341-350

Chapter 341 - Shrewd Man.

Hal left the Alchemist organization building with Arya and Karmen only to board his carriage which had been kept well at the building and ride to the residence the alchemist organization provided for them.

While they rode along with Arya in control of the carriage's movement as she was the one who had actually been told of the residence's location, Hal decided he would be going over to Dane Territory.

The inhabitants might not be pleased to see him but he was not going for them but for his woman so he saw no reason to care.

Other than the fact that they could kill him of course.

The carriage stopped in front of the residence which turned out to be a large mansion that was even bigger than the one Melinda had had in Sapphire city.

To go even further, the branch head had provided them with help in form of those who would take care of his carriage and any future rides, those who would prepare palatable meals rich in cultivation resource, and those who would overall just keep the place tidy.

He had to admit it was quite generous and he and Arya knew it was the combination of them both that had done this.

However, Hal was not exactly satisfied with the help and there was something about how they looked at him that pointed to the fact that cleaning was not all they were here for.

Add in the fact that the weakest of them all was at the peak stage of the cosmic Armament realm and the strongest, which was a lady that was clearly in charge and had her back turned to them, was at the Peak stage of the Cosmic phenomenon realm and you start to see a spying pattern.

They were here to keep an eye on him.

Hal sneered secretly.

It turns out the branch head was not as gullible and easygoing as he seemed. He was also quite the shrewd man.

Arya was, however, not surprised.

'Master, he became branch head and is at the Semi-saint realm. Surely he can't really be a patsy no matter how much he behaves like one' she told him telepathically.

Choosing not to opt for vocals since they were not truly alone.

Hal nodded,

'You are right. But the question is, why did he so readily believe my far-fetched tale if he is obviously intelligent.' He asked.

One of the main reasons he had opted for long details as opposed to what he had told Grimoire, was so he could gauge just how much he could actually get away with.

He was constantly monitoring Toto with his Devil senses and knew since the man was not actively trying to hide his emotions, that at the very least, he saw no reason not to believe Hal.

'He wanted to believe you. That's most likely it. You are his golden ticket and a potential asset with which his branch will be victorious at the convention. Since you had not really gone out of your way to show hostility, he will believe whatever you say and keep trying to pull you to his side.

That said, it is clear that he remains cautious.'

Hal narrowed his eyes,

'Is it just me or is he a bit contradicting?' Hal asked and Arya gave a non-committal shrug.

At that time, the strongest, whose clothes were also different from the uniform of the rest of the staff turned around to face them with what looked like a clipboard in hand.

She brushed her brown hair out of her face and as it was Hal's nature, he eyed her from head to toe. Quick enough to be taken as a mere cursory glance and detailed enough to get an adequate knowledge of what he could not look at outright without seeming like a pervert.

However, while he had tempered his haze so it was not particularly regarded as perverse, mostly because it was second nature for him to now observe and appreciate female looks and not that he was actually interested in the lady, her gaze on him was anything but polite.

"Hi, I'm Sasha, and I..."

She had actually been looking at her clipboard and only looked up mid introduction but could not help but pause.

She eyed Hal from head to toe and back again after which she looked him over once again before looking up and only staring at his face.

Her mouth actually gaped as she looked at him and although Hal felt quite gratified, he was a little annoyed that she was not actually able to control her reactions and simply give him and those with him her complete introductory details.

However, with Sasha, the poor lady could not be blamed. She was not exactly young in terms of age and had seen a lot of men in her life but Hal's face and body that looked to have reached perfection easily took the cake.

That said, she cleared her throat and tried to rein in her reactions to at the very least not make a fool of herself.

"My name is Sasha and I am sort of a caretaker. It is understood that you are very busy and as such cannot be bothered with domestic affairs so I will be in charge of it and do it in your stead.

I would like for you not to hold back at all and tell me what exactly you wish was available to make your living here even more comfortable.

Arya stepped forward,

"I'm Nadia and this the young man is my apprentice Hal and the lady is his personal guard Karmen. We appreciate your help." She said with a neutral expression devoid of any form of familiarity which was understandable as they were both still strangers to one another.

While Arya had indeed been told of this residence before Hal's return, she had never actually been there. The same went for Karmen.

This was the first they were seeing of Sasha and her of them.

Sasha allowed herself one more look of Hal's form when she addressed him personally,

"I have heard of Alchemist Hal and know he's the newest genius of the Silva Duchy now that he is a Rank 4 Alchemist" she said with a bright smile.

Hal returned her smile,

"'Genius' is a bit of a stretch. I only barely made it"

"I never thought you would be modest." Sasha said and this time she actually managed to sound normal and not like a fangirl.

Hal chuckled,

"Trust me, I am not modest. Far from it actually" he told her.

Sasha then turned back to Arya,

"Would you like to meet the staff?" She asked but Arya shook her head,

"There's no need. I think it's better we don't do something as fake as actually acting like we care about people we've never met before today.

We'd rather just get settled in" she said.

Maybe it was a bit of an oversight since these people would be responsible for their wellbeing, but she felt the less they knew of the spying help and they of them, the better.

Maintaining a distance was what she felt was best for the time being.

Sasha nodded in understanding and offered to lead their way inside but Arya assured her they would be alright on their own so Sasha went back to work but not before sneaking a couple of glances at Hal.

Once inside the mansion, Karmen wanted to take a quick tour and insisted Arya come along as though she had formed a connection with the green-eyed Alchemist capable of Devil spells.

Hal smiled fondly at the sight but did not stay in the mansion long as he had someone he needed to visit and he would rather not keep her waiting for too long.

...

Dane Residence...

Hal received no obstructions when he was at the gate. In fact, the guards practically ignored him when they saw who it was. He had never actually expected them to not allow him entry in the first place so it was not that surprising.

It was surprising though that some of those he met along the way, and somehow recognized him, gave him thumbs up as though he had accomplished something huge.

Which to be fair was true as he had defeated Hugh in a duel and was very close to Melinda. Two pieces of information that had spread around the territory really fast.

'Wierd' he thought.

Since when were they this welcoming.

Thanks to Karmen and Arya, Hal knew exactly where to go if he wanted to arrive at Melinda's part of the residence and he was thoroughly impressed by the size.

With one short-ranged teleportation circle that was the norm in large residences such as this in the Nexus world and could be activated with cosmic energy alone, he was a stone throw away from her courtyard.

She was right there waiting for him and wasted no time dashing into his embrace and smacking her lips with his.

Clearly, three days was much too long a time to be apart.

Chapter 342 - We Have Some Catching Up To Do.

Hal would have very much loved to remain within his limits as long as he was still in the Dane residence where anyone could see him and possibly get him in trouble with the powerful experts resulting here.

If they wanted to get a lovey-dovey, then it was better they adjourn to the Harem space where they could truly indulge in each other's company.

Alas,

Melinda could not care less who saw them and wrapped her arms tight about his neck and would not separate from his lips.

With her being so enthusiastic, there was no way Hal could avoid getting into it as well but decided to muster up all of his self control and push her back...

... to at the very leadst get a good look at her face.

He had to admit that returning to the Dane residence was obviously showing results. It was nothing close to the benefits gotten from the refining of his essence, but it was enough to doll up Melinda's looks.

By doll up, Hal of course did not mean makeup which was something Melinda never used and never needed.

"What, you're pushing me back?" Melinda asked and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Maybe another lady in her shoes would be a little melodramatic and worried why her man would be acting so peculiar but Melinda knew him well enough to know exactly why he was acting that way.

"Push you away? I'd never" Hal said with twitching lips.

"You're not?" She asked with a smirk.

"Of course not. How could I possibly?" Hal said and brushed a lock of her hair out of her face.

"Then kiss me" She said and raised her face to him as he was inches taller than she was.

