The Golden Scroll Association, unlike any other disciple groups, didn't have a building of its own, no meeting point, and no headquarters. If someone asked ten disciples where the Golden Scroll was, they would for sure receive ten different answers, yet all of those would point to an 'agent' they knew of. Since their appearance, it was always about how one could get in contact with them, as it seemed there was always an agent somewhere, ready and able, and someone who knew someone else... Their presence, by now, was making every other group a bit paranoid when accepting fresh members, guessing in the back of their minds whether they were also part of the Golden Scroll.

  And now, Lorean was also such an agent, even if just a low-level one. It was still the best position she could have wished for. The moment she was in, she had begun meeting disciples, people who had their own connections, as she began elevating her own position through them. It was something... nostalgic. She felt as if she were back home, living the same court-dictated life that she was used to.

  Currently, she was at one of the hangout spots she had chosen, hanging over a cliff face, looking down at the forest below, the white stone railings worn smooth by time. Still, it was a place where many disciples would come to get their thoughts in order, have a drink, or just enjoy the scenery. Watching the sunset, she stood at the railing, her arms folded, her eyes half-lidded, letting the wind brush through her hair, taking a deep breath, letting the essence within it travel through her body, making her smile. Thanks to the influx of CC since becoming an informant, she also had her first real breakthrough and finally... she was a cultivator.

  Chasing more of that feeling, she was now one of the most active new members. By that moment, she had already finished her assigned collection work for the day, with three reports delivered, one dispute of a client not paying quietly neutralized by bringing in two names of future leverage for the Golden Scroll to utilize. For someone still technically classified as a newbie... it was impressive. So much so that her contact, who was basically her boss, was more than satisfied with her, paying her accordingly, perfectly knowing what Lorean loved most.

  But she was doing it not just for the money, but also to have her name spread within the Association, because she wanted to rise within their ranks as quickly as possible. She didn't want to stay just as a runner; she wanted to organize and direct other runners.

  “Every time I look for you,” the man he was just thinking of, his upper contact suddenly appeared from nowhere, making her flinch, interrupting her thoughts, “you’re somewhere practical. Still working? When will you cultivate?”

  “I have my schedule, but thank you for the worry, Senior Toban,” Lorean replied, turning towards him with a well-practiced smile.

  “If you say so.” He nodded his head in turn, soon standing next to her, saying nothing else.

  She glanced at him then, waiting for him to speak again... There had to be something; otherwise, he wouldn't have looked for her. Still... She never could get a read of the man, and the most she had ever managed to gather about him was that he was one of the mid-level organizers within the Association...

  “You’ve been settling in well,” he said finally, his eyes still following the setting sun.

  “I adapt quickly. That's one of my fortes.”

  “Good, because you have a new primary mission,” He finally inclined his head, glancing at her, “It won't be easy, but if you manage it, your future will be... many times smoother."

  "Oh?" She turned fully toward him, too, leaning back against the railing. “I'm listening.”

  “We got a request, and the leadership thought to use it to test you with it. Plus... you are the best suited for making it work.”

  “Which means, the target is someone I know?” She hummed, catching on quickly, as there was no other reason why anyone had chosen her, a fresh recruit.

  "This is why the higher-ups are watching you closely. Your mind is built for this..." Toban smiled thinly, nodding his head, “It's about Siu.”

  “Ah...” she chuckled to herself, letting out a short breath.

  “Why the long face, hm?" Toban chortled, seeing her reaction, "You’re not hostile to him.”

  "No, but I can tell when someone dislikes another, and he decided early to keep me at an arm's length. I would call ourselves... simply acquainted. That's all."

  "Well, that is still more than anyone else could say from our side, as he refused our first invitation and showed that he does not trust us." Toban continued, leaving out the fact that he had already had him in a debt... Which was too valuable to use up for a client's request. “Simply put, Nue Toah has returned from seclusion, and she wants to meet him. So, we want you to arrange it."

  "Yeah, that won't be easy," Lorean muttered, crossing her arms, furrowing her brows while going over in her head how to present such a request to Siu without getting an immediate refusal. He would probably not even hear her out...

  “He won’t see this as a trap if it comes from you,” Toban continued confidently, “From what we know, he will at least listen to you more than to someone he doesn't know.”

  “Understood.” She nodded, without flinching, "But I may need a bit of time to assess my options."

  "Oh?" Toban raised an eyebrow, smiling, his eyes flashing. He very much liked how Lorean looked at things, which meant... even when he leaves and becomes an Inner Disciple, there would be someone to replace him as the head of his Golden Scroll. He grew fond of it throughout the years... and he didn't want it to fall just because he would be gone. “No objections?”

  “Why would there be any?” She asked, chuckling to herself, “I'll do my part, to the best of my abilities, I simply can't guarantee a 100% chance of success.”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  "Nobody can."

  "Is Nue really only wanting to talk?" She asked, her posture slowly relaxing.

  “We didn't go into details, but she wants a meeting,” Toban answered, thinking out loud, “It probably indeed will be just a conversation... But, as you said... Nobody can guarantee everything.”

  “Does Siu know she’s back?” She continued her questions, wanting to know as much as possible.

  “Not yet.” Toban shook his head confidently.

  “When should it happen? Is there a date that the client prefers?”

  “We didn't have any input on that part, but it should be as soon as possible.”

  "Of course," She nodded, her eyes going back and forth, already planning. “I’ll find him tomorrow... But I will have to be careful about it, because he is not easily influenced.”

  “I know,” Toban chuckled, “I don't think bribery would work, so we decided not to repeat the failure of the first contact. I guess, I don't need to warn you about it then."

