Chapter 172
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Chapter 172
The Order wasnt willing to withdraw from the Secret Realm right away, but they also werent confident in safely escorting their prisoners back with just a small escort. So for the moment some of the elders were watching over the captives.
Thank you for your efforts, Anton inclined his head. I know youd rather be seeking your own fortunes than standing guard on a few Spirit Building cultivators.
Unlike you, an older woman responded, Weve been cultivating for quite some time. Were not going to suddenly make any improvements. Better to allow you up-and-coming disciples a chance.This chapter's initial release occurred on the n0vell--Bjjn site.
They were all bound nearby with strong chains that prevented them from cultivating and gathering natural energy. Though they were very useful to restrain defeated enemies, they were not only expensive but impossible to use in combat. Even if an opponent was slow enough to have manacles slipped onto them, the chains wouldnt suddenly make them incapable of acting. Until they expended their energy they would be able to fight almost as normal.
Zvonko and Tonina had already levied countless insults at their captors and of course Anton and the others. At the current moment they were gagged, though they also grew tired of whining on their own. With their cultivation suppressed they felt sluggish and weak, even if they were technically more hearty than a normal human.
Van Hassel was a strange exception. He wasnt staying quiet out of an abundance of caution, but instead had a blank look on his face. He rarely seemed to focus on anything, except when Anton walked in front of him and his expression became somewhat confused. As if he was still trying to figure out how Anton could have been part of Dungannon, a random village full of commoners.
Anton wanted little to do with them, but after the previous events much of the Orders forces were concentrated around the tower. It was the most secure location for the moment.
-----
As they descended into the depths below the tower once more, Anton was glad that they werent focused on resisting the pressure with their bodies, because his hurt enough already. Even the small amount that filtered through their defensive formation of energy pressing down on his heart was enough. Though cultivators healed quickly from wounds, that was only relative to normal people. Since things like having a wide hole stabbed in your heart normally werent survivable, the fact that he was still alive at all was already more than he would have expected before. Not that anybody had been prone to stab him when he wasnt a cultivator. Only a few times in the century hed been alive.
Still, the stitches held him together- and if he couldnt handle walking around with some pain, he wouldnt have walked at all past ninety.
The battle had been over a week ago. If things had gone a little bit less in their favor their own members could have been taken down first and things would have tumbled in the direction of the other side of the battle. Yet because they had come out victorious, it was quite beneficial to all of them. Surviving life and death battles was always good for cultivation, and doing so under extreme circumstances even more so. The pressure of the tower had actually been beneficial to them because of how some of their opponents reached them. Though Zvonko had actually made it to the top of the tower himself, he and several others had climbed it again without the beads on them to obtain more for their plot. Though it allowed more people to come after them, they were unfit to fight in those conditions.
I do! Catarina said. Wait, does that mean were betting on the same thing?
I doubt any of us would bet against that, Hoyt said.
-----
The same determination was soon made by the Order as a whole, and the other sects. It was still beneficial for developing cultivators to undergo the trials, and formation masters were deep in study of the whole area. A stable secret realm was a treasure in and of itself, even if there wasnt anything much they could take away unless they started dismantling buildings brick by brick. The exception to that were plants and parts from beasts. Living things had managed to survive, including several other herb gardens. Though the plants had often grown wild and gotten entangled with each other to the point they barely grew, the best sorts of herbs could be grown from new seed. There were also stores of knowledge to be gained- though key pieces were sometimes missing. Everheart clearly hadnt made copies of everything, but hed at least been courteous to leave some useful pieces of information related to the herbs he replanted before he left. He was a selfish bastard, but he didnt tear the whole place up by the roots and leave it bare. Just mostly. If theyd actually arrived shortly after him, Anton would have bet on there only being one plant of each type.
Chikere was coming with the Order back to Graotan. Her official reason was she wanted to see justice done in regards to the captives- though the more likely reason was she was concerned about being ambushed by someone. But she was their friend, so nobody was going to say she couldnt use them for a bit of shelter. Even as they were similarly responsible for the ire of various foes that tried to murder them together, they fought back against them together. That was bound to deepen ties between people- or show they really werent suited to work together.
