Timeless Prominence

Beincen stomped his way to Rein’s table as if demonstrating his crushing authority. He was, as always, accompanied by his advisor, who had a pensive expression. Rein naturally had no knowledge of the other members’ identities of this small group, but his best guess would be that they were members of other houses that considered themselves allies of House Larne.

There were quite a few others that broke off from the main group. They kept themselves a distance away, and seemed rather interested in observing the impending conflict.

Chirh ducked his head as Beincen’s eyes swept across the four individuals. His eyes lingered for an extra heartbeat on the soak staff strapped to Rein’s back, before finally narrowing his eyes at Rein.

Rein’s mind was as serene as a deep and smooth lake. Ever since his training with Chenhr, the third disciple under his hidden half-master, Rein had found his mind restlessly conjuring different strategies during inconsequential times. In fact, it was during tense moments that his mind now gained an unnatural calmness.

Unnerved by Rein’s unflinching gaze, Beincen seemed lost yet furious, uncertain of his course of actions until his advisor whispered into his ears. This was of no surprise. Rein already knew that Beincen had to carefully move within the Hall of Heroes and not do anything that would lead to him being seen as a hindrance to their cause.

Though the nobles of the Minhr Nation are dominant in the nation, they are nothing in the eyes of the Hall of Heroes. That did not mean the Hall of Heroes would not cater to the clans of the Minhr Nation-- they clearly had a desire to build a stronghold in the Green Trout City and needed local support.

Beincen abruptly turned to the two figures he did not recognize-- Xeeseir and Wilo. “Have you not heard of what this man has done to my younger brother?” He raised his voice further to attract the attention of many in the surrounding tables.

His advisor handed him a wooden vial-shaped contraption. He then raised this contraption, releasing a mist that presented an image of his younger brother’s charred arm. “Took out his whole arm and all!” He pointed a finger at Rein in accusation.  “Are you, perhaps, an agent of another nation? Of the Zoh Empire?! We have lost many men against the Zoh Empire! We advancer clans are critical to our nation’s strength!”

“Anyone with a mote of empathy would understand your pain and seek justice, not to mention, the desire to protect our nation! So many men sacrificed against the Zoh Empire over centuries!” One of the other youth beside him chimed in. The other nobles nodded in agreement.

This certainly brought a smile to Beincen’s face. “Thank you. As for you two,” He wagged his finger at Xeeseir and Wilo, “it would be best to distance yourself from such objectionable folk. Unless…” his eyes narrowed. “You wish to offend the lot of us nobles.”

Wilo remained as motionless as ever. Rein couldn’t help but squint at the lady, wondering if she would choose to avoid all this trouble. He could already tell what Beincen was attempting to accomplish-- without allies, he would find it difficult to complete any major mission for the Hall of Heroes.

But, Wilo remained seated. If anything, she completely ignored Beincen, disregarding their whole small group of nobles. It was as if she had heard not a single word.

Xeeseir stood up as if about to leave… but then planted his butt back onto the maloewood stump, and pointed a finger at Beincen, “Will you be taking on red diamond missions?”

“What… what.. How is that relevant?” The noble’s mouth opened and closed a few times like a goldfish.

“Our group here,” Xeeseir cemented Chirh’s participation in dangerous missions, much to the man’s dismay. “We plan to take on red diamond and above missions. Naturally, it is to seek justice and protect this nation from the demons and devils. If you were to participate in many of those, I would happily join you.”

Rein could tell that Xeeseir was trying his best to hold back his amusement, as his facial muscles twitched to control his expression. This gave the balding man a scrunched-up yet serious face.

Most noble youths avoided putting their lives at risk-- frankly, even if those youths themselves wanted to take on more, most Houses and Clans would limit their own sons and daughters' involvement with regards to dangerous matters, unless there was no choice.

Beincen was still struggling to find an appropriate reply to Xeeseir’s words.

“You are of the Larne Clan, aren’t you?” Xeeseir no longer waited for youth struggling for words, and his voice echoed up the atrium to every person’s ears.  “Do just… rest easy like a princess to the side, alright? We men will go out and take on red diamond missions!”

