In the shadow of the Bastion, Barru lead Diego to a small sandstone house with a few stone decorations of different monstrous creatures. Barru had not said a single word throughout their entire journey and continued as he only gave Diego a nod before vanishing from the doorstep of the house.
There was a young woman on the second-floor roof, bent over with her back to the front. Another person could be seen moving inside the house through the windows, but Diego was unable to see any detail, only the blur of movement.
::The pair are likely Ishu's maids, Jia and Tue. When you enter, just tell them you will be going into closed-door cultivation for the next ten days. They will not stop you and managed the house as they have while you were gone::
(Can you also guide me to my room or where ever I'm supposed to go?) Diego thought with a bit of amusement.
::Follow the arrows, and yes, only you can see them::
A floating, blue arrow appeared before his eyes and Diego smirked as he followed the arrow. He pushed open the door, since it was not locked, and stepped inside. A young woman, no more seventeen, was sweeping the floor and her head snapped up the moment she heard the door. She had a slender frame with orange-brown skin and light brown hair. Her eyes were a muted yellow-brown and a flash of different emotions could be seen in them for a moment before she quickly hid the fact.
"Young Master!" the girl exclaimed with a mixture of fear and relief in her voice.
"Tue," Diego said with a nod. "I will be entering closed-door cultivation for the next ten days and I expect no interruptions."
"Of course, Young Master!" Tue quickly replied with a low bow.
Diego did not waste any time with her as he continued on through the house and made his way to what he guessed was his room. Most of the house was bare and plain with only a few coarse rugs and some small stone furniture, but the bedroom had a large wooden bedframe with a feather mattress and a polished silver mirror. Although he did not have a real idea of the level of the world and wealth, by what he had seen as he walked and the state of rest of the house, he was sure that this is where Ishu had concentrated his funds.
Despite the arrow directing him to the wardrobe against the far wall, he walked up to the mirror so that he could see his new appearance. His skin was nearly the same scarlet as the sands of the desert and his hair was the same sandy blonde as Barru. His body was a bit fleshy, but there was still definition in his muscles when he moved. The yellow robe, which had nearly turned completely orange with sand, he was wearing had a number of rips and tears and he could even see traces of dried blood, but when he checked his body, there was no sign of a wound. He could not help but chuckle when he checked his lower region and noticed that his little brother was bigger than it had been in his past life.
The arrows provided by the System remained while he looked himself over, but eventually, he returned his attention to the wardrobe. Inside he found a number of similar robes of fine linen in a range of colors from yellow to a dark red. Diego pushed aside the clothes and pushed against the back wall of the wardrobe. With a soft grating sound, the false wall opened, revealing a staircase of sandstone steps. He stepped through and shut both sets of doors behind him.
When doors shut, it was not darkness that greeted him, but a gentle green glow that came from stones placed in the walls. Diego smiled as he thought about the Glow-In-The-Dark stars he had placed on his sister's ceiling for her. She had him arrange them so that her favorite constellations were recreated.
"I'll see you again, sis," he promised as he ran a finger along a nearby stone.
He continued down the stairs until he reached a dead end. There was an archway at the bottom of the stairs, but there was a massive circular stone blocking the way through. A blue handprint appeared in the center of the stone, so Diego placed his hand in the center. Strange runes lit up on the archway in a teal light then the stone vanished. He smiled at the magic as he walked inside the room. It was a small room, three by three meters, and completely empty, except for a mat in the center. The light came from a large crystal in the center of the ceiling and the runes that were carved into the stone walls.
(Now that we are alone, is there some way you can show me Ishu's memories so that you don't always have to talk for me?) Diego asked silently as he sat down on the mat.
::Since you have fully adapted to your new body, it is possible to return Ishu's memories to you as they were once a part of this body::
(Do it.)
There was a sudden rush of information that felt like ice water being poured directly onto his head. Ishu's life felt like it played before Diego's eyes as he lived everything through him.
Ishu was the fourth born son of Barru Telryn and Jolai Telryn. Barru, of course, was the Patriarch of the clan and therefore considered a neutral party, but his mother, Jolai, belong to the Hawk Faction. The Hawk Faction were the hunters of the oasis, totally nearly seventy able-bodied men and women. They were masters of the bow and ventured deep within the sands of the desert in hunt for meat that fed the clan.
