Mason and Nasha left the sect that very afternoon. It usually takes a day for an ordinary person to climb down the mountain but thankfully both of them were apt and by nightfall reached the outskirts of the village.

"There should be two elders posted at the village. The restoration work needs supervision. Father told me to look for the new guild office."

"Guild office?" Mason was clueless. Why would there be a guild office in a cultivation world?

"It's the place where people issue requests for the sect. We usually don't interfere in mortal activities but the sect needs mortal money too. Make sure you guard that pouch. The security is weak. We are bound to run into a few pickpockets."

It made sense. The sect was very large. There were countless servants and mortal stage cultivators. Food was a necessary expense that the sect couldn't outline.

"Would they try and rob a cultivator?"

"How are common folk supposed to distinguish the two? They have no idea what cultivators look like. Besides, we aren't powerful enough to stop them with our beginner stage cultivation. Most crooks in Asghar are veterans who deal with powerful people."

"Is that the entrance?" Mason saw a commotion down the road in the distance.

"Probably. The last time I came was with my father, flying. I don't know what the entrance looks like. I heard there was a check post outside the village. That's probably it."

It was indeed the check post. There were too many people rushing to enter the village and the few soldiers guarding the place were panicking. Mason could hear them muttering in annoyance.

"Why are we here? I signed up to the army to fight for the country, not to guard a rotten village."

"Aren't the supreme sect powerful? Why can't they send someone to guard this place?"

"All these mutts are starting to piss me off. One even grabbed my clothes. If the stain doesn't wash off, I'm going to burn that bitch."

Most of the soldiers of the kingdom were of noble birth. After having a comfortable life in the army barracks, having to babysit the gate of the village was no longer a job worthy of the kingdom's soldiers.

"It looks troublesome." Mason couldn't interfere since he didn't know how the world outside worked. The life in the sect was simple. There was a structure and order to everything. Outside in the open, there were too many structures, too many rules. The best course of action was to do nothing.

"Those soldiers look like they are at the peak of mortal stage. Let's go greet them. They should be able to point us to the elders."

The two approached the gate and introduced themselves to the gate guards. Both elders were at the guild office making it a lot easy for the two. The new guild office was at the centre of the old village.

"Strange, the place looks a lot bigger than before. I didn't know the sect asked them to further upgrade the village."

"Isn't that not normal?"

"Not exactly. The region belongs to the sect. The kingdom doesn't have the authority to do anything without the permission from the sect master."

"You know which elder we are meeting?"

"No, I haven't met them before. One of them is a lady. But she has never appeared in the sect."

"We'll meet them soon. No reason to be bothered then. Besides, all you need to worry about is absorbing the elements and becoming stronger, right."

"It's not that simple, Mason. I don't have any particular elemental attributes which means I am an arcane elementalist."

"So?"

"So? Arcane elementalist don't have any access to natural elements. We either find pure elements or seek elemental stones with no attributes, which are both rare."

"I didn't know."

"It also means with the right tool I can imitate any elemental spell.

"Only if I'm lucky. Most arcane elementalist die out, unable to process. Thankfully, I have the sect helping me." The guild office was well protected with multiple cultivators guarding the entrance. "Looks like we are here."

"Sorry, we are expecting guests. No one is allowed to enter." One of the guards immediately stopped them as the two approached.

"Let them in, they are the people sent by the sect." A female voice came from inside stopping the guarding cultivator from throwing the two of the pavement.

"You two must be Nasha and Mason." A spirit stage cultivator who smelled of lavender stood at the door staring at the two. "You must be the sect master's daughter. I got his message. Congratulations on finally awakening something. Camellia will drop you off at the auction house." The lady walked off as soon as she finished her words.

"Hi." Another woman took her place quickly. "I'm Camellia. Let me take you to your new home. Don't worry, Elder Connie is always grumpy ever since she reached a bottleneck in her cultivation."

Camellia was very sweet and she always spoke humbly. Sadly, they couldn't sense any cultivation aura on her. Either she was a powerhouse or an ordinary woman. "The auction house is simply for names at the moment. We rarely get guests. Although most of the things we sell are powerful, no one wants to come to this village ever since the incident."

"Looks like a serious problem. If customers don't come, how can an auction house work?"

"The auction house is just a place to show off the sect's wealth. Most of the sect's income comes from the protection fee the kingdom pays." Camellia took a pouch from her waist and handed it over to Mason. "That's the things we intend to auction off tomorrow. The minimum price is on the tag. Just try and get a decent price."

"These things are sold for spirit stones?" Mason took out the paper detaining the inventory and asked, surprised.

"Yes. They are definitely valuable. Most of those items cannot be replicated easily."

"Auction houses mostly deal in spirit stones." Nasha chimed in.

The auction house was indeed big. It resembled a movie theatre. There were two guards outside who were both in the foundation stage.

"Greetings, Elder Camilla."

"Hello, Trevor, Rooney. These two are incharge of the auction house for the time being. Make sure they stay safe."

"With our life. Elder."

Mason couldn't understand why two cultivators at a realm much higher than theirs would bother to show them such respect. Nasha accepted their bow immediately and went inside. She knew those two were sent specifically for her protection. How could the sect master not have someone protect his little girl from the shadows.