Spell Shopping

Once Shui aired his concern, even Kendras found it hard to pressure him. Anyone familiar with how things worked inside the manor knew that the Punishment Department was always quick to appear at any big commotion. The only exceptions were when they were secretly involved in the commotion. The Punishment Department was made of factions like the rest of the manor, but they were all unified under the objective of maintaining the integrity of the department, so even if only one faction was responsible, the rest would stay silent. However, with Shui hitting them with the spotlight, they had no choice but to show up.

"My apologies, young one. I tried to come as quickly as I could, but there were so many elders nearby that it took me time to go around them."

Soon after Shui spoke, Elder Rowen appeared in the sky with a polite smile. By spreading the blame to the hidden elders, he hoped to strengthen his own stance, but Shui had no intention of letting him off easily.

"I see. That's such a shame. My senses certainly aren't sharp enough to detect them, but it worries me that so many of our elders were watching nearby and were close enough that you couldn't go around them quickly. I fear what would have happened had I been unable to defend myself."

The spectating elders glared at Elder Rowen for shaming them in front of Shui, but he ignored them as he focused on the boy in front of him. He hadn't been involved in this conspiracy, but he was the only elder of the Punishment Department who had made contact with Shui, so they sent him to watch. No one thought Shui would get seriously injured with so many elders interested in him, but had he known that things would turn like this, Rowen would have stopped the dispute before Lionel stepped forward.

"You're right. Regardless of whatever circumstances I found myself in, I should have rushed to the scene faster for your sake."

Elder Rowen tried to make it sound as if Shui was being selfish, but Shui had no reason to object.

"I'm glad you made that realization. Now as it relates to these criminals, how should they be handled?"

Elder Rowen felt the pressure on him increase from the gazes attacking him, especially from Elder Kendras, as he tried to construct a response. If he was honest and chose to follow the rules, then the group of attackers would be demoted to outer section disciples, with ringleaders Rodney and Lionel possibly expelled from the manor. Unfortunately, even if that was the fair judgement, it would look like he was currying favour with Shui, and that would attract enmity from the elders interested in Shui as well as the masters of the punished disciples like Kendras.

'Damn it! What should I do?'

While everyone waited on Elder Rowen's judgement, they had forgotten about the unstable situation happening on the ground. Although Kendras had stopped the awakened that were breaking legs, Rodney and Lionel were still being drained by the vines, and finally, their resistance had come to an end. Rodney fell first, but Lionel didn't last much longer as the red boar tattoo faded. Once they fell, Shui deactivated the array and retrieved the talismans that could still be used before addressing those above.

"Since the Punishment Department has arrived, I feel comfortable leaving the rest to them. We shall be entering the house now."

After Shui announced his departure and retreated with Serina and the others, the elders finally noticed that Rodney and Lionel had fallen and that the array was deactivated.

They knew that they had been played like fiddles, but regardless of whether they hated him or not, they had to be impressed.

By retreating from the scene, Shui knew that few, if any, of the assailants would receive their fair punishment, especially since it could be argued that they had already suffered the consequences since some would wake up mentally challenged. However, he could feel satisfied knowing that they would think twice before messing with him and his friends again. Serina and the others were also impressed by Shui, so they stayed inside the house, recounting the events and their impressions until the spectators left. When night approached, Shui gave Serina a pplaque,which she could use to activate the aarray,and left with Fatty and Lisa.

After leaving the house, he quickly learned about the judgement that Elder Rowen gave. The offenders would be sent to a cave to mine for spirit gems for a month, with the exception of Rodney and Lionel, who were 'too injured'. The two brothers were put under house arrest and would be deprived of their monthly resources for three months. The difference in treatment was blatant, but Shui had already gotten what he wanted, so he didn't plan to object.

He had already given Fatty 'Alert' talismans, so he gave a few to Lisa as well and told her how to use them. He didn't think she would be in much danger, but he wanted more assurance. Lisa was happy for his concern, so she gladly accepted the talismans.

The next day, Shui went into the city to look for spells. He was a little worried that there would be trouble while he was gone, but he made sure no one saw him leaving, so he believed there wouldn't be an incident any time soon. Furthermore, there would probably be more trouble in the future, so he wanted to explore while he could. 

The first store he went to was one that Lisa recommended. The techniques were priced in spirit gems, so this definitely wasn't a place for the poor, but Shui didn't have to worry about it. In addition to him having enough wealth to afford almost any spell in the store, by simply looking at the spell's title, the spell itself would pop into his memory thanks to the Primordial Library. Shui felt a little guilty for basically stealing the merchandise, so he tried to focus on the fire spells. 

Lisa's recommendation was a good one, as he quickly found an entire row of bookshelves filled with basic fire spells. While silently apologizing to the store owner, Shui began browsing through the spells. It didn't take long before he reached the end of the bookshelf, and although there was a wide variety, none of the spells satisfied him. There was a deposit he had to pay to see spells of higher tiers, but since he was taking advantage of the store anyways, he decided to pay it. Unfortunately, even when he managed to check the advanced spells, he still wasn't satisfied, much to the dismay of the manager who showed him the advanced spells as well. Although the spells were varied, none of them led him to how to manifest his flame. He hadn't seen any cornas, but techniques at that level would be heavily protected, so it wasn't likely he would be able to find one on the market.

This was one of the best spell stores in the city, so even if he went to another one, it was unlikely that he would find anything new. Shui wondered if he would simply have to give up on his search, but then he had an idea. If he couldn't find a spell he wanted through legitimate means, then he simply had to look into illegitimate sources. This would naturally make his trip more dangerous, but it would be a minor issue.