Our hero did one last round, to say goodbye to Mia and to Aunt Ching, and hug her wonderful body, then set off towards the next big city on the coast, some 5000 kilometers to the west.
He had decided not to approach the viper's nest until he had a better idea how far they were spread.
In Lacrimosa City, the Chief and his Guardians had executed three clans and a dozen merchants with ties to the assassins, but they didn't know much. Didn't have much in common either, except their god.
Only their goddess, was called the Lady of weaves and Spiders, which sounded creepy, but wasn't a loaded gun.
If she had named herself Soul sucking demoness of sapphire, then yea. But not all gods were stupid.
The merchants came by sea, following the coast and originated in Port Li. Another major trade hub of the continent, but one without Guardians. Or any high ranks above Core.
That detail drew Pef's attention, as Nascent souls should have been aplenty, even on this continent. All it took was 200 years of cultivation, or a bit more.
The airship had already traveled a week westwards, following the coast some 40 kilometers inland.
'I think they are harvesting souls in Port Li'
'Very possible'
'And yet nobody makes a fuss about it. No rumors about people disappearing'
'We'll find out more...stop. There's a Spirit rank snake to the right...'
'Oh. Better airship!' Pef exclaimed as he opened the vanes for a fast descent.
'It's a Soul Poison Cobra. Be careful Aspirant!'
Pef didn't pay much attention. He jumped out at 500 meters, his feet absorbing each fall on a branch, and then the next.
Much easier that the first time he dropped over forested ground. He was also a hundred times more durable.
Pef ran through the forest, although it was more of a jungle here, and the crashed into a large clearing where a hundred-meter snake was gulping on a huge deer.
'The deer, is Nascent rank too.'
'Nice. I'll try to save the horns' Pef answered with an inner smirk.
His soul converged into a point on his finger, and he shot a helix beam of soul spikes at the cobra, white and silver swirling around each other.
The huge snake rose its head, abandoning its meal to deal with a new danger.
Pef shot again and again.
'Ahhh. It's not working!'
'That Soul Poison Cobra is 2 thousands years old. And it's almost immune to soul attacks'
A swipe of the snake's tail hit Pef and threw him into the jungle, tumbling head over heels.
'Ah, at least it doesn't hurt'
'Yet. Your Sky rank armor is getting corroded though...' the glove said wryly.
Pef grumbled as he stored the sizzling armor in the glove compartment and wore his backup armor.
A Sky ranked lance made from the Morse tusk appeared in his hand. 10 meters long, and sharpened by Smith Lin.
Then he lowered his stance, gathering qi energy for a joust.
He began running, his steps shaking the earth.
In front of him, the Spirit rank Soul Poison Cobra had coiled and rose its head high, like a king of the jungle.
Pef kept running, and projected a spiritual defense shield around him.
Poisoned vapors sizzled on the shield as Pef got closer. Then he drew his elbow back, ready to strike.
The snake struck first, it's poisoned fangs glistening in the sun.
Pef pushed his spirit out, while his feet dug into the ground. The snake bit a meter in front of him, gouging the earth.
Jab.
The lance embedded into the snake's brain, going for 8 meters and then exiting on the other side.
Oh. You fooled the poor snake'
'I need his skin intact, dear glove.'
'Right. Store the body for now, I'll need to neutralize the poison'
Pef patted the dead cobra on its head, and the whole body folded into the glove compartment.
'How large is that dimension of yours?' Pef asked curious.
'Depends on the user, of course. Right now, about 1000 cubic kilometers'
'That's like ten thousand of these snakes?' Pef mused, trying to compute the volume of the snake.
'I'll let the Aspirant know if he reaches the limit'
Pef nodded amused. Doing math on his fingers was complicated.
He took out a Sky ranked axe, and began portioning the dead Nascent deer.
The horns were 5 meters long, and would make a great bow, or maybe two.
The horn spikes could be turned into daggers and short swords, and be way stronger than normal Core ranked weapons.
Then he collected a hundred more sick trees for his stove, and took off again.
So far, the journey looked promising, even though he had learned that beasts were sometimes unpredictable.
As the airship sped towards Port Li, Pef began crafting Nascent ranked weapons from the deer's bones.
It passed the time, and it was good Practice. He did advance a bit too fast, so periods of laying foundations were necessary.
After a dozen daggers, he felt some pressure accumulate on his forearm, then poof out.
'What was that?'
'An acupuncture point being unblocked. You still need a hundred more'
'Oh. Seems like hard work...'
'You could fly above the sea to find worthy targets'
'A Spirit snake was kinda hard already'
'Because you're merely a foot out of Spirit rank yourself'
Pef sighed and continued smithing. Damn cultivation was so hard...
A month later, and another acupuncture point unsealed.
Then the first villages appeared in the distance. Port Li would follow soon after.
Pef decided to land, and disguise himself. More knowledge would be revealed if he started investigating from below.
The village of Woodstick was a poor one. No stone houses, no gravel roads, not even a public building.
The village elder ruled from his own wooden cottage, although one which had wooden shutters and a porch.
On that porch, our hero kowtowed and begged for a meal and work.
"Hmpf. A vagabond looking for trouble, aren't you?" the elder asked rhetorically.
"No, might elder. Just a poor boy down on his luck, my parents are gone and our cabin was taken away by..."
"Enough! You have a week to prove yourself. You will sleep under my porch, so the people know I keep an eye on you.
But if you cause any trouble..."
"No sir. Thank you esteemed elder!"
"Yes. You should thank me, and praise your luck. The village has received an order for a thousand logs, and more hands and back to carry them are needed. Now go to the workers camp, don't rest on my porch!"
"Right away sir..." Pef said meekly, running towards the falling trees and the noise.
And thus, Pef started working in the shipbuilding industry, a growing business these days, as ships carrying stone and metal were traveling around the continent, generating profits for the merchant class.
Working 12 hours a day, with barely any food, and hourly breaks for water was hard, for these poor workers.
Pef loved the breaks, and loved the hours after work even more. Gossip was rampant, and all sorts of news passed his ears.
"The Volcanic Fire Sect is searching for some lost disciples. Some say they saw a huge spider take them away, wrapped in webs"
"The daughter of Magister Fang is rumored to be a beauty. The cart driver saw her hand, and it was white like jade!"
"This new boy works so fast. I could use a hardworking son-in-law"
"A sea monster sunk merchant's Diu trade ship. People say the family is ruined."
"It was pirates. Two of the crewmen are now slaves of the Yu family."
Thousands of random news filtered as Pef spied around the campfires.
After a few days, Pef slunk off into the night, and moved to another village, then another. Closer and closer to Port Li.
A month later, Pef reached the outskirts of Port Li, having learned a dozen trades and listened to thousands of people commenting on the state of the continent.
He was right after all. Some darkness was spreading, and promising cultivators disappeared.
But only a single possible new arrow target. That Fang woman, who was never seen in public, and traveled by palanquin.
Pef changed into another identity, dressing like a young merchant.
He even wore a copper ring on his left hand, while his gloved hand was hidden in his sleeve.
