Chapter 1,339 – Hunting Gods

“You could simply move on to the next stage,” Esmeralda suggested. “Things should be set up the same way around the other courts. That means the clock started ticking the second the Hollow Court got its halo. Three weeks have passed already. If you wait too long, your other side won’t have time to participate in the challenges.”

“We haven’t reached that point yet,” Zac said.

The challenges should still be ongoing around the Transformation Docks. They’d heard they would close three months into the trial. Those arriving any later would have to head straight to the court without any additional Fate, making it an exclusive opportunity for the trial’s elites who led the race to the continent’s inner regions.

“And it’s not like I’m considering this because I want to,” Zac added with a troubled expression. “I have no idea how Mox is sensing me or why she’s so angry. Who’s to say she can’t reach me in the inner region? If possible, I need to close this thread of Fate before moving on. Otherwise, I might get killed before I reach the Margrave.”

Staying outside the Hollow Court wasn’t an option. Getting his hands on the Primo’s treasure was too important to him and the Atwood Empire. Zac also had to agree with Kaltosa Lu on one point. It wasn’t a good sign he’d failed to leave a mark of his own on the outer court. It could impact his options inside the court. Concluding the thread of Fate that started with the [Fuxi Mountain Gate] and ended with Mox would solve everything in one go.

“You might be able to solve the issue inside,” Esmeralda said. “Not all the memory domains are connected to the trial.”

“It took you ten days to reach a normal domain while we searched for Everit’s lantern. I’d need the double, and there’s no guarantee it would hold the same potential as the thread outside.”

“Ai,” Esmeralda sighed. “I understand. Just be careful.”

Zac could sympathize with Esmeralda’s reluctance to see him go down this path. They were talking about plotting against a proper Supremacy, a being who’d managed to elude the Limitless Empire. The risks were incalculable, and there was no telling what would happen should he fail. Best case scenario, he’d only lose his human body and plummet in strength.

Except, Zac only had one Soul Aperture and Cosmic Core. If they shattered, his Draugr side would be crippled. An undead without cultivation trapped in the world of the living was a death sentence, and it wasn’t just Zac who’d suffer. He’d drag Esmeralda with him to the afterlife.

“Nothing is written in stone. We might figure out a way to mask my presence and avoid confrontation,” Zac comforted, as much to himself as the toad.

“Still no sign of the Azol descendant?” Esmeralda said, holding onto a final hope.

“No news since we captured that Revenant,” Zac shook his head. “At least we know Tavza entered the trial with a full seal. The Farsee Court is two courts over, though. Her starting position might be bad even if she picked a suitable starting identity.”

Tavza An’Azol was an Array Master equipped with deep knowledge and a unique bloodline ability that created sealing domains. Even so, Zac never held much hope she could solve his issue. Just reaching the Hollow Court would prove a challenge. Zac hadn’t forgotten how she’d been exposed to Pure Chaos to help him during the Atavism. Tavza wasn’t an Edgewalker like he, and the perfected Life hidden within Chaos must have made a number on her.

“I’ll wait as long as possible, but I will probably have to break my rule of not entering domains with both bodies soon,” Zac added.

“I suppose things went too smoothly for us. We were bound for some rough waters,” Esmeralda said. “We’ll make do. Just tell me if you notice something happens on the other side. I’ll try to move us to a safe location.”

“Agreed,” Zac said and got to his feet with a grunt. “Anyway, it’s good that you’re up. I wasn’t confident in solving the mystery behind the [Peregrine Gondolas] on my own.”

“I guess I woke up at the perfect time,” Esmeralda said with a stifled laugh.

Zac’s weak attempt at a laugh couldn’t fool anyone, and a disgruntled huff echoed in his head as he emerged from his courtyard. The Lawkeepers were still outside. Only the local Monarch had left, probably too embarrassed to loiter on the mountain like a vagrant. Getting back into character, Zac flipped off the three Hegemons as he emerged. The sign didn’t exist back in the Limitless Empire, but Zac’s expression perfectly conveyed its meaning.

A string of curses followed Zac as he sauntered off.

‘Boy, you better not forget our agreement. This event won’t last forever, and the following years can either be long or short.’

