The Deception of the Old Star

Luatelo Rublanda's statement provoked a burst of murmurs among the members of the White Brook Clan; even the same Lankareto Katro was surprised.

The recently broken marriage agreement would have brought prestige and some support from the Blue Star Clan. As for the sudden proposal to take a member of the White Brook Clan as a disciple of the Blue Star Clan, it was in some ways much better! The growth of a disciple of the Blue Star Clan it has unparalleled. Taking as an example Lankareto Kafilo of twenty-one years at the final limit of the 'initiated spirit realm', if he were be taken as a disciple he reach the 'crystallized spirit relam' before the age of forty was almost guaranteed! As for whether he remained in the White Brook Clan, with his talent and total support as the son of the clan leader, Lankareto Kafilo could only be aspire to reach the 'crystallized spiritual realm' after the age of fifty.

A member of the White Brook Clan as a disciple in the Blue Star Clan perhaps would not bring as much fame as the newly broken marriage agreement, however, the prestige it would bring would be a solid one without gossip or rumors. No one in Cold Brook City could say anything like 'the White Brook Clan bought a connection' behind their backs. In addition, such an event could end up opening the doors for other members of the White Brook Clan to be it taken as disciples by the Blue Star Clan in the future. Not to mention the possibility that the person brought to the 'Star Lake' might be fortunate enough to attract someone's affective interest in the Blue Star Clan, and thus conclude in a much more solid marriage than would had be arisen from the previous agreement.

While the members of the White Brook Clan were arguing and daydreaming about those possibilities, Luatelo Rilua looked at Luatelo Rublanda with doubts. That was something she had not heard from her grandfather!

"I-if that's the case..."

"Of course, as a Clan leader, you will understand that there are requirements that the candidate must meet" - again interrupting Lankareto Katro's words, Luatelo Rublanda added that to the surprise of Luatelo Rilua,

"Requirements?" -Like Lankareto Katro, the other members of the White Brook Clan waited impatiently for an answer.

"Talent is of course indispensable, as is youth. After all, it will always be easier to show the way to a clever child than to a stubborn old man.

Every muscle in Lankareto Katro's body became crisp; the course that Luatelo Rublanda was evidently taking seemed to discard his son from the start.

"I have heard that within three days your clan will perform the ceremony of majority of age, so, if the leader of the With Brook Clan allows us, we would like to be present during the ceremony.

"That means..."

"That's right; we'll take the most talented of his young and take him with us to the 'Star Lake'"

The answer finally dissipated the doubt of Lankareto Katro, and also materialized his own greatest fear of his son would not have the slightest chance of being eligible!

Unlike their clan leader, the vast majority of the members of the White Brook Clan were enthusiastic; several of them had a son, nephew or grandson to be part of the next ceremony of majority of age.

____________________________

After the meeting was over, a middle-aged man quickly left the room. Unlike the rest of the members of the White Brook Clan who remained discussing the surprise proposal of the Blue Star Clan, the man showed little interest and simply left.

"Father!"

After hearing a familiar voice on his back, the man stopped and turned in waiting for the one who called him. By the corridor, the figures of two young men approached him.

"Nephil, Eranda, was something wrong?"

"Father, are you going to our little sister?" –the eldest of the two young men, Lankareto Eranda was the one who asked that question.

"Indeed, because of what happened today, I did not spend much time with her, so I plan to spend the night in her mansion" - the man's voice was loaded with guilt.

"Just that? Father, our little sister will perform the coming ceremony this year, in the current situation, this is not an enormous opportunity for her? -In the face of his father's apparent indifference to recent events, the second young man, Lankareto Nephil, was unable to hide his anxiety.

"This really is an inopportune event... it seems that fate has really begun his play" – the man seemed to plunge into his thoughts as he murmured those words.

"Father?" –somewhat confused and bewildered, Eranda was placed his hand on his father's shoulder.

"It doesn't matter, it's nothing important. There is nothing to worry about; this farce is just an attempt at compensation. The old man Lua Rublanda will not care if someone rejects his proposal" -that seemed more like an answer for himself than for his children.

"Father? What are you talking about?" –his father's attitude only increased the uncertainty in Eranda.

"Go training" –after saying those words, the man turned and resumed his path.

With his father's moving away, the pair of brothers exchanged glances full of doubts. The middle-aged man who was walking down the aisle was not only his father; he was also the third great Elder of the Clan, Lankareto Atro!

"Father seems totally disinterested this is really a great opportunity! * sigh * If only a couple of years younger... " –Nephil was seventeen years old, so that in the present opportunity that could only be described as almost a miracle, inevitably regretted not having opportunity to participate.

"Tell me Nephil, do you have any memory of our little sister?" –ignoring the comment of her younger brother, aged nineteen, she focused her attention on her doubts.

