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[A/N: I couldn't resist naming this chapter that.

Announcement: I'll take a week off in June, from the 1st to the 8th. I need the time to organize a lot of stuff in my life.

 I'll leave 1 chapter to be released after I return. Things are crazy tiring around here. My apologies—again.

Chapters this week: 1/1

Late chapters: 1

Next chapter: Tuesday, 11th]

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E'lemer was waiting for Shen right outside the Armory. E'livia was still clinging to him, hugging him tightly from the side, but T'onir was nowhere to be seen.

The B-rank looked unhappily at Shen's spear. Word had obviously already reached him, and he didn't approve of it. He kept silent for a moment. Holins seemed to love to bide their time, which was a good thing in Shen's opinion. E'livia had messed up when she acted without forethought.

At last, E'lemer said, "Can you see it, now, Outsider? You have in your hands the very manifestation of one of the reasons the Gardener abhors politics. It pits mother against son through schemes in the dark. Families have been broken for less. I can't imagine why Mother would like you to stay by E'livia's side, but she should've talked to me first. What did she tell you?"

If this were before Shen got the spear, he would've loved to reveal everything the scheming old lady had told him. Even now, he'd rather not provoke a B-rank's ire by hiding anything from him, especially when he had no business in the middle of family drama.

But he had been gifted the Un'Re spear. That changed things.

Shen bowed his head slightly, respectfully, but replied, "Esteemed Senior, I don't mean to be insolent, but it's not my place to disclose what Elder E'vania, in her great wisdom, has chosen to keep from you. It would dishonor the great favor she showed me. From E'forion's words, I don't even begin to understand the privilege of being given a spear with the Oneness enchantment, and I wouldn't dare to spit on her generosity."

E'lemer frowned, but after another moment of silence, he nodded. Shen had given the correct answer.

E'livia, however, released her father for the first time and approached, "Oneness?! Really! Let me see it!" she motioned to grab the spear.

Shen would've stopped her, but E'lemer's hand did it first. He grabbed her by the shoulder. "Foolish girl!" he admonished with barely any edge to his voice. "Hear yourself! This is a One Spear! Would you grab and examine a man in front of your father?"

She took an instant to understand his meaning, then widened her eyes and blushed furiously, stepping away from Shen as if he were the plague. She ended up hiding behind her father like a child. Shen disliked how it contrasted with her mature beauty, but he was starting to see some cuteness to it. Some. It would still be way too weird for him to ever be with someone who behaved like that.

E'forion came out of the Armory while Shen was saying, "Esteemed Senior, I'm ready for the duel."

E'lemer nodded. "Excellent. But before we head there, I must explain something to you. My mother is the best artisan in the Myriad Worlds, recognized by everyone. Only Elder V'moria dares to claim to be her equal, and Mother once recognized his skill. However, Mother only produces one A+ item every thousand years. Local years, I mean. That's about ninety Standard years. A-ranks fight for the privilege of having her craft something for them, then pay an S-rank's ransom to have the Oneness enchantment applied to it. This is the first C-tier item she has ever crafted, at least in the Myriad World's memories."

Shen's gratitude for the old woman increased. She had not spared anything in asking for his forgiveness. Speaking of which, Shen had received enough high-purity spirit stones after E'livia attempted to kill him twice, which was enough to buy a B- armor. If anything, the Gardener Sect was good at appeasing people after they messed up.

E'lemer continued, "I know little about crafting, but I was told this spear was considered impossible by every sect's artisan and only theoretically possible by Elder V'moria himself. In light of this, the Grand Elder has deemed your duel to be broadcast to the entire Gardener Sect. He wants everyone to appreciate Mother's only C-tier spear and give every sect member a chance to appreciate true art, the peak of spearmaking, and perhaps even inspire other artisans. I could do nothing about it if I wanted, which I don't. As much as Mother's actions hurt me, I, too, want to witness this singularity wielded in combat."

Shen frowned. He didn't want to be known by every asshole out there, much less as being the holder of such a particular weapon.

Sure, even without that, the little scene in the Armory would've ensured many people heard about his special spear, but only through rumors, gossip. They should've taken a while to spread, too. Yet, everyone already knew about it because the Grand Elder had officially spread the news. The broadcast would allow people to see his fighting style and better prepare against him.

