Chapter 88: Leaving the City
"It's a surprise that you advanced a level before coming to see me," Electa said as she finished dressing, about an hour and a half after Liam had arrived in her room.
Now her room, usually organized and clean, appeared disheveled. The crumpled bed sheets bore evidence of sweat and other bodily fluids, necessitating a thorough washing later.
The scattered clothes, strewn haphazardly in the corners, remained untouched since their earlier encounter. Liam, who had previously retrieved his casual attire and stored them in his spatial ring, now stood before her dressed in combat gear.
The metallic plates encased his chest, abdomen, and back, emitting a faint clinking sound with his every movement. However, his arms and legs remained exposed, covered solely by specialized fabrics that allowed for agile maneuverability in combat.
"I was also surprised to get this breakthrough." He said to her, "But it's good for both of us. You probably got more out of our cultivation today than you would have if I hadn't advanced earlier."
"That makes sense... I still need to learn more about dual cultivation." She smiled at him, having never thought that she would need to learn about this forbidden practice.
"Be careful about trying to learn about dual cultivation," he warned in a deep tone. "It won't do anyone any good if someone suspects that you're too interested in this art. The mere suspicion of a few of your suitors would be enough to start a crusade against us."
Liam did not doubt that some fool with the right information would force them into a terrible situation!
"I didn't reach where I am today by making poor decisions, Liam," she frowned, not appreciating being lectured in such a manner.
His warm smile illuminated his face as his eyes locked with hers, enveloping her in a mesmerizing gaze.
In that fleeting moment, Electa's body relaxed, her once defiant stance faltering. She felt a subtle electric energy radiating from him, causing a gentle shiver to run down her spine.
"There are some things I know you can help me understand more." He took a step forward, making her lose her will to protest against him.
"What is it?" She asked in a more docile tone.
Liam could not manipulate his women to the extent of erasing their individuality and compelling them to comply with his every command. However, his charm possessed a remarkable power. Gazing into his eyes and witnessing his enchanting smile could evoke a distinct change in any woman he had ever triumphed over.
His reassuring gaze had a calming effect on his partners' frayed nerves.
He grabbed her chin and bit her lips, making her shiver. Then he said, "I have a dual cultivation book that I found in the incubus cave. But I don't understand some of the language in it. If you can translate it, that might help me.
Apart from that, I have some herbs and spices that can be used in dual cultivation. They heighten our senses, intensify pleasure, and favor the absorption of mana. But I have very little of them."
He showed her such things. "If you help me get more, we can try out more efficient cultivation sessions."
As he explained the mission, her eyes widened with intrigue, shining with determination to fulfill the task.
"Okay, I'll give it a shot and research this while you're out searching for Arcane Crystals." She grabbed the book and swiftly transcribed a few of the symbols, hoping to find a translation or explanation for them.
Putting back his book and leaving some of the three spices he'd been saving since he'd left the island, he prepared to leave.
"Time to go…" He looked meaningfully at her, nodding as he smiled bitterly. "Avoid putting yourself in unnecessary danger over the next few days. You'll probably become a Spirit Earth cultivator before long. Don't go dying for nothing."
"I know. But remember one thing, Liam. Being with you doesn't mean I won't seek my revenge." She warned him of the most important thing.
Electa already had thought about their relationship enough to realize that she had to make it clear as soon as possible.
"And I won't stop you. In any case, you'll have to complete several requirements to leave headquarters. That's enough for both of us to enjoy each other's company." He smiled at her, saying goodbye with a kiss.
And so he left, heading straight for Street Fifty-Three, at the base of Peak Thirteen.
There were two ways to leave the peak. One, from the top of the peak, where there was a road leading out of the headquarters. But this access was exclusive to important members of the sect. And two, through one checkpoint at the base of the peak, where disciples could access the forests and even the fjord.
The fjord was one of the most dangerous places in the Demon Gate headquarters, so outer disciples rarely went near it.
The place most sought after by sect members with positions similar to Liam's was the forest area surrounding the eight outer member peaks.
With an enormous area available for hunting Arcane Crystals, hunting Spirits to become their companions, but also resources, doing missions or solving problems, the Reidway Fjord forest was perfect for Spirit Lords and Spirit Earth cultivators.
