Night of the Broken Gliph

Chapter 94

Chui Yim clearly felt Chor Shing Chit shudder slightly when he saw the group from the Great Book Academy. He turned over, burning with curiosity. Whats up? Did lil Chor come across an old close friend or his ex? 

Following his sight, Chui Yims eyes ended on Ha Yu Bing; excitement washed over Chui Yim immediately. Could it be that shes blockhead Chors illegitimate daughter!? 

After spending many years with Chui Yim, Chor Shing Chit figured out what was going on in Chui Yims mind right away and knocked his head before pulling him to the side to get a seat. 

The Stars Unite Education Center teacher looked relatively calm despite being provoked, but he still couldnt hold his curiosity back after some time. May I ask where the Great Book Academy is headed? 

The Great Book Academys teacher couldnt care less as she continued to sip her tea. 

Unlike your institution, we arent interested in the safe routes. Students get to decide their own itinerary for the expedition while our teacher will only survey and step in when absolutely necessary, Ha Yu Bing replied. 

Is that so? The youth that Ha Yu Bing ridiculed sneered coolly. Right, the Blue Skies Rank would never lie. After ranking behind me for so many years, you ought to try adventuring in the Engraved Mountain Range.

Bak Wai Chuk, do you want to test the Blue Skies Rank right here? Ha Yu Bings face fell at his comment. 

Enough, the Great Book Academy teacher finally spoke up. She placed her cup down with a tired expression. Like what Yu Bing mentioned, the expedition will be entirely decided by my students, and we might not come across each other on the mountain range. Lets go, Yu Bing. 

After the teacher left with her student, silence fell over the restaurant once again, and only the whispering from Star Unite Education Centers students was heard. 

Not interested in a safe route? Their teachers expression changed. Dont tell me 

Whats the matter, sir? Bak Wai Chuk asked. 

Theres a legend that a mark is engraved in the depths of the Engraved Mountain Range. The mark is actually a gliph A natural gliph. 

Its a very powerful gliph that gives vitality to the entire mountain range. Its a spot where gliphic plants flourish, and also a paradise for gliphic beasts. Cultivating there allows you to improve with half the work but double the results. They said this was where many talents changed their fate when they were young.

The teacher didnt lower his volume when he spoke about this as it was already more or less an open secret. However, almost nobody succeeded in finding this gliph. 

However, legends also have it that this gliph is sentient. It will appear randomly in the entire mountain range, and only some lucky ones will be able to chance upon it. What gives them the confidence that they will be so lucky? The teachers forehead creased into a frown. 

Sir, lets search for that gliph too! Bak Wai Chuk on the side said excitedly after hearing his teachers story. 

Nonsense, his teacher scolded him immediately. The Engraved Mountain Range might not be a forbidden area, but still it is a danger zone. Gliphic beasts roam around the area, and even a four-chambered state glipher will have to be on his guard. Lets just go with our original route. With that, the teacher stood up and left the restaurant. 

After members of both institutions left, Chui Yim pulled Chor Shing Chit over. Big brother Chor, is what all of them said true? 

Chor Shing Chit wore a cold expression, but Chui Yim could still catch the anxiousness in Chor Shing Chits eyes after spending so much time together.

 Hmm, yes. He turned to Chui Yim abruptly. Youd like to take a look?

Of course. Chui Yim smiled widely. 

After practising gliphism for many years, Chui Yim had slowly developed an interest in the mystical powers, and he was no longer practising it just to get stronger. In the past, forging took up his whole life. Now, because of gliphism, he viewed the world in a completely different manner that he never thought about. 

Like Chui Tin said, everything could be a gliph; even the human body was a huge gliph. All plants, beasts and even wind routes, the tempo flames moved to and how water rippled on a lake were gliphs. When Chui Yim started to look at the world this way, nothing felt the same. It made him enchanted with his studies. Chui Yim even felt that his forging had improved after learning gliphism. 

A natural gliph? I must pay it a visit! 

The next day, Chor Shing Chit brought Chui Yim to the mountain range after informing Bak Wun. Chui Yim was weirded out on the way there, seeing how soldiers were everywhere. 

Soldiers werent common in Southery nor Night Lion City, the two cities he spent a long time in. Most guards were commoners, and only some were gliphers. As for gliphists people of their status naturally wouldnt become regular patrolmen. 

Normally, a mayor decides if he wants soldiers in his city or not, Chor Shing Chit explained on hearing Chui Yim. Southary is abnormal. The mayor of the city is considered to be banished, and he doesnt care, nor does he cause trouble. As for the Night Lion City, the Tse Clan is enough to intimidate the residents. With them there, not many dare to cause trouble in the city. But things are different here. The Lam dynasty greatly values all forbidden areas.

Chui Yim nodded in agreement. He had read about it in one of the books from Chui Tin, the Forbidden Areas and Benefits of the South, which explained the relationship between the South and its forbidden areas. Forbidden areas were places possessing great natural danger. As the saying went, disaster and blessings come together. Where there was danger, there were benefits. Like the Engraved Mountain Range, gliphic beasts werent the only source of danger; many unknown dangers were also lurking around. Thus, the South deliberately protected this area with many measures like sending gliphers or gliphist teams over to check and record the gliphic beasts in the mountain range to prevent poaching. They also protected and conserved the ecosystem of gliphic beasts in the mountain range.

Overdoing things was an equally poor decision as not taking any action. To the powerful Lam dynasty, they cared more about the endless benefits to be harnessed than to kill all the gliphic beasts like locusts in one go.

 The soldiers that Chui Yim saw were the first layer of protection. As the duo walked on, they came across more cultivators. There was even an elder that stoked fear in Chui Yim when their eyes met. There was total mental suppression, like the Fourth Elder of the Tse Clan. It was evident that the elder was of the ten-gliphic state no, an even stronger gliphist. He might be at the peak of the ten-gliphic state. 

He was so powerful, yet he was appointed to guard this place. This showed how serious the Lam dynasty was in protecting this place. 

After paying the entrance fee, the soldiers didnt care much about them and let Chor Shing Chit and Chui Yim pass. The fee was taken as subsidies for the conservation work done here. Typically, the one to two gliphic beasts that gliphers or gliphists killed in the area were worth much more than the entrance fee. 

Chor Shing Chit and Chui Yim gave off the classic vibes of a clan; a youth and an accompanying adult who was a powerful member of the clan was a common sight here. Many such groups came to gather suitable ingredients for tattooing gliphs onto their chamber.