Ryu finished shaking the magma from his hair. Though it didn't bother him too much, if he didn't get rid of them it would take much longer for his body to cool down to normal temperatures. If things stayed like this, any clothes he tried to put on would burn to ash just like his last pair.
Ryu thought of evoking his Ice Flame, but seeing as there were so many enemies before him, the heat coming off his body was more of a help than a detriment for now. So, he didn't go further after cleaning himself of the magma.
Ryu had expected this Team Leader before him to say something by now, but even after several seconds, he remained silent.
Ryu's gaze couldn't help but drift toward the Faerie on his shoulder, observing her for a while.
The truth was that Ailsa was the only Faerie Ryu had ever seen before. Among the numerous races, humans were the most disliked by the Faeries and the least likely to be born with a Life Partner.
Since the Shrine Plane was a world of humans, it made sense that even with his vast breadth of experience, Ryu wouldn't know much about them.
If it wasn't for this innate handicap humans had with Faeries, Ryu was sure his mother, at the very least, would have had a Life Partner.
Of course, the term Life Partner didn't always have to assume a sexual relationship. It had to be remembered that Faeries were even capable of pairing with Spiritual Herbs. It was mostly Ryu's own biases that had once placed a wall between he and Ailsa.
That said, it was quite obvious that the relationship between Annette and Giveon wasn't platonic.
"Is there a reason you're blocking my way?" Ryu finally spoke after several moments of silence.
"You...!" Amie's temper immediately flared in half rage and half embarrassment.
She couldn't have been more clear with her words previously. Yet, Ryu treated them like air.
But, before she could say more, Giveon held up a hand.
"I was told you were in the Divine Vessel Realm, should I be congratulating you?"
Giveon's tone was even and unhurried. But, they were like a rushing tide that steamrolled Amie and those that had been with her that day.
They were absolutely certain Ryu had only been a Middle Divine Vessel Realm expert. When had he entered the Connecting Heaven Realm?
Had he hidden his cultivation from them? But that was even more impossible, how could a mortal hide things from an Immortal? Was that a joke?
The only reason Giveon wasn't too shocked was because Amie hadn't specified which tier Ryu had been in. If he knew, he most definitely wouldn't be so calm.
But, in the end, the truth was right before them. What could they possibly say to it?
"A small improvement." Ryu said emotionlessly.
But his words caused the lips of many to twitch. Was this the reaction someone who had just broken through should have?
It had to be remembered that the Divine Vessel Realm was greatly different from others. A genius would step into the Spiritual Severing Realm and cross through it before 100 years old. But, to reach the Connecting Heaven Realm, many needed to use centuries.
It could be said that this breakthrough was the first many had to truly work for.
Of course, there were too things they were unaware of. For one, Ryu didn't deem anyone who reached the Divine Vessel Realm after the age of 20 to be worth his time, let alone taking 100 years. And, secondly... Ryu was only around 20 years old now and had only been cultivating for six years. His views were different from others.
"Then I'll be the first to congratulate you." Giveon said evenly, regaining his calm.
In truth, compared to the others, he was far more talented. He cultivated Lightning Qi and he had a Lightning Elemental Faerie by his side, so his cultivation pace was blazing.
In fact, he was currently in the Half-Step Path Extinction Realm while only being around 12 000 years old. Even if he wasn't a pre eminent genius, he was very close.
"However..." Giveon's aura grew more solid. "... I'm sure you're aware that you've done something you shouldn't have. The rewards for the Sixth Order Lower Sovereign Grade beast are exceptionally important, we can't afford to have any distractions during the raid and we also need the Mission Certificate. If you're willing to hand it over and leave the surroundings while we complete the mission, I'm willing to compensate you appropriately."
"Leader...!"
Amie cried out.
Compensate a thief? Why should they do something like that?! Who would take their Team seriously in the future?!
It wasn't just Amie who felt this way. If it wasn't for the prestige Giveon had long since built up, more would have spoken out.
Many of the elite members were also aware that things weren't so simple. This wasn't just about their faces alone, but the Alliance's as a whole. Who knew how much pressure Giveon and the Team would face due to his decision?
Ryu raised an eyebrow before coming to a certain understanding.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible."
Giveon's expression darkened. He had already taken a massive step back.
As expected, the member of Violet Olive grew even more enraged at these words, but Ryu only shook his head.
"It's not possible because the beast is already dead. The rewards are in my hands."
The members of Violet Olive froze.
Amie was the first among them to recover, but even then, her first reaction was to flare up.
"You think we'll believe that nonsense?!"
One had to remember that the Sixth Order of the beast cultivation system was equivalent to their Connecting Heaven Realm. Yet, they still needed to form a team of Immortal Ring experts and prepare dozens of fire resistance pieces of equipment to be confident in taking this beast down. Yet, Ryu expected them to believe that he had accomplished this alone?! Was there a bigger joke in the world?!
Ryu didn't respond. He wasn't very fond of explaining himself to begin with, and that wasn't about to change now.
Giveon scanned Ryu up and down as the animosity of the Team only grew.
"I'd like to pay for one of the rewards you received. Namely, we're in need of the Rainbow Scaled Eagle's Spiritual Root. I'm willing to pay 10% above market price."
"Lead--!"
This time, Amie was cut off before she could even finish her words, leaving her stifled. Did Team Leader really believe this bastard wasn't lying?
Though there were people on their team who could solo the beast, they were all well above it in cultivation realm.
Originally every had thought the only reason their Team Leader had come here was to assert their dominance regardless of how many hidden backers Ryu might have. But, this was the last thing they expected.
Ryu scanned Giveon before looking toward the others. Eventually, he nodded to himself.
"I'll sell it to you. But in exchange, I'd like a vice team leader spot."
The air seemed to solidify. It really felt as though the members of Violet Olive might explode at any time.
Not only was Ryu blatantly lying to them, but he actually had the audacity to ask for something so ridiculous.
Unlike formal teams, Violet Olive didn't have an official Vice Team Leader. If one had to point one out, it was the very same alluring Faerie sitting on Giveon's shoulder. It was the two of them who made all the final decisions for the Team.
But, this was more of a formality. With their closeness, the two never disagreed. They might as well have been of one mind.
However, in the face of Ryu's words, this mere formality became an ironclad rule, making them all feel as though he was slapping Annette's face.
"Why?"
Once again, Giveon's words left the Team feeling as though they had punched air.
"Because I think it'll be interesting." Ryu replied simply.
In all this time, Ryu had never formally joined any powers. Even his position in the Awoken Moon Sect was as independent as it came.
A part of him wanted to see what it would be like. Of course, this part of him was always suppressed for the sake of improving with more speed. He didn't have the luxury of building friendships and being tied down by politics.
The only reason he wanted to join the Moonlight Blossom Sect was for their Necromancy techniques. But obviously, this Team didn't have such benefits to give him.
That said, being willful wasn't something Ryu would ever do. Though he was telling the truth, this was only in part. The main reason he wanted to join was because of those words he had previously heard...
The Immortal Sakura Alliance...
Was this truly a coincidence?
Ryu wasn't sure. But, what he did know was that names held too much strength to be randomly chosen. And this Alliance's choice of title was... quite bold indeed.
Giveon gazed at Ryu deeply, a deep hesitation in his heart.