Chapter 516: Onset of Another Period of Growing Unrest
The elders stopped trying to break the do.
One by one, they let go of their artifacts. The glow of their Spirit spells faded. The sounds of attacks quieted. The air inside the vine barrier grew still again, save for the soft crackling of the campfire near Aksai.
The lady elder took a deep breath and stepped forward. It was as if she had flipped a switch. Her shoulders were relaxed now, and the dagger she had once held tightly was back in its sheath. Her voice was calm when she spoke.
“It seems we underestimated you,” she said, looking Aksai straight in the eye. “You don’t have to talk bad about the Iron Mountain Sect just because there was a lapse in judgnt on my part.”
Aksai didn’t reply. He simply looked back at her, waiting.
“I made a decision to attack based on the information I had. I could bla my sect’s intel network, since they clearly labeled you as a nobody—soone with no background, no threat. But that wouldn’t be right. I was the leader of this mission. I should’ve been more careful.”
She paused, giving her words a mont to sink in.
“But if I really think about it,” she continued, “it wouldn’t have mattered. Even if I had called for backup before we confronted you, would that have changed anything? Would you have agreed to speak with us peacefully just because we brought more people to pressure you?”
Her gaze narrowed slightly.
“I don’t think so.”
Aksai leaned forward and poked the fire again, but he was still listening.
“But things don’t go our way just because we want them to. There are many powerhouses that hide in the shadows. Our sect is also like that. We are a hidden powerhouse, Aksai Everwood. That’s why I want to make you a suggestion,” she said.
“Think about the power behind us. The Iron Mountain Sect may not be one of the Big Five of the righteous faction. But we are still strong enough to cause real damage to your ho—Erald Cove.”
Aksai’s fingers paused briefly on the stick in his hand.
“We thought you were a weak stray cultivator. That was our mistake. And we’re willing to correct that mistake.”
She took another step forward, her voice steady, but not threatening.
“You know why we ca here. It’s no secret. You killed one of our core disciples—Rong Zhi. It’s our right to settle that score. But we’re not blinded by revenge. If there’s room for benefit, we’re open to change.”
The other three elders watched quietly. No one interrupted.
“We can forget the past,” she said.
“If you’re willing to cooperate, we won’t just let go of this incident—we’ll bring our sect to your side. You have a grudge against the Kalingoot, don’t you?
They are becoming a bigger nuisance in your island trade than any of us imagined. It’s because the other players are taking part in the island trade wars.
For example, the Silver Moon Palace has joined Kalingoot in a not-so-subtle way. Even though it hasn’t made any official move yet, their sect mbers are already ddling in the Dadangar seas.
And it seems like the Silver Moon Palace also has a grudge against you because you killed their core disciple Bai Yu. but just like us, they are using this kill as an excuse to participate in the island trade wars.
In short, you are in a very difficult position Aksai Everwood. The Erald Cove is already being coveted by various powers. So even if you do manage to avoid all the traps set by the sects you have offended and reach your ho, only chaos and destruction awaits you.”
Aksai looked up now, the firelight flickering in his eyes. The lady sect elder spoke further with even more confidence than before.
“But not all hope is lost. We can join the Dadangar Island Alliance officially. We’ve remained neutral so far because we don’t care who wins—Kalingoot or the Alliance. All we want is a piece of the trade that’s booming across the archipelago.”
She gave a small shrug, calm but sharp.
“We don’t mind who we work with, as long as the benefits make sense. The Iron Mountain Sect doesn’t punch above or below its weight. It only wants to grow quietly– like any sane entity.
As an island owner in the Dadangar Seas, you must be aware of a few things. The two sides fighting here were ford because of direct and indirect conflicts between the righteous and demonic factions.
We have nothing to do with that, even though we’re technically aligned with the Big Five Sects. But the recent unrest in the Wild Devil Lands has changed a few things within the righteous faction as well.
The imbalance in the demonic faction will surely be exploited by the Big Five righteous sects. And in response, the demonic side will cause chaos in the Five Kingdoms. The Dadangar Subcontinent is about to enter another period of ongoing unrest.
If we want to survive the storm that’s coming, we need to speed up our efforts to grow—based on the choices we make now.
To be honest, we had originally decided to work with the Silver Moon Palace and Kalingoot to get our share of the profits.
But we can change that—for you. We can join the Alliance and help strengthen it. After all, even though the Alliance has managed to push back against Kalingoot so far, it’s hard to say how long it can continue protecting the interests of the island owners—especially once other major forces start interfering.
Just like Kalingoot, the Alliance also needs strong allies. The Big Five Sects will only help so much. After a certain point, they’ll start suppressing each other and stand on the sidelines as island ownership changes hands.
For them, island owners don’t matter, because they know they’ll always profit as long as the resource-rich islands keep producing what they want. They don’t care who works for them as long as they are supplied with the goods they want.
Anyway, you’re strong, Aksai. Strong enough to change the path of a sect like ours. The Iron Mountain Sect is willing to stand behind you—as long as we’re fairly included in the island’s trade deals.
So I ask you—what do you say?”
The Witcher started as a short story contest entry.
Andrzej Sapkowski entered Geralt’s first story into a Polish sci-fi magazine contest—and won third place.
User Comments
0 comments from readers