Legacy of Hatred

Liam was nothing but obedient when it came to his Master. He had told him to run, so that was exactly what he did.

Grasslands replaced forests, and hills and short mountains alternated on the horizon. Even the weather changed, bringing heavy rain, but Liam never stopped.

A storm of thoughts and emotions afflicted Liam’s mind and heart. Still, he delayed facing all that until he fulfilled his Master’s last task, proceeding West without bothering to set a specific destination yet.

Of course, Liam paid attention not to encounter anyone. He also had to stop when his bladder reached its limit. Still, apart from that, Liam just ran for three days straight, pushing the synchrony between his Qi and muscles even further.

It was deep into the night when the three days of travel were over, and Liam felt he had found a decent hiding spot where to collect his thoughts.

Liam had arrived at a rocky valley, the downpour raising the level of the river flowing through it. He only had a vague idea of where he was, but that didn’t matter. Only the fact that he could see natural caves did.

After exploring for a bit, Liam settled inside a narrow cavity that expanded into what was little more than a rocky hole. It was nowhere close to spacious or comfortable, but he only cared about not being in the open now.

As soon as Liam managed to sit down in that cramped environment, the torrent of emotions and thoughts the hurried run had kept at bay came crashing down on him.

The incident with the Divine Cult, the fight Liam should have never witnessed at his level, and the abrupt departure became extremely vivid in his awareness, afflicting his mood in ways he had no hope of controlling.

So, Liam didn’t deal with that just yet. He still had something that could delay the unavoidable mental struggle, and he didn’t hesitate to draw it from his drenched robe.

The black ring Horace had given Liam ended in his palm, and he inspected it with a heavy heart. He couldn’t understand what rank the item was, but it contained Qi, which revealed its nature.

After wishing for a space-ring for so long, Liam had finally obtained one, but the achievement felt bitter rather than happy.

’Can I really bind it?’ Liam wondered, pushing aside that bitterness. ’No, Master wouldn’t have given it to me otherwise.’

Liam quickly branded a trace of his Qi with his awareness before condensing it on the finger above the ring, pushing it out so that a drop of blood could fall on it.

The ring greedily absorbed the drop, and something Liam hadn’t experienced before unfolded. Instead of the usual opposition, the item welcomed his awareness, allowing him to take over it in no time and with no effort.

Liam ignored the strange event and wore the ring on his right forefinger, sending some Qi into it to test his functions, and a foreign scenery appeared in his view.

Through Liam’s mental eye, he saw a white, square room as big as his previous cave. The place was spacious, fully illuminated despite the lack of light sources. It felt a bit ethereal, as if it only pretended to exist, but its size remained what initially stood out the most.

Maxwell had hinted that his space-ring was four square meters, but Liam’s item was multiple times that, and what it contained soon took over whatever thought he was about to have.

Liam saw a vast assortment of rank 1 and rank 2 alchemical ingredients, neatly arranged logs, and three brand-new rank 1 cauldrons.

The space-ring also had some supplies, as well as multiple clean sets of ordinary grey robes and black cloaks.

Then, there were proper alchemical products that Liam couldn’t help but recognize. After all, he had made those. They had come out straight from his cave.

Liam also spotted another set of specific items. He saw a map, a tome that resembled those used for martial arts, an inscribed, white stone tablet, and a green jade bearing an intricate carving.

Lastly, there was a huge pile of spirit stones, their quantity vastly surpassing what Liam had burned through during the week spent getting accustomed to compound concoctions.

Liam didn’t know how or when his Master had prepared all that. Still, clearly, he had been ready to send Liam away, just like he had known that he would have had to leave eventually.

’Master, thank you,’ Liam solemnly thought. He would have never managed to prepare so much on his own, let alone with such perfect timing, and that gratitude prevented the arrival of any childish excitement.

Using the space-ring was surprisingly easy. Liam couldn’t only check each item inside it by merely focusing on it. He only had to will it, and an object would materialize in his palm.

Liam only drew the stone tablet for now, pouring his Qi into it as he pressed it on the rocky surface. The ground immediately shifted, lightly rumbling while creating a narrow passage that led to a spacious, rectangular room further underground.

The room was eight square meters, double what Maxwell’s item had created. Sealing it also didn’t darken it or cut off the airflow. The smooth walls radiated a dim yellow light, and a filtration system seemed to be in place without needing inscribed strips of paper.

Liam sent the stone tablet back into the space-ring at that point, testing that other function before replicating it with his other belongings. Everything, including the Black Bow, entered the item smoothly, ending exactly where he wanted to.

Liam performed a few more tests, mostly to see how long items took to materialize. The space-ring was indeed slower than sleeves, to the point where it could create issues in battle.

Yet, Liam didn’t need to keep everything there when he knew that a fight was imminent. Also, the space-ring was too practical for that to be a drawback.

In a different situation, or simply when it came to the old Liam, he wouldn’t have hesitated to draw the tome that could carry a martial art. However, he opted for the green jade now, hoping that his Master might have left more instructions.

And Liam did find instructions when his Qi went into the jade, albeit not in the way he had expected.

’This shall be Horace Rauret’s inheritance,’ Liam read the first string of information the jade conveyed, ’Head of the alchemical pavilion of the Three Pavilions Sect.’

Liam could almost hear his Master’s solemn tone reading those lines. He had probably written or recorded them himself, only for the following statement to feel somewhat conflicting.

’All my knowledge will go to my sole heir,’ Liam read, instinctively feeling a different tone, as if the line was added later. ’Liam, Horace Rauret’s only disciple, shall inherit the full extent of my life’s work in the noble field of alchemy.’