Lightning Is the Only Way

After spending all his contribution points, Gravis left the exchange hall. Mortis' actual body quickly took the fruits and the token and vanished.

Then, Mortis left Opposer City and searched for a good, isolated location to comprehend his Laws.

As Mortis distracted himself and as Gravis continued earning money, something else of interest concerning Gravis was happening in Opposer City.

"Greetings, I'm searching for my junior brother. He said he was coming to this city to buy something, but he hadn't returned in the last century. Our master has sent me to search for him."

A red-haired man with bulging muscles and very visible chest hair stood in front of an armored guard sitting at a desk.

Both of them were currently inside one of the garrisons in Opposer City.

"Name or title?" the guard asked with practiced ease.

"I'm Broad Walker, and my junior brother's title is Silent Walker," the man answered with a boisterous voice.

The guard transmitted the titles to the archivist, who quickly checked if they had any information on someone called Silent Walker.

The archivist quickly answered with the relevant information.

The guard looked at Broad Walker with a different expression now.

In the guard's eyes, Broad Walker had transformed.

He transformed from a civilian to a customer!

"One hundred years ago, someone going by the title Silent Walker was sent to the mines," the guard said. "Do you have an aura sample we can use to check if this is the person you're searching for?"

Broad Walker's eyes widened in shock. "The mines!?" he shouted. "Why!?"

The other guards in the office looked over at Broad Walker with annoyed eyes. Couldn't that guy see that they were working?

"First, we need to confirm if the new miner going by Silent Walker is the person you're searching for. Aura, please," the guard said.

BANG!

More annoyed gazes were thrown at Broad Walker as he hammered his fist down on the table in outrage.

"My junior brother!? A miner!? My junior brother is the most honest, most hardworking, and kindest person in our entire Sect! Yet, you're telling me he's in the mines!?" Broad Walker shouted with anger.

"Aura," the guard answered with annoyance.

"Right, right. It could be that this is a different Silent Walker. I refuse to believe that my junior brother did anything shady!" Broad Walker said as he straightened his back again.

Broad Walker extended a finger and simulated his junior brother's aura. Imitating an aura was very difficult, and something like this could not fool anyone, but the aura only had to be similar enough for the comparison. After all, imitating an aura to 99% accuracy wasn't difficult.

99% accuracy sounded like a lot, but it actually wasn't. The details Immortal Emperors could perceive were so fine that no Immortal Emperor would be fooled by an aura only 99% similar to another one. An aura would have to be at least 99.9999% similar to fool the most idiotic and careless Immortal Emperor.

The guard felt the aura on Broad Walker's finger and compared it to the aura sample of Silent Walker.

Rough match.

Having the same title could be a coincidence.

Having a similar aura could be a coincidence.

Having a similar aura and the same title? Very likely not a coincidence.

"The auras match," the guard said. "It is safe to assume that the person currently mining for us is your junior brother."

BANG!

Broad Walker punched the table again, cracking it at several places. "Why did you imprison my junior brother!? What has he done!? This is an outrage! My junior brother would never do anything bad! Tell me! Have you been paid to imprison him!?"

Instead of engaging in Broad Walker's tirade, the guard only looked at his table. "You're paying for that table. It was expensive, you know?"

"I don't care about your fu- frickin' table," Broad Walker shouted, remembering his master's lectures about swearing. "Why is my junior brother imprisoned!?"

"Table first, junior brother later," the guard said with a commanding voice. "57 God Stones, now!"

"57 God Stones!?" Broad Walker shouted in shock. "What kind of stinking table costs 57 God Stones!? What can this table do!? Is it edible!? Does it cure Will-Aura injuries!?"

"It's made to resist such angry fits like the one you're currently throwing," the guard said with narrowed eyes. "But you are a beast, which is why it nearly broke! Fix it or pay for it!"

"Fix it!? Do I look like I know the Major Medium Complex Law!?" Broad Walker shouted.

"Then pay for it!" the guard shouted as he stood up from his desk. "Money, now!"

Broad Walker met the guard's gaze. "Well, I don't have any money!" he shouted.

The guard smirked. "Boys! We have another short-term miner!"

The other guards started smirking as they stood up.

Broad Walker became enraged when he saw the other guards standing up. "Is that your plan!? You want to censor the truth by pinning something on me!? I was about to unveil your scheme against my junior brother, but instead of acknowledging your mistake, you're suppressing the truth!? You humans and your schemes! Can't you just be honest for once!?"

"Don't touch me! No! Don't- argh, this is unacceptable! You're hindering the freedom of the press! Wait until my master hears of this! He will-"

BANG!

A boot covered in cyan flames kicked Broad Walker's face, shaking his soul and making him unconscious.

"Dude, I only want money for my table. Don't make such a scene," the first guard said with annoyance. Then, he turned to another guard. "John, can you do your thing?"

"Sure," the other guard said with a chuckle.

CRRRR!

And the table was repaired!

"Thanks, bro," the first guard said with a thumbs-up. "Anyway, I think 57 years for the table and five years as a supervision fee should do the trick. 62 years it is. Just let me run that through the Commander aaaaand he agreed. 62 years it is, boys!"

And like that, Broad Walker was sent to the mines for 62 years.

He even met Silent Walker in the mines, who informed him of what happened.

Apparently, a Star God had baited him into stealing. That Star God had even used illusions and mind manipulation to strengthen Silent Walker's inherent greed.

Broad Walker became outraged again as he heard that, throwing another fit in the mine.

The supervising Ancestral God slapped him unconscious, adding another five years to his sentence.

When Broad Walker woke up and heard of his extended sentence, he became even angrier and threw another fit.

Another concussion and five years were added.

And another one.

And another one.

"Shut the fuck up!" Silent Walker shouted at Broad Walker. "You're making things worse!"

Broad Walker looked with shock at Silent Walker as he just woke up.

What did his junior brother just say?

"You aren't supposed to use the f-word, junior brother," Broad Walker whispered with a careful voice.

"You st- ugh, listen, senior brother, just gather God Stones for now. Master will surely come soon since now even you are missing. Just give it time," Silent Walker said quietly.

"If that's what you say, junior brother. Master always told me to follow your example. He always says that you are good at planning and that you know what you're doing," Broad Walker said obediently.

"Yes, I know," Silent Walker said with a forced smile and suppressed annoyance. "You said that like 50 times by now."

And six months later, Silent Walker's words proved to be true.

BANG!

"My disciples are in the mines!?" A middle-aged man with long, brown hair shouted in a garrison.

The guard looked at his destroyed table.

SHING!

Someone in shining, golden armor teleported into the garrison, and he looked with narrowed eyes at the visitor.

"You gonna pay for that table?"