"Huh? Do you have them?"

"No" -Eranda actually had a vague memory of that little sister, a simple, fragile image in his mind about his mother holding a baby in her arms long before his little sister even reached the year of life. However, could this count that as a true memory?

"Big brother, you were four when she was born, and you were five when she was taken by father and mother to the mansion on the hill. If you don't remember her, how do you expect me to do it?"

"You're right, I'm sorry to ask you such a silly question"

"There's no need to apologize, big brother, I understand your doubts. It really is a mystery why father and mother have confined our younger sister. Do you think the rumors that she is deformed are true?"

For no one in the Withe Brook Clan was it a secret the existence of the youngest daughter of the third great elder, nor was it secret that she lived confined in the farthest mansion on the land controlled by the clan. With the enormous security, that the third great elder had arranged around that mansion to drive away the curious, such as spiritual seals and spiritual formulas, there was a rumor that the youngest daughter of the third elder was not only horrible, but also deformed.

"Don't talk nonsense, even if it were, she's our little sister!"

"Big brother, you're too rigid, we don't even have memories of her. How could we feel that kind of affection for her?"

Eranda was unable to respond to her younger brother, her father and deceased mother never allowed them to approach the mansion on the hill. Despite being her younger sister, they did not really know anything about her!

"Anyway, within three days we will see with our own eyes our dear little sister" –with a mocking laugh, Nefil turned around to leave.

"Is it really that simple?" -Eradda muttered to himself. 'Karma... so that the heavens will not reject her... so that the gods will not desire her... so that karma will ignore her...' –to Eranda's mind came the words that her mother raved during her last moments.

"Karma..." -murmuring that name, Eranda's eyes focused on the window of the corridor facing the hill.

______________________

At the conclusion of the meeting, and with no choice but to accept the situation, Lankareto Katro provided its visitors with a luxurious independent mansion, so that they could spend the remaining days there until the ceremony of majority of age.

"Rublanda, do you think you have the power to use my grandfather's name that way? -Luatelo Rilua was slightly upset.

Once a spiritual barrier was it placed to prevent the leakage of sound to the outside of the mansion, Luatelo Rilua expressed his annoyance and discontent. The supposed proposal to take someone from the White Brook Clan to the 'Star Lake' as a disciple of the Blue Star Clan did not exist!

"Calm down, Miss Lua Rilua, the grandfather is a very intelligent person and surely has a good reason" –the fourth member of the group, the young man just entering his twenties, tried to calm the young girl's fury.

"Ho-ho-ho. You are too formal Miss Lua Rilua, it is true that such a proposal does not exist and that I used the name of the second Great old man in a careless way, but when did I mention something about taking one of these barbarians as a disciple of our clan? – A faint but malicious smile was it drawn on the lips of Luatelo Rublanda.

"E-even if it is that way why deceive them? They had no choice that to accept our generosity and give us the 'root of the tree of spiritual dew'.

"Miss Lua Rilua is talented in the spiritual arts, but you still has much to learn regarding human nature. Certainly, they could do nothing but accept the treat that you proposed to them, yet a simple lie like mine has made them completely forget any resentment.

"How important would their resentment towards our clan be? You have simply complicated things for no reason, now we must remain in this cold pigsty for three more days.

"Ho-ho. It is not that there is not a reason.

Luatelo Rilua's thin blue eyebrows contracted.

"What reason would there be to stay in this place for so many days?"

"The same reason that brought us here"

Luatelo Rilua was full of doubts about the old man's answers.

"Perhaps Miss Lua Rilua does not know it, but the 'root of the tree of spiritual dew' possesses a peculiarity that has caused the ruin and misery of many of those who have acquired it before. Whether in a hot or cold climate, this peculiar root is very dependent on the climate in which it grows, if it is take from its native climate without prior preparation, it will wither and become dust. Since our root is very dependent on the cold spiritual energy of nature, using ordinary cold spiritual energy will not work, and in fact, accelerate its deterioration.

"That means..."

Luatelo Rilua quickly understood the astute old man's intentions. Using a simple lie, he had found a quiet place to prepare the root. Had it not been so, the offended White Brook Clan would have asked them to leave immediately after giving them the root, in which case they would have needed to find an inn to prepare the root for the journey, which would have drawn too much attention. As for the supposed disciple they would take with them to 'Star Lake', there would always be ways to deal with him; after all, the road to 'Star Lake' was long and dangerous.

"Yes, during these three days, this old man will be making the necessary preparations to be able to get the root out of this cold weather without any setbacks"

"Being that way, then I will leave it in your hands. Akoro, Kruanda, you two take care of security"

At the orders of Luatelo Rilua, Luatelo Akoro and Luatelo Kruanda nodded.