Later that night;
In the eastern wing, Qin Wei lay wide awake, alone. He sat on his bed with his legs folded while staring at the Black Phoenix Tears resting in his palm.
The trade request still hovered in the corner of his vision, patiently awaiting his response.
His thumb ran absently along the orb's smooth surface.
"Thirty percent chance to gain Mana…" he murmured. "If I had nothing else, that would be enough. But…"
He glanced back at the system interface. "I have a system. I have Heaven's Eye and a bunch of skills."
There was more potential here than a mere gamble on cultivation.
He exhaled deeply, the decision finally settling in his chest. "I can copy techniques with my ocular power, and those techniques I had don't need mana to unleash them. They only had cooldown timers. Mana isn't of any use to those skills, but it is certainly useful if I want to develop my own techniques. However, the chance is still not enough to waste such a precious treasure."
A slight grimace pulled at his lips. "Of course, I can't sell it on black market here in Ashenford City, and I don't think I can get out of the city either, atleast, not right now, with so many enemies who would love to assassinate me. Also, if Thea knows that I want to sell her present, she will be hurt."
After pondering on the matter again and again, Qin Wei came to a decision in the end and tapped the glowing Accept button. The orb in his hand dissolved instantly into particles of light, vanishing without a trace.
[Trade complete. +8000 Credits]
Qin Wei leaned forward, pulling the interface fully open. "Okay, let's see if I can buy a B-rank technique."
His fingers moved quickly now, flipping through the system's library.
Qin Wei wasn't looking for the most powerful technique in B-rank. He just wanted more than one low B-rank one.
After flipping many pages, he came to a stop when he saw one.
[Lightning Dragon Barrage]
Rank: B
Description: Harness the element of lightning to form multiple chained strikes in the shape of a serpentine dragon. Requirement: Lightning Element
Cost: 2,500 Credits
"Yup, this one is good. Low price and yet has high potential." Qin Wei murmured.
Without further hesitation, he tapped Purchase.
*Ding!
[2,500 credits deducted. The Lightning Dragon Barrage skill has been added to the Skills' List.]
[Remaining Credits: 5,700]
A brief pulse ran through his mind.
He reopened his character interface.
Icarus Phoenix/Qin Wei
Rank: 1
Age: 19
Species: Human
Bloodline: Heaven's Eye (Stage 2)
Titles: None
Elements: Fire, Lightning
Inventory: 2x sets of clothes, 1x battle gear (basic).
Skills:
[Great Fireball]
[Ground Current]
[Clone]
[Ripple Drift]
[Celestial Sword of Destiny]
[Lightning Dragon Barrage]
TALENT TREE:
[Elemental Path] :
Fire Path: None
Lightning Path: None
Fusion Path: Locked.
[Bloodline Path]: None
[Combat Path]
Orb 1: Movement Speed (+100%)
Orb 2: Damage Taken (-30%)
Credits: 5,700
*
Qin Wei let the screen fade, lying back onto his bed, with one of his hands behind his head as he stared at the dark ceiling.
"One day, I'll still topple all those heavenly geniuses just as protagonists in my novels always do. And one day, I will bring justice to my family. But before that, I need House Griffin on my back. I need to become an indispensable person to the entire noble house, not just some husband of the Lord's daughter."
*
Meanwhile, somewhere in a faraway land, fifteen mysterious figures, shrouded in darkness, gathered in a dimly lit room.
One after another, each figure took a seat on a high-backed chair, each marked by a number, from I to XVII. Only two seats were seen empty.
The figure last to arrive sat at the head of the table and spoke, "Thank you for attending the meeting on urgent notice. Third Elder and Sixth Elder couldn't make it due to unexpected circumstances."
9th Elder: The last time you called for such an all-elder meeting was twenty-two years ago, when the Divine Temple momentarily reappeared in this world. Don't tell me it resurfaced again.
13th Elder: I highly doubt that. Lord Phoenix is in our hands, and he has yet to talk. And neither did we find anything in their manor when our men raided the place. Without the clue held in the hands of Lord Phoenix, the path to the Divine Temple is effectively closed for good, unless he had left the map to someone else. Maybe it has to do with Dinosaur Prince?
15th Elder: The Dinosaur Prince is a history, Thirteenth Elder. He had long been dead.
13th Elder: I don't think so. My sources say that Zion entered the third stage of ascendancy and achieved immortality long ago.
15th Elder: And, my sources say that he failed during the breakthrough and died.
4th Elder: We are not here to listen to your argument, Thirteenth Elder and Fifteenth Elder. Let the President speak.
As the two elders stopped their argument right away and placed their attention on the first elder, the latter spoke calmly, "I have three things to announce. One, according to my spy, the Tower of Noah was left empty."
"What!" Several elders reacted at the same time, getting up from their seats. The surprise in their voices is evident.
2nd Elder: But, there is atleast a hundred years before his time for awakening arrives.
The first elder cast a sidelong glance at his left and gave a subtle nod, "Yes, but this is the truth you must face. Also, Zodiac Knight Leo was spotted at Egmor City. His target was naturally the sixth elder, but the third elder was on his way. If nothing unexpected happens, Leo should be defeated as long as "He" doesn't take action by himself."
Amidst the gasps of panic from the left side of the table, the first elder continued, "Hence, for the time being, Elders numbered from II to VIII must stay low." He then shifted his gaze to the curious elders sitting on the right side, "The remaining can act as they are doing currently."
Several questions popped up in the heads of elders, but everyone just nodded in understanding in the end.
"Good, for the next agenda. Dale-The Butcher was going to be executed six weeks from now. This is going to be a public execution. And we are going to save him."
9th elder: But he has been imprisoned for more than six decades. He should have grown weak to the point that even our Elites could beat him with ease. Is there a point in saving him?
17th Elder: Moreover, it won't be easy for us to save him. There will be Astreides Phoenix supervising such public executions of high-ranking villains. Dale was even a former grandmaster rank expert. We can even expect the Emperor Aerondor himself to watch it. We have to make the move in person, while expecting significant losses. Even then, the chances won't be high. Too much of a risk when we don't get much in return.
11th Elder: Astreides isn't a problem. My sources told me that while he was putting up a strong front, he was deeply affected by his family's massacre. He seemed to have tremors every night. We just have to strike him with illusion, trapping him with the vision of his family's massacre again.
16th Elder: Dale could be worthless, but he carried a Werewolf's heart, which makes a wonderful specimen to study. he he he he…
The creepy laughter filled the room and sent a cold shiver down the spines of a couple of elders.
The First Elder gave a tap to the table, gaining attention from the rest, "We decide it by vote."
*
Three days later;
Ashenford City;
Ancestral Temple, Griffin Manor;
Qin Wei and Thea met again at the ancestral temple. While Thea seemed to be a bit nervous while staring at him, Qin Wei seemed awfully calm. But neither of them talked or even greeted each other.
Well, they are not allowed to talk, yet.
Both of them proceed to the temple.
Later on, as they entered the temple, they witnessed majestic statues of those ancestors of House Griffin, who were all once grandmasters. And when Kaelan, the current lord, dies, his statue will be erected there too. Following the instruction from the Priestess, Qin Wei and Thea then knelt side by side in front of the House founder, Xyrian Griffin.
Qin Wei's forehead touched the cold marble floor as he kowtowed, mimicking Thea's precise movements.
When the rites concluded, the priestess gave a formal nod, and an elder came forward with a scroll.
He unfurled it and announced in a loud, clear voice that the newlyweds were officially being granted Moonvilla as their marital residence as a wedding gift from the House Lord.
The next phase of their married life had begun.