Hal lowered his head to hers and kissed her lips but he did not let it continue for long before he separated.

"Why don't we move this reunion of ours to somewhere more private?" He told her with a confident smile that easily marked how much he did not like the situation Melinda was trying to force him into.

However, Melinda was not so easily deterred,

"No, I think this is good enough. Let's do it here" she told him with a moan while squirming into his chest and breathing in his scent.

For a brief second, Hal actually thought she was serious which was made obvious by the slight widening of his eyes which the golden-eyed beauty was quick to catch when she raised her head.

"Ah, I knew it! You're scared." She said and separated from him to put some distance between them both and cross her arms below her ample breasts.

Hal narrowed his eyes,

"You take that back, I am not scared." He retorted.

Melinda covered her mouth lightly and giggled,

"You are. I can see it in your whole visage Hal. I can't believe it. My fiancee, the self-acclaimed rogue who earnestly follows the path of shamelessness is scared."

There was one other description she wished to add but felt it was better to leave it unsaid because, despite her teasing of Hal, she knew as long as they were on this grounds, they needed to be careful.

Hal stepped closer to her with a light smile,

"Not scared, cautious. I am being very, very cautious and who could blame me?" He said.

Melinda shook her head in mock disappointment,

"And here I was thinking you were here to whisk me away. I guess it's just my fate to remain locked up in this grounds." She said with a sigh but Hal caught a hint of truth in those words and it caused his expression to instantly change,

"You're locked up?" He asked.

Melinda who had been looking down at the ground suddenly snapped her head up when she noticed the change,

"No, no, no, you need to play along. You can't just break away when I'm having this much fun." She said with a slight smile which she knew would not be enough to appease him.

She had let it slip and would just have to deal with it.

"You're locked up?" Hal repeated his question.

Melinda sighed,

'Great way to ruin the mood, Mel' she thought before she answered Hal's question.

"Technically yes, but it's really not that big a deal. My grandmother thinks it would be best for me to be away from worldly distractions for now. At least until she has gone very in-depth into my education.

Apparently, there are things she wishes to teach me."

Hal's expression did not change,

"You have to stay here to be taught?" He asked because he felt it was too much of a coincidence that after he left at which point they had mentioned suitors, Isabella decided to stop her granddaughter from leaving.

He did admit to himself that there was the possibility that it was really just about educating her. After all, he could not say he was particularly adept in the ways of the Dane family like the Patroness was bound to be.

Melinda shrugged,

"I am the wrong person to ask. I'm the student remember?"

She had just said this when the space a few meters away from them twisted and produced Isabella who walked over to them with calm but quick steps.

"No, you don't have to stay in the house. You also don't have to completely away from worldly distractions. That was just a lie I told you." She said with a slight smile. Showing she had overhead, at the very least, the ending of their conversation.

However, if she expected Melinda to break down and ask why, she was disappointed as the golden-eyed beauty simply adopted an expression of 'Of course, you did'.

Even Hal had a similar expression.

"I admit at the time, I said it so that, should this young man actually turn out to be alive after his abduction, you would not leave to go and find him."

Hal narrowed his eyes but said nothing. There was a smile playing on Isabella's lips that were really unsettling for him. Being a Devil, he could tell the intent behind that smile was sly.

That said, when the beautiful grandmother of his fiancee smiled at him, he reciprocated, albeit superficially.

"It's good you're here. The family can finally hold a meeting. A private one in regards to the relationship between you two" she said.

Melinda groaned,

"A meeting? Why not just say what it is you have to say right here and now. Hal and I have some catching up to do." She said and grabbed Hal's arm.

Hal took her hold with a bright and confident smile while he continued to gaze at Isabella with the aim of at least discovering an inkling of what it was she was planning.

Isabella rolled her eyes with a smile,

"You have only been apart for three days. Surely you can keep yourself in check until after the meeting." She said.

'This is weird' Hal repeated what he had said on his way into the residence.

'She's being supportive. You should be happy' Grimoire said.

The artifact could also tell that there was something not quite right about this situation but only felt it was still a win since Isabella's supportive expressions were quite true and seemed completely devoid of any shenanigans.

'Well, that's just it. Getting the support of someone like her could prove as dangerous and risky as it could prove helpful.'

...

True to her word, the meeting was quite private and only contained immediate family members. Damien and his wife were present, so was Hugh (shouldn't he be more focussed on his cultivation and training?) and of course, Devon who was quite calm.

Isabella took the seat of highest importance as the oldest and most powerful in the family. Then she did not beat around the bush and said,

"I believe it is high time we put whatever feelings we have about Hal aside because he is Melinda's fiance and I do not see that changing for the foreseeable future."

Chapter 343 - Having Relations.

The first thought that came to Hal's mind after Isabella's statement was,

'What's the catch?'

When he looked sideways at Melinda and saw she was already looking over at him with an identical expression on her face, he knew she was thinking the same thing.

Neither of the two felt the patroness could reply change her mind on the matter so quickly and yet for all intents and purposes, Isabella seemed to mean exactly what she had said.

The first to speak was Hugh who looked over at Hal which an expression that showed he really did not quite care for his cousin's fiance. To even think the word was quite annoying,

"What about the other suitors?" He asked with an incredulous expression.

Isabella sighed,

"There was never any" she said and that caused them all to look over at Isabella while some of them finally understood why they had not detected a buzz among those she supposedly contacted.

"I was not about to go picking out suitors for Melinda when she was not even back in the family yet. It would have been over-eager on my part and quite unfair to her. At least that's how I saw it.

Yes, I did consider it and for that reason, rumor spread but I never actually took the step."

Damien frowned,

"You said you did" he said and there was an undertone to his voice that showed that this went further than his mother keeping something from him.

Isabella shrugged,

"I lied" she said.

"She seems to be doing that a lot these days" Melinda said under her breath and as all those present were cultivating experts, they all heard her.

Isabella looked over at her with a smile,

"It is an essential skill to have. Especially when your sons decide to overturn your decision and your say in the matter to banish your granddaughter."

"That's why you lied? Because of what happened five years ago? I am Patriarch!" this time, the angry undertone in Damien's voice was clear.

While it would look to any observer that Damien was overreacting, it was a little understandable as this meant he did not really have total control over his family as Patriarch.

He was not under the notion that he could actually tell his mother what to do but felt whatever her plans were, she should have at the very least clued him in on it.

He looked over to his brother who thus far remained silent and was merely looking off into the distance.

Damien's words did not seem to have the slightest impact on Isabella who eyed him,

"I am well aware of what you are and it does not influence my decisions. Besides, you can't blame me if you all fell for the rumors just because I went along with how exaggerated they had become.

Besides, I did plan to send out the invitations and hold screenings as well but changed my mind. For reasons I see no point in disclosing, I no longer object to the relationship between the two.

All that is left is for Devon to give his thoughts on the matter and we can set a date."

Melinda looked over at her father and then back to her grandmother.

"You can see it too can't you?" Hal told her quietly while he cast a noise-canceling rune as best he could without garnering the attention of those present.

Melinda nodded,

"It's like they are planning something."

Devon sighed and looked over at Hal with an insecure expression which Hal could not understand but knew it could not mean something good for him.

"Brother, you are not really going to be okay with this, are you?" Damien asked.

He knew his brother better than anyone and was sure he would not be pleased in the slightest at not being a major part of his daughter making her choice for a life partner.

It was why Devon did not like Hal.

On paper, there was nothing wrong with Hal.

In looks, he could be said to be perfect and so far, he had shown talent and promise. Other than not having a notable last name, any father would be happy to have him as a son-in-law.

However, Melinda had chosen him in his absence.

He was no fool and just like he was sure his mother must know as well, he was sure Hal and Melinda already had relations. While that did not stop them from marrying her off to someone else, it did not change the fact that she had been content to give herself to him

And from what he could tell, it was not once but must have happened multiple times.

