The couple returned to the Blood Furnace early the next morning. Mostly to beat the rush of people trying to join the new areas. The buildings the company placed on top of the plateau were rustic. They looked nice but weren't overpowered strong holds. They made the most of the views.
Braxton quickly learned this site specifically was being billed as a vacation hideaway. Visitors were booked without hunting passes. Some were and those were being allowed to go down the ramp. The others were stuck on top. "Good, the old man found a loophole." Braxton admired his ingenuity.
They wasted little time getting on their way. The pull to go down into the canyon, only seemed to get stronger the closer they got to the ledge. They followed the cliff to the north east. Braxton stopped a few miles away and looked back with his Scout Vision. It looked like there might be a large cave at the base of the plateau deep in the valley. He added a note to the map for the cave.
He still had work to do. They could return later. With their access they could jump to other waypoints they visited in the past. Traveling around the planet would be simple for them.
"Did you get the Glide skill from that Manta Ray looking creature?" Braxton queried Vixen.
"Yeah, mine went up to rank three. I didn't get any stat increases though." Vixen replied.
"I'm not sure if I did or didn't. I turned off my notifications during the long break. Do you think we should keep following the cliff or turn east?" Braxton redirected the conversation.
"Let's turn east. I don't want to try crossing another desert area." Vixen replied quickly.
"I should've asked for the upgrade water reservoirs. If we weren't so far away from the base camp I bet we could find dead bodies to take them off." Braxton stated lecherously.
"Your nickname should be Ghoul not Ace." Vixen teased.
"That's pretty cool actually. I might have to change it." Braxton replied.
The couple changed direction and traveled deeper into the unknown. The fourth day, they found a sea. They followed the coast for a while looking for a suitable place to set up a gate. The beach looked nice enough and the wildlife was thick enough to support a gate. The issue was finding defensible position. Braxton didn't want to put up a gate where it could be easily spotted or damaged.
Almost at five pm, a formation appeared on the horizon. Braxton paused. Then he zoomed in on the area along the coast. He was to far away to be sure but, it looked like a city. "We might have found humanoids again."
"Fun, it's always hard to tell how that will go. If they are friendly with Tritops it could be very bad for us." Vixen said dismally.
"I'm still to far away to get any details." Braxton replied.
"I'm going to get a sample of this water looking substance. It won't be a prefect sample but, it should be well enough to learn if it's dangerous to us." Braxton added.
"Why bother?" Vixen questioned the point of this exercise.
"In never rains and this is the first body of water I've seen. I'm just curious." Braxton replied.
"Whatever floats your boat." Vixen stated like she didn't care.
Braxton collected his sample without touching the water at all. Without knowing what it actually was he didn't want to touch it. For all he knew it might be some sort of acid.
"Let's move inland a few miles maybe we can find a spot to setup a gate." Braxton decided.
"Just don't get me killed for nothing. I'm rich now you know." Vixen said playfully.
"How are you rich?" Braxton gave her an incredulous look.
"I was there when you collected the blood you sold for 10M, so I'm entitled to half." Vixen pressed.
"You have to be my wife to be entitled to half." Braxton retorted.
"Well I expected a ring when you got around to purposing but ok." Vixen teased.
"I'm to young to get married. Give me a couple more years." He pleaded.
"Okay, but if you leave me hanging I'll kill you myself." She pouted.
"You keep things interesting I'll say that for you." Braxton complimented her.
They traveled for another hour and found another oddity. The trees here looked like trees, specifically palm trees. There were only four of them, but they were the first trees he had seen on the planet. They were surrounding a small basin of sky blue water. It looked like a fountain and it had walkways around it. In the three months he had been on his planet, he had become accustomed to the odd nature of the place. Seeing things he imagined as normal was an oddity.
It was a picturesque site the walkways were white looking as was the pool holding the water. This place was in the middle of nowhere. The path lead north as far as the eye could see. Braxton wanted to snag a coconut off the ground. He wasted no time in grabbing one. He didn't want to disturb the water in the pool or anything else. This place could be some sort of holy site to these people.
They made camp on the hill overlooking the pool. Braxton gathered the palm fronds to use for fuel while Vixen went hunting with her bow and arrow. She returned quickly with a bird of some sort. It was the size of a small chicken. They ate dinner and looked around trying to figure out what could be special about this spot. The clouds eventually caught their attention. They weren't as thick here either.
It could have something to do with the other half of the planet being different than the Southern Hemisphere. It could be very interesting. "I want to keep traveling north. The more I see of this planet the more intrigued I become with it. I'm curious if there is some sort of ying/yang thing going on. Like we might be able to gain benefits from eating meat of creatures in the north instead of blood. The whole time people were stuck in that one region it seems strange to me. There is a mystery and newness I just feel the need to explore."
