Chapter 796: The Merchant’s Gambit


    ?


    Thud!


    A keyposed of minerals fell on the table before Yamahara as In''s voice resounded


    calmly in the room, "This key allows you to explore the entirety of this facility. That is, if you promise to stay put."


    "Research all the information I''ve given you and train your abilities to the limit." In''s voice resounded as his figure got up and approached the wall, gradually melting through it, "When the Fourth Major Disaster ends, you cane out."


    Yamahara stared nkly at the mineral key before him, his expression a daze,cking any fighting spirit. ''I can''t convince anyone.''


    He ced his hand on the floor weakly, sobbing silently. He wanted to take the key before him and use it to ess all the blood storage, which would allow him to regain enough strength to fight In. However, he was scared of the consequences.


    If he dares break free, In would do everything he had imed. Heck, the Royal Zinger wasn''t even necessary for a majority of them. Just a mortal version of In was enough. It might take longer the weaker he was, but it was just a matter of when.


    Moreover, as he was conflicted, a row of words formed on the table, one that served as the final string that destroyed his intent to break out before the Fourth Major Disaster.


    [The Boar Kings are a different subject, but I won''t target the Empyrean Boars. And I''ll also ensure a few of them are protected in a secure location. A branch of the Wean n will grow and prosper there, and when it''s time, you can use Brangara''s blood to turn them into Boar Kings. I''ve left enough to make more than a couple hundred of them. A lot of nsmen will live there, growing up without hatred, all in preparation for the Continental Invasion. I want you to lead them, Yamahara.]


    "Dammit!" His expression crumbled as he stared at the dialogue on the table, created using a mineral deposit. Basically, whatever he wanted for the Continental Invasion had been granted to him, however, the consequences of it repulsed him.


    You want to prepare for the Continental Invasion? Sure, I''ll give you everything I have, including the information, Skills, Cultivation Techniques, and blood of every powerhouse on Sumatra. However, the price to receive it is to shut your senses and pretend like the fight between Brangara and the Mystic Seven doesn''t happen.


    It was what In had conveyed to him, in an expressively clear manner. He made Yamahara make a choice, either his parents or the fate of Sumatra. And no matter how much he wanted to think otherwise, Yamahara was unable to lean on the former.


    ''They don''t listen.'' He became depressed. After all, from the moment of his birth, he had been trying to convince his parents all along, but failed. If only they could set aside their hatred...


    "That won''t work." He sighed, disgusted, but could fully understand In''s thought process. In neither asked him to help the Mystic Seven nor ckmail him to go against his parents. No, he simply told Yamahara to stay out of it, irrespective of what happens next.


    And in the time that was avable, he ought to prepare and strengthen himself. After all, just like Gann, Ruvva, and Harr, Yamahara too was a Mystic Path inheritor. Whatever actions Brangara and Yarsha Zahara did continued to funnel into him.


    Eventually, once his Mystic Path is filled, he would evolve into an existence that could protect Sumatra from harm. That potential was precisely the reason Sumatra''s Transcendent Eater decided to support him.


    "This is just too...cruel." Yamahara slumped on the floor and stared in a daze, watching a door appear on the wall. Theyout was simr to the Attributed Region, with the key on the table capable of fusing into him.


    Once it does, he would be able to travel throughout his holding cell freely, without the Attributed Region crushing him once he passes through the various doors. "Mother...Father...I am sorry."


    "I am sorry." He inched his hand towards the key, hesitating numerous times before grabbing hold of it, "Sorry!"


    "I am extremely sorry!" Tears streamed down his face as he walked into a room filled with Information Slips left by In, those that formed a massive pile. He stared at the Glove Slip ced at the very front and grabbed it, clutching it close to his chest as he sniffed it once and broke down, "I...I will protect Sumatra. That is precisely why I''ve been birthed."


    "It is my honour to be your son. And I..." He held the Glove Slip dear to him, because it was his mother''s most prized Glove Slip and something she wore as fun, even if she didn''t require to use it, "I promise to make you proud."


    "I will, I promise." His expression gradually hardened as he grabbed the closest Information Slip and essed its contents, smiling wryly as it held information about where the blood initially stored in his stomach had been ced, ''So, it''s also here.''


    "Good," With slumped shoulders, he walked out and explored the ce, "I still have some of my mother''s blood left."


    In one of the pce rooms of the Brimgan Empire, In appeared before two seated women who wore expressions of solemnity as they yed a board game, "Look who''s here!"