He was right about Isabella being aware of that as well which could be seen by her statement of them 'keeping themselves in check' until after the meeting. The intimacy between them could not be hidden.

Neither could hide how much they cared about each other and loved each other's company.

If Hal indeed was a womanizer and his daughter was okay with it, what then was his business?

It was not uncommon for a man to have more than one woman in his life.

In fact, while it was not that common in the Haron continent, strong and powerful women usually took a harem of their own on the Dystopian continent.

It all boiled down to how Melinda did not give a crap about his input in the choice of her life partner.

That was what was really eating him up from the inside and why he could never truly like Hal.

Devon took a deep breath and shrugged,

"What choice do I have? My little girl has not been home in years and I don't want something like this to permanently tear us apart." He said with a sideways glance at Melinda who visibly rolled her eyes.

Her father showing sentimentality did nothing to quell her anger and she would very much love to have this meeting end so she and Hal could leave.

Devon's eyes went from her to Hal who he grinned at but it was not a friendly grin by any means but one filled with wicked intent.

Devon stood from his seat and walked over to where Hal was seated next to Melinda to grab his shoulders,

*PAH*

"I will accept it. There are worse choices after all." He said still grabbing Hal's shoulders.

Damien sighed and shook his head while his wife rubbed his shoulders and continued to look over at Hal with an interested expression on her face.

Hugh's reaction was similar to his father's except that he did not shake his head at his very powerful uncle's decision since that would be incredibly disrespectful, and quite frankly, due to his obvious bad mood, dangerous.

Devon was not done though,

"It is however customary for the son and father-in-law to actually spend time together. The custom is so that the son-in-law, which in this case is you, Hal, can have the opportunity to impress the father-in-law which in this case, is me."

Hal did not look up but his Astral perception let him know Devon was still grinning wickedly.

"This should have been done long before your relationship with my daughter got... close. But it's all good. It just means a simple conversation and duel with the best in the family won't cut it."

Hal cleared his throat and refused to let himself be intimidated this early on,

"So what will?" He asked in a clear voice.

*PAH*

Devon slammed his shoulders again before rubbing and chuckling,

"Do you know who I am, boy?" He asked.

Once again, Melinda rolled her eyes at her father while she supplied Hal the answer,

"Father is a general in the Emperor's army. Well... not exactly. He has more freedom than normal generals because of all the Merit points he has won on the battlefield. Merit points that guarantee he will work mostly as a volunteer and can not actually be ordered into battle.

It's how he got his title as the monster of the Dane family."

Chapter 344 - Expedition.

That Devon was nicknamed the monster of the Dane family was something Hal had had no knowledge of and while Melinda's tone was aimed at taking it with levity, Hal knew it was actually a big deal and no matter how much she worked to water it down for both his benefit and also to show her father she no longer held him in high regards, it did not change that fact.

Melinda folded her arms beneath her breasts and looked up at her father,

"What does what you do have to do with anything?" She asked him.

Devon grinned,

"Well, it just so happens that there's an expedition coming in a few weeks and I think it is both the perfect opportunity as well as the perfect state for your 'Fiance' to actually show me what he's capable of." He said and there was something about his tone that Hal immediately disliked.

That coupled with how sure he was that this would not be a bonding moment made him feel immense trepidation.

Melinda frowned slightly but it was actually Damien who spoke up,

"An expedition to battle against the Dystopians? That hardly seems like a place to take a youngster." He said with his brow raised while he wondered what it was his brother was thinking.

Not to mention Hal's age and complete lack of experience in battle, he felt Devon should not even be considering the possibility of bringing someone at the Cosmic Phenomenon realm to a battle he would be participating in.

Especially since Devon's foes were those even he could only keep striving to defeat as the Dystopian continent had its own powerhouses.

However, it was for all those reasons why this should not be happening that Devon actually wanted them to.

He was right about Hal driving himself to him and if the youngster happened to die in the process of doing so... It just showed he was just as incompetent and unfit to wed his daughter as he always believed.

Although, this was mostly what he wanted to think and was simply stemming from his dislike of Hal which even he could not explain.

"That's not fair. You know that don't you?" Melinda said but Devin shrugged,

"Why is it not fair? I planned to eventually take you on an expedition. It would have been a real eye-opener for you on what really goes on between Haron and Dystopia, despite how peaceful this continent may seem."

While it was true that at some point before she was banished, it was discussed that she would tag along on an expedition with her, in which case she could at least bank on his protection, the same could not really be said for a scenario where Hal goes in her place.

However, she no longer saw a reason to try to talk her father out of it or to even stand against it without at least listening to Hal's input.

She turned to him and Hal was actually squinting into the distance as he contemplated an expedition with his future father-in-law who had made it very clear that he did not like him.

This was probably Devon's way of intimidating him which Hal felt was a bit of an un-fleshed-out plan. After all, whether or not Hal acquired his approval, his marriage with Melinda seemed well on the way now.

Even Devon himself had said he had no choice but to accept their relationship but still wanted to make an evaluation...

So why...

And that was when it hit Hal and his eyes widened.

He was suspected.

He was suspected of the one thing that even Melinda's stubbornness to be with him would have difficulty in overcoming. He was suspected of being connected to Dystopia.

And not suspected of making use of some body strengthening technique but of something of a much deeper connection with Dystopia. Something like his Bloodline.

He was willing to bet that was what Devon's decision to bring him along on an expedition was all about.

It was to see how Hal would react against Dystopians.

At which point, if there was anything that pointed to him really being connected to the Dystopian continent, he would be killed in the spot.

In fact, Devon was powerful enough to kill him just because he disliked him but Hal felt that while he was an ass for banishing his daughter, doing something like killing Hal without actual proof of him being a traitor by affiliation was not really his style.

Of course, he could be wrong.

Hal smiled up at Devon,

"Of course I'll go with you" he said and Melinda sighed while her father grinned.

"Good, I'll try my best but I cannot guarantee that you will return in one piece." He laughed and walked away from Hal to return to his seat.

Isabella watched all this happen and could not help but smile as things has worked out even better than she had planned. She had not expected get some to have sensed what she had sensed in Hal but his decision to take his daughter's fiance on an expedition proved he did.

Don't get her wrong, Hal was a genuine talent and she had really done a one-eighty on her decision as regards to him but there was a need to make absolutely sure they would not be canoodling with the enemy.

When she had been glad that Devon said he would make his own decisions regarding Hal, she had expected that to involve some sort of test of strength. Or even have him stubbornly refuse to allow the relationship.

Either of the two would have been good as it would have provided an avenue for her to see how the couple would react and maybe in turn find out what that darkness she sensed in Hal meant.

But this, this was so much better.

Damien frowned as unlike his brother and mother, he had not so far sensed anything out of the ordinary about Hal which was not to say his senses were impaired, just that he had not exactly been paying that much attention.

Melinda took a long look at Hal and he, having sensed and noticed the look, winked at her before she, in turn, looked to her grandmother and then to her father and a good up from her chair, pulling Hal with her,

"Is that it? Is that what this whole 'meeting' was about?" She asked and Isabella shrugged with a smile.

She was not only enjoying the proceedings but also quite impressed with how Melinda was taking it all.

Melinda snorted,

"A solid waste of time" she said and walked right of the hall while pulling Hal along.

The Blue-eyed Devil had no objections to the pull but did not neglect to wave at Isabella and give her a dazzling smile that quite surprised the patroness on his way out.

Outside, Melinda waited until they were well away from the meeting hall before turning to face him,

"Do you know what you just agreed to? Do you even grasp the concept of the magnitude of what you just said 'yes' to?" She asked and she was every bit as upset as she looked.

"First off, I didn't say 'yes' exactly, I said 'Of course'. And second, are we having our first couple's fight right now?" He asked.

