"Is there a way to release them? I can vouch for their innocence. As long as they stay in the city and don't come into the Sect, it shouldn't be a problem, right?"
The guard shook his head.
"As descendants of the main bloodline, we can use them as leverage. As for your other employees, we should have released them already. However, we knew that you were a Sky Shifting Sect member, so we preferred to wait for you to come out so that we could explain."
Krune felt that something was weird.
"I can't understand. There is nothing that proves that I'm not involved with Nina and Lino; how come I'm getting this special treatment? You speak as if I'm absolutely innocent, while my employees had to be investigated first. Something is wrong here."
The guard shrugged his shoulder after hearing that.
"Smart. You aren't wrong. Even if there were no proof that you were involved with the Three Peaks Sect, the fact is that you employed their Sect Master's descendants. That would have been enough for us to apprehend you without having to ask anything. But it seems like someone important in the Sky Shifting Sect is vouching for you too. As for who it is, that I don't know."
Krune was taken aback. He doesn't know anyone important in the Sect, so how could be someone there vouching for him? The situation was becoming more and more strange.
"Do you know anyone who can introduce to this person who vouched for me?"
The guard shook his head.
"I don't know. It's beyond my authority too."
Krune nodded and asked something else.
"At least, you won't prevent me from talking to her, right? It's not like a Soul Forging Realm girl would be able to escape under your nose. Besides, although she has the so-called Sect Master bloodline, she is completely powerless in this enemy territory."
The guard pondered a bit and nodded.
"That can be arranged, but you better not try anything funny. There is a limit for what others can do for you."
Krune nodded before looking at his employes.
"I'm going to talk with Nina and Lino. You guys wait here until I return."
Krune passed through a few corridors until he was brought into a room sealed by a Formation. When he looked inside, he noticed Nina and Lino sat in a corner with their heads down. Obviously, their mood couldn't be worse.
The guard then told Krune.
"You can call her, she will be able to hear your voice. However, Divine Senses can't penetrate the formation, so you will need to use your voice. You have 30 minutes."
The guard then went to a corner and sat there.
Krune took a deep breath and then called Nina and Lino out.
"Hey, how come you left my restaurant behind? Who will help me cooking or attend the customers now?"
Nina and Lino looked at the direction of the voice and were surprised.
"Chef Krune! Master!"
Krune smiled and immediately sent a Mental Energy Message to both of them. Nina and Lino were shocked by Krune's appearance in this place, so they were already showing surprised expressions. The moment that they received the Mental Energy message, it startled them at the same time as they were surprised by Krune's appearance. Like that, no one would suspect that Krune had a way to communicate with them with the formation in place.
'Listen up. I'm using a special method to talk with you. However, the guards don't know that I can do it. They think we can only communicate through our voices. The formation prevents your Divine Sense from leaving your body, but it is still there for you to use. Just use your Divine Sense inside your bodies, and I will be able to hear the messages inside. For now, pretend to talk with me about random things. Also, pay attention to your own reactions while we are talking. Understood?'
Nina and Lino received the entire message in a split of a second. After all, it worked pretty much like Divine Sense when one wanted to send information.
Nina and Lino quickly approached the formation's barrier as they talked.
"Master, sorry for the problem we caused."
Krune shook.
"Don't worry, it's not your fault."
Just like that, they began to talk with one another. But at the same time, Krune used his mental energy to convene his real words.
'Have they told you about your bloodline?'
Nina and Lino immediately used the Divine Sense message to answer.
'Yes. However, how is that possible? My brother and I had been orphans as far as we can remember. It must be a mistake.'
Krune didn't think so.
'I doubt it. For them to target the two of you in the middle of so many experts walking around the city, it's evident that they are very confident that they are right. However, Nina had used a blood contract to talk with me in the past before she reached the Divine Soul Realm, so I know you weren't lying.'
'Try to remember, is there nothing in your memories that could explain your appearance in Immai City?'
Lino and Nina pondered while they pretended to talk with Krune. But in the end, they really couldn't remember anything. However, it was then that Nina noticed one thing.