The Grand Elder was painting a massive target on Shen's back.

"That is unacceptable," Shen said, not even caring to call E'lemer Esteemed Senior.

E'lemer shook his head. "You can only obey. The Grand Elder's words are law in the Myriad Worlds; only the Gardener is above him. But the Grand Elder guessed you'd be unwilling and has decided to soothe your feelings. I want you to understand he didn't need to do it, but he did anyway to honor Mother.

"He'll do three things for you in exchange for forcing the duel and its reasons to be public.

"First, he'll bind the spear to your soul. The Oneness enchantment already lets you feel it anywhere in Reality; only a peak A-rank can interfere with that. The soul-binding ritual, which requires the Oneness enchantment, will allow you to also store the spear in your soul or teleport it to you from anywhere in the same universe, as long as there's no A-tier interference, be it from enchantments, a Destiny Realization cultivator, or a natural formation. Therefore, stealing your spear will be impossible unless someone with A-tier items or an A-rank gets involved.

"In other words, your weapon was personally gifted by an A-rank Elder, and the A-rank Grand Elder will bind it to your soul. No one would ever dare to steal the spear from you. In my opinion, that's more than enough.

"However, the Grand Elder guessed you would still feel insecure, which is where his following favor comes in.

"Second, if you win, he'll order E'livia to ensure your spear isn't stolen for two years, extending upon my own agreement with you. Sending E'livia will fulfill your desire and ensure only the most absolute morons try to steal from you. If E'livia fails in her official sect mission, she'll report it. An official sect mission given by the Grand Elder is the Grand Elder's responsibility. He'll investigate it, ensure the spear is returned to you, and punish the culprits.

"He claimed he'd personally watch over you if you wanted, but he believed you'd be against it. He can still do that if you lose the duel and ask for it.

"Even with such favors, the Grand Elder insists you would still fear being killed. After all, rightfully pillaging a fallen foe isn't the same as stealing. Murder will always be investigated, of course, but you might very well offend a B-rank by mistake and end up crushed.

"Hence, his third favor. The Grand Elder has declared that if you die in the next two years, he'll personally track and punish any B-rank or higher involved in your death—even if it's justified. This will ensure no one tricks you into doing something you can rightfully be killed for. Furthermore, regardless of guilt or innocence, he'll recover your spear and erase it from existence. He has received Mother's permission to do so. Only the most stupid C-ranks, if any, will dare to attempt anything against you, but that's your problem, not ours. Again, murder will be investigated, but it's none of our business if you get yourself killed in a fair fight or for your own sins."

E'lemer paused one last time, then concluded, "I maintain that all of this is unnecessary. This is a C-rank world. Only the Gardener Sect can send B-ranks here, and none of us would ever dare to set our eyes on anything personally gifted to you by Mother, not to mention bound to your soul by the Grand Elder. Every sect member respects our superiors. Also, if you travel to a B-rank world, you can just hide yourself and your weapon and take your own risks. Alas, the Grand Elder insisted an Outsider wouldn't understand. You should be grateful for him being this accommodating."

Shen assimilated the news slowly. E'lemer's phrasing made it clear Shen had no say on the matter. The Grand Elder had decided things would be that way, and that was it.

E'lemer was right in that Shen didn't believe that people would just respect Elder E'vania or the Grand Elder. Greedy individuals were everywhere, and they always figured out watts to trick those in power. At least, they always believed they could do it, even if they died for their mistake later. Also, Shen's exchange with E'livia and E'vania didn't make Shen trust the Gardener Sect's uprightness more than the Average Joe. Respecting one's superiors only went so far, no matter how alien the local culture was.

Still, the most important part was that the Void could make plans in the Myriad Worlds. That had consequences. It meant one of three things.

One, the Gardener was on the Void's side.

Shen doubted that; the Gardener could've already destroyed the World Tree for the Void. As for longer-term plans, Shen couldn't assume everyone was plotting things against his interests, or he'd get paranoid. He had to see signs of it first, like with E'vania.

Two, the Gardener allowed the Void to think it was hiding.

