Chapter 1,351 – Bad Influence

Zac inspected Tavza while ushering her to his temporary residence. The sun was extremely glaring in this region, and even he suffered from prolonged exposure. An undead would have it even worse, yet Tavza showed no sign of discomfort.

Undead generally combated hostile Dao through their equipment. Low-grade cultivators fought under Unholy Beacons while Higher-grade would have similar features installed in their gear. Those who grasped innate methods to resist ambient Dao were rare. Catheya was one, and Tavza was another.

The An’Azol heiress felt like a walking Nexus Vein, providing a ceaseless font of Abyssal Death to combat Heaven’s glare. Surprisingly, Zac sensed a vague resonance coming from her, and not because of his Eoz heritage. That aspect didn’t transfer between bodies. Rather, the connection was to his human side. Zac couldn’t figure out the reason without scanning her body, but he had some idea of what was going on.

“I never got the chance to thank you for helping me back there,” Zac said as they entered his cave, gesturing for her to sit down by a table.

“It’s nothing. Doing so aligned with my goals, and opportunities to observe the Dao of Chaos are extremely rare.”

“Still, I’ll remember the favor,” Zac said. “I hope it didn’t put you in a tough spot?”

“Nothing worth mentioning,” Tavza said, avoiding Zac’s attempt to confirm his hunch. “Now, if you could explain how Kator died?”

“You knew?” Zac said, noting Tavza’s lack of reaction.

“How else would the tracker enter your hands? I could also feel when the agreement was voided.”

“Fair enough,” Zac wryly smiled.

Zac quickly recounted his experiences since Kator appeared on Earth. Tavza already knew part of it, but she seemed genuinely surprised to hear two Undead Autarchs had snuck into the Zurbor sector to capture him. She was already waiting to sneak into the Imperial Graveyard at that point, and everyone’s lines of communication were cut soon after entering.

Tavza asked a few clarifying points, emphasizing their words and treatment. She didn’t care about the details of how he escaped their grasp, rather focusing on their goals. Zac didn’t see any reason to hold back in that regard and shared what he knew and his suspicions about being used as a political prisoner.

Zac couldn’t read Tavza’s thoughts, and his attempts at digging for information yielded little. He was able to confirm the rebellion hadn’t reached open warfare last she heard. So far, it was mostly limited to gathering arms and schemes among those at the top. It also wasn’t a complete rebellion. Apart from the Abyssal Shores, there were factions among both Reavers and Vampires who remained neutral. Whether that remained true today was impossible to say.

Eventually, Zac reached the part with Kator’s betrayal under the influence of the Lost Era’s corruption, and entering the trial mid-breakthrough.

The Azol scion sat in silence for a few moments as she digested the news. “And that is why you’re here instead of Arcaz?”

“Exactly. I ended up in the area, so I’m afraid you’ll have to make do with me.”

“Why?”

“Why, what?” Zac asked since Tavza’s expression provided no context clues.

“Why are you still trying to complete the mission? The agreement is voided, and you’ve made it clear you’re not interested in joining the empire. You could just walk away,” Tavza said. “The outcome of this mission will not only affect me, but it could also affect the fate of the Abyssal Shores. I need to understand your motivation before I’m comfortable working with you or sharing intelligence.”

Zac remained silent for a few seconds before telling the truth. “For protection.”

“The empire is in chaos—the whole Cosmos is. It’s not certain we can protect ourselves, let alone you,” Tavza sighed.

“Well, I don’t have many options,” Zac shrugged. “My little faction and I have drawn too much attention because of Ultom and the Fifth Pillar. We need an umbrella to cover us during the fallout. The Primo’s my best bet. Seeing how the rebels are scrambling to stop the treasure from entering his hands, I’m guessing it’s powerful enough to ruin their plans.”

“What if the rebels give you a better offer than the Primo? Will you give the treasure to them?”

“What’s the point?” Zac said. “Ignoring my strained relationship with the other divine races, only the Primo is a peak figure among your Supremacies. Can the rebels make the Centigrade Pryer or the Seven Heavens back down? I doubt it.”

“What if the Abyssal Shores have joined the rebels by the time we emerge?”

Zac couldn’t immediately answer. While unlikely, that scenario would certainly throw a wrench in his plans. The issue wasn’t just jeopardizing his access to the Abyssal Shores in the future. Protecting his people would come at the cost of betraying the shores after they’d poured so much effort into helping him. It definitely wouldn’t sit right with him.

“I guess I could give it to your ancestor, provided he used it to smooth things over with the Primo?” Zac eventually said. “That way, we all get what we want. I don’t think the shores would have turned traitor unless they were coerced.”

“The future is full of variables, and even I cannot speak to what route the elders will choose. There is a risk our goals will put us on a collision course,” Tavza countered. “As much as we wish for the blood of the Vanguard to return, the continuation of our race would take precedence.”

“So you’re planning on going at it on your own?” Zac asked.

“No. I share your hope. A war at this moment isn’t in our interest. The dangers far outweigh the potential gains, especially now that you’re involved. It’s worth risking my life if the treasure can make the rebels rein in their ambitions, and working together will increase our odds of success,” Tavza said. “That said, we need a new agreement.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“The treasure will be brought out by whichever party has contributed the most to the mission,” Tavza said. “I can give you the treasure should I be the one to seize it, but only after confirming it aligns with our race’s interests. If I do, Arcaz shall immediately return with me to the shores. No tricks or excuses.”

“And if I get it?”

“Then that’s fate. I’ll have to pray my ancestor’s trust in you wasn’t misplaced.”

“That’s fine with me, except one thing,” Zac said. “I know Arcaz is planning on visiting the shores, but I can’t promise anything on his behalf.”

“You cannot speak for your own clone?”

“Arcaz is—”

“Do you think us stupid? You’ve been kept under near-constant surveillance for years. My side has spent as much time covering your tracks as gathering intelligence,” Tavza said. “We might not understand exactly how you’ve accomplished what you’ve done, but the Cosmos doesn’t lack for the mysterious and inexplicable.”

“Fine, fine. I’m not saying you’re right, but I agree with your terms,” Zac relented.

Tavza’s mouth twitched with exasperation, but she didn’t press the issue. “You said we need to set out? I assume it’s related to the memory domain?”

“My teammates were trapped while investigating a threat to our mission. I can’t head to the Hollow Court before I’ve saved them and resolved the issue.”

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“A threat…?” Tavza slowly said. “Have you been targeted by Mox?”

“How the hell did you know?” Zac blurted.

“For any number of reasons. Because you’re enough of a troublemaker to drive Supremacies up the wall. Because following a thread of fate related to Mox led me here. Most of all, you’re both Void Cultivators,” Tavza said, raising her hand before Zac could object. “We’ll be stuck here forever if you insist on keeping up the charades. We may not have understood what you did during your duel with Kator, but I’ve since come to understand the truth.”

Zac quickly moved on to hide his embarrassment. “You said you followed a thread of fate to come here? Is that how you found me?”

“To be exact, a spy of ours supplied the blueprint of Kator’s tracker ahead of time. From there, it was easy to make a modified receiver,” Tavza said as she displayed a small stone. “I can see anyone without them seeing me.”

Knowing some of the dirty tricks Kator had played over the years, Zac wasn’t surprised to hear Tavza had responded in kind. “How did you get mixed up with Mox?”