This young master stepped bravely into Port Li, and searched for a tavern to rest.
"A pale beer for this young master!" he demanded slapping a table.
The owner send his server to bring a wooden tankard, who then eyed this fool with discerning eyes.
"Your honor will stay with us long? Do you need a room, perhaps?" the man asked politely.
"Indeed. Lodging for a month. Someplace with a stove. Also, a bucket of water and three beers per day"
"We can offer food as well"
"I prefer to cook."
"As you wish your honor. For all this...2 copper squares" the man demanded shamessly.
"If there're some questions I get answers to, it's a deal."
"Most excellent your honor. The nearest meat market is a kilometer to the north..."
"Fang residence. A good seamstress. And the best smith in Port Li."
"Oh. The Magister has the stone house with red walls around. Right in the stone square. The closest seamstress is just across the street. She's okay. And best smith... Master Ang can work even Core bones. Master Yu can shape metal"
Pef nodded as he filled the information. It will take some time for enough copper to made available on the continent.
He will need to start smith schools in every large town.
And stamp out the emerging slavery, or at least transform it. You couldn't exactly escape slavery once metals were discovered. Wealth became easier to accumulate.
He drank the beer, which was almost decent, to his surprise. Rice beer, but still.
A young boy came to show him his room, in a longhouse with some 50 rooms under a long roof.
It even had a door, although no lock beside a wooden peg.
"Boy, any clans around that use bows? I want to buy one" Pef asked the bellboy.
"Oh. The Sea guard use bows. And...the disciples of Ara...no. Just the Sea guard, most honored customer" the boy answered with scared eyes.
Pef nodded as he entered his room.
'Disciples of Arachne. Lady of Weave and Spiders'
'And they have tamed spiders that kidnap people'
'Also have a stone quarry, and mine copper as well'
'And likely sapphire too'
'Not around here, no. Higher north, close the Yellow Tear'
'So, she is the one'
'But not the only one. Step lightly, Aspirant. Find out who gains from all this'
Pef nodded to himself, as he made his way back to the tavern.
"One copper square now. We'll see about another in two weeks" Pef said softly, as he palmed a centimeter of copper to the owner.
"Of course, young master. Enjoy the town" the man replied in a flat voice.
Pef made his way across the street, while still checking for any worthwhile aura.
Inside the clothes shop, he found another white aura. And he could only stare.
A young woman, with long black hair, looking about 17, thus under 100, was being measured by an older one, while she looked bored and annoyed. She was dressed only in a light shift, and thus quite exposed to any man with good eyes.
Another scan revealed her to be a Core rank, like he expected.
"Miss Diu, your father will not approve another dress. And least of all white. Brown is more natural and less expensive..."
"Hmpf. He will pay, he always does"
"But if his ships are sunk..."
"Don't believe the rumors...what are you staring at, get out, get out now!" the woman yelled as she noticed Pef ogling her.
"No thanks. I like the view, and I need a seamstress too"
"I am a Core cultivator. Run before I break your legs, you scoundrel!"
"I know. I can see your white aura, Miss Diu" Pef replied with a shrug, while looking over the merchandise in the shop.
The seamstress did have talent, stitching and balancing cuts with a good eye.
The young woman stopped to think, and realized only a Nascent soul could see her aura. Her face paled a little, and her demeanor became more subdued. By a millimeter. She just noticed his metal ring, and became more interested.
"A-anyway. You can look, but polite people introduce themselves"
The seamstress was torn a little, as she didn't want to lose an old customer.
"I'll come back later, esteemed seamstress. I live next door anyway" Pef declared with a small bow, and left the shop.
'Another wife, yes?'
'Of course, my dear glove. But not while we hunt''
'Right. To the stone square then!'
Pef made his way through the thousands of people clogging the streets, while avoiding carts and pickpockets.
He kept looking for the Sea Guard, which he assumed was the police, but there weren't any bowmen around.
Wooden weapons abounded, also a few stone or bone weapons.
'What can Earth ranks do, in particular?'
'Infuse metal with qi. Or even other materials, like bone or stone.'
'Even their own bones?'
'I think so. For the Legion that's not necessary. We do it as we awaken, and then constantly by simply breathing'
'So, I can do formations now...'
'Simple ones, yes. Anchoring them to a person, that needs a Sky rank.'
'Ah. Since everything has mass, even people!' Pef replied in a fit of wisdom.
'Very well, Aspirant. You amaze me every day'
'I wonder if merchant ships have artillery on them. Like catapults and ballistas?'
'Oh dear. They will have them soon, now that you considered it'
'Never mind for now. Stone house with red walls. Let's go visit'
Pef approached the house at a leisurely pace, noting the door guards, and the other guards on the roof, with bows.
"You, stranger! What's your business here?"
"I'm an alchemist from the Blue Xi continent. I heard Miss Fang is sick..." Pef lied with a smile.
"Oh. You look kinda young..."
"I'm over 600 years old, you fool. Don't make fun of me!"
"Sorry your highness. I'll go call Magister Fang..."
Pef waited in a dignified pose, hands behind his back, and chin high.
A dozen minutes later, a fat man in a white robe ran out the gate, escorted by a dozen guards. The rude guard pointed at Pef and whispered to his master.
Pef called his lance and bonked the man over the head, knocking him unconscious, then made the lance vanish as his hand returned to his back. The guards were suitably impressed, although the Magister eyed his hand for a second.
"Don't point fingers at me, that's rude..." Pef proclaimed out loud. Behind him, a crowd of people hid their fingers in their palms in terror.
"Esteemed Alchemist. Please excuse my stupid guard. I'll have him flogged and fed to my pigs."
"Hmpf. Chop it off, the finger. The pain will teach him..." Pef declared in a generous tone, as he stepped on the body and moved inside.
After ten minutes of slow walk and polite nothings, they reached the girl's room.
"Sir, if you can do anything..." the father said in a hopeful voice.
"I have to see her first, right?"
"Of course. Dear, I have someone to see you..." the fat guy declared as he entered the room.
Pef knew the smell already. He did try to heal his mother.
A frail girl lay in bed, reading from a scroll.
Pef scanned her, noting the silver aura, and the shattered core.
"Nothing can heal me" the girl said in defeated voice.
"Magister Fang, give me some time. Her silver aura is fascinating..." Pef whispered as he pushed the father outside.
"Wrong. There are many things that can heal you." Pef said softly, while he checked the room for spies.
Another door in the back hid a guard and a maid, the guard tensed and poised to jump.
In the corner of the room, a spider web with a dozen small silvery spiders, all still like death.
"Another priest of some god? They're useless...all lies and empty promises..."
Pef walked slowly and patted her head with the glove.
'Scanning genome. 218 years old. No known markers. Target not strong enough for Awakening. Core shattered in 16 shards. A single meridian remains active. Projected lifespan, 18 months'
"Nascent soul, and a silver aura. Quite a catch, for whichever god drains your soul. Most likely Arachne, seeing as her messengers are watching in the corner" Pef said softly, sitting on the bed next to her.