Since most of the contingent of the Order was travelling together, nobody dared to bother them. Even if theyd gone as quickly as they could, the Heavenly Lion Sect wouldnt have been able to return to their sect and gather an army to attack. There was no guarantee that they werent planning to, but the journey would be longer than that. The Order had already sent missives back to Graotan- and received replies. They were watching the border quite carefully.
-----
After arriving in Graotan, the trials of Zvonko, Tonina, and Van Hassel werent immediate. Though the Order could have justified immediate executions, they were prepared to give them as close to a fair trial as possible. They even reached out for outside judges, unrelated to the incidents. One was from the Frostmirror Sect- who nobody could doubt were going to be logical and calculatingly impartial. The second was from the Desert Fox Society based in Droca. Finally, the third was from Infinite Wisdom Palace in Estary.
The lawyers who had defended Tonina before were brought in for the defense of the three- but it was hard for them to raise a real defense. Tonina wasnt supposed to be present at all. That was the easiest case to open and shut. There were previous legal declarations from Ofrurg about that situation. If she hadnt been physically captured in relation to another offense they might have not been able to enforce a large penalty, but they had bountiful evidence. Van Hassel required bringing in more witnesses to his deeds, and that included people from Ofrurg to declare he sold them the illegal slaves. It took some pressure to get them to do so, but it shifted the blame away from them so they were willing. Slusser was also convicted for posterity- though he had perished in the battle.
For the sake of Zvonko, it took quite a bit of bringing in witnesses to put together the case. It wasnt sufficient to just accept the word of the accusers. That would hardly be a trial. Instead, witnesses were important. Nobody else was physically present for the fight, but there were people who saw his behavior- and most importantly, saw him conversing with Van Hassel and Slusser. Not just the association around Everhearts Tomb, but a few cultivators saw them sneaking together into the tower after Antons group. That association and the previous attack as well as the reasonable certainty in the facts of the second attack were sufficient to also declare him guilty.
But things didnt just stop there. With Kohars help to get it done properly, the Order put together formal charges against the Heavenly Lion Sect for their association with illegal slavers. Within the laws of Graotan all slavery was illegal, but the standards were sufficient even by Ofrurgs law in a way that couldnt be refuted entirely.
All three judges unanimously agreed to the guilt- to a level justifying execution- of the three parties directly involved. The judges slightly disagreed on how responsible the Heavenly Lion Sect was as a whole, but that was more of a political move. It wasnt as if they had any members beyond Zvonko in hand. But those matters would continue another day. Before that, the execution date was set- and movement in Ofrurg showed that it wouldnt go smoothly.
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Chapter 172
The Order wasnt willing to withdraw from the Secret Realm right away, but they also werent confident in safely escorting their prisoners back with just a small escort. So for the moment some of the elders were watching over the captives.
Thank you for your efforts, Anton inclined his head. I know youd rather be seeking your own fortunes than standing guard on a few Spirit Building cultivators.
Unlike you, an older woman responded, Weve been cultivating for quite some time. Were not going to suddenly make any improvements. Better to allow you up-and-coming disciples a chance.This chapter's initial release occurred on the n0vell--Bjjn site.
They were all bound nearby with strong chains that prevented them from cultivating and gathering natural energy. Though they were very useful to restrain defeated enemies, they were not only expensive but impossible to use in combat. Even if an opponent was slow enough to have manacles slipped onto them, the chains wouldnt suddenly make them incapable of acting. Until they expended their energy they would be able to fight almost as normal.
Zvonko and Tonina had already levied countless insults at their captors and of course Anton and the others. At the current moment they were gagged, though they also grew tired of whining on their own. With their cultivation suppressed they felt sluggish and weak, even if they were technically more hearty than a normal human.
Van Hassel was a strange exception. He wasnt staying quiet out of an abundance of caution, but instead had a blank look on his face. He rarely seemed to focus on anything, except when Anton walked in front of him and his expression became somewhat confused. As if he was still trying to figure out how Anton could have been part of Dungannon, a random village full of commoners.
