It won't even take a day (2)

Jeanne went on to talk about the ones who had taken over Cyrus, a faction of the Lava Stream Sect and the Valet merchant family. Jeanne's information network wasn't good enough to find out this much, but Lily helped out in that department.

Using the cloak Shui left and her own stealth skills, Lily found out that though majority of the Lava Stream Sect headed towards the capital, a faction of those who were on bad terms with people and forces in the capital split off here. They apparently sent out a message to allies they had in other areas and then a week after they received a response, the heads of this faction attacked the mayor and imprisoned him before claiming the city for themselves.

Shui thought that this was a reckless move considering that they might have to face the other three cities because of this forced occupation, but he figured that maybe this could also be solved depending on how negotiations went. Shui didn't feel much when he heard about the general situation, but that changed when he begged Jeanne to tell him why two of the girls were missing.

"I, see."

Since he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable, Shui lowered his head and forced down his killing intent. But even though he tried his best to bottle it up, those sensitive to killing intent inside the city still felt chills. As if they had sensed the awakening of an ancient beast, they franticly looked around but it did nothing to abate their worries.

Fortunately, Jeanne wasn't able to sense it so she only gave Shui a look of concern.

"Shui, I know you're upset but please don't do anything rash. I don't want to make your mother any sadder."

Shui didn't respond immediately, but when he lifted his head there was a frail smile on his face.

"I know, I won't do anything reckless, I promise."

Jeanne's chest tightened as she saw his expression but she was also relieved.

"Good, you should visit Lilia and Lily, I'm sure they'll be glad to see you."

"Okay."

Shui left the building in a depressing mood but the moment he was out, he fixed his posture and strutted calmly. He promised that he wouldn't be reckless, and he would keep that promise. However, his definition of reckless differed from Jeanne's. After hearing what happened to them he was furious enough to storm over and annihilate the invaders, but a few concerns still remained.

'I wonder if he's here.'

When he heard that the Valet merchant family was part of the invaders he quickly recalled that man who had visited his mother. She didn't tell him much about him, but they did seem to be friends so based on the circumstances he was willing to spare him and maybe his entire clan since the faction from the Lava Stream Sect was the one directly involved with abducting his big sisters.

After bathing in the volcano, Shui's quasi-divine body was now at 50% percent completion so even more than before, he had no reason to fear the enemy. However, his strength could invite more trouble considering his youthful appearance, so Shui planned on doing this quickly while leaving behind no evidence of his identity.

Later in the day, Cruz received a surprising guest when he was working in an office inside the city hall which was at the centre of the city.

"Sir Cruz, you have a guest. He says his name is Shui, and his mother was known as Suiri." said an elderly lady at his door.

"What? ...Have him wait in the reception room."

"Very well."

'I didn't expect him to be here.'

After Suiri passed away, Cruz lost interest in the Heaven clan, but he still kept himself updated on information related to her son, Shui. It was amusing to hear how much he grew after her death, even coming back from being nearly crippled. However, Cruz thought that he had died since he was reported missing around the time of the chimera lord's emergence.

'There are rumours that he killed an elder in the Sky Realm and managed to escape Silver City despite being chased by a Master, but there's no way that's possible considering his age and cultivation.'

Cruz wasn't sure why Shui was here, but if he knew what was happening in the city then it was likely he was trying to get help from him.

After sorting out the information in his head and cleaning up his desk, Cruz went to the reception room where he found Shui sipping a cup of tea. His figure as he was wrapped in a serene atmosphere was clad in divinity that made Cruz hesitate to call him. Therefore, Shui was the one to speak first.

"Good to see you, Mr. Cruz. Do you remember me?"

"Uh, yes. Suiri's boy, right? You don't have to be so distant, you can just call me Uncle."

He should have been the one in control, but the moment he was face-to-face with Shui all of his composure was lost. He was embarrassed to be feeling like this in front of a junior who was still in the Soul Realm while he was in early Earth Realm.

'Don't lose yourself. He's here to ask for your help.'

As Cruz tried to gather his confidence, Shui covertly examined him.

'His cultivation is filled with flaws so he's even weaker than the average early Earth Realm cultivator. Must have used pills.'

Shui wanted to ask about Emily who should be a part of their family, but that would have to wait.

"Okay then, Uncle Cruz. Honestly, I was worried that you wouldn't see me."

"No, how could I neglect the child of my dear friend? Especially when she's no longer with us."

"Thank you."

After a bit of small talk, Shui moved on to the main topic.

"Uncle Cruz, would you mind telling me why you're working with the Lava Stream Sect?"

'Here it is.'

Cruz was sure that Shui's request for help was coming but he feigned confusion while responding.

"Well, why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious. Mom didn't tell me a lot about your family."

"Oh, in that case, you see our family started off small but by sending our children into various influences and fields we were able to quickly build connections that allowed us to firmly take a seat among the top merchant families."

"Hmm, but then the Lava Stream Sect wouldn't be your only connection, so why did you choose to throw your lot in with them?"

"The answer to that is simple really. So we could expand our influence."

With just that, Shui understood. Though they had their members spread far and wide, as just a merchant family there would be a limit to what they could do. They had likely accumulated a shocking amount of resources, but that wouldn't be enough for them to enter the league of average-level forces. However now, together with a faction of the Lava Stream Sect, they could create a new average-level force that would take over Cyrus that previously only had the martial academy which was a minor-level top-rank force.

'I've confirmed that they willingly cooperated so I definitely won't be letting the entire clan off the hook. Now for that matter.'

"I see. Oh, and, since you were my mother's friend, is there any way I could get a tiny share of the benefits you've managed to attained, Uncle."

Looking at Shui who tried his best to show an embarrassed expression, Cruz nodded while sneering inside.

'I wish you could see this too, Suiri. Look at the son you cared so much for, he's just like the men you hated.'

"Of course, how could I not help out my dear nephew? Whether it be money, artifacts or women, just say the word."

Once he heard the term he was looking out for, Shui immediately put away his shameless smile which puzzled Cruz.

"Very well then. I'll gladly take what I came here for."

Before Cruz could voice his concerns, Shui opened his eyes.