"You're not a hack, are you?" the girl whispered with a feeble hope in her eyes.
"Not a god either. I need a Sky rank to anchor a prolonging formation to your body. Let's hope I make in time" he said while raising himself and turning to leave.
"How long?"
"A year and a half. I'll try to return sooner though" Pef said gently, then stepped out of the room.
The sick girl stared at the door, while her hand crumbled the scroll.
Sadly, the strange man was right, although he didn't even ask questions. The Disciples did offer her immortality for her soul.
She just needed to be burned on their pyre.
Her eyes lifted up, and to the corner, where the spider web had appeared again.
"Guard, clean the spiders webs please. They might bite me." she asked in a weak voice.
"Right away, Miss Fang" her new guard exclaimed, rushing into the room. The sixth guard of his family line, although she always forgot their names. They died too fast.
<< Index >>
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Pef, Aug 4, 2019Report
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PefVersed in the lewd.
Joined:May 28, 2016Messages:1,348Likes Received:59,495
Pef made his way slowly through the town, noting the distinct lack of golden auras. He'd gotten lucky in finding two of them so early. And with Miss Fang, he'd found a second silver aura.
Although, he doubted the poor woman could be saved in time.
White auras were a bit more common, and as he reached the smithy of Master Ang, he found two more.
'White auras are rather more common, isn't it?'
'Perhaps ten thousand per universe.' the glove approximated in a second.
'That's super rare! What about golden ones?'
'Once per universe? Maybe less than that...' the glove estimated in a doubtful tone.
'Are you certain, my glove? Cause I met two golden...' the young user asked in a bit of cautious doubt.
'This planet is stupidly impossible. There must be a thousands of white auras just planetside. Like nobody ever recruited in this universe.' the expert system replied in an outraged manner.
'A reservation then. A special place left aside, or hidden...' Pef mused inward.
The glove didn't bother to respond. The golden auras were already indoctrinated, and in a few millennia they would ascend to Soldier rank on their own. Once it made contact with the higher ups, they would scour this universe and collect all the wonderful recruits.
Pef entered the smithy, where a old man was fitting a bone armor over a younger one.
"It's too tight!" the young man complained in a petulant voice.
"Young Master, stop breathing so deeply. Let me adjust..."
Pef walked over and tapped the shoulder of the armor, moulding it to the wearer like a second skin.
"Ah, that's much better, Master Ang. No wonder everyone calls you a genius!" the young master proclaimed in a praise.
The old smith rose his brows in surprise, following the intruding hand to its owner.
"Okay then. Go back home, young master. I'll settle payment with your uncle" the smith said politely, pushing the loud customer out into the street.
"Hey, wait a minute. I want a sword..." a young voice exclaimed in outrage.
"Come back tomorrow, Master Wong. Smithy is closed today" the old man replied sternly, and closed the door in his face.
Pef sat at the smith's work table, the smells and atmosphere so familiar, after working in Smith's Lin workshop for years.
"I'll make tea" the old man said gently, while letting out a sigh of relief.
Pef took out a few small Nascent rank bones, and started Practice, making of few smith tools, like pliers and scissors, drills and clamps.
Half an hour later, he rose his eyes to see Master Ang sit in front of him, face lit up in wonder.
Pef poured tea for both of them, while pushing the new tools aside.
"Name's Pef. Pef Xi" he spoke after a small sip.
"What can this old man do for you, master smith?" the older smith asked cautiously.
"Someone is kidnapping or killing all higher ranked cultivators. I plan to do something about it, but I need more evidence"
"Hmm. You're brave, but a Spirit rank won't be enough. Others like you tried, and also vanished" Master Ang said in a low voice.
"Yeah. Those huge spiders must be Earth rank then. Lucky I have Sky ranked weapons..." Pef said softly, producing a Sky ranked axe for inspection.
The axe was as tall as he was, with a moonblade half the length.
Cough, cough! The old smith choked a bit, then caressed the axe like a beloved baby.
"Just the weapon won't be enough, if those are Earth ranked beasts. Spiders have armor on the outside..."
"I killed the Sky beast for its bones. I can deal with a few spiders" Pef declared with confidence.
The old smith examined him for a long minute, his eyes lingering on Pef's skinny arms.
"One or two spiders maybe. Not thousands..." The old man concluded with a head shake, and sipped his tea in silence.
'Thousands of spiders?'
'Very likely. They would be decent miners at Earth rank'
Pef sighed, palming the axe and producing the large deer horns. They were Nascent rank and when upright they almost scraped the ceiling.
"You made those bows for the Sea Guard, right?" he asked the old smith.
"Indeed. Although, soul smithing Nascent bones this large, would take me a year" the smith said with a cringe of his shoulders.
"Just guide me through. I can stay one hour, and you keep those tools" Pef offered, his chin pointing at the various tools he left on the wooden table.
"Ha. If I had grandchildren, they would love this fairytale" Master Ang chuckled as he nodded with a smile.
The next hour, Pef learned to make bows, which were a different sort of difficulty. They to be elastic and balanced, while strong enough as well. And unlike skin and tendons, they rebounded back to their original shape at the minutest mistake.
Pef then fitted a string made of Sky Morse tendon, and tested the pull. His muscles ached as he kept the bow under tension for a minute.
"Huh. I don't think even Spirit ranks are strong enough to pull this bow..." the smith whispered after failing to draw a centimeter.
"Probably not. Good thing I'm not a Spirit rank then..." Pef answered with a small smile, then turned to leave.
The smith stared after the young man who turned his life upside down. Wait, he said his name is Xi? Like the fabled bloodline of Blue Xi?
His gaze turned to his work table, where a dozen copper square coins and some high ranked tools were left as a gift.
"That moron boy! I would have paid him instead, for these tools..." Master Ang exclaimed in fake outrage.
He hoped the young smith won't die like all the other cultivators who went against the Disciples. He had real talent...
Pef stopped for a few minutes to check on Master Yu's business, but it was loud and smoky affair, with hundreds of slaves toiling to crush copper ore and fuel fires. They even had overseers with leather whips...very antique.
He nodded to himself and left without looking back. The slaves were mostly criminals, going by their black and red auras.
Not a problem, yet. He will come back, once he had an army or better said, a Legion.
Pef made his way back to the tavern, only smacking a dozen pickpockets hands. Crime flourished as well, especially in towns with nearly no laws.
Nothing he could do right now, except break a few hands.
He sat down in the tavern, and the server brought him a beer without needing prompting.
"The seamstress is free to see you now, your honor." the man whispered in fake confidence.
Pef nodded in silence. The day wasn't over yet.
As Pef entered the clothing shop, he noticed the owner had prepared a small table with drinks and snacks, like she was waiting for a VIP client. No doubt she had inquired about Pef at the tavern, and left word she'll be free all day.
Rich and powerful customers were valued everywhere.
Pef scanned the middle-aged woman with his soul, checking for signs of cultivation. She was a Practitioner, although a recent one. Less than a decade of cultivation. That would make her about 30 years old, and unless she formed her Core in a hundred years, she would die of old age.
