ã€ŠThe Wanderer&#x27;s Rebirthã€‹


 Chapter - 000

    It was too hot outside.

    He looked up and debated whether he would open the blinds, even after the sun had passed on to the south side of the building.  East facings were great if you were a morning person, and had AC.  Neither applied to him.

    Probably should, need to water the plants¡­.  He thought to himself as he buttoned up his old Hawaiian shirt so that no one would get an unwanted surprise.

    He looked down at his spider plants that his mum had given him when they were just shoots surviving in a jar full of water.  They looked good, almost two feet tall now; and some shoots were even wider than his thumb.

    He looked over at the small spruce in the terra-cotta planter and paused, remembering.

    Shaking his head, he used the elephant shaped, sky blue, watering¡­ can?  It was plastic, so that probably didn¡¯t apply.  He shook his head as he finished.

    Another pause as he spotted what had been decorative window jelly letters.  Seems that if you leave them in the window long enough, behind a blind that helped trap the heat, they started to¡­ melt.  What had been a couple of bunnies and little eggs was now a long, misshapen, blob slowly making its way down the window.

    Hmm, maybe some paper towel¡­  Another shrug as he once again sat down, picking up his tablet to do more reading.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Another pause.

    Was it just escapism?  This time a sigh escaped him as he looked over at the little spruce tree, barely five inches tall and scrawny as can be.  She had been so proud to present that to him for Father¡¯s Day, her little sister insisting on being able to hold the tiny planter it had come in.

    A smile, but oh-so bitter-sweet.

    A few deep breaths, head tilted back.

    What was he to do?  Everything we so¡­ grey.  So lifeless.

    Shaking his head once again, he grabbed his phone and brought up the music app, found his songs, and then hit shuffle.

    ¡°Oh where, oh where could my-¡°, that got immediately skipped and the phone nearly thrown out the window.

    Taking another deep breath, he instead found one of his playlists that featured purely instrumental pieces.

    Much better.

    Soon enough he was back to reading about his favourite Aussie ninja-wizard (once again wondering about the pants theme) and waiting for his dinner to arrive.

    Which didn¡¯t take long as the No-Dishes ordering service was pretty quick when the restaurant was only a kilometre away.

    Soon enough he was once again sitting, but this time distracted by not just music and reading, but also food!  Mmmm, chicken-cashew stir-fry¡­.

    But just as he was about dig in, from the corner of his eye, something caught his attention.  It was a bright flash of light, and as he turned his head fast enough to hear a pop, he saw the house across the way explode outwards, sending debris everywhere.

    The thing that really caught his attention was the huge black object that flew out and towards him.

    Not two seconds later, it had skipped once off a parked car out front and sort of did a belly flop into his apartment.

    Two things happened, well, three if you count his shout of surprise.  The first was that he was knocked over by the shockwave.  The second was a wave of vertigo and dizziness so strong that it put any festival/park/exhibition ride he¡¯d ever been on to shame.  He then promptly threw up and lost consciousness.

    Well, five things, but who was counting?

 Chapter 001

    It took a while for him to wake up. Or maybe moments, as he really couldn¡¯t tell how long he was out for.

    Slowly, ever so slowly as his head wasn¡¯t pleased with moving about yet, he got up with the help of his chair. Then just about fell over as his foot slipped in the vacated remains of his stomach.

    A frown, then a grimace.

    Then he realized that his ears were ringing. So that probably meant that he¡¯d been out for not too long as tinnitus usually didn¡¯t last that long. Unless the damage to his hearing was permanent¡­.

    Looking about, he noticed that the room he was in, the living room/kitchen, hadn¡¯t really been damaged all that much. Sure, his tv was on its back, and his dinner was spilled across the floor, but it wasn¡¯t that bad. Though the hole clipped into the outside wall that was attached to the next room over made him pause, then curse as he quickly slipped his feet into a pair of sandals (after quickly wiping one foot off on the door mat), then ran to the second bedroom.

    Well, he tried, but the hallway was nearly blocked off by what remained of the wall, and that large black thing that had crashed into his apartment.

    He then stepped back to the patio door and grabbed some work gloves off his shoe rack and then went back to the remains of the hallway.

    After a few moments of his eye twitching, and wondering where the emergency vehicles were, he began pulling off busted drywall, 2x4s, and the door frame, throwing it all behind him.

    After he had cleaned off a fair amount dust and debris, this blood ran cold at the sight.

    Right. So, I guess I¡¯m dead. Not exactly what I had pictured the afterlife being like¡­ but what else makes sense?

    He promptly sat down and coughed at bit, then sneezed, not particularly enjoying the dust. Damn allergies.

    After an indeterminate period of time, for he never bothered glancing at the health tracker on his wrist, he sighed again, then promptly began hacking up a lung. Or, well, he made a good go at it, but they remained stubbornly in his chest.

    He then got up and grabbed a cup from over the sink and turned on the faucet. Then blinked.

    Did that knock out the water main or something? He wondered as he stared at the dry sink.

    Then the sound of his phone, still playing music, distracted him. So, he walked over and picked it up off the floor, dusted it off, then paused the music and sat down in his now dusty chair and glanced outside.

    Then immediately turned back to the window, jaw dropping.

    Where there should have been the remains of a house, not to mention the rest of the street he lived on, he saw nothing but rocky terrain interrupted every now and then by a spot of greenery.

    ¡°OK, maybe I really did die¡­¡± he thought to himself as he stared at the alien landscape. Well, not ¡°alien¡±, but unfamiliar, strange, not home.

    Then he looked down at his phone as reality crashed into him, looking at the service bar.

    ¡°No Service¡±.

    No WiFi.

    Well.

    ¡°I need a nap,¡± he said to himself softly as he leaned his head back against the only slightly damaged wall and closed his eyes.

    But really, who could sleep in a situation like that?!

    He got up again, slipping his phone into his pocket, reached for his work boots and began putting them on as he kept glancing at all the debris that was now in his kitchen. Then something caught his eye, or rather the lack of something.

    The little clock on the stove was blank. Not blinking like it would if the power went out then came back on. But blank. Then it occurred to him that his fan was off.

    Huh.

    Well, that would kind of go with not having any cellular reception, never mind the whole new landscape outside. Oh, and no sound of emergency vehicles rushing to the rescue.

    Effffff¡­¡­

    Well, at least the food in the fridge and his mini-freezer would last about a day¡­ Huzzah for canned food!!

    Another sigh. He wasn¡¯t some kid that got isekai¡¯d in the prime of their life. He was now past forty, terribly out of shape having taken¡­ some time off. Nor was he an outdoors enthusiast who loved going camping with a backpack, a canteen, and a knife.

    Well, at least he had several water-bottles he could use, if he found a potable source of water. He also had a variety of kitchen knives, not to mention that hunting knife he had found in a pizza box when he was ten¡­

    Shaking his head from the many distractions that his brain tried to throw his way, he once again entered the hallway with the object that made him think that he was in some sort of afterlife. Maybe just a coma? He thought with a chuckle as he walked over to something that was way too familiar.

    Never mind that it shouldn¡¯t exist.

    That was the thing: what was it doing here? It should have, literally, only existed on paper. Well, digitally, because he did all his writing on his computer or phone these days. Who wanted to keep track of stacks of paper for the dozens of stories that they wrote, but never published?

    Hello Brain, nice distraction there.

    With a sigh, and another coughing fit, he made his way over the black thing and into the ruins of his daughters¡¯ room and sat down.

    There was nothing left. The bunkbed was splinters, the mattresses shredded. Their toys, what had actually been in their small room, were also gone. Some of their clothes were scattered about, but he suspected that most were under the black thing that had destroyed everything in there.

    He slapped the metal he was sitting on and immediately regretted it as he waved his stinging hand about.

    Well, if this was indeed the object he had written about, then things might work out.

    Then again, a coma dream was a very real possibility. Sure, he was aware of string theory and the multiverse theory. But the odds of all of this aligning were about the same as him winning every single lottery draw that had happened since he turned eighteen. On the planet.

    So, coma dream was the highest on his list of possibilities as a regular dream would end shortly after it became a lucid dream for him. Every time.

    Once again shaking his head, he slid off the top of the sarcophagus and began inspecting the ¡°bottom¡±. Well, it would be the end where the feet would go, not the actual under side of the thing. There was no way he could even dream of moving this thing without a crane.

    All-in-all, the thing was about three metres long by one and a half wide by one and a half tall/deep. All made of a black metal. No, it wasn¡¯t just lacquered, or plated; the metal was black. And if it was indeed the same thing as what he¡¯d written about, it was solid adamantine.

    Yes, that fantasy metal. The nigh unto indestructible metal from legend. Sitting in his apartment.

    And if it was indeed the sarcophagus that he imagined, then there should be¡­

    Yup, there it was.

    A plug.

    Why a plug you ask? Simple.

    To drain the contents.

    But if it was indeed her prison, then maybe he should get a few containers to save the stuff¡­?

    Yes, good idea brain.

    So, he spent ten or so minutes going through his apartment, gathering any sealable containers that he could find and gathered them all at the foot of the sarcophagus.

    Really. I¡¯ve never had a coma dream, but you would think things would be¡­ more fun? Like flying! Or maybe actually winning the lottery? Well, to be fair, if this is what I think it is, and if who I think is in there is in there, then I guess that this would count and winning all the lotteries at the same time¡­

    Another shrug as he squatted at the foot of the sarcophagus, readying his first container, an old OJ bottle that he hadn¡¯t gotten around to dumping into the recycling bin behind his building.

    He was glad that he was one of those overly nice people who rinsed their containers before dropping them into the bin. Though, his ex cousin-in-law ran the recycling pick-up crews for his city and claimed that most of what was picked up just went to the landfill anyway¡­

    Anyway!

    Back to it, Brain!

    Then he paused and took a deep breath, steadied the funnel at the top of the jug, and reached for the plug. Then paused, trying to remember what he had written about it.

    Don¡¯t touch the sarcophagus until all of the quintessence is drained or you¡¯ll get hit with a lightning bolt.

    Hmm, maybe a snack first? He hadn¡¯t had dinner yet after all.

    Bah!

    He reached over and turned the plug counter-clockwise three quarters of the way around, pulled slightly, then turned the plug all the way around to the original orientation then pulled it the rest of the way out. He then quickly placed the funnel under the hole, catching the oddly reflective and translucent fluid.

    It was thick as molasses and began giving him a mild headache almost instantly.

    OK, maybe just one container of the stuff¡­. Who am I kidding? I¡¯m getting it all! He thought to himself as it slowly leaked out.

    Well, this will take a while. Let¡¯s look outside.

    With that thought he turned around and really took in the hole in the side of his apartment as he stepped through it.

    It was then that he really took note of the air. It was much fresher than it had been in the city he¡­ came from? Does that count when you¡¯re having a coma dream?

    It was also cooler, closer to what he preferred actually.

    May as well be comfortable in your dreams, eh?

    He laughed, a quick and loud event in the quiet landscape. Then stopped as he took in the mountains around him.

    It did indeed look as though he was in the mountains somewhere. Also, those were some very tall mountains, almost all of them surrounded by clouds that were surely nowhere near the tops of the mountains. He could spot where the snow-line was on them, which happened to be not far below the clouds themselves. Odd.

    Then he turned around and just about fell over. Not because he was clumsy, he was actually quite agile even being as out of shape as he was. No, what caused the sudden lack of balance was the impact of seeing a small chuck of his apartment building just sitting there on the¡­ plateau? Clearing? Flat piece of a mountain.

    The part of his building that¡­ came along for the journey was only about the radius of his apartment, spherical, as he could see parts of the apartment above his, missing its side walls. That resulted in the roof/ceiling having fallen in on most of the apartment.

    He really hoped the family had been out when it happened, because the floors were a foot of solid concrete and now occupied what had once been their flat. Pun intended. He was, after all, a father¡­.

    Another moment of silence.

    With yet another shake of his head, he took the gloves from his back pocket and began piling up rocks on the side of his apartment, the side that had once been the neighbouring unit. Well, both sides of his apartment seemed to have come with chunks of his neighbouring units. We¡¯ll call it the south side of the apartment then!

    Looking into the southern apartment he saw that, yup, it still yellow. That was why he had passed that unit over when the management had showed him the available units in the building. Heck, he¡¯d even turned down the unit he was trying to get to in favour of having a patio door. Purely pragmatic, as he didn¡¯t want to juggle groceries and kids going up to the second floor of his building.

    Not to mention the ability to avoid the inside of the building with that damn pandemic going on¡­.

    ¡°Damn, I really am out of shape.¡± He panted out as he had to stop after having only moved a couple dozen rocks into his pile. Well, debris anyway. There was a lot of masonry and chunks of concrete to move after an ¡°accident¡± like that.

    ¡°Maybe I should wait for her to get out¡­?¡± He mused as he walked through the doorway and went to the fridge. No sense letting the juice spoil after all.

    He really should have just used the patio door to access¡­ the room. Well, can¡¯t always be thoughtful and efficient in my dreams!

    Well, he wouldn¡¯t have any company here, so he didn¡¯t bother with a cup and just drank from the container. Who knew when he¡¯d be able to wash dishes again? Besides, if it was who he thought it was in that black sarcophagus, then she didn¡¯t need to eat or drink anyways.

    He looked around again, this time appreciating the fact that most of the damage to his place had been localized to the second bedroom. Laptops? Check. Printer? Check. Textbooks? Yup. Well, he had paid enough for them, so he might as well make sure they were good. Aside from a few things that were knocked over, the place was surprisingly whole.

    That was something at least.

    He looked at his fridge again, this time actually looking at the childish artwork covering it and sighed.

    If this wasn¡¯t a dream, and he really was in one of those worlds he read about in those stories he liked to read to pass the time¡­ then maybe it was a good thing? Maybe he could have something no others had here?

    With a bitter chuckle, he put the OJ container back into the fridge as quick as he could, to keep it cool as long as possible. What would be the odds of that happening? The real odds, not just the lottery analogy?

    He walked back outside and turned left to get to the hole in the wall and looked over and noticed that the old OJ container was almost full, so he went back in, gritting his teeth against the headache, and put a lid on the container of quintessence and swapped it with another container. That done, he walked it outside and put it beside his little pile of rocks.

    Back in the bedroom, he began gathering up the balls of the stuff that hadn¡¯t made it into a container, that also hadn¡¯t evaporated back into the ether, and walked them to the pile and dropped them beside the container. Several trips later and he¡¯d cleaned out the quintessence and just watched as the last of the stuff dripped down into the last container.

    How did he know what it was? Yes, it was due to the stories he had written. His favourite heroine. The one whom he¡¯d written about more than he could properly remember. Well, that wasn¡¯t true. He remembered every story he¡¯d ever written about her.

    But he really wished that he¡¯d recorded, or at least taken notes on, the campaign that he¡¯d played. The one where she had taken form, where she had become the amazing person that he wrote about so often afterwards.

    Was it just inspiration that created her? Or was it some sort of divine providence that had brought all those thoughts together for him and his friends as they played through that campaign that shaped those characters?

    Either way, he¡¯d know pretty soon.

    So, he sat upon the remains of the foam mattress that he¡¯d stacked up and waited.

    And waited.

    But soon enough he heard a confused voice through the drain. Heard some shuffling. Well, some metal scraping on metal, as she would be in her armour in there. Then it stopped. A moment later he heard a voice.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    He smiled. Her voice was as beautiful as he¡¯d imagined. Well, to be honest, it was even more beautiful and melodious.

    ¡°Hello,¡± he said. ¡°Do you need help getting out of there?¡± He asked in a tired, but kind voice.

