"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
Cora nodded fiercely to Lydia's words.
Lind just sat back in his chair as he realized this was likely the tip of the iceberg.
His fa had spread far with the incident a few days ago combined with the likelihood of him being the elixir master only made him more enticing.
"I will save ti, unless they have an issue like Magda, I will not see anyone."
Lind gave that condition as he hoped it would eliminate more requests.
He was too naive.
As soon as the condition was known, various powers began to injure their competition mbers to try and see him but he simply passed elixirs to the acolyte that resolved most of the issues.
By comparison, the Silverthorn Clan rose in his estimation.
The rest of the early contest ended after only the first week but the requests kept coming.
Lind eventually changed the conditions.
The only way to et him was to have an issue pills could not solve and was not inflicted during the current contest ti.
He was glad when most of the annoyances went away.
It did not stop the overt proposals of won wanting his children.
Shoti and Qing both were livid after the first day, Annabelle actually beca annoyed after the 2nd day.
None of them were with him but they were glad Lind called those people crazy.
There were sects the Heavenly Maidens would not mind allying with by marriage but Lind refused all such proposals.
As he had clear interest in 3 of their Maidens, they had nothing to object about.
Anyone from Master Cain or Harold was welcod as they were his friends.
Mostly they caught up and in the case of Master Harold, talked about the 6 elental core.
Lind began to realize how he had been changed by his confrontation with the darkness.
Before, he was sowhat out of the public eye despite the more powerful learning what he was in the Heavenly Maiden Sect.
A peak grade 3 elixir master was very tempting but thanks to the backing of the sect and Starfire House, he was fairly safe and still anonymous.
Now, in part thanks to Delenn flexing her power, his na was known to all of Cimria.
It did not take the information brokers long to start digging into his past.
Darkmoor Kingdom was being raked over the coals at their foolishness of spurning such a treasure, but Lind found it very hypocritical as most powers would spurn a 6 elental very easily.
He also knew his awareness of the issues happening to Darkmoor due to people trying to court his interest, but his past experience with corporate life showed the dark truth behind those moves.
They were trying to maximize their benefits by deriding a competitor.
There was no truth to it as Lind had lived it.
He was still angry but his horizons had been broadened.
Oaths by cultivators were binding and had serious results if not fulfilled.
A ruling power could not do whatever they wanted but had to fulfill the oaths they gave to their subsidiary powers or suffer the consequences.
Sotis they could accept the loss, but other tis they had to do unpleasant things.
Lind suspected Darkmoor had been stuck in such a situation.
There were no good options so they took the one with the most benefits with what they knew at the ti.
It still was wrong to Lind, but he no longer felt bitter.
The Lotus Empire had also lost so he felt no anger at them at all anymore.
It also made Lind to take great care in what he promised the powerful sects that were already involved with him.
Oaths to himself were just as dangerous but easier to manage.
Lind also saw how World Realms were treating him as superior to them no matter if they knew him before or not.
Magda made sense as his elixir had resolved her long standing injury, but the rest just left him a bit flustered.
Cora gave him breaks but Lydia seed to be taking so joy in his suffering.
He recalled the eting with Lady Estelle and how she had been treated.
He apologized profusely about it until she also helped moderate the requests.
It was as if his location had flown across the coliseum as the number of requests increased.
Finally, Lind had had enough.
"I am here to observe the contest as we all are.
If you want to see
for official reasons, please petition an appointnt via the Heavenly Maiden Sect.
If it is personal, have the request given to the sa."
Lind told the acolyte who looked quite haggard at that point.
He felt very sorry for her and had slipped her a few grade 2 elixirs as an apology.
Her radiant smile afterwards felt worth it.
The reception of the new rules made many angry but more than half looked flushed with sha as they had forgotten about the contest trying to reach Lind.
He now sat bonelessly as he just let the display randomly switch for a while.
"You handled that quite well, Master Frey."
He stared at Lydia until she glanced away.
Cora smirked at her sister but made no comnt.
"If there truly is soone that needs an elixir, I will set a condition that there is no way they could afford the auction starting price.
Until the auction is held, all appointnts will be postponed unless ti is a factor."
He spoke out loud but he saw both nod in agreent.
So were looking for cultivation help but others may be desperately looking to save their lives or were like Magda.
"Anyone trying to send
a woman will be rejected outright!"
Both Vice-Sect Masters tried not to laugh but they began to shake as Lind just turned away from them in a huff.
"Um, Master Frey, Lord Sage has co to see you."
The atmosphere in the booth changed instantly.
Lind looked at the 2 seniors but neither knew why Sage had co to see them now.