"I guess. I don't understand that need. Maybe because of all my negative time here. It might be your youth or something but, I enjoy watching you explore. I really like you making money and letting me spend it however I want." Vixen teased.
"I like that you knew me before I was smoking hot and still like that you stayed with me after I lost my nerd like body." Braxton replied with a jest of his own.
"Let's just see what happens tomorrow. We have a city in the distance and we might have visitors to this place at any time." Vixen said as she laid out the bedding and stripped.
Braxton summoned the extra wrist watch and handed it to Vixen. "Here, I've been trying to decide if I should use this upgrade or give it to you. You can consider it a promissory ring."
"Jewelry I like." She grabbed it quickly and started the integration process. "I really like that! Forty more slots that doubled my capacity."
They took turns sleeping. This was a scenic spot but it could be hazardous. If it was a holy site, their very presence could be viewed negatively. They didn't want to get caught off guard. That didn't mean not cuddling until Vixen went to sleep would be acceptable. She was easy going but, when it came to that point, there was no leeway.
Their caution was valid. The moonlight provided a wealth of light and Braxton caught sight of movement around eleven thirty pm. It was coming down the walkway. He woke Vixen and the couple moved down behind the lip of the hill surrounding the pool. They recovered their geared before they were seen. Then they watched the ritual unfold.
At midnight, one of the moons lined up perfectly centered in the pool. A group of four robed figures stood in front of the trees and chanted. The language was unknown. It sounded like singing. In perfect harmony, the four voices blended into one. The music was almost completely hypnotic. It made the couple feel compelled to join in. They held themselves in check through sheer force of will. There didn't seem like any negative energy was involved. It seemed like a holy light filled their spirits. Any darkness or despair that might have been tugging at them before seemed to lift from their shoulders. The effect it had on Vixen seemed to make her look even younger. This planet had twice seemed to make her revert in age physically. Mentally nothing changed, but she looked like she had reverted to a twenty year old.
The singing only lasted ten minutes but, it seemed like an hour had passed. The only thing that changed was the moon changed position in the pool. Then the group left the area. Watching the event seemed to rejuvenate the couple and they were no longer tired at all. They decided to stay here until dawn then follow the path.
An hour and a half later the second moon filled the pool and another group of four robed figures arrived. This group worn white robes. They had not thought much about it before. The color of the first groups robes were red. White was an uncommon color to see in this world. Even the clouds that covered the sky were a reddish hue. But looking up at the clouds now they looked white.
They continued to watch. It's was a ten minute silent event. These robed figures took off the robes. They wore colorful ribbons underneath. They were naked, except for the ribbons attached to their hair, arms and legs. They all appeared to be female and they danced around the pool until the moon left the center ten minutes later.
The women had a bluish colored skin. They looked almost human but had scales covering portions of their arms, legs and bellies. The patterns and placement of the scales were unique to each of them. They also had dark blue lines that looked like tiger strips and these patterns seemed uniform on them all. They were not close enough to see their faces clearly. Not that Braxton's eyes were concerned with that feature at all. When this party departed, they didn't go back the way they had come. They walked the path past the mound surrounding the pool. Then they ran toward the sea and quickly disappeared from sight.
"That was more entertaining than the first performance." Braxton whispered.
"Yes it was, now it's time for you to entertain me. They got my motor running and you need to put it to rest." Vixen didn't given him a chance to argue. She climbed on top on him and started kissing him.
Another group arrived an hour and a half later. These were wearing blue robes and chanted as they walked. This moon only stayed in place for a minute. The group silently stood and seemed to watch as the moon passed quickly through the pool. Then they chanted at a different cadence as they left. Their approach seemed slower and more solemn. Their departure was more rushed.
"What do you think that was all about?" Vixen asked.
"It's religious nonsense. I don't really care about moon worshipers. Unless it somehow relates to how I can make money off them." Braxton replied.
"You think we should put up a portal nearby?" Vixen asked.
"Absolutely, if the dancers have the same effect on other women, this place would be perfect for a date night." Braxton said enthusiastically.
"You're such a little perv." Vixen teased.
"That's probably why we work." Braxton replied.
The two watched until morning but, nothing else happened. They followed the pathway north. It wasn't straight. It drifted towards the east and the city. There was a wall surrounding the city with a single house outside the walls.
When they were about five miles outside the place, Braxton used his Scout Vision to check out the place. People could be seen wandering the fields outside the city. They all had what looked to be pistols resting on their hips. They looked to be gardening and collecting vegetables. The couple spent half an hour there just watching. Then Braxton saw movement coming out the door of the lone home outside the walls.
