The origin of new life - part 3

(Very Very important note at the end)

“Master, please wait a minute. I need to talk to you” Xiao had not expected anyone to follow them out after the disaster that had been the meeting before.

But he had been proven wrong just as he exited the room.

The product people of the council would not have lowered themselves to come out and talk to him in open, they were too afraid to face in front of an audience. They generally consulted him in a degree of solitude.

So, looking back at this current situation it sure was a surprise.

Kei thought similarly as he took a guarding position in front of him. The taller body covered his, obstructing the view from both sides.

“We have nothing to say to anyone. Please excuse us” Kei’s voice was colder than he had ever heard. The body language, he didn’t recognize it at all. Since he was facing the teen’s back, he felt like he was facing a completely different person.

“Please, just hear me out first. It’s about my brother” the voice that was calling out to him was really unfamiliar, but the words caught Xiao’s attention.

It might be worth it to humour the guy a little.

“Kei, move aside. I’ll hear him out” Kei turned to face him and looked as if he wanted to protest.

But then something passed through his eyes and he let out a heavy sigh before stepping aside.

Then Xiao shifted his attention to the person in front of him. The man looked to be in his early 20s. A tall and lean figure with messy hair greeted him.

As he shifted in nervousness in front of them, his grey hairs moved to give a glimpse of shiny brown could be seen.

And there was a hopeful smile on the man’s face as he faced him.

“Thank you. Please allow me to lead you to a more secluded spot. Brother always said that the walls have ears and I should be careful” a piece of very sound advice if Xiao had ever heard one.

But he had no idea that Kren had such awareness of these political topics. He had always seemed like a figure detached from that side while the rest of the pillars made a strong front on the council.

If that was so, he will have to add to his theory of their murder. It was becoming more and more likely that it had been a power struggle that had taken their life.

And now faced with his younger brother, their former client, he debated on whether he should reveal that fact or not.

“It’s your choice” Kei, who had apparently read his mind whispered beside him. Or so he thought before an explanation of your expression gave you away was offered instead.

He was not sure whether someone so attuned to your own self and moods was a good thing or a bad omen. While he would have someone who would always understand his unspoken words, there also existed someone he would not be able to hide away from.

Their guide, however, was either unaware of the silent taking place, or polite enough to not comment. But the more subdued nature of their client didn’t surprise Xiao at all.

Divinity changed a person a lot and the shock of his brother’s death surely must have an additional effect.

“Inside here would be the best. This chamber belongs to teacher Morse” teacher? When had the busy council head taken up teaching?

“I thought the council head would be too busy to have much time left for his own self? Was I wrong? Sorry, I’m just confused so I thought I should ask” Kei was the one who asked the same.

It looked like the other had stepped up in this situation, but Xiao really wanted him to keep his dead down here. Thankfully the man in front of them didn’t seem like the antagonizing type and won’t mind that.

“Oh, you didn’t know? I thought it was an open secret that he was guiding me?” There was a genuine wonder in his voice as if the topic was impossible to miss upon.

Perhaps if he had been more attuned with this side or had an interest he would have known about it all. But he had Noah for that and he would grill him on it when this all was over with.

“I was out of commission for a long time. The day you came to make your wish was my first back in this world and as an employee of Xiao. I just wanted to know more about everything important and you seem to know a lot. Care to share?” Kei’s tone had a playful tint to it.

Their client had a star-struck look on his face as if being praised was a big deal to him. However, it was soon covered up by a more familiar and prideful expression he might have seen on the duck’s face.

“He’s a friend of my brother. He usually doesn’t have a lot of time but he made some to teach me about politics. Brother was against this though, said that it was a rotten place for me but I disagreed. I know I can do this and teacher Morse agrees”

Xiao wanted to disagree with him, but he didn’t know enough to form an opinion yet. The person in front of them looked too happy while talking and they had to utilize the landmine of information in front of them.

And looked like praising him did the job best.

And since someone had already claimed the role, he felt content to let Kei continue playing it. With a raised eyebrow and a soft hum, he conveyed the same to Kei who just gave a small shake of his head.

But he continued to play along anyway.

“I see. Was your brother at odds with anyone in the council? He was such a mighty figure, surely many people envied him and his position” Kei really was good at playing a role. His wordings and his gestures, everything seemed perfect enough to fool someone.

And when that someone happened to be a young adult going through emotional troubles, there was no seeing through the act.

It did occur to him that he should be feeling uncomfortable having such a good actor by his side. One he had known not even for a week, but all he felt was a relief.

Relief to have such a reliable source of help at his side and more so for it being Kei.

“No. Brother wasn’t particularly invested in politics at all. Even when the other pillars tried their best to include him he stayed out of it. That’s why I wanted to become a god as soon as I could - to help my brother” the voice almost broke there, but the man continued.

“There was a really big fight between him and Mira a week or two ago though and it was only the intervention of teacher Morse that resolved it. Then this situation began” Xiao really felt for the man in front of him.

