After returning to his base, Alex locked himself inside his room, cultivating to the next level. It shouldn't be that far away, so he wanted to be a 2-Star Martial Saint first before negotiating with the Ancient Blue Family.
Firia and the others didn't disturb him this whole time as they also had something to do. They were wondering how much they needed to give so the Ancient Blue Family can stay silent.
From a million Spirit Crystals to a few million. From a five percent share to twenty percent share of the loot. They thought everything they could, wondering if Alex had an idea how much they would be able to buy the Ancient Blue Family.
Fast forward to two months later, Alex finally finished his cultivation. As soon as he walked outside the room and met the others, he showed his 2-Star Martial Saint cultivation with a smile.
"Alex!" Anya came to him with a few doc.u.ments in her hand.
"I have finished my cultivation. Great Elder Viola and Aileen should probably arrive today or tomorrow, so I will fetch them before heading to the Ancient Blue Family. Well, the Blackwade Clan and Drunken Pavilion should have arrived by now."
"Yeah. Since you have a Space Element, you don't need to calculate the traveling time, so it's fine to arrive at the last minute. As soon as the two Great Elders activate your token, we shall inform the two influences to meet us in the inn that I have booked." Anya nodded in agreement, handing a few doc.u.ments to him.
"What is this?" Alex asked.
"Who is going to accompany you? I think it won't be appropriate if no one accompanies you in an important meeting like this?"
Alex smiled as if he had chosen this person a long time ago. "Nelson! I can use his stealth ability to make an impact…"
However, Anya was troubled upon this answer. She had promised Nelson not to say anything regarding his disappearance, but Alex just wanted him. Nelson was one of the first candidates when she thought about this, but it seemed she needed to convince him to take another person.
Noticing the distorted eyebrows on her face, Alex tilted his head, thinking she would reject his idea.
"I am sorry, but Nelson is unavailable. He is leaving for a secret mission for this, so I think he won't be able to accompany you in this matter. Can you change to someone else?"
Alex became even more confused. "A secret mission?"
His eyes were demanding the answer from her, but the latter couldn't give it. She sighed. "I can't tell you yet, but I assure you this is a very important mission."
"…" Alex furrowed his eyebrows. "All the more reason I need to know this."
Anya contemplated for a few minutes while thinking about the overall situation. The reason she didn't tell him was that it wasn't assured that the negotiation would go well, so it was better to hide it until everything is confirmed. Yet, it seemed today she needed to tell him. "This is still not fixed, but I will tell you… Only you."
Alex didn't know what kind of mission he had, but he almost fell on his butt after hearing the details about the mission. It was sent by a thought transmission, so only Anya and Alex knew about this. It showed how low the probability of this mission was, so it was better not to let everyone know, lest they were disappointed later.
Alex could understand why she didn't want to talk about it. He thought for a moment and sighed. "I understand. Let's change a person. I will have either Leoz or Jeanne for this."
"Your reasoning?"
"I can use Nelson's strength as a deterrent, but I don't think it will be that effective since the other influences will attend with their 10-Star Martial Saint. That's why I am going to have Jeanne. By taking advantage of her tiny figure, I can mask her as a child to show that even a kid in our Spirit Nest has reached 4-Star Martial Saint."
"That's a good idea. I, at first, wanted you to bring Leoz, but it seemed Jeanne would be a better option."
"Well, I need her to act on her part… So, I am still hesitating for this…" Alex scratched his cheek as he was a bit uncomfortable about it.
"Ah!" It took her an instant to realize Alex's real plan. "If you want her to act like your sister or other relationsh.i.p.s… You might want to do something more intimate to show her attachment to you. In that case, you are worried about us getting jealous over a simple thing like this?"
"I am not worried about that…" Alex thought for a moment and sighed. "Alright. Since you are fine, just tell Firia and Anna about it. I will tell Jeanne about my plan."
"Sure." Anya nodded before taking out Jeanne's card and summoning her. "I think I shouldn't explain too much, right Jeanne?"
"Yes." Jeanne nodded before appearing next to Alex and hugged his hand. "This is what I should do, right?"
"Yeah. That's basically your role. Make sure there is no woman approaching as well." Anya gave a thumb up.
"Don't worry. I am his bodyguard this time, including that kind of bodyguard." Jeanne made a cheeky smile.
'She must be thinking of some tortures if anyone dares to get close to me…' Alex thought with a complicated expression. He shook his head and regained his calm. "Anyway, we are waiting for the Freedom—!"
Before he could finish his word, he was surprised to sense a Spiritual Energy coming from the room behind them. It was Anya's study room, where she planned everything. Anya and Alex realized where this Spiritual Energy came from and stormed inside the room, finding the token had been lit.
"I am going," Alex said almost immediately.
"Sure. Be careful in negotiating, and don't make him extort us too much." Anya nodded with a smile.
"Don't worry. I won't let them have their own way. That's why threatening is a more correct term for this." Alex smirked. "Unfortunately, I can't add Nelson to this negotiation because it's not finalized yet."