With this extensive area in mind, and offensive, defensive and recovery resources in his spatial ring, Liam arrived at the base of Thirteen Peak. There, officers were inspecting disciples leaving or departing from the city.
"Authorization to leave." The Officer who stopped Liam ordered dryly, while the boy couldn't help but notice the various Officers looking at him.
The place was a large red portal, with several matrices around it, a small guardhouse, 10 square meters in area, and some stone benches for the guards to sit on.
With a passage 8 meters wide and 6 meters high, the portal had room for more than one carriage to pass side by side.
Liam could see the enclosed forest not far ahead, with a small 200-meter strip of grass with a clear view ahead and then the strip of trees, from where only by entering the area could one see what lay beyond.
He gave the authorization he had picked up earlier at the Records Hall, before receiving some kind of notice on his ID, showing that he was leaving town.
"When you return, we'll give you your permit again. You may proceed," said the man dressed entirely in black as he handed back Liam's ID badge.
Liam set off through the portal, feeling the sensation of leaving a 'safe' area and reaching a land 'without' third-party control, for the first time 'free' since Amos' group kidnapped him.
He would soon enter the area of the trees, disappearing from view of the guards and observers at that checkpoint.
...
"Boss, Liam Porter has just crossed one of the city's checkpoints into the forest in search of Arcane Crystals," said a woman as she entered the office of an elegant residence and bowed her head to the white-haired woman standing there.
Eleanor changed her expression when she heard it. "Good. Who's after him?" She asked in an icy tone.
The woman bowing her head replied, "Three sisters followed behind him as soon as he left town. Katherine, Rose and Selah."
Eleanor remembered the faces and cultivation of these three subordinates, each of them peak cultivators of the second realm.
"Keep an eye out for the return of the three and let me know about updates as soon as they appear. When Liam Porter dies, it's possible Leopards will react. Leave the faction prepared for that."
"I'll get the group ready, boss."
With that woman gone, Eleanor stood up and walked to the balcony of her residence. From there, she closed her eyes, remembering Phila and Susanna.
'It took us a while, but we're finally going to avenge your deaths. Soon Liam will be with you in the underworld, little sisters.'
When she opened her eyes again, she saw the street in front of her house bustling with activity. An orange-haired woman walked alongside a black-haired woman. Among the two individuals, she recognized only Felicity, and they exchanged a knowing glance.
Next to Felicity, Electa had a radiant, beaming smile on her face, her eyes sparkling with joy. It was as if she had shed a heavy burden, her entire demeanor exuding newfound beauty.
Eleanor's fists tightened, her mind wandering to pressing matters beyond Liam. She eventually made her way back to her office, her thoughts consumed by the prospect of her promotion to inner disciple.
Felicity did not know what her rival was thinking about. She was only interested in the black-haired woman next to her.
"You really look different... Your change almost makes me wish I was going through the same thing as you, Electa," Felicity said with a smile on her face, looking intensely at Electa.
The woman with black hair flashed a friendly grin and uttered, "That's more up to you than me, I suppose. But it's really different to have possibilities in front of you, Felicity. I just didn't expect the chance you said I'd have to be this good."
Felicity looked ahead from that street, also not having foreseen that their outcome would be so good. "It's good that you're growing up easily again. We can get our revenge together in the future."
Felicity and Electa were more than just acquaintances. They were close friends who had parts of their stories very similar. Having met a year ago in a deadly situation in which one of them had almost died, the two had talked about their stories for days while they thought they were going to die. By surviving such an experience, they became friends, but also allies.
"Work with him and keep getting stronger. But don't lose your rational side. It's important that you make him fall in love and take control of him. If you can do that, we'll have an important asset for our future wars."
Electa became more serious as she thought about Liam. "It's going to be difficult to do that... Especially considering that you want to put me up against competitors."
"Don't be dramatic." Felicity laughed. "I'll give you sisters to help you control him. He'll try to have lots of women in the future. But if we get his heart, he'll be loyal to us and not the others."
"Whatever you decide, Felicity. I'll do my part, I assure you. But are you sure the others will do theirs? I will not lie to you, being with him is splendid. All it takes is one unwilling person for her to stop being the predator and become his prey. At that point, our plans will go to shit."
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