    There was a pause, then a grunt as the lid slowly lifted and then slid to the side then stopped as it caught on the wall.

    ¡°One second.¡± He said as he got up and peeked into the sarcophagus.

    Yup, that¡¯s her. He thought to himself with a smile.

    ¡°Try pushing it that way,¡± he said and pointed to the hallway. ¡°But not too hard. I don¡¯t want it to crush the storage room.¡±

    He just got a blank look in return, then the lid disappeared.

    Should have thought of that. He thought with a wry grin on his face.

    More metal clanked then she stood up, looked about, then the rest of the sarcophagus disappeared and she dropped the rest of the way to the damaged concrete below her. She didn¡¯t seem to notice.

    He just stood there, less than a metre from her.

    Gods, she was beautiful.

    Sure, some might have thought that a person who appeared to be an iron angel - with wings! - in full-plate armour might have been intimidating, but it was quite the opposite for him.

    For he had not just written down what he¡¯d imagined of her (or was it some sort of divine connection?), he had dreamed of her, had written many stories of her. And now she was standing in front of him, in the ruins of his daughters¡¯ room¡­ That sobered him up.

    So, he looked up at her, for with her armour on she was a few inches taller than him. Well, truth be told, she would have been about an inch taller than him anyway. Her brilliant emerald eyes practically sparkled at him as she looked him up and down. Heck, they really might have been sparkling at him for all he knew.

    ¡±Where am I?¡± She asked, now looking around, eyebrow quirked.

    ¡°Well, you would be in my home ¨C apartment really,¡± he said with a half-grunt half-laugh. ¡°But as for where that is¡­ I have no idea.¡±

    That got him the pleasure of seeing her other eyebrow going up.

    ¡°I see,¡± she said in the kind of tone you would recognize if you ever told someone that the sky was blue. ¡°Maybe you should tell me what happened.¡±

    That was all sorts of reasonable, so he motioned for her to follow him and led her to the messy living room/kitchen and offered her is comfy chair, as he really didn¡¯t think that his other chairs would support her in her amour.

    Ten minutes later she was still looking at him with one of the most incredulous looks that had ever been directed at him. Well, at least she didn¡¯t outright laugh at him.

    ¡°So, you were sitting down to dinner when I crashed into your home?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°And you somehow knew how to release me from my prison?¡±

    ¡°Yyy-up.¡±

    ¡°You know, I can tell that that isn¡¯t the whole story, right?¡±

    ¡°Yyyyy-up.¡± Man, he was doing that Earth Pony proud.

    She looked around again, this time making a show of it. ¡°Well, I certainly believe that I am no longer in my realm.¡±

    ¡°Well, I know that you can easily skim my thoughts to verify it all; and you¡¯ve already likely done that,¡± he said with a half-grin. ¡°So, you probably already know about how I know about Asmodeus and that little prison and all¡­.¡±

    Nod-nod.

    ¡°And you probably already know that I would have saved you, regardless of the circumstances?¡±

    Nod-nod. Good bobble-head there.

    Another raised eyebrow. Yup, she¡¯s listening in all right.

    ¡°But I will ask anyway,¡± he started, but stopped as she raised a hand.

    ¡°What makes you think that I would agree to that?¡± She asked, that perfectly arched brow still in place.

    ¡°Because you don¡¯t want to see me die in a foreign, and quite possibly hostile, environment when you could help?¡±

    Yup, that half grin was getting strained. Sure, this might be a coma dream, but could also really be, well, real. And if that were the case, then him asking that of her was probably a little bit more than a little bit far-fetched. Hubris incarnate to think that she would help just a random Joe just because he asked. Especially for what he had asked for.

    Sure, he had released her from her prison. But that really didn¡¯t matter to someone trapped in temporal stasis. Who knows? She might have been let out the next day, or a million years later. But she wouldn¡¯t have been touched by time, not in the least.

    Why? Well, there was the quintessence, but also because she was Altaea. A goddess. Functionally immortal even before she ascended to the divine. Someone who had passed the test of the gods to join their ranks. Someone who had ruled her people for a thousand years (give or take) as a God-Queen.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    OK Brain, back to the topic at hand!

    That got a quirk of the lips from Altaea.

    ¡°True enough,¡± she said with an actual smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you came to know so much about me, nor how I came here. But what I do know is that I do owe you a, not insignificant, debt of gratitude.¡±

    He smiled at that. She really was how he had pictured her while writing about her.

    ¡°So, are you really sure that you wish to shed your humanity and become¡­?¡± She asked, trailing off as she saw the look in his eyes as he thought about his life.

    -

    Pain. Sorrow. Loss. Anguish. Regret. Despair.

    Altaea nodded as she regarded the man in front of her. He was of a height with her, though slightly shorter. Fair of skin and dark of hair, though his beard had more silver in it than not. He was broad of shoulder, though out of shape if his waist-line was any indication. But his eyes¡­. They were not of one clear colour, but primarily green, with some brown, blue, and even gold flecks in there. Big, soulful, eyes.

    ¡°I see,¡± Altaea said as she got flashes of images from him. Aside from thoughts of her and being in a coma, they were primarily of his daughters.

    ¡°Can you do it?¡± He asked. ¡°Make me like you?¡±

    ¡°I can see what you mean, but that would be¡­ an involved process.¡± She said, a little hesitant even though she knew how much he wanted it.

    ¡°I know, I was there for it too,¡± he said with a sad smile. ¡°Would we still have to do the ring, or can you, I don¡¯t know, combine the steps?¡±

    She gave him a level look. They both knew the answer to that.

    ¡°Doing it in two steps will have a greater chance of success.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± he said. ¡°But I¡­¡± He trailed off, his gaze drifting to a small tree in a planter on the windowsill.

    More memories flashed by. She kept herself from reacting visibly. Those were some powerful emotions and memories.

    She started talking to reassure him. ¡°You know, I¡¯m not really in a rush to get anywhere.¡±

    He looked over to her and took another breath. ¡°Yeah, I guess there¡¯s not much to see.¡± He said with that half smile of his as he glanced outside.

    There really wasn¡¯t that much to see beyond cloudy mountains and some scrub here and there. They were probably above the treeline.

    He cleared his throat and looked at her again. ¡°You know,¡± he started, ¡°you should probably get changed and rest up. You had quite the time of it before getting here after all.¡±

    She blinked and then smiled. That was the understatement of the week. Probably century, if not millennium.

    ¡°True, but we should probably do something about our accommodations,¡± she said as she looked around.

    ¡°Yeah, not much we can do with you being tapped out,¡± he said with a wry smile.

    She gave him a mock glare. ¡°Please, I can at least fix the place up before resting.¡± She said as she concentrated for a moment, focussing her mind and activating one of her innate abilities.

    The apartment began righting itself, debris sliding across the floor, the wall reassembling itself, the cracked floor becoming smooth once again.

    Altaea watched as the man across from her got a twinkle in his eye, the tell-tale signs of wonderment etched on his face.

    Soon enough it was all done, and he was standing on his feet again looking down the hall. This time, though, his eyes were filled with gratitude, a little moisture gathered in his eyes.

    Clearing her throat, Altaea stepped up beside him, silent as a shadow. ¡°Where can I rest?¡± She asked, snapping him back to the here and now.

    ¡°Oh, ah¡­¡±, he started, glancing around for a second. ¡°I, ah, hmm. Maybe this room here?¡± He said, pointing at the second bedroom. ¡°I can stack both mattresses to make it more comfortable for you?¡± He asked/said, suddenly looking like any other concerned host.

    She smiled. ¡°No worries. I am sure it¡¯ll be fine as is. Especially without the armour.¡±

    He blinked and her and did that short laugh of his, half-grunt half-laugh. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s that.¡±

    With that said he did a silly bow as he motioned to the room. Once she stepped in, he smiled and closed the door behind her, giving her her privacy.

    -

    I am going to have a heart-attack! He thought to himself as he stood on the other side of the now-closed door.

    He was loath to admit it, but after¡­ everything that had happened, she had sort of become his waifu. Yes, it was ridiculous to the extreme, but after all that had happened, he needed something to hold onto. And given that he had tumbled into a depressed funk ¨C no he hadn¡¯t had it diagnosed, but he was pretty self-aware ¨C and that was all that had kept his mind from spiralling¡­

    Ahem.

    So, here he was. Standing on the other side of a door from not only his waifu, but someone who had become, well, his friend.

    Like when you read a novel, or a series, and become attached to a character, imagining how you could be friends or some such. How their triumphs and failures affected you just as much as, if not more than, them. Or how you have a favourite movie to tv show and get attached to one of the characters. Same thing, but this was to a character of his own. The main character of many stories he¡¯d written.

    And now she was here.

    On the one hand, he really wished that it was a coma dream and that he would just slowly fade away so that¡­.

    On the other hand, well, this was a literal dream come true.

    Meeting her! Being able to speak with her, maybe get to know her!

    Now, he wasn¡¯t delusional ¨C well, he was if this was indeed a coma dream -, he knew that he was nowhere near her type. And honestly? Who would be able to fall for someone they worked on? Saw them in all that gory detail. Saw all of their memories, their fears, desires, and wishes?

    He knew that he was broken. Heck, he had practically decided to die single after everything that had happened! Become that recluse that he¡¯d joked about being for so many years¡­

    But maybe. Maybe he could start a new life. Maybe he could do the things that he had always wanted, dreamed of.

    And maybe he would just sit in a corner and do nothing but remember¡­

    -

    Altaea stored her armour away, in what her friends had called her ¡°stuff space¡±, and changed into a simple beige shirt and earth brown slacks, pulling on a pair of knee-high leather boots that were slightly darker than her pants. Not the shiny kind of leather boots, but a matte finish. Not that she really needed boots, given that she was about to rest, but it never hurt to be prepared.

    That said, she looked at the bed, ruffled her wings, and sighed. If she laid down on the bed, her wings would shred it in seconds.

    With a quiet sigh, Altaea instead sat cross legged on the floor on a colourful mat of some kind. Blue, red, yellow, and green squares all connected by a pattern of¡­ teeth? Whatever it was, it was much softer than the tile floor, so she was happy enough.

    She then closed her eyes and began to meditate.

    -

    Well, that corner got boring very quickly. He thought to himself as he got up and glanced outside.

    It was starting to get dark as the sun set behind his apartment. Well, if things were the same here as back home, that means I¡¯m facing east. That was at least something.

    The next problem was light. Normally, he would just get by on the ambient light of the city if he was disinclined to turn on the lights at night. Heck, he had great low-light vision, so it never really bothered him.

    Unless he was visiting his dad out in the countryside, then things got right dark without all the light pollution. Even then, though, if the moon was out he could still see really well in the dark.

    That being said: this was a new and potentially hostile environment. So, off he went to grab a flashlight and a couple of batteries. At least he was in the habit of keeping them charged up. Those 18650 batteries (the ones that looked like oversized AAs) were definitely useful.

    Next, it was time to rummage in the storage closet.

    Being a geek for pretty much his entire life, he had collected some random things. The thing that he was searching for just so happened to be one those things. A sword.

    Yup, he was one of those types that had liked collecting swords when he could. Most were just useless show pieces, of low quality stainless steel, blunted, or just unwieldly (as the one replica of his favourite strawberry-haired Shinigami proved).

    No, the one he grabbed was the only high-carbon steel sword he had: a katana. It was almost a foot longer than a normal katana, though proportional. That really didn¡¯t matter though, as he was built ¡°like a brick shit-house¡±, as an old friend had once told him. That made him smile as he remembered how she had said it, the expression on her face.

    Another smile as he also recalled her being fairly slender, a good half-foot shorter than him, and half his weight. Almost anyone would have been described as a tank compared to her.

    Back in the present, he undid the cloth wrapping and admired the blue-lacquered wooden scabbard. He then drew out a foot of steel and smiled as he smelled the pine of the scabbard, the oil on the blade, and even a bit of the scent of steel. He had always had a good nose.

    Then he slowly re-sheathed it, walked back to the living room to sit in his comfy chair, and look out the window.

    It was going to be a long night.

    -

    Altaea opened her eyes, a glint of light flashed in the darkness.

    It seemed to be the middle of the night, wherever she-they, were. But she was refreshed and ready to tackle the challenges of the day.

    The first of said challenges was to see if there were any gods here.

    So, she closed her eyes and began to meditate, not to restore herself, but to search, to let her consciousness roam.

    But what she found was¡­ a void. The plane that she was on, or realm, as others liked to call them, was peculiar.

    There were traces of divinity here and there, but not what she would expect.

    The other thing that she discovered was that she wasn¡¯t¡­ whole.

    Her divine flame was but a spark in the darkness, a candle to the roaring bonfire that it had been.

    But she could still feel her paladin side. Not like when she and her companions had been stripped of their abilities after saving the universe.

    She breathed a sigh of relief at that. It had been traumatizing enough that she didn¡¯t wish a repeat of those events.

    But again, this plane was odd. If felt¡­ artificial, created. But whole. But a fragment. It was the weirdest feeling that she had ever felt.

    But that was another matter entirely. For now, now she needed to help her benefactor. So she concentrated on herself this time. Feeling, seeing, all that was her. Then reaching in and changing herself, suppressing her celestial heritage, pulling her wings back into herself. Her skin changing from shining iron to supple flesh, glittering scar-tattoos and all.

    The funny thing was that her hair remained the same. It was a brilliant sapphire bordering on indigo at the roots that changed to the most amazing purples then changed to a brilliant ruby colour at the tips. All-in-all, about 1/3 for each colour scheme, each blending seamlessly into the next.

    Once she was done, she looked like just about every other human out there. Well, except the hair. And maybe the very faint, sparkly, scar-tattoos¡­.

    She was well pleased though, so she got up, stretched a bit, and opened her door. She was pleased that these hinges seemed to be well oiled, for the door opened - and now that she thought of it, had closed - without a sound. The door handle was exactly that, a handle. Not the knob that had been popular back home before she¡­ left.

    With a slight frown, she placed a hand on the door and concentrated for a moment, getting a layout of the man¡¯s home. It was a useful power that she had picked up at some point. It allowed her to ¡°delve¡± her surrounding. She could get the layout of a building in seconds, or she could find a particular substance in the earth if she wished, or the substance of an object. The power had been quite popular amongst the miners back home, not to mention healers, alchemists, and smiths of every kind.

    The building was certainly¡­ unique. Whoever had built the place had used materials that she had never seen before, and others in such a way that had never been done before.

    For instance, what was all the wrapped copper in the walls for? It was also quite the novel idea to use iron bars inside the concrete to support the structure. Even the concrete wasn¡¯t of the variety that she knew; this was much denser.

    And so Altaea, instead of going to the living room where her host had fallen asleep, explored the small dwelling.

    And wasn¡¯t that a marvel? She found so many things that she had never seen before, nor even imagined could exist! In the other bedroom, there were many devices that had such complex and miniscule parts to them, let alone the strange materials with which they were made, that it boggled the mind. It pushed the accuracy of her delve to its limits, then beyond as she concentrated harder and harder on the wondrous items.

    Not that they were magical or even psionic in nature. That was the amazing thing! They were all mundane! If one could even call such amazing things ¡°mundane¡±.

    As she explored the items, she noticed that they all had a cord of some sort (well, copper wrapped in a new substance) and they all led to either a small receptacle in the wall, or an item make to attach to the ends of the cords, then that thing was attacked to a wall receptacle. And those receptacles were attached to the wrapped copper wires in the walls which suddenly ended in what appeared to be a metal box in the wall of the storage room, but then a slightly larger wire left that box and ended where the building did.

