The remaining six special knowledge items were a demonic method that could increase lifespan using bodies with special talents, a sinister artifact forging method, an incomplete corna that used blood, the cultivation method of an ancient legend known as the Ghost King, an advanced fire spell that grew in power by killing infants and a scroll which detailed the events of a great war that happened 5000 years ago. After a quick browse, Shui decided on the two items that he wanted.
"I'll take the Life Devouring Flame Spell and the scroll titled 'The Last Great War'."
"Are you sure? If you don't have any contacts, I can find some buyers for you."
Neither of the two were demonic cultivators, so unless their affinities were compatible, the best way to get value from these items was by selling them. Maha judged that out of the six items, the two Shui picked would be the least valuable, and though she didn't know if he was being polite, she already owed him too much and didn't want to have any more debt added on.
"Yes, I'm sure. I seem to have fate with demonic fire spells, and I enjoy reading ancient history. You can be assured that I'm not being considerate of you or anything like that."
With just a quick look, Shui was sure that the Life Devouring Flame Spell contained insights that would benefit him, and he was curious about the war that the scroll mentioned. Maha didn't understand what value he saw in the two items, but he didn't seem to be lying, so she believed him.
"Do you think that woman will make it out alive?"
"Who knows. Whether she lives or dies isn't my concern."
Maha knew there was hidden history between Shui and Iris, but she didn't plan on prying, especially not while he was injured.
"If you trust me, you can rest here. I'll wake you up in the morning."
"Thank you."
With a bit of exertion on his part, Shui stored his share of the loot. He wanted to read the scroll but decided it was best that he focus on recovery.
While Shui rested, news of what happened at the auction quickly spread to the ears of anyone who was aware that it was held. It was quite an embarrassment for the organisers and would result in a major loss in reputation, but the commotion was too big to cover up. It wasn't the first time that assassins tried to make trouble, and since only a few guests had died, the organisers could have salvaged their reputation after a show of guilt and compensation. However, being robbed of a group of items despite the presence of a Master was fatal. Those at the auction didn't think the Master that appeared was incompetent, but results spoke for themselves so after some time had passed, even they would begin to mock him.
To save what was left of their status, the organisers made a strong petition to the city's administration to help them search for the thieves, but the administration refused to let them bypass the standard procedure. With no other options left, the organisers began to consider going after the underground guild. The guild was very powerful, so even though the auction organisers knew the assassins were sent by it, they were reluctant to touch them without evidence, but it would be better than becoming a laughingstock.
When Shui sat up, ignorant of the churning current behind the scenes, the sun was already up in the sky. The pain that had been initially missing now tore into him like a jagged blade, but as long as he endured, he could move. Shui looked around the room from where he sat, but he couldn't find any sign of Maha.
"You're awake. If you're looking for the girl, she left a while ago. She put a note on the table behind you."
To protect him and soothe his injuries, Alia stayed up while he rested. She happened to notice a few more secrets about the girl who lived here, but she chose to stay silent regarding those.
The note that Maha left was a simple goodbye along with some instructions for how they could meet when the time came to head for the inheritance. After reading the note, Shui stored it in his storage ring and took out a staff to use as a walking stick. He still had a few enhanced wheelchairs from the time when he was crippled, but he was more likely to attract attention for using them. In his current state, the best option was to avoid trouble.
Meanwhile, Emily was on a stroll with a heavy heart and a lowered head. Her cultivation had greatly improved after refining Dull Harmony, but any joy she felt was blown away by the impact of what she saw upon opening her eyes.
This morning, she woke up to the sight of a corpse and screamed in shock and horror. The arrays around her bed were deactivated for some reason, so Adrian, who was in the room next to hers, heard her scream and rushed over. After he spotted the corpse, he tried his best to comfort Emily, but she couldn't feel the slightest bit of relief and left the inn when he offered to clean the room for her. From the traces left on the emaciated corpse, Emily could tell that Dull Harmony had protected her, but she shuddered when she imagined what might have happened if it wasn't with her.
For now, she had suppressed her fear, but there were still many questions that she wanted answers to.
'How was he able to reach my room so easily?'
Though she took basic precautions, Emily didn't think it would be hard to find where she was staying inside the city if someone wanted to. However, that was why she chose an inn where she could feel relatively secure. Sure, her room was only on the third floor, which was no height that would prove an obstacle to a cultivator, but the inn provided security for its guests that included guards outside the building as well as a protection array. However, neither of those security measures stopped the assassin.
'Why were my arrays deactivated?'
She knew of the defences set up outside the building, but Emily wanted to be extra sure that she would be safe, so she drew a protection array, among others, inside her room. Her protection array was weaker than the inn's, but it served as a last line of defence. And yet, it also failed to intercept the assassin.
'Are there any more assassins in the city?'
She was lucky enough to make it out of this attempt alive, but her imagination created phantoms of hidden figures watching her at all times. To make matters worse, her spiritual sense had grown stronger by refining Dull Harmony, so she could in fact sense suspicious gazes following her.
'Emily, you have to hold yourself together. You can't disgrace Master's legacy. Remember that incident.'
She tried to use her determination to fight back against the dread, but this was a stopgap measure at best. Knowing this, she sighed and lifted her head.
"Shui?"
In response to her surprised voice, the young man she spotted in the crowd turned to face her. He didn't look injured because he had stopped bleeding and removed his bandages, but his face was pale, and he had to rely on a staff to walk.
"Oh, Emily. What a coincidence."
[What coincidence? You came to find her after I told you that she woke up.]
[But that happened while I was nearby her inn. Therefore, a coincidence.]
"Yes, it is. Are you okay?" Emily asked in concern.
"I just ran into some trouble. I'll recover with time. What about you? I noticed you were walking with your head down."
"Ah, no. You look like you have your own worries."
"Then how about we stop somewhere and share stories? Honestly, I was looking for a place to rest my feet."
Emily wasn't very receptive to the idea of complaining to Shui when he seemed to be in a poor condition, but it was hard to refuse his suggestion, and she did have some questions she wanted to ask.
"Okay. I know a special cafe nearby that makes a tea with healing properties. Would you like to go there?"
"That sounds great."