Zhen Shi made a mental note to give a certain great mage a piece of his mind while muttering through gritted teeth, "Yes..."

Ding!

Grade 1 Quest: -Artifice 10 different equipment

-Discover a better way to control the Furnace Spirits

Reward: -Random Item

-gift of experience

Zhen Shi gawked as he read the second expected objective, control the furnace spirits?

System, as much as I'd love to give those imps a taste of their own medicine, that is too difficult! Even Myne can't control them properly... With his 'aerodynamic throwing knife' who does he think he is fooling?

Nevertheless, Zhen Shi heaved a sigh as he decided to get back to training. He decided to start with the pill refining quest since it was much easier to achieve.

And in the middle of the night with the refreshing sound of oriental music, he began refining the pills... with a deep crimson undying flame in his left hand and the green cauldron of life in his right.

But rather surprisingly it started to rain. There had been no signs of rain clouds and even Zhen Shi was surprised momentarily halting his actions. It was a light rain; no thunder and no lightning. The water dropped down lightly from the skies on to the pavilion roof giving off a melodic sound almost in tune with the boombox music. The central garden seemed to gain new life as it was baptized by the rain and the small stream widened with the addition of raindrops. The water that fell on to the plant leaves were unusually sprinkled back and then blown by the light wind towards the pavilion.

A few drops even fell on to his face... but Zhen Shi didn't notice. The divine music, the rhythmic rainwater, and the sprinkling water drops rendered a mystical sight that had mesmerized him.

Despite his continued training ever since he had woken up after that rune fiasco he had felt strangely worried; it had been an almost unscratchable itch. But with this rain, his worries grew worse and better at the same time... He had no idea what was wrong and how to fix it. But at the same time viewing the mesmerizing rain with the mystical music had helped him to stay calm. And so with a light sigh, he continued to refine pills with his eyes on the garden. After all, he couldn't help what he didn't know...

🏰🏰🏰🏰🏰

At the very center of Lyon City lay the majestic towering abode of the King and the royal family, Tintagel Castle!

Within the main hall leading to the throne room, there was a procession of servants and soldiers on both sides. They were either standing or bowing with respect towards a rather familiar duo walking at the very center of the hall.

Count Vir Brishman was scratching his neck rather nervously as he spoke out silently, "Isabella are you sure Isolde will be fine with the Prince? I've heard many tales of his character and none of them good." Isabella murmured through knit lips, "Tales are just that... tales! I'm sure Isolde will be fine. Prince Tristram might have problems but his actions are quite normal for his stature. Now hush, we're about to meet the King after all," without betraying the smile plastered on her face.

Count Brishman nodded lightly but proceeded to scratch his neck once more as they finally reached the end of the hall. There were two guards adorned in sleek silver armor wielding golden spears, standing regally on each side of the door to the throne room. They bowed slightly in respect as they pushed open the majestic door leading to the throne room.

Count Brishman put aside his worries as he walked into the regal throne room in step with Isabella who proceeded to follow him.

The throne room was free of guards and soldiers beside a short overweight dwarf-like man who proceeded to shout in a rather experienced voice, "Count Vir Brishman and Lady Isabella have arrived to pay their respects to His Majesty, King Mark of Lyonesse, the Butcher of Cornwall!"

Count Brishman and Lady Isolde proceeded to bow in respect and stood up only as a wizened and royal voice spoke out, "Rise! Count Vir there is no need for any of the pleasantries of the court within the privacy of our walls. If all goes well, we will soon be family," as the doors to the room closed.

King Mark was a black-haired middle-aged man who radiated power and authority from every inch of his body. He was seated on an enthralling throne of Mythril and Gold engraved in strangely beautiful carvings of war and terror. He was dressed in loose-fitting royal robes and was holding onto a golden harp while smiling welcomingly at his guests.

Count Brishman spoke out with a smile, "Forgive me, your majesty. But old habits do die hard." The King nodded in acceptance and proceeded to speak with a slight frown, "I summoned you here to speak of the matter of that Zhen Clan boy."

Count Brishman grimaced as he hurriedly spoke out in defense, "Your Majesty at the time I was not aware that he was a member of the Zhen Clan. And I truly believe that he was merely a lucky survivor of a beast attack!"

