“It has only been one day, has he already caused trouble again?” Iromin joked, watg as the Orcish Elder approach him. He pushed the snacks forward, and poured the Elder some juice, which had been diluted with water.

  “No,” Zijin said, sitting down opposite the Chief, helping himself to some of the snacks.

  “Then it is Jaygak?” Iromin asked.

  “No.” Zijin smiled.

  Iromin leaned back, deg against tinuing his jokes. If Zijin was smiling like that, then it meant it was a serious matter, and he o trate.

  “I have watched so many children grow up, from my owe, to the eight I now oversee.” Zijin smiled, his eyes fshing to the past for a moment. “Today, three of those children came to me to cim their rights as Experts, ahey are all so young. It fills me with great joy, Chief.”

  Iromin could ect the dots of who Ziji. There were few young Experts from the eight shared estates which Zijin looked after, but if it was three Experts, then it had to be those three.

  “I expected Jurot to e, as his iions have not ged since he was a boy, especially after the matter with Balrog. Though the odds were still low, Kitool had e too, wishing to follow the steps after her grandaunt. However, it was Jaygak who came to me first, before breakfast.”

  “Breakfast?” Chief asked. To speak with an Elder before breakfast, it meant it was serious business. Jaygak did not bother Elders before breakfast, her pranks exclusively dealt at an appropriate time.

  “Chief Iromin,” Elder Zijin began, staring into the Chief’s eyes, “we should allow them the ce to reach for the sky. They have grown in strength so rapidly, and their goals are to support the Iyr as firm pilrs.”

  “That is their goal for now, but they are still young, and their goals could ge,” Iromin said. It was not something which they could discuss at this age, for this versation was had when they were twenty o the earliest, but usually around twenty five years old.

  “Even if it did, I hope that you are willing to allow them the ce to grow more powerful before the year.” Zijihe Chief’s eyes. He had e to inform the Chief of this matter right away, which would have usually been deyed, but he had e specifically to ask for it to be approved instead.

  It was too soon.

  That was the response Zijin had expected. There was a lot about the matter whieeded to be thought about, from the pany the three held, to the fact that two of the three had suddenly ged their iions. Throughout the years, Jaygak and Kitool had aimed for a sensible position.

  Steel was a det rank for Jaygak, who had been born with a weak body, and though she was strong now, she was not quite as gifted as Jurot or Kitool. Kitool had the ability to reach freater heights, though reag the same heights as her grandaunt would have been slightly more difficult, it was still very det for someone like Kitool.

  “I will take it into sideration,” Iromin said, eventually. There was a lot to think about the matter, especially sihere was an important figure who was involved.

  “I have asked Adam to ent for the Iyr during nightval,” Zijin said.

  Iromin waited, w why Zijin had mentioned Adam in such a topic. He had the feeling that they had not moved on to a opic.

  “He wishes to bee strooo,” Zijin said, keeping the Chief’s eyes within his own. “I hope that you are willing to give him an opportunity.”

  The Chief remained silent for a long while. He still wasn’t sure he had heard Zijin correctly. He had, somehow, asked for Adam to be included in such a right. “What has he done for you to speak on his behalf?”

  “Has he not done enough for the Iyr? He has allowed us to test how his abilities work, and it has only been a great boon for the Iyr, one which deserves an appropriate reward.”

  “To test his enting and to uand his abilities better, it bes both Adam and the Iyr, and we have shown him much favour already.”

  “Whatever you say, Iromin, even I know that Adam bes the Iyr on a rger scale than we be Adam.”

  “For now.”

  Zijin stumbled for a moment, taking a pause. ‘Ah.’ It appeared to be the case that Zijin did not o mention such a matter.

  “The Iyr will soon ge,” Iromin said. “ year is going to be a difficult year. A Year of Sile will be called.”

  Zijin bowed his head, retreating from the matter. Even if he wao help Adam, even he couldn’t press fainst something like that. year was truly going to be difficult for them, and for them to allow Adam to do such a thing before the year, it would bee awkward for them all.

  Iromin remained quiet for a long while. He had heard the tale, the tale of Adam and the others losing to Shama, who seemed to be quite close to Lord Strom. It erhaps he and Shaool who knew best how strong the pair were, sidering the Iyrmen had lost against Lord Strom, even with the help of Jarot and Otka, Adam and the others had faced such a frightening foe, and not quite in the same friendly way he had.

  “I would also sider allowing Adam’s panions to use some of our pools eventually,” Zijin said.

  Iromin leaned further back, almost looking down at Zijin. The statement had shocked him the most. No, perhaps Adam use of the pools was more shog. “Sharing the pool with outsiders?”

  “We are not the only ones who possess such pools,” Zijin said. “Some cities have their own pools, though it is not known to all, the rumours have spread far and wide. We know many of the Orders also possess these pools, and it has been firmed that the Iyr has a pool.”

  A pool.

  It was quite the uatement. Some even believed that the Iyr had a few more than just one, but the amount of pools the Iyr possessed, even Zijin didn’t know, and was certain there were some which were eves to him, the Chief of the Iyr. He assumed that each of the Elders knew of pools whily they knew of.

  “Why are you going so far?” Iromin asked.

  “He has been here for a year and a half, but already there are so many things which have ged,” Zijin said.

  “These two matters are indepe of one another.”

  “I do not know for certain if they are, but is it really a ce?” Zijin asked. “Adam appeared and the Great Twilight appeared the same year, and so had Lord Strom. Even now, the Iyr has to prepare for something which has never before occurred, with Elder Stor-,”

  “I uand your point, Elder Zijin,” Iromin said, stopping the words before he could hear them. The stress pihe Chief for a moment, before he let out a long sigh. ‘Is it really because of just one man? No, not just one man, but several Anomalies…’

  Yet, Iromin couldn’t help but remember. All this Chaos… Adam had mentiohe name Belle, too. Was it really because of the God of Chaos, who seemed to be missing from Adam’s previous world? A realm which was a mirror to this, yet so different, a, so simir too.

  “The Great Elders will think about these matters,” Iromin assured. He sighed once more, the same sigh which revealed that the Chief thought this all to be troublesome.

  Elder Zijin bowed his head, eating some more snacks, before finishing his juice. “Thank you, Chief.” He stood and bowed his head once more, before leaving. After a few steps, he stopped, causing Iromin more stress.

  Zijin turned and smiled at the Chief. “Adam has more adorable children who have es to him now.” He then tinued off.

  Iromin wondered why Zijin had said it so weirdly. Of course Adam had more children around him, sidering the seven new children who had just been bor, if that was what Zijin had meant, he would have said it much more simply.

  ‘Hmm?’ Iromin thought, a wandering thought tig his brain. Due to all the stress, there were a rge number of things which he had pushed to the back of his head.

  Adam’s retionship with his Cousins was iing. He was quite close to them all, and there was no doubt he would assist them iure, sidering how quickly he moved with his heart. However, it was not just that, but the fact that there were other children who had a e with Adam.

  The Great Elders had heard the matter from Lykan, who had expi through a paper he had sent by burning.

  ‘The Goblins.’

  Iromin tapped the table before him, before narrowing his eyes. ‘It couldn’t be…’ Iromin made a o keep a on the Goblin children.

  Thehought came to him about anroup of children which had been adopted into the Iyr by someoed to Adam. ‘No. If it was true, Adam would have spoken to us.’

  Iromiire body tingled, and he bowed his head, the stress overwhelming him.

  ‘Please, Baktu.’

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  Adam stressing out the Elders is never not funny to me.