"No way!" Braxton exclaimed quietly.
He summoned his railgun and looked through the scope. "What is it?" Vixen's interest was piqued.
"Humans, one male and one female." Braxton replied quickly.
"That's good news! Let's go see who it is." Vixen rushed him.
"Hold on, what if they are captives or something." Braxton replied calmly.
"Let me see then." She said pushing him out of the way.
She took the railgun and looked through the scope. It took her a few minutes to find them. When she did she said "That's my girl Cammy and Vector. They were both in my unit back at Dragon Mine. They are good people. They look to be getting ready to go hunting. Come on let's go."
She passed him back the railgun and mounted up. Then she took off. Braxton had to hurriedly mount up and give chase. It seemed like Vixen was in a rush to get there. She was riding her mount at full speed. She caused a stir of angry shouts as she made a beeline for the pair. Ten minutes later she jumped off her mount and rushed forward to embrace Cammy. Followed by passionate kissing for a couple more minutes.
Braxton watched the spectacle with mixed emotions. He was very curious what was going to happen next. Vector didn't seem impressed at all. Watching his companion being felt up by Vixen, seemed to anger him a great deal. To his credit he didn't say anything or do anything stupid.
Braxton decided to go introduce himself to Vector. "Hi, I'm Braxton. Vixen told me you're called Vector."
"Yeah, I'm Vector. What news do you bring? You're not old enough to have been here your whole life and not young enough to have been born here." Vector mused.
"I'm plotting gates at good sites. Is this place friendly?" Braxton inquired.
"Yeah these are the Merlude people. It took us a few years to learn their language. They are very friendly. We've been hunting for them trading meat for resources we need. It's been a pretty good life. Cammy and I have been trying to have kids. They never survive longer than a day or two. If you're plotting gates drop one here and I'll give you a ton of gear. I'll also download the Merlude language to your database." Vector offered.
"Sweet deal. I'll need to figure out a good location. Is there an official like a mayor or something I could talk to about it?" Braxton requested.
"Yeah, that's probably a good call. Our people can be troublesome. I'm just eager to get back to Earth. We've been here a long time. Those two were an item way back then. After we got separated in he battle, Cammy and I got close." Vector said looking at the women making out.
"Vixen, knock that off. She's in a relationship and so are you." Braxton yelled.
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself." Vixen said sheepishly.
"Apologize to Vector not me. I can have my baby mama move in with us now. You seemed to have an eye for her too. We can share her." Braxton teased.
"Don't make promises you can't keep." Vixen replied.
Braxton's mind whirl with thoughts. He wasn't sure how to take that comment. He decided to shelf that topic for exploration at a later time.
"What kind of gear are we talking?" Braxton inquired.
"The Merlude have different weapons. The crystals they have work in the weapons we got off the battlefields. They work better too. They have twice the capacity in those weapons. The crystals we had work in their weapons too. It's like having an endless supply of ammo. The blue crystals used in red weapons recharges them and vise versa." Vector informed him.
"That sounds to good to be true. I've got a business going. I'm working on providing weapons for people. If I setup a gate here they can get them too easy. Do you think you could help me put an end to that? Like you two return with me then work the market here a couple hours a day. You trade with the locals exclusively. Then sell weapons the players. We have a recharging station and make could money off that. We need more weapons there too." Braxton purposed his idea.
"Sounds like it might be possible. How much money are we looking at?" Vector queried.
"A lot, the more we sell the more money we make obviously. Millions and maybe billions in time. It's a growing enterprise and I'm using people that have been here a long time. It's a way you can make money and come and go as you please." Braxton stated plainly.
"So I can make use of my knowledge. That's a pretty sweet offer. I'm in for sure. This place is nice. It's peaceful too. We could use mounts like you've got there. Game is a ways out. We've hunted the close areas out over the years. It's helped the city out a lot too. Think you could get us some of those?" Vector requested.
"It would be a while. We can't take them through the portals so they have to be ridden here. It isn't a short trip either. We are moving north too. I've got two other people that I could give directions here and they could bring some up. Potentially, I can't make any promise. I'm not sure there are any ready yet either." Braxton replied.
"Okay, I'll consider that. Let me go talk with the local mayor. I'll work out all the details and come back. You guys relax." Vector turned and walked into the city.
Cammy and Vixen mounted up and went hunting. Braxton was left alone. He walked around the city. He took a video with his UI taking in the charm of the place. He felt like a travel agent. Having different options for the players would be important for his business as well as his father's. It was a necessary evil.