Chapter 248: Compensation
Liam departed before the incomprehensible creature could unleash a proper trick. He had fulfilled his goal, and he didn’t want to spend his remaining money, so he planned to leave the market and resu hiding until his job’s deadline.
Truth be told, giving a general look at every booth would do much to improve Liam’s knowledge, but dwelling in the area after the previous ss didn’t sound wise.
Liam didn’t just unleash his speed. It would be impolite, so he reentered the makeshift square and headed for the single passage leading outside.
Obviously, Liam’s return in the open attracted attention, featuring reactions he hadn’t seen before.
The bystanders who pretended to have no affiliation perford quick salutes. The armored cultivators stopped to make silent but respectful greetings.
Instead, the various rchants followed Liam’s every move, with so reeking of wariness. That part was only obvious to his new superhuman perception, and that feeling intensified whenever he crossed their booths.
It seed the rchants were terrified Liam would purchase from them next, highlighted by the relief he slled as soon as he walked past their stands.
’Corruption is common,’ Liam recalled Grace’s words, believing that atmosphere would lead to a smooth departure, only to be proven wrong.
Two silver-armored foundation experts stopped on Liam’s path, bowing, but it was the young man between them who stood out. He looked barely fifteen, wearing a flamboyant purple robe and with curated short black hair. He even cupped his fist like cultivators did, despite not being one.
"Senior," The young man greeted, smiling from ear to ear. "I was notified that the Enforcent Guild wronged you. Allow
to apologize on its behalf."
Liam remained silent, his hood motionless, seemingly putting the young man on the spot.
Obviously, that purple-robed mortal couldn’t possibly imagine the true, trivial source of that response.
’How do I even address a mortal in the cultivation world?’ Liam wondered. ’He is too young for Uncle. Sir, maybe? Still Fellow Daoist?’
"I’m Isaac," The young man cleared his throat. "I wish to extend an invitation to Fairfort, where my family can show you the hospitality Senior deserves."
’Old Joe was right,’ Liam thought while finding the tiline too conflicting to consider the offer.
The location Grace’s map pointed at wasn’t too distant, but it was north. anwhile, Fairfort was west and slightly south. The two weren’t exactly in opposite directions, but visiting both with the two-week deadline was complicated.
Besides, Liam wanted to use those two weeks to concoct. He needed another batch of poisonous power and planned to achieve results with his rank 2 venom.
Ideally, Liam would even concoct a rank 2 healing pill, or at least try. His Master had left him the ingredients for a weaker version of it, and his recent purchase had appeased his sense of urgency, allowing him to attempt broadening his preparations.
There was no better allocation of those ingredients anyway, and Liam was now confident using his new Qi, so it was just a matter of investing ti in the recipe, hoping that his skill and limited batches would be enough.
"Sir, I’m currently busy," Liam refused, hoping that he sounded polite. "I can’t accept your invitation."
"Senior," The still-bowing guard to the right called. "Young Master Isaac is a promising mber of Fairfort’s ruling family. His cultivation talent is a certainty, as it is his sparkling career inside the Enforcent Guild."
The silver-armored foundation expert was relying on the common practice of highlighting Isaac’s future status to elevate his current standing.
That was ant to show the value of making Isaac’s acquaintance early on, since it was bound to lead to benefits. After all, powerful friends were a rare and priceless currency.
Naturally, Liam didn’t get any of that.
"Good for him?" Liam exclaid, tilting his head in confusion under the hood, but not forgetting about his priorities. "I’ll leave now. Fellow Daoists, Sir-Young-Master."
Liam’s response stunned the trio so much that they recovered only when he had already crossed them. Nevertheless, the two foundation experts attempted to claim his attention again, only for Isaac to raise his hand to stop them.
"Let him go," Isaac whispered after Liam disappeared in the street leading out.
"Young Master," One of the guards said, also whispering. "Unaffiliated rooting experts are a rarity, and the others heard him describe ingredients skillfully. He might be an alchemist."
"I know," Isaac sighed, "But you idiots sent him in that wench’s arms. He is likely on her payroll already."
"Young Master, do we just do nothing?" The other guard asked. "What should we report to the family?"
"Father was the one to assign
this Captain," Isaac snorted. "How could he decide to handle the situation without warning
first?"
Isaac would have joined the ss at Ronnie’s stand, but he hadn’t been aware that an unaffiliated rooting expert was involved. He couldn’t have found out on his own, either, since he was no cultivator with the required perception.
"Just tail him for now," Isaac decided. "See if you can discover what that wench is up to. Also, find a chance to help him. It will be easier to approach him once he owes us a favor."
’Why can’t cultivators just be normal?’ Liam thought at that very mont, finally stepping outside the gathering of tents. ’I guess he isn’t a cultivator yet.’
Despite not understanding the previous interaction, Liam had slled sothing off, so he had focused on his ears during his departure, and his Qi had aided them to hear the whispers as if he were right in front of the trio.
’How do they plan on tailing
anyway?’ Liam wondered. ’Do they think I’ll just walk?’
