Lilly put her card in, and the elevator started moving without delay. Even though she now had the cube to get some rewards, this was the moment of truth for her. How mighty was G in comparison to the other mages within the world? Was it the right decision to follow her and serve someone like Trash?
The elevator traveled for a bit, and soon one could see through the elevator walls; well, one could see outside but nobody inside. The elevator was designed in a way that lets people see everyone they pass by on the higher floors. That way they could feel their own dominance and status.
Soon Trash and Lilly saw people trying to awaken as magicians as they passed through the floors. In the early floors, they saw mostly ordinary-looking people trying to awaken in front of their master. The deeper they got, the more equipement the people seemed to have. A magician with a magic wand and a magic robe soon became the standard of the people.
Of course not every mage dressed like that while under normal people, but this tower was also a way to show off. You can head up and show other people that you are better than them, so of course you should wear your best equipment as well.
"Is this how mages are?" Lilly asked. "Everyone just shows off their status, and that's it?"
"The first level is the best. Short elevator down and you can go up quickly as well. This ride is so boring," Trash ignored her.
"Well, if this master was correct, the lower we go, the better for us. But this place seems to be just an ego contest. Look at the bitter faces we pass by. When these people see the elevator, they know that people with "higher status" pass by, so they get angry. What a weird custom."
The elevator got deeper and deeper, and the deeper it got, the more the reaction of the people. Some were shocked and pointed at the elevator, while others were ashamed and lowered their heads and bowed before the elevator. There were a few people who simply ignored the elevator, and some who even smiled since it was a personal challenge to surpass the people inside one day.
Just as the people on each floor were different, the floor itself would also change as they went down. Each floor would get more luxurious, and every 10th floor, the design for the next 10 floors would change.
The ride continued until they finally arrived at floor 100. Even though they were now 10 km under the canopy, it didn't feel any different. The floor had a huge green lawn with an artificial sun and sky on top. If one didn't just travel down 10 km into the ground, they would believe that this is the survace.
They stepped out of the elevator on floor 100 and saw G waiting for them. G just slept on the floor but woke up as Trash and Lilly arived. "Oh, you made it here. How has it been?"
"Good." Trash just said. In his mind, this was how normal travel should look, and it was quite enjoyable. Especially the flight was fun."
"Perfect. Now that you are here, we will try to awaken both of you. First we need to test Lilly's compatibility with the elements, and then we can get to the awakening."
"Not needed," suddenly another woman said, coming from Lilly's direction. Lilly was quite confused as the puzzle cube seemed to talk, and suddenly, out of nowhere, the woman Lilly saw within the cube came out. "She is an ice user and will be trained by me and my subordinates," she said.
"You?" G looked at the woman. "Aisa? Is that you?" G said.
The woman called Aisa looked at G for a moment before saying, "Sister Gaia, is that you?" Her cold demeanor melted away for just a second before it returned.
"Listen, Aisa, this girl is and will be the maid of my disciple; you can train her, but you need to keep that in mind."
Aisa pondered for a bit before answering, "Ok, that should be fine."
Lilly was stunned. She just thought that she would get strong without being a maid, but she was sold out, even by her new master.
Aisa threw a single ice crystal towards Lilly. "Here, child, this will help you awaken the ice elemental. Take care. And one last thing: don't be unhappy about being her disciple's maid. If it is her disciple, he will probably be one of a kind." With those last words, she vanished again.
Yeah, one of a kind is right. One-of-a-kind trash, it seems Lilly thought.
G walked towards them. "The process of awakening is determined by your element. While you awaken, it is important to have contact with your preferred element. Aisa gave you ice, and for your trash, I brought a trashcan.
Suddenly a trashcan appeared next to them; it looked like an ordinary, half-full trashcan, which smelled very bad. " Now Trash, go inside and make yourself familiar with the trash once more. Meanwhile, I will help Lilly awaken first.
Quick intermission:
In the city of Beijing, there was commotion. A seemingly homeless person was found stealing food. Or rather than stealing food, the wind blew the food towards him, and he ate it. Right now there was a fierce debate on if the man was a thief or not. The stall owner, of course, accused the man of being a thief, while the neighboring store owner said it was fate. The man itself had long vanished as they held the discussion.
Weirdly enough, the discussion kept on going until everyone in the neighborhood joined in to discuss this particular weird situation. There were even bets on who the police would favor once they arrived. But the police never arrived; the officers tasks with the job of investigating were already gone.
Their shift ended, so they headed home.