After returning Shui's greetings, Emily turned to Alicia with a hesitant look on her face. Shui wasn't sure how to interpret it, so he just had Alicia to introduce herself.
"Hi, we briefly saw each other yesterday. You can call me Alicia. I'm Shui's betrothed."
"I don't seem to remember that."
"You're right. I must have seen it in a premonition."
Emily wasn't sure how to react to that joke, so she ignored it.
"Well, how may I help you?"
"Nothing really. I just want to congratulate you on becoming an official tier 3 array master," Shui answered.
"..."
Emily struggled to give a response. She had passed the exam with flying colours, which was very impressive considering her age. However, she was still frustrated by the result of the test.
Shui saw through this frustration, so he didn't push her for a reply and moved on.
"Anyway, why don't we leave here first? I have a present for you."
"A present?"
Emily raised an eyebrow in confusion, but she wasn't reluctant to leave as she had completed her business at the Array Association for the time being. She didn't know Shui very well, so she had a hard time guessing why he had a present for her and what it was.
Meanwhile, Adrian was speaking to someone through a gemstone in his left hand.
"Yes, there's been a bit of unexpected trouble, but there's no need to worry."
"I hope so. You should be well aware of how important this matter is to me."
"Of course. I'll definitely meet your expectations, father."
At that point, the connection was cut from the other end, and Adrian was free to sigh. He was serious about carrying out the task he was given, but it was always hard to deal with that father of his.
'I should find some time to get a drink.'
Adrian placed the gem in his pocket and headed towards the pagoda at the center of the Array Association. He didn't know if the test had ended yet, but he felt no suspense. He wouldn't call himself very knowledgeable about the evaluation system, but from the investigation he did on the results of previous tests, he noticed that although there were few suspicious points concerning those who passed and failed, there was a tendency for bias to be present when selecting the best performer.
Of course, he could have mentioned this to Emily, but he didn't want to disturb her mental state. Besides, knowing that there was corruption wouldn't help solve it. If she was declared the best performer, then they could celebrate, and if she wasn't, then he planned to comfort her.
He moved with fairly light steps, but froze when he spotted Emily with two others. He could recognize both of them, but neither were people he wanted to see.
'Damn it. Why are they...?'
Shui left Emily alone with her thoughts until she eventually agreed and they left the pagoda. Emily remembered Adrian had accompanied her along the way, so she tried to find him. When she left the central pagoda and was searching for him, he noticed her first and was surprised to see her walking with Shui and Alicia. He was curious about why they were together, but he was also reluctant to join them. He considered watching them from afar, but then Shui noticed him and pointed Emily in his direction.
"Senior!" she shouted.
As Emily waved in his direction, Adrian quickly hid his grimace and approached. Due to her recent circumstances, Emily always tried her best to hide her emotions, but her relief was clear to his eyes. He knew that this relief wasn't mainly because she was simply glad to see him; it was because she felt uncomfortable with the two people with her. Emily could tolerate Shui because despite his strength he didn't appear imposing, but with the stunning Alicia by his side, their combined splendour was emphasized, causing Emily to feel a sprouting seed of inferiority. She didn't plan on sacrificing Adrian, but it was helpful to have a normal person with her.
When Adrian came closer, Shui greeted him and then he and Alicia were introduced to each other. Although Alicia didn't say her clan name, he had a vague idea of her background due to his information network. He was even more uncomfortable than Emily, but all he could do was hope that they finished their business with her quickly.
Once they were all together and everyone knew each other's names, Shui felt it was time to give Emily the gift he made. The Array Association wasn't completely safe, but it was better than open areas inside the city, especially considering the bounty on Emily.
"Now, before I take out your gift, I need to keep away any prying eyes," said Shui.
He planned to create a barrier to isolate them however, Alicia eased his burden.
"No, allow me."
She reached into her left sleeve and pulled out a red umbrella. When the umbrella was opened and released into the air, it created a transparent shroud that isolated them from the perception of anyone in the area. Shui nodded his head in approval at the artifact's ability, Emily admired it from a technical perspective while Adrian sighed at how luxurious it was to use spirit-rank artifact like this. No one other than Shui and Alia knew what the gift would be, but now the others couldn't help but raise their expectation if he was being this careful about it.
Emily told herself that she couldn't accept anything too extravagant, but she didn't suppress her curiosity.
Shui summoned Dull Harmony into his hand and presented it to Emily. It was a scepter that seemed like it would fit well in a museum, but it emanated an aura that stirred the heart. Even Shui wasn't capable of seeing through the artifact without employing special means, much less the rest of them. However, their instinct as cultivators told them that this scepter was far too precious to be called a mere gift.
While Alicia, Adrian and Emily were still staring at it, Shui announced, "The name of this artifact is Dull Harmony. Take it."
Though she could barely sense anything about it, Emily was sure that it wasn't an item that could be readily given out. She told herself that she couldn't accept this gift, but she couldn't stop her hands from reaching out to touch it. The moment her fingers made contact with the scepter, Emily felt her sensitivity to the natural world suddenly increase. Her mind raced as she contacted profound insights that had been far from reach, and her body devoured the surrounding nature energy like a desert meeting water. She lost her sense of direction, but her spirit rejoiced at the chance to explore this new world she found herself in. She felt she could reach the secrets of the world if she kept going, but before her soul took that step-
"Junior sister!"
Emily found herself shaken by her senior brother, who faced her with a distressed expression. As she blinked rapidly and looked around, Adrian realized that her mind was back, so he glared at Shui, who returned a faint smile.
"You, what did you-"
Adrian was right about to condemn Shui, but he brushed him off and focused on Emily.
"So, do you like it?"
Adrian gritted his teeth, but he also wanted to verify her reaction, as did Alicia, who didn't hide the interest from showing on her face.
Everyone else only saw her touch the scepter and then fall into a trance, but Shui knew what she experienced. It was a state he entered when he used martial intent to connect with the natural world. He could restrain himself due to his special encounters, but feeling it for the first time was definitely a euphoric experience for a low-level cultivator. His harmony series artifacts provided a similar feeling, but comparing the two was like comparing a lake with an ocean.
Emily, now certain that she was back to reality, looked at the artifact once more. She still couldn't sense anything special about it, but now she was sure that it had functions that she couldn't imagine. She gulped as she thought about how much she could benefit both in her array techniques and cultivation if she refined it. However, she bit her lip and took a step back.
"I'm sorry. I can't accept this gift."