171 Light Tiger Sect Law (1/2)
Ed and Flair returned to the central area of the Light Tiger Sect. Flair activated her powers, once again checking the various passages. ”I don't see anything related to laws.” She shook her head. ”They're all ordinary. Bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining hall... Oh, there's one called Administrative Affairs.”
”Let's try that.” Ed replied as he started walking in the direction she indicated.
Once again, they traveled down a long dungeon-like hallway. They reached a wooden door and opened it, revealing a small office. Surprisingly, there was a woman sitting behind an oak desk within the room.
”Tsk.” Ed clicked his tongue. 'I figured they'd leave some people behind. I was bound to run into one eventually, though most of them are probably in their rooms or the training area.'
The woman behind the desk was on the older side and seemed fairly ordinary. She had no particularly defining features other than her glasses and her brown hair tied in a bun atop her head. She glanced up at them. ”Who are you?” She asked. ”I don't have any appointments today, and I don't recognize you foreigners.”
Ed smiled politely. ”Hello ma'am” He took a step forward and bowed slightly. ”Sect Leader Wan crossed our paths the other day and told us that we have great potential to become light cultivators. She mentioned it being too dangerous to travel with her, so she sent us directly here.”
The woman behind the desk frowned skeptically. ”Do you have proof?” She asked. ”Sect Leader Wan should have given you a medallion.”
”Ah, of course.” He slapped his own forehead in embarrassment. He pulled his backpack off his shoulders and held it in front of him. Then he started digging through it using exaggerated movements. Meanwhile, a small amount of reddish-dark shadow left his body near his feet. It slowly inched forward, making its way around the desk.
The secretary cautiously watched Ed and Flair for any suspicious movements. The backpack was especially distracting, as it was clearly full of unknown objects. The sect was at war right now, so she needed to be extra careful. However, the fact that the two foreigners had made it in this far meant they were probably telling the truth. After all, not just anyone could get past their invisibility barriers. One wrong step and death was all but guaranteed.
”Ah, there it is!” Ed happily exclaimed while looking up.
Right as the secretary stared into his eyes, a bad omen descended upon her heart. Unfortunately, it was too late. Ed's red shadow was like a lion leaping upon its prey, instantly connecting to her lower body.
”Enemy!” She shouted in panic as white light covered her body. Unfortunately, it was too late. The red shadow seeped into her body and began whispering to her subconscious. 'The foreigners are friendly allies. Sect Leader Wan ordered you to treat their words as if they were direct orders from herself. You need to show them our laws. You need to tell them our secrets. You need to...' A looping message dug into her mind, causing her to claw at her head in frustration and confusion.
”Hmm.” Ed rubbed his chin as he observed. 'I had an easier time brainwashing the prisoners. I guess that makes sense though. After all, they were mostly ordinary humans except for having some mana. It'd be weirder if cultivators were too easy to brainwash.'
Suddenly, the white light covering the secretary's body grew even brighter, followed by a loud popping sound.
Ed stared in confusion as he felt something wet land on his cheek. He reached up with his fingers and wiped it off. Looking down at his hand, he spotted a bloody red piece of flesh. Slowly, the blinding white light vanished, revealing the secretary's body having been ripped to shreds. ”The hell was that?” He said in shock.
”She blew herself up.” Flair replied while wiping some flesh and blood off her clothes. ”I guess she decided that death was better than betraying her sect. Or maybe she really didn't want to be controlled by someone else.”
”I see.” He nodded. ”I can understand the sentiment.” He nonchalantly pushed the remnants of the deceased secretary away and began searching her desk. Dozens of papers and folders covered her desk, but none of it seemed important. They were mostly member profiles, financial documents, and other such things. Perhaps they might hold some small value if he could sell them to Nexus, but they weren't on good terms. Unfortunately, none of it held any significance to him at all.
”Damn.” He complained as he sat down in the secretary's blood-covered chair. Unlike his previous self, it seemed he wasn't bothered by the lack of cleanliness. He reached for the desk drawers and pulled them open one-by-one. Unfortunately, it was all office supplies. He let out a sigh and lazily leaned back in the chair, staring at the ceiling. ”Hmm?” His eyes widened in surprise. The ceiling had what looked like ancient language etched into it in a spiral pattern. Unfortunately, he couldn't make head or tails of it at all. ”Flair, any idea what the words on the ceiling mean?” He asked.
Flair looked up at it and stared in concentration. She frowned as she stared at it and resorted to using her powers. As the white light shone in her eyes, the ceiling seemed to react, causing the words to glow. She continued staring vacantly, as if she was in another world.
'Hmm?' Ed looked towards the ceiling again, concentrating on the glowing letters. Soon, his eyes grew dull, and he continued staring vacantly just like Flair.
...
Ed found himself in a completely empty void. It was not the void of his conscious, as there was nothing here at all.
Suddenly, a ghostly figured appeared out of thin air. She looked like a beautiful young woman, and her white hair floated about in wild abandon. Her piercing blue eyes glared at Ed as she frowned. ”Your soul lacks the proper element. Why are you here?”