Anton wanted little to do with them, but after the previous events much of the Orders forces were concentrated around the tower. It was the most secure location for the moment.
-----
As they descended into the depths below the tower once more, Anton was glad that they werent focused on resisting the pressure with their bodies, because his hurt enough already. Even the small amount that filtered through their defensive formation of energy pressing down on his heart was enough. Though cultivators healed quickly from wounds, that was only relative to normal people. Since things like having a wide hole stabbed in your heart normally werent survivable, the fact that he was still alive at all was already more than he would have expected before. Not that anybody had been prone to stab him when he wasnt a cultivator. Only a few times in the century hed been alive.
Still, the stitches held him together- and if he couldnt handle walking around with some pain, he wouldnt have walked at all past ninety.
The battle had been over a week ago. If things had gone a little bit less in their favor their own members could have been taken down first and things would have tumbled in the direction of the other side of the battle. Yet because they had come out victorious, it was quite beneficial to all of them. Surviving life and death battles was always good for cultivation, and doing so under extreme circumstances even more so. The pressure of the tower had actually been beneficial to them because of how some of their opponents reached them. Though Zvonko had actually made it to the top of the tower himself, he and several others had climbed it again without the beads on them to obtain more for their plot. Though it allowed more people to come after them, they were unfit to fight in those conditions.
I do! Catarina said. Wait, does that mean were betting on the same thing?
I doubt any of us would bet against that, Hoyt said.
-----
The same determination was soon made by the Order as a whole, and the other sects. It was still beneficial for developing cultivators to undergo the trials, and formation masters were deep in study of the whole area. A stable secret realm was a treasure in and of itself, even if there wasnt anything much they could take away unless they started dismantling buildings brick by brick. The exception to that were plants and parts from beasts. Living things had managed to survive, including several other herb gardens. Though the plants had often grown wild and gotten entangled with each other to the point they barely grew, the best sorts of herbs could be grown from new seed. There were also stores of knowledge to be gained- though key pieces were sometimes missing. Everheart clearly hadnt made copies of everything, but hed at least been courteous to leave some useful pieces of information related to the herbs he replanted before he left. He was a selfish bastard, but he didnt tear the whole place up by the roots and leave it bare. Just mostly. If theyd actually arrived shortly after him, Anton would have bet on there only being one plant of each type.
Chikere was coming with the Order back to Graotan. Her official reason was she wanted to see justice done in regards to the captives- though the more likely reason was she was concerned about being ambushed by someone. But she was their friend, so nobody was going to say she couldnt use them for a bit of shelter. Even as they were similarly responsible for the ire of various foes that tried to murder them together, they fought back against them together. That was bound to deepen ties between people- or show they really werent suited to work together.
Since most of the contingent of the Order was travelling together, nobody dared to bother them. Even if theyd gone as quickly as they could, the Heavenly Lion Sect wouldnt have been able to return to their sect and gather an army to attack. There was no guarantee that they werent planning to, but the journey would be longer than that. The Order had already sent missives back to Graotan- and received replies. They were watching the border quite carefully.
-----
After arriving in Graotan, the trials of Zvonko, Tonina, and Van Hassel werent immediate. Though the Order could have justified immediate executions, they were prepared to give them as close to a fair trial as possible. They even reached out for outside judges, unrelated to the incidents. One was from the Frostmirror Sect- who nobody could doubt were going to be logical and calculatingly impartial. The second was from the Desert Fox Society based in Droca. Finally, the third was from Infinite Wisdom Palace in Estary.
The lawyers who had defended Tonina before were brought in for the defense of the three- but it was hard for them to raise a real defense. Tonina wasnt supposed to be present at all. That was the easiest case to open and shut. There were previous legal declarations from Ofrurg about that situation. If she hadnt been physically captured in relation to another offense they might have not been able to enforce a large penalty, but they had bountiful evidence. Van Hassel required bringing in more witnesses to his deeds, and that included people from Ofrurg to declare he sold them the illegal slaves. It took some pressure to get them to do so, but it shifted the blame away from them so they were willing. Slusser was also convicted for posterity- though he had perished in the battle.
