Chapter 207 - Shopping List
(Lian Li POV)
I raised an eyebrow when I saw Manami and Kiyomi exit one of our Re-education Chambers with satisfied smiles on their faces.
"A new convert?" I asked.
"Ufufufu~ Just a little rebellious girl who's a bit delusional," Manami giggled.
"Yes, we've already dealt with her, you don't need to worry about it." Kiyomi added from beside her sister.
I gestured to the girl wearing a maid outfit behind me, "Do you need Cusmons to clean up?"
"Ara, ara? I see a new face, won't you introduce yourself?"
Cusmons did a perfect curtsy, "Good day High Priestess Manami, High Priestess Kiyomi. I am Cusmons, a new believer of our God. I hope to seek your guidance in the future."
A small smile materialised on Kiyomi's face, "My, how well spoken. Is she your acquaintance, Lian Li?"
"We've had history, yes," I confirmed, letting a smile materialise on my face. "And so I personally taught her how to worship our Master, isn't that right?"
"Yes, Mistress. I thank you for guiding this unworthy one."
"What a good girl you are," I nodded, patting her head. "Now go and clean up the room."
She bowed to us before disappearing inside the room the fox sisters had came from without complaint.
Manami watched her leave before tapping her chin thoughtfully, "Speaking of new converts, I think Master is taking in a new disciple."
Oh? As expected of Master's benevolence, he would still take in lost lambs like us to train directly. Ah… It feels like it was just yesterday when Master had saved me from the depths of the abyss…
"Who's the new girl then?" I asked, curious.
Manami giggled, "It's a man this time."
"A man? Master's benevolence truly is boundless."
"Indeed, but he is quite an interesting one as well," Kiyomi remarked, her eyes shining. "He was able to recreate Master's miracle pill from just watching him do it once.���
I did not hide my surprise at her words, "Truly? I had not even known that a mortal would be able to concoct such a pill."
"Ufufufu~ No offense my dear Lian Li, but your cooking skills aren't exactly stellar, much less alchemy~"
I pouted at Manami, "It was… I only learned how to do the simple recipes in the past ok? I admit Eris is much more talented than I am in that regard..."
Ignoring our banter, Kiyomi continued, "His name is Brendan. Not sure of his family name but we will need to look into him. At least with his inclusion, Master need not be the only one that has to take care of our pill productions any longer."
Manami sighed, "Indeed… The amount that we use up during our training must have placed quite a burden on our Master. That Brendan fellow only managed to create one low quality pill before passing out. I shudder to think about how much pain Master must go through to make so many on his own. Despite all that, Master still made them for us without a hint of his suffering."
I frowned, I knew that creating the pill was no easy task, evident from how Master tried and failed to teach us the procedure. But I never knew that it involved such a painful process to make even one.
I mentally berated myself over our careless handling of the pills.
Our sense of value over that pill had been distorted because of how seemingly endless of a supply Master has of it. This has to change.
It was obvious such a thing is equivalent to national treasures. We should decrease our usage of it until Master's new student is able to replicate them.
"Speaking of which, is Eris not back yet? And where is Cai Hong and Diao Chan?" Manami wondered aloud, looking around the place.
"Cai Hong and Diao Chan went out into the city to meet with our collaborators. As for Eris, she should be coming back today, though I have no idea when she will rea--"
"Jajan! I am back! Hahaha!" Eris laughed, appearing from the corner of the corridor.
Manami chuckled, "Ufufufu~ I knew I smelt you somewhere. How long were you back?"
"This one had to drop off a few young, humble converts. They were very interested in learning our ways."
"Oh? Seems like your little trip was very fruitful." I noted.
Eris frowned slightly, "Bah! The small group of trash was nothing special! 'Dey didna' even have someone that could make me break a sweat! But what worried me was that they were collaborating with other people in preparation of something even bigger."
"You are talking about that Revenant Daemons Sect, right? The one we figured out to have a connection to the Dark Sect?"
The two fox sisters immediately perked up when they heard my words.
Eris nodded and continued, "It was nothing but a small outpost. There weren't many leads from there but… They were preparing for an invasion coming from the Death Mountains."
"The country of Dong? Are they seeking to traverse the entirety of the mountain? That is a suicidal action," Kiyomi remarked.
"I think so too," I agreed. "You said that trash Sect was preparing for it? Were they trying to repel the invaders?"
The swordswoman shook her head, "No, they were aiding them in their invasion. For what reasons I do not know, but they had plans on digging a tunnel through the mountain."
I gasped, "Digging a hole through? To do such a thing without the mountain collapsing on top of them… They must have a really exceptional Earth Practitioner?"
Eris sighed, "I was not able to uncover that particular information unfortunately. But what I do believe is that the Dark Sect actually has roots within the country of Dong itself. Perhaps the entire country might even be controlled by them and they were seeking to expand into our country."
"It's a war then…" Kiyomi frowned. "But why now? Are they not aware of Master's existence?"
Manami, Eris and I grimaced.
"There was a… Prince… Who had came here with Diao Chan some time ago. He was entirely unaware of Master's status and was especially rude," I recounted, remembering that good for nothing, rude piece of trash. "It is very likely that the country of Dong has no idea about Master's capabilities."
Manami's eyes lit up, "Ufufufu~ Then Master can just blow them all back to where they came from~"
"But to involve Master on a problem of this scale… This one does not feel good to do so..." Eris pointed out.
I clapped my hands together, "Now is not the time to think about what-ifs. We shall proceed on with our plan on taking over Jin city first and deal with that afterwards. Have someone monitor the Death Mountains for now."
Manami tapped her chin with a finger, "Mmm... Agreed, we have already been preparing for it for so long after all. Also… We found out who were the instigators for Master's little kidnapper."
I raised an eyebrow, "Judging from your tone, it is someone we know?"
Kiyomi nodded, "The Fiery Flames Sect, I believe they have a history with you guys?"
Both Eris and I shared a look.
Eris frowned, "Pathetic beings…"
I smirked, "I believe the Royal Bei Family will be holding some kind of birthday event for their princess soon and all the Grand Sects are invited. That will be the best time to advertise Elaria's wares and establish ourselves while also… Burning these good for nothings into the ground."
"Ufufufu~ Well, I shall go and find out which are the important people we need to influence then~" Manami volunteered.
Kiyomi turned towards me, "I shall monitor our competitors' movements. I believe they would be sending out spies to our collaborators soon."
Eris grinned, "And I'll go club some 'eads in the back alleys! Round up some good 'ol muscles for us!"
"Very well then, let's work hard to ensure Master's glory is spread to everyone."
"""All for Master."""