The Exalt Cultivation Fantasy

Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 22: Return to the Pavilion

'It was a long journey.'

It was only a few days, but Oscar felt he had had enough of missions for the time being. The reward was the Ein Amassing Elixir that Oscar craved. Together with the next batch of the free elixir the Pavilion hands out, they should propel him to a Middle Apprentice Exalt.

Next to him, Frederick and Emily were not arguing as they usually do. It seems fighting life and death together had the effect of bringing them closer together.

'Nevermind.' As soon as Oscar thought they were getting closer, he saw Emily smack Frederick on the head, starting their usual shouting match.

"What was that for?" Frederick shouted, feeling wronged by Emily's violence. Did they not patch things up earlier?

"You were undoing your bandages again." She stated coldly. "I took the effort to do it tightly, and you ruined them again."

"Are you crazy?" Frederick felt extremely wronged by this.

Oscar tilted his head in confusion. The argument now was opposite to what they normally fought over. Emily seemed more concerned about Frederick's condition.

"Remove them. I'll do it again." Emily took out bandages like a saint, but her eyes and body language implied she would not take any complaints or rejections.

"Leave it to Emily." Oscar felt something strange between them but decided not to interject. He ignored Frederick's pleas and went on his merry way.

Frederick found no way out. He sulkily extended his hand to Emily. Unlike her boisterous attitude, Emily's hands were careful and attentive as she redid the bandages in seconds.

Frederick looked down at the fresh bandages with a blank expression. He did not know what he was feeling right now. It was refreshing, but at the same time, he did not like that it was because of this girl, so he mumbled his gratitude and left.

Emily did not respond and followed, not noticing that her face broke into a small smile.

'Something is strange.' As the third party, Oscar noticed all the little interactions, Frederick and Emily's weird actions, and that smile. Shaking his head, Oscar put it out of his mind.

After some time, they saw the great walls of the Blue Ocean Pavilion, standing tall and unwavering, like a stalwart bastion of repose.

"We're back!" Oscar's voice trembled from all the emotions that swelled in him. He wanted nothing more than to rest in his room. However, they were barred from entering through the gates by the guards, who noticed Greg's corpse being dragged by Frederick.

"Who is this? What happened?" One of the guards released his Knight Exalt powers, pressuring the trio to answer truthfully or be beaten down.

Oscar stepped forward despite the pressure. It was overwhelming to Oscar but paled in comparison to the coldness of the feeling of death.

"This person ambushed us during our mission. He tried to kill me and nearly succeeded." Oscar unveiled the gruesome scars on his stomach side to the guards, who were shocked. To survive such grievous wounds and still move was admirable.

"If what you say is true, that is a heavy offense. We will call for a Judge to get your statements." The guard sent out a messenger to the Record Hall. Judges were the ones who recorded every action of every student. Thus, they were the keepers of the truth. They would never let any falsehoods be recorded.

Oscar, Emily, and Frederick waited for a while. The guards offered them some food and water, which they graciously accepted.

The good meal lifted their spirits from the long journey. It was silent until, finally, the messenger came back. Next to him was a beautiful woman with leafy green hair tied in a ponytail, great bejeweled yellow eyes, and tall, slender legs.

"Aunt?!" Frederick was shocked to see his aunt, Ivanka Klein.

Emily was curious and eyed Ivanka with gleaming eyes. From what Frederick had told her, this aunt was a powerful Exalt.

"Nephew. You sure run into trouble no matter where you are." Ivanka spoke in a slightly amused tone, creating an air of lightheartedness. However, that suddenly dropped to chilling suffocation with her next words. "What's this I hear about someone dead?"

Her yellow eyes gleamed with clear resolution. It did not matter if it was her nephew. As a Judge, she would fulfill her duty. Though if Frederick was guilty, she'd do everything to have him return home safely.

Frederick stepped back nervously. This demeanor was why he did not like forceful and wild women. This aunt had engraved such fear in him that he avoided women like her.

"The truth is…." Oscar stepped up and relayed everything that had happened in the past few days, detailing Samuel's actions. The more he spoke, the more Ivanka's brows furrowed. Her beauty was not at all diminished by the anger she expressed.

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"Looks like I'll have to talk with those two. Samuel and Austin. Very good." Though she said that, her eyes were full of hostility as she bared a predatory smile. The guards and the trio slowly backed away, not knowing what to do in front of a Judge who was pissed off.

"Show me your hand." Her temper subsided as she turned her attention to Frederick.

Not wanting to be punished for disobeying her, Frederick held out his bandaged hand. He felt it was strange to do this many times. First was Emily, and now his aunt. He felt aggrieved that most of the women he knew were so wild.

Ivanka flared in anger, seeing the state of Frederick's hand. A black orb appeared next to her. It was a space pocket; Oscar's eyes widened and shined with a yearning.

She reached her hand inside, seemingly disappearing into the orb, and pulled a vial of green liquid. She poured its contents onto her nephew's hand. Visibly, the scabs and hardened blood washed away, and a new layer of fresh skin and flesh appeared.

"What Elixir is that?" Oscar asked curiously.

"Grade Two Amelio Elixir. It works wonders for wounds like this." Ivanka finally noticed that the boy who asked was the one she admitted long ago, the one on which Great Elder Robert Levitt asked for information.

"GRADE TWO? ARE YOU CRAZY?"

She was about to say something until Frederick's booming voice pierced her ears. They were quite close, so it stung harder.

