Ashlock watched as Stella entered the alleyway behind the half-destroyed restaurant through her conjured portal. She looked understandably distraught, so he quickly opened a rift for her that led straight to Red Vine Peak.
"Thanks, Tree..." She said in a low voice through their telepathic link as she walked through. The moment the portal snapped closed behind her, she reached down with a grunt, hastily tore off her high heels, and hurled them through the air. Before they could hit the stone, her spatial ring flashed with power, and they vanished.
Then with a frustrated huff, she marched across the stone while barefoot. Her ring flashed again, and the dress briefly vanished, only to be replaced with her usual comfortable wear.
She then sat on the bench, lay down, and closed her eyes angrily. A few moments passed, and her eyes snapped open, "Ugh! I just had to mess it up, Tree. I just couldn't keep my darn mouth shut!"
Sitting up, she tore the hair clip off and gripped her head in her hands while shouting in her mind, "Stupid Skyrends and their arrogance. Why are most cultivators such assholes? Ugh, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. I ruined everything."
"What did you ruin?" Ashlock asked through the telepathic link.
"I was gone for what? Ten minutes? We spent all day dressing me up and getting me ready to speak with the other nobles, and here I am crying to you only ten minutes later!" Stella smacked her forehead multiple times, "I. Just. Can't. Do. Anything. Right."
"Stella, calm down. Relax... it's okay."
She took a long breath and sat back on the bench, her conflicted gaze settling on his leaves that rustled in the early night breeze. "Is it really okay? I didn't ruin everything?"
"Silly girl, you did great out there."Ashlock chuckled as he saw hope reappear in her eyes. "Do you not remember the entire purpose of this tournament and the feast?"
Stella furrowed her brows, and a sudden realization seemed to bloom, "The point was to establish the Redclaws as the rulers of this land and to find an alchemist. Oh, and something about making a deal with the merchants."
"Exactly, and what did you achieve tonight? You saw how Theron treated Elder Margret. He thought so low of her and Redclaw's family that he would spit in her face. But now, after your fight, I think everyone in that room sees the Redclaws in a different light."
"I see..." Stella nodded to herself, "So what you are saying is I did a good job?"
"Well, no... not exactly. You went with the intention of learning how to converse with the other cultivators..."
Stella's face fell.
"And yet, within minutes, you were fighting them, and then you arrogantly offered them a chance to choose a challenge and even agreed to become his slave if you lost."
"I did?"
"You don't even remember?"
Stella frowned, "I just really wanted to get away from there, so I just agreed to whatever they said so I could leave quickly. Did I even have the option to negotiate the terms? I mean, I fought someone from a supposed higher-tier family within the Blood Lotus sect. The fact he didn't tell Dante to kill me there and then surprised me."
"You might not have felt like it, but I believe you had the upper hand in negotiations. You had utterly crushed their pride, so you could have been more demanding."
"Well, it's fine," Stella waved him off, "I didn't want anything from those bastards anyway, and they picked something I should win at easily."
"But imagine if they hadn't? You got lucky that you picked up alchemy a few days ago and seem to have an immense talent for it, but even then, you have only made a few pills. You keep getting away with it, but one day your arrogance will catch up to you and become the downfall for us all."
Stella was mute as she mulled over his words.
From the seriousness in her expression, it was evident that she knew she had fucked up.
What if she had sat at Dante Voidmind's table and infuriated him? There was no way Stella could shrug off a void affinity cultivator a few stages above her as she did with the Skyrends due to her dao comprehension.
"You're right, Tree. I hear you. I really do. I just find being all diplomatic like Diana and the others so hard... Ugh, I should go practice alchemy for tomorrow." Stella stood up. Her shoulders sagged as she clicked her fingers, summoning a portal, and a moment later, she was gone—down into the cavern below.
With the darkness of night enveloping him, Ashlock felt weary. He didn't like to fight with Stella or scold her like that, but with his newfound telepathy, it was about time he set things straight with her.
As she was trying to focus on her alchemy, he withdrew his {Abyssal Whispers} skill. He couldn't talk with her while asleep, and he didn't want to keep haunting her all night.
"Before I sleep, let me check back on the restaurant." Ashlock's vision blurred, and he soon returned to the restaurant. He had naturally infiltrated their wine cellar below the building with a root a few days ago and was poking its tip up through a gap in the floorboards so he could see what was happening within.
If Stella had faced a problem he didn't feel she could deal with, he was prepared to go all out to protect her through this root. Thankfully he could keep his presence from the families hidden for a while longer due to Stella navigating the hectic situation surprisingly well.