    Huh. Maybe she¡¯d ask her host about that later.

    For now, she would continue delving and studying everything that she could!

    -

    He awoke with a crick in his neck. Yup, he¡¯d fallen asleep. Sigh.

    Maybe this wasn¡¯t a coma-dream? Who went to sleep and then woke up while in a dream? Dreams in a dream¡­

    He took a moment to half-process that line of thought then proverbially tossed it out the window.

    He then looked out the actual window and saw that the mountains across from him were brightening in preparation of dawn. Then he looked to his right and nearly jumped out of his chair.

    Sitting almost within touching distance was Altaea. Not that that was the most startling thing. No, it was the wide-eyed stare that she was giving him, almost expectant.

    Who was he kidding? She was practically sparkling.

    He took a second to realize that she had not only changed her clothing, which was quite flattering given the earth tones, but she had also changed.

    Gone were the wings, gone was the glossy iron skin. Her hair was the same, but her skin was once again that of a mortal.

    Well, that wasn¡¯t quite right.

    If anyone from back home could have such beautiful skin, soft-looking, lustrous, and full of vitality, then there would have been global wars for it. To put it mildly, she was the most beautiful person that he had ever seen - or imagined. For what mortal mind could imagine the beauty of divinity?

    With a start, he snapped his mouth closed as he realized Altaea was now blushing. Her. Blushing.

    Then he was waking up all over again.

    Huh, must have overloaded the circuits¡­.

    Ahem!

    ¡°So, ah, how are you?¡± He asked lamely and immediately berated himself for his lack of cognitive ability in front of her, all the while trying to keep a good poker face.

    ¡°I am recovered, thank you,¡± she said with a smile that told him she knew everything.

    He was going to die.

    ¡°Glad to hear it,¡± he said, somewhat unsteadily. ¡°So, ah, about the procedure¡­?¡± He asked, trying so hard to get his mind back on track.

    ¡°Yes, that.¡± She said as she leaned back a bit.

    He just about had a nosebleed then and there.

    She grinned at him.

    She¡¯d doing it on purpose!!!

    ¡°Yyyy-up,¡± she said, doing a very good impersonation of him from last night. At least that broke the tension.

    ¡°So, what do I need to do to prepare?¡± He asked, knowing that there probably wasn¡¯t much.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, there isn¡¯t much to do beyond answering a few questions,¡± she said as she sat up in her chair, now the very image of proper.

    ¡°What would you like to know?¡±

    ¡°Many things, but I¡¯ll keep in on the current topic,¡± she said with a beautiful smile. ¡°The first is: would you like to retain your memories?¡±

    That hit him like a tonne of bricks. He knew that that was a thing, but to have to decide right now was¡­ hard. He looked to the windowsill, seeing the little spruce sapling, and zoned out for a bit. But, eventually, he came to his answer.

    ¡°Yes, please.¡±

    She gave him that look that told him that she knew all of what that meant.

    ¡°Next: any requests for your new form?¡±

    It went on like that for a few more minutes, her asking questions that he really would have wished to never answer, mostly because of the embarrassing nature of said questions. But finally, the questioning came to a close.

    ¡°So, ah, can I become like you? Well, half of you anyways. We don¡¯t really have planars back home, so I wouldn¡¯t quite qualify as being an aasimar.¡± He said with a wry grin.

    ¡°That is something we shall speak of later; your old home,¡± she said with a sparkle in her eye, but then with a serious face. ¡°For now: yes, you can become an elan. Even a High Elan that you, for some reason, know about.¡±

    Before he could say anything, she continued, her expression more serious than he had seen on anyone in a very long time.

    ¡°This will be the most profound and physically painful experience of your life. You will might try to beg me to stop, I will not. Your mind will feel like nothing you have ever experienced; I can guarantee that.¡± She paused to let that sink in. ¡°Are you still prepared to do this? I know everything has been so sudden. Usually, any initiates prepare for years before taking the lesser route. So, again: are you prepared?¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help but crack his second-best smile at her.

    His first-best smile had died.

    -

    ¡°No, I am not,¡± he said, his eyes becoming more focused, more serious. ¡°But I am ready and willing.¡±

    Altaea looked at him and saw a glint in his eye that she recognized. She had seen it in too many people she had known. Yes, past tense. Most of those people had known that what they were about to do, be it to hold the line against the enemy, let go of a hand, or any number of things. But each and every one of them had known that they were likely going to die.

    And yet he smiled at her with those soulful eyes.

    ¡°All right then,¡± she said. ¡°Strip.¡±

    He blinked at her. Twice.

    ¡°We both know that you can¡¯t be dressed for this,¡± she said. ¡°Also, I will need to alter the floor a bit, as I¡¯ll need to add some restraints.¡±

    Another blink. Then full-on blush.

    *Cough!*

    ¡°You know what I mean,¡± Altaea said as she tried to hold a smile back. At least there was a bit of humour.

    ¡°Yeah, but one can dream, right?¡± He replied. They both knew that he was more than likely not going to be able to say anything of the sort in the future. Because Elans, and High Elans, didn¡¯t actually dream anymore. Also, he¡¯d likely be dead.

    Shaking her head, Altaea concentrated a bit and pulled the iron out of the concrete under the tiled floor, shaping it into closable wrist and ankle restraints. Next, she pulled forth a large iridescent crystal the size of her arm. It slowly broke into smaller pieces, arranging themselves into a pattern on the floor. Then the rest of the crystal disintegrated into a sand that seemed to catch all the light and refract it countless times.

    Altaea didn¡¯t have to look over her shoulder to see the expression of utter awe on her host¡¯s face. And because he couldn¡¯t see her face, she allowed herself to smile.

    For she had gathered that he came from a place where there was no magic, no psionics. He had faith that there was a God, but that¡¯s what faith was: believing without knowing.

    Soon enough the preparations for the procedure, or ritual if you wanted to call it that, were complete.

    ¡°Just in case, I¡¯ll secure the area so that we won¡¯t get interrupted,¡± Altaea said as she concentrated, pulling up six-foot-thick stone walls around the piece of apartment, raising them up and then bringing them together into a dome. Not that he could see that, but Altaea knew.

    Then the only light in the room was from the glowing crystal on the floor.

    ¡°So that is what Dust looks like,¡± he said as he gazed at the pattern on the floor.

    ¡°Who knows? Maybe I¡¯ll teach you how to make it one day.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d very much like that,¡± he said, then took off his colourful shirt, cleared his throat, then started on his pants.

    Altaea turned around so that he wouldn¡¯t be quite as embarrassed, though it made no difference to her; she saw everything around her anyway with her sphere of perception. Then she motioned with a hand and a dish towel flew over into that same hand.

    ¡°If you¡¯d be more comfortable, you can lay this across yourself.¡±

    He grinned sheepishly as he took the offered towel, then laid down on the ground, placing the towel over his pelvis, then placed his hands and ankles in the open restraints.

    ¡°Well, here goes nothing,¡± he with his usual grin.

    Then she waved her hand and he fell asleep.

    Altaea looked around in the near darkness. I didn¡¯t really bother her as she could see in perfect darkness anyways. What she was looking for was a refuse container of some sort. Then shrugged, opened the patio door, and formed a bin of stone and placed it next to the circle. This was going to get messy.

    -

    He was having a nice dream, something about meeting his waifu, but then he was unceremoniously pulled out of it by excruciating pain; like nothing he had ever felt before.

    It felt like his skin was being peeled off, layer by layer. Then, suddenly, he knew that it was so because his eyelids were suddenly gone.

    He tried to scream but found that there was something in his mouth keeping his jaws apart. He didn¡¯t have the faculties to register that it was a bit of cloth wrapped wood, designed to keep him from either shattering his teeth as he clenched his jaw, or biting off his tongue. Or both.

    Either way, that pain was now gone. But what replaced it was something almost worse. He felt his muscles twitch and squirm all by themselves. He felt his bones breaking and sliding about.

    No kidding this would be the most profound pain he would ever been in.

    And that was the last thought he had before everything went black.

    -

    Altaea tuned out the moans, cries, muffled screams, and other sounds that he was making, like she had done countless times before as she made new elans.

    At least the skin was done. That had to be completely regrown and restructured, and that was happening in the air beside her as she got to work on the muscles.

    She could tell that he had never been one of those people who had worked out to constantly build up their muscles. But she could also tell that he had, at many times in his life, had a respectable muscle mass and density, along with his bones.

    But now, now she needed to rework most things. Realign bones, regrow all of his teeth and straighten them slightly (even allowing new wisdom teeth to grow in with the needed space), rework muscle and its memory. Adjust organs to their new functions (rework the lungs, as it seems that they had been damaged at some point), or completely remove others. Pancreas? Spleen? Appendix? Who actually needed that many feet of intestines?

    Well, she supposed humans did, but elans didn¡¯t, never mind High Elans.

    Then she reworked his spine. Specifically his neck. How in all the multiverse had he managed to not only get a reverse curve on it, but had then twisting it like a spiral staircase?! How had he survived?

    With a sigh and a mental nudge, she fixed his spine, fixed a bone that wasn¡¯t set properly after a break and just generally worked to get his skeleton in top shape. His marrow was then reworked along with his bones, allowing for energy to be easily stored in the porous tissues.

    Then came the reworking of his essence, what made up every bit of the body. Curiosity struck as she wondered if he knew what it was called. So, she paused in her work and peeked about in his memories attached to biology and was astonished.

    He knew! They called it ¡°DNA¡± and had names for the other things in the body that her people really didn¡¯t have names for, but knew of. Well, they called them something else, but this was much more interesting.

    She had to stop herself from getting too distracted, but made a mental note to get as much info out of him that she could. Which meant doing her utmost to ensure his survival.

    Then she was back to reworking his DNA and such, making adjustments here, taking something out there, adding in what was needed, and what would allow him to become¡­ like her. Then there was the Dust that she broke down further and added to every new cell in his body that was rapidly growing to replace the old, obsolete, cells.

    It was a tricky thing, as you had to keep ahead of anything mixing, getting rid of old tissue before it became an issue. Hence the waste bin.

    She not only had to accelerate the growth of the new tissues, but she had to make sure to create the nutrients the cells needed, not to mention providing the energy.

    Soon, it came time to cloak the body in his new skin; a task that was always tricky. She first had to levitate him slightly off the floor, [Cleanse] his body again, then wrap him up like a gift, being extra careful around the wrists and ankles.

    Now, one might wonder what happened to all the blood? Well, it was in the waste bin. She had been sustaining him psionically this whole time, including his brain. What did that involve? Too much to be said but suffice it to say that she kept his brain in working order throughout the procedure. Even while working on it.

    On to the tricky part.

    What few people knew, was that you could copy someone¡¯s psyche, all their memories, knowledge, feelings, emotions, and experiences. In short, everything that made a person who they were. Impossible? No. Tricky? Definitely. It was why most initiates didn¡¯t keep most of their memories when undergoing the ritual.

    But this? Well, this was a High Elan she was making. This was far beyond any lesser ritualists, possibly beyond anyone but her. But she could not only do it, but do it well.

    So, she copied everything that made her host who he was and began reworking his brain. No longer would it need the mundane to sustain itself but would only need the psionic energy that his being would produce. No more eating. No more drinking. No more bathroom breaks.

    Well, if he didn¡¯t want to. High Elans could indeed still consume food and imbibe fluids and would even have to use the facilities, albeit at a reduced rate as their bodies processed things much more efficiently than other races/species. But the point was that they didn¡¯t need to. It was more for social graces that any elan consumed anything after their transformation. Well, that and habits from their old lives.

    Back to the issues at hand.

    She looked at her work. He wouldn¡¯t have the sparkling scars that she did, scars that looked like nothing more than faint glittering tattoos all over her body for anyone that didn¡¯t know what had happened to her.

    He would also be a lot less hairy, at his request. She couldn¡¯t blame him there.

    But getting that extra inch of height, fulfilling his childhood dream to being over six feet tall, well, that was all her. And maybe his nose¡­ Just a little. She had come across a memory of his little sister teasing him that he had a big nose. It really wasn¡¯t that big, just slightly larger. Most people would even think it normal.

    Shrug.

    Soon enough, Altaea had gathered all the old waste materials and paused. Some people liked to keep a memento of their old selves. It was kind of weird, but to each their own. She had wanted her womb back for the longest time after she¡¯d become an elan, before everything was¡­ fixed. So, she gathered his old teeth and a lock of hair and set them aside after cleaning the blood off the teeth. No one wanted to see a bunch of blood laying about.

    Then she once again concentrated briefly and sent a green ray into the stone bin, disintegrating the remains, followed by an apartment wide [Cleanse] to get rid of the smell, and the bits that had dripped¡­

    Lastly, she copied over his consciousness into his new brain, making adjustments as needed. The mind was used to a very specific environment, and she had just messed all that up for it.

    So, she took the time to work through the muscle memory for him, adjusting things like the length of his limbs, his manual dexterity, putting in what he needed for muscle regulation so that he wouldn¡¯t accidentally injure himself or others (though she was the only one around, and he couldn¡¯t hope to actually hurt her), or even just breaking something by accident.

    By the time she was done, the apartment was pitch black, all the Dust having been used up in the ritual.

    -

    The state his mind was in was¡­ well¡­ inexplicable. Indescribable. There were just no words to describe what he had gone through.

    But what he felt now, well, there were words.

    Queasy, disoriented, dizzy. Full of life, vitality, energy. He felt like he could run a marathon, and he had never been able to do that before, even at his best. Most of all? There was no pain.

    He hadn¡¯t realized exactly how much pain he had been living through up to this point. His neck felt, well, great. No constant pinching, or feeling like someone had stabbed him. His hands, damaged while working in the cleaning room of a foundry, felt great. In short, everything felt great.

    Then he opened his eyes.

    He wished he hadn¡¯t as a wave of vertigo and dizziness hit him like a freight train. Not that he knew what that felt like, but he imagined it was a very sudden thing, and felt that the analogy was appropriate. Well, in as much as he could actually think about anything.

    It took him some time to get over the vertigo, dizziness, and twitching to just sit up. Even that felt good. He opened his eyes and looked around. Everything looked normal. Everything looked different.

    He could tell that there was no light in the apartment, and none coming from outside given the massive stone dome overhead. But he could still see everything as though it were daytime. It was the weirdest sensation. There were all the colours that wouldn¡¯t normally be there with his low-light vision. Huh.

    Then he looked at Altaea, still in her earth-tone outfit, looking much the same as before, except there was something¡­ more. He couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it, but there was definitely something different about her.

    Shrug.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± She asked, looking down at his mostly naked form.

    ¡°Like I don¡¯t think I have ever felt before,¡± he replied, then paused before he continued. ¡°But good.¡±

    Altaea smiled at him then held up a simple gold ring with a grin on her face.

    Because she knew what he was thinking when he spotted it.

    More blushing after he¡¯d recovered from the stunning sight of her smile.

    ¡°Are you ready for the second part?¡±

    ¡°Wait, wasn¡¯t that supposed to happen at the same time?¡± He asked, blinking at her.

    ¡°Well, it works out better this way.¡± She said, copying his grin.

    He was so in for it. She nodded.

    ¡°Take it.¡± She said and tossed it to him. It wasn¡¯t far but he still managed to bungle the catch, causing it to bounce on the ground and roll over to her foot.

    ¡°Oops,¡± was all he could think to say.

    But Altaea just smiled at him, picked up the ring, then took his left hand and slid in onto his ring finger.

    The look of schadenfreude on her face nearly knocked him over. He had forgotten how mischievous she was ¨C is.