He really was like a child trapped in an adult’s body and now had to play the part, but he had made his own decisions. The person could choose his own poison when he made his wish.

All Xiao could do was to encourage him, even if it would come out as awkward. He was, after all, pinned as the cause of his brother’s death.

Surprisingly, the fact had not emerged till now.

“I see. Go steady in the path you choose. Your brother made his wish for your sake as well, so make him proud” his words were empty as the soul usually didn’t linger after one’s death.

Some arrays could trap them and more unusual cases where their energy tied them as a ghost, but most healthy and normal souls entered the reincarnation cycle as soon as they left this plane of existence.

Once that happened, they were no longer tied to their past identity. Most of them didn’t care for their formal life because they had already found a new one.

But he was not about to tell all this to a grieving brother. At least, not till he could steady himself.

“Speaking of wishes, I wanted to ask you - what you said was the truth right? The price for my brother’s wish was not their souls, right? Teacher Morse says that their body dies the same way as the first pillar’s. That was way before the wish was made, so that couldn’t be the price”

It was not weird that the council head had not spoken up when they had been accused when he knew all this.

But with such a good opportunity in front of him how could he. Kren and the pillars had been a fundamental force at his disposal and for all his gentleness, one didn’t retain the position and respect at the top without paying for it.

In this case, it must have been the pressure from the forces behind him which lead him to be quiet.

He felt frustrated that he understood the reason behind the council's decision so well. Now to only confirm the issue, he could only turn to Kei and signal him to continue.

“If the council head knew, then why didn’t he say anything? Isn’t it wrong of him to do that to us?” Kei had decided to include a whine in his tone which matched him too well in Xiao’s opinion.

But he could also see that it made the one being questioned uncomfortable.

He didn’t step in though, for he was the one who had asked this in the first place.

“Of course he could not speak out loud on your behalf. Do you know how much pressure there is on you when you step inside there? Also, I'm sorry to say this but you are not their favourite” there was almost a snap in the voice, but it was too polite to counter.

Xiao understood that point and it did confirm many of his beliefs. Now they could stop grilling the man in front of him before they did any irreparable damage to their relationship.

“Kei, it's alright. If not this topic, then they would find something else to pin on me. It was bound to happen eventually. Personally, I won’t mind shouldering this accusation if all I know is the truth” he really would not mind it at all.

“I don’t want you to do it, I want the truth to come out. But teacher Morse says that it is safer this way for us and I don’t want to argue with him over this. I just want to confirm one thing with you, was their death a result of my wish?” Ah, so that’s what was going on with this man.

“I told you this already, their death had nothing to do with any wish, not their own and not yours. It was just unfortunate circumstances which resulted in this” he wanted to say hunters and their associates but felt it was better left unsaid.

There were things one needed to work out for themselves and he felt that this was something similar for the teen in front of him.

“Of course. Thank you for your time. I, Straut would not forget your generosity. I’ll pay back the price for both mine and my brother’s wishes in full. So make sure you fulfil his wish too” there was naked relief in the voice. The guy bowed and left with suspicious wetness in his eyes.

“Don’t take it all to heart, it happens all the time. We still have too much to do to get discouraged” what he wanted to say to Kei was that it was not his fault, but he felt he steeled better in their relationship.

Kei nodded as if it agreed with him and now he felt much better.

“So, what’s our next step?” Kei asked and Xiao thought back to his original idea. They would need a strong enough vessel to trap the root inside.

“We will need to isolate the root first, but nothing here can contain it even in its juvenile state” Xiao began and he could already see Kei catch on to what he was saying.

“You say there is nothing here that can contain it. This means you know where we can find it” The teen was really sharp and he was glad that he had decided to become his ally.

“One of my earlier clients had something of this nature. Their power is outside of the council’s influence though, so they could not exactly ask them for help themselves” Xiao said and the teen continued his unfinished words.

“But we’re not from the council, are we? If so then we should hurry up and go there” Kei took a few steps but when he didn’t see Xiao following him, he turned back with a concerned look.

“Kei, before we do this, there is something else I would like to do. Someone is still waiting for us” he didn’t want there to be a sad death if he could help it.

( Good news for you all, well depending on you. I finished with Vol 1 which is approximately 38 chapters plus 3 extras. You can now buy whole of Vol 1 if you feel this update speed is too slow on https://ko-fi.com/daygonyuuki which will be much cheaper than here and give me better chances. I want to commission some art for this fic so I would really appreciate it if you went there and helped me out. Here it will take time to catch up with the same. Check the profile for more

Also, paid content on Webnovel will start soon from next chapter here since this is a contracted novel and will be around 200 chapters, but since I promised a lot of free chaptrs too so you can either buy the whole vol at Ko-Fi or follow the free backup at https://foxaholic.com/novel/the-business-of-wishes/# but updated there will be irregular and slow due to contract issues )