"Enough!" a powerful shout reverberated throughout the throne room causing everyone including the Count, Lady Isabella and the overweight dwarf-like man who had been silently standing in the corner of the room to fall on to their knees. They all started to struggle visibly as they tried to fight off this overwhelming pressure but thankfully it stopped almost immediately.

King Mark spoke out silently, "I apologize Count Vir. That was not intended. I've been dealing with some unsuccessful matters..." while pausing his eyes on Isabella who seemed to be the one who had dealt best with the King's sudden outrage. But his words caused Isabella to frown...

Despite his words, the King did not seem apologetic in the least. But Count Brishman wasn't going to bring it up either. He hurriedly wiped off some sweat off his face as he spoke out respectfully, "My apologies, your majesty, for having reminded you of those matters. But I consider myself lucky for being able to witness the power of his majesty's Edicts!"

King Mark nodded in acceptance as he turned his head towards the harp in his hand. He moved his finger over its lustrous metal surface while speaking, "While I did apologize, honestly, there was no need to repeat your claim for innocence... I've heard it many times in court..."

Count Brishman moved to speak but grew silent thinking better of it. King Mark continued to speak, "But the problem is not the fact that the boy was of the Zhen Clan. In fact, I recently met with a Clan Patron of the Zhen Clan." He chuckled lightly as he continued, "We have made great strides towards peace."

Count Brishman hurriedly spoke up words of flattery, "Congratulations on your success your majesty. Our kingdom can do nothing but improve with you at the helm!"

The King barely registered his words as he continued to speak while staring at the golden harp. On rare occasions where he did look up, his eyes would fall on Isabella...

The King continued to speak "As I was saying... the Zhen Clan will only be an ally in the future. So the questions regarding the potential invasions through spatial form displacement can be disregarded. The problem is that you kept this matter hidden!" his words ending with a hint of malice.

Count Brishman hurriedly spoke but as respectfully as possible with the previous happenings fresh on his mind, "Your majesty I was not aware of the importance of the matter! My full focus was on running the operation for that treasured girl of the Zhen Clan as ordered by your majesty himself!"

King Mark raised his head slowly and with his eyes focusing solely on Count Brishman he muttered, "Count Vir... do you mean to say your mistake was my fault?"

Count Brishman shivered as he stared into the King's eyes. He felt like a grain of sand staring at a vast ocean. His spirit deification cultivation was thrown asunder as he lost complete control of his own qi. Helpless he could only mutter, "N-no. Of c-course not, your majesty. I-It was my mistake and I see that now."

King Mark suddenly smiled and said, "Ah! As long as you realize your mistake everything will be fine. With our arrangements, forgiving this simple matter is very possible. That was the reason I summoned you. You may leave now," while waving his hand in dismissal.

Count Brishman hurriedly bowed and grabbed on to Isabella's hand as he moved to leave as quickly as possible. His only intention now was to go back home, forget about this matter and make sure that his daughter was fine as he had continued to tell himself. But to his dismay, the King spoke out, "Where are you going, Count Vir? I wish for you to spend the night at Tintagel Castle... You won't reject my hospitality would you?"

Count Brishman's face hardened but he could only bow once more as the King's words held no room for discussion. King Mark nodded in satisfaction and spoke turning to the dwarf-like man, "Midge lead the Count to the guest room." This Midge bowed, walked towards Count Brishman and spoke out, "Lord Count if you would follow me please?"

"I thank your majesty for his hospitality. Then I will be taking my leave," said Count Brishman as he bowed once last time and walked away with Isabella's hand gripped tightly in his. But surprisingly the king frowned and spoke out, "Count Brishman leave Lady Isabella. There are some-- things for us to discuss."

Count Brishman gathered some courage and spoke out rather sternly this time, "Your majesty with all due respect... she is my wife. I know she is distantly related to the royal family, but this is downright improper!"

The King frowned with a sudden heavy aura manifesting around him which caused the Count to flinch. But his frown disappeared along with the heavy aura as he heaved a sigh. He lightly flicked his hand on a string of the harp causing a melodious tone to waft out.