Liam did walk for a while, sticking to a normal pace until he left the market’s vicinity. That was the polite way of doing things, sothing even Liam had learned, which gave him the ti to consider sothing else.
’The Enforcent and rchants Guilds might work together in the market,’ Liam realized, ’But they aren’t allies.’
That was good, or Liam believed it was. The Guilds were how the Dragon King managed the Kingdom, but they were no joint army or governnt. Actually, they sounded at odds with each other.
The worry that the entire Kingdom would move to get Liam if his secret was exposed sounded less likely now, at least in those far reaches. In hindsight, it also made sense.
The Dragon King wouldn’t have resorted to butchers for the Bloodline Screening otherwise. He would have just used the Guilds.
Liam’s forearm itched as that realization settled, but scratching it didn’t make him miss the three figures that left the market simultaneously, spreading over the plain before their presence grew fainter.
Cloaking techniques were at play, but Liam’s perception was simply immune to those, which probably had much to do with the fact that foundation experts had perford them.
If anything, those fainter presences stood out due to how different they were from everyone else, which didn’t change much since Liam planned to run anyway.
Except that the three foundation experts weren’t the only ones tracking Liam.
Soone Liam had slled long ago rushed through the plain. He had half-forgotten about him, or at least he thought his business with him was over, but that presence was now coming toward him, which was a problem.
Liam sprinted, instantly appearing before the incoming foundation expert, who froze before his eyes could even catch up with the event, only to get to his knees when they did.
"Senior, you are back!" Old Joe exclaid, getting to his knees. "I hope you had a fruitful endeavor."
"Didn’t I say that my protection ended?" Liam said, getting straight to the point.
"Senior, please, forgive these old bones," Old Joe begged, bowing to the ground. "You are the greatest opportunity in my ti as a cultivator. I wanted to prolong it, even if only to learn more from you."
There was a lot more about Old Joe’s request. Perhaps even he didn’t know what exactly he was hoping to get. However, at his core, he had told the truth, and Liam knew why.
An unaffiliated rooting expert was a valuable commodity. That was literally the third ti in a single night that Liam received explicit proof of that.
Yet, unlike the power plays the Guilds were caught in, Old Joe had sothing far simpler driving him. He was genuinely desperate, a sentint Liam couldn’t bla him for trying to fix in the only way he knew.
Nevertheless, that wasn’t the isolated wilds. Liam had three mbers of the Enforcent Guild tailing him, and they had probably seen Old Joe, which might expose his previous location and actions.
Liam didn’t know if he was already a criminal, but Old Joe had beco a liability, so he grabbed his collar and dragged him away at full speed, not bothering to utter warnings.
The next destination was set, so Liam proceeded toward it, stopping once he found a shallow crevice distant enough from the tents, throwing Old Joe inside.
Old Joe gasped for air, and Liam could only sigh helplessly at the sight. He had been careful to leave the least amount of traces possible, but a talking one had sohow ford.
"You stay here," Liam ordered, imdiately disappearing. He would think about what to do with Old Joe later. Now, he had sothing else to address.
Liam’s sudden sprint had forced the three silver-armored pursuers to accelerate. One of them even had a perception technique, but it would beco useless if their target got too far.
The perception technique was also why the three had reunited in a joint pursuit, which was cut short by the abrupt appearance of a towering, cloaked figure on their path.
"Stop following ," Liam directly said, his patience having run out.
The trio took a while to realize that sudden developnt. However, a series of respectful bows unfolded soon after, accompanied by polite words.
"Senior, forgive us," One of the silver-armored foundation experts said. "Our Young Master wanted us to check up on you out of the goodness of his heart."
"Indeed, Senior," Another foundation expert, the one with the perception technique, added. "If we are not wrong, the cultivator who disturbed you is known as Old Joe. He is a shaless criminal, and we would be honored to rid you of his presence."
"Please, Senior," The third foundation expert pleaded. "Our behavior might be insulting, but it’s the Enforcent Guild’s duty to keep track of valiant experts like you."
There were partial lies thrown around, but the awareness of Old Joe stood out. Liam was now certain the Enforcent Guild had the right to detain and interrogate Old Joe, and he really wanted to avoid that.
Vague clues aside, Liam didn’t want to enable Isaac’s ploy of owing the Guild a favor. He wouldn’t care, but that stuff could have repercussions, and he knew how he would deal with them.
Still, one word from the trio rang a specific bell.
’Insulting?’ Liam wondered. ’Wasn’t that sothing Master said?’
Liam tilted his head under the hood until his inspection of the trio stopped at sothing specific. One of the foundation experts wore an ordinary bow on his shoulder, but the quiver on his back carried items with Qi.
’Qi-enhanced arrows?’ Liam guessed, before everything connected in his mind. ’Oh!’
Liam cleared his throat, trying to rember his Master’s exact tone, altering the words in his mory while hoping that they would convey the sa ssage.
"I received offense at the hands of the Enforcent Guild," Liam declared, showing his hand. "I demand compensation! Compensation!"
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