The woman was waiting at the edge of the settlement.
She stood beneath an old tree, her hands folded in front of her, while the wind moved gently through her dark hair.
William recognized her immediately.
She was the same woman he had met in the abandoned building.
Adrian stopped beside him.
"So she's the one."
William nodded.
The woman looked at both of them.
"I didn't expect you to come so quickly."
William answered calmly.
"You said you knew something about the people following me. If that is true, I have no reason to waste time."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"You've become more direct."
"I've learned that vague answers usually waste more time than they save."
She looked at Adrian.
"Can we speak privately?"
William shook his head.
"No."
The woman raised an eyebrow.
"I need to discuss something sensitive."
"Then you can say it in front of him."
Adrian looked at William for a moment before smiling.
"I appreciate that."
The woman sighed.
"Very well."
She took a small object from her sleeve.
It was a black token with a strange symbol carved into its surface.
She held it out to William.
"This is an invitation."
William did not take it.
"From whom?"
"From the people who have been observing you."
Adrian's expression hardened.
William looked at the token.
"What do they want?"
"They want to meet you."
"Why?"
"Because they have decided that watching you from a distance is no longer enough."
William finally took the token.
"What kind of meeting?"
"A negotiation."
William examined the symbol.
"About my force?"
"Among other things."
Adrian stepped forward.
"You expect him to walk into a meeting with people who have already been spying on him?"
The woman looked at him.
"No. I expect him to refuse."
She turned back to William.
"But I also expect him to be curious."
William looked at her.
"You're right."
Adrian frowned.
"William..."
"I won't go blindly."
William returned the token to the woman.
"If they want to meet me, they can tell me where."
The woman shook her head.
"You misunderstand."
She held the token toward him again.
"The token is the location."
William looked at it.
"You activate it?"
"Yes. It will take you to them."
Adrian immediately said, "Then definitely don't use it."
William glanced at him.
"I wasn't planning to."
The woman smiled.
"I expected that answer."
She took another object from her sleeve.
A small piece of white stone.
"This one will allow you to see the place without entering it."
William took it.
"Why give me that?"
"Because I don't want you to enter a place you haven't examined."
That answer surprised him.
The woman noticed.
"I told you before that I don't completely agree with them. I'm not going to pretend otherwise."
William looked at her carefully.
"Then why are you still helping them?"
Her expression changed.
For the first time, the confidence in her eyes disappeared.
"Because leaving them isn't as simple as walking away."
She looked toward the distant settlement.
"I have people there who depend on me. If I disappear, they will suffer for a decision I made."
William was silent.
She continued.
"I used to think that was an excuse. Now I'm not sure anymore."
Adrian asked quietly, "What happened?"
The woman looked at him.
"I trusted the wrong people."
She paused.
"Then I became one of them."
No one spoke.
After a moment, William asked, "What do they actually want from me?"
"They want you to join them."
Adrian immediately laughed.
"After everything they've done?"
The woman nodded.
"They don't see themselves as your enemies."
William's expression became slightly colder.
"They sent people to test me."
"Yes."
"They followed me."
"Yes."
"They collected information about me."
"Yes."
"And now they want me to join them."
"That's their position."
William looked at the token.
"Why?"
"Because they believe your force will become important."
She looked directly at him.
"They would rather have you under their influence than allow you to grow independently."
William understood.
"So that's the real problem."
"They don't fear what I can do now."
"No."
She shook her head.
"They fear what you could become."
William gave a quiet laugh.
"At least they're honest about one thing."
They returned to the settlement.
William did not activate either object.
Instead, he spent the rest of the day gathering information.
He visited several shops.
Spoke with cultivators.
Asked about the surrounding powers.
He did not mention the invitation.
He wanted to understand the region before making any decision.
Adrian accompanied him.
At one point, they entered a small restaurant.
An old cultivator was sitting alone near the window.
William sat at the neighboring table.
After a few minutes, he asked casually:
"Do you know the organization that controls the northern territory?"
The old man looked at him.
"Which one?"
William named it.
The man's expression immediately changed.
"You should stay away from them."
"Why?"
"They're not ordinary."
"Strong?"
"Not necessarily."
The old man lowered his voice.
"They know how to make people depend on them."
William listened carefully.
"Do they recruit independent cultivators?"
"Sometimes."
"And what happens after they join?"
"Some become stronger."
"And the others?"
The old man looked toward the door.
"Some disappear."
Adrian frowned.
"Disappear?"
The old man nodded.
"Not physically. They simply stop being themselves."
William's expression hardened.
