165 Chapter twenty-one (7)

Matriarch lilac was sure of what she had just seen.

"The heart of The Unending Seas," she whispered in disbelief, "Where? Where did you find this?" she asked Lucy.

"Are you interested now?" Lucy asked, her calm had returned and a soft smile graced her lips. Matriarch Lilac cleared her throat and stilled her heart. She was sure her reaction was all the confirmation of the importance of this stone to her that Lady Wickshire needed.

"You bring this to me, then you must know of my goals,"

"Yes," Lucy answered.

"Then you must know that this is not enough,"

"Of course,"

"Then... you have more up your sleeves, right? You made Xier move, you brought me the heart of The Unending Seas. One must wonder what you are planning?" Matriarch Lilac said.

"A show, of course. Something flashy and utterly heart-wrenching. I warned those outside that they best not move or I shall mess with them. I must do well on my promise," Lucy said mildly.

"Since it is so, then you must know that this stone is but one of a key set that unlocks the hundred-year battle stage. Anyone with this does not need to wait for the hundred-year mark to unlock it. Every time the battle sage opens, it is during the alignment of realms. Very soon one will open and those with a token will enter. Thriegor only has two zones, This-side and Other-side. It cannot be classified as powerful as the Harnian gate, talk more as big as a realm; which would have five gates. Yet we receive more tokens than the Harnian gate. The higher realms control the distribution of tokens, yet they give our little Thriegor over fifty tokens. This is more than double the Harnian gate's amount.

"We both understand that that is out of respect for the Thraine name. The hundred-year battle stage, the alignment stage, whatever one wishes it be called, I am aware of one thing; there are different sections on this stage. That is why those from the lower realms don't clash with those from the middle realms or higher. The battleground must be sectioned according to realms. If one can open the battleground; if one has the complete key set, one could control the battleground, even open paths into different sections of the stage," Matriarch Lilac explained.

"The hundred-year battle stage is a gateway across realms," Lucy said with a nod.

"Yes. You already knew this, that is why you brought me this stone. The battleground could act as a shortcut across realms. If one wanted to go up the realms from Thriegor, they would have to go through a lot of stages to travel there. Of course, I suspect the higher realms and even the middle realms, have a way to shorten this journey," Matriarch lilac said.

"If they truly respect the Thraine name, they will understand that it is only right we should have one too," Lucy said.

"We?" Matriarch Lilac asked with a raised brow and Lucy smiled at her question.

"Do you think me one for charitable acts?" she asked the matriarch.

"I have never held such illusions. As I said, this stone is important, but it is only one in a key set. With just this stone, you think us partners?" Matriarch Lilac asked.

"Partners? I work alone. Payment is a better way to see it. This lady does not care about how the battleground is run, used or controlled. This gate, I only wish to use to cross realms when I need to. Worry not, it will not be frequent; I quite detest travelling," Lucy said. The matriarch turned solemn as she weighed the meaning of Lucy's words.

"Even so, the stone is not enough," the matriarch said.

"Yes, you lack one last thing," Lucy's words caused her to frown. This lady before her, how much did she know about her operations? How did she know she had acquired all others in the key set? With this stone, only one remained lost to her. Was there a mole in her nunnery? No, she trusted every one of her nuns. Then how does this lady know this?

"The quarter bloom tree that is grown with water of an underground pure spring," Lucy said.

"You have this?" Matriarch Lilac asked Lucy. This was not just any Thraine, this was a direct descendant, probably the scariest throughout the entire lineage; such feat was not beyond her.

"The late Marjiont valley head had an underground pure spring in his courtyard. To him, it was a precious source of spirit water. But he had not even begun to understand how precious it was. This was no ordinary spring, it was one with a gemstone core," Lucy said and Matriarch Lilac's eyes shined.

"A quarter bloom seed planted in such a spring, in the middle of a windy quarter; how much do you think it must have grown by now? What size do you think it will be when it is time to enter the alignment battleground?" Lucy asked.

"You have thought this through," Matriarch Lilac said softly.

"Coincidence," Lucy replied.

"What?" Matriarch Lilac frowned.

"It was a coincidence, the entire situation. When I heard of the existence of the spring by chance, I was reminded of the quarter bloom seed always sitting on my nightstand. I wondered if it had finally gotten a home," Lucy said. The tone of her voice offended the matriarch greatly. She prided herself a person of certain grace and wisdom only age like hers can bestow. Yet, at this moment, she was strongly resisting the urge to get up from her chair and vent her anger on this lady before her. If possible, connect a few slaps to her little cheek. Coincidence? Who would believe that? Why would you even be in possession of a quarter bloom seed? Just sitting on her nightstand? This lady before her could really infuriate someone.