Eternal Cultivation of Alchemy

"We're ready to do any favors or demands you want," the girl said with no hesitation. "Our leader sent me knowing you would ask for some things. What is it that you want?"

The girl was ready. She didn't have much on her, but it was enough to provide as a show of trust, whether it be Spirit stones or artifacts or anything else of value.

"First, I want to learn everything about the Azure Dragon and the events that surrounded his death that everyone in your little rebellion group can give me," Alex said.

The girl was taken aback. His first request hadn't been regarding any treasures. "Are you sure he's really dead?" she asked. "Because that would be news—"

"Your leader knows," Alex said. "He just can't tell you because of his oath. Tell him you know about it already and he can tell you it is the truth."

The girl looked stunned. She shook her head quickly, focusing back on the subject at hand. "I'll try my best to gather the information,' she said. "Whoever it is that will meet you next should bring what we can gather."

Alex nodded.

"Secondly, I want you to help me gather information about someone," he said. "Primarily if she is alive or not. I want whatever information you can find on her."

"Who?" the girl asked.

"A girl named Hannah," Alex said. "She's my cousin and is one of the players. She was sent to this continent 50 years ago when the players came, but aside from that, I do not know what happened to her."

"I tried finding information about her on my travel here, but 7 years later, I have come up blank. I fear she is dead. All I want is a confirmation."

The girl thought for a bit and nodded. "We don't really do this sort of thing, but we do have the ability to," she said. "We will find out what we can."

Alex nodded. "Thank you."

"But," the girl said, thinking for a bit. "I will need more. Do you have anything else about her? Where she appeared in, or what sect she got into. Her profession, age, anything works."

Alex felt slightly dejected at the question. "I'm afraid I do not have much to give you regarding my cousin. She was 20 when she arrived here and over 50 years have passed since then."

"I only know little about her time here and what I do will not be very helpful to you," Alex said. "I've tried."

"Still, anything could help," the girl said.

Alex thought for a bit and said, "If she's alive, then her cultivation base should be high. Among everyone here in this world, including me, her cultivation speed should be unmatched. If you do want to find her, you'll either have to search for someone very strong. If not that, search for cripples and dead ones."

The girl nodded. "That is helpful," she said. "We might be able to do something with it. Player and strong… that's a good combination to start with."

"Oh wait," Alex said. "I have a painting. That should make things a lot easier."

"Painting?" the girl got excited. "Why didn't you tell me before? That would help it a lot."

Alex nodded and brought out Hannah's painting from his Soul Space, turning it around for the girl to see.

The girl brought out a recording talisman and looked at the image. Before she even saw the image fully, she could feel the sense of melancholy that came from the painting, the sense of something that no longer was.

She felt sadness emerging deep within her, surprised at the emotion she felt. She hadn't seen many paintings that brought forth such emotions in her.

"That's a good—"

Her words stuck to her throat and her eyes widened in shock.

At first, Alex thought she was caught off guard by her own emotion from his painting. However, when he saw her staring at the painting with great intent, he was confused.

"What is it?" he asked her. "What's wrong?"

The girl shakily lifted her hand, pointing at the painting in front of her. "That girl… that's your cousin?" she asked.

Alex felt his heart skip a beat when he saw her face. "What… what's wrong?" he asked. His hands trembled from a foreboding feeling. This girl knew Hannah.

"You know her, don't you?" Alex asked. "You have seen her before."

The girl nodded. "I have seen her before," she said. She looked up in slight confusion, not realizing that she had spoken without thought. The Truth Seeking pill's effect was slowly leaving her body, but what remained still forced her to speak the truth.

"Where is she?" he asked. "Where did you see her?"

The girl gulped down a mouthful of spit, trying to speak, but nothing came out of her. Her face turned a shade of pink that she hadn't reached before. Veins popped up around her forehead and neck, as her body silently convulsed.

"Come on, tell me," he asked hurriedly, only realizing afterward that she wasn't able to answer. He looked at her and could immediately tell the tell-tale signs of an oath stopping her from speaking.

"Don't answer that," Alex said, stopping her.

He watched the girl breathe in relief and look at him with eyes of gratitude.

Alex's heart was in a million different thoughts so he didn't care much for anything else. He tried to make sense of anything given the information.

The girl had made multiple oaths, some with the Empire, some with the Oathbreakers. Alex wanted to figure out which one this was.

"What do you know about her?" he asked. "Anything."

The girl found it surprising when she could answer something at all, given how broad of an oath she had to speak to hide it.

"She… most likely died… away from the Eastern Continent," the girl said, finding loopholes around her oath to the best of her capability.

"Most likely?" Alex asked. "Did you see her die?"

The girl couldn't answer. He oath stopped it.

"Was this oath forced on you by the Emperor?" Alex asked.

The girl could answer that. "Yes, it was the Emperor."

"And it is the same one that made you quit being part of the Empire's legionnaire?" he asked.

The girl nodded once again.

Alex frowned. "How sure are you that she died?" he asked.

"As sure as the fact that there is a moon in the sky," the girl said.

Alex felt angry. Given that it was the Emperor's orders that the Tail legion was working on and his cousin had been hurt, he couldn't help but feel hatred towards the Emperor that until yet had remained just a possibility.

He took a deep breath and spoke. "Bring me back what information you can about my sister," he said. "I can work with anything."

The girl nodded.

"Finally, my last demand," he said, anger filling his voice after learning that the Emperor had something to do with his cousin's death.

"I will not work if you work toward letting the Emperor ascend. That will not be a victory for me," he said. "My demand is that we have to kill him. No compromise."