Such was the order of nature here, effort and practice being rewarded with longer lifespans and better health.
Her soul aura was a subdued brown, like thousands of other cultivators. But, she was also a good woman. Not everyone had to be a fighter. 'What if we Awaken this woman?' he asked in a hunch.
'Then, her puny neolithic cultivation method will be overwritten, and she'll possibly reach Earth rank, in a hundred years.'
'And her lifespan will increase to a thousand years?'
'Maybe more. With near immunity to disease, unless it's a violent death, she could live ten thousand years.'
'Oh, our method has anti-viral software?'
'Of course. Or that Soul Poison Cobra would have killed you already.'
Pef sat down, measuring the woman with discerning eyes. Decent curves and body. But more importantly, she had kind eyes, with no malice in them. Rare sight in this world.
"Young master? How can this seamstress help?" the woman asked a bit worried.
Pef placed 10 copper square coins on the table, then nibbled on a rice cake.
"I need whatever robes the Disciples wear. Must look as real as possible." Pef whispered after checking for spiderwebs.
The woman paled even as her hand was reaching for the metal coins. She hesitated for a second.
"It's a gruesome death sentence, when they catch me." the seamstress said in a shaky voice, her hand clenched back.
"I will kill them all, esteemed lady. Just need some means to find them first." he declared calmly.
She hesitated, not quite believing him.
"I can also offer my own qi method. You'll become an Earth rank, in a hundred years or so." Pef offered in a soft voice.
The woman lowered her eyes, bitting her lips. "Big words, my lord. I can do it too. In 50 years of practice, I can form my Core..."
"At least 70 years. You'll die of old age, before your Core is formed. Practicing sewing is too safe." Pef countered while sampling her tea. Amazing tea, actually. Aunt Ching would love her.
"People say you're an alchemist, from Xi continent. They live for battle..." the woman said in a hesitant voice.
"Pef Xi is my name. Now, are you married, children, relatives?" he asked curious.
"My husband died, at sea. He worked as deckmaster for Diu family... His family now scorns me, like it was my fault." she explained in a sad voice.
"A lonely life and then a lonely death. Nobody wants a widow...and the charity of the Diu family might end anytime..." Pef mused aloud, then rose to leave.
The seamstress remained seated, while the copper coins glinted in the dying sun.
Pef woke up next day, as a weak fist pounded on his room's door.
He opened the door with sleepy eyes. "Oh, it's you..." Pef muttered with a nearly surprised voice.
Then he left the door open, and when inside the room, to wash in the water bucket. The inn would rate 4 stars simply for having clean water in the buckets.
The woman closed the door behind her, blocking it with a wooden peg.
She then stared at his thin back, while Pef washed off.
Her fingers touched his back gently. "You're not even fully grown. How can you fight those monsters? I hear they use huge spiders." she asked in confusion.
"Yes, I'm only 17. Also I am an Earth rank. I'll be fine" he replied with a handwave. A towel appeared in his hand and he dried off, before picking out some worker clothes and dressing in them.
A pair of leather work gloves followed, covering his hands.
"Your ring? A storage ring?" the seamstress asked in awe.
"So. Do you have everything for my order? Need any cloth or some dyes?" Pef asked instead.
"You left me enough money for ten such robes, unless you want them white. Their shoes will be harder. I rarely make shoes..." the woman said shyly.
"Sit. I'll make breakfast" Pef ordered as he took out a pair of Legion corns and two dead snakes from his glove compartment.
Some 30 minutes later, the woman wolfed down the maize porridge and fried snake like she'd never eaten before. "Sorry. I never had anything like this. This is just too good..."
"I get paid in hugs, when I cook." Pef replied with a kind smile. She did remind him of Aria, a little.
'Hmph. Men! Although...a short hug might be okay..." the woman mused aloud, while her eyes measured Pef up and down.
"You do need to measure me anyway..." our hero argued logically.
"Right...just a professional embrace, so I get to learn your size..." she said with a small blush.
As her arms wrapped around him, Pef hugged her back, holding her firmly to his chest.
"So, what's this lovely lady's name?" he asked, breathing in the smell of her hair.
"Si Chuan, I mean... Si Han. My maiden name. I shouldn't use my husband's name anymore..."
"Well then. Soon you'll be Lady Si Xi. If you don't mind sharing me, with my other wives." Pef whispered in a teasing voice.
The woman hugged him harder, not having enough courage to reply.
Some ten minutes later, a weak fist pounded on his chest.
"Short hug! I forgot. Go and do whatever you do in those worker clothes. I have to shop for linen cloth." Si explained in an embased tone, her face flushed.
"Ah yes. I'm working on the docks today. I should go and get hired already." Pef replied with a smile, then he poked the airbags of Si Han, just to make sure they were in working condition. They seemed fine.
The woman stepped back a bit, considering him with professional eyes. "Too clean. The dockmen are never this clean. Here, a bit of soot on your hair and neck." she explained while dusting him with some soot from the stove.
"See you soon, most beloved lady Xi. We should continue our measurements tonight, in much more detail." Pef whispered softly, as he passed her by and out the door.
Si stared after him, as Pef walked hurriedly, to work a miserable day job on the docks, for whatever reason he did. For fun or to hear rumours. Probably both.
'Dear gods. Did he just propose to me. Lady Xi?' Si realized as she entered her own shop.
Her heart fluttered a little, and her aura got a bit whiter, while her cheeks got redder. She had to sit and calm down for an entire hour.
Sometime later, on the docks, a familiar hero was getting scrutinized by a burly man.
"Boy, ever worked a manual labor? You seem kinda thin.." the foreman asked Pef with a frown.
"Yes boss. Felling trees, chopping carcasses, moving stone and bones. I am stronger than I look." Pef proclaimed heroically.
"We'll see. If you faint in a couple of hours, you don't get paid, at all" he warned our hero.
"No worries, boss. See, I can lift this barrel just by myself!" Pef replied, faking some strain.
"Only a palm from the dock, but okay. Two people normally do it. You're hired. Next!" the dockmaster yelled, calling another worker to be interviewed.
Thus, Pef continued working in ship building industry, while the glove spied and logged all conversations around.
A picture formed in Pef's mind, trade routes, dangerous lanes, pirates, monsters. Mostly monsters of human kind.
'House Wong is working with House Yu to create a monopoly on trade. And then worse.' the glove concluded.
'And Magister Fang is cowed and afraid, even with all his guards'
'Trader Diu only has one ship left. And not for long.'
'You scanned all the crates here?'
'No high ranked materials, no new metals. Grain, meat, leather, rope, oil, eggs, feathers.'
'Feathers, like for arrows?' Pef interrupted abruptly. FInally, a lead!
'Guess we'll visit House Wong today.'
'Tomorrow!'
'Right. You need to measure your future wife...' the glove remembered with a sigh.
'Exactly. Every centimeter of her.' Pef confirmed with an inner smile.
Next morning was a bit different, as Pef woke up being smothered by two warm airbags.