Quite a number could not contain their chuckles. Not all here were nobles that saw eye-to-eye with Beincen. Indeed, those chuckles reminded Rein that the Minhr Nation was currently in a succession competition. He imagined that those scions of the Dingien Clan must be lobbying for support from various noble houses and clans.

There are also ‘Risers’ here, the common mortals who managed to climb the ranks just by bringing back the heads of demons and devils. Naturally, they rather enjoyed the scene, a few heads peering out the balconies and down the atrium.

Anyhow, Rein’s impression of Xeeseir was rising by the moment. Beincen and his noble group could only glare at the balding man with unbridled fury in their eyes. Only, they had no comeback-- most nobles do not take on those high risk missions! Only common mortals willing to risk everything to become advancers would do so!

“I’m truly impressed that the great Beincen of House Larne has time to waste on me,” Rein broke the tense silence.

“What is the death rate for these red diamond and black star missions again…? There’s no guarantee I’ll return alive. Why exactly are you wasting your breath on a dead man?” Rein shook his head in disbelief. Quite obviously, Rein had his origin ability to escape if it ever came to that. Not a complete guarantee, but if he remained careful and vigilant, his chances of survival would be rather high compared to others.

He boldly glared into Beincen’s squinting eyes. “Don’t you have the guts to take on red diamond and above missions? Surely, a few successful missions here and that would raise the status of your House.”

“Plus,” Rein couldn’t resist beaming as he offered his dodgy advice. “If you were to successfully complete those missions, you’d win the heart of Lyne, the young mistress of the Xuere Clan. Then. Then, House Larne would be guaranteed a high status, and you, the catalyst for it.” His tone had become rather similar to that beguiling devil’s voice inside his head during that calamity.

His words turned the dining hall silent, no doubt due to Rein’s mention of Lyne.

Based on what Chirh had told him about how many male scions of advancer clans sought to build a romantic relationship with Lyne, Rein had realized that he could use that as bait when dealing with Beincen.

Would it not be absolutely hilarious if a competitor completed a red diamond mission to impress Lyne, and Beincen had no choice but to risk his body on such a mission to level the score?

Rein could quite literally see steam coming out of Beincen and his following band of nobles.

“You--” Beincen barked only to be stopped by his accompanying scholar, who had begun muttering furiously into his ears.

Another unnamed noble also took a step threateningly but Beincen now held out an arm to calm his followers.

“You had better fight to your death against the demons and devils for the glory of the Hall of Heroes!” That scholar must have calmed Beincen down with his words, for Beincen managed to restrain his fury.

“You really aren’t your own man.” stated Rein mockingly. An insidious idea had entered his mind.

“What?!”

“All your decisions are based on the words that scholar whisper into your ear…” Rein switched to a soft tone. “Are any of your choices your own…? Your achievements, your own?”

“In my eyes, you’re just a puppet. You’re not your own man!” Rein scoffed. That scholar now glared at Rein with venom.

“I am loyal to the Larne Clan.” Rein finally heard the scholar's monotonous voice.
Do not poison the young sir’s mind with--”

“You are the scion of the Larne Clan, are you not?” Rein ignored the scholar blatantly and spoke loud over the man’s voice. “When you become the leader of your clan, will you continue listening to his voice on every decision you make? How many decisions of your… current clan head are of his own?”

“Shut your mouth! My clan’s functions are our own matters. Not yours!” But Beincen was shaken. He quickly led his small group and stomped up the staircase as its members glared at Rein with distaste. The scholar more extreme with a hateful glare.

Hah! Rein inwardly snickered. If his guess is right, the Larne Clan must have ordered the scholar to restrain Beincen’s actions, in the clan’s interests. Now? He believed that Beincen would begin ignoring the scholar’s words.

Unlike Rein, Chirh’s face was pale with fear. 

“Why…why did you have to do that?” He stammered in a hushed tone. “Now, we are definitely not getting out of t-this!”

