The Array Lord's Inheritance

Outside the sandstorm, Emily and Maha had long killed the group of four and buried them under the sand. They were unscathed and it hadn't taken very long, but to ensure that they didn't have to go through the trouble again, Emily set up a concealment array near the sandstorm and allowed Maha to stay inside it with her. Once she was invited inside, Maha eagerly latched unto Emily to express her gratitude. Emily tried to push her off, but she wasn't strong enough so she eventually resigned to her fate.

Two more groups passed by their area, but none of them noticed anything, and before a third group appeared, they could see a figure escaping from the sandstorm. Emily felt relief once she saw him again, but she was also curious of why he seemed to be in a better mood than she remembered.

"I hope you weren't too bored waiting for me."

"No-"

"Not at all. I had a lot of fun waiting with Shino."

Shui raised an eyebrow at how close the two were, but considering the look in Emily's eyes he decided not to ask.

"I see. I've gotten what we need so let's go back to camp."

"Are you sure, Brother? Don't we have time to visit another location?"

The sun had begun its descent, but as Emily suggested, it wouldn't be difficult to test their luck at the next power spot and return to the camp before night. However, Shui shook his head.

"No, that's no longer necessary. I know how to find the inheritance."

Naturally, once he dropped a bomb like that, the two were eager to hear more, but he said it would be easier to show them so they quickly returned to the camp. After finding one core, a point on the map was emitting a red light. One would think that to light up the rest of the points, it would be essential to find the other cores, but Shui thought of an easier method. It was a kind of a shortcut, but it was based on the principles of arrays so he was sure that it wouldn't be a problem.

After connecting to one core, the map had gained a new ability. He could sense that it was attracting the other cores and they were also sending weak signals to it. This function would make it easier to find the rest, but there was a smarter way to do it. With the knowledge he had about the map, the fire element channel system and the desert's air flows, Shui made an array that could amplify the map's new function.

"Uh, huh. Shino, do you understand?"

"I think so. It sounds like a custom array for amplification. Normally, I wouldn't think it could be done in this case without a tier 6 array grandmaster, but if we're just extrapolating based on the shapes that are already there and reconfigure..."

As Emily and Shui got into the explanation of how the array worked, Maha couldn't enter the conversation so she just let them work and looked forward to the results.

The array that Shui had in mind only needed to be big enough to contain the map, but it was very complex so the moon shone bright by the time Shui and Emily were finished. Instead of simply emitting a light, the array released a subtle red wave that swept across the desert and then engulfed the map in its red light. Maha had made dinner so the three ate while waiting for a sign of success. For their own reasons, they each anxiously anticipated the moment when another point on the map would light up, and their hope wasn't betrayed.

"Yes!"

"It's a success!"

Shui and Emily exclaimed in joy while Maha relieved her tension with a sigh. A second point on the map was now glowing. It would take some time before it fully lit up, but it was proof that Shui's theory was correct. They could now rest, but none of them pointed that out. Emily stared at the array while in the Still Heart state, and Shui and Maha silently watched from behind her.

Both of them imagined what they would do if they found the inheritance. Shui was planning on giving most of his share to Emily. It sounded ridiculous, and was an idea that no other cultivator would spend time considering, besides him of course. Although Shui was well-versed in arrays, he didn't intend on using it to reach the level of King. Naturally, the inheritance would include items which would be useful to him even if he advanced on a different path, but if it would be more useful in Emily's hands then he planned on giving it to her.

He hadn't told Emily about this plan because he knew she wouldn't agree to it. Even he wasn't sure why he was so willing to spoil the one he saw as a little sister. At first, he just wanted to continue the relationship they had in the trial space, and after meeting her again, he was okay with it not being exactly the same.

Maybe his feelings would have changed had she been a simple spoilt brat, but her essence hadn't changed. She was still the awkward little girl who wanted to be loved and cared for. Even so, she had grown stronger. No matter how much trust she had in him, she wouldn't cross a line when it came to accepting his gifts. If Shui tried to give her another artifact as powerful as Dull Harmony, he was sure she would reject it no matter how beneficial it was, because she didn't only want to be spoiled, she wanted to return the favour as well. That side of her made him want to spoil her even more, but he tried to respect her choice as much as possible.

While Shui imagined the look on Emily's face when she realized that it was him who modified her personal protection array and tinkered with her earrings, a sweet smile appeared that could swoon countless maidens despite his current ordinary face.

'She's so cute when she gets upset, but I have to be careful not to tease her too much. I don't want to be treated like Yur after all.'

Partially satisfied with his imagination, Shui glanced at Maha. Now that they were one realistic step closer to the inheritance, he decided to ask a question that he had put off.

"Maha, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, though I'll be the one to decide whether to answer or not."

"That's fine. What I want to know is, why do you want to find this inheritance?"

"That's a strange question to ask. Isn't it obvious that I'm aiming for the treasures that we'll find?"

"That sounds like the obvious answer, but it's not. This is the inheritance of an Array Lord, so it's not even guaranteed that there will be anything of worth outside of the core legacy that will only be useful for array masters. There's a good chance that we'll find valuable treasure, but it would be much more practical to exchange the map for something of equal value. For example, if you offered it to the Array Association, I'm sure you could haggle for a regalia at least."

Regalia were the artifacts used by Kings, so they were arguably one of the most precious items in the kingdom, but there was no way a major economic power like Paraj wouldn't have a few that the association could negotiate for even if they didn't own one themselves.

As she listened to Shui's explanation, Maha knew that he wouldn't be satisfied with anything other than her central motive. However, that was something that touched on her true identity. Shui seemed to be fine with exposing himself to her, but she...

Maha shook her head. Shui knew that she wouldn't say anything else so he gave up and moved his gaze to the sky. The stars were out in their numbers, but no one here knew how to read the warning they presented.