He poked them with a curious finger. The touch connected with the higher functions of their owner and she moaned a bit.
"Didn't you test and measure them enough?"
"Exactly. Had to make sure they didn't deflate overnight." Pef explained in a serious voice.
"You're strange. Go make us some breakfast..." Si mumbled while turning around.
And such, the new couple began their life, living happily ever after...wait. Our story had just begun.
And such, Pef made breakfast, while making sure the new recruit was slowly recovering from a life of deprivation, both nutritionally and emotionally.
'Miss Si would need at least a month of sustained Legion regimens, before Awakening will be safe to initiate. The vaccines will induce infections with light forms of a trillion...'
'I know, my glove. I made penicillin already!'
'Barely the same thing. Anyway. We should also gift Miss Fang some Legion maize. She isn't living in a sterile barrier like your parental unit...'
'And we will. Just need to get the city under control. Establish a Legion chapterhouse, like we did in Lacrimosa. A couple of recruits, backed by hundreds of lower guards.'
'We had no opposition in the capital. Well. Barely any opposition.'
Pef nodded while he poured the porridge, this time alongside rice crackers with honey.
Si wolfed everything in her bowl, even licking the copper bowl for extra vitamins.
She eyed the beer that Pef drank with a frown.
"You will smell like beer today..." she observed cogently.
Pef chugged the remainder of his tankard in a big gulp. "As it's my intention. I'm going to visit House Wong"
"Had enough playing docker?"
"I'm going to change things around town, for a few days. Don't come here anymore, my lady"
"I hope you know what you're doing. The Wong are powerful..."
Pef agreed. They were powerful, and not good guys. Perhaps the nephew could be turned.
And such, Pef dressed like an alchemist again, and went to the stone square.
First he visited House Fang, and left a dozen corns to be given to Miss Fang, one per day.
Then he crossed the plaza, and stopped in front of the Wong mansion.
Next to it, there was a stone house looking empty. Pef smiled. Another house would be nice.
'This will give your enemies a big target'
'Sure. I like targets'
The glove grumbled, as his user disregarded operational secrecy, making himself too visible.
The Wong guards were sensible, avoiding pointing their fingers at the scary alchemist.
"Honored Alchemist, you wish to meet Elder Wong?"
"Yes. The boy too, if he's around" the alchemist replied gravely.
The guard blinked and ran inside. Half an hour later, a solemn procession appeared at the gates, a hundred Wong soldiers lined on the sides of the alley.
"His Honorable Elder Wong! Is exalted to receive! Honored Alchemist Xi !" a crier yelled, announcing the visit to the world.
Pef walked in slowly, noting the weapons and armor of the guards. All of them Core ranked, even for guards that weren't cultivators.
Just wasting money.
"Your eminence" Pef proclaimed with a soft voice.
"Welcome, welcome. Let's go to my garden, the house is being repaired..." The Elder said in a hurry, pointing towards a pavilion in the distance.
Pef scanned the Uncle, checking for anything suspicious.
And the uncle had an Earth ranked armor under his clothes, some kind of chitin plate, and a pair of Earth ranked daggers in his sleeves.
'They must have a high ranked smith, to make those items from spider bones'
'And especially those sapphire arrows' the glove muttered in agreement.
'An Earth ranked smith, able to bind formations to a metal like aluminum'
"What can House Wong do for your highness?" the man asked with shifty eyes.
"Well. I hear you've become involved in sea trade. Outperforming the competition, so to say." Pef commented while checking the area for dangers. A dozen guards were placed close enough to attack at a word.
"Ah, that's a minor, minor business of ours. We mainly grow animals and crops"
"Ah yes. Animals like birds. Feathers. For arrows?" Pef asked curious.
The Elder's face changed, his chest inflating to yell orders.
Pef's soul spike flew under the table and hit the man in the groin.
He continued sipping his tea, as a guard came to check on the Elder.
"He is dead. I foresaw this, even came to warn Elder Wong, but unfortunately it was too late. We should burn the body before the curse sets the town into flames" Pef spoke in a loud voice, while still seated at the table, the one with the dead Elder's face planted down in his tea.
The house erupted in pandemonium, as the young master had not returned from a night of debauchery, and the Elder kept everything strict under his control.
A dozen concubines were thrown out of the mansion, and a pair of Fang Sea Guards came to oversee the proceedings.
One of them remained with the Alchemist, as he was a guest of the Magister, thus highly respected.
Hours later, some house guards found Young Wong, dunked him in a water barrel and then brought him home.
As the evening fell, the Elder was set aflame, and the young master became Wong Leader. Not an Elder, as he was younger than 100.
Magister Fang stood by Pef while the corrupt elder fried, and watched the smoke rise.
"Very decisive actions, honored alchemist" the magister whispered to himself.
"The empty house. I think I will buy it. Just to be close to Master Wong during these trying times" Pef mused to himself, though just loud enough to be overheard.
"Ah. Such pious deeds. I'm certain Elder Wong smiles in Heavens for his luck" The magister proclaimed, offering a pious bow to the gods.
"I'll visit your eminence tomorrow then. Please arrange the house deed and hire a hundred servants. I'm new in town, you see.."
"Rest easy, Master Xi. I know the right men to hire"
"Also, Elder Wong would have wanted me to hold his assets in trust, until the young man is of age. Perhaps 100 years?" Pef asked with a frown. He wasn't sure how long this trust would last, after all.
"Most admirable devotion, Master Xi. Master Wong is truly blessed to have one such as yourself look after his interests"
Magister Fang said while patting his fat belly.
"Good night, Magister. Master Wong, I'll see you tomorrow at noon. Bring your weapons, I will need to see about your training" Pef concluded while his legs coiled to jump.
Next second, the alchemist vanished, appearing on the roof of the house next door.
He then jumped off lightly, and began looting his new house of everything not nailed down.
Luckily, this planet had not invented nails yet.
Pef bonked the young fop again, a centimeter left from the next contusion.
Poor Master Wong's head was a mess of pulsing volcanos, and each time he yelled and tried to counter with his sword, Pef tapped his head lightly with a stick.
"Aaahh, it hurts! It hurts too much!" the young man cried, crushing to his knees.
Pef examined the failure of a swordsman with calm eyes.
"What if you were stronger? Say, a thousand times stronger? What would you do then?" Pef asked in a fake whisper.
"I would...beat you up! Nobody hits this young master!" the scion of House Wong muttered in between tears.
"Would you use a stick?" Pef asked curious. Wong had kept his cool and didn't threaten terminal penalties, like death or worse. It was already something great. Now...
Master Wong blinked confused, his eyes going from his sword to the Alchemist's stick.
His hand unclenched from his sword, and he wiped his tears in an almost dignified manner.
"This young master has made a fool of himself, my lord. He will not use a sword again, unless a stick is not enough." the man declared proudly, making his guards look at one another in confusion.
Pef nodded wisely. Grandstanding for now, but in time, it could become the truth. Wong just needed to be trained.
