The Oracle Paths

"Who was that guy?" Lord Phenix stuttered, a tremor in his voice. "His aura was even more absurd than the octopus that gobbled us up…"

"If it's a native, it can only be the Celestial," Crunch shrugged, maintaining his usual unflappable demeanor.

Jake nodded silently, affirming this assumption. Absentmindedly petting his cat without seeking its consent, he sardonically praised, "Against all odds, you sometimes say something smart."

"Fuck you, master, I've always been smart!" Crunch retorted, flipping him off in complete disregard of any sense of danger. If he had one, he would never have ended up in the stomach of a millennia-old kraken.

But the cat's blatant insult went over Jake's head, his mind already pondering something else.

'He knows I'm here,' he realized, frowning.

He first considered he had underestimated the Celestial's perceptive talents, but after a brief mental sweep of his surroundings, he quickly came up with a much more plausible hypothesis.

'It's Anthace's doing.'

The roots and branches of the Tree of Life were everywhere in Lustris. In the underground, in the wood of buildings, the parchment used for everyday writing, even the toilet paper the city's citizens used to wipe their ass.

In that case… Jake immediately grasped a dangerous implication. From the moment they arrived, they were already in the enemy's crosshairs. The only reason they hadn't been attacked was that somehow the Radiant Conclave and Anthace had decided to tolerate their presence.

In hindsight, the explanation was obvious: Civilians. The Radiant Conclave didn't want to risk a cataclysmic battle in the capital that would endanger their innocent citizens.

The paradox was that Jake was applying roughly the same logic. Aside from preferring to regain his full powers before tangling with the undefeated top dogs of this world, he was also keen on limiting collateral damage. Even if he couldn't care less, killing too many innocents unrelated to their objective was sure to affect his final rating.

"If that's how they want to play it, I'm fine with playing nice as long as I don't leave empty-handed," Jake immediately adjusted his attitude.

He could have left the city right away, but once outside, what ensured that they wouldn't then be ambushed by the enemy? Nothing at all. So, pressing as many favors as he could from the Radiant Conclave was naturally the next move.

Someone must have heard his prayers because as he wondered if heading directly to the Conclave Tower was a good idea, two stunning young women with dazzling Lumyst Auras materialized in front of him in a flash of white light. The two light trails had sprung from a window of the Conclave Tower…

While Lord Phenix jumped in fright, almost falling off Crunch's head where he was perched, Jake and his cat remained as expressive as a sink, not blinking an eye. Unabashed, they took the opportunity to openly ogle the two temptresses.

Although both were of supernatural beauty, even by the standards of the Mirror Universe Evolvers, their dispositions were diametrically opposed.

The one on the left had tanned skin, long auburn hair hanging freely down her back, voluptuous forms, and far too little fabric covering them. Her makeup was also sophisticated in the best sense, giving the illusion of natural beauty, but unmatched by any unmade-up beauty. Her lip-biting and flirtatious gaze as soon as she saw him immediately raised his guard.

The woman on the right embodied a completely different register, more demure, and dressed more conservatively. She wore hardly any makeup, but didn't neglect her appearance, as evidenced by the complex braids of her golden hair. The simple fact that she hadn't immediately assaulted him with suggestive pouts made him feel instantly more disposed towards her, although he didn't lower his guard.

As for Crunch, he took advantage of his identity as a chubby, cute cat to blatantly check them out from all angles… His squashed face with a stupid look and his hanging tongue aroused no suspicion.

"Jake Wilderth, I presume?" Lady Lyria broke the ice immediately with a radiant smile, immediately following up with the million-dollar question, "Is it true you killed River's Bane?"

It took Jake half a second to figure out who she was referring to.

"The fat squid? I suppose that was me," he replied as if asked about the weather.

The beautiful eyes of the Keeper of the Archives sparkled with excitement upon receiving confirmation that it was indeed him, and she hastened to bombard him with questions about the fight. Jake was so caught off guard by her exuberant familiarity with him that he momentarily forgot to be on guard. Not realizing quite how to handle her attitude, he responded to her inquiries as evasively as possible.

Fortunately for him, Crunch and Lord Phenix loved being in the spotlight, and this kind of VIP interview was just their jam. After Jake uttered a few half-hearted words, the two balls of feathers and fur eagerly took over.

Their verbosity was rich, flowery, and never at a loss for words. Jake learned that night that it was possible to write a 100,000-page book just to recount his duel against the kraken, which had actually lasted only a handful of seconds.

As expected, the high-spirited Lady Lyria quickly reached her limits and soon she was just listening with a vacant expression, nodding mechanically. A chatty cat and turkey had for the first time succeeded in overcoming her insatiable curiosity.

The two clowns were her kryptonite.

Meanwhile, Lady Faye, who had been silent until now, didn't like what she was seeing either. This Jake was indeed a handsome hunk, but in addition to being too tall and muscular for her delicate stature, he seemed not at all receptive to her not-so-subtle hints.

He immediately reminded her of the cold shower the Celestial gave her every time she tried to hit on him. Such guys were the hardest to make fall in love. Not because they were incapable of loving or too dense to notice signs of attraction from the opposite sex, but because they were obsessed with larger goals monopolizing all their attention. Or they were so principled that it was almost impossible to get them out of their default persona.

At no time did she consider the possibility that he might simply love someone else or have already met someone better. A narcissist of her standing did not easily doubt her superiority complex.

It's gonna be a tough one. The vixen acknowledged internally.

Aware that she had encountered another tough nut to crack, she gave up her bewitching gimmicks without regret, adopting the same cheerful but respectable attitude as her prudish comrade.

"May I assume you know why we are visiting you so late at night, sir Wilderth?" Lady Faye asked politely, interrupting the endless soliloquy of the cat and turkey, earning a grateful look from Lady Lyria.

It was the first time in their many years of interaction that the prudish Keeper of the Archives showed her sincere gratitude. It goes to show there's a first time for everything.

Jake was slightly disconcerted by the contrast between her provocative behavior a moment ago and her professional and elegant attitude now, but it didn't go any further. They were two strangers to him, and even within his own faction, he knew more lunatic and histrionic than that.

Starting with his own cat.

"Since my presence is apparently no secret to anyone and you're aware of the fat squid, I deduce you were sent to make me leave your capital peacefully," Jake responded while sizing them up with a realizing look. "Given the diplomats they've sent, can I assume the Radiant Conclave is ready to make some concessions?"

Neither Lady Faye nor Lady Lyria took offense at the implication that they might have been chosen for their attractive looks. It was indeed the truth.

Especially since it suited them well.

Moreover, beauty privilege was not a myth. A physique deemed pleasant to look at, especially by the opposite gender, was certainly a significant advantage in negotiation. At no point did it question their competence.

But they were far from understanding what was going on in his head. While there was some truth in their reasoning, Jake was primarily referring to their cultivation.

Their Lumyst Auras and lifeforce were overflowing, identifying them as two very important powerhouses of the Lustra Plains. Likely, two prominent Radiant Conclave members.

It took at least that to show they were seizing him seriously. If they had sent an ordinary underling, even one as beautiful as one in a billion, Jake would have immediately doubted their intentions.

"You are indeed correct," Lady Lyria confirmed, inviting him with a gesture to follow her to an annex of the Conclave Tower. "We are indeed ready to meet your demands to leave our territory, provided of course they are reasonable."

"Of course," Jake agreed, pursuing her without fearing for a second that he was being led into a trap. Even if it was, he was confident he could escape it.