Melinda groaned,

"We've had arguments before, Hal" she said and he shook his head.

"No, those barely count. This one sounds serious" he said with a serious kid of his head.

"Of course it's serious. You just agreed to go to battle with the Dystopians with my father. In a situation where I guarantee he will push you to your limit which he believes is your cue to prove him right." Melinda said in an exasperated tone of voice.

"Prove him right about what?"

"About the darkness you have within you"

Chapter 345 - Richard And The Elders.

"You know about his suspicions?" Hal asked with a raised brow.

He had not even confessed what her grandmother had said in the study to her and so far only suspected the suspicions. That she knew, which he was sure was not through her family members who would most likely keep this completely under wraps, proved she was just as perceptive as he always believed.

"Of course I know. Frankly, I would be shocked if he had not been suspicious. After all, he knows practically nothing about you" she said.

"That has to be true about multiple people on the continent." Hal noted.

"Well, only one of them wants to marry his daughter." Melinda retorted through gritted teeth.

Silence...

Then Hal sighed with his head down,

"Fair point."

Then he looked at Melinda who had raised her head and was now taking a deep breath,

"Were you really expecting me to say no?" He asked with a smirk.

Melinda looked into his face and cracked a smile,

"No. No, I did not." She said and wound her arms around his waist to pull him closer and lay her head on his chest.

"I missed you" she said.

Hal's eyes widened mockingly,

"Where is all this sappy feely stuff coming from?" He asked with a mild chuckle.

Melinda tightened her arms around him and chuckled as well,

"It coming from me, you dope" she said.

Hal wrapped his arms around her as well before raising one of his hands to her head to stroke her long hair while she snuggled even deeper into his chest.

"Let's leave here" she said and there was no need to tell Hal twice since as much as he was all for public display of affection, this was not the moment for it.

Even at that moment, there were servants walking about sneaking glances at him and already moving to pass on the rumor.

Large as the Dane territory was, Hal was sure the rumor would circulate at an almost instantaneous rate...

...

Meanwhile...

In the meeting hall...

While the two love birds were looking for a private location to continue indulging in each other's presence, the elderly ones as well as Hugh Dane were still seated with the look on Damien's face looking quite close to shock.

It was probably why he did not notice the manner in which his wife was looking at where Hal and Melinda had walked out of.

The one who was causing her to pay attention to that direction was definitely the masculine of the two.

Isabella noticed but other than the quizzical raising of her brow, she said nothing and merely focused on her children.

"What the hell is going on?" Damien asked indignantly while looking from his mother to his brother.

When neither said nothing, as Isabella simply continued looking amused while Devon was still on his feet and staring singularly at the seat his daughter just stood up from, he decided to continue his indignant speech.

"Never before have I felt this out of the loop and I do not like it. When this meeting was called, I was under the impression that it was only in relation to something intimate which was why the elders were not involved..." He began but his mother cut in.

"Those old coots were not involved because I don't like them. And for all their talk about being the cornerstone of the Dane family, I would rather not listen to their input when deciding on the life partner of my granddaughter." Isabella said in a cool voice.

Damien raised a brow in a mocking surprise,

"A decision that I am only now finding out is bogus?" He asked.

Hugh looked at his father and then his grandmother before finally ending his viewing tour with his uncle before deciding that there was no longer a reason for him to be here.

He might as well return to the cultivation seclusion that he should have been in before deciding to be nosy and be a part of this discussion.

He stood up,

"I think it's best I leave now" he said but no one apart from his mother gave any indication that they had heard him. The only reason his mother noticed was that she had decided to leave as well.

As one, the mother-son pair walked out of the ball just as the heated conversation continued.

"Those old bustards should content themselves with governing the Fiery lotus sect and have no business with my family affairs." Isabella said with annoyance while gripping the arms of her chair tightly.

"They are family" Devon pointed out and this was the first thing he said since Hal and Melinda made their exit.

It was no secret to anyone in the Dane family that Isabella disliked the elders of her family.

As an only daughter of her father and groomed to the heir of the Dane family, there had been responsibilities thrust on her and she had been ready to accept them all. At the time of her reign as Matriarch, Isabella had gotten along well with the elders she now took to calling coots until they got into her husband, Richard's head.

Playing on his inferiority complex for not actually holding a position of importance in the Dane family apart from being the father of the Matriarch's sons and also being of minimal importance in his own family, they were able to convince him to go against a Dystopian general.

Victory against the general would have brought the Dane family a lot of respect and prestige. Not to mention merit points. This was not including the personal respect, prestige, and merit points Richard stood to earn individually.

Isabella had insisted on it being very foolish and unnecessary but Richard would not hear of it and considered her worry as a lack of faith in his abilities.

So he went up against the general and true to his word, he came up victorious and moved in to deal the finishing, it was then the Dystopian general self-destructed, and even though Richard moved back quickly, it was still not enough to evade the blast completely and no matter how those with him attempted to save him, he succumbed to his injuries and died soon after.

Tragic as it was, that moment was what cemented Isabella as a once in a millennia genius as quite unlike a normal cultivator whose grief would push into cultivation deviation, Isabella grew instead and finally pushed herself to the first star of Cosmic sainthood.

However, that was not to say she was not grieving because she was and it was seen in the actions she took against the Elders which was to completely exclude them from all Dane family decisions.

If it concerned her family, they were not to interfere.

Since then, all elders had been focused instead on running the Fiery Lotus sect.

However, as a sect where the Dane family had the most authority and trained promising Dane youngsters, whether they had the Dane bloodline or not, Isabella's reach still stretched there... and should she wish, she could still make decisions and even overturn decisions that did not please her.

With certain conditions met, of course.

That said, keeping the Elders out of Dane family business was not an easy task especially since the Dane family was large, and even when considering only those with the Dane family Bloodline, there were other branches separate from her immediate family branch.

Branches that came to be as a result of her father's siblings' own families and offsprings. Then before her father, there were other generations where apart from the heir who was always bound to rule, there would be siblings who also had their own children and hence, their own branch.

It was after all, out of those branches that the Elders were chosen. They were to be a voice and representation of those not part of the governing line.

If all went accordingly, once Hugh became patriarch, Melinda being a part of her father's line would become a separate branch as well.

Damien remained patriarch and just like those who ruled before him, his mother included, he kept a tight leash on everyone who had any connection with the Dane family.

The same could be said of Devon who was undisputedly the most powerful of the Dane Kinsmen. Apart from generations before him of course.

After all, he did not earn the title 'monster of the Dane family' for nothing.

Chapter 346 - Accessible Target.

Devon's statement that the Elders were family earned a scowl from Isabella who looked livid but was still keeping herself calm.

She smiled lightly,

"Oh, They are family? Well, why wouldn't you consider them as family now that you are really chummy with them." She said.

The brothers shared a look before sighing. Isabella's words showed that she was aware of the meetings the two had had with the elders and most likely knew what had been discussed in those meetings as well.

While it was truly against their mother's wishes that they even entertain the idea of bringing the Elders back into Dane family decision-making, the brothers felt it was the right thing to do.

The Elders were not there for nothing and while it was true that they occasionally overstepped their boundaries and could be quite callous at times, they were necessary to keep the branch families in line.

The reputation of the brothers still kept any potential unrest at bay but that would not hold for long and if they continue to ignore the input of the Elders by ostracizing them, it was like they were taunting the branch families into rebellion.

Of course, in such a situation, the branch families were actually more likely to lose even though they had numbers on their sides, however, that was beside the point as any unrest within the family was only going to contribute to the Dane family losing the image of one unshakeable whole.

It was why they were entertaining the idea of bringing the elders back into decision-making. As it should have been.

In fact, it was no longer an idea as they were already taking steps to make it happen and since it was a decision Isabella had made as Matriarch, it could be overturned by Damien's authority as Patriarch.

