[...and that’s when Spring Brawler and I decided to cut our losses and come back here to report everything we heard to you, maestro,] Hurricroak finished.
As Zhen Liu began to process all of the information his kaijin had gathered during their activities in Willow Scale, a grimace began to form on his face as he mind began to think of the complexities this had brought to the task at hand.
Noticing their lord’s somewhat sour mood, the kaijin deemed it necessary to check to see if he was alright.
[Milord? Is everything okay?,] Nepherage asked.
’I want to say yes...,’ Zhen Liu hesitated, ’but I am getting a feeling in my stomach that everything is not going to be okay...’
’Well...maybe it’s just superstition on my end or maybe I’m paranoid, but...I can’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, the fact that two people who I share a tenuous connection with have shown up to involve themselves with the same Zhen Clan that grandfather wants to make amends with is...a bit of an omen, to me at least.’
[Under...standable...]
[I don’t think it’s that serious, ringmaster.]
’I guess, but still...too many unknowns have been mixed into something that is already hinky to begin with...’
Zhen Liu had technically been involved directly in the murder of the Marquis de Howlite, and while it was for a very good reason, it didn’t change the fact that the man had family and whether or not that family wanted vengeance was another matter entirely.
Then again, this Alvis character might as well have had a grudge with the marquis too.
Maybe he did that family favor by removing a black sheep, as dark as that sounded, since Nepherage had reported that the family was in decline and in need of good reputation and power as of late.
Speaking of sheep, the fact that one of Bellona’s crown cousins had shown up to Willow Scale was also worrying.
While, again, he had no idea as to knowing the character of this Iona Ecaredies, he could at least make the conjecture that she wasn’t here in Willow Scale for a vacation, not when there was a throne back home to fight for.
For all intents and purposes, he didn’t know why exactly these two had shown up and he definitely didn’t know what kind of people they were, but at least he knew they weren’t connected to each other and he knew what their ultimate goal was.
To form some sort of alliance with the Zhen Clan.
The same Zhen Clan that his grandfather was aiming to make amends with.
’Of course the chances of that happening was close to zero,’ Zhen Liu thought to himself and the kaijin, ’it wasn’t impossible for this to end happily, but...’
In all honesty, Zhen Liu expected his grandfather’s plan to make up with the main clan to not go smoothly in the slightest.
Technically speaking, grandpa Zhen Shi had not only besmirched the main clan’s honor with his act of love of eloping with grandma Bai Hua, but also the Royal Bai family that the Zhen Clan technically swore fealty to, and the Pearl Scale Imperial family, or at least one of the Pearl Scale Emperor’s many many children.
Trying to make amends for something that probably insulted not just a warrior clan, but also two different royal families was not anything that could just be resolved because the offending party wanted to.
And even if they did, the events that follow after would usually end in bloodshed and backstabbing.
At least that’s how it went in the television dramas Zhen Liu watched once upon a time.
’Ahhhh, forget it!,’ Zhen Liu finally said in frustration as he threw his hands up in the air and smacked himself in the face, "I should stop worrying about these factors I can’t control, and just focus on the ones I can...which in this case is making sure that the Zhen Clan doesn’t try to do anything underhanded to sweep this shit under the rug and/or merc my family.’
As Zhen Shi’s dutiful grandson, it was up to him, and his family, to make sure that this entire trip went smoothly and that whatever hatchet, beef or problem between him and the Zhen main clan was sufficiently buried, eaten or solved.
Of course, that was easier said than done.
Luckily for him, Zhen Liu had a man on the inside to help facilitate this, well...technically two.
’That old guy, Zhen Wang, is still under the impression that my family is under the protection of an Aether Overlord and will attempt to smooth things over for us already, while that younger one, Zhen Li, is acting like a spy for that fake overlord and will make use of that zako I gave him to inform me of any shenanigans...wonder what they’re up to now thou-huh?’
Just as Zhen Liu was about to try and figure out whether or not Zhen Li was actually going to keep up his end of the deal, the sight and sound of one of his spectral zakos interrupted his train of thought.
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Zako Type: Undead - Elite (Seductive Specter)
Intangibility, Invisibility, Emotional Influence
An advanced type of foot soldier that was originally a skeletal type of zako.
The nascent [Wrath] found in all dead things has been influenced and distorted by [Lust], removing the corporeal component to mimic the fleeting nature of this particular desire.
_____________________________________________
A little after Zhen Liu had enlisted the help of Zhen Li, under the guise of an Aether Overlord, he had gifted the man a few zako marbles as a means to contact him, spinning a story that they were demonic pearls that could summon creatures that could either assist him in battle and serve as a means to convey information back to him.
And to really sell the idea of them being demonic, he made sure to give Zhen Li nothing but the undead and insect type of zakos.
Of course, he also made sure to tell them which zakos did what because he did not want this guy to suddenly to blow his cover because he used a Shockfang Spider zakos in lieu of the spectral lady zako standing(floating?) before him.
The fact that this zako was standing before him now though, so soon after the two branches of the Zhen Clan had split off to their own lodgings, was a sign that whatever Zhen Li had found was rather important.
The hell could’ve happen in the few hours they were apart?
Whatever it was, Zhen Liu was about to find out.
’I think this is the first time I’ve had to extract information from a zako out in the field and not just practicing in my favorite abandoned quarry...alright then, Zhen Li, what did you want me to know...’
Zhen Liu began to channel [Chaos] in the weak bond that connected him to the spectral zako, strengthen until it was sturdy enough to transmit memories.
Once the link had been established, a scene began to play out in his head.
"Why is his bastard offspring and their bastard children here?," Zhen Liu heard a rough voice echo in his mind.
’Well, I can already tell I am not gonna guy,’ Zhen Liu commented once he heard the statement of himself being called a bastard, ’hmmm, no visual information...that’s fine I guess. I just need the conversational bits anyways...’
_____________________________________________
The following is a transcript of the conversation that Zhen Li had heard with the assistance of a spectral zako, as such, no description of the environment of the people talking will be given.
What will be described however is the sounds picked up by the zako.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
_____________________________________________
Servant: "Master Zhen Wang. Elder Zhen Fei will be with you shortly. For the mean time, please wait here."
Zhen Wang: "Of course. Thank you."
*Sound of servant leaving the room, followed by a door closing, a sliding type.*
Silence ensues as Zhen Wang and presumably Zhen Li sit an wait for the arrival of Elder Zhen Fei.
This silence, however is broken by Zhen Li.
"Grandfather, I don’t mean to question your decisions, but...why am I here? Isn’t this matter a bit too...sensitive for someone at my level?," Zhen Li asked.
"You’re not wrong about that, Xiao Li," Zhen Wang confirmed, "but...I will need you here in order to corroborate with me."
"Corroborate, grandfather? Corroborate with what?"
"On the reason why we couldn’t kill Zhen Shi and brought him back here in the first place."
"Elder Zhen Fei, it is good to see you."
"It is good to see two as well. Now please, sit. I believe we have something important to discuss."
Heavy footsteps echo in the room as Zhen Fei took his seat, presumably opposite of the grandfather-grandson duo.
The sound of a well-used chair could be heard as the elder finally sat down.
"Now then, is there any particular reason why you two are here without proof of Zhen Shi’s death?"