"What does that mean?"
"They start speaking like everyone else. Thinking like everyone else. Defending decisions they once hated."
The old man sighed.
"I don't know what they do to people. Maybe nothing. Maybe they simply surround them with enough pressure that changing becomes easier than resisting."
William thanked him and stood.
Outside the restaurant, Adrian asked:
"Does that change your decision?"
"It changes what I need to know."
"What?"
"Whether they are actually offering me a position..."
William looked toward the distant mountains.
"...or whether they're trying to put me in a cage that looks like an alliance."
That evening, William returned to the house of the old woman he had met earlier.
She was sitting outside, drinking tea.
She looked at him.
"You came back quickly."
"I have a question."
"Ask."
"Do you know the organization in the north?"
The woman's expression changed.
"I know of them."
"Do you know what they want?"
"They want influence."
"That's too simple."
She smiled.
"Then ask a better question."
William sat opposite her.
"Why do independent cultivators join them?"
She thought for a moment.
"Because independence is difficult."
William remained silent.
She continued.
"A sect gives you resources. A family gives you protection. An academy gives you knowledge. An organization gives you connections."
"And what does independence give you?"
"Freedom."
She smiled.
"And freedom is expensive."
William looked down.
The old woman continued.
"If you build your own force, don't pretend that you can give people everything. You can't."
"Then what should I give them?"
"Choice."
William looked at her.
"Choice?"
"Give them the right to decide whether they stay. Give them the right to disagree. Give them the right to leave."
She paused.
"But remember something."
"What?"
"If you give people freedom, you must also accept the consequences of their choices."
William nodded slowly.
That answer stayed with him.
Later that night, William stood alone outside.
He finally activated the white stone.
A translucent image appeared in front of him.
A massive building.
Several powerful cultivators were gathered inside.
At the center was a long table.
William recognized some of the people.
They were among the powers that had previously asked about him.
Some had investigated his past.
Some had expressed interest in his abilities.
Some had even been mentioned by the information organization.
William's expression became serious.
"So they really are connected."
Adrian stood beside him.
"How many?"
"Enough."
The image shifted.
A man entered the hall.
William had never seen him before.
Yet the moment he appeared, everyone else became silent.
He sat at the head of the table.
The image was only a projection, but William could feel the man's presence through it.
The man spoke.
"William."
William's eyes narrowed.
The man knew he was watching.
"You have spent a long time searching for people who could become the foundation of your own force."
William did not react.
"We know why you are doing it."
The man continued.
"You dislike the way sects control their disciples. You dislike how families use their children as pieces in political agreements. You dislike academies that claim to teach freedom while deciding which paths their students are allowed to follow."
Adrian looked at William.
The man continued.
"And you believe you can build something better."
William's expression became colder.
"We aren't asking you to abandon that idea."
The man smiled.
"We are offering you the resources to make it possible."
The projection faded.
The stone became silent.
Adrian looked at William.
"Well?"
William stared at the empty space where the man had appeared.
"What do you think?"
Adrian was surprised.
"You are asking me?"
"Yes."
Adrian thought carefully.
"I think they're dangerous."
"That's obvious."
"I also think they're serious."
William nodded.
"They are."
Adrian hesitated.
"But I don't think you should reject them immediately."
William looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because an enemy who wants you dead is simple."
Adrian pointed toward the stone.
"These people want something from you. That means they have something worth offering."
William smiled faintly.
"That's what worries me."
Adrian nodded.
"Exactly."
The next morning, William made his decision.
He returned to the woman.
"I'll meet them."
She looked surprised.
"You've accepted?"
"No."
William shook his head.
"I've accepted the meeting."
He looked at her seriously.
"I want to hear what they're offering directly."
The woman nodded.
"Then you should know something."
"What?"
"They will ask you to bring someone with you."
"Who?"
"You."
William frowned.
"Me?"
She nodded.
"They know that you are important to him."
Adrian understood.
"They want to see whether William will risk bringing someone he trusts."
William's expression became thoughtful.
Then he looked at Adrian.
"Are you willing?"
Adrian smiled.
"I've already followed you this far."
He stood.
"I might as well see where this goes."
William nodded.
The woman looked at both of them.
"I hope you understand what you're doing."
William turned toward the road.
"I do."
But as they began walking, a thought remained in his mind.
The enemy had offered him resources.
They had offered him connections.
They had offered him exactly the things he needed to build the force he had been imagining.
And that was precisely why he couldn't trust them.
Because the most dangerous trap was not the one that threatened to destroy your dream.
It was the one that promised to make it come true.