    "Ah, Uncle In. You''re here." Ruvva broke her concentration and got up with a spring to her feet, asking upon staring at the massive board he was holding, "What is it?"


    "It''s a chessboard," In said as he ced the board on the floor. The board was in the shape of a square and spanned a side of two metres in length. So, it was pretty massive, especially since its thickness reached ten centimetres.


    There was a central column trailing from its bottom, meant to act as a stand so that the boar itself doubled as a table. In ced it on the floor, his expression smug to an extent it appeared arrogant.


    Ruvva peeked in from beside him, her face beaming in awe as she observed the chess board, "This...this is the Attributed Region?"


    "You have great eyes!" In chuckled as he knocked the table, "I''ve made it so that you wouldn''t feel its full weight, but it''s still heavy enough. You''re probably one of the few on Sumatra that can even lift this."


    The base body was made using the Attributed Region while the white and ck boxes were concentrated Gold Grade minerals, enough to cause an average Empire to drool over it. The pieces were also made using Gold Grade minerals, each equally precious and on par with Rutham.


    "Where...did you find these minerals? Their quality is on par with Rutham...no, not just any Rutham, but the Ruthamposing Boul Brimgan''s Human Avatar." Ruvva asked as she observed the chessboard in further detail.


    ''They''re present in scarce quantities, but these Gold Grade minerals exist in the Dieng Canyon.'' In thought, choosing to maintain his silence. He could condense the Dieng Canyon''s terrain in all Gold Biome Bombs and above. And if he wanted, he could selectively condense only these Gold Grade minerals through the usage of Perfect Biome Domination.


    However, he only made the chess board so expensive as a diversion, ''Yamahara is actually living within it, alongside everything I''ve given him.''


    In thought long and hard about where to keep Yamahara. No matter how much secrecy he maintains or how far away he hides it, Sumatra''s Transcendent Eater could find it eventually. And once that is done, it could inform Brangara who could take a shortcut through the Sandy- Grey Void to rapidly arrive at the location, break into it, and free Yamahara.


    Hence, the easiest solution was to hide it in in sight. The Brimgan Empire was the perfect ce, since it controlled the Attributed Region. Moreover, if anyone thought about it, the safest individual in all of Sumatra Continent was none other than Ruvva.


    She was Yarsha Zahara''s daughter and in terms of appearance, she closely resembled


    Brangara...


    ''Wait a fucking second!'' His eyes widened in shock as In turned around to face the Free


    Human woman who had been in the room all along, Ruvva''s daughter. He stared at thetter as the various pieces of information he had gathered joined together into a whole, ''Even if I was damn busy, I should have pieced it together long ago!''


    "In," Suddenly, Ruvva''s voice turned cold as Prana gradually wafted out of her being, condensing into faint, wing-like des, numbering more than a hundred, all pointed at him. Her eyes closed to form creases as she extended her hand towards him, "For your own safety, please erase that information from your memory."


    "Mother...?" The Free Human woman stared in shock, having never seen Ruvva emit killing intent to such an extent. Her body trembled in terror as she felt a tad suffocated, unable to breathe.


    "It''s nothing," Ruvva retracted her killing intent as she smiled at the Free Human woman. A secondter, her figure appeared behind thetter and grabbed the woman who had been knocked unconscious.


    She ced her gently on the nearby bed and stared at In, "So, your answer, Uncle In?"


    "It''s not an issue," In nodded and brought out the Mystic Human Stamp, "Vir lent me this, so I can extract it all out of me without issues. However, I just wish to confirm it first."


    "Is she...?" He stared at the Free Human woman and asked, "She''s not your daughter, right?"


    "She''s...not." Ruvva spoke after a few seconds, her expression softening as she muttered, "She''s Uncle Orakha''s daughter."


    "I knew it," In let out a long sigh, "So that''s what incentivised him to gift ten pieces of Sumatra Gold to Boul Brimgan. He''s truly a merchant, in and out."


    ''When I think about it, Ruvva is the only one except from the hatred of both sides. She''s the perfect bystander as long as she doesn''t take any action. So, Orakha became her closest individual, like a father figure. And it was hisst favour. If he seeded in fleeing the fight, he''ll live out in peace. But even otherwise, his daughter will be perfectly safe as the world will


    think of her as Ruvva''s daughter.'' In analysed everything, ''He has invested exactly where it


    counts.''