Isabella surprisingly smiled as the King continued to speak to the Count, "Count Vir I hope you have a pleasant night along with your wife," and grinned while eyeing Isabella, "who most certainly left with you to your chambers."

Count Brishman's eyes glossed over as they became vacant. The King waved a hand at Midge who proceeded to lead Count Brishman to the guest chambers without blinking an eye at the situation.

As the due left and door slammed behind them the King smiled at Isabella and spoke while gesturing her to come forward, "Dear Isabella, it is good to see you in the flesh. Scrying every day grows tedious does it not?" Isabella smiled and slowly walked forward while saying, "Indeed it does, my liege. So why have I not heard of your dealings with the Zhen Clan?"

King Mark patted his lap gesturing at her while answering, "It was all thanks to a sudden and unexpected meeting that happened just a few days ago. Some influential nobles that had been missing for several millennia suddenly turned up. They spoke tales of a mythical valley that had trapped them and how a powerful immortal had arrived in the guise of a mortal to set them free!" He laughed out loud as Isabella sat on his lap and spoke, "An immortal? Just to save those idiots? Ridiculous!"

But his laughter turned to a strange frown as he spoke, "While it may not have been an immortal... those people were wholeheartedly in awe of their savior. Strangely enough, I almost found myself believing them," with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Isabella frowned and spoke out with a sigh, "Forget that nonsense. When will you tell me about the Zhen Clan?"

King Mark grimaced in displeasure but he still spoke out, "Some of those survivors happened to be of the Zhen Clan. And you know that despite our long-standing enmity, our Heaven Palace and the Cyclic Trinity Temple leaves no room for actual conflict. So I had to return those members... and surprisingly Zhen Wudi and I became friends. This conflict had lasted for millennia amongst our ancestors, but with the support of the Divine Organizations, Wudi and I plan to bring peace leading all of us and the Lyonesse Kingdom into a new era!"

Isabella looked at him in disbelief, "Will you tell me the real reason or will you keep saying your horrible lies of self-righteousness?"

King Mark laughed as he spoke out, "Isabella you truly understand me... In fact, Wudi promised me a share of the Zhen Clan's treasured girl, as long as I used 'juniors cultivators' to get it. There would be no need to mount an attack! All he wanted in return was one year with the survivors of that valley who originated from our kingdom. Apparently, they believe in some old legends regarding Berthelien forest. Either way, his terms were simply irresistable! Basically, he promised us a share of celestial stones as long as I used 'juniors cultivators' and promised no obstruction from anyone of the Zhen Clan!"

Isabella grinned as she spoke, "Indeed. It seems like a done deal, who'd dare bar the Lyonesse Kingdom. Congratulations my Liege."

King Mark continued to grin in satisfaction but Isabella suddenly frowned as she asked, "But why did you use your Edict on me back then? I understand growing annoyed with that buffoon Brishman but why me as well?"

Unknowingly it had begun to rain outside as King Mark's smile disappeared and he spoke with a frown, "Why do you think I lost control? That matter was actually unsuccessful! I can't believe I lost control for a moment!" Isabella immediately got off of his lap with her eyes glittering with worry and anger.

Her face contorted into a scowl as she raged, "I needed this to work! Those corpses in my room are only treatment to the symptoms! Every day I keep yearning for more death and more blood... Do you know how much I have to suffer? I don't have much longer... and you're screwing up!"

King Mark scowled as he shouted back, "Do you think I wanted to mess up? I need this to work just as much as you do. But you know that we can't directly harm any of the chosen!"

Isabella grew silent as she considered his words. Nevertheless, she walked away while muttering through gritted teeth, "I understand... But until you get this to work I'll be with my 'husband'." She opened the door leading to the guest chambers revealing the raining outside. She paused for a moment saying, "I wish you nightmares, Brother of mine," and walked away into the raining porch.

But seeing her walking away while leaving those words behind caused King Mark to snap. He stood up, turned around and roared in anger while punching at the throne. His powerful punch raged forwards causing waves of terrifying aura to run amok and utterly eviscerate the throne into dust...

And the light rain continued to fall...