Patrick Laplante
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PU Book 2 - Chapter 79: Breaking the Spell
🕑 Added 2024-05-21 21:02:38 +0000 UTCI don't usually make announcements, but since many of you are likely only readers of Pandora Unchained, I thought I'd let you know if today's release ^^.
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I'm happy to announce that Painting the Mists Volume 1 (Books 1-3) is now available in eBook and Audiobook formats! This bundle is the first of five that will be released in the near future and features over 32 hours of audio—that's 320k words of cultivation goodness!
Looking to sink your teeth into a long cultivation series? Already a reader but are just looking for something to recommend to your friends? Look no further!
https://geni.us/PtM_V1_Audiobook
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Cultivators bend the five elements using their qi, body, and souls. When Cha Ming is whisked to a new world by the Brush of Creation, he discovers that his cultivation path falls outside the dictates of fate. It's up to him to fix the world before Destruction consumes it.
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"Elder Nolan, you are a Presiding Elder of the Kepler Clan," said Physician Mierau, who was now pacing frantically across the amphitheater stage. "How many physicians would you say share your clan's bloodline? How many physicians fall directly under the Kepler Clan's control?"
"If you're asking how many of our clan members practice medicine, it's 1,748," answered Elder Nolan. "As for affiliated physicians who have a close working relationship with our clan, it's closer to ten thousand."
"That's a third of the physicians in Delphi," said Physician Mierau. "A dangerous number."
Elder Nolan chuckled. "It's simply a result of our training so many physicians, Physician Mierau. A good half of all physicians trained in Delphi do so at the Kepler Medical Institute.
"Then there's our clan's hospitals, which provide heavily subsidized treatment to mortals and Blood-Thickening cultivators. Hospitals require many employees, many of which are physicians."
"Is nepotism ever an issue at these institutions?" asked Physician Mierau. "Do note that you are under oath."
Elder Nolan burst out laughing and had to catch his breath before continuing. "I'm sorry, are you serious? Have you ever heard of a clan who didn't engage in nepotism? That's literally what clans do, Physician Mierau."
"Answer the question, Physician Nolan," said President Digory.
"No more than anywhere else, I swear!" said Elder Nolan. The blue light of the formation confirmed his words. "Our clan is very self-interested. We value talent, especially when that talent comes from within our family."
"So you admit it," said Physician Mierau. "Your clan only looks out for its own members."
"I believe I already said that's what clans do," said Elder Nolan.
"Is that why you went above and beyond, breaking to break the rules for Sorin Kepler?" asked Physician Mierau. "He's such a talented individual that you repeatedly let him get away with practicing medicine unlicensed. You bent the rules, allowing him to keep his one-star physician designation when his cultivation was crippled."
"Are you evening listening to yourself?" said Elder Nolan, raising his voice. "Sorin kept his designation because he passed the original assessment, conducted by the Medical Association, with distinction. He even managed to pass the re-assessment once he healed from his injuries—and he did so without access to mana. This is all a matter of public record."
"That's quite enough about Sorin, I think, let's move on to—"
"You know what I find curious?" said Elder Nolan, interrupting Physician Mierau. "First, you accuse him of practicing while not competent, an ethical violation, and then you back off as soon as you find out he's more competent than most physicians, by the admission of a physician you called to the stand.
"And then you go ahead and call him talented to the extent that we have to go out of our way to protect him. Well, which is it? Because this all stinks of contrived nonsense."
"Physician Nolan, control yourself," interrupted President Digory. "Continue, Physician Mierau. And Elder Nolan? Keep on like this, and you'll find yourself suffering heavy sanctions."
"Understood," said Elder Nolan.
Physician Mierau cleared his throat and tried to find his bearing. He was losing the audience and was trying his best to salvage the situation. "As I was saying, your clan goes out of its way to favor talents and abuses their authority to do so. Sorin is a prime example of this."
Elder Nolan snorted. "A prime example? God Seeds are the promised Hope of humanity, and even the Pandora Government favors them. Tell me, are you a pig posing to be a man, or is it some other variety of farm animals? You're so ugly I can't tell."