    The Brimgan Empire withstood the test of time repeatedly, through both the Death Knell Invasion and the Mudropper Invasion. Heck, the climatic battle against the Mudroppers was waged in the Brimgan Empire.


    No matter how tough things get, the Brimgan Empire will figure out something to continue surviving. They were by far the stablest force on Sumatra. So, it was the safest bet to invest in


    them.


    From the outside, it seemed like Orakha was simply mediating between various forces. However, he not only arranged for the Brimgan Empire to ept Ruvva, but also created the means for her to live a sheltered life in the Empire, with the status as the second Brimgan


    Guardian.


    It was all because of what he had witnessed in the Brimgan Empire''s possession.


    The Major Treasure of Deity was powerful. However, the Influenced Region of Golden Deity was even better, since the influence of twenty Minor Treasures circted through it and resulted in a Brimgan Royal being able to absorb the Major Treasure of Deity''s influence to strengthen themselves.


    That, and the upgradation of Gold Kinesis Art into Mystic Kinesis Art gave Orakha enough foundation to trust the Brimgan Empire. And most of all, he was confident about Boul Brimgan''s sheer talent and potential, which was why when a chance presented itself, Orakha


    sponsored Boul Brimgan.


    That paved the way to the current scenario where Orakha''s daughter could live free from harm


    and never have to worry about being involved in the war between Brangara and the Mystic Seven, which none of the other daughters of Mystic Seven could escape.


    "Does she know?" In asked.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Nope," Ruvva shook her head, "As far as she''s considered, I''m her mother. Besides, I''m the


    only one who knows the real truth."


    "Even Boul Brimgan doesn''t know?" In asked in shock.


    "What do you think?" Ruvva chuckled as she stared at the Mystic Human Stamp, "Vir is nervous to face me. I asked him to lend it for a few days and he happily epted."


    "Boul Brimgan was the one who made all the arrangements," Ruvva sighed and patted the


    Free Human woman''s head, "From arranging a so-called father who died heroically to the backstory of our love, he created a perfect fabrication and executed it perfectly. Once everything was done, he was happy to have the rted memories erased using the Mystic


    Human Stamp."


    "Now, even he only knows what the public knows." Ruvva nodded and stared at In, "Does


    that answer everything?"


    "Yes," In nodded, "What''s her name?"


    "Moih," Ruvva said, pointing at herself, "I was the one who named her, since technically,


    I''m her mother figure."


    "That style of naming..." In frowned as he asked, "Does it follow the Empyrean Tusk


    language?"


    "It means one who lives in absolute darkness." Ruvva nodded to confirm In''s thoughts of


    the name being taken from thenguage of the Empyrean Tusks.


    ''One who lives in darkness?'' There was a moment of silence before In realised the truth of


    the matter. Such a name didn''t mean much generally speaking, as there weremonly used names with simr meanings. However, upon thinking of Moih''s mother, it took a whole other meaning. "Are you implying?"


    "No, she''s a Free Human. It doesn''t make sense."


    "This is why my story about her birth works, since no one will believe that a Free Human''s


    father is a Mammoth nsman and the mother is a Pranic Beast. But that''s the truth." Ruvva


    grinned as she grabbed the Mystic Human Stamp from In and used it, "And she has perfectly inherited the characteristics of her parents."


    "I see," In nodded as his eyes nked out momentarily. He then blinked in confusion for a


    couple of seconds, smiled at Ruvva, and vanished, having forgotten everything about the prior conversation, including Moih''s name.


    "Of course, it has its fair share of risks," Ruvva muttered once In had left as she approached Moih and patted thetter''s hand upon seeing them turn jet-ck. She dripped a droplet of her blood and seeped it into thetter''s hand, counteracting whatever


    was troubling Moih.


    A few secondster, upon seeing that Moih had recovered, Ruvva smiled, "And I''m the


    only person who can keep her powers in check until she grows strong enough to subconsciously control them."


    Her eyes glowed faintly as Ruvva seeped her Prana into Moih''s Spirit Container and sensed


    thetter''s Human Avatar, ''Rutham with the characteristics of grey sand, the firstpound mineral in existence.''


    ''If the truth about her powers ever gets revealed, it would change the world as we know it.


    Man, that annoying uncle of mine. He should have hesitated a little when he obtained so many pieces of Sumatra Gold.'' She shook her head a little and got up, her expression fierce, ''Uncle Orakha, please wait for me. I''ll do everything in my power to return you to normal.''