    ¡°You¡¯ll need to meditate for a while to get used to your body. Then you¡¯ll have to meditate and bond with the ring.¡± She explained as she stood up and went to the patio door. ¡°In the meantime, I am going to go exploring. Sit tight and stay safe.¡±

    With one final grin for him, she went through the door and walked over to the dome. She didn¡¯t do anything fancy like make an opening in it. Nope, she just walked through the thing.

    ¡°Well, that was unexpected,¡± he muttered to himself as he stood up and realized the dish towel wasn¡¯t where he had left it. It was, in fact, laying on the dining room table with what looked like teeth on it, and a lock of hair.

    Standing there, he slid his tongue over his teeth, noticing the different spacing, the lack of his crown, and weirdest of all, four new teeth at the back of his mouth.

    ¡°Did my wisdom teeth regrow?¡± He muttered to himself as he inspected the teeth on the table. He reached up and felt a smooth scalp. His hand slid down his face and realized that his beard was also missing. And his eyebrows. Then he looked down and, yup!, he was completely bald.

    He really hoped that this wasn¡¯t some prank of hers and that at least some of his hair would grow back.

 Chapter 002

    Altaea looked around as she left the protective dome behind.

    Yup, mountains.  Lots, and lots of mountains.  She sighed.

    There wasn¡¯t likely to be many people living in the middle of a mountain range.  Well, maybe dwarves.  If she could find the right mountain.

    ¡°Time for a better view.¡±

    With that said, a pair of wings (with the same colouration as her hair) that looked as though they were made of light sprung from her back.  Then they flapped and she shot up like rocket.  Well, if she knew what a rocket was.

    Within moments the stone dome became a small dot on the mountain.  It was a curious mountain, in that it looked like a titan had tried to cut the mountain in half, crosswise, and only managed to get halfway through it.  Then broke the chunk off and pushed it down the mountainside.  The remaining peak was shorter than those around it, but Altaea realized that whatever had left this damage had also revealed many ore deposits.

    Good to know!

    Then it was back to flying about, looking for signs of civilization, or anything interesting at all.

    It didn¡¯t take long to find something.

    It was certainly large, but no titan.  Well, maybe it was this world¡¯s version of one?  Who was she to judge?

    That said, it was a good eighty feet fall and made of stone.  It was certainly humanoid, more so than most earth elementals that she¡¯d seen.  It was also walking towards her.  And coincidentally enough, towards the dome where her host was learning how to be, well, himself.

    So, what was she to do?  Was it hostile?  Or was it just walking in her direction?  Well, time for the universal greeting!

    She flew closer to the being, making sure that she was out of swat range, and noticed that its ¡°head¡± was now pointed in her direction.  More specifically, the side of its head that one would normally associate with a face was pointed at her.

    ¡°Ba weep gra¡¯na weep mini bon!¡±  She called out, hoping for a response.

    Well, it wasn¡¯t the response she was hoping for, as it reached over, grabbed a boulder larger than she was and lobbed it at her.

    Well, maybe she should have tried [Detect Evil] first?  She didn¡¯t even have to try to dodge, as the boulder seemed to slide past her as she gazed at the rock titan.  Maybe that¡¯s what it was?

    Whatever it was though, it was definitely evil.

    Sigh.

    Then she pointed her finger at it and declared: ¡°I smite thee!¡±

    Nothing seemed to happen, except that it threw another boulder that slid past her.

    Altaea grinned and summoned her armour.

    -

    As he sat in his comfy chair, he realized that he had forgotten something very important.  Something almost everyone he knew would have scolded him for.

    He had forgotten to introduce himself.

    With a pained look, he gazed out the window to where Altaea had walked through the dome.  He really hoped that she wasn¡¯t angry about that.

    But then again, if she was indeed the exact same being that he had known for so long in his imagination and writings, then she probably already knew his name.  She had also probably just given him a nick-name and rolled with it.

    With a heavy sigh he turned from the window and stared at his hands.

    The familiar hands that he had gazed at countless times throughout his life weren¡¯t there.  Sure, they were large like before, but the scars weren¡¯t there.  The oh-so fine wrinkles were gone.  Heck, even the broken bone in his right hand seemed to have been straightened out.

    He looked out the window again.  Habit.  There wasn¡¯t anything to see at the moment except a wall of rock.

    Well, he may as well ¡°bond¡± with the ring.  Hopefully he can store stuff away in it.  But he¡¯d really just have to wait and see what it all entailed.

    So, with that thought in mind, he closed his eyes and began to let his mind drift¡­

    What the hell am I doing?!  He berated himself.  He had absolutely no idea how to meditate!

    Well, Altaea had said to focus on himself first.  But it was hard when he had an actual magic ring sitting on his ring finger!

    Then his mind drifted to her kneeling in front of him and sliding it onto his ring finger.

    His head nearly exploded.

    ¡°Nope, nope, nope!¡±  He said as he got up and once again realized that the was naked.

    ¡°When did I become a nudist?!¡±  He yelled and grabbed his clothing as fast as he could, even though he was alone.  It just felt weird being completely bald.  Then if felt all sorts of weird being completely bald and dressed.  Things felt different, not to mention his now baggy clothing.

    With a shudder that was more than just a little bit mild, he walked to the bathroom, opened the door, and stopped in front of the mirror.

    ¡°Well, damn,¡± he muttered to himself as he finally saw what he looked like bald.  Well, that wasn¡¯t too bad, as he had a habit of shaving his head when it got too hot outside.  The missing beard?  The beard was relatively new, so that really didn¡¯t throw him off.  Now, the eyebrows?  That weirded him out.

    ¡°Man, looks like I took the red pill¡­¡± he said with a chuckle.

    Then he really saw his face.  Not just the component parts that one inspects in a mirror, like if your hair was doing something weird, or if you needed a shave or trim the beard.  No, this was it all, and he nearly fell over.

    He then straightened himself so that he could get a clear look at himself.

    He looked like he was sixteen again.

    Gone were the developing crow feet.  Gone were the worry lines on his forehead.  Even the laugh lines on his cheeks were gone.  It was all smooth and clear.  He looked closer and noticed, or rather, failed to notice, the little chicken pocks scar that had been between his brows, nearer the right one.  The scar the bee left under his right eye?  Gone.

    Then he started inspecting himself, not just his hands or face, but looking for his beauty marks, scars, and even his birthmark.

    All gone.

    ¡°No kidding ¡®get used to your body¡¯,¡± he mumbled to himself as he put his clothes back on.  He looked at his toes, and yup!, no evidence of unfortunate encounters with immovable objects.

    He slowly made his way over to his bed the laid down, adjusting his pillow as he thought of everything.

    If he ever got home, would anyone recognize him?  What had actually happened?  Did they think he was dead?  Were his parents worried about him?  Heck, with all that pandemic nonsense going on, he had pretty much turned into a recluse, his introverted nature kicking into high gear.  Even his buddies from high school hardly heard from him.  Like, almost never.

    How long before one of them even noticed?

    Slap-slap!

    Wow, that hurts so much more now.  He winced as he pulled his hands away from his face.

    This line of thinking was absolutely useless.  Unless he had some way to get home there was no reason to waste his energy worrying about it.

    ¡°Only focus on what you can change.¡±  One of his favourite quotes.  Don¡¯t ask him who said it first though¡­

    So, he did what he was advised to do: he began getting used to his body, the only way he knew how.  He started doing push-ups.

    ¡°Is this easier than it used to be?¡±  He asked himself as he finished his fifth set of twenty reps and rolled onto his back.

    ¡°Yes sir!  It sure is much easier than it used to be!¡±

    Why did he sound like a stereotypical southern hick?

    ¡°Because ye¡¯re bored!¡±  Said the Scot.

    ¡°OK, maybe I really should try to do some meditation¡­¡±

    How did it go?  Lotus position?  Hands clasped in each other, thumbs touching at the tip.

    So, he did the only thing he knew how to do with meditation.

    It was actually a self-taught technique that had him imagine his body as a giant robot with power switches in his head.  Each switch would shut off a section of his body, causing it to relax.  The idea was to start at the toes and work all the way up to the top, eventually having your face relax.

    What was the point of doing that you ask?  Simple: to sleep.

    When he was growing up it would take at least an hour, usually two, for him to be able to fall asleep at night due to his busy brain, and thus his tensed body.  He would go through every detail of his day, frame by frame, wondering if he had done something wrong, trying to see what he could do better.  Going over arguments trying to find a good comeback.  That last part never really worked as he was just never the kind of person to just say mean things to other people, even if they were being jerks.

    Anyway, back to the present!

    Using this method, he was able to get somewhere.  He actually managed to turn his feet off.  Literally.

    He could not move his feet.

    He could still feel them, but he couldn¡¯t move them.  He had a moment of panic, thinking that he¡¯d somehow broken himself, before the thought occurred to him to try to flip the switch again.

    That worked, much to his intense relief!

    Maybe not that one until he got to know his body better¡­.

    Or maybe¡­.

    He got up off the floor, dusted himself off, then realized there was no dust.  Huh.

    Then he laid in his bed, adjusted his pillow, and shut his body off.

    Everything went black, but the thing that really got his attention was that his heart stopped beating.

    Panicking, he flipped every switch again and felt the sweet/painful rush of his heart beating once again.

    ¡°That was¡­  Damn,¡± he stuttered out, placing a shaking hand across his eyes.  ¡°I need to refine those switches¡­¡±

    And so that is what he did for who knows how long, as he hadn¡¯t bothered bringing his watch/health tracker with him.

    Well, putting it on again.  Huh, there was a thought: would it work the same as before?  Heck, would it be anywhere near accurate measuring his calories burned?  Heartrate was probably going to work, not to mention the pedometer.

    I really need to learn how to focus.  He reminded himself.  That was another thought: was he still a combination of ADD and OCD?  Was his brain chemistry even the same?  Did that mean that if his depression was a physiological issue and not a purely psychological one, would it go away?  Hmmmm¡­.

    And so he concentrated on his mind, searching his thoughts and feelings.  Trying to find his centre as he imagined being in a void.  Another trick from growing up, also originating from the need to try to fall asleep.

    He¡¯d gotten the idea from his favourite author and tried to make it work for him, tried to adapt it.

    This time, this time that flame sprouted inside that void and quickly began to absorb his errant thoughts, causing the flame to balloon out in size.  Soon enough, he was sitting in an area of utter calm.

    And it burst just as quickly as his amazement popped it, well, like an overfull balloon.

    It really wouldn¡¯t have been so bad if it didn¡¯t come with a wildly spinning head.

    It took him another chunk of time to settle his head and thoughts and to just relax again.  It wasn¡¯t hard, as he was laying on his bed.  In fact, the fatigue of the last day seemed to be catching up to him as he fell back into his mind.

    -

    Altaea looked down at the rubble heap that she had once called a rock titan.  It probably wasn¡¯t, but that never stopped her from giving things nicknames.

    What she found particularly interesting was that it seemed to have a biological component to it.  Or maybe its skin was just rocky?  Maybe like a stonechild?  But this thing put the children of stone to shame.  Stonechildren only got to about 1/10<sup>th</sup> the size of what this thing was.  And they looked better to boot.

    That aside, she began to [Delve] the remains, just in case.

    Well, one thing she discovered was that it definitely had a biological side to it, and that it ate rocks.  So many rocks and various ores, not to mention gems, were found in its stomach and what passed for its bowels.  So, she added a thin telekinetic sting to each interesting thing and gave it all a mental pull.

    Wiping herself off, she realized that she really should have thought that through better.  Well, live and learn as they say.

    Looking at the loot, Altaea thew a [Cleanse] over herself and her small hoard and watched as the filth disintegrated from herself and the pile of loot.  It was somewhat cathartic to watch.  Well, calling it proper loot may be premature, as she would need to refine the ores and polish up the gems.  Well, maybe she¡¯d get her host to do it.  He needed to learn a few things anyway.

    With a smile, Altaea decided to cut her exploration short and head back to the dome.

    Once there, she decided to remodel it a bit, to make it blend in a bit more.  A rough patch here, a transplanted shrub there, some rubble up that side, and it looked much better!

    But what was she forgetting¡­?

    Ventilation!

    Cough!

    A few more tweaks here and there, and voila!  Maybe she¡¯d put in windows at some point.

    Shrug.

    Maybe she should add him to her collective?  It would probably help to keep him alive, and also provide entertainment.  Yup, great idea!

    So Altaea walked through the stone wall again and noticed the pile of quintessence on the other side of the building.

    ¡°Did he save a bunch?¡±  She asked herself as she went inside.  Another shrug.

    Looking around, she noticed that he wasn¡¯t in the living room, nor the second room, but found in laying down on his bed with his eyes closed.

    That gave her pause.  She was pretty sure that he knew that elans didn¡¯t sleep.  Nor could they actually sleep, they merely went into a meditative state to replenish themselves.  Heck, it was one of the better things to be immune to: sleep spells.

    With those thoughts in mind, Altaea sent a mental invitation to her host and waited¡­ not long.  Her host¡¯s eyes popped open as he looked over to her, then promptly scrunched shut again as he groaned.  Oddly, he didn¡¯t move anything except his face.  But before she could inquire, he responded.

    ¡°Sorry, working on some self-taught meditation.  It doesn¡¯t seem to be going well.¡±

    Then she felt him accepting her invitation into her collective and smiled.  She immediately did a mental probe of his health and found that he was indeed in perfect health.  So why the seeming paralysis?

    ¡°Funny story?¡±  He said as he began to twitch, then sat up.  ¡°This trick I had as a kid to fall asleep works much better with the¡­ adjustments to my body.¡±

    ¡°Funny story?¡±  Altaea said with a grin.  ¡°That¡¯s pretty much a new body.¡±

    He blinked, seemed to notice that he was also missing his eyelashes, then did that funny laugh of his.

    ¡°Well, that explains the ridiculous control I have over my heart!¡±

    At her questioning, and quite frankly concerned look, he explained what had happened.

    She face-palmed.

    ¡°I am so sorry.  I really should have left you with some meditation techniques designed to get you used to, not only your body, but your mind as well.¡±  She said as she sat down next to him on the bed.  ¡°You just seemed to know so much about not only me, but about everything that it didn¡¯t occur to me that you wouldn¡¯t know the basics.¡±

    He grinned and held out his hand.  Altaea blinked and took it, feeling the warmth therein, and smiled as he shook her hand.

    ¡°You can call me Joram.  Pleased to meet you.¡±

    Altaea blinked, then laughed out loud.  ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you ¡®Joram¡¯.¡±  She said with all the charm she could muster.

    Ten seconds later Joram¡¯s heart was restarted and he was once again sitting up, though looking a little pale while Altaea looked a bit guilty.

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not quite used to chatting with a mortal ¨C er, a newbie.¡±

    ¡°Well, then, let us fix that!¡±  Joram said with that goofy grin of his.  ¡°I have an idea about that.  Would you care to listen?¡±

    Intrigued, Altaea nodded and began to listen to Joram¡¯s proposed training regimen.  One thing was for sure, he didn¡¯t think small.

    -

    Joram sat on his bed, watching Altaea as she mulled over his proposal.  She had the best poker face that he¡¯d ever seen.  Not that there was no expression on her face, but that it was the exact expression that she wanted to be there, giving nothing away.  In this case: pensive.

    He knew that it was a long shot, but he also figured that if she was the Altaea of his stories, then she had probably already done the research needed to pull off his idea.

    But would she agree to it?  It was certainly an unconventional idea, to put it lightly.  But it was also something that would not only keep him alive but let him thrive.

    If he could survive the training that is.

