Chapter 1,364 – Mercurial Sacks

Zac was surprised the old man personally led him toward the central building at a leisurely pace. The elder’s weak presence and simple blue robes couldn’t hide the fact that his status was extraordinary. The fact that the Mercurial Court’s disciples didn’t notice his presence also hinted at great power. Whenever Esmeralda hid him in a pocket of space, Zac could still sense the spatial fluctuations. Right now, there was nothing to explain why the disciples subconsciously kept some distance.

‘He’s not using the Dao of Space,’ Esmeralda confirmed when Zac asked.

“It’s a simple illusion aimed at perceptions. A little trick to spare these old bones from bumping into strangers while taking a stroll. Nothing as impressive as the feats of your mutated Grand Traversal Toad, I’m sure,” the old man laughed while stroking his beard, clearly having listened in on their conversation somehow.

Zac coughed in embarrassment, his confusion deepening. It was fine for someone like this to exchange a few words with a junior out of curiosity, but to personally lead the way and handle the introductions? Was it connected to Esmeralda? Seeing her affronted yet pleased expression, the elder had obviously classified her species accurately.

As curious as Zac was to hear more, he wouldn’t use the elder to dig into Esmeralda’s secrets. “May I ask for your name, senior?”

“What senior? I’m a simple groundskeeper,” the elder said, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. “These children sometimes call me Old Sixth.”

“So old yet still playing coy,” Esmeralda scoffed as she appeared atop Zac’s head.

“My companion has picked up some bad habits during our journey, leaving her a bit outspoken,” Zac apologetically said, though inwardly agreeing with Esmeralda’s assessment.

The old fox by his side couldn’t have played the role of a hidden elder more obviously if he tried. Zac wouldn’t be surprised if he found Old Sixth sweeping the floor of some scripture hall in the coming days, just waiting for some threat so that he could burst out with unmatched ferocity. Thankfully, Old Sixth didn’t mind Esmeralda’s tone. Emboldened by Old Sixth’s casual attitude, Zac took the opportunity to learn as much as he could.

“What is the meaning behind the color of their robes?” Zac asked.

“Grey robes are Servant Disciples, white are members of the Outer Court—that’s where you guests will start. Beyond that, there are Inner and True Disciples. Those talents rarely appear in this area,” the old man said, glancing at Zac. “You seem surprised? Did you expect to start at the top?”

“No, it’s not that,” Zac assured. “I suppose I didn’t expect to see so many disciples of my generation. I’ve never heard of the Celestial Courts recruiting outsiders. I also noticed that many of the Servant Disciples have higher cultivation than the Outer Disciples, leaving me confused regarding the grading.”

“Cultivation level doesn’t necessarily equate to status here. We mainly look at affinity and Fate when it comes to promotions,” the elder explained. “Most are unable to influence their own Destiny, let alone influence the grand trajectories. Even so, they’re loyal subjects who can contribute within their own means. As for recruitment, you’re correct. These children were all born here.”

“Will they be stuck on this island their whole lives?” Zac asked, recalling the sea of people who’d emerged for the worship ceremony in the Transformation Docks.

“These children are both enviable and pitiable. Our heritage is unmatched, but our work carries great Karma. Being born here is enough to leave them entangled. Only the Mercurial Court can protect permanent residents from backlashes in causality. They have to stay here for their safety and for the safety of the world outside,” the custodian sighed. “At least until they’ve reached the necessary strength to resist the backlash on their own.

“You guests can only stay for a limited duration for this very reason. Any longer, and you’ll be marked,” Old Sixth looked at Zac with a stern expression. “In addition, all actions have consequences. You’ll be provided entry to many restricted regions, but you need to be mindful of the reciprocal effect on causality. Those walking too close to the river will eventually fall inside.”

“Sealbearers having their Karma entangled will become permanent disciples?”

“Just stepped through the gates and already trying to game the system? You’re welcome to try. More likely, you’ll get sent out early before our fates are indelibly aligned,” Old Sixth laughed. “We’re here.”

As expected, the large building at the center of the square was an administrative building. Over a hundred clerks worked inside, helping disciples with all kinds of matters. Old Sixth led Zac right toward one of the largest desks to be registered. Just when Zac was about to introduce himself to the clerk, the old man leapt right over the counter. Zac blinked in confusion, choosing not to follow suit.

“Sects, Departments, Clans. In the end, they function mostly the same, and our Mercurial Court is no different,” Old Sixth said as he began rifling through the compartments behind the desk. Their powerful restrictions proved worthless before the old man.

Zac glanced at the clerks, realizing they didn’t notice what was going on. While Esmeralda watched with appreciation, clearly interested in learning the old man’s methods, Zac mostly felt embarrassed. While he didn’t expect a hero’s welcome after successfully navigating the Peregrine Ocean, it felt like he was being snuck in through the back door.

“Ah, here we are,” Old Sixth eventually said after finding a compartment filled with identical Cosmos Sacks.

The old man picked one at random and threw it over to Zac, who curiously inspected it. It was obviously a high-quality craft, but it didn’t particularly stand out. Its craftsmanship even seemed slightly inferior to the one he got from Kaltosa Lu. However, there was something unusual about it that Zac couldn’t quite grasp.

“It’s a [Mercurial Sack]. One of the fruits of our endeavor,” Old Sixth explained, his eyes gleaming with pride.

“Oh?” Zac’s curiosity grew, and he infused a mental sliver inside.

Zac’s high expectations were quickly dashed when faced with a space not much bigger than the common Cosmos Sacks sold by the System Stores. Its subspace was naturally much sturdier, but it didn’t have anything like the reinforced spatial walls of Kaltosa Lu’s sack.

The items waiting inside weren’t anything to write home about. There was a white robe matching the Outer Disciples, though it also had a golden sigil of the Mercurial Court engraved on its chest. There was also a booklet, an identity token, an Information Jade, and an unfamiliar Array Disk matching the Mercurial Court’s Daos.

“This…” Zac hesitated.

“Not impressed?” Old Sixth guffawed, waving at him to jump over the counter as well.

Hesitating for a moment, Zac decided to go with the flow. He lightly jumped over and followed the old man through a door on the other side. They passed through four corridors with increasingly stringent defenses, the last one filled with arrays whose latent fluctuations gave Zac palpitations.

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The defenses remained inert, and the reinforced door at the end offered no resistance when Old Sixth pushed it open. A chamber filled with shocking levels of Fantasy Energy awaited on the other side. If not for his upgraded Dao Heart, such density of ambient energy would probably have filled his mind with illusions. There were still confusing flickers in the air, but Zac could clearly see the twelve items hovering above individual pillars.

“A small greeting gift. Go ahead, pick one, anyone,” Old Sixth generously waved.

Zac walked inside but stopped after a few moments. He turned to the old man waiting by the door. “They’re illusions?”

The items looked real enough, and they felt solid to the touch. Their auras were also distinct and powerful, no different from what you’d expect from a top-tier Late D-grade treasure. They also looked the same after entering his Void State. Even so, Zac’s instincts told him that these items weren’t actually there.

“Are they?” the custodian countered, his smile the same as when Zac asked about the artificial timeline. He pointed at the Cosmos Sack still in Zac’s hand. “Anything can enter [Mercurial Sacks], even Illusions and Dreams. However, anything taken out will be real.”

“That’s impos—” Zac stopped before he could finish the sentence.

Was it really impossible? Hadn’t he seen this exact thing repeatedly over the past year? Everything brought out of the memories, possibly barring the Void Treasures, was by all accounts illusions made real. It wasn’t inconceivable that the [Mercurial Sacks] held a simplified version of the concepts that made it possible.