Neigh!
Cask and Beck, the horses pulling the grand carriage came to a halt. As soon as Wilbur opened the door, Eulene jumped out. Xavier followed- stepping down from the carriage.
The Sun was nowhere to be seen, and so was the moon. Thick clouds above curtained the moonlight.
Nevertheless, the road was brightly lit with lamps. And right before them was a tall tower- a four storeyed building that stood the tallest in town, barring Zeitmann's Tower of course. All the windows on each of its four levels gave out light. It was akin to a lunar alternative in that cloudy night.
On the grand signboard that belied the archaic look of the towers, three broad words were calligraphed- 'The Parched Tower.'
Xavier flicked a pieced of gold to Wilbur and led Eulene through the entrance.
The hall was filled to the brim, with people sitting at tables- conversing, drinking, laughing. It was like a bar. But only the wealthy gathered here.
After witnessing Xavier's cutlery engraved medallion, a waiter led them to the highest floor. Unlike the ground floor, this floor was empty and quiet. A chandelier that hung from the coffered ceiling lit up the room. The entire floor was carpeted with bright red. A handful of round tables with silk covers were scattered throughout the large chamber.
The waiter led them to a window-side table.
The waiter waited for Xavier to pull out a chair for Eulene. But contrary to his expectations, Xavier was the first to sit. Seeing no choice, he pulled out a chair for Eulene himself.
Eulene sat on the throne-like chair. And the first thing she did was to turn outside the window. A cold breeze kissed her hair.
Despite the darkness, with her superhuman eyes, she could see everything. Beyond the sandy beaches, the ocean took over everything. It was just waters and waters as far as her eyes could see. Gentle waves hit the beach- its washing sound creating a melody. A few sailboats were close by- some sailing near the shore, while others parked at it.
"It's beautiful," Eulene said with a smile.
Xavier nodded.
Eulene had the sudden urge to taste the exquisite teas of this world. Xavier, a tea-lover himself, had no reason to refuse. So, he decided to take her to the best tea house in the town, and it just happened to be at the seaside.
Xavier turned to the waiter. "Bring all the types of your exclusive teas."
The waiter's eyes widened momentarily, but he acted professionally- bowing and leaving the guests alone.
"According to the woman in charge of the kids," Xavier said, "Sylvia Anderson went missing four years ago. And according to your findings, she is… dead."
Eulene nodded. She had secretly used her celestial eyes on the children and the employees after the meeting with the director. And nobody had a common string that stretched towards a certain direction. It could only mean one thing.
"Do you think it's the same person?" Eulene asked.
"We can't say anything for sure." Xavier shook his head. "We'll have to find similar cases where someone went missing on the night of full moon- permanently."
Eulene stayed silent for a few seconds before answering, "Eulene- Aunt Maisel's eldest daughter… she went missing on a full moon night."
Xavier frowned. "Why are you telling that now?"
"I didn't know it would be connected." Eulene apologetically looked down. "After all, all the victims went missing for a few hours at most."
Xavier sighed. "Forget it. Two can be a coincidence elsewhere, but not in an investigation. These cases are surely connected- either directly and indirectly." Looking at Eulene's downcast face, Xavier sighed again. "She's not in this world anymore, right?"
Eulene nodded.
Xavier figured. If Eulene could detect the presence of someone from their connections, not finding Sarah's biological elder sister till now could only mean one thing.
"What can it be?" Eulene asked. "If killing is necessary for the rituals, why were there surv- survi-"
"Survivors?"
"Yes. That. Survivors."
"I have some conjectures, but without evidences, they are just conjectures." Xavier said as he looked out the window.
Eulene did so as well. The song of the ocean was peaceful, but it was far from enough to uplift their mood after the recent discovery. Children were getting killed out there. One of the victims was nothing less than an elder sister to all those sweet kids they had visited earlier, while another was the flesh and blood of the woman Eulene thought of as her own mother in this world.
Worst of all, they were just the two discovered ones. There were sure to be other victims still deemed missing by their families and the Detectivete.
However, Eulene managed to calm herself after a few moments. Such was the play of fate. She could not do anything to bring back the dead, but she could surely protect the ones who were still playing or studying out there.