And yes, Isabella had known all along but had no interest in doing anything to stop it. Her grudge with the Elders while concerning her children as it was the death of their father, was personal and if Damien wanted to ignore how sneaky the Elders could be, there was nothing to be done.

Also, She was no idiot and knew the risks of keeping them out. She had just been satisfied with her decision remaining in place all through her reign.

"Don't try to turn this on us for our decisions to better the Dane family and not have us trailing behind our rivals. Think about it mother; you make decisions and don't look for our input. Mine in particular.

I know you never really wanted me to be Patriarch and always felt it should have been a title and role to go to the Eldest and not the youngest but this blatant disregard for my authority really irks me." Damien said not ready to let this little diversion distract him from what was really bothering him.

Isabella's eyes softened,

"I admit that the title should have gone to Devon and I still do not understand why your brother was adamant you take it but I do not disregard you or your position. I just..." She began but Damien interrupted.

"...know best? That's what you were going to say right? That you know best. Well, what makes you different from those Elders then?

You feel that your age and experience gives you the right to make decisions without consulting the 'youngster' in power. That's exactly what they do as well.

The fact that you are my mother does not make it alright"

Devon sighed deeply, well aware that this was not really about Hal or anything relating to him and Melinda for that matter. It was just a long time coming.

Although Isabella had gone silent and been in cultivation seclusion for most of the time Melinda spent in exile, before the exile, she had indeed made decisions without consulting the two.

It was actually why they had her make the vow that she would not interfere with their decisions.

Isabella looked from one of her sons to the other and sneered,

"I will not apologize for making my own decisions. Neither will I apologize for not including the both of you because you exiling Melinda proved that I indeed know best.

However, if you want to bring those old bastards who had your father fight a battle that resulted in his death, then be my guest." She said and stood from her seat to walk towards the door of the hall, but before she actually reached it, the space around her contorted and she vanished.

The two watched her leave with a frown with them thinking the same thing; her exit was ominous.

With Isabella now gone, Damien turned to his brother,

"You will really accept Hal as Melinda's partner?" He asked, knowing well that they were all simply glossing over and ignoring that Hal and Melinda already had relations and even stopping their official union would not change that.

Devon smiled but the sentiment did not touch his eyes as he said,

"We'll see"

...

Meanwhile...

When he and his mother had exited the meeting hall and he had planned to return to cultivating, he looked over at his mother who was looking off into the distance. As though she could see Hal and Melinda still walking even though they were long gone.

"Mother, are you alright?" Hugh asked and his mother looked at him with a smile.

"Of course I am" she said.

Hugh studied her for a while before shaking his gear slightly,

"No, you are not." He said.

While she was doing well to keep her emotions in check and not let it become a giveaway, Hugh knew his mother was hurting because she was the only one of the three (Damien, Hugh and herself) who sympathized with Cirk.

She might smile, she might act uninterested in what the Dane brothers discussed but the truth was that she really paid attention.

Why else would she attend when it was not obligatory?

Cirk's injuries and his now comatose state were hurting her and it had, in turn, caused her to dislike Melinda deeply. Granted, her son had done something wrong or at least attempted to do something wrong, the fact that he did not succeed should have warranted some leniency.

That was how she saw it.

Not to mention that Cirk had been punished before Melinda's return.

Melinda's actions were overkill.

And then came Hal who was challenged to a duel by Hugh but had the guts to actually come out victorious.

Was nothing sacred?

Did being the wife of the Patriarch of the great Dane family really mean she would be so insulted?

To make matters worse, the one thing that still had her feeling good was that he was not accepted as Melinda's partner and the union of the two looked to be on a definite path through numerous obstacles...

But that all changed with this one meeting where Devon reluctantly accepts with the only catch being that he would go with Hal on an expedition.

Something she still did not really understand its significance despite it being called a father-son-in-law bonding moment.

Whenever she met him, she studied him. Long and hard enough to be considered more than research in the only one she could actually take her frustrations out on.

Melinda was clearly off-limits as she would much rather not upset the Dane monster and the Dane Patroness by laying her hand on the one they considered precious...

However, Hal was a different and more accessible target for her anger,

With the only danger she could see being getting on Melinda's bad side...

Of course, Hugh had no idea of the thoughts that were running around in his mother's head.

His mother turned to him and smiled brightly,

"No, Hugh, I'm not fine... But I will be"

Chapter 347 - Fucked Me Silly. R-18

Once they were inside Melinda's bedroom at her residence, Hal and Melinda retreated to the Harem space and it was in one of the mansion's large rooms, specifically the one the two usually shared that they now were...

... With Hal sitting cross-legged on the bed.

He was naked and so was Melinda sitting by his side and eyeing his delectable form while biting her lower lip lightly and occasionally huffing with impatience.

Hal heard her and actually spared the time to smile lightly at how she was reacting and he had to admit that she could not be blamed.

When they arrived here, they had been quick to get rid of each other's clothing and finally get down to business but Hal had a sudden thought... an idea.

Which was to finally refine the gem flower he had with him and not for any other reason than to share its energy with his Baby girl.

Unlike him, Melinda could not possibly handle the violent energy the gem flower contained but she could still benefit greatly if she received it from him through Dual cultivation et which point it would have been diluted with his essence which her body was already used to absorbing and would assimilate faster than normal.

He had explained this to Melinda in a bit of a vague manner before he began to meditate and get himself in the right frame of mind to absorb the gem flower.

However, it was not the lack of information of what he was doing that was bothering Melinda, it was how long he was taking to get himself into 'the right frame of mind'...

Since when did he need to do that?

Clearly, he was holding out to make her crave it even more and she was not sold on the idea.

Not one bit...

Hal on the other hand genuinely wanted to get himself into the right frame of mind. As much as he had confidence in his body as a Devil, it was still best to be cautious.

He did, however, agree that it was getting too ridiculous to prepare any further and as such, he retrieved the gem flower from his inventory and swallowed with no inhibition, worry or fear.

The gem flower went down his throat and immediately dissolved into pure, violent cosmic energy that marked its path down into Hal's stomach and from there, his whole system, with deep blue veins that had the Mid-World Devil straining against the discomfort it was causing him.

However, it was just discomfort and never actually resulted in actual pain, as such, Hal could handle it well enough and even have his body begin to absorb and assimilate the energy while he opened his eyes and looked at Melinda who was eyeing him with a worried expression.

"I'm fine" he told her with a smile.

"You're sure?" She asked.

"Of course I'm sure" Hal said.

"So, you won't suddenly break if you're touched or crushed?" Melinda asked again, repositioning her body so that she was facing him well and Hal's eyes did not miss the tremble of her ample breasts.

He chuckled,

"What is this, Sixty questions?" He asked and Melinda looked confused,

"Sixty questions? What is that?" She asked but then shook her head as this was not the time to be getting distracted by the strange things Hal said occasionally.

"Are you going to break?" She asked again and Hal shook his head at forgetting how certain expressions were lost on the people in this world.

"No, I'm not" he shook his head.

"That's good" Melinda said and before he could ask what was good about that, she was already pouncing on him and pressing him to the bed to capture his lips in a deep kiss.

She broke their contact long enough to say,

"You've kept me waiting long enough. You are done with your thing know, right?" She said and bent her head to suckle at his neck.

Hal could not help but chuckle while he let her go as she pleased. That did not mean he did not make a comment though,

"Oy! Will you calm down? You are acting like a sexual deviant." He said and Melinda paused to look him in the eye with a look of utmost disbelief... mockingly of course.

"A sexual deviant?" She asked with a gasp.

Hal nodded,

"Yes, new to the craft of course, but showing promise and potential all the same."