    At length, Altaea looked up and stared him straight in the eye.  ¡°You know?  I really did do all the research into this, and not a few other combinations like this,¡± she started.  ¡°But if you can do it, you¡¯ll be the first one to do so.  Well, other than me that is.¡±  She finished with a grin that somehow managed to be both challenging and soothing at the same time.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s worth a shot.  Not like there¡¯s a whole lot to do here, in the middle of nowhere.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Altaea said as she leaned over and stared him in the eye.

    Joram blinked and realized that Altaea also looked quite young, about how old he looked.  It was just hard to notice because of her sheer presence.  You don¡¯t tend to notice little things like apparent age when hit with such a powerful presence.

    But now she seemed like any other person as she stared into his eyes.  He couldn¡¯t even blink.

    But he did when she flicked him in the forehead.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°You¡¯re too easily distracted.¡±  She said as she sat back.  ¡°OK, first things first.  I am going to implant several meditation techniques into your memory.  Then, we will start the physical training.  Since you¡¯ve effectively gotten a new body, you need to get used to it.¡±

    ¡°Is it just me, or am I stronger than before?¡±  He asked, looking down at his hand as he flexed it.

    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t say that you are ¡®stronger¡¯, just that you were returned to your peak physical condition.¡±  She explained with a wave of the hand.  ¡°I don¡¯t know how you managed to damage your body so badly, but you can now probably run more than a few hundred yards without falling over dead.¡±

    ¡°Was it really that bad?¡±  Joram asked, a worried expression on his face.

    ¡°Well, your lungs were damaged at some point, then damaged some more.  You neck was one of the worst messes that I¡¯ve ever seen in anyone alive.  Various joint degeneration, etcetera, etcetera.  Suffice it to say, you really got lucky meeting me.¡±  She said with another smile, this time it wouldn¡¯t have been out of place on Mrs Claus.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±  Joram said with as much heartfelt conviction that he could put into his voice.  It seemed to have been enough as he got a wonderful smile in return.

    ¡°You did rescue me you know.¡±

    ¡°Well, if you put it like that.¡±  Joram said and leaned over and gave her a gentle punch to the shoulder.  Her shoulder was surprisingly soft.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go all soft on me now.¡±  She said, seeming a bit embarrassed.

    But that really could have just been her messing with him.  For all that he knew her, she seemed to be able to read him like an open book.  And she really seemed to like teasing him.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it.¡±

    ¡°Well, not like we can dream anymore,¡± she said, a bit more serious again.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just switch to your aasimar side to sleep if you miss dreaming?¡±

    ¡°Because it is dangerous,¡± she replied.  ¡°But that¡¯s neither here nor there.  You might want to lay down for this next part.¡±

    He blinked, then blinked again as he realized that he was looking up at the ceiling.  Huh.

    ¡°Do I know kung-fu now?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    -

    Altaea left Joram in his room to start meditating and headed off to the living room/kitchen.  With a thought, she put the floor back to how it was and looked around.  From the memories that she¡¯d observed, she now knew what the big white things were, and what they did.

    So, she opened the fridge and inspected what was there.  Seemed OK.  She opened the freezer and noticed that things were no longer frozen.  That might be a problem.

    So, she did what she normally did: she investigated.

    It didn¡¯t take her long to inspect the memory of the fridge, noting the lack of electricity needed to power it.

    With another few minutes of investigation, trial and error, and not a few [Reconstruction]s, she managed to find the exact amount of electricity (and force) needed to power the fridge.  Then she had a thought and went back to the storage room and opened up the metal panel on the wall.

    Sure enough, there was writing indicating the ¡°voltage¡± and ¡°amperage¡±.  There was even a convenient list of what each switch controlled.  She grinned.

    An hour later, and a fair amount of Dust lighter, Altaea left the storage room still grinning.  She grinned even wider when she hard the hum of several appliances.  Well, really just the fridge and mini-freezer, and a small black fan that turned on again.  She wasn¡¯t quite sure if the stove made any sound, but from what she had learned from Joram, she was pretty sure that it shouldn¡¯t.

    That said, she was pleased to see several small lights blinking at her from the stove and the microwave.  Then a few more from the table where Joram kept his other ¡°electronics¡±.

    But she held herself back as she knew that Joram would take great pleasure in showing her his various gadgets.

    Then she turned to the living room window and spotted the plants.  They would need sunlight, especially that little tree.  It seemed very important to him.  Well, there was no seeming.  She had felt it quite strongly from him.

    After a few moments of deliberation over various redesigns of the dome, lamp light, and other ideas, Altaea settled on making a small blue ¡°stone¡± (it wasn¡¯t actually a stone, but a curious substance that trapped light and then slowly released it) a minor magical item by giving it a permanent [Daylight] enchantment.

    Was it overkill? Yes.  Was there another, simpler, solution.  Yes.  Was it worth it?  Definitely.

    After having hung the ¡°stone¡± up in the window, Altaea settled on just [Delve]ing the mountain they were on to see what she could find.

    Maybe it won¡¯t be so boring after all¡­?

    Altaea grinned.

    -

    Time passed as Joram worked hard at his meditation assignments, slowly, but steadily, making progress.  In a matter of days, he was able to gain his [Psionic Focus], and not just that, but he had even taught himself a trick to have two going at the same time!

    What did that really mean?  Not a whole lot at the moment, but he had an inkling that it would be useful in the future.

    He hoped.

    That done, he realized that he hadn¡¯t eaten a bite, nor drank even a drop of water in all that time.  But did he feel hungry or thirsty?  Not one whit.

    It was still¡­ weird.  New body, new everything.  Same old thoughts.  Well, there were new ones in there, but he thought that he was largely the same.

    Did the thought of him changing from who he was scare him?  It sure did.  Did the thought of losing himself and his precious memories terrify him?  Definitely!  Did he want to go ¡°home¡± to his friends and family?  Sure.

    But that feeling of homesickness wasn¡¯t there as strongly as it would have been in most people.  He was an introvert by nature, and he was quite happy speaking with his family every month or two to let them know that he was still alive, to catch up on how they were doing.

    Was that odd?  Probably.  But he had always been like that.

    Except with his daughters.  He enjoyed every minute with them, seeing them learn and grow.  Watching them try something new and either fail at it or succeed.  Either one was precious to him, as it was time spent with them.  It was time that he could teach them what he knew.

    It was time where he could get as many huggles from them as they could throw his way.

    That.  That he missed more than words could say.  So much so, that it threatened to consume him at times.  Even now.

    But he took solace in knowing that at least his depression was a psychological issue and not a biological imbalance.

    Small things, right?

    Shaking his head, Joram got up and noticed the faint hum for the first time.  On a hunch, he walked over to the light switch in his room and flicked it on.

    Light.

    Wait, wait, wait!  Was it really just a dream?!  Joram took several steadying breaths.

    I can test this.  He thought, looking down at his hands.

    Younger hands.  No scars.

    He twisted his head about, looking this way and that at any angle he could.

    No pain.

    That right there was proof enough for him that he hadn¡¯t dreamt everything.

    So, he took another steadying breath, opened his door, and noticed very bright light in the hallway.  Now that he noticed, he turned to his bedroom window and saw light trying to get around the edges of the blinds.

    He face-palmed.

    Aren¡¯t you the observant one!  He chided himself as he walked to the living room/kitchen.

    First thing he noticed was the crazy bright light, like he was outside.  Then Altaea sitting in his comfy chair, eyes closed.  Then the hum of his fan, the fridge, and even his chest freezer.  He looked around and noticed all the little lights that had been out since¡­ the event.

    Yup, that was what he was going to call it: the ¡°event¡±.  Was there a better way to describe it?  Surely.  Did he particularly care?  Nope.

    Not wanting to disturb Altaea in whatever it was that she was doing, Joram picked up his phone and plugged in into his charger, grabbed his thin notebook and lapdesk, and headed back to his room.

    Once there, he opened up the notebook and powered it on.  Soon, he was typing away, recording the events of the last several days, his thoughts and feelings.

    Now, he had never really been one to keep a journal (even at the encouragement of his father), but he felt a strong urge to do so now.  It could have been a way to cement things in his mind or a way to further prove to himself that he wasn¡¯t dreaming.  For he had, belatedly, remembered that you couldn¡¯t properly read in a dream (or presumably write anything coherent).

    So, he wrote and wrote and wrote.

    While writing he noticed something interesting.  His words per minute seemed to have gone up.  Huh.  Was it due to him having a younger body now?  Some increase in hand-eye coordination or manual dexterity?  No accumulated damage to his hands from the years of hard, manual, labour?

    Whatever it may be, he just grinned and took it in stride, as was his nature.

    Sure, he¡¯d received no end of comments about it throughout his life ranging from positive to scathingly negative.  But he had always taken in things calmly and looked at things as objectively as he could.  Had that been a constant throughout his life?  No.  He had had many times where his unflappable nature had cracked, and he¡¯d been like just about everyone else.  But, by and large, he¡¯d been a calm person.

    So, given that he¡¯d literally asked to become a new person, he took the many small changes in stride and strove to master all of the little quirks that he was discovering about himself.

    The largest happened when he had gone to reflexively run his hand through his hair as he was thinking and noticed that his head was still smooth as a baby¡¯s bottom.

    That caught his attention.

    Normally it would feel like sandpaper by now, constantly bothering him if he was laying down as it would act like velcro on his pillowcase.

    Then he ran his hand across his jaw.  Still baby smooth.  Eyebrows?  Nope.  Hmmm.

    ¡°Altaea!¡±  He called as he hurried back into the living room only to receive a quirked eyebrow in return.

    ¡°You do know that we can speak over the network, right?¡±

    Cough.

    ¡°Sorry, force of habit¡­¡± he replied lamely as he looked away, then back at her.  ¡°But, uh, what happened to my hair?¡±

    ¡°It is on the table.¡±  Dead-serious look.

    Joram¡¯s eyes widened as he looked to the few bits of hair on his dish towel, then back to Altaea who then cracked a grin.

    ¡°You¡¯re a High Elan now Joram.  Think about it.¡±

    So, he absently pulled a chair out from the table and sat as he calmed down and thought about it some more.

    What did he know about High Elans?  Nothing concrete, as he hadn¡¯t learned anything directly from Altaea, but had just gone by what he ¡°knew¡±, what he¡¯d written.  Well, there was a lapse in judgement.  He berated himself.

    Focus!

    He knew that they could see in perfect dark because he could also see in perfect dark.  He also knew that they didn¡¯t need to eat or drink, because if they did need to, he¡¯d be dead right now from dehydration.  He had better hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity, but that could be chalked up to his new body.

    But he was a psionic being now.  That, he knew just by being able to obtain a [Psionic Focus].  Did his extra control over his mind extend to his body?  Well, he knew that it did due to him literally stopping his heart.

    So, did that mean that he could control other things?  Like the hair growth?  Nail growth.

    He looked down at his hands again, peering at his nails.  Perfect, albeit short, nails.  They hadn¡¯t grown beyond the edge of the nailbed.  Meaning, they hadn¡¯t grown at all.

    He looked up at Altaea and saw that she had a knowing smile on her face.

    ¡°I can control my hair growth,¡± he stated, a small and shaky grin forming on his face.

    ¡°You sure can,¡± she said with that beautiful smile on her face.  ¡°And if you had been a woman, a whole lot more too.¡±

    Joram blinked at that.  How annoying would a period be without all of the modern-day conveniences surrounding one¡¯s time of the month?

    Another thought came to him as he briefly looked down but caught himself and looked back up at Altaea.

    ¡°All the things?¡±

    ¡°Yyyy-up!¡±

    ¡°Wow.¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    A smirk, then a genuine smile.  ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it,¡± she said.  ¡°But I sense that you have other thoughts on your mind.¡±

    He blinked; mind blank for a moment before he remembered why he¡¯d gone to see her the first time.  ¡°Oh, well, I was wondering if I could start on my class training now.  I¡¯ve been able to get my [Psionic Focus] now, you see¡­.¡±  He stopped as he noticed her smile starting to slide to one of mischief.

    ¡°Oh, excellent!  Took you longer than most, but we can get to the next phase of your training!¡±

    Gulp.  ¡°¡­ and that would be¡­?¡±

    ¡°Calisthenics!¡±

    -

    Altaea smiled as she watched Joram try to make his way through her obstacle course.  It wasn¡¯t anything crazy, just something that she thew together to test his agility, coordination, and endurance.

    There was rock climbing, swimming, jumping puzzles, and balance beams.  Slides that were almost vertical to practice falling, hurtles and low walls to either jump over or slide under and even a few ropes to climb.  She was quite proud of it, especially since she¡¯d taken extra care to make sure the level of difficulty was low enough for even a child.

    Which was why she was annoyed when she heard him mutter something uncomplimentary about ¡°American Ninja¡±.  She wasn¡¯t sure on the reference, but she got the impression that he though her obstacle course was a bit ¡°extreme¡±.

    Ten minutes after he started, he fell over and didn¡¯t get up.  Altaea frowned, checked his health through the collective, but found him to be fine.  Well, exhausted, but not injured.

    This was going to take a long time.

    -

    That was his life.  ¡°Wake up¡±, meditate to harness the might of his mind (and to accustom himself to his body, training, and everything) for about six hours, then it was the insane obstacle course that Altaea had set up.

    Were the people of her world in so much better shape than his?

    Stupid question.

    Of course they were.  Modern society had pretty much killed most physical activity in peoples¡¯ lives.  Need to tend a very large garden and livestock?  Nope.  Need to be constantly moving to gather food and avoid/run from predators?  Nope.  Need to walk ten miles to get to work, then another ten to get home at the end of a long day?  Nope.

    Most people had jobs where they did very little physical activity, walking around the office didn¡¯t count.

    So, people were especially interested in things like sports, extreme sports, the Olympics, and shows like American Ninja where they could watch people do things that they could only dream of.  So that they could see, and remember, that people were more amazing than what most of them currently were.

    That said, Joram wasn¡¯t a sports fanatic.  He enjoyed playing something every now and then, but wasn¡¯t involved in any teams or leagues.  Heck, he didn¡¯t even like watching sports, much to the chagrin of his family and friends (he wasn¡¯t a ¡°proper¡± Canadian).  Nor did he enjoy jogging or running.  From what Altaea had told him, his damaged lungs had probably contributed to that.

    But this obstacle course was, to put it mildly, insane.  Sure, the rock walls had foot and handholds aplenty, but it was that everything was timed.

    Altaea had somehow managed to set up a floating, digital, clock up in the air.  It was even the same shade of green that the appliances used.  That aside, if he ran out of time trying to get through/over/under or by a particular section of the course, he¡¯d get a zap.

    Not a nice little static shock you¡¯d get by dragging your socked feet across a rug.  No, this was a proper taser-level zap.

    Was this what he would consider cruel and unusual punishment.  Definitely.  Could he do anything about it?  Probably.  Had he literally asked to be trained?  Well, yes.  But he hadn¡¯t thought that it would be like this.

    All of this ran through his mind as he lay on his face after he¡¯d run out of time getting through the parkour-like section of the obstacle course.

    That was another habit he¡¯d had.  Any time that he injured himself on the scale of his whole body, he would lay still, contemplating first the pain, then running a mental checklist of things like: ¡°can I feel/move my fingers/toes?¡±.  If everything came back affirmative, he¡¯d still lay there contemplating how it had happened.  Had he taken that corner too fast on his bike?  What had happened to cause him to be thrown from that horse?  You know, important questions like that.

