The last Asura Sovereign

Punya sighed about the situation. He felt the situation going out of his grasp. But even if the war was coming sooner, the Rijal clan had already prepared for it. He could only wait for the four people tomorrow and finally make a decision. He walked towards the supreme elder’s residence. It was about to be evening and Amrit had already prepared the food for the day. Since Punya had already informed his parents about the situation, both of them were present at the table. After greeting everyone and sitting at the table the four people began to chat about some mundane things and their progress.

After finishing dinner, Punya began to talk about the information he got from the messengers and the reports from the spies afterward. Since the situation wasn’t clear and things were not much out of the ordinary, acting on it impulsively would be foolish. Although precaution is necessary, without a clear view of the things, it would only be a waste of the clan resources and manpower not to mention criticism from the elders.

Those elders were still gunning for the position if not for themselves, they would claim it for their descendants. In the time of Punya, there was no option and there was a lot of support for him and from the look of the things now, Amrit was sure to be the next clan leader. Having almost all the clan leaders from the same bloodline was enough to make anyone frustrated especially when they haven’t seen a way for their descendants for another century.

Although the leaders produced by the Rijal clan were almost all exceptional, not everyone thinks about the clan. Even if they didn’t show it, Punya knew the elders were eyeing the position for their younger generation. It was just that there was no one really exceptional in their younger generation so they hadn’t bared their fangs yet. The four people began discussing the matter at hand. Keshab and Punya were talking and improvising their plans while Kumari and Amrit were listening on the side occasionally offering some solutions.

After what looked like an hour they came to some solutions and contingencies for some unexpected situations. Keshab having been through war with the beasts was resolute in his decisions and was ready even if he was killed. He asked Punya to change the personnel in the array maintaining places to loyal subordinates. Till now the Rijal clan was fairly merit-based, although there was nepotism somewhere, no people in their positions were inadequate or unqualified. But when it came to the safety of the clan, things had to change.

Just because a person seems like a good person and smiles when he sees you doesn’t mean they don’t have ulterior motives. Punya already knew there was one spy among the higher-ups. He had baited from time to time but he only caught small fish. He had to be extra careful, especially now. After coming to conclusions for now, Punya stood up and left for sleep. Being anxious would not change anything. He would find out tomorrow about what had really happened. They can change and adjust plans after the detailed report tomorrow.

If the reports tomorrow seem inadequate, he will send for more personnel and wait for another day. After reaching home, he sent one of his shadows to Radha explaining the things that happened at the city and reminding her to be alert. He could have sent the message on long-distance jade slip but it would be waste as these jade slips were rare and should be saved for emergencies. There were formations capable of blocking these messages and intercepting them, although not in Lunaris city, but they existed in high-tiered cities.

So it was wise to send the shadow. If they decided to attack, the outpost would be a good place as most of the clan’s forces were stationed there at present. Although with Radha there and those Battle hall members, there would be nasty surprises, if the clans decided to attack they would prepare for the worst, otherwise they would have no hope against the Rijal clan. Still, he warned Radha for the sneak attacks, except for the Battle hall members, other clan members there were not strong.

Punya sighed and went to bed. He knew whatever was supposed to happen would happen, there was no preventing it. The only way is to be prepared so the losses will be minimal. Night went by in a flash and morning came by. The people in the city began to wake up and started doing their usual chores. There were many mundane ways prevalent in the city. Except for the clans, the single families needed to work for their living.

Not everyone would be lucky and strong enough to live freely. Except for the clans, even the cultivators with low levels had to work hard for their living and resources. Most of the favorable spots in the Bareback mountains had been taken by the clans so the loose cultivators had to make do with whatever they could find. This was also the way for the major clans to control the loose cultivators.

The streets were bustling with slowly forming crowds, street vendors selling breakfast, shops opening for business, stalls opening for things found in the forest or some antique pieces claimed to be left by time. This morning also started, as usual, everyone was busy with their life. Meanwhile, in the Rijal clan, Punya was reading the report made by the four people. His expression changed as he kept reading. After finishing reading it twice he heaved a long sigh. The report explained the dealings of the two major clans and a few small clans. After bribing the guards and some other people it was found out that there were some outsiders that came to the city.

These outsiders went towards the major clans. And from inquiring at their shops, they found out that almost all the spirit stones and valuables were taken back by the clan. They only had a few raw materials left to sell and among them most were common items. It was not all, most of the pills and weapons were bought by the clans, many on credit. It was perplexing, even if they were not planning to attack the clan, they were preparing for something great but there was nothing great to happen near the city.

Furthermore, it was the presence of the foreign people that made Punya worried. Although the guards said it was only a few new faces, new additions however small may cause great changes. They would have to change their contingency plan again.