Chapter 125: Plans
Chapter 125: Plans
As he sank into the soft mattress, Mary filled him in on the details of the meeting with Abimael and her plans to take down Emerald Owls.
"I hope you don't see anything wrong with what I did. I saw an opportunity and tried to take it. Otherwise, they'd see me as an enemy and start acting against both of us as a precaution," she said to him, looking with anticipation of his agreement.
"You did the right thing," Liam said, still standing, thinking hard about what he had heard.
Abimael had approached Mary to force her to become a traitor and stab him in the back. Fortunately, she had proved her loyalty to him by killing the enemy group and giving him the belongings of three of them.
Then she took an enormous risk by leaving a message for Hannibal without consulting Liam first, but he couldn't help but agree with her.
'If that hadn't been done, they would have acted more directly against my weakest point, her...
Her action might become problematic later, but for now it bought us some time.' He assessed the situation.
But the more he thought about it, the more he agreed with Mary's points.
"You did what you had to do," he repeated, agreeing as she stared at him in silence. He inquired, "So, after your promotion, we proceed with the ambush. How do you expect that situation unfolding?""
"I must admit that the situation before us is not encouraging. There's no telling how much force Emerald Owls will use against us. And we have little firepower on our side right now... But if we can take advantage of the ambush, we might have a chance to win with no casualties.
If we're going to take advantage of this plan, we need to get on with my Promotion Exam and preparing for the ambush quickly." She secretly clenched one of her fists and said, "We should have a joint meeting with your other woman, me and Jane. Let's see what we can do and start planning as soon as possible.
Ideally, Electa should leave town to set the trap and wait for us. Emerald Owls don't know about her, so we can act covertly. But this can't last over four days. The enemies will get suspicious if they don't hear from Abimael and the others."
He agreed before pulling out his identification card. "I'll give you 100 merit points, and you must go to the Records Hall tomorrow to pay for your Promotion Exam. If you succeed, you'll be an Initiate in three days at the most, and then we can set out to deal with this situation.
In the meantime, it's best to avoid contact. They'll think it's strange if we're together too much or if we're completely apart. Let's meet just long enough to pretend that your plan is in place."
With a pounding heart, she agreed, feeling a wave of fear wash over her for what lay ahead. No matter how well she had prepared, the potential losses of their journey remained unknown, causing uncertainty.
"Do you think we can win? There are only four of us," she said, her voice echoing in the room.
"The four of us alone have no chance." He was honest with her. "Luckily, I have Felicity and the Leopards. I'll see what I can do with them against Emerald Owls."
They were silent for a minute after those words, each thinking about what they had to do and how their lives could end or improve in less than a week.
"Is there any chance that you or Electa can improve your levels in those few days?" Mary asked after a long silence.
"No chance," he said, shaking his head. "I won't be able to make any progress until next month. As for her, well, it might take just as long or even longer. Since we're already at the end of the second realm, advancing further will be more challenging."
Mary knew this. Advancing realms was harder than advancing within the same realm.
"Jane and I won't be able to get stronger in the short term, either. Sigh! That's bad. They'll surely send third realm enemies against us.
I had to talk about you being stronger than you look, so it won't be easy."
He sat down beside her and put a hand on one of her thighs. "Everything will be fine. We just have to pretend that everything is going according to their plans and they'll fall into our trap."
She felt part of her tension melt away under his touch and couldn't help but turn her face to look deep into her lover's dark eyes. Biting her lip, she moved closer to him, longing for something other than the worries that frightened her.
"We'll sort this out later," she mumbled to him, her cheeks burning. "Now I want to relax a bit..."
He smiled as he felt her perfume waft closer to him. "Indeed, we need to relax." He agreed, touching her slender neck as his own heartbeat changed.
Life was problematic enough. Besides, it wouldn't be solved if they tried to think about it all the time. Fucking was an essence they wanted in their lives and knew they had to maintain on good and bad days.
Their lips locked again as their hands moved down their bodies, unbuttoning, untying, and opening what needed to be opened.
As they moved on the bed, the sheets crumpled, while the silent room soon lost that essence, and a subtle creaking of wood emerged amidst the sound of flesh moving against each other.
Accelerated, pleasure-filled breaths would soon resonate with the other sound information, creating a natural music for the lovers as their intricate, hot dance reached enviable heights.
Mana would enter their bodies, nourishing not only their souls but also their wills, their determination as to their plans for the future.
...
At the end of their cultivation, both feeling stronger, Liam still with plenty of energy and Mary exhausted and needing some time before leaving, they used their remaining time to talk.
"How can we meet without attracting the attention of Emerald Owls? If they believe your message, they'll expect you to interact with me to some degree. More than enough, they'll be suspicious."
She agreed, taking time to breathe as she answered, "Of course. That's why we're going to meet where they won't be able to watch us and associate our presence with our secret alliance. In the Illusions Hall."
The Illusions Hall was responsible for developing the skills of the sect's illusionist warriors. Mary, with her mental abilities, was a part of it and was developing a special profession, learning methods, just as Liam was learning in the Runes Hall.
"In the Illusions Hall, there is the Mirrors' Palace. It's an area where disciples, enrolled in the hall or not, go to test their mental endurance. It's almost like a maze of mirrors, with several places that are practically secret rooms," Mary said, explaining some of what Liam didn't know about the Illusions Hall.
"I will pass on the requirements for you, Jane, and Electa to get to the place where you are to meet me late tomorrow afternoon. There, we'll discuss our steps in the plan against Emerald Owls."
He knew little about this place, but he had no doubt that it would be a good place for them to meet. There really was a Mirrors' Palace that disciples could enter for one merit point, and he knew how powerful mental abilities were in special places.
Liam might not know everything Mary knew, but he had studied enough of her abilities to understand how reliable she was.
"All right." He agreed.
A few minutes later, she got dressed and prepared to leave.
"Let's see each other again after this meeting at the Mirrors' Palace after my initiation," she said, not enjoying having to stay away, but willing to do what was necessary.
"Hmm, all right. As for the artifacts you gave me, you'd better not use the coins I gave you for now. Someone might suspect the origin of your resources..." He recommended. "Wait until we resolve the current situation."
"I will." She left with a kiss on Liam's cheek.
As soon as she was gone, Liam sent a message to one of the Leopard men monitoring his room, asking to meet Lazarus Ross.
Returning to his room, Liam took the keys he already had with him, along with the new ones he'd gotten from the items Mary had given him—items from three of the five enemies killed days ago.
'It's finally complete!'