Seeing that the Misty Sect was dead set on using him as a meat shield, William decided to call for some back up. When it comes to scamming people, James was the true professional.
With him calling the shots, the red-headed teenager was sure that Thea and the Elders of the sect would have to think thrice if they thought that they could take advantage of the Ainsworth Family.
"Isn't this problem easy to solve?" James said with a smile that would make all the toothpaste models quit the commercial industry.
"Lord Ainsworth, please tell us the solution to our problem," Thea said with a hopeful expression. She could tell that William wasn't interested in their proposal, so they decided to do whatever they could to satisfy his grandfather so the alliance could be formed.
Since both of them were Ainsworths, it didn't matter who they talked to. In fact, James was better because William would obey him. As long as they could convince the old man to agree to the alliance, all their problems would disappear!
"The answer is really simple," James replied with confidence. "All you need to do is make me the Sect Master. If the Sect belongs to me then I will be able to get all of its treasur–, I mean, I will be able to prevent any losses from happening."
The old coot smiled and patted his chest as if he was someone with good moral character. Thea and the Elders of the Misty Sect looked at him in disbelief. For a brief moment they thought that James was joking. However, seeing his "leave it to me" expression, they realized that he was serious about taking the entire Sect as his own.
William, who was standing at the side, looked at his Grandpa and realized that compared to James, he was just a small-time scammer. His original plan was to split the resources of the Misty sect by fifty-fifty. He never thought that James would shamelessly want to take everything!
"Lord Ainsworth, isn't this inappropriate?" Thea asked. "At most, we can agree to a seventy-thirty split. You will have thirty percent, and we will get seventy…"
"Okay, bye." James didn't even allow Thea to finish her sentence, and walked away taking William with him. As he was about to open the door of the room, he glanced back at Thea with a smile. "Goodluck to all of you. I'm sure that in three months time, there will be no more Misty Sect in the Central Continent. At least, if I become the Sect Master, your sect would still be standing."
After saying those parting words, James and William left the room, leaving Thea and the Elders of the sect with dumbfounded expressions on their faces.
"Gramps, do you think they will agree to your request?" William asked as he walked beside James down the hallway.
"I don't really care if they agree or not," James replied. "I won't lose sleep over something like this. The only ones that won't be able to sleep tonight are those fools who thought that they could take advantage of our family's name."
William nodded his head in understanding. Although the Misty Sect was a powerhouse in the Central Continent, it was nothing compared to their family's property inside the Tower of Babylon.
Just as James predicted, of the top brass of the sect was able to sleep that night. The founding celebration would last for three days, but they no longer felt any reason to celebrate. Even so, they couldn't possibly cancel the event because this would further their ridicule as the other factions laughed at their current circumstance.
The next day, the representatives of the Aiur Empire, Elun Empire, Kingdom of Rinoa, and Glory Sect, met with Thea privately. All of them promised great benefits to the Misty Sect for as long as they became their subsidiary force.
These four powerhouses had also had a high-level meeting a day ago and decided to split the territory of the Misty Sect among themselves. As for the sect itself, they would become their armed forces whom they could order to do the dirty things for them.
Thea had to use all of her willpower to keep the calm expression on her face, as she listened to the representatives of the four powers, who boldly told her that they wouldn't take no for an answer.
Either the Misty Sect submitted to them, or they would use military force to make Thea and the Elders of her Sect submit to their rule.
The representatives left with smug expressions on their face because for them, the Misty Sect was already in the bag. No external forces would dare to participate in this conflict, and suffer the wrath of their combined forces!
"Let's make a vote," Thea said as she scanned the faces of the depressed Elders around her. "They only gave us until tomorrow to decide. After that, there will be no turning back."
Faced with the threat of being conquered on all sides, Thea clenched her fists as she counted the votes of the core members of the sect. She knew that when morning came, things would never be the same again.
The disciples of the Misty Sect were unaware of the threat that hung above their heads. Only the inner disciples like Rebecca were told about the Sect's current plight.
—–
"I shouldn't have agreed to your proposal," Rebecca said through gritted teeth as she stared daggers at the angelic familiar who was looking back at her with an angelic smile. "If I hadn't accepted the Heart Crystal, I would not have been able to form a contact with Excellency Meredith. Even if I lost the match, the sect would still be safe from being invaded on all fronts."
Elliot chuckled as he landed on top of the table.
"Well, what's the point of saying these things now?" Elliot asked in a teasing tone. "All of us must face the consequences of our actions. Even if you regret your decision, know that I didn't force you to do anything. You were the one that made the choice. I only gave you an option."
Rebecca lowered her head as she tried to control her raging emotions. Elliot was right. Now that everything was over, even if she regretted her decision, there was nothing she could do but accept the outcome.
"What will happen to our sect?" Rebecca asked.
Elliot shrugged. Just like William, he didn't care about the Misty Sect. The only reason he visited Rebecca was to finalize their agreement.
"These things are outside your control," Elliot replied as he flapped his wings. He then flew towards Rebecca and hovered a few inches away from her face. "Let your Sect Master and Elders handle this problem. You're just a disciple, there's nothing you can do to influence the outcome."
Rebecca raised her head and looked at the familiar who looked exactly like William. If she reached out her hand to grab him, she could easily crush him in her grip. However, she couldn't do that because she was now the familiar's subordinate for two years.
Even if she planned to cause Elliot harm, the power of the contract would prevent her from doing so.
"Just close your eyes and accept your fate," Elliot said as he moved closer. He then caressed the side of Rebecca's face and marveled at its smoothness. "Don't worry. I am not a bad employer, I will make sure to give you benefits as well."
Rebecca sighed and accepted her fate. She closed her eyes and waited for Elliot to brand her with the symbol of ownership.
"You will not regret your choice," Elliot's silky voice reached her ears. "From now on, you belong to me."
Rebecca felt something soft press over her lips. A few seconds later, she felt a surge of electricity travel all over her body.
Elliot backed away as he looked at the symbol that appeared on Rebecca's chest. A golden lightning bolt, with two wings spread out on both of its sides glowed brightly. This was the proof of ownership that only became possible due to the power of the contract that was supervised by the God of Contract, Sancus.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Elliot said as he flew towards the window. "Don't worry about your Sect. If your Sect Master and your Elders are not stupid, they will definitely definitely choose the lesser evil."
Elliot chuckled internally as he flew towards William's residence. Now that the matter with Rebecca was settled, it was now time to conquer another maiden. However, the lady he had in mind was a cut above the rest.
It was other than William's Sixth Master, Chloee.
"Sometimes, I really wonder if Conan and I ended up with switched roles," Elliot muttered softly.. "I'm more suited to be the devil than he is."
