As Tahir was following the middle-aged man, he looked at his surroundings. He then realized he didn't know the middle-aged man's name. So, he decided to ask. "By the way, what's your name?"
The middle-aged man stopped walking and turned around to face Tahir. He scratched his chin and looked as if he was deep in thought. "Well, that's a good question. I've never had a name. Matter of fact, no one ever knew I existed except for the one that created me. I tend to enjoy my quiet. So, I never showed myself to anyone else here before you. What would you like to call me?"
Tahir had a shocked look on his face, "How did the one that created you talk to you without a name?"
"When there's only two people, there's no question about who you're addressing. Also, he would just start talking. He had a bad habit of starting a conversation with details and never giving a topic."
"So, what would you like to be called?"
"Anything, except for Alfred will do."
"Why not Alfred?"
"It's a long story based on a world you'll probably never visit. Just suffice it to say that your ancestor visited a lot of worlds, and he too agreed that Alfred would be somewhat cliché."
"Well, what's the name of this place?"
The middle-aged man spread his arms wide and said, "This is the Kali Realm. It's named after your ancestor and was the family name for generations."
"Then your name will be Kali."
The middle-aged man became flustered. "I don't think that's appropriate. That was the name of your ancestor after all. Who ever heard of someone taking on the same name as their creator?"
"Well he's clearly not here, and since he didn't bother to give you a name. I'll give you a name that he'll certainly never forget should he happen to stop by again."
The middle-aged man then thought about it for a while, and then he nodded his head. "Kali is as good as any other name. We'll go with that." He then turned around and continued walking forward.
Tahir called after him. "Before continuing forward, shouldn't we clear up what you meant by the one that created you?"
Kali made a face as if he remembered something he forgot. "I meant the one that created me. I'm an artifact spirit. You could say that I am this realm. Your ancestor made an artificial world core, me. When he threw me into the void to test his creation, I immediately began gathering energy and matter drifting to the void towards my body. Somewhere far beneath the surface of the ground here, there's an object covered in runes. Millions of runes in fact. It took him a few decades to make me. In the end, I became the core of this world. Your ancestor then made a few keys, that ring you possess being one of them. He then gave a key to each of his offspring and said they could come here if they needed a place to rest. He used this world as a storehouse for all his knowledge and discarded treasures. He didn't like spending a lot of time teaching. So, created a library where all his knowledge, techniques, and wisdom could be passed down. You are the last in the line. It's only you and your mother left. So, if you don't take up the mantle the family will probably cease to exist, which is quite sad given the level of power your ancestor reached."
"Is this ancestor still alive?"
"I would assume so. However, I haven't seen him in many years."
"What about the others that have keys."
"They died out, besieged by many who were jealous of their knowledge and riches. However, the key will only work for those who share a bloodline with the ancestor. He marked me with his blood. So, only when the key is bound by the blood of someone of his lineage would it act as a transfer point to this place. Matter of fact, you should probably take that ring from around your neck and place it on your finger. It will resize itself automatically to fit your hand."
Tahir took the ring off the string and placed it on his right ring finger. The ring then shrunk itself to match the size of his hand. "What if someone tried to steal it from me?"
"Oh. One second." Kali then touched the ring and turned into liquid and seeped into Tahir's finger. "Now, you don't have to worry. The ring will stay hidden until you want it to be seen again. Regardless, you'll be able to use the key. Now please follow me. We have a lot to cover."
Kali led Tahir through a wooden gate. As Tahir walked forward, he noticed he was standing on a circle embedded into the stone platform below him. The platform was in the middle of a garden filled with grass. There were tall trees lining the walkways towards the wooden gate. These trees were so tall that the leaves on the branches shaded the area surrounding the platform.
Once he walked through the gate, Tahir gasped. He had never seen a place so beautiful. Outside of the gate was a circular landmass that surrounded the platform area. This landmass had flowers of every color blowing in a gentle breeze, releasing a fragrance that soothed the mind. There was a grassy path that cut through the middle of the flowers that one could use to walk around for a viewing. There were several paths leading away from the flowers that connected the central area to other areas in the compound."
