Shui's discussion with Alia hadn't taken very long, and he didn't significantly change his expression, so neither Adrian nor Emily noticed anything strange about his behaviour. Since he needed to figure out who was targeting Emily and resolve any threats to her life quickly, Shui started a conversation to fill in some gaps in his knowledge.
"By the way, do you have a reason for heading to Paraj?"
The city that the group was heading to was called Paraj, the City of the Auxiliary Arts. The region was also called the Paraj region, since Paraj was the only city. As the title suggested, Paraj was famous among students and experts of the auxiliary arts and the headquarters of many organizations involving crafters were based here. The city didn't have a very long heritage, but thanks to the high concentration of experts in the auxiliary arts; it was the perfect place to learn and discuss with others on the same creative path. In many aspects, Paraj was the ideal that the Artisan Palace strove towards.
"Is that something you need to know?" asked Adrian.
"No, it's just a little small talk. In my case, I dabble in the study of arrays and forging, so I wish to broaden my horizons."
"You've studied arrays?"
Faster than Adrian could come up with a response, Emily interjected.
"Yes. Right before I arrived, you were trying to set up an illusion array, correct?"
"If you can tell that much, then it seems you're not lying. Did you notice anything else? I wasn't able to finish the illusion array because one of their spells almost hit me, but I'm still not sure if it was a lucky shot or if they made a breach in my concealment array."
"I couldn't see much, but it was strange how well-timed and accurate it was."
"Exactly. I'm not sure if they were aiming for me or the arrays, but it definitely didn't seem like a lucky shot. I wondered if one of them was also an array master, but given how quickly they figured out my array, the array master would have to be on par with those on the Minor Ranking or possibly an array grandmaster. However, I doubt they would bring a person like that and not have them set a trap for me in advance."
"You make a good point. Assuming they didn't overcome your array using orthodox techniques, they might have taken advantage of other vulnerabilities. For example-"
"Ahem. I'm glad you two are getting along, but isn't it too much to treat me like an extra wheel?"
"Oh. Forgive me, Senior Adrian. I suppose I got too heated."
"I'm sure he doesn't mind too much. It's natural that a young genius like yourself would become engrossed when talking about your area of interest."
Adrian briefly furrowed his brows as he looked at Shui and thought to tell him not to assume how he felt, but he couldn't refute the claim, as that would make him seem petty.
"Yes, you don't have to worry about it. We've known each other for long enough for me to tell that you didn't do it on purpose."
"Thanks, Senior Adrian. But I don't think I would call myself a genius, Shui."
"Why's that?"
"I believe that a genius should be someone who can stand above his peers and overcome barriers like age or background. While I don't think my talent is bad, it's still far from what I would consider genius-level."
"I've heard you say this before, but I still think you're being too harsh on yourself, Junior Sister."
"It's fine. As long as I don't shame my master's legacy, there's no need to be a genius."
As he listened to Emily, Shui found another difference between the one before him and the Emily from the trial. The Emily from the trial was a cheeky and proud girl that he could hardly imagine being humble, and although he wasn't sure if she could still freely enter the Still Heart state, reaching tier 3 as an array master at her age was enough for most to consider her a prodigy. However, the reasoning she gave made him wonder if there was more to it than just her maturing.
"Is your master an array master of renown?"
"..."
At Shui's question, the mood immediately became gloomy, so Shui knew he had messed up. Adrian looked at him with derision as he shook his head.
'The idiot self-destructed.'
"My apologies. You don't have to answer that."
"No, it's fine. I'm sure if you heard his name, you would recognize it, but you could say his name is all that's left in this world."
"I..."
"Don't worry about it. I'm the one who mentioned him, after all."
They continued walking in silence, no one willing or capable of breaking the ice. Though he had found it odd that Nikolai wasn't with her, Shui hadn't expected that this would be the reason. Although they weren't close in the trial, and even more so in reality, Nikolai had still served as his master, so he thought it was a shame that he died so soon. Especially while leaving Emily behind.
'It seems I have much to look into once we reach the city.'
It was hard to continue the conversation, so the group was quiet until they left the forest and stopped in awe upon seeing their destination.
Shui had expected a well-designed city considering the high concentration of crafters, but it was far more luxurious than he imagined. The tallest building of the city, where administrative duties were handled, was a tower decorated with high-quality spirit gems. Additionally, for every prominent building and even the wall itself, the materials used were rare and expensive and craftsmanship was excellent. What was even more impressive was that these structures were used in the formation of grand arrays which protected the city and improved the health of the citizens, so it was strangely hard to call it all a waste despite the fact that the city shone bright at night.
'The rumour that this city was more extravagant than the royal palace might not be exaggerated.'
The city didn't look like it could stop a King, but any power below that would likely be insufficient, so even Shui doubted he could do anything to the city.
Once he was satisfied with looking at the city from afar, Shui glanced at Emily and noticed that she tightly clenched her fists. Emily gazed at the shining city with not only admiration, but also determination. To her, passing the exam and becoming a fully recognized tier 3 array master was only the first step. If she wanted to take revenge for her master, then there was a long way to go.
Once everyone was satisfied, the group set off once more. After getting on the main road, they only needed to keep going forward to reach the city, but going there on foot wasn't a very pleasant experience. Two reasons for that were the long line and being heckled by passing carriages.
They walked on the left side of the path with Adrian on the right, Emily in middle and Shui on the left, when a carriage was passing them.
"Get out of the way, peasants!"
Although there was plenty of space for the carriage, the coachman with a balding head arrogantly shouted at them. If he was by himself, that might be enough for Shui to consider taking action, but he didn't want to bring any trouble to Emily, so he followed them as they shifted over more to the left. If it ended there, then it would be fine, but as the carriage was passing by their group, the coachman purposefully drove the carriage through a small puddle. Thankfully, Shui acted swiftly to protect Emily from the mud with a barrier.
"How rude."
"It can't be helped. We lost our carriage after all. Still, thank you," said Emily.
"It was nothing."
Her cloak hid her face, but her tone didn't reveal any hidden grievances either. Shui was proud of her, but he also thought it was a shame that she was forced to mature like this.