Ivanka was irate at Frederick's lack of manners and smacked him on the dome of his head. "Scream louder, won't you? This elixir is well worth ensuring your hand can still function normally."

Grade Two Elixirs were usually created by Elite Exalts. It was the best for any Exalts at the Elite and Apprentice levels. But the higher the grade, the more expensive it was. Frederick did not want to burden his aunt with his problems.

As if she understood Frederick's thoughts, Ivanka patted him on the shoulder. "We're family, so that is what we do. Others may not agree, but you have potential."

Spurred by his aunt's praises, Frederick cheekily smiled and bragged, "I took the bastard's eye. I'd say I've shown my genius."

"Don't get cocky." Ivanka turned to Oscar with a curious expression. Oscar did not know why she was staring at him.

"Aunt, can you look at Os's injuries as well? He nearly died." Frederick knew it was a long shot to get his aunt to use a precious elixir, but he still had to try.

Ivanka crossed her arms in thought but decided to help. She could not shy away from Frederick's best friend. Additionally, the boy, Oscar, was a person of interest.

"Show me." She said.

Oscar took off his shirt for the second time, showing the scarred and deformed flesh. His face was dark as he did not enjoy showing people the gruesome look.

Ivanka's face distorted at the state of Oscar's side. She moved closer and put her hands to feel the inflicted area.

Oscar's face flushed from embarrassment. He had never been so close physically to such a pretty girl other than Isabella; he had maintained a certain distance from Emily all this time.

Her smooth hand caressed his side, making him feel ticklish.

Ivanka pulled her hand away and shook her head. "It won't work. I don't know what you did, but it's fully healed, although deformed. The elixir would have worked if it wasn't completely healed like Frederick's hand. Though perhaps a higher grade elixir can do it."

Oscar put his shirt back on and said, "It's ok. I'm just glad to be alive." It didn't matter what state his body was in. He could carry on as long as he could still move around and talk.

Ivanka nodded in agreement. She had been through many trials like this in the past. All that mattered was one's survival to live and grow stronger. Her eyes looked at the three young students; their looks and presence were more mature and close to a veteran's–only a tiny bit.

"It may have been painful, but this experience will help you greatly in the future. I'll investigate this matter. You three can go report your mission." Having done what she could, Ivanka departed with Greg's corpse. Her beautiful figure flashed into the distance.

After the guards allowed them inside, they arrived at the Mission Hall. Another Judge was seated at the front desk. This Judge was responsible for verifying the completion of a mission and recording the details to be marked on each person's record.

"What mission have you completed?" The Judge spoke in a lazy tone and yawned over his hand.

"Hunt for Night Raptor. Here are its body parts, blood, teeth, and claws." Oscar handed over the mission pamphlet along with them.

The Judge scanned the items and the mission details. He stamped the paper with a "Complete" and collected the Night Raptor parts.

"Your names?" The Judge needed to record their achievements. The trio complied, and the Judge wrote down their details. He placed the records in a tube that shot it straight to the Record Hall.

"Well done on completing the mission. Here are your rewards. Three Ein Amassing Elixirs and 1000 contribution points. How will you distribute them?" The Judge took out three blue vials containing the precious elixir.

"400 for her, 300 for the two of us," Oscar said.

Emily, however, did not agree. "You should get the 400. If not for your plans, we would have had more trouble dealing with the Night Raptor and a hard time against Samuel's group." She acknowledged Oscar's efforts and leadership that led them back home safely. She felt undeserving since she boldly took the position of leader yet failed.

Oscar waved his hand in disagreement. "We agreed on this split before we left. Besides, your power made it easier for us to do it."

"But!" Emily wanted to argue more until Frederick intervened.

"If neither of you wants it, I'll take the 400," Frederick smirked at Emily as if goading to her.

Her face went red from anger seeing this idiot try to take advantage. She understood what he was trying to do, but her moral code did not agree with this.

"Just take it. You can owe me a favor later if you feel it's unfair." Oscar offered a way out.

Emily contemplated. "Fine. I'll owe you a favor."

The Judge, indifferent to the children's jesting, distributed the contribution points. Oscar's badge lit up slightly; he could see the number 300 under his name. The badges were identification and wallets at the Blue Ocean Pavilion.

Next, he split the three elixirs. They grabbed theirs firmly yet not tightly as if they were scared of dropping it.

"Thank you." Oscar thanked Emily for her help.

"I owe you a favor, don't hesitate to ask for anything." Emily smiled slightly. Her pretty face and orange eyes were glowing with joy.

"What about me? I gave up the 400 as well; shouldn't you owe me a favor?" Frederick jokingly said.

She turned to Frederick with a harsher look, causing him to freeze. "Take care of your hand." She said almost in a whisper and left.

"What the hell?" Frederick could not understand this girl at all. One moment she's beating him up. The next, she's telling him to take care of himself. She was so inconsistent in her behavior that Frederick's mind was tired of trying to understand.

"Don't mind. She's just saying goodbye. Let's go get some rest." Oscar stretched his back and went outside. There was definitely something going on between Emily and Frederick, but he chose to remain on the sidelines and let them figure things out.

He looked around the vast structures and places of the Blue Ocean Pavilion when something caught his eye.

A girl was walking toward the Mission Hall. She had a beautiful figure, further emphasized by the Pavilion's uniform. Her amber eyes and scarlet hair perfectly matched her beautiful face.

"Isabella?"