The doors to the registration hall opened exactly at six. The moment, they creaked apart, a series of whoops and huzzahs resounded from behind Guy. Although, he didn't miss the few grumbles hidden between the cheers, probably from the few people standing right behind him. He was surprised at the ease with which they were subdued.
Following common trope logic, there should have been a heated exchange of some sort resulting in a physical confrontation where one side suffers an overwhelming defeat (preferably not Guy). Then, once some time progresses, the defeated party would return with an even more fortified challenge which would again favour the victor from the earlier bout. Rinse and repeat ad infinitum. Not that Guy was disappointed things didn't turn out that way - life was too precious to waste on contending grudges.
He was just impressed that they could be convinced and sated with a few carefully crafted words. 'I guess if you appeal to their common sense, speak logically and do not agitate others excessively, things won't have to devolve into a round of uncivilized fisticuffs.'
Guy returned his attention to the now unlocked doors, through which a well-dressed woman with an appealing frame walked out swaying her hips. Her attire had a base of pure white with a pastel shade of indigo lining it. Guy was certain he'd seen it somewhere before, and seeing the gold clouds hiding behind a thin veil covering her chest further affirmed his certainty.
'It's the Cloudstrider Sect's insignia!'
"The registration will now begin, please enter one at a time," she said with a demure voice that resounded amidst the sudden silence. She was a mage and another one whose cultivation Guy could not fathom. Her eyes swiped past everyone and landed on Guy. Outwardly, there was nonchalance in her gaze. However, Guy could feel an inquisitive and evaluating glint in her pupils. Was it borne of some kind of familiarity, animosity or plain interest? Ultimately, it wasn't a question Guy was seeking the answer to, though he was certain that it would become evident very soon.
Guy lowered his head, gestured for Markus to do the same, and quickly scuttled passed the woman and entered the hall. He squeezed himself tight to avoid entering her personal radius in any way, which was a difficult task since she was literally standing at the centre of the entrance.
After moving past her with his Disciple in tow, Guy found himself inside a tiny room which looked more like an interrogation chamber than a registration hall. First off, the entrance to this place was hidden in an obscured section at the backside of the courtyard where the event was to be held. The room had a single window to allow natural light to filter in, which was useless given how the sun barely graced this location. At the centre of the barren room stood a single long table with a lantern hanging above it providing just enough light to illuminate its immediate vicinity. The lantern swung with a dreary rhythm that elevated the tense atmosphere.
Markus approached the table and stood behind the single chair on its client side, and gestured for his master to take the seat. Guy looked around and noticed that the only other chair was on the other side of the table, so he accepted Markus' offer with a shrug.
Right as his buttocks touched the hard wooden surface, the sound of footsteps approaching echoed within the room. Guy turned his head and, to his surprise, he found the same woman who'd let them enter walking towards them. Her expression remained unperturbed, her eyes were relaxed and closed into thin slits. Even in the dank atmosphere reigning the room, her timeless beauty did not wane. In fact, Guy felt light emanating from her for some reason.
The woman moved away a rogue strand of hair falling over her eyes after having separated from her tightly wound bun, and gracefully descended into her chair. Her dark and luscious eyelashes flickered as her eyelids parted, revealing a pair of piercing eyes of a hazel shade. Her lips stretch faintly as she let out a casual smile.
"Throughout my time in the Cloudstrider Sect, I have only ever heard Elder Marek Glista talk highly of one mage, Teacher Al Jeeves," she started. "Now imagine my surprise when another name rolled off his lips with almost an equal level of appreciation. That is of course without the overflowing sweetness that he tries so hard to hide when talking about Mage Jeeves."
Guy gulped audibly. His back started to sweat as the tension started to rise within. The woman could read him like an open book. Almost as if she could see the pressure bubbling within him, she followed up with a light wave of her hand.
"Marek and I go way back," she said. "We entered the Sect together. We were from the same village as well!"
That did not satiate Guy's apprehension. Just being from the same village did not mean that the two people were friends. One thing he knew for a fact was that even the closest of acquaintances could turn around and stab the other in the back for a small leg up in their cultivation, especially in a sect's brutal environment.
