Chapter 4088: Exposed Secrets (Part 1) The Indech’s aura of majesty that had paralyzed the humans until that moment disappeared, yet the awe remained. Fae, Emperor Beast, undead, and humans now shared the same sentiment. The Tiamat was nothing like them, but his power shone like a beacon, dispelling the darkness clouding the path of their ambitions and dreams of power. "This is it. I’m done." Lith said, reverting to his Indech form as the power of the elements faded away, and he was back to having only two sets of wings. "Those who are interested in observing the life force of an Indech, please step forward. "I won’t allow for a deep scan, especially on my wife and children, but you are welcome to check with your own means that everything I’ve shown you is true." Everyone in the ballroom with enough mana to cast the Scanner spell or who had a breathing technique stood up, forming orderly lines. The Royals and the Council representatives took the first spots, nipping any argument in the bud. Urhen and Ryla also let the guests study their life forces to confirm the link between evolved humans and Indeches. The Royals took a long, good look, and so did Raagu and Inxialot, but no one was more thorough than Vastor. He had only a handful of seconds to examine each subject, so he focused his mind as if his life depended on it. Vastor used a mix of his tier five Body Sculpting spell, Master of Life, his breathing technique, and his Decay eye’s and wing’s ability, Vital Spot. ’I don’t care if I progress by imitation. It’s all I’ve done my whole life.’ Vastor thought. ’The only thing that matters is to break free from the slump I’m in.’ He was careful not to take more time than the others and not overstay his welcome. Lith noticed the weird look in the Professor’s eyes, but he dismissed it as the scientific curiosity of a genuine first-class Healer. "I can’t believe you’ve kept this hidden from me." Marth rebuked the Indech when his turn finally arrived. "I’ve brought Dhiral here countless times for the playdates. You could have at least told me." ’Or maybe Vastor is just angry like Marth.’ Lith inwardly sighed. "I know, but I’m not sorry." He shook his head. "I needed to keep the secret to avoid any risk that this form might be exposed before I understood its potential. Otherwise, our ’esteemed’ colleagues would have pressured me to let them ’help me’." "Which would have been hard to refuse with the threat of Narchat looming over our heads and would have turned your family into lab rats." Marth sighed, understanding Lith’s point of view. "Still, you know you can trust me, right?" "I know." Lith nodded. When everyone was done, and the wedding banquet began, very few people talked about the newlyweds, and no one bothered Jirni and Orion about their prolonged and unjustified leave from work. Nalrond was glad to spend the last part of the ceremony surrounded solely by people who mattered to him. Selia, Protector, and the kids congratulated and hugged him nonstop, uncaring of power struggles and political plays. The Verhens also sat at the same tables as the Ernas. Not only out of friendship, but also because that way no one could bother them without being incredibly rude by ignoring the newlyweds. By the time the banquet ended and the guests started to leave, everyone praised the Ernas and Friya in particular for being such good friends and brilliant strategists. "She sacrificed the very day of her wedding and left her ancestral home to allow Verhen the safety of his own house for the reveal of his Indech form. That was very smart of Lady Ernas." Said many. "Indeed. She has made her marriage an event no one will forget, and now the Supreme Magus owes her a big favor. I wouldn’t call what she has done a sacrifice, more like a solid investment." Even more replied, and Jiza Gernoff was among them. ’Jirni set this all up to rub her secret weapon, whatever it is, in my face and point another at my head.’ Jiza thought. ’Under any other circumstance, I wouldn’t care much about the Indech. ’It will take decades before Verhen’s kids grow up or his wife dies. None of the Gernoffs can hope to get their hands on such power until that moment. Yet the threat Verhen poses just became much greater. ’If he helps Jirni and one of my agents wounds or kills Verhen, the Gernoff Household will be cornered. His children would swear revenge against us, and the entire Awakened community would be out for our blood. ’They won’t care about Oghrom’s laws, only the fact that we took away a precious resource will matter to them. If we’re lucky, we’ll be isolated. If we’re unlucky, we’ll be exterminated. I bet that my head would make a fine betrothal gift to Elysia.’ Jiza didn’t miss how friendly the human Council had become towards even the youngest of the Verhens and how every one of its members stared at Jiza with the same contempt as the Hydras. Lith incarnated the first true chance at human evolution in hundreds of thousands of years. Losing it because of a petty grudge would have stirred a storm that no single Awakened household could hope to survive. "Finally alone!" Friya plopped onto the nearest chair, her feet pulsing from standing for so long in high heels. "This marriage lasted less than a day, but it felt like years. All that talking and greeting with so many people was exhausting." "Tell me about it." Nalrond groaned, offering her a tall glass of cold water. "I didn’t know most of our guests and had to bear their dumb questions and flattery. The only thing they cared about was my Light Mastery." "Still, we reaped a lot of benefits." Lith rubbed his hands, a spark of greed shining bright in his eyes. "Unless you’re referring to the little lesson that we taught Jiza, I have no idea what you are talking about." Jirni furrowed her brow. "That’s one benefit. There’s more." Lith mentioned all the obvious things like the favor he had gained from the human Council and the hostility he had instigated against the Gernoffs, keeping his personal play a secret. ’I can’t believe you did it.’ Solus chuckled. ’You asked specifically for General Vorgh as a witness to scan him and his staff with the tower.’ From the moment of the Brigadier General’s arrival, Lith and Solus had diverted all the power to the Eyes of Menadion and the Library, focusing the entire tower on him and his staff. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖 ’There was only so much we could do when we met him in the wilds or in Belius.’ Lith shrugged. ’Under our roof and over a mana geyser, however, we had all the tools we needed to learn as much as possible in the little time we had.’ ’Yeah. You’re welcome, by the way.’ No one knew Ajatar was a Dragon, so no one had paid him any attention. He had worn the Eyes of Menadion so that the moment he understood enough about Vorgh’s staff, his Dragon Eyes had kicked in as well.