    This time, however, his answers were quite simple and easy to come to.  He had been too slow.  Was it reasonable to expect a parkour rookie to be able to do a stretch of obstacles a good thirty metres long in under thirty seconds?  Maybe.  But tasing him?  No.  Just no.  The pain of the tase was one thing but falling flat on his face because his body could literally do nothing to arrest his fall was quite another.

    Would he stop?  Never.

    So, as he lay there contemplating life, the universe, and everything, Joram began meditating to ignore the pain.  He and Altaea both knew the skill as ¡°Autohypnosis¡±.  A very useful skill to ignore things like severe injury or dying.  Useful.  Then there was the function of memory.  One could memorize vast amounts of information, diagrams, images, and such.  One could also remember things long thought forgotten.

    But he digressed.  What he used that particular skill for now was not to remember anything, but to ignore his possibly broken nose and then to get up.  It only took him a few minutes this time.  A proud moment.

    Then he looked up and sighed.

    Altaea was watching him, an encouraging smile on her face.  Would she be so cruel to use that smile if she knew how well it worked on him?  Yes.  Did that knowledge stop him from trying again?  Almost.  He was, after all, a very stubborn man.

    But another side of his stubborn nature reared its head at the thought of giving up.  It was the side of him that, once he decided to do something, he worked his hardest to do it.

    Did that mean he never gave up?  No.  To get to the point where he actually decided to go all out to do something was exceptionally rare.  As a result, people had called him a quitter more times than he cared to remember, and he had the ability to remember them all now.  It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to succeed, it was that he genuinely didn¡¯t care most times.

    But when he did, there was no stopping him.

    So, he stood there and studied the section of the course, plotting out how he would tackle this problem.  He didn¡¯t know how long he spent visualizing his solutions, but the sun had noticeably shifted its position in the sky by the time he snapped out of his thoughts.

    He slowly walked back to the starting line, going over a few last details in his head, got into position, then ran.

    Thirty seconds later and he was on the ground again, this time on his right side.

    This was going to be a long day.

    -

    Altaea watched as Joram fell time after time.  But she also watched as he got up every time.

    You see, failure wasn¡¯t failing at something.  Failure was quitting.  Failure was not getting up again.

    And that is why Altaea showed Joram an encouraging smile every time he fell.  Not that she enjoyed seeing him fall, though it was pretty funny sometimes, but she relished seeing that spark of determination in his eyes.  Seeing his willpower triumph over everything else.

    Well, maybe not the obstacle course.  That was trouncing him quite thoroughly¡­.

    But at least he wasn¡¯t giving up just yet.  She knew how young people had the tendency to hop on a new idea or trend and then drop it shortly after once all of the excitement of the new experience wore off.  She really hoped that she hadn¡¯t misjudged his determination, because the course that he had set for himself was anything but easy.

    Normally, people would spend their whole lives studying the monastic paths, perfecting their bodies and harnessing their ki.  In fact, most failed to reach the highest ranks of their orders.  Was it because they gave up?  No, it was because of the sheer difficulty of their path.

    Then there were the psionic disciplines.  Again, many failed to reach the highest ranks of power and understanding.  Was it also hard?  Exceedingly so.  Most, to put it bluntly, weren¡¯t smart enough to understand the complexities of the universe.  Did that sound like a terrible thing to say about a person? Yes and no.

    Just like how some people were amazing at mathematics, calculous, and such, others couldn¡¯t quite grasp such things.  People were made differently, simple as that.

    She had a sense that Joram might be one of those few who could reach those lofty heights, but it was too soon to tell.  Not just because he was just starting, but because she didn¡¯t know if he would stick to the path he had chosen.

    For he had chosen to combine the monastic path with the psionic one.  Not to just learn a martial art to get by, nor to just learn a few powers to make ones¡¯ life easier.  No, a full merging of both paths, the best of both.

    She hadn¡¯t been bragging or joking when she had told him that she was the only one she knew of to successfully create and follow a gestalt path of her own, the path of a [Paladin] and a [Vitalist].  She was beyond thrilled that he was willing to try the same thing that she had.  Well, he wanted to combine being a [Monk] with being a [Metacreationist], or a [Shaper] as it was colloquially called.  It was an intriguing combination to say the least, and she was still working out all of the details in her head.  But it had¡­ promise.

    Most psionic schools had the drawback of not being able to defend themselves well in melee.  In combining a psionic path with a monastic one, well, that could even the scales fairly well.  And if he chose the powers that he would learn wisely, then he truly had the potential to be a beast.

    Well, not literally.  Figuratively speaking.

    Altaea smiled again as she watched Joram pick himself up and head to another section of the obstacle course.  With a flexing of intent, she caught his surface thoughts and realized that he had decided to continue on instead of obsessing over one small part of the course.

    That worked too, as the course was designed to improve every part of ones¡¯ body and reaction times.  Strengthen the whole to aid in a specific task, and all that.

    And so the days passed as Altaea split her attention between observing Joram, answering his questions, asking her own questions of him, and perfecting the combination of the classes he wanted to acquire.  Also, exploring not only his massive collection of tv shows and movies, but the environs.

    ***

    Time flew by for him.  Which wasn¡¯t something unusual in and of itself, for time had always flown by for him.  But now?  He felt the accomplishments.  He could feel that he was able to run farther, climb and swim faster.  He was able to jump from platform to platform with relative ease, and even pass through the parkour course without eating dirt.

    In short, he was getting into excellent physical condition.  But that wasn¡¯t all.

    He was making steady progress with learning more of psionics, and psionics itself.

    It was a combination of intent, will, or whatever you wished to call it, understanding of the world and how things worked, and then using the energy in your mind to will it into being.  Sounds easy?  Nope.

    But Joram was proud of his progress.  He could now see any magical or psionic auras (they were both a type of energy after all) and finally found out why his apartment had power.

    He noticed it when he had gone into his storage closet to look for a book.  The electrical panel had been glowing.  It had startled him at first, as it almost looked like it was sparking.  But he soon realized that it was just an enchantment on the thing.

    Ha!  ¡°Just¡±.

    Having come from Earth, any form a magic was mind-blowing and fantastic all at the same time.  He could spend hours looking at an enchanted item, trying to understand how it worked.  He would stare at the aura itself, trying to understand what he was seeing.  Then he would inspect the item, trying to figure out how the enchantment had been anchored to a physical medium.

    That part was beyond him¡­ for now.

    But he also spent time teaching Altaea of all things modern.  Electronics, the software that ran it, and even mundane things like the periodic table of elements.  She, of course, knew of many of them, and even had her own names for them.  But organizing the elements according to their neutrons and valence shells was new to her even though she had a basic understanding of how things came together, if not the why.

    He was very glad that he¡¯d kept his university textbooks.  Sure, he could have made money reselling them, but he was the sort of person who liked to go back from time to time to reread something.  And so, anatomy, biology, chemistry, and physics were on the list of things that they went over.  Not to mention algebra, calculus, and trigonometry.

    With all of that, his skill in [Autohypnosis] was progressing at an astounding rate, never mind the fact that he was able to keep all of that knowledge fresh in his mind after he had recalled it.  Which helped.

    For he had dreamed of becoming a chiropractor at one point.  But life had done its things and changed his plans for him, so he wound up studying to instead become a physiotherapist.  Not the same, but adjacent, and the bonus was that he could take that diploma and continue directly into chiropractic some time down the road if he still wanted to pursue that dream.

    That said, he was overjoyed to be able to somewhat continue his learning.  Sure, there weren¡¯t any colleges or universities around that he could study at, but he had¡­ ¡°acquired¡± (not a few) digital textbooks on the subject and everything just seemed to click easier than it had.

    Maybe it was all the mental exercises that he had been doing, but he really didn¡¯t focus on the ¡°why¡± too much as he just wanted to enjoy the fruits of his labours.

    Then there was Altaea.  Now there was a beast!  As soon as he showed her something she caught on and learned it.  After the first ten minutes of showing her how his main laptop worked, she was using it like a pro.  And to be completely honest, she soon surpassed him.  Which only stung a little.  Just a bit.

    The most amazing thing that they¡¯d discovered (well, that she¡¯d told him, anyway¡­) was that the [Reconstruction] power didn¡¯t just work on Constructs, but it also worked on the various tech around his place.  Dropped a phone and it broke?  No problem!  Battery ran out?  No problem!

    Batteries weren¡¯t much of an issue with a ready power source, but [Reconstruction] also worked to repair the batteries to full functionality.  Even the alkaline and carbon ones he had.  That made him smile.

    Another thing that he had worked on, much to Altaea¡¯s amusement, was his ring.  Specifically, the ring that she¡¯d given him that first day.

    It was still weird to look at in on his ring finger, but it also was a bit reassuring in its own way.  Was that a bit weird?  Irrational?  Surely.  But it nevertheless helped.

    That said, he had also watched it absorb various minor magical items.  The hard part was getting it to spit them back out.  The only thing that he¡¯d not been able to get the ring to disgorge was a Ring of Sustenance that Altaea had given him to try.  It didn¡¯t really bother either of them, as the effect of the absorbed ring functioned normally (not to mention now only needing two hours of rest to recharge himself!).  But it was frustrating to fail.

    Altaea continually reassured and encouraged him, reminding him that everything took time to learn and do.  It was only a minor sticking point with him that she could do anything that he showed her.

    The inferiority complexes one develops when living with a goddess¡­.

    But!  A major breakthrough came for him a few weeks (or was it over a month?) after he had started his training.

    ¡°I did it!¡±  Joram yelled and then was promptly whacked on the head by a training dummy.

    Altaea looked over and smiled.  ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky!¡±  She yelled as she went back to playing one of the video games on his laptop.

    ¡°But I did it!¡±  Joram said as he made his way over to her outside table and pulled out a chair.  Joram also winced when she managed to crack his mouse in her excitement as she played.  Huzzah for [Reconstruction]!

    Altaea paused the game and turned to him.  ¡°Show me.¡±

    Taking a deep breath Joram stood up again and made his way over to the small forest of training dummies.  Altaea had been delighted at the idea of moving, non-magical, training dummies as she had watched one of his kung-fu movies.

    So, what did that mean?

    Overwhelming numbers of training dummies all trying to beat him to a pulp.

    OK, I¡¯ve got this.  He though to himself as he psyched himself up.

    Reach out, hit the arm on his left, cause it to spin.  Strike to the right, cause that one to spin.  Kick forwards to get that one going.  Soon enough, it was all that he could do to block and dodge every wooden arm or leg coming his way.

    But the true accomplishment came from how fast he was able to do it.

    He wasn¡¯t at the level of those old monsters you¡¯d see on the internet, never mind in movies or on tv, but it was nevertheless impressive for someone who¡¯d been practicing for a month.

    Sure, he still got hit a fair amount, but he was now able to block an attack every second or so, from nearly every side.

    After a minute or so Altaea called a stop to practice and motioned him to come over once again.

    ¡°Well done, Joram,¡± she said with that amazing smile of hers that nearly knocked him over.  ¡°I know that it has been tough, but I am so proud of you for sticking with it.¡±

    Joram was so pleased with the praise that he not only blushed but had to look away for a second.

    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve graduated to Level 2 Training Grounds!¡±

    He fell over.

    ***

    Altaea looked down at Joram¡¯s prone form and chuckled.  The training was surely difficult, but well worth it in her opinion.  Not that she¡¯d ever tell him, but he was a natural.  The speed with which he progressed through the course was on par with the best she¡¯d seen.  Well, that is, after he had gotten used to his body.

    And how he¡¯d managed to teach himself [Deep Focus] was nothing short of brilliant.  She wasn¡¯t entirely sure how useful it would be to him, but it was a very good start to things.  Heck, she wasn¡¯t even sure if he had noticed that he¡¯d also gotten [Psionic Body] at the same time.

    How she wished that his level of talent was more common.  Who would have thought that she¡¯d find someone with the potential to become her equal in a random place such as this?  Especially after Asmodeus¡­

    With a shake of her head Altaea quick-saved her game and closed the laptop.  It was time to make Level 2 of the training course.

    If Joram had been able to see the grin on her face, he would have surely run for his life.

 Chapter 003

    A.N.- If you''re reading this story on anything but Royal Road, someone has thieved it!!

    So, go to Royal Road and read it there! It is undoubtedly more awesome there!

    Joram had a thought. It wasn¡¯t a new one, but it was something that kept slipping to the back of his mind as other, more pressing, issues came to the fore.

    ¡®Altaea?¡¯, Joram sent through their connection. The network, as he called it, was so useful.

    ¡®Yes?¡¯ Altaea sent back.

    ¡®Have you noticed that there aren¡¯t really any animals about?¡¯

    Altaea glanced at him from where she was watching his favourite space opera about space wizards.

    ¡®Hmmm, yes,¡¯ she sent back. Something in her tone gave him pause.

    Though, some days it was like puling teeth to get her to engage in conversation. Did he want to keep this one going,,,?

    ¡®Why do you suppose that is?¡¯, he sent back, trying very hard to concentrate. If he could sweat, he would be.

    ¡®Probably because all the monsters kill them off.¡¯

    What the what?! Joram thought as he lost his balance and fell over, just barely managing to touch the post he¡¯d been balancing on to slow his fall so that he wouldn¡¯t break something.

    Altaea audibly chuckled, somehow managing to make it sound like the most amazing sound in the world. He really needed to learn how to do that¡­ But she was what she was, a being of unfathomable grace and beauty.

    ¡®But where are the monsters?¡¯ He sent and immediately regretted asking when he saw the glint in her eyes.

    Yup, he should have kept quiet.

    ***

    Half an hour later, Altaea was watching Joram as he ran from a screaming goat. Now she would normally find the sight hilarious, who wouldn¡¯t? But it was not a normal goat that was chasing him.

    For one, it was much larger than a normal goat had any right to be, closer to the size of a small horse. For another, it screamed. Not just a loud ¡°BAAAAH¡± or some such. No, it screamed like a human; a human that was being murdered. Maybe like a banshee? Well, it sounded like that, but without the horrible side-effects one would normally associate with a banshee¡¯s wail.

    The other thing to note was that had very sharp and pointy teeth¡­ that could chew through rocks and bite through steel.

    Joram had unfortunately discovered that last fact when he had tried to block a bite with his bracers and it took a chunk out of not only his bracer, but his arm.

    Still, though, he seemed to be doing well enough.

    Sure, he looked as though he was running for his life, and the probably was, but was also using the terrain to his advantage, like slipping behind a large boulder to give himself the time to manifest a power; this time [Ectoplasmic Cocoon].

    Altaea smiled as the goat failed to dodge this time and watched as it tumbled to the ground and slid to a stop in front of him.

    ¡®What in the nine hells was that?!¡¯ Joram sent, even sounding winded through their connection.

    ¡®I call it a Murder Goat, but that is probably wrong. Who knows?¡¯ She sent as she also sent a wave of healing through their connection, watching him as he healed at a miraculous rate.

    ¡®Please tell me that we¡¯re not finding more of them today?¡¯

    Altaea briefly thought of it then shook her head. ¡®No, we¡¯ll head back so you can practice more.¡¯

    A flood or relief came through their connection and Altaea had to stifle a sigh. For all that Joram learned quickly and progressed at an amazing rate, he wasn¡¯t very¡­ comfortable with live combat.

    Sparring with her? No issues. Sure, he tried his hardest to actually hit her, but it was just sparring. For all he tried, he knew that he really couldn¡¯t hurt her, so there was a kind of psychological safety net there.

    That¡¯s why she¡¯d finally decided to bring him a fair distance down the mountain; for some real fighting experience. Well, baby steps as they say.