"All right. Run a hundred times around my house. If you succeed, you get to eat today. If not..." Pef ordered with a handwave.
The man looked at his guards, hoping for a rescue, but nobody wanted to be hit by that stick.
Young Master Wong started running, something no self respecting noble would ever do.
Meanwhile, Pef began arranging a barbeque site in the garden, and began cooking various types of meats.
HIs employees lined up with wooden tray to be fed the strangely looking meals, like spider legs and snakes or snails, but that soon passed when they too the first bite.
Magical beasts were infused with qi, and tasted much better than farm animals. Add a few condiments and it became a 5 star gourmet, especially as Pef used cooking as Practice, transmuting regular food into divine ranked nutrition.
Well, not yet, but that was the purpose. Pef knew it worked, as an acupuncture point unsealed from simply equalizing the temperature of his copper tray.
Constant heat radiation was a prerequisite of perfect cooking, and the Heavens rewarded the effort.
Two hours later, the famished Wong Leader arrived at the barbeque, having ran the 400 meters perimeter of the house a hundred times. Yep, a 40 kilometers marathon, in your backyard.
He was drenched in sweat and barely breathing, but the prospect of a divine meal kept him going.
"Sit down, Master Wong. Drink some tea, and relax for a bit. Your special dinner is getting cooked right now" Pef explained with a kind smile.
Pef wanted to test a hundred types of insects, but was a bit worried about toxicity. Luckily his new ward wouldn't be aware of any danger, thus more aptly appreciate the taste.
And so, a large tray with 1000 insects of a 100 species was placed in front of the famished Wong Leader.
"Try them all young master. Let me know which ones you will like me to prepare for you tomorrow" Pef spoke gently inviting the famished marathonist to feast.
'Aspirant, I believe you should have been the one to test them'
'Ah, but I also have to act as a trainer for the new recruits. As the higher rank, I need to supervise and eventually revive fallen recruits'
The young man looked at the crispy insects in horror. His stomach growled and the appetizing smells convinced him to try one. To the horror of onlookers, the young master wolfed down everything, except nine cockroaches with long legs.
"Master Xi, everything was delicious. Except this ones. They are bitter and still moving" the Wong Leader explained, poking a crisped cockroach which scrambled away, ignoring its burns.
'Ice Spring burrowing roaches. We had a few thousands from the banchize, encased in the ice you collected' the glove explained with a snicker.
Pef picked one up and bit gently into it. A strong qi burst in his mouth, infused with ice essence and some bitter taste.
'Not exactly bad, but not well prepared either. I think these types need to be marinated in salt' our heroic cook mused to himself.
Pef collected the culprits and made them vanish.
"Correct Master Wong. Ice Spring roaches are best prepared in salt baths, not with heat. Dismissed for today. See you early tomorrow" Pef proclaimed in a mystical tone, making all the watchers amazed with awe.
The young master walked away with his head proud, not sure exactly what he won. His guards escorted him with proud backs, amazed how their leader was becoming a real man.
'For a Core rank, the boy seems kinda weak' the glove commented in its usual manner.
'A week of training more, and he'll be like me, at 9 years old'
'That's what I said. Kinda weak.' it jabbed with a mocking tone.
Pef ignored the jabs, and gathered his employees around. "Men. You were hired under false pretenses. I don't need guards or cooks. I think I can cook well enough, and there's nobody on this continent stronger than me. You are here to become smiths and engineers. This place is a school, and you will be the first class" Pef explained to his employees, while gesturing to encompass the mansion.
They watched in silence, not really understanding. Who would bother to hire people, to study?
"Today's first lesson is buoyancy. You all saw ships on the sea, right?" Pef continued while producing a wooden bathtub filled with ice, and added water. The ice block remained floating, awing the students.
The lessons continued for a month, and the new students started to become more experienced. Mathematics and engineering, the basis of ki cultivation, history and geography. And lastly, law and warfare.
Soon, they began physical training, running around the house, if only 10 times.
The second month, the new Sea Guards began patrolling the city again, as they should.
By the third month, House Yu fell, during a strange outburst of public violence. Their mines and other assets were entrusted to Alchemist Xi, and put to use to extract and smelt more copper.
The Yu's slaves were sent to the shipyards, as rowers and sailmen, some of them even becoming free again, if the Magistrate found them wrongfully enslaved.
On the fourth month, four new white auras were crying in pain, awakening in the basement under Alchemist's Xi house.
And just as they emerged, now stronger and less susceptible to illness and pain, a caravan from Yellow Tear was observed approaching the city.
Pef disguised himself as a trader, and went to inspect the incoming caravan.
"This is the Tang Sect caravan. Step aside or you'll be made to suffer!" an older man proclaimed as Pef blocked the way.
Pef scanned him, noting the old man to be at Spirit Rank, and equipped with Earth rank armor. Spider chitin, more precisely.
His companions were normal guards, except a weird guy in the back, dressed in a robe and petting a palm size tarantula.
'That spider. It's Earth rank...' the glove managed to disclose, before Pef exploded into violence.
Daggers flew from his gloved hand like darts, while his left hand shot soul spike after soul spike at higher targets.
People screamed and died, while in the back, the spider began growing, its legs each 5 meters long and the torso at least 10 meters.
Pef charged, splitting open the old Spirit sage with his axe, then rolled to the right, as a spiked leg poked the land where he had stood. The spider's head swiveled around to follow the prey.
'It's a walking tank!' he exclaimed in surprise.
A jet of stick web shot from beneath the spider, forcing Pef to jump high in the air.
His Sky rank lance appeared and he aimed his fall to pierce through the huge spider.
But, he missed! The spider reverted to its palm size and began running away at speed.
Pef had no other choice. He drew out his bow, aimed for a second then fired.
As expected, the arrow missed the small spider. But not its controller, the robed guy in the back.
That one crashed to the ground, blood spurting from his neck.
The spider stopped for a few seconds in confusion, just enough for Pef to run up and split it with a dagger, and nail it to the ground.
'Check the cargo, Aspirant. You'll like it. A lot' the glove said in a gleeful tone.
As Pef began checking crates on the burden animals and the few carts, his smile became wider and wider.
Zinc! Also gold ore which was usually cut into florins. But most importantly zinc ore. Tons of it.
Pef then swiftly looted all the cargo and artifacts, butchered the animals then burned all the bodies on a huge pyre.
He had struck a first strike against the Tang Sect, for no other reason than travelling with a Disciple of Arachne.
'What if the Tang are innocent?' he asked himself while scratching his cheek.
'It would be sad and pointless. But you don't actually believe it so.'
'No. Just like Elder Wong, this guy wore a spider breastplate.'
'Now hide. There will be divine watchers coming.'
Pef ran and hid in the nearby river, using long pipe-like reeds to draw new air, through his shield.
He stayed for a week underwater, hid by running water and cold water, having left nearly no tracks to be followed.
'Visual, audio, smells and infrared, all covered.'
'It will work a few times. But if a higher rank enemy uses gravitational senses, it would still find you.'
Pef nodded with a shrug. Couldn't do anything about it for now.
