Chapter 196: Compromise
Liam didn’t know how long the path would remain clear, so he dived into the vast basin, steadily treading over the slippery rocks until he was knee deep into that shimring water.
The area was dense with Qi, but not at the level Liam had experienced in the Mutated Battlefield. Part of it ca from the water itself, but the rest stemd from the translucent pebbles he had stopped to retrieve.
Blood mixed with the clear water as Liam brought his wet hand under his gaze. A white, Qi-containing crystal indeed stood in his palm. The lake truly had spirit stones, and in quite satisfying quantity.
’This should be the biggest deposit,’ Liam concluded, looking around, only for his gaze to fall toward the lake’s bottom. ’At least within reach.’
The lake’s water ca from even deeper underground, but Liam couldn’t see feasible ways to get there and reach possibly even greater deposits. He didn’t even have the ti or tools to search for those paths.
Still, an idea popped into Liam’s mind, bringing his gaze to lissa.
"Senior Sister," Liam called, "Can you breathe underwater?"
lissa had also been inspecting the basin, but the question drew her emotionless gaze to Liam. There was so reasoning behind that genuine expression, but lissa ended up covering her mouth and chuckling gracefully, finding Liam too cute to hold back.
"E-even I need a t-technique for that," lissa stamred.
Liam had to admit that he almost failed to hear the reply. His mind had gone blank at that unexpected chuckle. It was so beautiful and bright that his heart skipped a beat, making him wonder whether his illness had turned fatal, only to be unable to look away.
Luckily, an interruption arrived. Footsteps resounded from the narrow passage until the two brown cultivators reached the basin and lost themselves in its inspection.
That deposit was leagues richer than whatever the river dragged outside. The rcenary Guild could fill entire years of their quotas by scouring the lake, and plenty of leftovers would remain.
The cultivators’ arrival snapped Liam’s brain back to the order of business, and a quick review of the vague rules about the place summoned quite problematic questions.
"I cleared and found this path, haven’t I?" Liam asked. "Now that there is one less level two magical beast, you might also be able to draw the pack away on your own."
"Of course, esteed guest," The man responded, even performing a bow. "This incredible achievent is yours alone."
The man had only abided by regular pleasantries, even adding justified praises for Liam’s unfathomable feat. Yet, he realized his mistake as soon as he finished speaking, and Liam didn’t let it fly.
"So," Liam muttered, pointing at the lake. "Technically, all this is my finding, so I can take one-sixth of it, right?"
The man straightened himself, pointing his wide eyes at his companion, only for her to wear a similarly shocked look.
Liam had been correct. Technically, those were the rules the rcenary Guild had laid. One-sixth of that deposit belonged to the Pale Moon Sect, so Liam wasn’t necessarily wrong in claiming it.
Nevertheless, there were unwritten rules at play. First, Liam didn’t speak for his Sect. At least, the two brown representatives couldn’t be sure of that, so letting him seize that much could be akin to allowing him to steal from his own superior force.
Moreover, the spring wasn’t supposed to be cleared. The rcenary Guild had been tasked with managing it specifically to prevent individual Sects from benefiting from it before the other five.
Of course, that was the realm of politics, which Liam had begun to understand, but he couldn’t find a reason to care about. Those forces had already tried to kill him. The way he saw it, it was only fair to rob them.
Besides, Liam had no misconceptions there. He was an unnatural occurrence, sothing that the cultivation world had no rules for.
Every actual mission, no matter how generous with its rewards, would fall short of what Liam’s talent demanded. He had to take more, far more than his cultivation stage should ever afford, just to hope to grow.
It was as the Alchemy Elder had said. Actually, even the Ancestral Snake had been on point. Liam had to take everything he could, swallow life whole, to make reaching the higher stages possible.
That couldn’t be achieved by following rules created for what the cultivation world saw as normal or natural. Liam had to actively seek to break and exist beyond those limits, making sure that he beca strong enough before inevitable repercussions caught up with him.
"Esteed guests," The man eventually said. "We don’t have the authority to stop you. However, if you would be so magnanimous as to involve your Sect’s Elders in the matter, the Guild would be eternally grateful."
’This is getting complicated,’ Liam cursed in his mind. He was about to refuse, not wanting to leave any additional clue about his unnatural requirents, only for lissa to save the day.
"We shall only fill our pouches," lissa declared. "That’s the limit of our restraint and the appropriate reward for my Junior Brother’s feat."
Liam trusted lissa, so he didn’t interrupt her, and her strategy soon bore fruit. The two brown cultivators exchanged another look, calculations happening in their minds, before reaching the sa conclusion.
That offer wasn’t ideal, but it was more manageable. The Sects would probably apply pressure on the rcenary Guild anyway. Still, the latter could hide behind the fact that Liam had killed a level two magical beast, deflecting complaints with praise.
Besides, the two brown cultivators couldn’t oppose that developnt. A compromise was the best they could get as long as Liam and lissa remained unreasonable, and the eventual return of the pack could cut short that gathering, saving the Guild from additional trouble.
"Of course," The woman said, bowing. "Esteed guests, thank you for understanding. The rcenary Guild won’t forget this kindness and will share tales of the Pale Moon Sect’s incredible and honorable disciples."
Liam didn’t even finish hearing those useless pleasantries. As soon as he understood that the deal was in place, he looked back at the lake, ready to undress himself to dive into those clear waters.
After all, Liam had accounted for the short window before the pack’s return, so he knew he had to hurry. Still, calm splashes resounded behind him, making him turn again in ti to watch lissa place a hand on his arm.
The gesture only wanted to interrupt Liam. He watched as lissa kneeled, closing her eyes as she imrsed her hands in the lake.
lissa released her Qi, and currents ford among that motionless basin. Water beca her ally, lifting the crystals from the bedrock, bringing them directly to Liam’s feet.
To Liam’s pleasant surprise and the brown cultivators’ dismay, it seed the gathering part would take no ti at all.
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