Xeeseir instead offered a hand with fingers hooked toward Rein, and Rein gladly hooked his fingers with Xeeseir and they bumped their middle knuckles against each other’s palm as they tightened their grips. This signified a deeper desire for friendship between two in this realm.

“Expertly done. I’ve had my fair share of…” Xeeseir managed to clamp his mouth shut in time, realizing that many of the members in the floor above belonged to the nobles houses and clans. “By Xune’s spear, just expertly done.”

Wilo was as inscrutable as ever. Rein instinctively felt that the lady was content with the state of affairs, and perhaps even amused. He was assured that she had not been swayed by Beincen’s threats.

Looking at the miserable Chirh who seemed to be trying to pull out his hair, Rein felt that he had the responsibility to give the man a peaceful mind.

To avoid attracting unnecessary attention, he whispered into the distressed man’s ear.

“If Beincen was to make any major moves against us, he would seem an incredibly petty man to the public, particularly since both members of rival noble houses and clans, and the common members here today, were informed of our group’s goal to take on those deathly missions.”

He continued, “The only downside would be that some that wish to suck up to Beincen’s group might hesitate to cooperate with us.”

“Though, of course, the hope is that Beincen himself, in desire of Lyne, would take on a red diamond mission and end up killing himself.” He concluded. It would be best if a romantic rival completed a few of these deathly missions to bait Beincen into taking on one.

Rein naturally did not wish to further cause Chirh to panic by ending on the idea of Beincen potentially successfully completing those deadly missions. Thus, he avoided explaining that last conditional result to Chirh. This was quite possible if the Larne Clan decided to send a task force to assist Beincen… After that, it was a matter of whether the Hall of Heroes believed Beincen to be deserving of said credit. Historically, the clan would be recognized, not the scion who safely hid within said task force.

This was naturally an indirect challenge that Rein had made towards Beincen. In Rein’s eyes, he didn’t have much to lose compared to Beincen. Rein believed that his position simply made him fearless-- essential for one to successfully complete those high risk missions.

Of course, there was also the other possibility that Chirh had stated-- Beincen might attempt to remove their heads in the western wilderness. Yet, that carried a risk for Beincen. The Larne Clan would essentially collapse if somehow, word of their actions were to reach the Hall of Heroes’ higher up, especially if the Larne Clan interfered with an important mission.

As for why Rein believed that? His study of the Hall of Heroes under his half-senior Chenhr had pointed to one figure that ruled the Hall of Heroes-- the Allfather. His rules are absolute. He is absolute. He governs all. There have been many recorded examples where members that had broken the stated rules were wiped from existence without a word.

“And what if he was to become aware of your trap?” It was a voice that Rein had never heard, and came from a lady that had taken up a seat on the other side of Xeeseir.

A silvery aurae flowed across the lady’s full body, obscuring her identity, though occasionally there were a few tiny gaps that displayed a jigsaw of her radiant face.

For a single moment, Rein thought that Baejenh, the Fusion Sect’s representative in the Green Trout City, had sneaked into the Hall of Heroes. But that was impossible and reckless. It was just that, the silvery color of the aurae was just too similar, and Baejenh also had some magical ability to trick the senses-- none of the four present had noticed this lady approach their table.

Rein shrugged off the question. “The stage was set the moment his younger brother made a mistake. I always planned to take on these deadly missions, and thus would receive some favor from the Hall of Heroes. He is driven by his own desires and thus even if you were to inform him of the game being played, there is nothing he could change about the current state of affairs-- unless he willingly sacrifices his own pride or potentially House Larne’s ambitions.”

“The current state of affairs only exists because the houses and clans in this nation fear the great sects in the Evergreen Mountains. Otherwise, they would not need to stay in the Hall of Heroes’ good graces and you would have no protection.” The lady clearly was not a fan of the current system in place within the Minhr Nation.

“As you say.” Rein had no trouble admitting to this fact. After all, “it’s well known that the Hall of Heroes started off as a sect in a higher realm.” The lady had no reply to the statement. The Hall of Heroes had evolved, but no one disputed its origins.