That was possible, but Shen considered it too much wishful thinking. S-ranks were powerful, but the Void was a real threat even to them. Shen knew it. He felt it. It'd eventually find a way to hide from S-ranks if it kept trying long enough.

That left the third possibility: the Void could hide even from the S-rank Gardener, not to mention a mere A-rank Grand Elder.

Thus, Shen had to assume there were ways for Void-related individuals to steal his spear—or kill him—and disappear. Even if every "good" guy in the Myriad Worlds behaved, the Grand Elder had already screwed Shen over by spreading the news of the unique spear. The broadcast would only help Void-related elements better prepare to deal with him.

But he could do nothing about it, could he?

At least the "favors" should make things slightly easier for Shen. Even if this was all a big charade, it should last for a while, or there would be no reason for the charade in the first place. Shen was already planning on disguising himself, and he had ensured E'livia's company, which was his primary goal. She would also have to disguise herself, which meant not using her high-level Gardener Sect position to his benefit, but it was better than making it easier for his movements to be tracked.

The Grand Elder was also right about another thing: Shen didn't want his personal protection. The last thing Shen wanted was for an A-rank to look too closely into his business. Who knows if the Void would appear and say something wrong at the wrong moment?

And that's assuming the Grand Elder wouldn't use the "personal protection" as an excuse to kill Shen after a few months, claim it was an unfortunate accident and that the spear had already been destroyed, and take it for himself. Maybe the weapon would be recognized anywhere in the Myriad Worlds and shame him, but he could always send it elsewhere. Shen had no memories of any external places, but he knew they were there, and people had already mentioned the Abyss.

In the end, Shen decided to see how the first and third "favors" would run out and be glad that E'livia would be with him. He didn't even need to convince her anymore. It did make him feel a bit bad, but this was a matter of survival. He'd just pay her a drink, debate with her later, and hope she didn't resent him for it too much.

Well, that's what his rational part told him to do.

His Honor wouldn't let him settle things like that. This was on him, even if he hadn't known the rules before breaking them. He couldn't force her to pay for his mistake. As much as she had tried to kill him, he had been repaid and said he forgave her. He couldn't use it to justify treating poorly.

So, he said, "We can discuss the second favor after I talk to E'livia and see if she wants to come with me. I won't force anyone, even if the Grand Elder has the right to do it. But we can get to that after I defeat T'orin. I'm ready."

There was no use complaining. He'd settle the debt with the Grand Elder after he was strong enough, depending on how inconvenient things became because of all this shit.

E'livia blushed slightly at his words, likely still stuck in the "grab and examine a man in front of your father" episode.

E'lemer raised an eyebrow. "I was told to expect more resistance from you."

Shen smiled. Of course, they had profiled him. However, that was before he received the spear. The weapon gave him confidence. He could only blame himself if he couldn't defeat T'orin and survive his tribulation even with such a fantastic weapon. And since he was less afraid of failing his tribulation, he had no need to overthink about the here and now. He could more confidently plan for a future when he returned strong enough to make himself heard.

As for asking anything else from the Grand Elder, he'd rather not upset the guy who would bind his soul to his weapon. Shen wanted that ritual despite the obvious risk: it involved his soul. Partially, he desired it because his soul was damaged, and he wanted to see what happened. Partially because the ability to summon his spear from anywhere in the damn universe sounded too incredible to refuse.

Shen replied, still smiling, "Even ants can surprise us, Esteemed Senior, much less cultivators. Can we go now?"

As much as Shen would also rather not be pushy with E'lemer, the faster he got E'livia away from people she knew, the better. He considered E'livia more likely to spill the beans about his tribulation than E'lemer was of getting upset enough to murder him.

Speaking of E'livia, Shen really wanted to say something to ensure she remained quietly close to her father, but he wouldn't dare. It would be considered politics. He didn't need to give anyone a reason to punish him, and many would want to lock him up for two years right now. As for being sincere and telling her he "had his reasons," it would only invite people's scrutiny, which was the last thing he wanted.

Shen hated leaving things up to fate. Alas, it was safer than taking any risk right now.

"So be it," E'lemer said after another extra silent moments. "Follow me." He turned and started flying away.

Shen clenched his spear firmly, finding comfort in it, and followed E'lemer to the arena.

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