Kali then began to explain everything that Tahir was seeing. "We've just left the central area of the compound. Although the compound is small, there are several areas that have more space on the inside that it would seem. Your ancestor loved creating small buildings that seemed to house entire worlds. Well, it was just one of many creation phases he went through in his life. If he's still around, you might find him in the middle of another seclusion creating something else. In the past, I'd know he was still alive because he'd throw those creations into this realm when he finished a product. However, it's been more time than I care to count since he last sent another creation here. I know it's been at least a few million years, but again, I stopped counting."
Tahir could tell that Kali was rather long-winded. So, he started asking questions to keep him on track. "Kali, can you explain the purpose of all these buildings?"
Kali facepalmed and said, "Ah yes! The buildings. Before I begin, I know I'm rather long winded, but you try sitting here for a few hundred thousand years with no one to talk to and see if you can keep your mouth shut. Either way, the buildings you see at the 4 cardinal directions are the learning towers. Each tower has a repository filled with the knowledge of your ancestors. They cover all aspects of crafting for that discipline. Starting with the north, you have the array tower. Turning towards your right from there, you have the forging tower. Continuing to turn towards the right, you'll find the talisman tower and then the alchemy tower."
Kali started to walk towards one of the smaller buildings while continuing his introduction, "Between the alchemy and array towers, you'll see the manor. It used to be fully staffed. However, with the decline of the family, all support staff were let go, sent back to their own worlds. Situated between the alchemy tower and talisman tower, you'll find the automaton storage area. Your ancestor went through a long love affair with creating automatons. They are quite good at the tasks they were designed to complete. However, they don't talk. They just complete their tasks on a daily basis. On the other side, you have the wine storage and the family library with all the skills, cultivation techniques, and arts collected by various family members throughout the years. Behind that building, you'll see the servant's quarters. However, it's been empty for a long time. The arts and skills in the library are too numerous to count, but they can be learned by anyone. That's also where family members can learn martial skills as well. There are several practice rooms in the library where one can practice those skills. The arts and skills specific to the family are all focused on crafting knowledge. Those only available in the towers. There are several outside crafting techniques available for others in the library. There are all levels of techniques and skills in the library, some of which would spark war and bloodshed if they were to appear in other worlds."
Tahir was growing excited as he thought about what his future could hold, but he soon took a deep breath and calmed his mind. "Kali, are there any cultivation techniques that are only available to family members?" After all, he knew that families only kept the best techniques for themselves.
Kali placed his hand on Tahir's shoulder and said, "I'm glad you asked. There are several, but those you can only get from me. I also serve as the central operator for the various towers. So, I can transmit different arts and techniques directly to family members. Should your mother wish to cultivate, she can also receive some information from me as well."
"How could she cultivate? She can barely stay alive."
"And now we arrive at the main point. There's 2 ways to solve your mother's crisis. You can either craft a pill to resolve the poison in her body, or she can use that poison to initiate her cultivation."
"What's the pros and cons?"
"There are numerous pills in our storage, but according to family rules, you can only access the level of storage for the pills that you're able to craft. So, if you want the level 2 pills from storage, you'll need to be able to craft a level 2 pill. That typically takes a few years of study for most people. Some can complete it faster, but it does typically take a few years of study. On the other hand, there are several cultivation techniques that utilize poison as a base. If she wants, your mother can become a poison cultivator by using one of those techniques. One of the blessings of your mother persevering this entire time, is that her body has already been tempered by poison. The long-term exposure has ensured that the poison has touched all parts of her body. So, she would have a good base for progressing. However, it would be the start of a long road for her. So, where would you like to start?"
Tahir placed his index finger on his chin as though deep in thought. After about half a minute of silence, he replied, "I want to start by going home. It's been a while now, and mother should be waking up soon."
"What? Go home? I say. You're certainly an oddball. You arrived at a place where you can start your journey to riches, and your first thought is to go back to your shack in the slums." Kali waived his hand and a portal appeared to his side. "Go home and let me know when you're ready to return. Since you haven't started cultivating, you can't activate the key on your own. So, I'll bring you back when you're ready."
Tahir walked through the portal. "Thanks. I will. I just feel uncomfortable leaving my mother unattended for so long. I know you said you'd monitor her, but I'd feel better if I were there with her."
After Tahir finished walking through the portal, Kali closed it. He then shook his head. "I can't believe the last descendant of the Kali family is a mom-con. If his ancestor knew, he'd laugh."