Death... and me

After Wulio  left, Rean and Malaka looked straight at Roan, with Rean asking.

"Don't you have anything to say?"

Roan looked at them with a puzzled expression, asking.

"About what?"

"About Wulio  asking Calina to marry him to give his support, of course. I'm sure Calina's very interested in your opinion."

Sure enough, Calina's interest was piqued as she looked at Roan. Even Roan could tell that she also wanted to hear what he thought on the matter.

"Hmm... It all depends on whether he's true to his words or not. From my perspective, he's quite the lax type, so he might not take this idea very seriously. However, if you two do marry, Calina would indeed be in a better position to fight for the throne. In conclusion, you should take his offer."

Calina's expression immediately became gloomy as Rean and Malaka shook their heads in dismay. This guy really couldn't understand anything at all!

"How can you say that?"

Malaka nodded as she added.

"You're just way too dense!"

Roan began to feel annoyed.

"The hell are you talking about? You asked for my fucking opinion, and you got it. Is there anything else I should say?"

Rean and Malaka looked at Calina with apologetic expressions as they apologized.

"Sorry, Calina. That's just how this idiot is."

Calina bitterly smiled before shaking her head.

"It's fine. In a certain way, his way of acting is also why I feel like this."

Roan felt even more annoyed that they were obviously talking about him but were pretending he wasn't even there.

"Enough with the bullshit. Since we've almost guaranteed that Wulio  won't do anything, we should focus on training. With the Lakure Race members not being allowed to kill us anymore without a good reason, we should make good use of it. I'll have all of you challenge other members of their race for sparrings every now and then. Also, I will remake our cultivation time schedule to match the fact that we don't need to travel to fight anymore."

Rean then looked at him before asking.

"What about the Red Crystals? Are we giving up on them from now on?"

Malaka immediately gave her opinion on that.

"I don't really like those crystals. They destroy all the life around them to obtain that energy. Each one can wipe out the vegetation and other lifeforms in a 10km radius at the very least."

Roan then explained.

"It doesn't matter. I already asked what those crystals are. It seems like the Lakure Race spent all those thousands of years making them in the underground world. Although they've made a few after so long, they aren't unlimited and have fixed lifespans after being activated. Well, at least that's what I heard. Since that's the case, we should indeed aim to grab as many as possible for Kentucky."

Obviously, as many as possible for themselves as well.

Calina then put those thoughts about marriage and her feelings for Roan on the side for now. Following that, she asked.

"And how do you expect to get them?"

Rean pondered pver it a bit.

"How about challenging them with the victor paying back. We do have a few Rank Four Spirit Stones, so we don't lose out in terms of value. Add on the fact that they are only used for a single purpose, which is for that ancestor of them. Once he finishes, they'll become quite useless without something like Kentucky to eat them."

Roan nodded.

"That's a way to think about it. How long did you agree to heal their poisons every day?"

"I agreed with them that I will heal their poisons for half a day each time. This will allow me to balance my training and cultivation with you."

Although Rean said half a day, one must remember that time passed ten times faster in this place. However, they still received light from the outside. That meant Rean would heal their poisons for five days while cultivating for the next five. That was beneficial since it would give him time to stabilize his cultivation and prevent any hiccups.

Roan was satisfied with the proposal.

"That's more than enough. Now, then. Take this time and go check on how the others from Dalamu are doing. I'll give you the training schedule tonight."

Both the Jialin and Guntao forces were separated into several groups around the valley. They were all kept far away from the center, where the formation core and the ancestor was located. As one could imagine, both humans and Lakures were very wary of each other. Jana told them to try and get in between each other, but it wasn't that easy.

Somewhere in the valley, Dalamu Sect forces could be found. Well, just a small part of it, which included Tiria. This was the group that Rean, Malaka, and Calina came to take a look at. As for Juvian, he was put in another group somewhere else.

"Elder Tiria, long time no see."