    ***

    Joran sighed with relief as they walked back up the mountain. That goat-thing had been terrifying. Was it some sort of aberration or magical beast? How could something like that evolve naturally? He didn¡¯t know of a single creature from back home that could chew steel up like that. Then eat it.

    Then he froze as he heard another shriek behind him. He looked over his shoulder and just about cursed.

    ¡°Why is it chasing us?!¡± Joram demanded as his head swung towards Altaea.

    ¡°How should I know?¡± She asked with a note of reproach in her voice. ¡°It is obviously not a grazing animal. Likely predatory in nature, so it will hunt down what it views as prey.¡±

    Joram was too tense to sigh, the damn goat was closing the distance to them faster than he would have liked. He took a couple of deep breaths and focussed his mind, trying to get the timing right.

    One failure later and the goat was once again wrapped up in a cocoon of ectoplasm, laying prone just a few metres away from him.

    ¡°So, are you going to finish it off this time?¡± Altaea asked, giving him The Look.

    The thing was: he had always thought that it would be easy to kill an animal. Intellectually speaking, it should be. In a live setting, it was completely different. He could hear it trying to scream, but it instead only managed to make a horrific bleating moan through its breathing hole in the cocoon. Specifically, the nostrils.

    He didn¡¯t want to try to do something like push a pointy object through the breathing hole, as that would be just¡­ Blargh! He thought of stuffing something over the breathing hole to suffocate it; but that sounded rather cruel¡­ and would take way too long anyway...

    About the only other thing he would do was to mentally destroy its brain.

    That didn¡¯t sound all that appealing either, but it did just barely beat out suffocation as the chosen form of execution.

    It was surprisingly easy to kill it like that. Too easy. He needed a breather. He could feel each mental assault burst through its defenses and physically damage its brain. That wasn¡¯t a pleasant thing to feel.

    Altaea waited as Joram collected himself. He appreciated the quiet. He was still, after all, an introvert even with spending so much time with Altaea. Indeed, just being around only one person was much easier than, say, a few people.

    Not that he minded the company, and he did indeed enjoy it quite thoroughly (minus the insane training regimen), but he was someone who recharged his mental batteries by doing something alone. And quietly.

    It didn¡¯t take them long to get back to the plateau where they resided. It was a pretty normal place, if you ignored the stone dome in the middle of the area; and the Olympian-level obstacle course. No, he wasn¡¯t referring to a peak athletic course used by the world¡¯s best human athletes. No, he was referring to the ancient Greek gods of Olympus. The thing was insane.

    All his training, fourteen hours a day of grueling mental and physical exercises that left him a metaphorical puddle on the ground by the end of the day. The only reason why he had been able to keep up such an insane training routine was that Altaea was nice enough (or was it masochistic enough?) to wash away just enough of the fatigue throughout the day for him to keep going.

    Two full months and he was barely able to manifest third level powers.

    Heh. ¡°Just¡±. Some would say that his progress was miraculous. Others would say that he¡¯d never be able to do it on his own. They would both be right.

    If not for Altaea personally overseeing his training, not to mention the ¡°instruction manual¡± that she¡¯d implanted in his mind that gave him the instinctual knowledge of what he needed to focus his training on, he would definitely just be your average High Elan.

    He had to laugh at that: ¡°average¡±. As far as he knew, you could count on one hand the number of High Elans in existence. And still have room.

    He smiled as he watched Altaea walk ahead of him. Was his life torturous beyond anything that he could have imagined before arriving in this realm? Hands down, yes. Was it worth it? No question there.

    Was it all about learning how to do mystical kung-fu like things? Nope. Was it all about learning to harness the powers of his now formidable psyche? Nope. He also had mundane homework.

    Mundane in the sense of remembering everything he could of the sciences he had learned back home and teaching it all to Altaea. Now, it wasn¡¯t much at this point, but then there were all the practical assignments that she would throw his way.

    Aluminum? Easy enough to talk about. Harder to recreate a non-magical or non-psionic way of extracting the abundant metal from the earth. Especially if you didn¡¯t want to have an excess of toxic waste left behind.

    Then he had to share every single way that his world had found to use aluminum. Soda can? Yup. That pot over there? Yup. Though it was a cheaper pot. Translucent aluminum? Yes. That had blown her mind. Who knew that mixing aluminum into a ceramic mix, firing it stupid hot, then polishing it would result in a clear product? A very tough product.

    Yay for his hoarding of random stuff!

    Things like that. Sure, he remembered the labs he¡¯d taken in university level chemistry, never mind the easier high school-level experiments. But Altaea demanded that he push himself with what he knew of the physical world.

    He suspected that it would somehow help him with his psionic studies; help him to more easily control the world around him with his mind¡­ But he also suspected that she just loved to learn new things and explore the world around her.

    Heck, he¡¯d had to practically twist her arm (figuratively speaking as he had no doubt that she could snap him like a twig just by sneezing at him) to get her to show him how to make magic items. The ever useful [Craft: Wondrous Item].

    Now that was incredibly useful. Being able to make various utility items was almost infinitely useful. That is, if he could figure out how to go beyond the basics. As it stood, he knew the theory behind it, but it hadn¡¯t quite clicked yet. But it would be supremely useful, especially after she had revealed to him the process by which Dust was created.

    He was also still working on that¡­

    Long story short, Dust was able to reduce the time needed to craft an item. Not to mention replacing the sometimes incredibly rare reagents needed to craft said item.

    But that was also something he was working on: being able to substitute your typical reagents needed in crafting most items. Like, what did wyvern blood actually add to the process? Was it some peculiar mana trait? Or was it just the minerals found in the blood? Further investigation and experimentation needed.

    Not that he was an expert or anything, but he just had an inkling that it could be done. If he could somehow attach the matrix of the enchantment to the item¡­

    He snapped out of his musings when Altaea called to him.

    ¡°I think it is about time to help you to merge with your ring,¡± she said as she stood beside her table, idly twirling something on the table that he couldn¡¯t quite see.

    ¡°Really?¡± Joram asked, eyes brightening. ¡°I mean, sure! Let¡¯s do this!¡±

    He regretted his words as he saw that sparkle in her eyes.

    Why do I always fall for that?

    ***

    Altaea smiled down at Joram as he sat in a wooden reclining lawn chair, with comfy cushions made from the same stuff as foam mattresses, that she had made to sunbathe in. She could tell that he was nervous and would likely have been sweating if he could actually sweat.

    ¡°Now, don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t hurt one bit,¡± Altaea said with her most reassuring smile. ¡°If you recall, the process was painless for me after all.¡±

    Joram blinked up at her and tried to give her, what he probably thought of as, a confident smile.

    Sure, the process had been somewhat¡­ uncomfortable, but far from painful.

    ¡°This will allow you to do all but a couple of things that I can inherently do. Well, the things associated with the ring anyway,¡± she amended. ¡°It will allow you to more easily absorb and release magic items and magical substances. It will also allow you to change between forms with but a thought,¡± she held up a hand to forestall him. ¡°You only have one form right now, but that is enough. Next, it will allow you to use your force of personality as a defensive measure, deflecting attacks from you.¡±

    Joram grinned, then asked: ¡°What about the storage component? You know, like being a walking bag of holding?¡±

    Altaea nodded, frowning slightly at the crude comparison. ¡°That will come a bit later once you learn the proper augments for [Genesis],¡± she replied. ¡°For now, we will concentrate on what I just outlined.¡±

    Joram raised his hand.

    ¡°But,¡± she once again forestalled him, ¡°you will not get a second form any time soon. We both know how difficult it was for Dr Gally to create that elixir, and I don¡¯t really have the know-how to replicate it, even after all this time.¡±

    Joram seemed to droop, but also looked relieved at the same time. She couldn¡¯t blame him; she had barely survived the elixir when she had taken it. It had been a gamble that had barely paid off.

    ¡°That said, the ring will keep your base form in its ¡®memory¡¯, just in case,¡± she explained. ¡°Just like what happened to me.¡±

    Joram¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°So, if I somehow get horribly mutated, the ring would have my original form and I could get ¡®cured¡¯?¡±

    Altaea blinked. ¡°Well, yes. But it isn¡¯t an easy process to revert, nor is it a pleasant one.¡±

    ¡°Suffer a horrible mutation for the rest of my natural life vs a not-so-pleasant experience¡­¡± he trailed off, holding up his hands like they were the scales on a balance.

    Altaea snorted. ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡±

    Joram grinned.

    ¡°OK, let¡¯s get started,¡± Altaea said as she directed Joram to recline in the chair and close his eyes. She then picked up the item that she¡¯d been playing with.

    After a moment of staring at it, admiring how it caught the light, Altaea placed the swirling crystal on his forehead.

    She had told a minor lie there, a mere shaving of a hair. She didn¡¯t know how to make the elixir Dr Gally had given her, but she knew how to make an incomplete version, one that combined only half of what was in the original. No positive or negative elemental heritage for him!

    No, it wouldn¡¯t change him¡­ right away. That was for when he figured out how to augment [Genesis] in the way needed to finish his transformation. Plenty of time to talk about it then.

    Altaea smiled. Maybe, just maybe, Joram could be that one person¡­

    Shaking her head to rid herself of peripheral thoughts, Altaea began.

    ***

    Joram didn¡¯t now how to describe the sensation.

    Upon closing his eyes, he had immediately focussed on his body, mind, and soul, watching for any change, feeling for anything.

    What he had gotten was beyond him.

    The change radiated from his ring finger, quickly washing over his entire being. His body¡­ tingled. It felt as if every cell in his body was both bursting with energy and having their cellular membranes fortified. There was something else, but he couldn¡¯t quite understand what was happening as his internal perception was still lacking.

    His soul, now that was interesting, for all he couldn¡¯t perceive it well, nor really understand it. It¡­ shifted. That was the only word he had for it. The ephemeral glow that always radiated from it didn¡¯t change, but changed. His understanding was too shallow, and that was beyond disappointing. He made a mental note to do more soul-searching. Heh.

    Then came the shift in his mind. If felt like additional¡­ options had opened-up in him. That really wasn¡¯t very descriptive, but at the same time, was.

    If he could put it in a simpler term, a new app was added to the OS that was his consciousness at the same time as a system update had occurred, right after the BIOS update. He knew things had changed, but without a changelog to help him along, it would take him a while to figure out all the changes that had taken place.

    Then things started to fall into place. Things started clicking.

    How enchantments anchored themselves in the objects they were used on, how those enchantments needed to be structured, even how to implant knowledge, personality, intelligence into and item! How every particle of magic interacted with other magic and outside forces!

    Well, maybe that last was an exaggeration, but the feeling of epiphany was the biggest rush that he¡¯d ever felt in his life! The feeling of understanding was¡­ wondrous.

    Then he chuckled to himself. That¡¯s probably what drugs did for people. Or maybe not. Who knows?

    Soon enough the process was over, and he opened his eyes, then blinked.

    It was now dark outside, and not just a little, but full night-time. Not that the darkness bothered him with his new sight, but much more time had passed than he¡¯d thought. He absently reached over and began to spin the ring on his ring finger, then realized it was missing.

    ¡°How do you feel?¡± Altaea asked from beside him, that beautiful smile adorning her face.

    He smiled, forgetting the ring and just enjoyed the moment, then answered. ¡°Forty-two.¡±

    Altaea blinked, then swatted him on the back of the head.

    ***

    Altaea watched as Joram ran laps around their little dome, arms fully extended out from his sides, each hand holding a metal weight, a large metal shell on his back.

    He even had enough breath to mutter something about ¡°Master Roshi¡±. Maybe she was going to easy on him?

    She had been looking forward to speaking with him after she had finished, enjoying a moment together and speaking of things inconsequential and profound. Of sharing insights and understandings.

    Nope. How could he have managed to so completely ruin that moment? It must be some sort of hidden [Talent] or something.

    Or maybe just a biproduct of being so young?

    Sure, he was over forty years old, forty-two to be exact. Maybe that had also been part of his pun? Meaning that some sort of understanding came in that coincidental year of his life?

    Either way, the moment had been ruined and she was more disappointed than she cared to admit to herself. The worst thing was that she wasn¡¯t sure if it was because of what he had said, or her reaction to it.

    One thing she hadn¡¯t told him was that it had taken three and a half days to complete the process. She was, quite frankly, old and had not a little bit of pride in her. So, telling him that it took longer than expected because this was her first time doing this, not to mention just how complex it was¡­. Well, the pride in her refused such a thing.

    Then again, he would likely see the date change on his phone or computer when he next used one.

    Sigh.

    Once Joram finished his laps she mentally called him over and let him know how long it took, and why.

    He only blinked and shrugged, saying that that was understandable.

    They then got to talking as they sat across from each other, Altaea in her recliner, Joram in one of those camping chairs, arms hanging limply at his sides, the metal shell laying on the ground behind him.

    ¡­ and Altaea was impressed. His understanding was astounding, bordering on savant. Altaea envied him then. It had taken her much longer to understand herself and her psionic nature after her own¡­ procedure.

    Sure, she was a paladin at the time, focussed on saving the universe with her companions, with no time for any real introspection. She had just taken everything that she could to get stronger and went with it, not bothering to think much on things.

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    Until she had been forced to.

    With a mental shake of her head, Altaea got back to the conversation at hand.

    Through his observation of the process, he had gained an epiphany: his own words. And it was. He had somehow managed to glean several truths as he underwent the transformation. Wondrous item creation? Check. Understanding how to create intelligent items and psicrystals? Check.

    She was looking forward to seeing him when he finally figured out how to start the process of creating his first psicrystal. The process of creating a psicrystal was as much a conscious action as it was an unconscious one. Initially forming it was generally a very conscious effort, but he was a bit different as he hadn¡¯t learned how to create one in the more traditional way. Namely, reading a book.

    Much like if your psicrystal was destroyed, you didn¡¯t need to focus on recreating it, you merely waited for it to form again as it was an unconscious process. It just happened. But it still needed that initial push to form it the first time.

    Altaea smiled as the conversation wound down. This was what she had been yearning for. This quiet time where she could just talk with someone who wasn¡¯t afraid of her power, her authority. Someone who just enjoyed speaking and being with her.

    It had been so long¡­

    When she noticed the peculiar look that Joram was giving her she cleared her throat.

    ¡°Well, it looks like you¡¯re ready for your next bit of training: crafting!¡± She said with a smile.

    Joram perked up at that. ¡°What will we start with?¡± He asked excitedly.

    ¡°Well, I do remember you mentioning that you had dreamed of becoming a blacksmith one day, so I thought we could start there.¡±

    Altaea felt her heart warm as she watched Joram¡¯s eyes sparkle.

    ***

    The first bit of blacksmithing training consisted of learning theory. Things like the melting point of various elements, the composition of various alloys, and more chemistry than one would initially think of when picturing a blacksmith pounding metal with a hammer.

    Well, maybe not for him. It had been an on-and-off hobby of his to not only watch online videos of smiths in action, but to study a bit of metallurgy. So, yes, he knew just how much chemistry affected metalworking.

    The first day in the newly built forge had been torturous.

    Mentally, he knew that his new body was much better at dealing with extreme heat. But on the other side of that coin, he was also hung up on decades of trying to keep as cool as possible to avoid heat exhaustion and the inevitable heat stroke that followed it.

    Sure, he had worked in a foundry pouring molten iron into molds with only a face-shield, a long-sleeved cotton shirt, a leather apron, and some leather gloves for heat protection (well, cotton pants too, but that was obvious). Fun fact: small amounts of splashing iron beaded up quickly as it flew through the air and would generally bounce off a cotton shirt and pants. No flames unless it fell into your shirt pocket or something.

    Yup, that sucked.