He nodded to the acolyte and the Gold Tier aether child stood before him once more.
"I apologize for being an inconvenience, Master Frey but I have to get back to my sect today."
Lind nodded but offered the chair next to him.
Sage smiled as he sat down.
He looked older to Lind but maybe that was just an impression.
"Are the rescued aether children ok?"
Lind had not gotten a solid answer on that issue as he had no idea what all their conditions were.
Sage frowned but his bright green eyes were not sad.
"Most are recovering and express their heartfelt gratitude.
The 6 with you were only exhausted and malnourished.
From that I gather, those n had been looking for a 6 elental or 6 aether children to the sa effect in various combinations.
Mono-elental aether children are nearly as rare as you, so it took ti."
Lind nodded but he was unsure why they wanted such.
It made more sense why there were so many aether children in those cages.
"I wish I had an answer but I kind of lost my temper."
Lind felt no guilt about that but his words made all 3 World Realms stare at him.
He shrank a bit in his chair as he realized his statent could be taken as bragging but he was being serious.
"I will never, ever, make you angry in the future then."
Sage was being sarcastic?
Lind looked at the older man but he seed very serious before sighing and moving on.
"There are so that match what you described.
They have been altered in strange ways we cannot seem to repair."
Lind frowned but he had no ideas either.
What he had seen down in that room still haunted him and likely would for years to co.
"Are their minds intact?"
Sage shook his head to Lind's question.
"They understand where they are but most of their mories and in so cases the very sense of being alive is missing.
I am eternally grateful for what you did, Lind Frey."
They had known it was bad but the nightmare was far worse than they imagined.
"What will happen to them?"
Lind almost wanted to retract the question, but he wanted to know.
It was possible he could co across other victims in the future and wanted to know if there was hope.
"So will start over but it is uncertain if they will recover.
The worst cases I have sent requests to the Floating Isles for help.
It is possible they may have ideas we do not."
Lind swallowed hard.
It ramd ho how powerful the creature was that lived on the other side of that gate.
The fact Delenn feared them so much also told him they were a terror of the Immortals as well.
What were they?
Why was anti-Qi in existence like that?
Lind pushed it all back as he knew no one would tell him.
It was far too soon for him to know of such things.
Lind looked at Sage and then summoned a pouch.
He passed it over to the old man who looked confused until his senses sunk into it.
For the first ti, Sage was left speechless and looked like he was too shocked to speak.
"I can't fix the ones hurt by those monsters but the rest were severely mistreated.
I may not have known but I was partially responsible.
Treat that as
assuaging my guilt."
Lind had nearly died rescuing those in the cages but there had been 3 months his artifacts had been helping them.
How many died was beyond him, yet Lind would not skirt his participation.
Both VIce-Sect Masters looked at him differently.
There was no teasing but respect in their eyes.
It was easy to sacrifice for a cause but harder to admit fault especially for cultivators.
Sage nodded.
Inside the pouch were many vials of elixirs.
Lind had taken them from his personal stock and a lot of that was him experinting.
Thanks to helping Annabelle, he had made so tempering and recovery elixirs that were especially good for aether children.
Tears fell as Sage bowed humbly to Lind.
Lind began to freak out but Sage stood up quickly before he bowed to the 2 Maidens.
He left quietly but he seed to no longer be carrying such a heavy weight on his shoulders.
"You are doing well, Lind Frey."
Cora gave out rare praise to him.
He bowed to her and they resud watching the competition.
It was almost ti for grade 4 to begin which was of strong interest to Lind.
"I am thinking that after the contest and dealing with the damned petitions, I will need to go on a journey.
I need to find a way to break through."
Lind spoke words he had been contemplating for so ti.
He was nearing the peak of the Soul Realm.
It was totally in his control but he could only polish and perfect it so much.
At so point he would have to try to break through or be forever trapped in the Soul Realm.
All his loved ones would leave him behind and after a couple centuries, he would be dead again.
Both Maidens nodded but knew there was no set date.
The contest was followed by the auction so Lind was unlikely to leave before that was over.
Also, there was nowhere to go at the mont.
Lind focused on the alchemists as Magda and others began to ascend the stage for grade 4 to begin.
The murmurs of the crowd noticed her beautiful face but it was as cold as always.
Still, she glanced at their booth and a small smile graced her face.
Lind smiled back.
He knew that smile.
The smile of freedom from constraints and pain.
He had smiled like that after facing his heart demons and seeing Shoti and Qing right afterward.
He was free in that mont.
Lind cheered Magda on his mind and took far more notes than before as he focused on all he could learn.
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