She may be bad at casual conversation, but she was great when it came to throwing hands and hurling insults. "I think it's about time Stella realized that being a noble that bends the knee to others for benefits and relationships isn't her forte. Which is fine... she can be a tyrant that lays down the law when needed instead. She would serve that role so much better."
Ashlock hoped tonight would lead to that realization for her. It was obvious a few hours ago that she was actually convinced she could keep her words and hands to herself when confronting someone who would naturally look down on both her and this backwater city she had called home her entire life. But alas, the reality had been far different.
"Anyway, that aside, before I go to sleep, let's see what's happening over here." Ashlock used his spiritual sight to glance around the restaurant. To his pleasant surprise, members from the Starweaver, Terraforge, and Azurecrest families were crowded around the Redclaw Grand Elder and the other Elders.
They were, of course, mostly asking about the mysterious Roselyn, but there were other questions and pleasantries thrown around for a while.
However, that wasn't of interest to Ashlock. What did draw his gaze was Dante Voidmind and Theron Skyrend sitting at a table far away from the hustle and bustle around the Redclaw Grand Elder.
Unfortunately, ripples of Void Qi surrounded them, so although their lips were moving slightly, suggesting an occurring conversation, no sound escaped the confines of their table.
Ashlock wasn't too worried, as Elaine was sitting right there next to Dante, so anything said within that void bubble that could harm him should be relayed to him or the Redclaws somehow before it became a problem.
"So tired... I should sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a hectic one." Ashlock mused as he began to retract his gaze. The feast was rather dull with Stella gone, especially with the Qi bubbles everywhere preventing him from eavesdropping on any exciting conversations.
However, on his way out, he noticed Diana bidding farewell to the merchants.
"Thank you for your interest Nox." Diana's words drifted into his mind after the bubble surrounding them collapsed.
"We will speak again soon." The woman called Nox replied and then walked off.
Diana watched the mysterious merchant leave and then turned to Sebastian and Ryker, "I'm going to head back and check on... you know who. Are you two staying here?"
Sebastian nodded, "I want Ryker to have a chance to interact with some of the families here. This is one of his first-ever social events, and I want it to be at least somewhat normal for him after her antics."
"Alright," Diana bid them farewell, and a moment later, she left the restaurant that had moonlight pouring in through the hole in the roof. She began to walk down the serpentine path that snaked its way down a tree-lined lantern-lit path, but Ashlock saved her the trouble and sent a portal her way.
Ashlock waited a moment to see if any Redclaws would also leave, but they seemed content to stay for the rest of the night by their grinning faces. Stella may have caused a scene, but it had greatly elevated the Redclaws to this odd status they seemed to enjoy.
"The fact that Theron was so convinced he could spit in Elder Margrets face and not face any repercussions whatsoever shows the vast difference in status between these noble families." Ashlock mused, "No wonder the Nightrose family has never even shown a hint of interest in the deaths of the Winterwrath or Evergreen families. They must be like bugs to them."
Ashlock was curious about what standing the Skyrend family had. It was clear they were on a similar level to the Voidmind family, but he wasn't sure why. The Silverspires were easy to understand. They produced one of the sect's most lucrative exports, the spatial rings. Meanwhile, the Voidmind family had one of the most powerful affinities and ran Slymere City, a center for education and creativity.
But what could the Skyrend family provide the Blood Lotus sect? Ashlock couldn't figure it out.
"Whatever," Ashlock sighed as his vision blurred back to Red Vine Peak, "Let's see how Diana is."
Diana was glancing around frantically, "Stella? Where are you?"
Since Ashlock didn't want to overwhelm her mind with his telepathy and she wasn't good enough to translate his ancient runic words, he made a portal and sent her down to the cavern where Stella was standing over the earthen bowl with a deep frown on her face.
"Diana?" Stella said as she saw the frantic black-haired girl appear next to her. "Why are you back so soon..."
"I should be asking you the same thing!" Diana strode over and poked Stella in the chest, "I. Told. You. It. Was. A. Bad. Idea."
Stella slapped her hand away, "Yes, yes... I admit I might have overestimated myself. I'm really sorry."
Diana sighed, "It's fine—despite your antics, you made that the most entertaining social gathering I have ever attended, so I don't know whether I should laugh or cry."
"Eh?" Stella tilted her head, "What do you mean?"