'Wait. Now that I think about it, I don't have any memories from before I was six years old? However, my brother definitely has a few from when he was four and five. Of course, he was only three in my longest memories, so he can't possibly remember anything before that.'
Krune immediately understood what she meant.
'That's to say that your memories until you were six were wiped out. Or it might be that they got sealed as well. Anyway, that pretty much confirms that something is wrong about your past. Still, how do you know Lino is your brother?'
Nina immediately replied.
'I don't know. In my head, Lino had always been my brother. But I have no idea why I know this.'
Krune nodded.
'I see... By the way, you were too young to live by yourself. How did you survive if you had no parents or anyone to take care of you?'
Nina concentrated on their past and sighed in the end.
'We pretty much survive by joining forces with the other abandoned kids. Together, we were able to gather some food by robbing or through charity. It's not wrong to say that we lived like beggars for a long time too.'
Krune had lived as a wisp before acquiring the Myriad Energies Technique. He knew very well how hard it was to live on his own, so he could more or less sympathize with them.
After that, Krune made several other questions while pretending that he talked with the two. Soon, the thirty minutes were up, and he had to leave. But before doing that, he left them one last message.
'I will need to verify a few things first. I don't have the power to take you out, but I'll try to help as much as I can. Take care of each other.'
Krune then left with the guard. As for Nina and Lino, they could only go back and sit once again.
He quickly returned to where his employees were gathered and said.
"Alright, let's go back to the restaurant."
Everyone nodded as they left the City Guards Headquarters with Krune. On their way back, they couldn't help but ask.
"Are we really just leaving Nina and Lino like that? Chef Krune already confirmed that Nina and Lino have nothing to do with the Three Peaks Sect. There has to be something we can do about that."
Krune agreed with them.
"I know. However, Capivari City is under the Sky Shifting Sect's command. All the authorities here are simply following the sect orders. If I want to help Nina, staying here will be of no help."
Krune then turned to everyone once more.
"You guys go back home. Bai, I need you to put a message in the restaurant saying that I might be gone for a while. I'm going back to the Sect and see if there is a way to help Nina and her Brother."
Bai and the others accepted the orders and split right after.
"Are you sure you wanna get involved?"
That was Zule's voice coming from his Spatial Ring. As a Spatial Type Treasure, hearing and seeing what is happening outside the Spatial Ring was easy. That being said, he knows very well what Krune is going through.
"I have no other choice. Nina was captured because I brought her to this city. If I had left everyone back in Immai, such a thing wouldn't have happened. I'm the type that can't simply look into this situation without doing anything."
Zule then made a suggestion.
"It might be dangerous, but I doubt you will simply hear what I have to say. In that case, what about destroying their cultivation once more and use a blood contract. That way, they will be forced to tell the truth with a blood contract. As long as they don't have anything to do with the Three Peaks Sect, the City Guards shouldn't have a reason to hold the siblings, right? As for their foundation, they can simply cultivate again with your help."
Krune shook his head.
"The problem is their bloodline. The Sect already confirmed that they are descendants of the Three Peaks Sect Master. That alone is more than enough to keep her in custody, even if she is unaware of anything. I have to get the help of someone with enough authority in the Sect."
Zule couldn't help but say.
"But you don't know anyone like that. Who would help you?"
Krune smiled before saying.
"I have a faint idea, leave it to me. There is one point in this whole story that is still bugging me, so I will go there to confirm it."
Zule was taken aback. Now, his interest was picked.
Later that day, Krune was already back in the Sky Shifting Sect. He went to the registration office and got some information before leaving. Without wasting time, he used the Sect's teleport and appeared in the area where the disciples lived.
The majority of the disciples preferred to stay in the Sect during their free time. After all, Godly Energy in this place was a lot higher than outside. That's because the Sky Shifting Sect was also built above a Godly Energy Vein. It's just that it wasn't as good as the Mountain Range Top Quality Veins. However, you could cultivate here without being worried about a battle starting at any moment.
Krune ran between the buildings and quickly reached an unremarkable courtyard, just like all the others.
'It's here.'