For the sake of Zvonko, it took quite a bit of bringing in witnesses to put together the case. It wasnt sufficient to just accept the word of the accusers. That would hardly be a trial. Instead, witnesses were important. Nobody else was physically present for the fight, but there were people who saw his behavior- and most importantly, saw him conversing with Van Hassel and Slusser. Not just the association around Everhearts Tomb, but a few cultivators saw them sneaking together into the tower after Antons group. That association and the previous attack as well as the reasonable certainty in the facts of the second attack were sufficient to also declare him guilty.
But things didnt just stop there. With Kohars help to get it done properly, the Order put together formal charges against the Heavenly Lion Sect for their association with illegal slavers. Within the laws of Graotan all slavery was illegal, but the standards were sufficient even by Ofrurgs law in a way that couldnt be refuted entirely.
All three judges unanimously agreed to the guilt- to a level justifying execution- of the three parties directly involved. The judges slightly disagreed on how responsible the Heavenly Lion Sect was as a whole, but that was more of a political move. It wasnt as if they had any members beyond Zvonko in hand. But those matters would continue another day. Before that, the execution date was set- and movement in Ofrurg showed that it wouldnt go smoothly.
Chapter 172The Order wasnt willing to withdraw from the Secret Realm right away, but they also werent confident in safely escorting their prisoners back with just a small escort. So for the moment some of the elders were watching over the captives.Thank you for your efforts, Anton inclined his head. I know youd rather be seeking your own fortunes than standing guard on a few Spirit Building cultivators.Unlike you, an older woman responded, Weve been cultivating for quite some time. Were not going to suddenly make any improvements. Better to allow you up-and-coming disciples a chance.This chapter's initial release occurred on the n0vell--Bjjn site.They were all bound nearby with strong chains that prevented them from cultivating and gathering natural energy. Though they were very useful to restrain defeated enemies, they were not only expensive but impossible to use in combat. Even if an opponent was slow enough to have manacles slipped onto them, the chains wouldnt suddenly make them incapable of acting. Until they expended their energy they would be able to fight almost as normal. Zvonko and Tonina had already levied countless insults at their captors and of course Anton and the others. At the current moment they were gagged, though they also grew tired of whining on their own. With their cultivation suppressed they felt sluggish and weak, even if they were technically more hearty than a normal human. Van Hassel was a strange exception. He wasnt staying quiet out of an abundance of caution, but instead had a blank look on his face. He rarely seemed to focus on anything, except when Anton walked in front of him and his expression became somewhat confused. As if he was still trying to figure out how Anton could have been part of Dungannon, a random village full of commoners.Anton wanted little to do with them, but after the previous events much of the Orders forces were concentrated around the tower. It was the most secure location for the moment. -----As they descended into the depths below the tower once more, Anton was glad that they werent focused on resisting the pressure with their bodies, because his hurt enough already. Even the small amount that filtered through their defensive formation of energy pressing down on his heart was enough. Though cultivators healed quickly from wounds, that was only relative to normal people. Since things like having a wide hole stabbed in your heart normally werent survivable, the fact that he was still alive at all was already more than he would have expected before. Not that anybody had been prone to stab him when he wasnt a cultivator. Only a few times in the century hed been alive.Still, the stitches held him together- and if he couldnt handle walking around with some pain, he wouldnt have walked at all past ninety. The battle had been over a week ago. If things had gone a little bit less in their favor their own members could have been taken down first and things would have tumbled in the direction of the other side of the battle. Yet because they had come out victorious, it was quite beneficial to all of them. Surviving life and death battles was always good for cultivation, and doing so under extreme circumstances even more so. The pressure of the tower had actually been beneficial to them because of how some of their opponents reached them. Though Zvonko had actually made it to the top of the tower himself, he and several others had climbed it again without the beads on them to obtain more for their plot. Though it allowed more people to come after them, they were unfit to fight in those conditions. I