"We truly are friends," the woman added, causing Guy to sputter in shock.
'Can she-'
"I cannot read your mind," the woman said between a chuckle. "If you still don't believe it, then let's just say that between Marek and me, neither of us can betray the other as we know each other's dirty little secret. Mutually assured destruction and all that."
"Although, I don't think we can call it a secret anymore," she added with a low mutter.
"Secret?" Guy probed.
"Well," the woman voiced while elongating the syllable. "One day, while we were still Outer Division members, I visited his quarters in the middle of the night hoping to seduce him with my charms. However, the moment I forced his hands onto my bare chest, he darted out and threw up so violently that my self-esteem shattered into a million pieces. Of course, I had to equally suppress my revulsion before deciding to intrude into his room for a scandalous affair. "
The woman winked at Guy. She then formed scissors with her index and middle finger on both her hands and brought them together, causing the valley between the fingers to cross, which was enough for Guy to fill in the blanks.
"Why are you telling me this?" Guy uttered shakily. In this world, these were the kinds of secrets that fell under the "if I told you, then I'd have to kill you" category.
"Ever since that debacle with the Sect Leader's daughter, there has been some restructuring at the Sect. Marek has been unusually active in that regard," the woman said. She turned her head towards Markus and commented, "I managed to catch the final leg of that spar - if you can even call it that. Your performance was admirable, unrefined, but I guess that's your fighting style."
"Thank you for the praise," Markus expressed with a sincere bow.
"To be frank, I am here as a favour for Marek," the woman continued. "He informed me that you would arrive today to register your Sect and that I should assist in any way possible."
"I was preparing myself for a long and tedious day, but seeing as your Disciple reserved the first spot for you, I believe I can end my shift earlier than expected," the woman concluded.
"I apologise, but I do not think I got your name?" Guy asked respectfully.
"It doesn't matter," the woman shot back while retrieving an unfurled parchment from a stack on the side. "Our meeting today is purely perfunctory. For all intents and purposes, a person in my position shouldn't be here, so it is best if you don't know. If we meet again in the future, then I will introduce myself formally."
"Now, to business then," she declared. "Please provide the name of your Sect."
"The True World Sect."
"Insignia?"
"Here," Guy said as he handed a banner with the Sect's logo stitched into it by Grace.
"An interesting design. What is its significance?"
"It represents the True World, a world that exists without mana," Guy expounded.
The woman squinted her eyes while scrutinising the design from all directions. She tilted her head left and right, forward and backwards, until eventually, she shook her head in dismissal.
"Let us move on to the location."
"Mount Tai, Maika Duchy."
"A mana-starved place. A poor choice if I do say so myself."
"We make do with what we have," Guy responded to which the woman hummed absent-mindedly. The brush in her hand danced over the page as she filled it with beautifully lettered text.
"Recruited members?"
Guy reached into his coat and retrieved a roll of parchment and handed it to the woman.
"You do realise that forging an official document with the Alliance carried severe punishments?" The woman said with a frown as she pointed at Krish's name as well as the designated cultivation realm of Tesseract Transformation.
Guy snapped his finger and retrieved a flat, ceramic artefact Krish handed to him before leaving for their trip. He slid it towards the woman. She recognised what it was and picked it up cautiously. The moment she sent a pulse of mana into the artefact, her eyes widened in shock, and she nearly dropped the thing.
This time, she swallowed a dry mouthful of air with a loud gulp and adjusted her posture to regain her calmness.
"I didn't know why he was so interested in you, but after considering the situation that transpired outside, and this right here, I can venture a guess," she said while appending the list of names to the registration documents.
"There will be a few more questions, followed by the signing of the official contract that will tether you to the Alliance," she droned on while shooting off one question after another. Most of them were yes or no type questions with a few probing at the Sect's logistical and financial situation.
After a quick ten minutes of inquiries, the woman brought out the contract, which was suspiciously short compared to what Guy had in mind.
'This is it!'
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