Chapter 150: Humiliation
The surprising state of the gathering couldn’t claim Liam’s attention since he now knew that a far greater threat existed, at least for him.
Priest Eustace earned himself one of Liam’s long, feral looks. Since the Church ssed with ancestral bloodlines and probably worked for the Dragon King, Liam couldn’t help but see that branching expert as an enemy, alerting him to no end.
Yet, Priest Eustace disregarded Liam, wearing a sadder version of his amiable smile as he inspected what was left of the gathering.
’Am I the only one in the known?’ Liam wondered, partially reassured. ’Does he not know what I’ve learned?’
The continuous disregard for Liam’s wary glare eventually reassured him enough to divert his attention, highlighting a point that the teams’ reactions had hinted at.
Liam had accomplished incredible feats, even achieving the impossible. However, that was in terms of foundation experts, while Maxwell had played at a higher, more relevant level.
Joel was no pushover, but the battle Liam had witnessed told him how much of a deciding factor Maxwell was. He might be a rooting expert, but his prowess explained the gap between inner and core disciples, and the current gathering reinforced that idea.
Liam didn’t link the missing red foundation expert to Maxwell since he had seen his unwillingness to kill those weaker than him. The Crimson Warrior Sect’s Junior had probably died to the magical beasts in the swamp after Cecilia left him behind.
Instead, Liam could easily link the red and yellow rooting experts’ absence to Maxwell, bringing his kill count to four. That more than confird Maxwell’s overwhelming superiority, and what followed showed Liam how it didn’t stop there.
"I’m saddened the Church’s sacred ground claid so many lives this year," Priest Eustace announced. "As permitted by my authority, I shall grant the Sects a greater share of their findings. I hope this small kindness can soothe the pain caused by your valiant efforts."
The news was undoubtedly good, especially for Liam. The cores he had found had just gained more value. Yet, his mind focused on sothing else entirely.
’Sacred ground,’ Liam thought, making a ntal note of keeping his ears open for any other of those places he might encounter.
Priest Eustace then looked at the pale-grey group, addressing Maxwell. "Does the Pale Moon Sect want to go first again?"
"The Pale Moon Sect was the first to collect the key," Maxwell politely replied. "It’s only proper that it lets the other Sects go first now."
Maxwell ended his announcent by glancing at the other teams, adding more grimness to the atmosphere, but still prompting a reaction.
The remaining rooting expert from the Scorching Sun Sect stepped forward, unwillingness filling his lowered head as his announcent resounded. "The Scorching Sun Sect failed to amass any point."
The yellow representative threw a defeated look at Maxwell before stepping back. Maxwell didn’t say or gesture anything, but a trend beca evident at the next announcent.
"The Iron Will Sect failed to gather any point," One of the rooting experts from the dark-grey group exclaid, also throwing a look at Maxwell before stepping back.
And Liam understood the full extent of Maxwell’s involvent there. Even if he had spent most of the mission hunting cultivators, the other teams still should have had the ti to collect at least one point.
The fact that those teams had co back empty-handed was a clue that pointed to sothing deeper than re theft. That was proper coercion. Maxwell had sohow compelled those opponents to lose in the worst possible manner.
As for why, reputation explained everything. The Sects had plotted against the Pale Moon Sect, so Maxwell had to humiliate them publicly. That obliteration went beyond the loss of valuable lives, and it had co at the hands of a single, incredible figure.
Liam might have been great, but Maxwell was the unmistakable hero of the mission, and it wasn’t even close.
"The Swallowing Forest Sect collected one hundred and ninety-seven points," Colleen announced, emptying her pouch to let the cores form a small pile on the grass.
That was half of what Liam had guessed the average to be, but it made sense in the Swallowing Forest Sect’s case. Its rooting experts couldn’t have had much ti to kill magical beasts when they were busy preparing a safe place for Liam.
Still, it was the Pale Moon Sect’s turn now, and Maxwell delivered the finishing blow on that humiliation ritual.
"The Pale Moon Sect collected one thousand seven hundred and fifty-one points," Maxwell declared, a huge pile of dark-red spheres forming on the ground at the wave of his hand.
Liam couldn’t help but gasp internally. Over nine hundred points ca from his findings, but Maxwell and Joel had sohow matched them despite wasting ti hunting other teams.
Actually, that probably was by design since so points had to be stolen, but that didn’t diminish the achievent at all, and Priest Eustace’s reaction confird that.
Liam had never lost track of that now-suspicious figure. The Priest’s smile had grown sadder at the initial non-existent findings, only to brighten in front of the Pale Moon Sect’s huge pile.
"Before splitting the findings," Priest Eustace exclaid, forcing himself to look away from the huge pile, "Does anyone have complaints for the Church’s representative to settle?"
And there, Liam saw the culmination of Maxwell’s ploy since no one dared to voice complaints. Despite the blatant cheating and disregard for the rules, no one ntioned anything to the only figure who could salvage the situation.
’Is this still Maxwell’s doing?’ Liam wondered. ’Or is it more about reputation now?’
Liam kept that question for himself, delaying it until more privacy arrived. anwhile, Maxwell, Colleen, and Priest Eustace began to split their findings. The Church took two-thirds of the loot, with Eustace making those cores disappear with a wave of his hand.
The absence of space-rings on the Priest’s hands stood out, but Liam didn’t experience any surprise. Those storage items could probably co in different shapes, so he focused on what followed.
"The Church of the Man is imnsely grateful," Priest Eustace announced. "The formation will reopen next year. I hope I’ll have the honor to be the representative once again."
As branching experts often did, the Priest suddenly disappeared at those words, and he wasn’t the only one to do that.
Once the Priest vanished, the yellow and dark-grey teams darted away, seemingly in a hurry to leave the area.
Maxwell inspected that departure before cupping his fist at the green group, prompting Joel and Liam to do the sa.
"The Swallowing Forest Sect has my gratitude for its support," Maxwell declared. "The Pale Moon Sect won’t forget this."
"The Pale Moon Sect never needed our support in the first place," Colleen responded. "The Swallowing Forest Sect is in awe of your performance. May we et again in happier circumstances."
"You flatter us," Maxwell said, raising his head. "I’m sure the Heavens will provide the opportunity for a reunion."
The two representatives handled the interaction, leaving no room for the others to join it. When Liam straightened, he only had the ti to witness Mitchell’s additional bow at him before the green team departed.
"Let us go, Brothers," Maxwell ordered right afterward, already turning to leave, but adding another comnt. "Brother Liam, I’d prepare myself if I were you. A very different world will be waiting for you by the ti we return to the Sect."
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