do! Catarina said. Wait, does that mean were betting on the same thing?I doubt any of us would bet against that, Hoyt said. -----The same determination was soon made by the Order as a whole, and the other sects. It was still beneficial for developing cultivators to undergo the trials, and formation masters were deep in study of the whole area. A stable secret realm was a treasure in and of itself, even if there wasnt anything much they could take away unless they started dismantling buildings brick by brick. The exception to that were plants and parts from beasts. Living things had managed to survive, including several other herb gardens. Though the plants had often grown wild and gotten entangled with each other to the point they barely grew, the best sorts of herbs could be grown from new seed. There were also stores of knowledge to be gained- though key pieces were sometimes missing. Everheart clearly hadnt made copies of everything, but hed at least been courteous to leave some useful pieces of information related to the herbs he replanted before he left. He was a selfish bastard, but he didnt tear the whole place up by the roots and leave it bare. Just mostly. If theyd actually arrived shortly after him, Anton would have bet on there only being one plant of each type.Chikere was coming with the Order back to Graotan. Her official reason was she wanted to see justice done in regards to the captives- though the more likely reason was she was concerned about being ambushed by someone. But she was their friend, so nobody was going to say she couldnt use them for a bit of shelter. Even as they were similarly responsible for the ire of various foes that tried to murder them together, they fought back against them together. That was bound to deepen ties between people- or show they really werent suited to work together.Since most of the contingent of the Order was travelling together, nobody dared to bother them. Even if theyd gone as quickly as they could, the Heavenly Lion Sect wouldnt have been able to return to their sect and gather an army to attack. There was no guarantee that they werent planning to, but the journey would be longer than that. The Order had already sent missives back to Graotan- and received replies. They were watching the border quite carefully.-----After arriving in Graotan, the trials of Zvonko, Tonina, and Van Hassel werent immediate. Though the Order could have justified immediate executions, they were prepared to give them as close to a fair trial as possible. They even reached out for outside judges, unrelated to the incidents. One was from the Frostmirror Sect- who nobody could doubt were going to be logical and calculatingly impartial. The second was from the Desert Fox Society based in Droca. Finally, the third was from Infinite Wisdom Palace in Estary. The lawyers who had defended Tonina before were brought in for the defense of the three- but it was hard for them to raise a real defense. Tonina wasnt supposed to be present at all. That was the easiest case to open and shut. There were previous legal declarations from Ofrurg about that situation. If she hadnt been physically captured in relation to another offense they might have not been able to enforce a large penalty, but they had bountiful evidence. Van Hassel required bringing in more witnesses to his deeds, and that included people from Ofrurg to declare he sold them the illegal slaves. It took some pressure to get them to do so, but it shifted the blame away from them so they were willing. Slusser was also convicted for posterity- though he had perished in the battle.For the sake of Zvonko, it took quite a bit of bringing in witnesses to put together the case. It wasnt sufficient to just accept the word of the accusers. That would hardly be a trial. Instead, witnesses were important. Nobody else was physically present for the fight, but there were people who saw his behavior- and most importantly, saw him conversing with Van Hassel and Slusser. Not just the association around Everhearts Tomb, but a few cultivators saw them sneaking together into the tower after Antons group. That association and the previous attack as well as the reasonable certainty in the facts of the second attack were sufficient to also declare him guilty.But things didnt just stop there. With Kohars help to get it done properly, the Order put together formal charges against the Heavenly Lion Sect for their association with illegal slavers. Within the laws of Graotan all slavery was illegal, but the standards were sufficient even by Ofrurgs law in a way that couldnt be refuted entirely. All three judges unanimously agreed to the guilt- to a level justifying execution- of the three parties directly involved. The judges slightly disagreed on how responsible the Heavenly Lion Sect was as a whole, but that was more of a political move. It wasnt as if they had any members beyond Zvonko in hand. But those matters would continue another day. Before that, the execution date was set- and movement in Ofrurg showed that it wouldnt go smoothly.