Because of that, Ishu was trained to wield a bow as soon as he was old enough to stand. He was not even strong enough to pull back the string at first which only got him beatings from his instructor. Barru had been born to the Wolf Faction and, even though he was considered neutral in the clan, his sons were taught the ways of the warrior. At five, Ishu had begun his training with the spear and thereby, a whole new round of beatings.
Needless to say, Ishu had a rough childhood and in his adolescences, he turned his attention to women when he was free from training. As an heir, he was forbidden from producing an heir of his own, but there were many ways around that problem. Even his maids were not free from his touch, so Diego understood more about her conflicting emotions when he returned. If he had died, as a servant of a fallen heir, she would likely be put to death, but now that he had returned, the abuse would also be back, or so she thought, since Diego would not act the same.
Aside from the personal information, Diego also learned more about the clan and the factions. Besides the Hawk Faction of his mother, there were three more Factions, the Wolf, the Lizard, and the Owl.
The Wolf Faction were the warriors of the tribe and, although there were members of the Hawk Faction within the clan's forces such as Toba, every member of the Wolf Faction belonged to the clan's militia. They were the strongest group but were locked in a stalemate because of the alliance between the Hawk and the Lizard Faction.
The Lizard Faction was by far the weakest, but also the most needed. The Wolves only knew how to fight, and the Hawks can only hunt, so it is the Lizard who must build the home. It was a strange saying that was taught to Ishu in describing the importance of the Lizard Faction. What they did was the everyday activities that kept the oasis running, from blacksmithing to farming to weaving baskets and making clothes. Their voice may be soft, but even the Wolves must listen at times.
The last faction was the Owl Faction which belonged to the Shamans. They rarely interfered with clan matters, only stepping in when ancient customs were being dishonored or true danger was approaching the clan. They were beloved by most of the clan because their magics not only healed and protected the people, but gave them all sorts of luxuries that would be impossible without them.
Outside of the clan, there were six nearby oasis that controlled by Langu, Happa, Wejun, Quko, Yung, and Bolxi Clans. The Quko and Bolxi Clans were allied with the Telryn Clan. Langu and Yung were another alliance while Happa and Wejin made up the third. There were often quarrels between the three groups over the limited resources of the desert and, when tensions reached a boiling point, there would be raids on the unlucky oasis. The last raid on the Jobin Oasis two years ago left a total of fifty dead, thirty-five belonging to the Wolf Faction while the remaining fifteen were unlucky Lizard Faction members who farming at the time.
Other than the limited information about the clan and the surrounding ones, it was almost as if the outside world did not exist. Diego guessed it was far more likely that Ishu was a frog at the bottom of the well than this world being anywhere near as small as he thought it was. He merely sighed at his lack of knowledge, but an alert quickly made him chuckle.
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Mission Acquired!
- Learn about the world from the clan library by scanning all of the scrolls.
- Requirements: Record every scroll within the library.
- Reward: Access to the 'Lore' window and 50 skill points
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(Alright, now that I've looked into my 'history', why don't you give me a run-down of what exactly you do?) Diego asked.
::I am the go-between for the 'Seed' and you, constructed to assist you develop your power in a system that would be easiest for you to understand and adapt to. I will help you convert the power contained within the 'Seed' into the medium that they use within this world so that you can safely use that power without alerting those who could sense it::
(Alright, you told the old man that I would need ten days to defeat my brothers. I might have Ishu's body and memories, but I've still never fought anyone before and my three elder brothers are all on the fourth stage, possibly higher if they have been hiding their strength. I am hoping that you have a plan.)
::I do. Begin your Body Cultivation Technique and, when you fall into your trance, I will pull your mind into your mental plane::
(Okay.) Diego thought in reply as he closed his eyes.
He began the breathing technique and slowly fell into a trance which he would not have been able to do if he was not within the cultivation room. Unknown to him, the white light coming from the crystals and runes turned a scarlet color as Diego's body drew in the solar energy stored within them.