"No... but that man, can you describe him to me?"
"...?"
"What were his most notable features?"
"...Plain, fair skin, white robes, arrogant, and a rusted blade."
"Plain? Well... everything else checks out."
"You know this man?"
Selene spared the two a curious glance.
"What are you two talking about?"
"..."
"Is he related to you, Edifice?"
Sighing, Edifice turned around to face Dawn and Selene.
"The man you battled, Dawn, is part of our Settlement, Great River Bank Settlement."
"He's that close to you?"
"In a way. Great River Bank Settlement is an Immortal Settlement founded by three Immortals: our Master, Immortal Adamant, as well as Lord Immortal Blade and Monolith."
"...So, I assume he is from one of the other Immortals?"
"Indeed. White robes and a Mystical Sword, those are telltale signs of him belonging to Lord Immortal Blade. In fact, I believe you met the Second Heir of Lord Immortal Blade."
"Second Heir? An Immortal Seed... no, this man is the second Immortal Seed of this Immortal Blade?"
To Dawn, this information was surprising.
An Immortal having multiple Immortal Seeds was not an untouched concept; Edifice and Selene were right in front of her.
But having multiple Immortal Seeds within the same Settlement, led by their respective Immortals, seems disorganised.
Further racking Dawn's confused mind was the idea of Heirs.
'Second Heir...'
'I am an heir myself, the sole heir of my Father's legacy.'
'But this Second Heir... implies a First Heir, which is unusual.'
'To have an Heir is not to have an Immortal Seed. Immortal Seeds can be anyone with affinities to the Immortal who chooses them, and are raised to become a potential Immortal.'
'Heirs, however, are lone inheritors to an Immortal's legacy...'
"Multiple heirs conflict with one another. What purpose is there in having multiple heirs if only one may succeed their Immortal's legacy?"
"I understand your concern, but this concern revolves around the political state of Great River Bank Settlement, so I am unable to speak too much on the matter."
"Speaking of heirs... Are you and Selene heirs to Lord Immortal Adamant?"
"..."
There was a hint of unrest and concern within Dawn's tone, but Edifice quickly quelled that with a wave of her hand.
"No. Only I remain as the sole heir. Sister pursues Immortal status as an Immortal Seed pursuing her own Way."
"I want to find and use my own means to become Immortal. Hell, I want to find a way to step into the Second Foundation, but it doesn't seem like I'll be achieving that anytime soon, not with our current situation..."
Selene subtly pointed their attention to the ruined carriages and 'absent' Cultivators, bearing a bored and tired expression on her face.
This uncaring attitude seemed to stifle Edifice. Noticing this, Dawn moved the subject back to the initial figure that started this.
"So... This Second Heir of Great River Bank Settlement, he was the one who attacked me?"
"Yes... Yes, that is what I suspect. I did manage to see part of your battle through Immersion. When your golden armour began to rust, that is what gave me an idea of who you were fighting. However..."
"That Dao Art which causes rust on metal, but it also degrades other materials, too, right?"
"That is true, so what concerns me is..."
Eyeing Dawn up and down, who seemed to show no signs of discomfort.
Edifice also kept an eye on her movements as they travelled to this cave.
"You were not influenced by the Weather Blade's Dao Art, correct?"
"Indeed, I suppose it was supposed to affect my body. In fact, it did seem to influence one of my Dao Arts, but I remain wholly unaffected."
"Are you truly okay?"
Those words came from Selene, who showed unusual sentiments.
"Yes. My Defensive Dao Art -- Hallowed Shine -- allowed me to resist the internal effects of this Weathered Blade's Dao Art. My body remains untouched."
"Save for that scar..."
"Well... truly... ignoring this scar, I remain unscathed."
"..."
Selene shook the worry off her face and sighed.
"So, this Second Heir attacked Dawn and tried to sabotage us, no?"
"That may be the case..."
"It must be the case! What other reason would that guy interfere with our business? Not only was he probably trailing us from the Settlement, but he also threatened Dawn and allowed that hideous beast to attack us, too!"
"...I cannot refute those words, Selene, but we can't make a scene about this."
"What do we do now? Considering our order to retreat and the failure of our plan, our losses were immense, and we have nothing to benefit from."
"..."
Silence ensued for a few breaths' time, reminding them of this failed expedition.
Their caravan was destroyed. The wares they brought with them, and the few they purchased from Iron Mountain Quarry Settlement, were mostly destroyed.
The 'merchants' they brought along were all killed by the hideous beast, and only a few corpses remain to be buried.
Worst of all, there was no inheritance. However, this natural Spirit Spring remains, the location is far from Great River Bank Settlement and quite a distance from Iron Mountain Quarry Settlement.
At most, they could sell the location for Gold Tablets, but money matters little in their situation.
It was all a total waste of time, and quite a demoralising experience for Edifice and Selene.
"Well... maybe not all is lost."
"...?"
Breaking the silence, Edifice spoke up and turned around and looked far down. Her Great Qi Hand was still holding up the hideous beast's corpse.
"Considering the hideous beast's battle strength, it seems to have fallen from true Beast Emperor Status, or rather, State Cultivation Status."
"Edifice...?"
"Sister?"
Closing her eyes, Edifice immersed herself in the world.
Through Immersion, she analysed the hideous beast's corpse.
She scanned the odd skeletal structure, deducing the strongest and densest bones in the dragon-like tail.
Searching the mind, stomach, and chest areas, she sensed the lingering auras and Qis of the Qi Cores.
"With the lingering aura, we might be able to deduce the Dao Arts which were assimilated within the hideous beast's Qi Cores."
"...Is that possible...?"
Selene was astonished at the idea. Both she and Edifice turned to Dawn for confirmation.
"She is right... But such a process would be difficult to achieve, no?"
"I have researched the idea when I entered closed cultivation. I am confident that it can be done, even with the damage done to this corpse."