Chapter 30 The debriefing
Elder Yung stood before the enforcers. His right eye twitched as he fixed his gaze on Vandal. The memory of the boy once calling him useless flashed through his mind. Now the same disciple stood tall among the enforcers, the highest and most respected rank in the sect.
His shadow stretched long across the polished floor of the Treasure Records section in the restricted hall.
"The sect members you will be protecting are direct descendants of the holy fathers," Elder Yung began. His voice grated like stone grinding against stone. "No harm is to come to them. They seek to gain experience with this expedition and will meet up with you three days from now."
Vandal held steady eye contact with the elder and kept a faint smile playing on his lips.
This annoying brat. I hope you die in this expedition.
Elder Yung drew in several deep breaths, reached for the glass of water on the table, and drained it in one go before speaking again.
"The graveyard where this treasure is located lies near the territory of an enemy organization called the Resonance Council. They broke their five hundred year treaty with us, so it is possible they will also send their disciples in search of the treasure."
"Three questions," Vandal said. "First, if they attack us since we are technically their enemies, can we fight and kill them? Second, is it not counterproductive to send the most important members of the sect into such a dangerous place? It is folly for us to guarantee their total safety in such a chaotic environment. Third, some sect disciples will obviously die from this expedition if my first question turns out to be a valid concern."
He paused only briefly before continuing. "And the final question: won't they also be aware that we might come looking for the treasure? Especially since they are closer to the location than we are and we are the only organization relatively close to it after them. Is it not safe to assume they might even ambush us?"
Mael leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing with interest as he studied Vandal. He waited for Elder Yung’s reply.
Bang.
Elder Yung’s palm crashed down on the table. The sharp sound echoed through the hall.
"How dare you speak before I finish explaining?" he spat. "Insolent brat!"
"I ought to have you whipped one hundred and forty times!" Yung continued, his face twisting with anger.
"Elder, please do not take his questions as an insult," Mael spoke up calmly. "I feel what he asked are indeed valid questions."
Elder Yung clenched his jaw and swallowed the words burning on his tongue. Mael was the most powerful enforcer and their leader. He could not afford to ignore him.
"Fine," Yung said through gritted teeth. "We are actually going to send most of our most powerful elders to cause a distraction in their territory. They will be too busy trying to figure out what is going on and will not have many resources left to plan an ambush on a bunch of sect disciples. We strike first. While they are still reeling, you lot will protect the holy descendants."
"As for the regular sect disciples, they can fend for themselves. We do not breed weaklings. As members, they should already be willing to die for our sect."
Vandal opened his mouth, ready to speak, but Sabine’s fingers pinched his hand sharply under the table.
"Shhh. Enough. Just let it go, please," Sabine whispered in a low, hushed voice.
"Four stage twelve elders," Yung replied coldly. "That is why you should not worry about an ambush. They would never anticipate that we would directly attack them with our strongest elders. There is a formation protecting the graveyard."
"These are formation destabilizing seals." He tossed five shimmering talismans onto the table. "They will get you past the outer perimeter of the graveyard so you can enter. After that, you are on your own. Ensure you only step in to protect the descendants when they are truly in danger. They need to experience fighting and have an opportunity to use their fragment skills."
"Lastly, if the treasure turns out to be something beyond your level, do not engage. Report back to me immediately by way of this black crow." Yung brought out a bird cage housing a crow.
"The crow's head reminds me of Elder Yung's face. They must be related family members," Vandal whispered into Sabine’s ear.
She stifled a giggle, her shoulders shaking slightly.
"Something funny, Sabine?" Elder Yung snapped, his eyes narrowing to slits.
"No sir," Sabine replied after clearing her throat. "I just felt the urge to sneeze. The surroundings are a bit dusty."
"If you encounter any other valuable items beyond your level but you can take them safely, then do so and bring them back to the contribution section of the hall. You can earn more reputation points, which you can use to access more advanced techniques, resources that nourish the soul, and even a few fragment skills."
Chan sucked in a sharp breath.
Sabine’s eyes widened. Even Teion’s face lit up with open desire.
Vandal shifted toward Sabine, his chest tightening with an sharp itch of curiosity.
“What are fragment skills?”
"Fragment skills are powerful legacy imprints that grant increased power output," Sabine explained in a hushed tone, swallowing her excitement. "Some are defense based, some are attack based, but they are all highly powerful. Once learned, they automatically buff up your resonance output of your echo core."
"Fragment skills," Vandal repeated to himself. Is that not what Nephillim Fists of Destruction is?
“Oh okay, that’s… well… um… amazing,” Vandal said dryly.
“You don’t seem to comprehend what fragment skills mean. Your reaction is way too dull,” Sabine said, shaking her head in dissatisfaction. Fragment skills were what separated the supremely powerful echo warriors from elite and even regular echo warriors.
“Here are your authorization tokens. You are all dismissed,” Yung finished.
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
“The crow’s head reminds me of Elder Yung’s face. The crow’s head reminds me of Elder Yung’s face. They must be family members, family members!”
The voice kept replaying like a voice recording, high-pitched and mocking.
Yung’s forehead vein bulged as he ground his teeth. “Which of you insulted me?”