At the same time, Rein reminded himself that he needed to provide worthy information to Baejenh. Technically, he was blackmailed to find such information. But, if he were to provide valuable information, Baejenh may choose to use a measure of resources to protect him, and he would gain another shield against Beincen.

It is always important to have a backup plan.

The silvery aurae cover momentarily shifted to reveal the lady’s face to the four, causing Chirh to nearly fall out of his seat in disbelief.

“Lyne, of the Xuere Clan.”

This young mistress of the Xuere Clan that countless houses and clans wanted to form a connection with-- in order to raise their status within the Green Trout City-- turned to Xeeseir.

“Do you wish to become a vassal to the Xuere Clan? You’ve clearly failed your ascension with the psychedelic you’ve won. You would have a better life spending the rest of your days in the Xuere Clan.” She slipped a wooden strip to Xeeseir. “This would be your yearly benefit. Dwell on it.”

She gracefully nodded to the four before leaving, a rather stark contrast compared to the previous group of nobles. Rein discovered that initially, he could still follow the lady’s figure as she left, but the very moment he lost direct sight due to a body passing in between, he could no longer find Lyne’s figure again, hard as he searched. Her aurae skin definitely had some magical nature that obscured an observer’s senses.

Rein’s curiosity got the better of him as he sneaked a peek at the wooden strip. Supposedly, if Xeeseir were to join as a vassal, he would receive ten limpite coins daily, totalling four thousand limpite coins a year, in addition to having his living quarters provided for. A year in their world lasted four hundred days.

“Rumors have it that the Xuere Clan has been giving generous offers to recruit unique talents. If I were to receive such an offer…” A whimsical Chirh gazed at Xeeseir with envy.

The masked Wilo knocked her knuckles against her chin. “The clans in this nation are struggling to stand against the sects, huh?”

Xeeseir crushed the wood strip into flakes, and dusted off his palms against the other as he chortled, “Who would want to fight for the clans? It’s not as if you could ever gain an influential position within one as a random nobody. Within sects, however, a random nobody that shows loyalty and results over time could even become its head one day.”

“Plus,” he narrowed his eyes. “These nobles have never done right by us. Certainly not to me.”

Rein found himself placed in an awkward position. Technically, he did come from a ‘House’, though his was more of a rising merchant origin that managed to gain a bit of influence.

“How reckless. You’ve already failed with the psychedelic once. Your chances would be even lower the second time.” Wilo admonished the man for outright ignoring Lyne’s offer.

Her words only elicited a low grumble from Xeeseir, “Fourth time.”

“The Xuere Clan is of the better noble faction…” Chirh’s mind was still stuck on the idea of becoming a vassal of the Xuere Clan. “Unlike the damned Larne Clan! Lyne is under Supreme Yirmane of Ziare Clan. They give a lot of benefits to recruit those unique advancers!”

“Fool…” Wilo expressionlessly belittled Chirh in a somewhat gentle and pitiful tone. “They only wish to strengthen themselves in fear of losing too much influence to the great sects of the Evergreen Mountains. My judgment.”

“Indeed.” Xeeseir confirmed emphatically with a slap of his palm on the maloewood table.

At this point in time, a new figure plopped into the stump seat on Chirh’s side. Shockingly, it was the spearman that had his whole spear arm wrecked by Xeeseir during the duel. His right arm was now wrapped in bandages and released a heavy medicinal smell that would scrunch anyone’s nose.

“You should have killed me. I am a disgrace to my kin.” The spearman did not speak with a voice of humiliation. Rather, he declared his own shame in a fierce, adversarial manner.

The spearman carelessly chucked a delicacy into his mouth with his healthy left arm, then immediately left without even leaving his name.

The four were left completely speechless by the interaction.

Chirh then vanished for a few heartbeats, before returning with a head-sized jar of liquor and wine bowls. “Free of charge on special occasions.” He joyously poured it out for everyone. Rein couldn’t help but think that this scaredy cat always dispelled his fear when it came to food and beverages…

Staring into the clear liquid in the bowl, Rein noticed something odd. The liquid had uneven ripples dancing across the surface, seemingly growing in degree as he observed.

