Frankie and Melly had just stepped out of the house and were heading to the bus stop nearby when Abel had gone to bed.
Frankie hadn't spoken up at breakfast because he generally understood the old Abel's thoughts. He mentioned it now that the couple were alone.
"Mell, I know you just want Abe to be happy, actually… he knows it too but it's just difficult for him."
"Oh... and how is it difficult, care to explain?"
"There's a lot of reasons. First off, he isn't in the right place mentally or financially to be falling in love. Sure, he's doing much better now but back when she confessed her feelings he was saving every milli-credit he made. Second, why would he be with someone he wasn't romantically attracted to? Should he lie to the girl and himself just to make her happy? You want him to find happiness but if you keep pushing him to Allison then you'll achieve the exact opposite. Besides, do you really want him to have old lady Mae as his mother-in-law?"
There was actually a lot Frankie held back from saying but he got the important points across and that's what mattered.
Melly didn't say anything for a while, as though she was going over everything her boyfriend just said. It wasn't until they got to the bus stop that she finally spoke up.
"He's really different now. He wouldn't have spoken to me like that in the past. Even if he disagreed with me…"
"I know but he's not a little kid anymore. You don't have to worry though, no matter how different he seems, he's still Abe and he'll always be our little brother. There's nothing in the world that could ever change that."
He reassured her with a smile, clearing the worries she felt deep down.
*****************************
Abel woke up feeling his mind much clearer than before. He had felt bad about how he handled Melly at breakfast but she couldn't understand his recent experiences. There weren't many girls like her that would be content with living a penny-pinching life with the person they loved.
Money made the world go around, without it, it would stop. Maybe not literally, but it applied to the world of relationships and dating.
He shook his head and got out of bed. After washing up and answering nature's call, he walked out into the yard to start his practice. He had been feeling less stiff after leaving the NeuroNex pod. It had to be due to his recent exercise considering he hadn't been cutting back on his time online.
He stretched his muscles and rotated his joints before going through the Yang style 24-step form 3 times in succession. It took him about 15 minutes but that was only because he had years of experience and Tai chi puts more emphases on slow and flowing movements.
It wasn't like other styles of martial arts where strength and speed were paramount after control. Tai chi placed control first, then speed and then strength. With perfect control, you could achieve your fastest speed and greatest strength in any action.
He slowly regulated his breath as he smoothly transitioned into the 108-step long from. After an hour of repeating the long form 3 times, he started his cooling down exercise.
While the visualization during practice was tough for beginners at the start, those who were more experienced could complete the exercises more smoothly with it instead. As he felt more refreshed in mind and spirit, he made his way to the bathroom and took a quick cool shower.
After fixing himself a quick sandwich, he checked up on the rabbit pelts and figured it was time to get them out of the tanning solution.
He didn't spend too long rinsing them out and putting them in lukewarm water, they were much smaller and lighter than the boar pelt. After leaving them to soak in the tub, he made his way back to his room and hopped back into his pod.
Whooooooooooosh
He found himself standing in the middle of old man Rye's study. Even though he had gone through all of Branthor's records, he hadn't yet touched any of the other journals and books stored by the old guardian.
'Although there shouldn't be any clue's here, it's still a treasure trove of information that I shouldn't waste.'
He had to wait a few of days till the old guardian could take him into the palace anyway so he dove right into the thick of it.
He read about many more battles and a lot of unheard of professions. The old guardian was different from his brother. While Branthor travelled extensively and practiced his craft, Bryen had joined the Kingdom's army and went on several expeditions against monster nests and other human powers.
A couple of hundred years ago, the region was very different. Although the MerEmpire was the dominant power, they didn't care about what the human kingdoms and beastmen tribes were up to so long as they abided by the aquatic elves rules and laws.
It wasn't until 80 years ago when a huge incident took place. It was termed the Sanguine Rift as the 2 human kingdoms at war caused a blood red rift to appear within the world.
The dispute started off as a small disagreement that happened along their borders. Just like most wars, it was a clash over resources that slowly escalated over the days and weeks as neither kingdom would give way to the other. They called on their allies and the small war was slowly turning into a huge regional conflict.
The MerEmpire didn't care about the other races so they didn't intervene and merely watched from the sidelines. The battles fought were so bloody and fierce that eventually, a very strong demon was summoned from the abyss out of all the bloody, negative and deathly aura built up within the area.
The demons rampage went unchecked and it wreaked havoc on several islands and kingdoms, including the 2 that started the war.
The land was so devastated and ruined that these islands remain uninhabitable to this day. In fact, they currently made up one of the largest connected dungeons within the world.
The islands had been infected by the demon's negative aura that would give birth to several types of abyss monsters. The monsters' levels would range from 50 all the way to 250 depending on which island you went to but the dungeon was referred to as the Sanguine Islands.
The demon seemed unstoppable until the arrival of several Legends that were protectors of the MerEmpire.
