Despite what people might think from John's neutral expression the next time he appeared publicly among them, he was livid. Decades of practice controlling his expression combined with a small amount of darkness element he was circulating internally were just enough to hide his true feelings.

Someone had tried to kill him… or perhaps worse. The poison had done more than damage his body, it destabilized his mind. Even though his advanced body tempering helped him resist the effects, he was blindsided by the effects and lost control. If he had merely been a normal human and still able to resist the effects it wouldn't have meant much, but with the power of an Ascending Soul Phase cultivator a lack of control was extremely problematic. He'd hurt Astrid, and even if it was the result of extenuating circumstances it was difficult to forgive himself.

Whoever's plot it was could have drawn Astrid in even further, if John hadn't recognized it. She might have consumed the poison as well, perhaps killing both of them or resulting in them killing each other. That was the worst case scenario, but John couldn't help but think about it.

When he found out who was responsible, they were going to die. John didn't care who it was, though he did have a level enough head to make certain he actually found the right person. After all, it would be easy to presume that Lochan and Jayendra were the ones responsible as they were in control of the sect… but there could easily be other factors at play. A hasty retaliation might be precisely what the true culprit wanted.

So John kept his face more or less neutral. Astrid kept a modest grin as she hugged John's arm. He kept his movements fluid to avoid jarring her broken wrist.

Only a small portion of the platter had been poisoned. Thus, their official cover was that they had coincidentally not eaten any of it. Everything was fine. Therefore, anyone that looked perturbed at their continued presence was a suspect.

Jayendra greeted them with something John read as genuine affection. "Good evening! Did you enjoy your lunch?"

Astrid smiled warmly, "You have such wonderful fruits here that we don't get on the mainland. I think I could eat them for every meal."

"I do," Jayendra grinned. "I'm so looking forward to what you bring back."

The sect head was convincing. If he was the perpetrator, he was quite skilled at hiding it. And while darkness cultivators usually were the ones known for deception, light cultivators were not beyond it. Indeed, it was entirely possible that his shining persona was put on to hide the truth beneath.

Then there was Lochan. Something had put the man in a sour mood. Was it John and Astrid currently being alive and in good health? It certainly could be.

The two Ascending Soul Phase cultivators were the primary suspects. They had the most capability to achieve something of the sort, not because of their cultivation but because of their status within the sect.

However, the tray must have encountered several hands on the way to them. The servant that had carried it in, those that had prepared it in the kitchens, and perhaps someone who brought something special along at the last moment.

Astrid slipped away from John's arm at some point. She socialized with various members of the sect as well as some of the expeditionary fleet. Tenzing was the most powerful darkness cultivator among them, but he would stand out among fire and light. Astrid might instead key in one of the air cultivators. She could also perform some investigation herself, though her presence would be notable and easily missed.

Sadly, John couldn't easily run around investigating himself. Not until the night, and he wasn't certain he wanted to be sneaking around sect grounds. If they were friendly, he could ruin that. If they were unfriendly, he didn't want to run into the sect head and his son.

He did his best to survey the various elders and notable disciples of the Great Eye Sect, searching for negative reactions to his presence. They only had a day or two before they were scheduled to move on, so if they didn't catch the culprit by then they might not have a chance. Alternatively, things might escalate before that point, depending on who was involved.

For the near future, John very carefully encapsulated anything he ate within his stomach. His spiritual energy kept the food separate inside of him, until he could properly investigate it. Nothing untowards appeared during public meals, but John didn't expect anyone to be so obvious.

The social maneuvering from meeting a new sect was already tiring. Having to deal with deadly subterfuge was annoying. If they just wanted to fight, John would have much preferred that. But he still wanted to believe peace was possible. The continent had united against dangers, and there was no need for them to squabble. Even the Burning Delta was friendly. Just because other neighbors only accessible via seafaring hadn't been so pleasant didn't mean it was a foregone conclusion.

By the end of the day, John had nothing useful but suspicions, and Astrid had nothing conclusive either. Neither slept much that night. John hoped Astrid wasn't afraid of him.

-----

In the morning, they received good news from their fleet. In the middle of the night, they had intercepted a missive departing the island, carried by a local seabird. If they had been otherwise occupied they might not have noticed it, but as they were more or less just sitting around away from Great Eye Island they had little else to do but watch the seas and skies around them.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The message was coded, but they confirmed the creature's flight path before chasing it down and capturing it. That would give a good approximation of where it might end up. Ultimately, the message made it to John and Astrid, giving them another avenue of investigation.

"It's handwritten," Astrid noted. "With lingering traces of spiritual energy."

John nodded. It was unfortunate that said spiritual energy didn't reveal much. It was clearly the aura of the Great Eye Sect, while also not being either the sect head or his son. John had become quite familiar with the smaller details of their power. Unfortunately, the traces were too faint to tell much more, except that the cultivator was probably weaker.

