Chapter 136: Utmost Importance
Priam and his group found themselves inside a hall in wooden tones. The place gave off a strong natural aura, and, despite having no windows, the whole environment emitted a natural glow that kept everything illuminated.
Standing before them was that Elder. She turned, bowing lightly to a figure in the back.
"Central Elder, please confirm the identity of this."
It was a middle-aged man, with long red hair tied back to the nape of his neck. When the four looked at him, all the power in their bodies immediately froze. This figure gave off an invisible aura that made them feel an immense urge to bow.
Immediately, they felt a difference as vast as heaven and earth between the Sages they had seen so far and him. This man was possibly at the top of power among Sages, standing at the final Rank, called Exalted.
That figure looked at Priam, staring fixedly at the staff in his hand.
In a few seconds, his expression completely changed. He lifted his gaze toward Priam’s eyes.
"Boy, do you know what this is?"
Priam nodded.
"The staff is created from a branch, and its core, the heart, both come from the body of the Essence-Root Tree race."
The man nodded, taking a deep breath. His expression became grave as he spoke:
"There are only 16 hearts of the Essence-Root Tree in the world, and all of them belong to my sect. Each heart should be in the possession of one of the sect’s 16 Central Elders. The power coming from them is one of the great reasons the entire sect has endured until the present day in the southern region of the universe."
His words sounded slow and calm. But they made the hearts of all four youths speed up.
Especially Priam, who had no idea that the simple amulet he received from Luvinah was truly so incredible. Even his father’s earlier words had not given him this shocking impression.
"You know what it is, but you have no idea of this treasure’s relevance to the entire universe. Fortunately... you brought it back. If you had revealed it anywhere else in the universe, disaster would have fallen upon you before you even realized it."
Priam sighed deeply...
If he had stayed in the Thunderhead sect and eventually revealed this staff inside... the problems he would find would multiply several times beyond what he had initially imagined.
"Now that you understand, tell me exactly how you got this..."
Priam snorted, calming himself. Then he explained its origins according to what he had heard from Luvinah.
After that, he explained that he found the Pristine Wild-Spirits tribe in a demon universe, and that he saved one of their Primordials at an auction.
As a reward, she gave him that, explaining that it could be useful. But Priam did not go beyond that, telling them the tragic end of that tribe.
Everyone was slightly surprised. A Pristine Wild-Spirit Primordial in the Mortal Plane was almost impossible to find nowadays.
After that, he said that the branch was the treasure of his mother’s race, which he had legitimately inherited.
"Anyway, I don’t have any direct connection with the young man who was saved and handed this over," Priam finished honestly. "But I ended up fusing the heart with the inheritance I received... if you want to take everything, I won’t try to act like an idiot who doesn’t know his own place. But at least give me some minimal help registering my group properly for your sect’s entrance test. That’s enough."
That Central Elder heard everything in silence, evaluating every tiny fluctuation from Priam. Everything he said was true, according to what he felt.
In the end, he nodded, agreeing.
"I can’t let you leave while carrying this. Each of the 16 hearts has its own signature, and this one specifically is the one that belongs to me."
At that moment, that Elder’s expression changed, becoming melancholic and distant.
"In the past... I sent my son to the Mortal Plane with this treasure. It was a secret mission from the sect... one where he fulfilled expectations perfectly. But... I only learned that he ended up being pursued and gravely wounded."
"... Thanks to you, now, after so many years, I discovered that he died heroically, without handing over our great treasure..."
Priam heard that with slight surprise. So, after being saved by Luvinah’s parents, that young man still died without managing to return home.
The Central Elder continued, in a clear tone of pain. "Possibly... he was saved while fleeing wounded, and was cornered by some beasts. His wounds couldn’t be healed quickly, and he was certain that the enemies wouldn’t let him return home safely. So... in order not to risk handing this over to them, he chose to leave it in the hands of the Pristine Wild-Spirit Primordials..."
"If he managed, by some miracle, to return home, it wouldn’t be difficult to organize a large expedition to recover our treasure. If he didn’t return... as was what happened... it wouldn’t fall into their hands, and only our fate would decide if it would return to our hands one day."
Priam and everyone in the hall swallowed dryly. That young man had really acted according to the options he had, and by some miracle, it worked.
But what could be such a secret and important mission for the sect that they sent a young man to the Mortal Plane with such an important treasure?
The risks were absurd. But even so, it was something the sect chose to risk.
Priam soon felt satisfied. Coming to this sect had been the best choice, because he would certainly be rewarded for this.
The Central Elder remained silent for a few minutes, taken by memories of his son, who had never returned home. Pride burned in his chest; not only had he fulfilled the mission, but the treasure had now returned to his hands.
After a while, he turned to Priam.
"Thank you. I will keep this staff, but... the sect can’t burn important resources by giving you the kind of reward you expect. Every minimal resource is essential for everyone’s survival, and it goes against the sect’s central rule to give that to outsiders. Personally, I can only reward you properly when you reach the inner sect. At that moment, I will be your greatest support."
"At the current moment, I can give you a Super Genius emblem. With this, you can become one of the leaders of the factions of the young outer disciples; that is, if you are approved as a member of the sect. In total, only half a dozen Super Geniuses and factions exist at a time in each outer branch of the sect. If you have the competence to lead your faction to the top, this will certainly be useful."
Shione, Lumiere, and Flaris grew excited when they heard this.
Now, they didn’t need to look for a faction to join. Besides, they were certain that Priam would be able to manage and expand his army. They had a thousand times more confidence in him than in any other Super Genius out there.
That was because they knew a little about the world. The more genius and incredible someone was, the more arrogant and stupid they were... Shione and Lumiere knew that very well, because they had been exactly that in a not-so-distant past.
Priam, on the other hand, was completely different, and his abilities couldn’t be underestimated by anyone. He was certainly a thousand times better than anyone else.
The Central Elder continued:
"As I said, we can’t hand anything to outsiders. But if you really become a disciple of distinction, everything becomes different. As the sect’s reward for you bringing this back, when you reach the inner sect, I can use this favor of yours to greatly favor you once. On that day, no one will be against giving several times more to benefit you. After all, that will help us survive as well."
"Okay, that’s enough for me," Priam said calmly, extending the staff toward that figure.
The Central Elder nodded, making the staff float in the air, then grabbed it firmly.
"External Elder, give him the emblem of the branch you command. If I remember well, your house is where the number of young people without predetermined factions is the largest. This will help him find good people."
"Yes," that woman said, bowing.
"Good. Please keep an eye on him and send me news. I’ll owe you this favor. I heard that you managed to evolve on the sword soul path. Later, I’ll send you some techniques from the central sect."
At that moment, that woman’s eyes shone.
The Central Elder turned to Priam. "Good luck. I’ll be waiting for you in the inner sect."
Priam nodded, thanking him.
This was better for his future. In the short term, he had only gained a slightly higher status. But in the future, he would have great support to keep moving forward.
Without wasting time, that Elder used another spatial Talisman.
Priam and his group were quickly swallowed inside chaotic space.
...
In a few seconds, the group found themselves on a planet different from the initial one.
On this one, it was a beautiful and illuminated night, with pleasant weather. They seemed to be back in the lands of the Ylisse clan. But of course... just by breathing deeply, the dense Ether completely invaded their bodies. They were definitely in the Divine Plane.
Before them stood a great wall. Near the wall, there were a few thousand youths waiting.
At that same instant...
A huge alert window appeared in front of Priam.
[An ally of utmost importance has been detected!]