"Yeah. Anyway, you shouldn't let them wait any longer." Anya waved her hand, telling him to leave. "I will handle everything when you are away."
"Then, should I go to my card?" Jeanne asked. If she went like this, it was just adding the burden to Alex's body, so she thought she needed to go back.
Alex shook his head. "It's good to show you to the Freedom Sect as well. Not only will they know about our strength, but the others will also more likely believe if you are coming with me, not mysteriously appearing out of nowhere."
Listening to Alex's words, Jeanne nodded obediently and thanked him.
"I am going." Alex smiled at Anya and created a teleportation array according to the direction the token pointed at.
A few minutes later.
Alex had arrived in the cave since the two seemed to wait for him here. In front of him were two beauties together with a calm man. Yet, Alex furrowed his eyebrows when facing him.
The females were naturally Viola and Aileen, but the man was none other than the Lightning Temple's Great Elder, Riadon.
"If you don't mind, I am coming here as an assurance that Great Elder Licht sent to protect the two ladies. If you need me to do anything, just say it to me, and I will surely do it. The main problem is to make the Ancient Blue Family step back. That's why if the two Great Elders are enough, I will make my appearance." Riadon cupped his hand politely as if they were two equals talking with each other.
Alex narrowed his eyes. The real reason was probably the first one. There was no way a person such as Licht wouldn't know that Viola and Aileen weren't enough. However, Alex couldn't arrive at this conclusion because the Freedom Sect couldn't trust him.
'Wait! He doesn't seem to lie… Did that Licht not tell this to Riadon and made him believe these two are the only cases? No. I think he trusts me about this matter. The ones that he can't trust are the other influences. He is ensuring their safety because even if the Blackwade Clan and Drunken Pavilion turn on them, they still have the strength to fight.
'On the other hand, they will be completely hopeless if the Spirit Nest is also betraying them. Licht will be doubting us now if Rose isn't staying in the Freedom Sect at the moment… I don't have a complaint about this, but it surely makes me uncomfortable.' Alex sighed before agreeing to his request. "I will leave them to you."
"Sure." Riadon nodded before noticing the kid beside Alex. He was perplexed when he saw Alex brought a kid instead of an elder from his influence. However, his opinion vanished the moment he saw her strength.
'Impossible!' Riadon screamed inwardly. 'Looking at her body, she is most likely less than twenty years old. Even if she has passed that age, it won't be that long. Yet, she has reached 4-Star Martial Saint. This is insane. But what is more surprising is her element!
'Even my lightning element is trembling upon seeing her as if we meet a king right now. I want to bow down to her. What kind of monster does the Spirit Nest groom?' Riadon sweatdropped. He didn't know Jeanne's identity.
How could he know that the kid in front of him is an old Spirit? She also possesses an identity as a Lightning Spirit. In Eulja, she can be considered as the lightning itself. It might not be that much, but her element can be considered equal to the Sacrificial Lightning element in her True Spirit Body.
Riadon would never know that the Spirit could choose their own respective body. If they wanted to grow up, they could, but Jeanne had chosen otherwise, resulting in her appearance. It was already beyond Riadon's imagination. As for her element… Lightning Spirit isn't a concept here, so there was no way he could understand the principle of her body.
"Since three elders have come, I wish to go toward the Ancient Blue Family right now. I hope that the three elders are not tired after your journey." Alex didn't care about whatever in his thought and proceeded to the business.
"Ah, yes." Viola, who seemed to be the calmest one, answered Alex. She had been handling Alex for one year, so Licht also agreed to let her take care of everything. The only message Licht passed was to follow him and fulfilled his need because, in terms of planning alone, Alex might have surpassed him.
As much as she didn't want to believe that, the explanation had been given, and she knew she wouldn't be a match in a mind battle.
"By the way, how is Rose?" Alex was curious about this for a while. He thought it would be fine to have an idle talk for a bit.
"Rose is a monster… This is a compliment, not an insult. Her bow foundation is rock-solid. In fact, she might have surpassed me at this time. If she trains for a few more years and attains Bow Saint Stage, she will surely surpass my Bow Technique. As of now, I don't dare to teach her about Bow since it will only ruin her foundation."
"How about her element training?"
"She is learning the basics right now. Ryuu and Maya are helping me when I am away like this, so her progress is quite fast, not as fast as you though."
"Do you think she can complete her training within two years?"
"Hmm… That's hard to say. She has less understanding than you, and her control over Space Element isn't too great. If I push her to the limit, she might be able to learn Space Plate, Spatial Gate, Space Bind, and Space Mark within these two years."
"That's good. I am glad to leave her in your hand." Alex smiled before Jeanne came from behind and tugged his hand, showing a little bit of skinship with Alex. At the same time, she wanted them to know how she relied on Alex.
Noticing this, Alex nodded to her and created a teleportation array. He smiled at the three Great Elders and said, "Let's go."
"Teleportation."