‘That’s none of your business, granny. You should be more worried about extracting the money from those old misers. Remember. The deal’s off if the payment isn’t in my hand when I leave for the ceremony.’

‘How could the Heavens favor a bastard like you,’ Maina lamented, but she thankfully didn’t follow Zac on his excursion.

Not that it was a long trek. The First District was built in connection to the docks, and Zac reached a side entrance of the inner wall within minutes. The area beyond was restricted, but sealbearers were naturally allowed passage.

“Ah, Lord Draom?” The guard hesitated a moment when Zac displayed his hand. “Uh, pardon, but the Magistrate instructed us to—”

“Wrong person,” Zac muttered before squeezing past the Peak Hegemon.

The guard dropped the matter, and Zac saw no reason to make things difficult for a local guard who’d been caught between a rock and a hard place. He couldn’t ignore orders from his superiors, but he also couldn’t bar a sealbearer from entering.

The clamor of the public area quickly faded away as the smell of the Peregrine Ocean grew stronger. Instead of the salty scent Zac was used to, the waters gave off a similar aroma as herbal incense. Its complex mix of Daos was finally fully on display. Beyond the Daos of Space and Dreams he’d already witnessed in Dawndeep Bastille, he also noticed fluctuations of Time.

Both he and Esmeralda froze upon sensing their nemesis, but Zac soon resumed their approach. Hidden arrays kept the docks perfectly safe, and the ocean’s Dao of Time didn’t seem to accelerate or slow down time. As such, it shouldn’t trigger as intense a backlash if Zac were exposed. It was only spending time outside the River of Time that was causing problems.

The docks weren’t very large despite being the city’s most important facility. There was only room for the nearly four hundred gondolas neatly moored in a line. With some space between each vessel, the harbor stretched around two miles. An open pavilion had been placed on the pier for every twenty boats, and a relaxed discussion drifted over from the nearest one as Zac passed by.

Zac inspected the three drastically different women sitting inside. One wore a simple dress, and her sunkissed complexion made her stand out from most cultivators. She looked a lot like the mortal farmers Zac had seen inside Tam Brooks’s memory, even carrying their natural disposition. Another wore the conservative, voluminous robe of an imperial scholar. The last of the trio had the shrewd look of a businesswoman, and she immediately returned Zac’s cursory look with a sharp glare.

The trio were no doubt sealbearers. Going by the tokens fastened to their robes, they were also members of the twenty-two departments like Everit Draom—Department of Agriculture, the Department of Rites, and the Imperial Exchequer. That didn’t mean they were allies in this trial, and Zac returned the tax officer’s stink-eye before turning away.

They weren’t the only sealbearers in the area—a third of the pavilions were occupied. More than fifty sealbearers were inspecting the gondolas, either alone or in groups. Some were moving back and forth. Others had sat down in meditation. However, no one stepped onto the boats or even touched them.

“Hey, what’ll happen if someone touches—”

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“Figure it out yourself.”

A snicker made Zac turn over.

“What an honor to see the great Lawkeeper Draom in action. With such investigative prowess, it’s no wonder you were awarded a place at the table.”

“Better than a little greenhouse flower who had to rely on mommy for an invitation,” Zac leered, vaguely recognizing the speaker from Everit’s memories. Xinyi something. They’d met at an event a few centuries ago, and Everit had naturally left quite a mark—both literally and figuratively. “I’m surprised the Garuda Sect dared to gamble their precious invitation on someone like you.”

“You better prepare yourself,” Xinyi cursed. “This is the Mercurial Court, not some dingy back alley. You won’t get far relying on your fist and crude schemes.”

“Are we even living in the same empire?” Zac laughed as he walked away. “The biggest fist will always come out ahead.”

Zac’s arrival drew a few more hostile gazes. It was nothing he hadn’t already experienced during the challenges. Everit was nearly a thousand years old, which was enough time to participate in many events and make countless enmities. If anything, Everit’s old enemies had never been so well-behaved, limiting themselves to glares or snide remarks. Whether that would stay true inside the Mercurial Court remained to be seen. For now, no one disturbed Zac as he picked a random boat to inspect.

‘We’re taking these things out to sea?’ Esmeralda asked, her doubt mirroring Zac’s.