Chapter 183 - Coming to Terms with Someone Unquestionable?

"Ania… is that true? Your husband killed the son of a prefecture lord?" Puula's calm mindset was finally shaken. "That…"

"Yes, but it's not like that! It happened within a tournament and Dioro wouldn't have killed him unless it was necessary!" shouted Ania.

"That much is true…" The mysterious man nodded. "That kid brought it on himself, so most people wouldn't blame Dioro at all. But that's not the case for the kid's father, who's notoriously known to hold grudges. It also doesn't help that Dioro slew two more of the man's sons after they went after Dioro in secret, something neither that man nor Dioro managed to control..." 

Seeing Ania's sunken expression, the man shook his head. "Oh… I suppose Dioro hadn't mentioned that part…"

Unable to properly determine the level of doom such a thing could bring, Puula tried her best to think clearly. "Then… What could we possibly do to stop that? How could we stop a prefecture lord?"

"That's enough chatting about the threat that may face you in the near future. I've already mentioned more than I said I would," stated the man, getting stressful stares from the others. "There are already proper avenues set in place to deal with outside threats, especially those beyond prefecture borders. It's one thing to hire bandits, but it's something else to declare prefectural war, which isn't likely at all given Dioro's death and Oli's disappearance. That also should stop him from trying anything else behind the scenes, at least until Oli comes back to the spotlight in the future."

"Why are you so calm?" Netra asked, surprising Ania and Puula, as well as the man. "You killed one that lord's king-level underlings, yet you're acting so calmly? Why is that?"

A genuine smile took shape on the man's face. With a nod, he replied, "I can see why Oli likes you. But that's all the more reason for you two not to meet each other too soon. You shouldn't see each other again until you're both perennials, whether you like it or not."

"WHAT?!" Netra shouted in objection. "But Oli is--" 

"Oli is focusing cultivation, though he's also been scheming to have Vloz bring you to him…" 

"Vloz is with Oli?!" questioned Ania, blinking in confusion. "But he was supposed to--"

"That leopard on ran into Oli recently, within the past sun. He'll likely be returning soon, along with some humans to help expand Iron Academy and offer human cultivation as well," mentioned the man, leaving them all the more shocked. "For now, don't worry about Oli. Worry about yourselves and the territory. The world is cruel and harsh, so you can't let it sneak up on you. For now, you should be able to handle everything that comes your way. Make the most of it and charge ahead."

"And what about my son?" 

"I can swear on my powers that your son will live no matter what may come. Whether you trust me or not, my word is all you have," answered the man. "And should any of you try to impede Oli's cultivation prior to his ascension as a perennial, then I'll be forced to impede you as well. And you're not allowed to mention this to Oli in the slightest, or I'll be forced to mix things up again."

"How could we even tell him if we--"

"Once Vloz is back, he'll have some half-baked scheme that Oli thought up and will try to take Netra away. That's something you're not allowed to do though, so I'll allow you to tell Vloz about this little exchange. Oh, and Rathe is allowed as well since he would feel left out and bother you until you spilled the news.

"But mention a word of this conversation or my appearance to anyone else, and heads will roll."

A sense of fear and terror suddenly drenched the women in a cold sweat. But they weren't able to stammer or stutter in response before the man had vanished from their vision. 

"Wait! Why can't I see Oli?!" Netra shouted.

A final phrase lightly echoed through the room, "Do everything possible to become the strongest mortal cultivator and you'll see him sooner than you would expect…" 

That lingering sentence and the unexpected conversation left a deep impression on the three women. Each took away something slightly different from the other, as every person would always carry their own outlooks. But no one dared share their thoughts first after that final threat and the inexplicable feeling of horror that had crept under their skin.

As the youngest person with the most naive outlook on cultivation among the three, Netra was the first to muster the courage to ask, "What… was that? How strong was he, exactly?"

"I… don't know."

"Neither do I," Ania added. "But given your mention of him calmly dispatching the subordinates of a prefecture lord… I don't think assuming his strength would do it justice…"

"Then… I'm… not allowed to see Oli?" Netra asked softly, already knowing the answer.

"Well… at the very least… Oli's alive…" Puula mentioned, trying to piece together something positive from their sudden conversation.

Ania nodded. "He's alive and cultivating… And Vloz is with him too."

"Oli was going to bring me to him? How come I can't go?" Netra whined to herself, trying to form some sort of logic to help her get over this new hurdle before her.

"It sounded like he approved of you being with Oli, at least," Puula stated, nudging her daughter with the side of her head. "I don't know why someone so powerful is supposedly helping Oli, but it likely has something to do with Oli becoming his eventual underling, whether he admits it or not. At the very least, he's somewhat reasonable, willing to at least admit he did it."

"If Vloz is with Oli, I'm not too worried…" sighed Ania, struggling to come to terms with the reality the man mentioned. "And if someone so powerful wants Oli dead, maybe… Oli not being here… is best?"

"But--"

"Netra…" Puula spoke up, regaining her confident tone before the others with help of logical thinking. "I refuse to stand against someone so powerful when they aren't threatening my clan or loved ones. I think you have a choice, now. Either wait patiently or train and cultivate more than ever. As he mentioned at the end, the faster you get stronger, the faster you see Oli. And if you show more potential than anyone else, it wouldn't be hard to formally turn down suitors with powerful backgrounds."

"Puula… if she--"

"Ania, there should be a way for her to gain a backing more powerful than anything a territory can offer. And her perfect affinity might actually make it possible."

Blinking, Ania froze for a moment. "Puula… You want Netra to enter that?"

"Huh? Enter what?" Netra asked, sensing the shifting atmosphere of the room.

"Why not? That's the fastest way to ascend while being able to reject anyone as a suitor because of her dedication to cultivation."

"What am I entering?" Netra asked again.

Puula nodded, took a deep breath, and looked her daughter squarely in the eyes. "Netra, do you want to get stronger as fast as possible?"

"Yes..."

"And you're willing to put in the time and effort to overcome the hurdles of cultivation?"

"Yes."

"Even if that means a grueling life where all you do is cultivate for the foreseeable future?"

"Yes!" Netra responded, eager for an actual explanation. "What else can I do?"

Accepting her daughter's determination, Puula looked to Ania and bowed her head. "Ania… I want Netra to become Vloz's dedicated apprentice. And I want to ask for a conference with the territory leader as soon as possible. Given Netra's affinity and the resources the territory and possibly the region could offer, Netra may be able to enter the Mortal Tournament."