Tiria's expression immediately became dark as she looked at Rean's group.

"Long time no see? Are you fucking kidding me? First of all, how the hell are you two here in the natural formation? Did you forget how important you and Roan are for the sect at the moment? We can't let anything happen to you two!"

Rean laughed, not minding too much. He then patted Malaka's head before saying.

"Well, you couldn't expect me to leave my little sister alone, right?"

Tiria looked at Malaka and Calina with a dark expression.

"One's already nineteen while the other is eighteen. Not only that, but Illia and Malaka have amazing cultivations for their age. What's the point of their training if you come and rescue them every single time? Are you looking down on us women that much?"

Malaka couldn't help but cry as she lamented.

"Sob, sob... I told Rean that as well. But he didn't want to listen to me. He always treated me like a kid, as if he doesn't think that a woman can do anything alone at all."

Calina nodded with a sad expression.

"That's true. Rean and his brother are truly unbelievable. They simply don't care about what we think."

Rean almost vomited blood! Since when did he say that?

Sure enough, Tiria's expression became even worse after listening to the two girls.

"It seems like someone needs to learn a lesson."

Rean felt like crying.

"Wait, wait! I never thought like that at all. How come you believe those two and not me?"

"Didn't you say you couldn't leave your little sister? Isn't that a perfect example of looking down on women?"

"Like hell it is! What's wrong with a brother protecting his sister?"

Tiria then looked at Malaka and Calina.

"Illia, Malaka, did you need Rean or Roan's help in the end?"

The two girls shook their heads in response, with Calina responding.

"When they found us, we were already out of danger. We escaped calamity with our own strength. It was then that they insisted on staying with us from now on."

"This..."

Well, it wasn't a lie. When the two finally arrived, Calina and Malaka were already out of danger anymore. It was Roan's hell-like training that put them in danger showing its effects.

Tiria smiled brightly right after as she touched Rean's shoulder.

"Oh, so you two were basically useless while putting yourselves in danger by coming here, right? How amusing!"

Rean couldn't help but look at Calina and Malaka as he sent them a Spiritual Sense message.

'Why are you doing this to me?'

The first one to answer was Malaka.

'Did you forget how you sacrificed me that day when we tricked Calina and Luina to get naked in front of Roan? Since you betrayed me, why shouldn't I do the same?'

Calina was the second... for the same reason.

'I won't forget the time you had me strip for Roan since you knew it would be useless. It's time for revenge.'

Rean didn't know whether to laugh or cry. How could they still remember that event from over four years ago? Isn't that too much of a grudge? Besides, where is Roan that he isn't receiving the punishment with him?

Well, Rean's next hour with Elder Tiria could be said to have been anything but pleasurable. He made sure to remember that, though.

When Tiria was finally done with him, she finally entered the topic at hand.

"Now, then. Let's go back to what matters. Why did you come out?"

Rean sighed as he explained.

"There wasn't much of a reason to not do so. Roan and I were pretty sure we could escape even if things turned south. You should know that already. Our cloning technique is great for these things other than battling."

Tiria pondered over it for a bit and nodded.

"I still think you two shouldn't have come. However, it's obvious that this place is also helping with your own cultivation. Not to mention Malaka and Illia's. Since the time here passes much faster, it will help you grow stronger to protect yourselves outside."

"So, what do you think about the forced living conditions? Do you think both sides can become friendly enough before the natural formation opens? Or better yet, do you think we can even survive until then?"

Rean confirmed that.

"At the very least, they won't do anything to all of you while I'm still healing their poisons. Obviously, there are just way too many Lakures here, so I definitely won't finish before the formation opens. All I can say is that time will tell. Of course, I hope Elder Tiria and the others will do their best not to anger them. You have quite a few years ahead to achieve some level of trust as well."

Tiria already knew it. That's what all this negotiation was about, after all.

"I'll try. Now, what about this ancestor of them?"

Sure enough, that was another topic they couldn't avoid.