Ambassadors Keep
"Young lady calm down, please!"
The plea of Rhea Alberts guard as she smashes her hands through a portrait of the current generation Albert family. Slicing through the Warden of the North, a towering figure over the rest of the family, wide and circular shoulders, bronzed skin and snowy hair indicating age, a thick beard that flows below the throat-The White Lions mane.
"I hate you! You failed to protect eldest brother! Mother! You even let that cripple damage our reputation." Rhea now on her knees, tears sprinting down her cheeks and onto the face of a woman. "Mother, I miss you." Reaching her hand out fingers, sliding them across Emery Alberts somber hair.
TAP TAP TAP
Li Qiang analyzing everything Edward Albert had known of Ambassadors Keep and Steward Pike, enters the keep stepping into a large hexagon room. Noticing the marble pillars that touch the ceiling, Edward strides past the lobby furniture towards the stairs.
"Wait" a tenuous young woman in the white and gold colors of Albert expresses
"Young master, what can I do for you?"
Edward eyes not hostile scans the woman sideways and over, observing the womans appearance. Cherry red hair and blush cheeks, snatched waist, and arms thin like a brush. Dawning a Chi erasing tressure, Edward sees through the ruse, [Despite how she looks, she is actually tier 5] he noted. The women slightly bowing her head towards him, is not scared or happy with his appearance only relaxed.
Remaining silent Edward controls the flow of the interaction
"Young master as you may already know, any place these stairs may lead you, you will need an appointment to meet with the persons in charge."
Edward still remaining silent, the receptionist develops a sense of urgency chuckling because of her nervousness. "Ha. Young master if you let me know where or who you wish to meet, I can arrange it for you."
"What is your name?"
"My name is Wei Li young master" she proudly exclaims
"Hm an eastern name for woman who looks so western"
Edward having been to many different realms was aware that not all realms were solely Asian in setting. The hundreds of millions of planes housed people of all cultures and skin tone, but it was rare that a realm sheltered such a range of people.
"Yes! I may look European, but my mother is actually Asian. My father a cultivator, and mother a regular person. So, you know my fathers genes dominated. Aha" Wei Li again chuckled nervously
"Yes well, I do not need your assistance." turning back towards the staircase Edward pauses, looking back at the girl "Actually inform the head Steward I am on the way to greet him."
"Lord Pike? He isn't currently within the keep im afraid"
"Find him then, let him know I am in his office and anticipate his arrival."
Wei Li thinking over her myriad task to complete shutters at the thought of tracking down the elusive weasel
"Yes, young master. You can count on me." Wei Li announces with confidence
"Very good, I am counting on you then."
TACK TACK TIP TACK
Edward who is climbing the 40 story keep [How mundane, this family may not be the strongest on Earth, but they are up there. If even the Alberts do not have space mending arrays or even wind climbing arrays for vertical travel, some of the more basic arrays, then does this realm even have knowledge of them?] tired of his scaling Edwards eyes begin to faintly illuminate a purple hue, and a rift oval in form under his right foot tears apart the surrounding area ripping apart the stone and marble lined steps, cracking the walls and shaking the tower ever so slightly.
Woosh
Edward had used his divine art to instantly travel to the 40th floor. [Wow. That was the most violent step Ive ever taken. The Chi in this body consequently purified thorough my flames, has made it incredibly dense. This Chi is even denser than my pervious vessels. My veins still thin makes it hard to use my arts more than a few times, however even those few times I can it is unstable.]
Edward still not worried about the damage his soul caused his body, or the problems of his spirit veins, steps down a corridor on the back end of the tower. "Ah here it is" Edward Albert never being to the highest floor of Ambassadors Keep, had Li Qiang walking through a maze to find the office of his target. Stepping inside immediately recognizing the multiple stacks of papers a couple feet tall, Edwards attention is drawn elsewhere. Drawn onto a book titled, "The Earth East to West".
