Connor was sorting his thoughts and planning his moves ahead when he was interrupted by Elena.
"We have made dinner. Come and eat with us," she said in a tired tone.
Connor asked back, "So you made dinner from my portion without asking me? We just had a meal a while ago, so why are we using my limited ration of foods?"
Elena frowned at him and said, "We ate nearly six hours ago. And what we had was only cup noodles. If we don't eat well, we could get sick, and you don't want that, do you? Also, you had taken so much food that it would suffice us for the next three days with two meals each day."
Connor was shocked to hear that so much time had passed while he was taking notes from the system.
Seeing Connor silent, she added, "I think we need to rest and focus on keeping ourselves healthy so that we can move well after things settle down."
Connor just ignored her suggestions and went to eat the dinner.
He was silent the whole time while eating. The two girls beside him thought the situation to be awkward, so Alya, the extrovert, started the conversation to lighten the mood.
"So, Connor, what do you think we should do once this so-called integration phase gets over?" she asked, hoping to hear his thoughts. Even Elena was looking forward to it.
"We wait for an announcement from Uriel. There will be some catch after the situation calms down."
"What do you mean?" This time it was Elena who asked him.
"Uriel said some things that I don't get, like the fallen and stuff. It would be better if we isolate ourselves for the next three days so that one of us doesn't become a fallen and corrupt the other to become a fallen as well."
"What makes you say a fallen can infect the other... Ohhh." Elena was just asking him her doubt when she got the answer herself.
Alya, who didn't get it, asked her what happened. "The fallen are like zombies, is what Uriel said, so it means they are beings with some kind of infectious virus that we need to stay away from. Generally, from all the movies about zombies and apocalypse, a zombie infection would spread when they bite into our skin."
"Ohh, so will it be like that? I don't want to get bitten," said Alya, finally understanding the situation.
"Wait, but how will we cook and share meals? Where do we sleep and all?" she asked.
"We divide the portion and go our way. This island is large enough for us to stay far away. I'm taking my stuff and leaving. You both are free to do whatever you wish." This time it was Connor who answered as he got up after finishing his meal.
Connor wanted to leave the island right away and head to the nearest dungeon that the system had told about.
This was the best chance for him to get the sub-class of necromancer this early. Usually, you won't be able to get a sub-class unless you meet certain conditions, but luckily for Connor, he got a dungeon still in the formation phase where a banshee awaited him. Upon killing that banshee, he will be able to get the sub-class he wants by absorbing its class.
Connor was always the type of man who loved to solve challenges, and his blood was boiling, not realizing that these challenges he would face ahead would be in reality and not a game.
But who could blame him? He was about to get slapped by reality, facing hardships and pain that a rich boy like him never faced in his life.
While he was leaving, he asked the system if there were any other threats like the fallen roaming in his path.
[ Currently, there are 48,936,112 fallen in this world, but none have started moving, and the tremors and tsunamis are still severe in places. But your path is 92% safe for your level. ]
Connor grinned from ear to ear upon hearing such good news. He was planning what weapons and items he could, take for the dungeon trip.
After swimming across the Thames River, Connor headed south as told by the system. For several meters, he traveled ahead and saw the destruction and lifeless bodies of all these people.
He was once again thankful for this gift from Uriel; it really reshaped his thinking about how crucial knowledge is. He wanted more of this drug called knowledge.
But he also understood that his time to interact freely with the system would come to an end soon, and no matter how much information he took, it wouldn't be enough.
So he decided to ask the system about this trouble and hoped to get a solution to this. He was never confident in getting any positive answer, but the answer the system gave shocked him.
[I would suggest you acquire yourself a Pixie in an astral bond. A Pixie is a non-aggressive spirit you can relate to as a fairy that has lived for eons and has lots of knowledge. An average Pixie can have enough knowledge to guide you until your ascension to class 4 when you reach the 4th Order of authority. If you are lucky, you could find and bond yourself to an ancient Pixie who has lived for billions of years and has transcendent knowledge.]
'So where can I find these Pixies and how do I bond with them?'
[ Pixies are rare beings themselves, but about 13 Pixies are currently on Earth observing the integration phase.
They are beings known for knowledge; their race would research every event happening in the history of the universe and try to sell this information.
In the community of Pixies, knowledge is wealth, so they are very cunning and won't bond themselves with just anyone unless they get something promising from them.
That is why no Pixie has made any contact with a human until now and has only been observing them.
These creatures are evaluating you all and determining your worth so that they can start a contract with the best candidate that will benefit them.
A bond is made out of astral contracts where both your cores are wagered. Any breach of contract would directly affect your core and, in turn, your soul and body.
It is extremely difficult to deal with this race, and they are annoying as per the report of feedback from other races.]
Connor wasn't shocked to hear about the existence of the other races, as his mind had already accepted the unnatural. What interested him was where he would find and convince a good Pixie.