"Physician Nolan, that's quite enough!" snapped President Digory.
"No, it's not enough!" Elder Nolan shouted back. "It's this farce that's gone on long enough! You want to knock us off our pedestal, and I can accept that. But breaking the rules and combining unrelated trials against all precedents? That I can't accept.
"You skirt convention and accept circumstantial evidence. You bring up nonsense like nepotism and other common things that are common practice, and you try to use that to bring us down. Do you think we're pushovers? Do you think that just because we're well-meaning physicians, you can push us around?
"And what about these people?" he said, gesturing to the audience. "Do you think they're fools? Do you think they're blind? Even a donkey could see how terrible of a case you have. Or perhaps you know they'll listen because they're under some sort of influence?"
"That's enough!" shouted a red-faced President Digory, but the damage was already done. Sorin could sense a rising tide of Violence in the audience that pushed at the limits of the web of Madness, keeping their thoughts aligned.
"I. Will. Not. Stop!" shouted Elder Nolan. "As far as I'm concerned, it's not us who are abusing our authority; it's this council!" The cracks on the distortive spell widened. "It's the same as you all did a hundred years back by banning physicians that cultivate poison.
"The historical records are clear on this—the ban resulted in millions of preventable deaths, and medicine literally needed to be reinvented from the ground up. And who is it that accomplished this? Our clan, the clan that was hurt the most by your shady maneuvers!
"Our clan isn't the best. Our clan isn't pure. But when it comes to corruption, it can't hold a candle to this political body! The Medical Association once stood for the benefit of the masses, but now, it's just a power-hungry creature that will stop at nothing to control everything, even if it means abandoning countless sick and helpless individuals in the process!"
These last words shattered the spell, holding the audience captive. They looked about at their neighbors, dazed, and wondered what they were doing here. Already, people were beginning to drop out of the audience. Others still began arguing and fighting with their neighbors; the stands devolved into chaos."
"Elder Nolan, you leave me no choice," said President Digory, his expression turning cold. "I hereby find you in Contempt of Council and assign you the maximum punishment of three months confinement. As you are a key witness to this inquiry, the proceedings will stop here for the time being.
"Sorin Abberjay Kepler, you are free to go for now. I suggest that you remain here and await a suitable escort from your family before leaving the premises." President Digory then smacked his gavel down, stood up, and stormed through the stage's back entrance, but not before barking out commands to the council members who joined up to restrain Elder Nolan, who was not giving them an easy time of it.
"It's time to go," said Gareth, patting Sorin's shoulder. All the restrictions keeping him in place vanished.
"Couldn't you guys just have informed me? " asked Sorin as he followed Gareth and his sword-wielding protector, Elder Nigel, towards the back entrance.
"The situation was dire and required certain sacrifices to be made," said Gareth. "It also required a certain level of trust, which made it a non-starter. Unfortunately, this also means we're short one presiding Elder on our way back to the Ancestral Manor."
They pushed their way out of the Amphitheater and found themselves on a deserted street. "Shouldn't there be people out here? Lots of them?"
Natasha, the Flesh-Sanctification level assassin, emerged from the shadows. "Your exit was rerouted. Other helpers have been notified, and Elder Adrian is currently facilitating their movements. We need to go and quickly."
"How many enemies can you detect??" said Elder Nigel, drawing his sword.
"A dozen Flesh-Sanctification cultivators, many of them poison wielders from the Hargrave Clan," said Natasha. "Six are rogues, though they're not really good at hiding. I'll manage them if you take care of everyone else."
Elder Nigel nodded and popped a bottle of pills. "People tell me I'm paranoid for always keeping all-purpose antidotes in my front pocket, but look who's laughing now." He then tossed the empty bottle to the side, stepped forward, and drew his sword, decapitating a shadowing cultivator diving down on them from the rooftops in a single smooth movement. "Well? You've got legs, don't you? Get your pampered little butts moving, or I'll spank them with my scabbard."