"Stella, you basically told Theron what everyone was thinking straight to his face and got away with it!" Diana giggled, "Almost every family hates the Skyrend family, but since they wield lightning and can be crucial for facing heavenly tribulations, everyone puts up with their nonsense."
"But Tree faced a heavenly tribulation, and he got through it fine." Stella shrugged, "I don't see what's the big deal. It's just some lightning."
"Are you forgetting that time you tried to punch heavenly lightning and almost died if not for Senior Lee's healing pill?"
"I have a selective memory..."
Diana rolled her eyes, "Of course you do. The heavenly lightning is a trial sent by the heavens to test those who are worthy. You may look down on it after encountering it so many times to the point you can slap it away so effortlessly like you did earlier, but that is not true for most people."
Stella shrugged, "I could do the same thing as those Skyrend bastards. There should be no need to hire those arrogant assholes. I will do it for free if it takes business away from them."
"That's actually a good idea..." Ashlock mused. How valuable would his lightning Qi barrier fruit be if Theron could throw his weight around like that just because his old man could fend off a few lightning bolts?
Diana laughed, "That would be great. You should do that."
There was a brief silence between the two.
"I was so worried, Stella." Diana said seriously, "You might not have noticed, but Dante Voidmind almost intervened earlier, but Elaine whispered something in his ear that made him sit back and watch. There's a reason I say that was the most fun social gathering I have ever attended because usually, it's a quiet exchange of small talk and pleasantries. Nobody would dare fight at them. That's suicide."
"I know," Stella sighed, "Tree already told me... I messed up. I won't go to gatherings like those again. Or at least not until I am strong enough to defy anyone who runs their mouth like that."
Diana chuckled, "Never change, Stella. You are just what this dull world of arrogant young masters needs." She then wandered off, "I will leave you to your practice. I know you have a tournament to win tomorrow."
"Thank you..." Stella said quietly as she watched Diana's departing back and then returned her focus to the ingredients laid out before her.
***
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Ashlock awoke bright and early the next day. He quickly glanced around and didn't see any angry Skyrend family trying to smite the place down, so all in all not a terrible start to the morning.
Diana was cultivating under the mist-shrouded trees, and Stella was still slaving away in the cavern. Ashlock was about to go check on some other things when he felt the presence of a group outside the tunnel.
"Oh, thank god it's just a Redclaw," Ashlock breathed a sigh of relief as he instructed Bob to move to the side and allow Elder Margret to enter. She walked down the tunnel purposefully and soon crossed the desolate cavern to Stella.
The twins had left sometime yesterday back to the White Stone Palace, and Douglas was busy working on his staircase in the hole, so it was just Stella slaving away over the earthen bowl.
"Morning, Elder Margret," Stella said while wiping sweat from her brow. On the earthen bowl's rim was a neat line of tier two body strengthing pills that Elder Margret eyed with appreciation.
"You caused quite the commotion last night."
"Yeah, I know—"
"Thank you." Elder Margret gave a short bow, "To stand up for one as lowly as I was more than I ever anticipated."
"What are you saying?" Stella seemed bewildered, "You are part of the Ashfallen Sect. When they insult you, they insult all of us, especially the immortal. I will not stand for it."
Elder Margret's lip quivered slightly, and the image of the stern woman shattered, "To be treated as a lesser at every social gathering... To be looked down upon as if I was some useless old hag and treated as such by the more favored families by the Patriarch... I don't know how, but I became numb to it—accepted my fate as a pawn others used to disrespect to feel superior. We all did..."
Ashlock saw Elder Margret's fists clench at her sides. He could understand her feelings. This world was a dark and cruel place where powerful people treated those below them as nothing.
"But I feel we have been reborn under you and the immortal. Last night was the first time I felt listened to and valued in so long. I know it's silly, as they only wanted to talk to us about you, but I was so happy." A single tear ran down Elder Margret's cheek, "I tried so hard for so many years to revive our family name that has been stamped and spat on. But we were crushed at every turn... just like this tournament, how the families banded together to keep us down by restricting the sale of ingredients."
Stella stood there... stunned, clearly not knowing what to say.
"I..."
"Sorry, ignore my ramblings," Elder Margret wiped away the tear and regained her composure, "I don't know what overcame me. The purpose of my visit was to tell you that the tournament's preliminary round starts in a few moments, and everyone eagerly anticipates your attendance."
Stella let out a long sigh as she stepped down from the step and offered Elder Margret a sincere smile, "I think it's time those bastards learned who the true tyrant of this tournament is."
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