Melinda looked to think on it for a few seconds before she shrugged,

"IF I am now an upcoming sexual deviant like you say, then that's good. At least one of us is because you seem to be losing your edge" she said and went back to suckling on his neck, not caring that Hal's was completely quiet, stiff, and making no attempt at movement.

He looked to have been shocked into stillness,

"Losing my edge?" He asked with an underlying tone of outrage.

Melinda nodded once she was no longer suckling on his neck,

"Yes. Here I am, naked as can be and suckling on your neck but you seem to be only interested in making banter. Banter we can make after you've fucked me silly.

Oh well, maybe I can take advantage and finally come out on top" she said and slid down to kiss his chest and feel around its muscular contours.

However, like a switch had finally being flipped in Hal's head, he turned her over and took control.

Melinda thrust out her bottom lip and said in a mocking baby voice,

"Did I wound your pride?"

Hal shook his head with a grin,

"You know you didn't. Honestly, I would have loved for you to take the reins but maybe I should prove to you that I am not 'losing my edge'"

Melinda grinned and wound her arms around just neck,

"Yes, prove it to me" she said just as Hal went lower to take her erect nipple into his mouth and suckle.

The pleasure of it already having Melinda squirming while the rate her pussy leaked juices increased exponentially.

But she was not new to the feeling and while their sexual activities could never become a routine, there were still bound to be some nostalgia about their sessions which was that Hal should not delude himself into thinking he could get her groaning and moaning from a few touches to her body like those new...

"Arrhhhnnngghhh"

Before she could even complete her thoughts, she was arching her back and moaning with reckless abandon as Hal sucked on her right nipple, teased the other with his fingers while his second hand was rubbing at her moist pussy.

'Damn it! He got me' she thought as quite unlike what she had thought just a few seconds before, Hal could still render her as putty in his hands as those other newbie lassies.

Speaking of which...

"So, why don't you tell me about the girl you met this time?" She asked with pants breaking her words and while she looked down her body at Hal who was still suckling diligently even though his eyes were now looking at her as well.

With an exaggerated sound, Hal stopped his suction of her nipple and smiled at her,

"Look who is now spending time on pointless banter. Don't think for a second that you can actually succeed in distracting me" Hal said and went down her body to her moist pussy.

His hand was still stretched and holding unto her breast while also teasing her nipple with his thumb and index finger while he inhaled the wonderful scent of her pussy.

Then he took a tentative lick before stopping to take in Melinda's expression which was impatient and slowly entering the territory of embarrassment on account of how intently he was looking.

However, before she could actually indulge in the embarrassing feeling, Hal delved in fully...

Chapter 348 - Passionate Session. R-18

"Mmngghhh" Melinda moaned ad Hal's ministrations began in full swing with him exploring her pussy with his nimble tongue and savoring the taste of her sweet juices that he could never get tired of. And could never stop craving.

Melinda stretched her hands downward and pressed him even harder to her nethers while also thrusting her hips at him to gain even more traction and have Hal go, if possible, even deeper into her.

Hal's hand went away from her breast and joined the other to grab her thighs while he gave her what she obviously wanted really bad. His tongue stretched and went deeper than was normal within her.

Its motions having Melinda gasping, moaning, and grunting with pleasure.

To be fair though, she was not totally to blame for the reaction as Hal had initiated erogenous touch to charge his fingers which were having direct contact with her skin.

They were flaming Melinda's body with pleasure even without Hal's elongated tongue's exploits within her.

"Arrnnnggghhhh" Melinda moaned and arched her back.

Hal loved how putty she was in his hands and it always gave him a thrill to see her surrendering so readily to his touch.

He was not new to the feeling as it was quite a common occurrence when it came to him and his women, however, in Melinda's case, it always pleased him even more.

The taste of her juices was satisfying and garnered a sense of accomplishment within him and it took Hal a while to realize why that was so which was that Melinda was a progeny of the Primeval Virtue and even possessed a bloodline that was derived from the goddess'.

His bloodline reveled in the pleasure of the accomplishment of conquering someone connected to his mother and progenitor's natural enemy.

Why this sense of accomplishment had not been felt prior to today's session, Hal did not know but he was not averse to it as it somehow seemed to influence the pleasure of their lovemaking.

Anyway,

The rate at which Melinda's pussy leaked juices continued to increase and Hal, ever the eager man in regards to cunnilingus indulged in it and enjoyed it to the full extent.

Not even letting a single drop of it go to waste as he lapped it all up.

He stretched his hand to her clit and began to tease the nub.

The act had Melinda clamping her thighs around his head... Or at least she tried to.

With his arms still holding those thighs (he only stretched his hand over to her clit and never actually released it), she could not really make contact.

Attempting was enough for her though or more accurately, she could not complain as she was preoccupied with moaning while she moved ever close to an inevitable climax.

*Slurp* *Slurp* *Slurp*

She already had small orgasms which could easily be ignored but also be pointed out by her light spasms, but this was the real deal. The one that would have her gushing out pussy juice and then leave her tingly all over.

Hal could tell she was close but had no intentions of slowing down as he actually increased the tempo and moved her toward that edge faster than the golden-eyed beauty expected.

"Oh... Oh... Oh YESSSS" Melinda moaned in a loud voice as she finally crossed the threshold and was subjected to a violent and pleasurable orgasm.

Hal was a tad bit surprised by the volume of the juices she released and was borderline shocked by the force with which she squirted it into his mouth.

As was his nature, he let no drop go to waste. Once he was done, he pulled his tongue out of her pussy end began to tease her clit with it.

Melinda loved the feeling and it would take much more than a single major orgasm to make her too sensitive to continue.

Once Hal stopped his teasing of her sensitive bud, Melinda initiated a change in position which had Hal laying down on the large bed with Melinda between his legs.

The golden-eyed beauty moved up and kissed him deeply while she stretched her hand down, grabbed his cock, and gave it a few pumps.

*Fap* *Fap* *Fap*

Then she went down and began to lick the underside of it teasingly with her tongue before moving to the ridge just below the head of his perfect cock, a spot she knew was where he was most sensitive, and licked at it.

She trembled slightly from the pleasure she gained from the act while before she took the whole head In her mouth and started sucking it. While she did so, she did not neglect to stroke the shaft and slowly get it hard.

Hal enjoyed the feel of her mouth on him and with him bursting with pent-up energy due to his ingestion of the gem flower as well as his own already bursting and immense libido, he could not keep his cock flaccid even if he tried.

It was soon straining with blood while Melinda took her mouth off the head and took to worshipping the whole organ with a smile lighting up her face.

She licked the whole of it and got it slick with her saliva before opting for a deepthroat which had Hal's cock going past her mouth and down her gullet.

Melinda wasted no time constricting her throat around Hal's cock and got him ever closer to climax.

Hal groaned and grabbed a handful of her hair with Melinda enjoying the rough feel that still managed to remain gentle.

"Nngghhhh" He groaned and thrust his hips upward as he unloaded his hefty quantity of seed.

Melinda pulled back so she could catch it in her mouth and savor his taste as she swallowed while she looked up at Hal with a smile on her face.

Then she was lifting herself on the bed and went on all fours, thrusting her ass at him and shaking it for more effect, just in case her thrusting it at him was not enough to show what she wanted.

He could be clueless that way. Sure, there was no precedence of such since he was usually quite perceptive in such situations but there was always a first time for all things.

Hal chuckled lightly and lifted himself to kneel behind her and grab her waist with one hand and hold his slick-with-her-saliva cock in the other hand so that he could rub it at her opening.

Melinda stiffened as the tube began because she could practically sense what Hal was about to start and she did not look forward to it.

Not one bit!

He continued the rub and teasing long enough to actually irk Melinda who wished for him to thrust into her and pound her senseless.

Occasionally, she thrust back at him suddenly in hope of catching him by surprise but it never worked.

As it never could.