'How long till my next rank?'
'Still 77 percent to go. More Practice, more combat, more love.' the glove advised in a flat tone.
Pef sighed as he swam out of the river. Cultivation was so hard!
He returned to the mansion, and began experimenting with brass. Copper and zinc are used for brass. Six months after Pef first entered Port Li, he decided to visit the Diu family.
He hadn't forgotten the beauty he met the first day. It just hasn't been a good time yet.
"So, you're going to marry that Diu lady?" Lady Si asked while stretching her body, now a deal more toned and shapely. Her chest jingled magically.
Pef ogled her for a few seconds, while his senses scanned the soul inside. Peak Practitioner, and half a step into Core rank.
The seamstress could only last a week under Awakening, but it would serve her well anyway. She would never fight gods, but at least for a few millenia, she would live a healthy life.
"Most likely, yes. Miss Diu can become a Saint rank, under my wing. All the Guardians that I train can. Some of them will step into divinity as well." he explained seriously.
"How sad, I can't compete with a rich and beautiful mistress. You'll forget about me..." Si complained while bending her torso up and down, in a teasing mockery of Legion stretch training.
'I doubt you'll ever let me...' Pef mused while he dressed himself up. "Enough posturing, beloved wife. Go and run the rounds, then collect the maize and feed the students. I'll be back by noon, for the brass crafting lessons" he ordered in a gentle voice, then walked out of the bedroom.
He looked around, as his students were also waking up and preparing to go outside for their daily runs.
"Master Xi, good morning!"
"Ah, I'm hungry already!"
"More running, my feet will fall..."
Pef ignored the chatter, his vector set for today. He reached the gate, where his new Guardians were changing guard, the night shift getting relieved.
"Any trouble?"
"Not tonight, Master Xi. Thieves now walk two streets away, after the last group was sent to the mines"
"Keep vigilant. Don't rest just from beating up normal people" Pef demanded as he walked into the stone square.
Soon the first batch of recruits will reach Nascent Soul. And trouble will follow.
'The target will only get bigger. So many juicy souls will attract the Disciples.'
'Well, I can't find them otherwise. Their temple is likely masked or cloaked somehow.'
'Possibly deep underground, or under a formation.'
Pef made his way towards the Diu mansion, now looking a bit in disrepair, and barely having a dozen guards.
"Announce me, if you please." he asked the first guard in sight.
"Ahhh. Of course, Master Xi..." the man stuttered then ran away.
A few minutes later, the guard returned and gestured for him to enter.
"What's wrong? You seem out of breath..."
"R-running is too hard..." the guard muttered in between gasps of breath.
'It is? I like running.' Pef mused inward.
'You were running around my maize garden even before you got inducted. Something was wrong with you, even as a child.'
Pef sighed as he noticed the glove had become nagging. Soon, the Diu family rushed to the gate, bowing politely. Pef nodded back.
"Trader Diu, Miss Diu. Well met." Pef spoke firmly, checking out their house. Stripped bare, with barely any furniture or valuables remaining. "Come in, come in. Di go make some tea." the father said in a hurried tone.
After some 30 minutes of polite chat, Trader Diu took heart and asked . "You came to take over our assets, Alchemist Xi?"
Pef ignored the paranoid merchant, his eyes focused on the woman. She wasn't wearing any expensive white cloth robes anymore.
"The city is back under the rule of law, Master Diu. You must have noticed no more ships had sunk lately..."
Master Diu grimaced. "I only have one ship remaining. While the young Wong Leader has twelve ships now, built by your people."
Pef nodded. "Correct. I will offer you the same deal as I did to the Wong family . Twelve new ships, in exchange for your child."
"That's...what is that?" Miss Diu asked confused and then blushing as her eyes met Pef's.
"That, is a marriage offer, Miss Diu." Pef explained while turning to admire their rock garden from the open shutters. 'I should invent glass panes one day. It's only hot sand' he mused inward, while his eyes followed the artful sand lines in the garden.
'Of course you would...' the glove mumbled in desperation.
"Lord. Y-you...you could have anyone. Why me?" the woman asked while her father stepped back a little.
"White aura, Miss Di. It's needed to become a Saint rank. Well, that and the Xi cultivation method" Pef said softly, while his gaze scanned the room. The father was also a Core rank, but his aura was dark green.
"Saint...is that even possible? We don't even have Sky or Earth ranks on the continent..." Merchant Diu interjected, a bit outraged.
Pef nodded in agreement and smiled. "Well. That's almost true. Qi is scarce here, and Sky ranks will be hard to achieve. But after that, one can travel the world freely, and find a spot with strong qi, and simply cultivate."
"You mean, crossing the ocean? All ships that have tried have vanished." the man whispered in disbelief.
"Not all ships. Airships, they fly above dangerous waves and sharks. I flew a thousand kilometers out over the ocean, once." Pef explained with a gentle smile.
"Are you really 600 years old, as they say? You seem about 17 to me..." the daughter asked with some ulterior purpose.
"Pef Xi, 17 years old, Earth rank." he introduced himself with a short bow and a pulse of Earth ranked qi.
"That's...unbelievable!"
"Impossible!" the trader exclaimed with wide eyes.
"Seems far fetched, right?" Pef said in a sad tone.
The father and daughter hugged together, observing the monster in their living room.
"If that were possible, there would be proof, right?" the trader wondered with shrewd eyes.
"Of course. Measurable increase in strength, speed, durability, magic power..." Pef said while calling out his water shield.
"And this qi method... it works for anyone? Are there other people that you trained to use it?" Miss Diu asked, now a bit more convinced.
"Of course. There's two more Earth ranks in Lacrimosa City. Maybe three, if Chief Quing kept training hard."
"Well, it's your decision, my daughter. You won't lose anything, if you try..." the father whispered covertly, not quite pushing her into marriage.
"My reputation and my life, plus my body...ehem. Master Xi seems a decent fellow, and quite rich. And I could afford a real wardrobe..." the woman mused aloud, balancing ups and downs while measuring Pef with her eyes.
"Excellent! I will treat you both to breakfast, since I like to cook. To the kitchen!" Pef proclaimed heroically and chose a random nearby door.
"That's my bedroom..." the woman said with a blush.
"Okay then. I'll escort you, fair lady." Pef replied with his own blush, then offered his elbow politely. Soon, they navigated the corridors to a wide kitchen.
Pef forgot the copper bowls and a set of Nascent knives as he left, having fed the Diu family a gourmet course of porridge and bacon from a Core rank wooly pig.
The Tang caravan pigs served a dual purpose now, conquering the hearts of maidens, through their stomach.
By the next month, the arrangements were made, the shipbuilding industry got an order for twelve more ships, and the Legion a potential new recruit.
Of course, this got helped by news from Lacrimosa City, of a wedding between Chief Quing and Wind Mage Zian, after which the Guardian had revealed his new Earth rank.
Pef began constructing a Spirit ranked airship, three times larger and able to carry 10 people.
And, after months of intense and hard cultivation, Si Xi also crossed the peak into Core rank, a hundred years ahead of normal schedule.
