"..Huff....Huff.." Light pants echoed.
Qi formed delicate patterns.
Multiple patterns were formed and stacked.
A black, mostly transparent mental energy then coated the pattern.
The pattern was then carefully directed toward a rectangular metal disk.
It passed through the disk's surface, following which, a glowing mark resembling it appeared on its surface.
" See how it works then." An aged voice echoed out.
" Hmm." Sounded a younger voice.
Qi poured through the air toward the inscription.
Vivivi!
The disk vibrated lightly.
Crack!
The inscription, along with the metal disk cracked.
The pieces shot into multiple directions.
" Are you trying to kill this old man in his old age, boy?" Old gray shifted his head, as a piece of metal flew by.
" Wasn't it you who told me to test the inscription?" Levi asked as his blood shield caught the shrapnel.
" Ahh? Is that disrespect flowing from your mouth?" Old gray asked.
" H-How could I!-"
" I Should die a thousand deaths!!"
" Even if this insignificant one's life isn't nearly enough to make up for such a crime, I-I!" Levi slammed his forehead into the sewing table in apology.
" Ok, stop." Old gray's face scrunched in disgust.
" I will never get used to seeing your expressionless face showing emotion, it's surprisingly creepy." Old gray said unhappily.
" Again, it was you who prompted my actions." Levi said calmly, as he straightened his back.
Rumble!
The room shook, while tools chattered.
" Hmm? Another earthquake..." Levi's gaze shifted.
" Humph! Acting in front of this old man!"
" You have improved during these two years, but your success rate for inscriptions is still only about 49%, roughly!"
" This is what happens when you try to focus on multiple things as a cultivator!" Old gray pointed at Levi, ignoring the spectacle.
" You say that, but why is it that you look so satisfied when taking my money?" Levi asked with a disbelieving expression.
" Humph, desperately begging for this great one to teach you, bringing a few gold coins with every visit is nothing in comparison!" Old gray, with his eyes closed and arms crossed, shook his head.
" You are finally going senile, hmm, old man?" Levi smirked.
" Enough of this. Here." Old gray placed a blueish-white crystal-like material onto the table.
Frost grew on the table's surface instantly.
" This thing is the stump of an ice crystal tree I got years ago from an ice continent." Old gray pointed at the fist-sized crystal.
" And?" Levi asked as he picked it up with his blood energy-coated hand.
" Humph! Use it for an inscription. now." Old gray said.
"....Didn't you tell me that I had to be at your level before I could break down materials and use them in inscriptions?" Levi eyed old gray with suspicion.
" Did I say that? Anyway, do as I tell you! You might not be able to get it done, but experiencing the feeling might help you in the future." Old gray said.
" Ok." Levi's qi spiraled around the piece of crystal.
Creak!
"..." His gaze shifted to the door, as it opened.
" Oh, it's the emotionless girl!"
" Hrnn, shouldn't she have experienced emotion-flaring things by now?"
" What are you, or should I say, what are you Not doing boy?" Old gray smirked.
" Again with that nonsense?" Levi asked.
" Oh, there is also old lin." Old gray finally noticed.
" Sigh, I'm starting to feel unwelcome here." Old lin sighed, a slight smile on his face.
" You are! Get lost, you old bastard!" Old gray slapped the table.
" C'mon, are you still upset that you lost all of those gold coins to me? haha..." old lin snickered.
" You!!" Old gray shot up from his chair.
" Levi." The girl called out.
" Did something happen?" Levi asked.
" The same situation. He was told to leave, but insisted on talking to you directly." The girl said.
" Sigh..." Levi got up.
He swept the hair covering his face over and behind his head.
" I should have killed him a long time ago." He said.
Slap!
"..." Levi glanced at old gray.
" Humph, at least you are in control of yourself. Remember, if you get yourself into trouble in a fit of rage, I'm not going to rescue you!" Old gray pointed.
" Hmm." Levi responded.
" You should also get something to tie your hair with! It's already down to your shoulders!" Old gray shouted to a departing Levi.
" And don't forget to bring some pocket money when you come back!" Old gray shouted.
" Sigh, how troublesome. So? What exactly happened this time, Nerezza?" Levi glanced back.
" A fight broke out between our people and his." The girl said, her long black hair blowing in the breeze.
"..." Levi looked up at the sky while blocking the glaring sunlight from his eyes.
" Is that all?" Levi asked.
".....Let me rephrase. About 40 of our people and a few of his got into a fight." Nerezza said.
".....That is completely different from what you said before." Levi said.
" He is waiting for you outside." Nerezza pointed.
" I see him....did anyone die?" Levi whispered.
" Not that I know of." Nerezza said.
" Hmm." Levi responded, a smile growing on his face.
" Is something funny, brat?" A man wearing a black robe stood before a large red building.
" Nothing at all, Mr. Lloyd. Would you prefer an expressionless face?" Levi asked, as his face straightened out.
" Don't think that calling me 'Mr' will save you this time!" A vein bulged on the man's forehead as his anger erupted.
' It worked wonders the last time though!' The demon saint burst out laughing.
" This is two years, now! Two years, yet you still can't seem to control your people!" Lloyd shouted.
" We agreed after the first incident that our people would leave each other alone when selling beasts, but yet, what is this again?!" Lloyd shouted.
' Hahaha, look how this guy has gotten after just 2 years!"
' When we arrived, he was just the manager of some small coliseum owned by one of those clans!' The demon saint commented.
" Shut up, demon saint." Levi said.
" Shut up? You are telling me to shut up?!?" Lloyd asked.
"....Prepare his compensation for this incident." Levi looked at Nerezza.