"Nngghhh, come on, Hal, Fuck me..." She groaned.

"All you had to do was ask" he said with a smile.

"Cocky... Mnngghhh!" Melinda began to say before a drawn-out moan interrupted her words as Hal chose that moment to finally thrust into her and reveled in the feel of her pussy tightening around him.

It had the feel of wanting to wring him dry and keeping him within her. Giving him no leeway to make an escape by pulling out.

*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

*Slush* *Slush* *Slush*

Hal had both hands grabbing her hips now and enjoyed the feel of his pelvis smacking into her backside while he had {Erogenous Touch} charging his cock is that Melinda was pleasured right from the inside.

His perfect-looking cock slid in and out of her tight cave and had the two groaning from their enjoyment of the act.

An enjoyment that had Melinda twitching as she succumbed to numerous mini-orgasms.

Then Hal leaned forward on her back and grabbed her ample breast so that he could knead them all through their session and it did not reduce the intensity of his thrusts. Not did it halt it in any way.

*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

The impact remained just as strong, if not stronger.

But Hal reveling in the wonderful feeling of sexual connection he was having at that moment coupled with Melinda's loud moans and groans and occasional spasms was not satisfied with just this and charged his hands with lust flames.

They seeped into Melinda's body and tripled the sensation she was already feeling while her Dane bloodline attempted to resist and put out the flames.

It was then Hal let out his Devil energy and initiated Mind Meld which ensured that the feeling that had already being tripled doubled as a result of them now sharing sensations.

They were no longer simply connected physically but mentally and emotionally.

Whatever pleasurable sensation Hal felt, Melinda felt and vice-versa.

The session lasted hours in the harem space, hours the two spent fully indulging in each other's bodies, feelings, and sensations in many various sexual positions.

Chapter 349 - Abstract And Elemental Part 1

Warning!: This chapter is a bit of an info dump but an essential one and I advise you to brave through it and read it.

Also, I tried my best to tread it into the o storyline and keep things interesting... I hope you like it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hours later...

Melinda was now awake after a brief moment of unconsciousness and her head was resting on Hal's chest while he stroked her hair. She sighed contentedly and drew circles on his chest while also giving it occasional kisses.

"Do you think this place is really safe? From my grandmother I mean" she said.

Hal chuckled,

"That you break the silence with talks of another woman is quite intriguing" he said.

Melinda slapped his chest lightly,

"You know what I mean" she said and Hal indeed did.

The Harem space was a kind of manipulation of space and void which could also be seen as opening another dimension and while she had no idea how Hal could have it and seemingly possess absolute control over it while also not knowing how it can be created, she worried her Grandmother's ability with space could get her in.

"Yes, it is. And even if it isn't, I like to believe Isabella has more important things to do than to go snooping around our private business" Hal told her and Melinda nodded against his chest.

"I guess so. Simple paranoia I guess. I quite like this place. It's homey and it's just us" she said.

"Except that it's hidden" Hal pointed out. Well aware of how much Melinda would prefer the mansion to be right on the outside and a loud proclamation of what happened within.

She was ostentatious that way.

"Except for that" she agreed.

Hal let a moment of silence pass between them before speaking up again,

"Speaking of Isabella, any idea how she does what she does?" Hal asked and it was not out of genuine curiosity as he could find out everything from Grimoire, he simply wished to find out how much Melinda knew of the matter.

He had a feeling Isabella would have made mention of it to her granddaughter already.

Melinda shrugged as best she could,

"It's just the manipulation of Ordinance. It's a powerful ability and a true mark of a genius. My... father and uncle have Ordinances too. They are just not as showy with it as she is." She said.

Hal said nothing which was his prompt for her to continue which she eventually did by going into complete detail,

"Ordinances, from what I have been told, are laws, principles, and statutes that govern the way of the world. There are various ordinances and apparently, anything can be an ordinance. Fire, Earth, strength, darkness, Blood, space, Time... Anything.

However, powerful as they are, the areas to sense them are very scarce and it is usually more of a stroke of luck. Many devote their lives to meditation and cultivation but never actually manage to sense or harness it.

They wither away in the process.

It's that difficult" she ended with a sigh.

Hal frowned,

"So, how did your father, uncle, and grandmother succeed then? Sorry to be brash but three in a family cannot all be lucky."

Actually, Hal knew such luck was possible but simply refused to believe that with how difficult Melinda made it sound, all three succeeded.

Melinda cleared her throat,

"Actually, while it is difficult and scarce to sense it, there is one particular location that guarantees a certainty of sensing and gaining insight to an ordinance. After that, any further progress is left completely with the cultivator.

'The Monument of Ordinances'

From the history books, we know it has existed for as long as there are living beings in this world and stands right at the border of the two continents. It has two openings which are both pointed to each continent. It ensures that the two races have equal opportunities to make use of it.

It is a common belief that whoever built and left the Monument knew of the differences that would arise between the two races so they were dubbed 'The clairvoyant'.

Anyway, the monument is the best place to go when one wants to gain insight into an ordinance and it is where a majority of those in the older generation which includes the Dane family elders gained insight into an Ordinance."

When Melinda took a break in her storytelling, Hal suspected that there was a catch to this wonderful opportunity and he made to ask but she was already explaining,

"However, the Monument is not always opened. It follows a strict schedule and no one has ever been able to interfere or tweak that schedule" she said.

"What's the schedule?" Hal asked and raised her head to look into his eyes,

"It only opens every five thousand years" she said and Hal's eyes widened.

All that he was learning from Melinda was new information that he had known nothing of as he was yet to peruse Grimoire and the time gap was genuinely shocking to him.

"What?!" He exclaimed,

Melinda nodded,

"Yes, five thousand years. Just enough time for a child born that year to become a cosmic saint." she said and was able to understand Hal's outburst even though at the time she had found out, her reaction had been significantly lesser.

But that was to be expected since Hal was actually the one in urgent need of getting stronger at a faster rate.

"When last was it opened?" Hal asked.

"Five hundred years ago, give or take a few." Melinda replied and laid her head back on his chest.

"In other words..." Hal began,

"... We still have four thousand and five hundred years left. That's right." Melinda interrupted with a nod.

Hal sighed at this before withdrawing a little into his mind space to consult Grimoire which confirmed Melinda's words as the monument was information available in the Grimoire.

Also, he got even more knowledge of the Ordinances while he was in there;

The Ordinances were divided into two tiers, Elemental Ordinances and Abstract Ordinances with Abstract being the more powerful of the two tiers.

Gaining insight into one ordinance, regardless of whether it was Elemental it Abstract was one of the important elements to godhood.

Abstract Ordinances only consist of six powerful ordinances that are referred to as the true dictators of world order; Life, Time, Space, Destiny, Reality, and Death.

Powerful as this six are, only one can be mastered by any cultivator and none could ever actually be said to be more powerful than the other.

However, the peculiar thing about the Abstract Ordinances was a strange attraction between the six. Almost as though they were sums of a whole but yet individually comprehensive, hence the name; Abstract.

Elemental ordinances contain many more ordinances, in fact, any Ordinance not part of six abstract ordinances is an Elemental Ordinance and can be many things, some of it being, Fire, Lightning, strength, darkness, light e.t.c.

It is possible to be proficient in numerous Elemental Ordinances. In theory, it was possible to gain insight into all of them as many as they are. However, it becomes harder to sense another once insight has been gained into one.

Even gods with eternity stretched out before them have only been able to gain insight to six at once and struggle with the seventh which though possible to comprehend seems out of reach.

"Is it possible to learn the ordinances without the monument?" Hal asked mostly to himself as he began to peruse Grimoire for answers.

However, the artifact's answer was a bit vague being that it said an ordinance could be learned through any number of locations. It just has to be a location dense with that particular ordinance.

