"I wonder if he will get fired". Khaos mumbled, obviously he did not for one second think that the clerk at the mine owned the business. Otherwise he would have long gone bankrupt.
One gold coin was equivalent to 10 silver, and one Flux stone cost 4 gold in that mine. While at the same time one Flux stone costing 20 silver, the math just did not add up.
That was why Khaos took full advantage of the clerk's mistake to get as many stones as possible, he basically bought them at 2 gold each.
After a little less than an hour, Khaos arrived at the inn and walked towards the clerk. "How much for a room during the day?" he asked.
"My name is Lyra", the clerk suddenly said.
"What?"
"I figured you should know my name since you're always in my crappy inn", she smirked.
"Understandable, i am Khaos", Khaos introduced.
"With a K?" Lyra asked and Khaos nodded.
"Okay Khaos with a K, our prices are 1 silver for a stay during the day". Lyra said.
Khaos nodded and took out 2 silver coins, which brought his pouch balance to only four silver. "For two days, meaning that..."
"You can stay for two days and two nights, yes i got it", Lyra interrupted with a chuckle.
"By the way, is there any place where i can get something to eat?" Khaos asked, which surprised Lyra.
"I am in the second stage of the Magic realm, but i can't feel your cultivation, which means you are at least in the third. So why do you want to waste money on food?" she asked.
Cultivators at or above the second stage of the Magic realm did not need to eat. The Flux in their bodies provided more than enough nourishment. However food tasted good and there were some Cultivators who chose to eat just for the fun of it.
Khaos' father was one such person and since Khaos had spent the last two years doing nothing but cooking, eating and Cultivating, he had gotten used to it. His body was telling him that he was hungry while he actually wasn't, he couldn't get hungry even if he tried.
"Forget about it, i will be in my room and am not to be disturbed", Khaos said as he walked up the stairs. Thinking about his father had put him in a bad mood once again.
"Um Kha.." Lyra said, but Khaos was already gone, he flew up the second half of the stairs instead of walking.
Khaos entered his room and sighed. It really was a crappy room. It was 5 square meters in area and consisted only of a two meter long, one meter wide mattress with a single blanket, a chair, and a shower at the corner.
Khaos sat cross legged on the mattress and took out the pouch before taking one Flux stone and looking at it. While the outer shell was blue, there were some white streaks constantly moving inside the Flux stone.
From one side they looked like a viscous liquid while from the other, like a stream of stars.
Khaos spent about 10 minutes just admiring the stone, after all it was his first time seeing one. If he didn't feel the high amount of energy inside, he wouldn't even believe the thing in his hand was an actual Flux stone.
Even though he obviously had never used one, Khaos somehow knew what he had to do. He then assumed a lotus position and put the stone where his legs crossed before closing his eyes. It did not take long for the stone to start losing it's colour as Khaos absorbed the Flux stored within.
Some hours later, the stone lost all it's colour and was left as a dark grey, hollow shell. When that happened, Khaos simply replaced the stone with another, and like this, two days and two nights passed.
Then, early morning on the third day Khaos opened his eyes and frowned. All his Flux stones were gone and he had also broken through the previous night. However, after the breakthrough, the left over stones only managed to get him halfway towards the fifth stage.
Khaos guessed that he would need 4 or 5 more Flux stones to reach the fifth stage. It was then that he heard a knock on the door.
"Khaos, it's Lyra. Your time is up", a voice said from the other end.
"I am coming". Khaos replied as he stood up straight for the first time in 2 days and stretched his stiff legs. Cultivators could sleep, but just like eating, it was not necessary.
Sleeping only helped relax the mind and aid a tiny bit in Cultivating, but serious Cultivators who chased power did not sleep. It was simply a waste of time.
Khaos walked down the stairs and found Lyra at her usual position. "Morning, i hope i did not wake you", Lyra said.
"First of all, you wanted to wake me otherwise you would not have been able to chase me out, and second, i was cultivating not sleeping". Khaos replied.
Lyra smiled, "Well it was wonderful to host you in our inn either way".
"You say 'we' and 'our' but i have never seen anyone else here. Heck not even another guest". Khaos realised.
"This is a family business and this year it's my turn to take care of it while my siblings Cultivate, and about the other guests, there is currently 6 of them excluding you and they all come late and leave early. Some have never left their rooms". Lyra explained.
Khaos smiled, "Well don't give away my room just yet, i just might be staying for a couple more months".
"Really!?" Lyra beamed before quickly clearing her throat, "I mean, we would be honored to take more of your money", she added professionally.
Cute' Khaos thought with a chuckle as he left. He needed to get 20 gold to buy 5 Flux stones in less than 3 months. However, his pressure had lessened greatly, he could already see himself as part of the Black Academy.
He crossed the increasingly busy street and walked to the forge shop where he had sold his axe.
"Oh hello, you have something else to sell me?" the clerk smirked as Khaos walked into his shop.
"My name is Khaos". Khaos said.
"I am Gother", the clerk raised an eyebrow. "Why are you telling me your name?"
"Well it is only natural that you know the name of your newest employee, Boss". Khaos stated.