Things were looking great for the Saint continent.
-------------------------------
Somehwere in the low heavens around Lacrima, a shadow folded itself and translated back to its source, a hidden goddess who shall not be named.
"Mistresssss. The Xi child is building an army on the Saint continent."
"Is he now? An army of airships made of snake skins?" the goddess asked amused.
"The boy issssss silly, yes. But our asset might come under attack, in the next decade."
"Hmpf. There's not enough qi there for him to advance to Sky rank. Nevermind the boy. What have you learned of Gaia?"
"She is indeed allied with Volcanis. Their followers muster to attack the Red Dew continent."
"Very well. I foresaw this. I will show them war!" the goddess proclaimed boldly.
--------------------------------------
The day after the wedding, Pef called both women for the talk.
"My lovely wives, I plan to head north, and search for clues about missing cultivators. You will not be safe in Port Li anymore"
"And we're not strong enough to come with you..." Si realized with a sigh.
"Not yet. Lady Di, once you step into Nascent Soul, you risk getting attacked like Miss Fang, and have your Core shattered. I would prefer you head towards Lacrimosa and then Smithtown. Lady Lin is an Earth rank smith, and she can look after you, while you awaken again." Pef said while hugging her thin waist.
"Oh, is she another wife of yours, exalted alchemist?" the new wife asked in fake outrage.
"Exactly. She's a wonderful woman and very kind. Now, there's two ways to travel. By ship or by airship. I can gift you my spare airship and teach you to fly it. It's quite easy, especially as there's two of you to rotate at the rudders"
"Flying through the air, it seems like a dream..."
"Actually, it's a bit windy and shaky. But the wind also pushes the airship, like the sea ships" he explained with a shrug.
"Well...We can try it. Then we shall see how easy it is..." Lady Si said in a thoughtful voice.
An hour later, terrified screams filled the air above Port Li.
"I'm scared!"
"We're gonna die!"
"It's too high!"
"Stop strangling me!" Pef yelled as well.
Learning to fly is not easy. It's not just controlling the machine, it's controlling your own emotions.
Ladi Si got hers under control much sooner, since her Awakening did allow some measure of self reliance and confidence.
Lady Di took the rest of the day, and she cried a gallons of tears. No wonder the Universe was called Tear, and the galaxy Golden Tear. Even the planet was called Lacrima, for some reason.
As the evening fell, the women started glancing down towards the town, while their stomachs growled.
"You're both hungry?" Pef asked, to make sure. The women nodded at once.
"Well. Time to learn how to cook, in mid air..." he said with a large smile, and began frying bits of meat on the stove.
After the first batch, the ladies had to take turns and cook, a task not as easy as it sounds.
The airship was not a modern zeppelin, 300 meters long and able of trans-oceanic flights, only a tenth of that.
As the night fell, the women took turns sleeping, while the other stood guard to fuel the stove for hot air, and navigate by the stars and the reflection of the sea.
In the morning, the women demanded a toilet break.
"Well, for that we have two options. High altitude business, or landing."
"Ahhh. How exactly do we land, without a storage ring?" Lady Si asked a bit confused.
"See this coil of rope? One of you ties herself to it, and gets lowered down. Then ties the ship and pulls it down gently. Di, you're it" our hero explained with a wide grin.
"But, it seems a bit dangerous?" Di Xi asked with a bit of worry.
"Or you can jump. Might hurt a bit.." Pef mused out loud, then jumped out from the airship, at 500 meters.
At 10 meters he pushed out his Spirit shield, creating a defensive bubble.
It popped under the impact, but Pef emerged from the crash on his feet. Barely.
'My whole body hurts...'
'Because you like to grandstand too much. Gravity is not safe, yet'
Pef jogged gently after the airship, watching Di being lowered by Si on a rope. They weren't fast enough, and Di hit a tree, knocking herself out at about 100 meters high.
He sighed and jumped up to catch his wife and drag down the airship.
"My husband is a moron!" Si yelled as she got close enough.
"Shhhh. Don't yell, you'll wake Di up." Pef answered in a normal tone.
Si jumped out from the airship a few meters up and rushed to check on the woman. Di had a big booboo on her forehead.
"I should have lowered her faster. I'm much stronger now." Si admitted with some shame.
"Anyway, beside a human anchor, you can lower a hook or something, and try to catch a solid object, like a stone or tree. But the impact will be brutal."
"And the airship might break?"
"The cradle in particular. And then you'll fall. Perhaps with the stove on top of you." Pef explained wisely.
"Flying is not very safe." Si concluded after a minute.
"Well, there's little obstacles in the air. No waves or trees or hidden reefs. Should be the safest way to travel. Safer than running through jungles or sailing at sea. But you need some practice."
"About a month to Lacrimosa, you say?"
"More or less, depending on winds. Although if you attempt frequent landings the risk grows. Landing is the most risky part."
"Yea, I've noticed. Okay, let's go home, I'm hungry again." she said with a wistful look.
And so, Pef walked into Port Li with a wife under his arm, while the other wife dragged a huge air filled snake like a kite.
It made the day for the locals, as you can imagine.
The next day Lady Di had recovered a bit, and got to say goodbye to her husband.
Pef flew west and then north in his new airship, following the Agate towards Stoneport.
Hundreds of ships navigated the river, since moving cargo was much cheaper on water.
Also, most of the farmlands of the continent were located on the sides and tributaries of the Agate.
Pef flew low, keeping close enough to the ground for the glove the pick up voices and create a noosphere of data from chatter and rumours.
Sightings of the disciples, rumours of more cultivators disappearing, even about a band of bandits that massacred a Tang caravan.
A noble woman lazed on the riverboat, looking from her chair at the boring tradeships, when a snake airship crossed across her sight.
She flared her soul, peering at the man driving the flying contraption, and tried to assert his rank.
To her surprise, due to distance and opposite vectors, she failed, getting only a return from the snake, a Spirit ranked beast that had been skinned.
"That looked like a Poison Cobra though. Who is insane enough to kill and then skin such a poisonous beast?" she wondered idly and a bit loud.
"I guess we'll find out, when we reach Port Li, Mistress Tang. We should prepare to send that poor girl's soul to the goddess." the Disciple answered in a polite tone.
"Yes, and find out why we stopped receiving messengers from the Yu and the Wong."
'So, we have a clue I think' the glove mused as it relayed the intercept.
'Yeah. I'll circle and approach again tonight. Maybe they stop on the river banks somewhere'
'And if they don't?'
'Then I'll have to get inventive.'
'Oh dear. You mean incendiaries, right? Maybe toxic gases? Kinetic drops?'
'I meant swimming.'
'Right. Forget I mentioned anything.'
'Plus, I'd need tungsten to create deorbiting kill vehicles.'
'You can't reach orbit in hot air flying machines.' the glove muttered to itself.
'Right. I'd need to invent rockets. Ah, neolithic tech is so backwards...'
'Not for long...' the glove realized in near terror.
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Last edited: Aug
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