Opening and scanning the book for information to fill his gaps of knowledge, he comes across a curious chapter. "Heretical Demon Sect and its Gods" reading the chapter Edwards clenches his jaw. "Hereitcal Demon Sect worships the three Gods of Hell, Hades who guides fallen souls to across a river of demonic creatures. Yama who spends every second off eternity judging the souls before him. Either allowing them to wait in paradise for their reincarnation or suffer at the hands of Hela's torturers. Lastly, The Goddess of Death Hela. Hela ruler over all that is dead, including the previous mentioned Gods. She won her position after raising an army and fighting the combined forces of Hades and Yama. Now that she is Queen of Hell, Hela enjoys watching her armies fight, similarly mortals as well."
Balling both hands into fists, Edward remembers the morning Hela came for him. Thinking that the gods do not care for humans, only keeping them for their perversive and sick entertainment. With hundreds of thoughts all racing through Edwards mind, he gathers himself. "We will see each other again." He sighs
While revenge has been on his mind Edward had let go off it for the time being, in a moment of maturity he realized there were far too many things that had to happen before then.
Continuing to flip through the pages of the book he reads, "Man was not always man. Humans had evolved from spirit beasts similar to the rank 5 spirit beast Burning Ape." Edward having read this could not even laugh. "These ants truly believe the strangest things. Afterall some of them are foolish enough to actually worship gods."
Reading chapter after chapter Edward had absorbed all the information about Earth he could from the book. "Interesting! Zues, God of Gods what a freak you are." Edward learned mostly of the gods represented inside the book. Gods he had heard of he learned more about, gods he had never heard of he found funny. "Hm while it makes sense for Hela and the lot to be real, reincarnation is plausible and believed throughout Yiqi, some of these gods are simply too outlandish to believe are real." Lost in his thought towards the divine, Edward did not notice the loud steps of someone approaching.
"Ahem." spoke Steward Pike, the person with the highest status in the estate that does not bear the Albert name.
Analyzing his target [short curly ebony hair with the corners receding. Sporting a cloak with the Albert family's signature colors, hiding what he was truly wearing beneath] Edward deduces, unable to read the facial expression of Steward Pike, assuming he was acting calm hiding his irate feelings of being summoned.
"My young master. What can I do you for?" Steward Pike asks wearing a fake smile
"Hm, you know Steward Pike, I really admire you. I mean look at this map here, a map of the North. cities, towns, rivers, mountains, villages all marked. That is not all though, is it Steward Pike?"
Steward Pike gulping his spit wondering what Edward is going on about
"Look here even the spirit stone mines, cold iron, and hard gold mines owned by my family are marked. Sensitive Information of course. For you to own this map Father must have given it to you personally, a sign of great trust and respect."
"Ahem." Steward Pike raise his hand covering his mouth and clearing his throat
"Yes. Lord Patriarch and I have been together for many years. His trust in me is something I take pride in." nose firm in the air
[An ant only good for counting. Flattering him first was the correct choice.] Edward now sure he would break the steward
"It's not only father that trusts and respect you, Steward Pike. As I have said I admire you, and so does dear Rhea. The guards to the maids and even our family Elders, all appreciate your sacrifice."
"Please call me Gregor my young master"
"How could I? I won't disregard your efforts by not properly addressing you, Steward Pike." Edward says, drawing the lines in the sand. Making it clear he works for the Alberts, and they are not friends.
"I understand. Thank you, my young master."
"Steward Pike, look this way." Edward releasing his Chi to show his progress to the steward who hadn't yet realized
Gasp "My young master, my humble congratulations!" Steward Pike hands together head bowed deep, genuinely celebrates
"My young master this is great news, The Warden will be joyed to hear of it."
"Few people know of this Steward Pike. One will assume I will tell father so he will not say a word. The others won't say a word either. I hope you wont either."
"But why not?"
"After reaching this stage, I know I can go further. That is why I am here I need resources, pills and spirit stones. It does not even have to be pills the raw materials would suffice, but I need a minimum of 300 spirit stones. After advancing further I plan to surprise father "
"My young master, you are unobtrusively the heir of the North. If this what you need you will have them."
"I am counting on your discretion Steward Pike."
"2 days at most my young master."
Walking away from the steward who was bowing more deeply than before, Edward had thought that Pike is not so bad. He is loyal to the Alberts and does his job well. His nickname of weasel is not a slight at his character, but a name given because of his work ethic. Always running around the estate managing task and handling those under him, on top of his own duties. The weasel of the North hastened himself for the well doings of the Alberts, something Edward respected.