The following morning went by quickly as everyone got up and tore down their lean-tos, destroyed their firepits, and left for the gorilla settlement. They took their time returning, taking three days instead of two.
Using that time to chat, the stallions heard bits and pieces of the gorillas' plans. What intrigued Hollen and Yeter the most was the chiefs council that would be held soon after they returned. During that council meeting, each tribe and clan would be given a plot of land to claim, future town responsibilities would be handed out, and the first stage of growth would be mapped out. Yeter didn't understand it all yet, but Hollen was very anxious to know that his tribe could receive such responsibilities and be set up for future development.
Before they knew it, three days passed and they approached the gorilla settlement, but once it came into view there was something new that caught everyone's attention, including the gorillas'.
To the north of the gorilla settlement, there was a new building standing tall. It used the same materials as the huts but was at least seven times the size of the home he built his mother. It was octagonal and raised off the ground three krin with a stone foundation. There were three entrances, and each showcased a sturdy, stone staircase in front of them. Facing the north was what seemed to be a stage jutting out of the building. The remaining open area to the north of the building was being cleared and expanded immensely by many gorillas and some other clans or tribes that had volunteered to help.
"Wow, it's bigger than I imagined," Rathe was in awe of the huge building. "Those designs you drew up worked well, Oli."
"Just doing my part Uncle Rathe," Oli brushed off the compliment, "it was Vloz and the others that built it, so I've got to give them the credit."
"You're too humble, Oli," Vloz appeared from the nearby undergrowth, causing many of the stallions to jump back in fright. Vloz chuckled at this and continued, "If it weren't for your perfect design, it would never have been possible, not to mention everything else that you've helped us plan out. I can't wait to see how you handle the chiefs council."
"Honestly, I'm not sure how it's going to go. I normally wouldn't even try something like that but since you all think I should, I'll give it a try. For now, there's something I wanted to show Yeter," said Oli as he pointed to Yeter next to him.
"That's fine Oli, you can do what you like, but make sure to go visit your Mom soon. She's in the middle of making you a personal feast and knowing her she'll have more than enough for Yeter to join you," stated Vloz. "As for everyone else, we've already prepared a feast for the volunteers helping with the clearing and you're welcome to join us."
While Vloz and Rathe led everyone to the clearing, Oli and Yeter ran right past the clearing and the new building and continued south for another ten minutes. They finally slowed down as they approached the mountainside and entered the deep cavern in its side. The two youths followed each other into the depths of the dark cave and just as visibility dropped to zero, Yeter heard Oli's say, "This should be far enough."
All at once, some of the nearby crystals embedded in the ground and ceiling around Oli began to glow brightly with a yellow hue, making it was easy to see the vastness of the once narrow passage. Yeter couldn't believe his eyes as he took in his surroundings and stared at the glowing crystals.
"What do you think?" asked Oli.
"This is amazing!" Yeter was ecstatic. "I had no idea that anything like this existed. Is this the magicite ore you were talking about?"
"You guessed it," said Oli as he walked up to a large piece of magicite. "They're used to test a cultivators essence type and essence affinity. For it to work, you have to channel your core's essence into the magicite. After that, it will glow a certain color based on your essence type and the brightness of the glow shows how strong your affinity is."
"Of course!" answered Yeter excitedly, "Can I use this big one? Can I touch it?"
"First, calm down Yeter. If your concentration is off, it might affect the results. Once you're calm, put your hoof on this big piece here and focus all of your essence into it," Oli made Yeter slow down and take a few deep breaths.
"Okay, I think I'm ready," Yeter stepped forward and put his hoof on top of the crystal and began concentrating. It took a couple of minutes, but the crystal finally began to glow and hints of yellow began to emerge within the crystal, slowly swelling and filling it until it was only a single shade lighter than Oli's. Yeter finally opened his eyes and began to jump for joy.
"I did it! I used the crystal!" the light died down as Yeter lost concentration. "What does this mean Oli? It was yellow, like yours."
"This means you have an affinity with earth essence, like me. Do you know anything about mortal essence?" Oli asked.
"Nope, I've only heard the others mention it when talking to Grandpappy Hollen," Yeter tried to explain.
"If you don't know about essence, how was it that you formed a mortal core?" Oli questioned.
"That's simple, Grandpappy said that all beasts will naturally form a mortal core. All we had to do was wait for it to happen," said Yeter.
"Then how do you guys advance in cultivation?" asked Oli, still confused.