'How do I get into contact with them?' he asked.
[ Actually, 3 of them are looking at you right now, since you are the only individual in this city, who is out here in the open at such a dangerous time exploring. You have piqued their interest.]
Connor was shocked, but after thinking about the pros and cons of the situation, he was pleased. Treasures had walked to him on their own, so why wouldn't he be pleased?
"How do I contact them?"
[They are observing you.]
'Can they understand English?'
[ Uriel has made humans to speak in the Unified Language of Uriel, though they are still some errors in lingual interpretations as the meanings are different, all humans can now converse with any being in the universe, This is the first step Uriel does before any global announcement it makes ]
Connor was once again made to realize the greatness of Uriel.
He stopped walking, raised his chin in the air, and said, "Come out, whoever you are. I know you are observing me."
But sadly, no response came back. When he asked the system, it simply said it was up to them to show themselves.
He quickly thought up an idea and executed it. First, he learned more about the pixie race in general from the system.
After a while of further planning, he said, "So you're going to stay hidden, huh? Bunch of cowards.
Here I am walking amidst open danger while you three are just going to watch me for entertainment. Not to mention you are breaching my right to privacy.
You should thank your luck that the world is in disorder; otherwise, you would be punished for stalking."
His idea of provoking them had worked as he got a response.
"You filthy human, who are you calling cowards? Not even the mighty Giant race could punish us, so how could you humans do it? Huh? Just because you are brave doesn't mean we are not," a red-haired pixie manifested out of thin air. She was as small as his hand and had an angry look on her baby face.
Another voice then came, "You are an interesting human. How did you find out there are three of us?"
As he turned to see, this one was also a white-haired pixie, her form shining brighter than the first one. He knew the reason: the more knowledge a pixie possesses, the more they shine.
While the difference can't be pointed out by humans, among pixies, a race filled with light elements, it was very easy to tell.
It seemed that by lengthily saying their numbers aloud, he made this one even more curious.
He stayed silent for a few seconds, looking at them, while the pixies thought he was too stunned to speak to them.
He finally replied, "Don't you know when you ask for something, you should be ready to answer as well? You expect to know from me, but what do I get?"
"Interesting," a yellow-haired pixie, who was the third and final to manifest in the mortal realm.
"What do you want to know, child?" the pixie asked in a seductive tone that did not match her cute appearance.
"What can you offer me?" he countered.
"We can tell you anything, the things that will happen from now, the events that will affect you, and much more. There is nothing that we don't know," the first pixie said with pride in her tone.
He thought for a while before asking them with his usual killer smile, "Then can you first tell me your names? You all are just so charming that I want to be friends with you. I promise to answer your question as well."
The three pixies were too stunned to respond. He asked with such innocence that now they were confused if he was smart or an idiot.
The first pixie was the one to respond as she said with a smile, "My name is Kris Prixnava. She is Aurora Prixfina, and she is Livia Prixcolte. Now tell us your name, Connor."
Aurora and Livia just looked at Kris with an 'I can't believe her' look.
Aurora, in particular, pinched her ears. "It hurts, Aur. Why are you pinching my ears? What did I do this time?" asked Kris.
'It seems like their usual banter. Strangely, this reminds me of a certain duo,' thought Connor as he replied again with politeness and a smile, "My name is Connor Lennox. I am 20 years old and a single man".
"We know you are alone here, Connor," said Kris, only to get scolded by Livia again.
"He meant he doesn't have a mate, Kris. Why are you so childish? Just when will you grow up?"
Ignoring the two who started bickering again, Aurora asked him again, "So how did you find out there were three people observing you?"
"I already answered the question she asked, and I provided more than just a name, didn't I? So is it not my turn to ask?" he replied.
"You got us good. Now can you please stop acting innocent and pull out that smile or whatever stunt you are pulling? Your true character was out when you provoked us in the beginning"
she said, quite annoyed to be beaten by a man who was not even a hundred years old compared to her, who had lived for tens of thousands of years.
"I was saying that to bring out the bad guys who seem to be stalking me and not observing me. I did not know that it was three cute and charming fairies like you" he said with a hurt look.
Strangely, this Aurora girl reminded him of a certain girl whose name was too bothersome for him.
"Oh, then might I remind you that though we may look like this in the physical realm, we are actually a lot older than you, and we are not girls that you can woo. We are the most sought-after race for our vast knowledge and wisdom which makes us one of the leading races in the universe. Your race should..."
He wanted to strangle the pixie who wouldn't stop boasting about her race. His patience wore thin, but he knew the importance of this meeting.
Dealing with her was akin to managing a business client who believed their company was superior to all others.
Normally, he avoided such individuals, but circumstances forced him into a role he detested: that of a bootlicker.
Connor glanced at Aurora, offering admiring looks and gestures, all in preparation for the negotiations ahead.