A few hours later, Red was called to have dinner at the main hall. When he arrived, everyone but Goulth was in the room. Allen's face lit up once he saw the youth walk in, and he pointed at a free seat by his side.

Red hesitated, but in the end, he decided to sit by the older boy. As he picked up his food, he couldn't help but notice the awkward atmosphere around the table.

No one was talking. Eiwin seemed worried, Narcha and Hector were trading unfriendly gazes, and only Domeron and Rog looked unconcerned. For a long minute, only the sounds of cutlery and chewing could be heard in the large room, and Red didn't have any intention of speaking up either.

That was until he felt a nudge at his side.

"Hey, I didn't tell anyone about what we did." Allen leaned over and whispered to him.

Red froze for a moment but continued to eat his food like nothing was happening. At the seat of the table, Hector's expression twitched, but he didn't look over. Allen didn't seem bothered by the youth's lack of response.

"What even happened in there anyway?" He asked in a hushed tone.

Red remained silent. However, once he noticed the older boy staring at him expectantly, he turned around to face him.

"Not now." The youth simply shook his head and whispered back.

"Uh... Right." Allen leaned back and stared around the table.

Much to the boy's luck, though, no one was looking in their direction. The silent atmosphere returned once more, but Red could tell that Allen was getting fidgety in his seat. The youth thought about stopping him, but in the end he just sighed and went back to eating.

"...Wonder what happened inside that shop, huh?" Allen spoke up, breaking the silence in the meeting hall.

Abruptly, everyone's gazes turned towards the kid. The boy looked surprised at the sudden attention, but a smug grin eventually formed on his face.

"I mean... Wonder who could have robbed that guy without anyone even noticing, huh?" Allen continued. "I'm sure whoever did it must have had help from some very capable companions."

Hector's expression darkened, and the rest of the table regarded the boy as if they were looking at an idiot. The young master was oblivious to their reaction, though.

"Stealing is wrong, though." Allen shook his head with a troubled look. "But the merchant definitely deserved it... I just wish I could meet whoever came up with this plan and shake their han- Ugh!"

A metal spoon hit the boy right on the forehead.

"GET OUT!" Hector roared.

"But I didn't even-"

"OUT!"

"Tyrant!" Allen screamed as he ran off.

A few moments later, everyone returned to their meals as if nothing had happened.

...

Eventually, people finished their food and started to leave the table. Only Eiwin, Red, and Hector were left in the meeting hall. The woman looked at the boy with a strange expression, noticing he had long since finished his meal and was just sitting there.

"Let's go, Red." Eiwin smiled. "I plan to start teaching you some letters today."

"I can’t right now." The youth shook his head. "I have to speak with Hector first."

"What do you mean?" She frowned, looking over at the old man.

The elder didn't respond, staring back at her with a surprisingly calm gaze.

"It's fine, Eiwin." Red reassured her. "Goulth already spoke to him about it."

"I see..." Eiwin relaxed a bit, but worry was still evident in her expression.

After hesitating for a bit, she eventually got up and nodded at the boy.

"I'll be waiting for you outside when you're done." She gave him a knowing look before walking out of the hall and closing the door behind her.

Now, only Red and Hector remained inside the room. Silence continued for a few seconds before the elder snorted out loud.

"Hmph, does she believe you're so innocent as to stand up for you like so?" Hector scoffed.

"I think the more important question is why she needs to be worried about you in the first place." Red replied.

The old man frowned but didn't respond immediately.

"Did Goulth already tell you about the deal?" Hector asked, shifting topics.

"He didn't tell me any specifics." Red shook his head.

"I see." The elder nodded. "First of all, I need you to understand something - I totally approve of your actions today."

Red was surprised.

"You might not have known this before you acted, but a Sect should never allow itself to be pushed around." Hector explained. "Our enemies can't think they can safely hide behind laws and politics. A Sect and its cultivators should never be tied down by these conventions."

"Then why did you scold Narcha and the others?" The boy asked.

"Because, unlike you, they were stupid and decided to violate the law in front of the entire town." The elder shook his head. "We are strong, but not enough to do as we please and ignore the town's law. As long as that remains the case, we have to reach a compromise with the Baron and his people. We have to be smart about how we act."

"Then are these laws a mere inconvenience for you?"

"They are." Hector confirmed. "You might think this kind of reasoning is immoral, but we are cultivators, not mortals. Strength is still the most important thing in this world, and to think otherwise is just willful ignorance.

"The Empire and other kingdoms justify their laws as protecting the common people, but that's just a bunch of nonsense. These rules and systems are simply another aspect of strength, a method they use to make others obey their authority and act in their interest."

Red felt like he understood the man's reasoning.

"If the Baron didn't have the strength to back up his authority, no one would obey his rule." The elder continued. "But let me ask you this, do you think these laws apply to everyone equally?"

Red shook his head. He recalled how the mercenaries were treated compared to Narcha and the others. It was clear that the guards didn't dare to handle the Sect members as harshly as they did to the others.

"That's the point, kid. Strength is still what matters the most." Hector explained. "It defines how you'll be treated in this world, laws or not. Do you think that if the Baron committed a crime, he would suffer any consequences?"

