Inside Aksai’s farmhouse, three individuals were seated around a worn-out wooden desk.
On one side sat a man in his mid-60s, while the other side was occupied by two Spirit cultivators—a young man in his late teens and an elderly woman in her early 50s.
“What?” Aunt Reta exclaimed in shock upon hearing Reman’s response. Her initial surprise quickly transformed into controlled anger.
“What is the meaning of this, fellow practitioner Reman? I… I thought we had an agreement,” she said, her voice trembling with frustration. It was evident that Reman’s words had provoked her.
“I meant what I said, Madam Reta,” Reman replied, sighing as he glanced at Aksai seated across from him beside Aunt Reta.
“Aksai has no future. He is weak and timid, with no remarkable accomplishments as a Spirit cultivator. His prospects are bound to be limited, especially since we are all rental farming on the Lakir estate.
Moreover, with his parents deceased, he is practically an orphan who was fortunate enough to survive into adulthood.
What if he belongs to a family of rogue cultivators? What if his father was a criminal?
Though it’s rare, such cases do exist. And without his parents to confirm his origins, there’s no way for us to verify his lineage. How can I agree to wed my daughter to him without knowledge of his family and parents?”
Reman’s polite tone belied the scathing nature of his remarks about Aksai’s family background, leaving Aksai somewhat taken aback. He had expected Reman to finalize the discussions with Aunt Reta, not back out of their previous agreement.
Before Aunt Reta could intervene, Reman calmly took a sip of his Spirit tea and continued.
“Don’t misunderstand me; I appreciate the boy’s respectful demeanor toward his elders. However, it’s clear that he is not a suitable match for my daughter,” Reman explained calmly, meeting Aunt Reta’s glare with composure.
“You….” Aunt Reta was practically fuming with anger at Reman’s words. She pointed a shaky finger at him, her voice filled with rage.
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting, Reman? Did you come here to insult me and the boy? Take back your words this instant. Otherwise… let’s just say, I have enough influence in the neighborhood to make you regret every word you uttered against us,” she threatened, her fists clenched in fury.
“Why are you going to such lengths for this boy, Madam Reta?” Reman’s expression turned solemn as he listened to Aunt Reta’s words.
“I don’t believe I spoke ill of you or your family. Why are you defending the boy so fiercely? Is it about some kind of promise you made to the boy’s late father? I can find a mortal girl suitable for him if that’s what you prefer,” he stated in a serious tone.
“Who do you think you are?” Aunt Reta’s voice grew cold.
“Are you performing some sort of charity by offering a mortal girl to marry my Aksai?
If you wish to retract from our previous arrangement, just say it plainly. As for finding another bride for Aksai—I can handle that myself. I’ll find a better match for him than that vixen of yours,” she declared, her fists slamming onto the wooden table.
“Get the hell out of my sight. But… before you leave, return the high-grade Barrier-bypass talisman I gave you earlier. It was offered to you as a sign of goodwill after our agreement. But since you’re backing out, you no longer have the right to keep it,” she demanded with authority.
‘A high-grade Barrier-bypass talisman? Is it 1st-order? It can’t be a 2nd-order one right? Damn. you should have given that sweet thing to me, Aunt.’
Aksai was stunned by Aunt Reta’s revelation. He turned to look at her, his expression filled with a mix of gratitude and sadness.
On one hand, he felt grateful that Aunt Reta had gone to such lengths, offering a significant dowry to arrange his marriage with Jasmine. On the other hand, he felt a pang of regret knowing that the item he needed most had been given away freely.
If Aksai had known Aunt Reta possessed a barrier-bypass talisman, he would have simply asked to borrow it. With such a talisman, he could have bypassed the 1st-order barrier surrounding the Enchanted Everwood farm, saving him considerable time, effort, and expense.
He realized he could have obtained it directly from her instead of relying on chance encounters during his upcoming trip to Wilben City.
***
Aksai speculated that the barrier-bypass talisman was likely part of her late husband’s inheritance to her.
The 1st-order variant could fetch anywhere from 300 to 400 spirit stones depending on its quality. Still, it was difficult to put a price tag on such talismans because of how rare they were and how useful they could be in the hands of varying cultivators.
If it happened to be a 2nd-order talisman, its appearance would cause quite a stir in the market. 2nd-order barrier-bypass talismans were exceedingly rare commodities, even if a 2nd-order talisman maker were to craft one with all their expertise.
Barrier-bypass talismans were particularly valuable for exploring inheritance grounds. If Aunt Reta had chosen to auction it, she could have earned even more than its market value due to the current unrest in Wuyum and Ragui Counties.
Aksai knew Reman was among the Spirit farmers who participated in exploration teams sent into inheritance grounds by the Lakir Family a couple of times. He seemed driven to make a big score with a stroke of luck. It was likely he intended to use the barrier-bypass talisman himself during his next visit to the inheritance ground.
Inheritance grounds contained numerous Spirit fields and isolated zones that required collective efforts from multiple Spirit cultivators to breach. Deeper zones within the grounds had even more formidable barriers, promising greater rewards if teams managed to overcome them with their combined strength.
Possession of a barrier-bypass talisman allowed one to enter and exit such zones a few times before its power waned. Without the need for teams, the bearer could clandestinely access these zones and claim all the resources within, without alerting anyone else.
In essence, Aunt Reta had effectively handed Reman a key to success with the barrier-bypass talisman.
If he used it wisely, he had the potential to amass enough cultivation resources to significantly improve his daughter’s chances of advancing into the 2nd Spirit cultivation realm.