She simply nodded before walking towards the red building.
" Your compensation will be sent to your residence, you don't have to wait here any longer." Levi said.
" Compensation?! I don't want your iota of money! If this happens again, then wash your neck and wait!" Lloyd shouted over his shoulder as he walked away.
" And if my money is late, I will fucking kill you!" He shouted from down the street.
"..." Levi stood in silence for a few seconds, admiring the shamelessness.
" Sigh...." He sighed as he walked towards the building.
' Why do you tolerate that fool? I don't understand.' The demon saint said in a bored tone.
" Stop playing the fool, old demon. You know as good as me that these incidents are a result of things done on our side." Levi said.
' So what? Are you saying that you will let him walk all over you because it was something started by your underlings?' The demon saint asked.
" Don't be stupid. I just don't want to make more enemies before dealing with the unstable element hiding under my nose." Levi said as he reached out towards the door.
" Are you ok, miss?"
" I-I'm fine."
" Hmm?" Levi looked back.
A person sat in a wooden wheelchair, as the person pushing it questioned them.
"....!" While turning back around, he felt something cold on his face.
" Snow...." His expression dimmed.
' Hehe, you never told me why you hated snow so much.' The demon saint said inquiringly.
" Why do I have to tell you everything?" Levi asked as he opened one of the two doors.
" Ahhhh, Keep drinking!"
" Come on! Come on!"
" Keep going!!"
" Damn it, watch where you walk, bastard!"
" Ahh? Keep your fucking feet out the way next time!"
" What was that?!"
"..." Noise exploded as soon as he opened the door.
" Oh! Shhh!"
" Boss!"
" The boss is back!"
" Young master!"
" Hehe, thank the young master!"
" Thank you, young master!" The men, along with the few women bowed.
" Hmm." Levi responded as he walked through the tables of people.
He walked up two flights of stairs before arriving at his room on the 3rd floor.
Inside was dark, as black curtains hung before all windows.
Levi walked through his relatively empty room, before sitting on his bed.
He sunk into it as he sat cross-legged.
He closed his eyes as he began cultivating.
...
3 Hours later.
Knock! knock!
"...Come in." Levi said softly.
" Young masteeer!" A loud female voice rang out, as a figure jumped toward Levi.
" Let go, Aria." Levi said.
" How can you be so cold, young master? Even when I have been working hard every day for your sake!" She pouted.
" Get off." Levi said coldly, his irritation evident.
" Ok!" Aria quickly let him go, a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead.
"...Never learns." Nerezza said under her breath.
" What was that Ezza? Hmm? Don't worry, aside from the young master, all men are trash in my eyes." Aria said as she eased closer to Nerezza.
" Only well-proportioned women like yourself catch my eye these days." Aria's limbs snaked around Nerezza's body, while the latter stood silently.
".....Both of you have rooms, right? what did you want!" Levi shouted, his patience running thin.
" Here." Nerezza handed Levi a book.
" Hmm, this spike in the use of silver coins is?" Levi asked.
" Those fools below held a drinking party a little earlier...." Aria said scornfully.
" Hmm." Levi nodded his head.
" Are you just going to let them do as they please??" Aria asked as she took the book from Levi's outstretched hand.
" As long as they don't cause trouble for me, or go overboard with spending, then they can do as they please." Levi said.
" How is pill refining going for you? Is that eyepatch working as intended?" Levi asked.
" Yes! The eyepatch's sight enhancing inscription helps a lot when I'm refining pills! And instead of qi, it uses mental energy!" Aria touched the black eyepatch.
It had the outline of an eye in yellow on its surface.
" Hmmm, do you have any pills with you?" Levi asked.
" Here." Aria handed over a blood-red pill.
" Blood-clotting pill. There are not chunks of any ingredients this time." Levi crushed the pill between his fingers before commenting.
" Hehe, even though your pills were low in quality, we still made a lot of money from them." Levi looked up at Aria.
"..." Aria smiled lightly, pride filling her heart.
Just a little over 2 years ago she was just a wife who was thrown away.
But now, she could do things that normal people couldn't.
She felt that she had the right to feel proud of herself, reaching this point.
" Alright, you can go. Oh, How is Aron doing?" Levi suddenly remembered.
" He is still bedridden. I don't know what is wrong with him, but I'm glad my sleeping pills work on him." Aria said with concern.
"..." Levi kept silent.
" Um..." Aria stopped.
" Hmm?" Levi looked up.
" You....You aren't going to...do anything...with her, right? Young master...." Aria questioned softly.
" Ahh? You have asked that same question for two years, give me a break." Levi waved her away.
" Now, about what we were talking about before. The dwindling number of mutated beasts in desolate mountain." Levi said.
" What do you think?" He asked.
" For now, we should start to gather them from the different countries of the cloud continent." Nerezza said.
" Hmmm, that is the only option after all." Levi mumbled.
" You can go." Levi said after a small silence.
"..." Nerezza turned around.
"....You know, if you feel that strongly about her, then you should just grab her and don't let go. I am not one to judge." Levi said as he lay on his back.
Nerezza's steps came to a halt.
" You...how did you...." She looked back, her cheeks red.
" In my eyes, people are just people, No one is special. There are just people I know, and people I don't."
"...But just because I am like this doesn't mean I don't see certain things."
" Believe it or not, there was a time when I allowed myself to feel." Levi looked up at his ceiling.
" All I am saying is, if you want something, take it before it is taken from you...." Levi said.
".....You know nothing." Nerezza's face became expressionless as she mumbled under her breath, before leaving.
".....Because believe me, eventually, it will be taken from you, or you from it, regardless." Levi finished.