Although to be fair, that was the written down explanation which could be said to be a tad bit incomplete and open to interpretation. Luckily, Grimoire itself had the ability to reason and proffer direct answers once asked.

It took Hal's words as a question and answered,

"It is possible but the chances are slim. Nowhere is actually dense with an Ordinance mostly because there is a constant mixture which makes it difficult to sense and focus on a particular one. Especially in the case of many cultivating experts who do not know which to sense for in the first place." It said.

Hal looked a little confused,

"Why not ignore all others and simply pick one to focus on?" He asked as that did not seem particularly difficult to him.

Grimoire grinned in a sly manner,

"Then why not try it?" It said.

"In here?" Hal asked incredulously as this was mostly a projection of himself inside his mind space.

"Of course not. I meant outside, in the harem space. It has a lot of qualities similar to the outside world and should work quite well for a test run" it said in the same sly tone of voice.

Hal narrowed his eyes at it but said nothing as he decided there was no harm in trying...

Chapter 350 - Abstract And Elemental Part 2

Outside of the mind space, Hal looked sideways to see Melinda had taken advantage of his brief (as his conversations with Grimoire always tended to be to those not participating) silence to begin refining the essence he had spilled into her.

Essence that was rich with tempered Blue gem energy.

She was cross-legged and her eyes were shut in concentration.

Then Hal went cross-legged and began to attempt to sense an Ordinance in the Harem space.

Even as he began his attempt, he knew it to be a little bit silly as he had no idea what to actually sense for. Closing his eyes and screaming Ordinance in his head did not look like it would bear fruits.

Grimoire, however, gave him instructions which mostly hinged on him keeping his mind open and his senses keen. He needed to listen to the invisible forces in the atmosphere and let them drive him but not overpower him.

And try to overpower him they would.

Because while Hal took them with levity as he did not truly understand then just yet and neither did he know of the role they would play in his life in the future, this were as they had been advertised;

The true dictators of World order.

The history of the Abstract and Elemental Ordinances even went further than what most Gods were aware of and was intricately tied to the way the three realms (mortal, Cosmic, and Nether, especially the first two) were now.

It was intricately tied to why the Mortal realm Hal was from completely lacked the ability to hold Coemic energy for those living in it to cultivate.

It was intricately tied to why the Cosmic realm was mow divided into the won't of neglected worlds and the Paradise of the Gods.

It was tied to everything...

Anyway, Hal would do well to at least take them semi-seriously. It would not be enough but it would still be something.

He was to go with the current but not let it wash him away.

Clearing his mind was easy as it was a discipline any runemaster would have once they had a good enough grasp on their mind space and Astral perception.

Soon, he could 'feel' it. Or more accurately, he could 'feel' them for they were many.

He could feel what he felt must be space and he could also feel what he felt must be time as both were the most predominant and he felt it was because of the Time Warping array and the very nature of the Harem space which was a dimension created with a knowledge of space ordinance.

And then there were more that he could feel. They were not as predominant as those two Abstract ordinances but they were present enough to make it impossible for him to concentrate.

Hal decided upon another approach which was to be completely focused on one particular ordinance as he now felt he had a clear view of what it was he was sensing for which was obviously one of the two Abstract Ordinances.

'You're being too ambitious. There is a reason Abstract ordinances are the most powerful and it hinges a tiny bit on the fact that they are hard to gain insight into.' Grimoire said.

However, it no longer needed to inform Hal as the blue-eyed Devil was already finding it all out the hard way.

Hal decided to switch to one of the Elemental ordinances but even that proved impossible to do.

'It won't matter how hard you try, you will not be able to gain insight.' Grimoire told him.

"Is it my cultivation?" Hal asked because he refused to believe it was due to him being incapable.

'No, it's not. I mean below the Phenomenon realm, no cultivator should even attempt to gain insight into an Ordinance. The monument of Ordinances will not even admit them.

But you are well past that level of restriction.

The issue lies with the Ordinances themselves and how like I said before, nigh impossible it is to gain insight if you don't find locations extremely dense with a particular Ordinance.

Believe it or not but it is actually easier within the space. Because here, time and space are quite dense, just not dense enough.' Grimoire explained.

Hal shrugged,

"So what's the deal with the monument of Ordinances. I mean from its name, it can be assumed that there are numerous ordinances within it. How can it be that it still makes it easy to sense and gain insight to them?" Hal asked.

And Grimoire began his informative explanation;

'The monument of Ordinances holds an infinite number of ordinances by which I mean that it holds all Ordinances. Elemental and Abstract. However, it does a sort of scan for all those who enter it and determines which ordinances they have an affinity with.

It also determines their aptitude in which case, if it is high, the possibility of an Abstract ordinance is high and if low, the possibility of an Elemental Ordinance is higher.

It is actually rare to see someone have an aptitude for Abstract ordinances this early.'

Hal narrowed his eyes,

"This early?"

'Oh yes. You see, there is nothing wrong with gaining an insight into an Elemental ordinance while still mortal as that grants the chance to ascend to godhood and once you become a god, you have a lot of time to gain insight into an Abstract ordinance.

So elemental is good enough for now.

Seeing a mortal gaining insight into an Abstract Ordinance is not only rare, but it's also a blessing to that person and their family.

Not only in this world but even in Paradise.'

(Paradise is what the area of the Cosmic realm the gods reside is called. It was mentioned in an earlier chapter).

The most notable gods who have gained considerable proficiency in Abstract Ordinances are the Primeval gods. Your mother included.'

"So Isabella..." Hal began but Grimoire interrupted.

'... is a genius. The same I suspect can probably be said of the Haron emperor and certain others on this continent.

Anyway, the Monument determines your affinity and aptitude and then manipulates space to give you ample room to be alone with the Ordinances it chooses to be perfect for you while keeping all others out.

There, you have no distractions and will be able to be completely focused to gain insight.

It's a wonderful opportunity especially since it does not offer limitations in the number of those it allows entry.

However, not all those who enter the monument are able to gain insight during the days it remains open which is usually one month. In fact, out of one hundred percent of entries, only thirty or even less actually succeed.'

Hal's eyes widened slightly as he understood what Grimoire was trying to say; gaining insight into an ordinance is incredibly difficult and success is not guaranteed just because you enter the monument.

Not to mention that there was another major issue which was the inevitable clashing of Haronians and Dystopians.

In fact, Hal was sure the monument was a constant site of violence and an opportunity for both continents to reduce the number of talented youngsters their enemies had.

Cruel as it was, Hal could see and understand the appeal. After all, whatever power was gained in the monument would eventually be used against their opponents in future wars.

Hal sighed and even though he said nothing, Grimoire understood why he was melancholic which did not go past the fact that there were more than Four thousand more years to wait until the opening of the Monument again.

Otherwise, he would have to search for an alternative as it was completely impossible to open the monument before its time.

No mortal no matter how powerful had ever been able to put a dent in the magnificent structure that it was and Hal was not putting his hopes on something that seemed so far-fetched.

However, the monument was not the only place where he could sense and gain insight into an Ordinance. He could simply search for locations that were dense in a particular Ordinance and make use of that sight.

Although this venture was a long shot, Hal felt he had a high chance of at the very least getting it done before the Monument opened again in thousands of years.

"So if gaining insight into an Ordinance is one of the important elements of godhood, what are the others?" Hal asked.

'The second is Bloodline. To attempt ascension, you need to possess a divine Bloodline and that can be gotten in two ways.

The first is that you are born with it or inherit it from a godly parent like you have and the second is only possible for a Demi-god which is to synthesize the already existing bloodline drop by drop. The lower the status was, to begin with, the harder it is to synthesize.

The third is the most tricky and actually only refers to the first to become a god of a World devoid of gods such as the Nexus World and other worlds in the Ring of Neglected worlds,

The third element is Faith..."