only a matter of time until his identity was exposed. The cultivation world and the forces working against him were too vast, resourceful, and smart for him to remain hidden for long.

Once that happened, no matter where Liam was, the trail would lead back to the Dark Heaven Tribe. Given that the Church had been willing to purge Guilds, it would likely show no hesitation there, either.

With how things had started, Liam had expected his stay to be brief and businesslike, a mere exchange of resources between cynical parties ready to destroy each other at the first sign of weakness.

However, things had gotten out of hand. Liam had started to care for a force he should have merely exploited. He should have been able to leave without looking back, disregarding whatever chaos or problems he caused, but that wasn’t the case anymore.

’I’m truly like poison,’ Liam mocked himself, trying to laugh at his sad predicament.

At that point, it merely took Liam interacting with someone to put them in danger. It was as if his sole presence was a damaging substance that could lead to death.

’Now what?’ Liam pondered, despite already knowing where he stood.

The sad predicament had a bright side. It was proof that Liam had gotten strong and influential enough to affect the cultivation world deeply.

Yet, Liam needed even more to live how he wanted, especially when others were involved.

’Enacting a far bigger version of the attack on the Cathedral should be easy,’ Liam considered. ’But that’s just a distraction, so the choice is obvious. It’s just ... the decision wouldn’t be mine to make.’

Since Liam didn’t feel comfortable leaving the Tribe behind and without his protection, he could just take it with him. Uriah definitely wouldn’t like it, and Liam’s claims would remain empty without the strength to enact them, so, as always, strength had to come first.

It didn’t take long for the familiar scent to return. Actually, Rachel appeared before Liam far earlier than he would have expected, with plenty of bracelets hanging from her wrists.

Rachel even wielded a silver spear, which wasn’t unusual, but this one was different, especially when it came to its power. It was a rank 3 weapon, and it wasn’t the only tool at that level on her person.

It seemed the Tribe had poured its entire wealth into making sure Rachel would remain safe, and Liam couldn’t exactly blame it. He honestly liked that behavior far too much.

’Did she actually bind any of those?’ Liam wondered. ’Maybe Uriah made them especially for her.’

"Big Brother, little Sister is ready," Rachel exclaimed, clearly happy about that private trip. "Are your goals set?"

Rachel was merely asking for Liam’s immediate targets so that she could guide him better, but he was still half-immersed in his reasoning, and the question played perfectly into it.

"I need to become able to kill leafing experts," Liam declared, walking past Rachel as if he had said the most normal thing in the world.