She put on a smile to her face and turned to the not-so-bad-looking bastard. He still stared at the ocean with nonchalance. But she could detect sorrow in that indifference.
She remembered the smile Xavier had put on in front of the kids. Compared to the colourful orchard he had shown before, his expression was now that of a parched desert.
The bastard liked knowledge, huh? She would give him knowledge.
"We cult- cultivators begin with training our bodies," she said. These seven and a half words were enough to grab Xavier's attention.
"Once our skin, muscles, bones, blood and organs are strong enough," she continued, "we are ready to gather Qi and contain it in our body. After gathering enough Qi, it condenses and begins to turn into liquid. We channel all of that liquid into our dantian and create a foundation."
"Liquefaction of pure mana?" Xavier muttered as he rubbed his chin.
"Yes. Once the sea is filled-"
"Sea?" Xavier asked.
"The more Qi someone stores in their dantian, the stronger the foundation. After building the dantian, one is ready for the next step. The sea is then compressed into orbs. The smaller the core, the higher the density, the stronger the cultivator."
"Solidification," Xavier muttered and turned to Eulene's lower abdomen, his vision piercing through the table… and her clothes.
Xavier's blatant gaze caused Eulene's lower abdomen to tingle. All the blood in her body rushed to her cheeks as she slammed on the table- hard.
Xavier woke up from his stupor. Her red angry face came into his view. "Pardon me." He coughed.
"Anyways," Eulene took in a deep breath and composed herself, "this is it for the body phase and the Qi phase. Next is that of the soul. They say that it's the hardest." Eulene puffed out her chest and raised her chin. "But I passed through the three stages of soul in one day."
"Seems like the system in your world is quite neatly arranged. I guess the success rate is high," Xavier commented.
Eulene nodded. "The body phase is easy, especially if one comes from a family of cultivators. The Qi phase is harder. But members of stronger sects can use better methods and get through it faster. Anyone who passes that phase can live up to 200 years, if they aren't killed earlier of course. As for the soul phase, it's hard for even members of the top sects to cross that. But if they can do it, they can live for 500 years."
"Sects? Societies in your world?" Xavier asked.
"Yes. Sects is the best term I could come with. I use 'cults' for the demonic ones."
"So, how do people cross the bottlenecks- those obstacles in your 'cultivation'?"
"There are many ways- some try other methods," Eulene replied, "while some meditate to find an answer. But the fastest way is to brave dangers. One could bring out their full potential once they are driven into a corner."
"One could bring out their full potential once they are driven into a corner," Xavier muttered while he tapped the table. The situation seemed so familiar, yet unfamiliar.
"This is it for me." Eulene leaned back on her chair. "Remember? Equal exchange."
Xavier leaned back as well, and began to explain. "Though there are seven recognised elements- four are basic: Earth, Water, Wind, Fire- each corresponding to the four states of matter: Solid, Liquid, Gas, and Plasma. The rest- lightning, woods and light- can only be obtained by those who already have synergy with at least one of the basic elements. Despite there being a handful of yardsticks to measure a kinetic's power, hydromancy is taken as the standard."
Eulene arched forward and put both of her elbows on the table. It felt like he was teaching physics. And oddly, she could follow him.
"There are 5 known levels of kinetics- level 0 to 4." Xavier continued. "If a hydromancer can manipulate one- that is 10^0- meter cubes of water, he is a level 0 hydromancer. Any other kinetic who can equally fight him will be level 0 as well. A hydromancer who can control 10- that is 10^1- cubic meters of water is a level 1 hydromancer. If he can control 100 cubic meters of water- he's level 2, if a thousand- level 3, and if he can control 10 thousand cubic meters, he's a level 4 hydromancer.
"And the kinetics with other elements who can match them toe to toe will be put on the same level. Of course, there are metrics to determine the power levels of other elementalists in their own terms, but everyone agreed with using hydromancy as the standard. Besides, the difference between levels is so high that it barely matters. Anyone with basic knowledge can decipher what level a kinetic is after he shows some moves."
Eulene nodded and pondered. "Why do I feel like level 4 is not the last?"
Xavier raised a brow. "There is something beyond level 4. There is no official term for that… just an unofficial one."
"And that is?"
Xavier took in a breath and arched forward.
"Calamity Class."