That didn't absolve anyone of suspicion. It could be a traitor, or it could be the Great Eye Sect trying to call in nearby allies to help take out the expeditionary fleet. It wouldn't take all that much beyond the Great Eye Sect's two Ascending Soul Phase cultivators to overpower them. Having such a thing come through a subordinate was entirely possible, if less likely.

Unfortunately, they weren't able to decode the message without the cipher. Perhaps given enough time they could figure it out, but it wasn't a simple cipher. It would have been quite pathetic otherwise. After all, John himself was used to figuring out simple replacement ciphers as a kid.

Still, just having that lead gave them an advantage. It motivated Astrid to snoop around more, while John kept up a public appearance that everything was fine. If they had more time, John would have tried to provoke a response from someone. However, he couldn't guarantee that his target would even be in the same room at any given moment.

-----

Jayendra was giving John a tour of their orchards. They had at least a row of each kind of fruit- though John noted that some of what he'd eaten had clearly been imported. Then again, one similar to a kiwi had some clear notes of darkness which was unlikely to grow well on a light and fire based island.

Part of the orchard was placed just inside the arc formed by the 'Great Eye', the crystalline peak that concentrated sunlight, repeatedly burning a scorched section of island each day. It seemed to slightly change throughout the seasons as the few days John had observed didn't quite cover the whole area.

A concentrated beam of light passed over the orchard, which was quite a beautiful sight. It would have also previously made John rather uncomfortable, but he was quite well adjusted to both fire and light now. Rather than an antithesis, light was merely awkward for John as the only element he couldn't control particularly well. Without a totem, it was still foreign. But it was no longer unpleasant.

"You chose the perfect season to arrive!" Jayendra commented. "Some fruits grow year round here, but some are still seasonal. You got most of the best. Here, have this one."

Jayendra snatched a pair of fruit from the branches with a tiny snip of light, pulling the fruit into his hands. He held them out towards John, who took one. Except for the time with the durian, John had noticed Jayendra always immediately dug into whatever fruit he held. If nothing else, this fruit fanaticism seemed to be a true part of the man's personality.

This time, he ripped apart what John could only compare to a very pink pomegranate. Close to neon pink, even. Jayendra did something with his energy to cause the whole thing to explode apart, leaving only the seeds behind while somehow separating all of the unwanted flesh and the skin, which he tossed at the feet of a nearby tree.

John didn't try to replicate the feat, instead pulling it in half and picking out seeds a bit at a time. John was fairly certain that his fruit wasn't poisoned based on it being fresh and even having picked one of two out of Jayendra's hands. He was still cautious, however. Only after eating a few pieces did he finally get to taste it. It was like sour candy.

"It's good," John commented.

"Not much spiritual energy," Jayendra shrugged. "But it is good."

John smiled. The spiritual energy content of what people ate was certainly a significant factor for aspiring cultivators, as it was another way to absorb larger quantities. It was all part of a good diet and intake balance. In truth, the fruit wasn't as lacking as Jayendra thought, it was just more of a neutral mix. Nothing extraordinary, but John also wasn't determined to eat something with overwhelming energy at every meal.

John tilted his head, "Is Lochan not joining us?"

"He's… more focused on cultivation," the sect head said. "He's not much for receiving guests. I think he will be an excellent sect head once he takes over, as his focus on efficiency will help us balance our resources." Jayendra smiled. "He could have taken over already, but he's focused on the late Ascending Soul Phase. He might even try to push onward to the Exalted Soul Phase… though that will be a long journey even with his talent."

John nodded. "I can see that talent has brought him far."

"The same with you," Jayendra commented. "Your unique style… I can't fathom what will happen when you reach the Exalted Soul Phase."

"I'll make sure to visit again after I get there," John said. He wasn't actually that confident in the possibility. His progress through the Ascending Soul Phase was relatively steady, but certainly slowing down. And he had no examples of the Exalted Soul Phase to study. "Oh, he's coming to visit."

It was easy to sense one of the few Ascending Soul Phase cultivators on the island approaching. A short time later, John sensed someone else walking with him. No, being carried along by him.

Lochan was carrying a disciple bound by chains with no regard for her comfort. He marched up to John and his father, tossing her onto the ground in front of them. "Father. A traitor has been found among us." John didn't think it was that unusual, except for his presence. He focused his senses on the woman. He couldn't tell much, except that she was certainly one of the Great Eye Sect's disciples. Not particularly strong, at the late Soul Expansion Phase. Lochan focused on John. "I have reason to believe she acted against our guests."

Interesting. Unfortunately, John had to wonder if this was a legitimate act or if she was being used as a sacrifice because someone's investigations were catching on. His final judgment would have to depend on how things lined up, he supposed.

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