"Isn't he the one who makes the laws? Who's going to punish him?" Red asked, confused.

"Precisely, kid." The elder smiled. "There is no one to punish those who are in power for violating the laws they made themselves! This is all just a way for nobles to keep those weaker than them under their thumb. The laws don't apply to them, even if they may claim otherwise to the public. Maybe some of them believe their own claims, but most of them are just hypocrites."

This was something Red hadn't considered. It seemed the situation on the surface was far more complicated than he had first thought.

"Sects are at least more honest in how they act - they just take what they want through force!" Hector laughed. "Of course, I'm making Sects sound more villainous than they actually are. Most of the time, they simply avoid contact with the common folk, and our interests rarely intersect."

The issue was becoming clear to the boy, but he felt like there was still a lot he didn't understand.

"But which way of acting is better? I mean... Which benefits cultivators the most?" Red asked.

"That's not a simple question to answer, kid." Hector looked reluctant to explain. "It's more of a matter of philosophy than simple gains. To put it simply - the majority of Sects believe that the cultivator world and the secular world should remain two completely separate entities. The Imperial practitioners, though, believe they have to rule and guide mortals."

"And what's the problem with the way the Empire does things?" The youth asked.

He couldn't find any apparent issue with their way of thinking.

"Cultivators should focus on cultivation, kid, not mortal matters." Hector responded. "Besides, there's a reason Sects don't get involved with the common folk... It never ends well."

Red recalled the priest's words at the plaza and weighed them against Hector's explanation. They each were biased to their own factions, and it was hard to take what either of them were saying at face value. However, the youth felt the elder's words resonated more with his own way of thinking.

Of course, the youth still intended on learning about the situation from other sources.

"Did you call me here to explain this?" Red asked.

"That's just meant to sate your curiosity, kid." The old man shook his head. "You might have acted with your own self-interest in mind too, but you wouldn't be the first cultivator in history to do that. As long as the Sect benefits at the end of the day, your original intent doesn't matter. In a way, I feel as if you have more of a cultivator's spirit than a lot of people in this Sect..."

Hector sighed before grabbing something from his pocket and throwing it towards Red. The youth caught the item and examined it. This was the glass vial with the Vein Opening Pills, and all three of them were still contained within it.

"You can keep those." The elder spoke.

"...Don't other people need to use any?" Red was taken by surprise.

"Other than Allen and Eiwin, everyone else in this Sect has already opened all 12 of their veins." Hector explained. "Their talents are way better than yours, though, and you'll benefit from these pills more."

Red was aware of Allen's talent, but he didn't know Eiwin was also superior to him.

"Of course, that's just what you earned on your own." The elder continued. "The talisman and the Blood Revival pills will go to the Sect vault and will only be taken out when necessary, so you can't have those. The money will be going to other Sect expenses too. However, I will be providing you with more Vein Opening Pills and other medicines in the future due to your contribution to the Sect."

The youth's eyes lit up.

"You can consider yourself an inner disciple of our Sect, now." Hector explained. "There are more rewards which will be coming your way, but I'll need to discuss it with the other elders first. In the future, you may also ask for guidance from me in cultivation matters."

"Was my contribution that vital?" Red asked with confusion.

"The talisman alone was of extreme importance, but you can also think of this as an investment. You've proven me wrong over the course of one day, and now I can see the value Eiwin saw in you in the first place. You might not be able to open your Spiritual Sea, but in the future you may still be a useful asset for the Sect." The old man frowned. "Why? Is there a problem with this arrangement?"

"I thought it would take more than this." The youth spoke honestly.

"Hmph, don't think of me as an ingrate, you brat." The elder rebuked him. "A Sect is supposed to work on a system of contributions. The more you help the Sect, the more the Sect helps you. Of course, I hope you don't intend on slacking off, or else I'll immediately take back your benefits!"

"I won't." Red shook his head.

"Great." Hector nodded. "Vein Opening pills are meant to be consumed when you encounter difficulty in opening your acupoints, so be considerate of when you use them. It's also important to state that they can't be used back-to-back, or else their effects will be reduced, and you may risk crippling your Spiritual Vein."

The youth nodded.

"Then you may go." The elder waved him off. "Just make sure that if you have any questions, you come to visit during the daytime."

Red didn't immediately get up, staring at Hector in silence.

"What is it?" The old man frowned.

"Should I consume the pill if there's an imbalance in my Spiritual Veins?" The youth asked.

"What do you mean?" Hector looked confused. "Come here!"

Red did as he was told. The elder grabbed his hand quite roughly before inserting his Spiritual Energy into his veins. The youth felt the strand traveling past his shoulder, where it had stopped the last time, before wandering down his spine and into his newly opened Upper-Leg Spiritual Vein.

The energy froze once it wandered past his left leg, and Hector's expression fell.

"Moron, what did you do?!" The man roared.

No sooner had Hector raised his voice and the doors of the hall burst open.

"Master Hector, please be calm!" Eiwin stormed in, her expression full of worry.

"Old man, don't do anything you'll regret!" Goulth ran in right behind her.

Though initially taken off-guard by the sudden intrusion, a look of understanding swiftly dawned on Hector's expression. He eyed his two subordinates with a furious gaze.