Then, he looked up to see the whole tavern shaking as if there was an earthquake, and the silvery inscriptions on the walls lit up, completely safeguarding the underground structure.

However, this was no underground quake! Rein knew that the tremors in all Hall of Heroes branches always served as a warning sign of impending conflict.

Once the tremors stopped, a sharp sound squealed in Rein’s mind for a blink of the eye like an alarm, before a deep voice echoed through the whole complex. “All advancers to the outskirts of northwest mountains. Defend with your life. Rewards will be per demon, devil, and great sect member heads! The Great Sects have chosen to impede us. Thus, they are indirectly assisting demons and devils! Rewards will be of black star standard. New initiates participation optional.”

For a heartbeat, the only sound in the hall was the sound of some halfwit crunching on food. Then nearly all the members in the hall reached into a random pouch on their own clothing and withdrew and equipped various mono-colored robes that had the Hall of Heroes sigil-- a emblem of golden skyward spear-- before dashing out the dining hall while securing their robes with a sash.

Rein peered out the exit, and found that the pathway he had traveled through to enter the tavern had changed. If he were to guess, the earlier tremors were the underground labyrinth being rearranged, and the new pathway led directly to the northwest mountains.

The tavern soon became empty. Not all who remained were the new initiates. There were some longer standing members that, likely due to fear, decided not to participate, despite knowing that they might suffer for their choice.  Based on Rein’s knowledge how Hall of Heroes functioned, these remainers were likely to either have already achieved lofty goals, or already ostracized due to their cowardice.

Chirh was one of the remaining members that was not a new initiate. He kept his head down, trying to camouflage himself as a new initiate.

Rein couldn’t help but feel that this was an opportunity. Something major must be happening. Though reckless, if he were to participate, he would cement himself as a potential advancer in the Hall of Heroes’ eyes.

There are other advantages to his participation. Knowledge of this event would undoubtedly be of interest to Baejenh. He wanted to guarantee another backer, especially with the threat of the Larne Clan, that was for sure.

As for the risky situation? Rein trusted that Master Yirn and Chenhr had specifically ensured he had developed the skills to survive these types of situations.

He examined Chirh, and found that Chirh had a pouch around his hips. He stuck his hand in and withdrew a gray-colored Hall of Heroes robe.

“Are you crazy?” Chirh protested in disbelief.

Rein ignored the man, and put on the robe. The robe was made of a paper-thin fabric. With the sash tightened around his waist, the fabric clung tightly over Rein’s own clothes. Clearly, it was designed to be worn over whatever clothing the Hall of Heroes’ members might already be wearing.

Amazingly, upon wearing the robe, a woman’s voice drifted into Rein’s ear. “Individual aura recognized. Hmm, a new initiate? Don’t be overly impulsive, Rein of House Hehr.” Though the watcher that monitored the robe users admonished Rein, the inscriptions on the robe lit up nonetheless in acceptance of the user. Rein could immediately tell that this light robe was at the very least, as tough as heavy metal armor with its magical augmentations despite its seemingly delicate appearance.

“Hahaha!” Xeeseir roared with joy, “I made the right choice!” He snapped his fingers at two figures that he was certain were not at the initiation ceremony. Those two fearfully handed over their own robes, one of which Xeeseir handed to Wilo.

Wilo wordlessly put on the gray robe over her own hood, as if it was predetermined that she would participate.

Chirh groaned. But he beckoned with his hand at a slightly overweight member still eating a delicacy and promptly received a robe to replace the one that Rein had stolen from him.

Feeling slightly guilty for dragging the man in, Rein patted Chirh’s shoulder and comforted him. “Think of it as gaining protection from House Larne. Better to die against a demon and devil than to get stepped on daily by one supposedly of your own, yea?” Frankly, that was similar to what Rein told himself during his lonely nights when he struggled with his memories of his lost home.

Rein received not only a nod, but also a small smile.

And so, the four exited the Tavern of Reverie directly onto the new path created by the controller of the labyrinth. They jogged up the newly-formed white-stoned tunnel that ramped up towards the northwestern exit into the mountains.