  "No, I was there and saw it play out," she turned to leave with a chuckle, "Haah... I really hate blunt people like him... Peasants don't know how to dance around like civilized people..."

  ...

  ....

  ......

  After spending the entire night deciding how to approach her mission, the next day was all about finding Siu... Which, for some reason, turned out to be way more annoying than she expected.

  First, she had gone to the training fields trying to see if he was there somewhere, practicing his moves. For a month straight, he had such a rigid routine that she was sure she would catch him there. But she didn't... With that sudden failure, she roamed the dormitories, even checking their room, but nobody was there. Mission Hall? No luck. Maybe looking at scrolls and books? No, nothing. The kitchen? No, and Neya was also nowhere to be found to maybe ask her. She only saw Tian once, but he was with people from the Ember Circle, so it was not wise to approach him for questions... Finally, after half a day of looking for him, she found Siu, totally by accident, coming down one of the narrow stone paths leading to secluded meditation posts.

  She had a guess that may have been the case, but of course she couldn't just go up and start looking there... But this was perfect, because the fact that it looked like they were just running into each other was the ideal cover to start a simple conversation. Watching him, his tiny fox lay curled on his shoulder, tail wrapped loosely around his neck, looking bored, but as she began heading towards him, the fox’s ears twitched immediately.

  "..." She noticed it quickly, watching as her eyes began scanning the path, noticing Lorean at the bottom of it.

  "Hm...?" Siu also turned towards her almost at the same time, nodding towards her, “Lorean,” he said calmly, "Long time no see."

  "We all are busy, it seems," she inclined her head, still looking at the tiny fox watching her. "Huh... she is cuter than the rumors said."

  At that, Arya lifted her head entirely now, her mismatched eyes fixing on Lorean with immediate interest. At the same time, her nose twitched rapidly, drawing in Lorean's scent, and suddenly her pupils narrowed just a fraction.

  "Ugh, Master," Arya said hurriedly, "She smells nasty! She's wet!"

  "Wet?" Siu asked, trying to figure out what she meant by that.

  "Like a wet dog! Ugh..."

  "What are you even talking about?"

  “I didn’t expect to run into you,” Lorean continued, not knowing the two were having a conversation as she stepped closer to them.

  "Usually that's how it works, because the unexpected doesn't like to be expected," Siu answered, his attention having to be split between the two.

  "Ugh," Arya’s tail flicked around his neck once, "Master, that was so lame..."

  "My old man used to say it to me a lot... I think it's fine."

  "It isn't..."

  "That's... true," Lorean answered in the meanwhile, but her eyes studied the fox openly now, noticing how she was sometimes flinching, as if grimacing... Like... she was talking without words. “Your companion seems to be very much... attentive.”

  “She’s perceptive, yes,” Siu answered simply.

  "I am smart!" Arya huffed softly, as if offended by the understatement.

  "Hm..." Lorean’s lips curved faintly into a smile, noting that the fox had to have a sharper intellect than it was said, “I see, and I thought those rumors were fake.”

  "Your boobs are fake!"

  "Arya..."

  "True, they aren't fake, because who would get boob enchantments and still have them be so small? Waste of CC!"

  "..."

  “You’ve been… busy.” Lorean resumed, becoming aware that it seemed like the fox on Siu's shoulders had a means to communicate with him... The question was, how detailed was that communication?

  “That is one way to put it,” Siu agreed with a shrug, examining her face, ignoring Arya's background quips, constantly criticizing Lorean's features, smell, or voice... But she had a point, because Siu felt the same way. There was something else Lorean was here for, not just because of a coincidence.

  "I am afraid you will be even busier soon," She suddenly said, making Siu raise an eyebrow.

  "Am I?"

  “You know that I work with the Golden Scroll Association now,” Lorean smiled as if she was spilling some beans as a favor, "And Nue had come out of seclusion."

  “I know,” Siu replied, surprising Lorean, who finally showed it on her face, making Arya giggle, sounding like a soft cackle as she let it out audibly.

  "..." Hearing the fox on his shoulders fuss, quickly made her recover, asking Siu directly, “You do?”

  “I heard it from Elder Thane.”

  "Of course..." She muttered, cursing because not even the Golden Scroll could infer anything from that high up... Tsk... "She wants to meet with you, did you also know that?" She blurted it out, and although it would look like she did it out of simple frustration, Siu already knew that, with such big news, she was doing it out of pure calculation, and the rest of it was just an act.

  "Oh?" Siu’s expression didn’t change, but his blue eyes did become a bit colder than before. “I guess that isn't that surprising,” he said after a moment of thinking, "Is it a challenge?"

  “Well..." She muttered, acting as if she was suddenly troubled she had let something like this slip, "She wants a meeting, is what I know, but I am not that high up on the ladder to get the details. If something happens, someone from the Association will come to you anyway."

  “Like you?” Siu said, smiling a little.

  “Probably.” She shrugged, "But I'm not that important yet."

  "Sure..." He muttered, measuring her, "A meeting, huh? Well, if they came to you to approach me, I wouldn't be surprised, and if Nue wants to meet, I am not against that meeting happening... If it is indeed a meeting. So... I would choose where and when."

  "Surprisingly amicable, hm?" She said jokingly, and Siu just continued, without addressing it.

  "Exactly in a week, at the kitchens, while having lunch. Be there, or not, that's my offer."

  "..." Lorean just watched him, and was about to say something, when Siu walked past her, deciding that the conversation was over.

  "Hopefully, this will raise your position within your new home," He added quietly.

  "I'll repay you in the future."

  "I don't care," He waved a hand, ignoring Lorean's eyes watching his back, "Just remember it when they give you a mission that is to trip me up."