An even fiercer battle broke out between them but even then, it was impossible to kill this otherworldly being. It kept feeding off of the deathly and bloody aura built up within the area to strengthen and heal itself that eventually, one of the Legends fell in battle!
The fall of any Legend was huge and the MerEmpire finally took it more seriously. They sent out a demigod to subdue the rampaging monster but even then, the demigod still couldn't kill it. The most she could do was send it back to whatever realm of the abyss it had been summoned from.
Although Bryen was already a Legend back then, he hadn't taken part in that fierce battle. He had viewed it from the distance. He was standing above the skies of Velskryn with the aid of Branthor's wind-treading boots, dreading the demon's arrival in his direction but thankfully that hadn't happened.
In the aftermath of the Sanguine Rift, the MerEmpire became much stricter and more controlling over its vassal kingdoms within the region. Other powers could still battle one another but they were strictly limited in the number of soldiers they could field and how long each skirmish was allowed to take place.
The conflicts between the human kingdoms had decreased significantly and any battles between them were considered tame in comparison to a century ago. In fact, most battles between kingdoms nowadays were more of a training exercise for their fresh recruits then actual battles.
As for those 2 kingdoms that started it all? Every single living being on their islands had died that day and they had also taken down 2 other innocent kingdoms that were close to their borders.
There were some musings Bryen had written down at the end, wondering if this summoning took place due to the machinations of abyssal worshippers in the background.
After all, there had been even fiercer wars in the past without such a thing taking place. This could all have been a big plot targeting the MerEmpire but the old guardian didn't have any proof so he just penned down some of his own thoughts.
Abel let out a sigh as he finished reading the final entry. Just imagining such a fierce and powerful being made his heart skip a beat. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to see such a creature.
'With how immersive the virtual world is, I wouldn't be surprised if most players faint from fright and get forcefully logged out… huh'
*Ding*
You have a new whisper!
'Open'
"Red Sky, I sold off all the poison. When do you want to come by?"
'That was quick… I wonder how he sold everything so quickly.'
Abel was quite surprised, he took a look at the time and saw it was just after 8 pm in Veridia. He decided to take a break from reading and pay a visit to Coinweaver. He could ask him about it in person and then go shopping around for new equipment and other supplies.
"I'll be there in 5 minutes."
He didn't tarry once he sent a reply and got up to leave after tidying up all the scattered books.
The old guardians square was right next to the blossom district so he was at the house just a few minutes later.
After ringing the bell, the door opened up and he saw Chronelix for the first time since their meeting at the adventurer's union. They would log on at different times, the alchemist would usually log on when Abel would go to sleep and they never had any interaction in the evenings before now.
He nodded in greeting before looking around the hall but he didn't see the merchant.
"Coinweaver's on his way, he should be here soon."
"No problem. I thought he was already here…"
They sat in silence for a few minutes with neither of them trying to start a conversation. They were both the type that wouldn't talk much with other people if they weren't close. Such characteristic made making new friends hard, but those who were close to them were more cherished.
Just as the silence was getting a little awkward, they heard the door open up.
"Sorry about this guy, he's not much of a talker with those he's not close to."
"Me neither so its fine."
Abel's response slightly surprised the merchant as the young man before him didn't come off as socially reserved like his good friend. But he didn't question him and simply initiated a trade.
*Ding*
Coinweaver would like to send you 1 gold 5 silver and 10 copper coins, Accept?
Yes/No
'Yes'
"Sorry, I messed up a couple of times so it's a little less than yesterday"
Chronelix's rare words were heard from the side but Abel waved, indicating he didn't mind. He was still getting paid for the Rat Meat so it was fine if a few refinements failed.
"By the way, how'd you sell it off so quickly?"
"I usually sell half of it in batches to a few shops that I'm on good terms with. I sell whatever's left over to individuals but it seems word has gotten around lately. Today I came across a rich player that bought out all the stock, heh he angered a lot of people though…"
This was the first time Abel heard how Coinweaver sold the goods. He always assumed he only sold it to individuals but if a merchant had a good relationship with a shop, he'd be able to sell things for more and purchase certain supplies for a little less.
He suddenly thought of something and looked sharply at the young man,
"You weren't followed, were you?"
"Huh... what are you talking about? Why would someone follow me?"
Abel let out a sigh at the young man's naivety. In all fairness, the old Abel wouldn't have felt there was anything wrong with what was just said.
But he knew better with all that he'd experienced in 2 lives, he also had a bad feeling deep down and when he heard him mention how word of his poison was making the rounds, as well as the seemingly rich player that bought out the stock… the bad feeling intensified.
"Go out on the street and check. See if there's anyone lurking around, especially familiar faces that were around when you made the sale."
"Hey man, who do you think-"
"It's fine, I'll check it out."
Chronelix jumped in when Abel told Coinweaver to go out and check. He felt that this guy was being too rude and bossy.
But Coinweaver seemed to realize what Abel was worried about so he interrupted his friend and went out to check. A few minutes later, he came back to the house with an ugly look on his face.
"You were right, I was followed…"