Chapter 0157

Graden and Tempest very slowly made their way back to camp.

Graden took the time to fill Tempest in about the current situation. Those suspicious overseers who did nothing while mages fought against the magical beasts reveal the reason behind the fight. A level five magical beast, Star Swift Lion, has moved into the area and has subjugated the other magical beasts.

It has ordered the magical beasts under its control to seal off the area and to drive off all the cultivators. They aren’t sure why the Star Swift Lion was acting secretive but they suspect either a high-level plant was about to ripen in the area and it wants to monopolize the plant or a natural element was about to come into being. They suspect the latter but they weren’t completely sure.

Mages rarely venture into an area to search for herbs. Only the extremely precious and rare herbs help with a mage’s cultivation. A level five magical beast can’t protect a plant or herb a mage was interested in. An herb that would spark the interest of a mage would also spark the interest of the higher-level magical beasts, or at least magical beasts higher than level five.

A natural element is a different story.

Mages don’t know how natural elements are formed, but they do know it comes into existence in areas with a high concentration of mana. All mages are interested in natural elements. It is one of the few resources that can increase a mage’s cultivation rate. It can also increase the cultivation rate of magical beasts.

Those suspicious overseer mages believe a natural element is going to be formed instead of herb ripening because the Star Swift Lion didn’t need to drive away from the mages if it was protecting an herb.

Magical beasts began gaining wisdom at level four and increase their intelligence as they grow in levels. Eons of mage disinterest have proven to magical beasts that mages aren’t interested in herbs. Other cultivators might be interested in the herbs they are guarding, but mages have proven to be the exception. High-level magical beasts in the Magus Alliance have learned how to differentiate the different types of cultivators in Cardinal Realm.

As a level five magical beast, the Star Swift Lion knows better than to spread its might around and alert the mages in the area if it was guarding a natural element.

Yet, somehow, a level five magical beast breaks all convention and does just that. Then, miracle of miracles, some mages in the guild sense a discrepancy, came to investigate and discover a treasure trove every mage out there desire.

Worse, they are willing to share the information.

“How much of that baloney do you believe?” Tempest asked Graden. They both know Graden is too smart to fall for their lies.

“There are some truths within their lies. Something agitated the magical beast in the area.”

“And you wanna go look for it?” Tempest asked with skepticism. She might have to revise her opinion if he said yes. Only the protagonist in a novel can waltz into a highly dangerous situation, grab the loot and flee the area without anyone the wiser. Tempest never believe she was the protagonist. Her luck was never that great.

“I’m not stupid.” Graden gave a side glance with his remark. “I have no interest in involving myself in their affairs. We aren’t strong enough to fight for it. We’re nothing but cannon fodders if we go, but we have to make a show of going. They went so far as to use an emergency flare. We have to respect the dignity of the guild if nothing else.”

“Those flares are fake.” Tempest pointed out the obvious. The mastermind behind the entire fiasco wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave a trail for the guild to follow and using real emergency flares sends a signal to the guild loud and clear.

“Real or no, they have a higher position than us in the guild. They can invert black to white.”

“Meh, just overwrite them.”

“We are only lowly new recruits. If I had the power, do you think I would be here babysitting you? I’d already take evasive maneuvers.” Graden complained in frustration. He knew they were walking into a trap, yet he couldn’t do anything about it. Even though he had extensive information courtesy of Anvis Dest, he can’t put it to good use due to the difference in status. He can’t think of anything that can bridge the status gap.

Tempest tossed a token from her mage robe to Graden. “This should do it.”

Graden caught the token and studied it with astonished eyes. “How did you get your hands on the Elder’s Overwrite Token?”

The Elder’s Overwrite Token, as the name implies, allows the holder to overwrite one mission, command or agenda. Similarly, it allows the holder to reject one mandatory request.

The overly suspicious overseers are planning something and they coerce a group of mages by way of the guild laws to act as their cannon fodders. The Elder’s Overwrite Token allows the holder, either Tempest or Graden in this case, to change the objective of the mission. They said to go north. With the Elder’s Overwrite Token, Tempest can command them to go south and no one can say anything.

Tempest won’t actually use the Elder’s Overwrite Token to subvert the fake mission. The Elder’s Overwrite Token is useful as a deterrence. No way was she going to waste one token on an obviously fake mission when she can just flash it and take away their authority to order her around.

As to how she got it, the answer was obvious. Cardis of course. Before Tempest left on this expedition, Cardis buried her in a mountain of useful junk. Tempest selected a few things that might be useful and put it in one pocket and dumped the rest into her junk pocket.

The Elder’s Overwrite Token Tempest gave to Graden was originally part of her junk pile until Cardis told her what it does. Not wanting the other mages to climb on top of her head, Tempest immediately put it into the important pocket.

“I’d say, you are not as smart as I gave you credit for if you had to ask the obvious question. Someone gave it to me of course.”

Graden held the Elder’s Overwrite Token in his hand. Tempest had always claimed she had a powerful backer but Graden didn’t really believe her. The news that Cardis accepted a Successor hadn’t spread yet.

Mages love to gossip like there is no tomorrow. It is their favorite form of socializing and entertainment.

The Eternal Spirit Guild’s Council of Elders would have loved to spread the news about Cardis’ Successor. It isn’t every day they see a living True Child of the Elements. They were just to leary of Cardis to say anything aside from warning their subordinate to be extra careful.

One of Cardis elements is wind. All it takes is one meditation session for Cardis to find out who spread what rumors about him. There other methods of communication aside from spoken words but no one knows what method a legendary mage has to collect information. They rather err on the side of caution rather than irritate Cardis. They decided to wait for Cardis to announce the news himself before they do anything.

As Graden pointed out, he was a lowly recruit. If middle management hadn’t heard the news then lowly peons such as them wouldn’t know it either.

“Tempest, how skilled are you?”

“Haven’t I told you before? I am very powerful.” Tempest boasted.

“I meant how skilled are you at communicating with your spirits.” Graden clarified his previous question.

“I communicate with them even when I don’t want to. Why?”

“Can you asked them what is causing all the ruckus?”

“You are interested in the treasure!” Tempest hooted.

Graden gave her a helpless shrug. Who isn’t interested in treasure? Most of the time, Graden has such a soft passive nature that everyone takes him for a weakling. Gentleness aside, Graden is a man. All men are interested in treasure.

“Fine,” Tempest said and closed her eyes. “Ventus, what is agitating the magical beast in the area?”

Too many to know for sure. The Emblemic Mountain Range is a veritable treasure trove if one knows where to look.

“Can you narrow it down to the treasure in the vicinity?”

I’ll eliminate all the precious herbs in the area. Graden wouldn’t ask you about treasures.

“Oh yeah, he’s a wood mage. He’d know about all the rare herbs.”

Deep Black Pearl, Spirited Soaring Flame, Crystalite Tundra Ore, A Kiss of Faerie, Moon Shadow, Crimson Stone, and a Touch of Divinity.

“Thank Ventus.”

Tempest repeated everything Ventus told her to Graden, who go paler and paler the longer she spoke.

Tempest sighed and resigned herself to her fate. “All men are stupid,” Tempest lamented in her heart, “They know there is danger yet they still chose to foolish rush in.”