    Back in the present, Joram held the glowing iron with his tongs while he hammered the metal, trying to elongate it before it cooled too much and had to be reheated in the furnace.

    Yup, a furnace, similar to what modern blacksmiths used. Except Altaea had had fun with the design.

    It was a large, flat, rectangular box. She had made the body from heat resistant bricks, all fused together with [Modify Matter]. It was four feet wide, four feet long, but only two feet tall (ah, the joys of growing up in Canada where you learned both the imperial and metric systems). She had put sliding metal doors on the front to help keep the heat in, both to make the heating process faster and to keep the workspace cooler for him. She really didn¡¯t care about such mundane things like temperature.

    Envy.

    Back to the furnace! Joram was impressed with the complexity of the enchantments used on it. Not that a heating enchantment was complex or anything. It was the manual dials, and even a display that showed not only the temperature inside the furnace but the temperature of whatever was placed inside that she had added.

    Yup, he had a long way to go with enchantments, epiphany notwithstanding.

    And time passed as Joram hammered and Altaea gave him pointers and taught him the subtle techniques used to shape the metal to the image in your mind.

    Because it didn¡¯t really matter what you made, all things branched from the base techniques that Altaea taught him. Down one branch, you learned to adjust to bronze. Down another, you learned to adjust for steel. So on and so forth.

    Before he knew it, winter came in with the abruptness of an uninvited guest.

    So, while Altaea didn¡¯t mind the cold, they both knew that Joram did, along with his plants. So Altaea spent a few days playing with the heater and thermostat in the apartment while Joram continued practicing.

    It wasn¡¯t long before their little mountain was covered in snow. Not just that nice, light, sprinkling of snow that some places got that melted shortly after. No, this was proper mountain snow. The paths were almost knee-deep in the stuff, not mentioning how high the drifts had gotten, or how high it had piled up on the sides of their buildings.

    ¡®Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Yes.¡¯

    ¡®I know that it is pretty easy for me to fly about, not to mention teleporting here and there,¡¯ she started. ¡®But I imagine that walking through all of this snow must be difficult for you.¡¯

    ¡®What? Nah. I¡¯m from the land of wind and snow, this is nothing!¡¯ He sent, full of bravado.

    ¡®Oh?¡¯

    The tone alone almost achieved a biological impossibility in him: sweat.

    ¡®You know? I could practice with shaping my astral constructs. You know, turn one into a snow plough...¡¯ Joram sent with is second-best smile, trying to hide his nervousness.

    Altaea seemed to relax a bit. ¡®That would indeed be good practice,¡¯ she sent as she looked out the window.

    The dome was still there, but they had added an open doorway on the east side, directly across from his patio door. His actual ¡°front door¡± was what led to what had been the hallway of his apartment building. Now? Now it just led north or south until it ended, but it also held a part of the apartment across the hall. Not that there had been much of interest there, and Altaea had just sort of turned the hallway into a closed space, with new doors to the north and south.

    The portion of the apartment across the way? Well, Altaea had taken the materials from it and recycled them. They all now sat in a neat pile in the hallway, along with the piles of quintessence that he¡¯d gathered.

    The apartment upstairs? Another storage area now. The neighbours had, thankfully, been out when Altaea had¡­ arrived. There hadn¡¯t been anything particularly interesting in the apartment (even if it hadn¡¯t been squished flat by the collapsed ceiling) so she had also recycled what she could, gathering various materials together for future use.

    Heh. Altaea really put the true definition to the word ¡°recycle¡±. With her new knowledge of chemistry and the periodic table, she was able to separate and then reform various substances. Broken glass? Now they had glass bricks waiting to be used. Framing that had been smashed to splinters? Now a nice pile of lumber. So on and so forth.

    He really did enjoy watching her as she worked, trying to see what she did and figuring out how to do it.

    Shortly after that, he found himself experimenting with the various forms of astral constructs that he could make.

    It wasn¡¯t easy, but with inspiration from his world he managed to do it before his energy was completely sucked dry. But now he had one finished construct, but another dozen or so ¡°failed¡± attempts just sitting around, waiting to expire.

    With a shrug, he gave them the mental command to clear away the snow and to dump the excess down the slope. They all got moving and worked at their communal task, with varying degrees of success.

    Good enough. Joram thought to himself as he went back to the workshop, wondering if he could also make himself some Winter Boots. Would be handy, not having to worry about trudging through snow or being exposed to the elements¡­ A project for another day!

    ***

    While Joram tinkered about, Altaea pondered the mysteries of the, well, world she-they found themselves in.

    They had already been here for almost three months, yet she still felt that she was no closer to the answers she sought.

    She really wanted to go out and explore the world, tease out its secrets, but she was loath to leave Joram by himself before he managed to complete his training. If those rock titans were the bar for the creatures in this realm, then she wasn¡¯t even sure Joram could survive venturing out and about by himself.

    With a frown, Altaea began running through as many possibilities as she could think of, and that was a lot. But in a matter of minutes, she stopped and made a vexed sound.

    However many scenarios she went over in her head, they all led to her needing to leave Joram at some point. Some had her leaving sooner rather than later, but it was basically all the same.

    She knew that she could keep Joram in her collective wherever they were in relation to one another (even if he was in the next star system over!) but she also didn¡¯t want to cripple his growth by being a crutch.

    So, a clean break then. Knowing him, it would be harder being able to speak to her long-distance. She didn¡¯t want to cause him undue stress, nor hold back his development by having him constantly thinking about her.

    With that particular quandary behind her, Altaea worked on the next one: his training.

    If she had to leave then she really didn¡¯t want to leave him hanging, as he would put it.

    Another smile.

    Yes, the solution would be to prepare¡­ something. Similar to a Crystal Mind, but not as¡­ rigid. Maybe something like one of those holographic devices those space wizards used? Something to teach him, answer his questions, guide him as he learned. Yes, that would work. She could also queue up all sorts of knowledge into the artifact, allowing them to imprint into his mind when he was able to use them. Heck, she could even use it to store all of her accumulated psionic knowledge, just in case¡­

    As Altaea thought about it more and more, she realized that it would be a colossal undertaking. But who was she?

    Altaea Serephina Potentia, a goddess!

    Well, one of greatly diminished power. If Joram was correct in what he thought had happened to her, then there were at least fourteen other versions of herself scattered across the multiverse, all in a similar situation as hers.

    Another thing that gave her pause. If he was right about her and her story, then the dreams should start soon. He¡¯d been particularly hesitant in sharing anything beyond what had already happened to her, but she¡¯d managed to tease at least that out.

    It was all so very¡­ complex. She wasn¡¯t sure what to think of Joram and his rather¡­ extensive knowledge of her and her life, nevermind everything else about her.

    What sort of connection did they share? Was it just some sort of astronomically far-fetched coincidence that he even knew that she existed, nevermind everything else?

    Sure, Joram was a good guy. A rather normal human until she¡¯d agreed to his request. But was there more to him than met the eye? How did he know all of what he knew?

    He¡¯d even shown her stories that he¡¯d written of her, most unfinished. Did that mean that when they¡¯d met, that that was how far he¡¯d been able to ¡°see¡±? He claimed not to know more, but she was almost certain that he did, and didn¡¯t want to share, possibly due to a ¡°paradox¡± that might occur. What that paradox was, he didn¡¯t know, but he didn¡¯t want to risk the possibility.

    What she did know, though, was that some of the stories he¡¯d written of her were tied to the pop-culture of his world. Did his whole world sit on some sort of cosmic nexus-point that allowed the residents of that world to see into other worlds/realms/universes?

    It was all rather complicated, and quite frankly, beyond her at the moment.

    But what she did know was that if/when the dreams came, if Joram was to be believed, she¡¯d have more answers. Would they be the kinds of answers that she wanted? Or would they shake the foundations of everything that she thought she knew?

    Because, the last thing she¡¯d teased out of him about the ¡°dreams¡±, visions would probably be a better word for them, was that knowledge would eventually begin to flow between herself and her other ¡°selves¡±.

    If the locations of her other selves that Joram spoke of were accurate, then she¡¯d have some really fun stuff to play with.

    Another sigh.

    Altaea looked up at the sky and breathed in the mana rich air. Her next few projects would need a lot of resources. She would have to set up some Dust Condensers if she was going to succeed.

    So, she got to work.

    ***

    As it usually does, time passed on. For some it is slow as molasses in winter, for others a blur.

    The duo continued their respective work and training, putting forth their best efforts, and they managed to surpass their limits from time-to-time.

    Joram grew daily, either in learning various trades or in his gestalt class training. He eventually created his psicrystal, briefly wondering why it sounded somewhat like a snooty, British, butler. All things considered, it wasn¡¯t as odd as it could have been and so he continued his daily life; training, studying, and meditating.

    Altaea set up her Dust Condensers on the peaks of the surrounding mountains and checked on them daily, making sure that nothing disturbed the process. She also got to work on her Altaea V.I., as she liked to call it. She really enjoyed the ¡°sci-fi¡± genre and gained much inspiration from the marvelous works.

    One of the side projects she worked on was a magic version of an ¡°omni-tool¡±. But only when Joram wasn¡¯t around, otherwise, she was certain, he would pester her constantly about getting one of his own.

    Not that she wouldn¡¯t eventually give him one, or rather, the schematics for one, but she really didn¡¯t want to deal with his enthusiasm while she worked. Not to say that she didn¡¯t enjoy that about him, but she just didn¡¯t have the time for the distractions, and delays, that it would bring. He would definitely turn ¡°fanboy¡± on her.

    As they worked, winter slowly deepened, then began to recede. It was amazing to see the versatility in the [Astral Construct]s that Joram made. He was, quite frankly, a natural.

    Altaea was also pleased with Joram¡¯s crafting progress. He was now able to craft decent weapons, armour, and various other tools, had figured out how to enchant weapons and armour, as well as how to construct an actual golem. But the most important part was when he learned [Genesis] and began to study the profound intricacies of that power.

    Not the [Genesis] that people learned these days, a bare shadow of what it used to be; but the one she had learned from Dr Gally way back when. This version was what she considered the ¡°true¡± version of the power. It didn¡¯t just fade away after a short time, like some trumped up cubby-hole in the astral or ethereal plane. No, this one stayed. And grew.

    If left alone long enough, the size of a created space could get to be the size of, well, a planet.

    That said, that would take an absurdly long time to develop to that size¡­ if someone wasn¡¯t constantly working on it. Even then¡­

    Well. Soon. Soon she could help him with his last step in becoming like her. Well, not the last-last step, but close enough. Soon he would be a ¡°walking bag of holding¡±, as he so quaintly, and erroneously, called it.

    Then winter ended, much to their relief due to their desire for more frequent sunshine.

    Altaea watched as Joram went from smithing to sculpting to weaving and even alchemy. It was nice to see him taking such an interest in crafting, though she didn¡¯t let him slack off in his other training.

    Another year passed as Joram trained and Altaea worked on her projects, trying to fine-tune everything just so.

    She¡¯d managed to get him to a decent level in not only his class, but also in the various skills she thought he¡¯d need along the way.

    Sure, good cardio could get you out of many-a dangerous situation, but knowing how to sneak about quietly, or even hide, could save you even more trouble, and possibly your life.

    Then there were what she called the ¡°social skills¡±. That was both a pleasure to teach and an amazingly profound source of headaches. It took her nearly the entire first year to drill social graces, diplomacy, and such into his very thick head.

    The man was ridiculously stubborn and getting him to acknowledge that knowing how to bow properly was quite possibly one of her greatest achievements in life to date.

    Which was depressing.

    Other areas were a pleasure to teach. He took a shining to Crystal Minds like a bee to flowers. They were handy, sure, but she wasn¡¯t quite as enthusiastic about them as he was. Sure, one could take their accumulated knowledge and ¡°upload¡± them onto/into a Crystal Mind and just access the information later as though it were still in your head.

    Crystal Minds had been quite popular amongst her people as they were a much more durable, space efficient alternative to books and tomes which could get rather tedious to upkeep over the centuries.

    Anyway, Joram had taken a good month making Crystal Minds of his entire library of physical books, but had stopped once he got to his digital collection due to her threatening to ground him.

    Yes, grounding. Taking away his toys if he didn¡¯t do his homework. Not her finest moment, but he really did need to concentrate on his training rather than getting distracted. Though, she did approve when he had shown her Crystal Minds of the various trades he¡¯d learned from her. She knew that sometimes you just needed to clear your mind before you learned something new, and quite literally clearing it out for new knowledge by putting it into a Crystal Mind was particularly effective.

    That way he¡¯d managed to learn craft after craft, skill after skill, while keeping a fresh mind that was ready to absorb new information and after finishing each one, he absorbed (or as he loved to call it: assimilated) each Crystal Mind so that he could ¡°access¡± the information at any time.

    Why hadn¡¯t she thought of that all those years ago¡­?

    Sigh.

    -

    It was then getting late in summer again, almost two years after they¡¯d arrived, when she felt a great surge of triumph over the network - he had corrupted her into calling it that, and indeed, knowing what the term actually meant, ¡°network¡± was more appropriate - that usually meant he¡¯d accomplished a great task.

    So, she put away her latest project and teleported down to the meditation grounds that they had later added; after Joram had learned [Manipulate Matter] of course. It was much better to work for what you got.

    Altaea grinned.

    Well, most things. Gifts were a valid thing after all.

    ***

    ¡°I did it!¡± Joram called out to Altaea as she teleported in, a happy smile on her face.

    ¡°Yes, very good sir. Very impressive.¡±

    ¡°Shut up Jeeves,¡± Joram told his psicrystal as he dismissed Jeeves¡¯ legs and stuffed him into a pocket.

    Altaea¡¯s eyes crinkled with amusement as she watched him, and he couldn¡¯t help but blush a bit.

    Clearing this his throat, he continued. ¡°I figured out the augments for [Genesis]!¡± He said, unable to keep the huge smile from his face.

    ¡°Let me see,¡± Altaea said as she closed her eyes.

    Joram could feel her mind touch his through their connection. He waited as she inspected the patterns in his mind that made up the power. He was quite nervous, he might add.

    Hours seemed to pass as he waited, probably only minutes. But it was almost too long by the time Altaea finally opened her eyes and regarded him seriously.

    ¡°You¡¯re sure you have it right this time? Because you really don¡¯t want to get this wrong,¡± she asked, seriousness etched on her face.

    Joram paused, hoping to get an inkling of something across the network, but nothing. Her mind was an impenetrable fortress. He gulped.

    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±

    Altaea kept a straight face for another four seconds before she cracked a grin.

    ¡°Well done,¡± she said, a full smile now on her face.

    Joram sagged in relief. It was so hard getting a read on her when she didn¡¯t want you to know or see something.

    ¡°Should we get started?¡± He asked, his excitement barely contained.

    Altaea shook her head gently. ¡°We can do it in the morning after we¡¯ve both rested. We¡¯ll need it.¡±

    Joram sagged a bit but nodded. ¡°True. It¡¯s not like it will be easy.¡±

    ¡°For you, maybe,¡± she said with a twinkle in her eye. ¡°Come, show me what you¡¯ve been working on,¡± she said as she held her hand out for him to take.

    His heart skipped a beat, but he hurriedly took her hand and showed her around the workshop.

    It had grown since it was first created, first having a section added where he learned to carve and sculpt, then another section where he had learned to weave, and yet another for alchemy ¨C with ample ventilation.

    Well, not a workshop in the traditional sense anyway. By the time he got to those interests he had already learned [Matter Manipulation], so the work areas wound up being more a series of tables, bins to hold raw materials, and shelves to hold the finished product.

    For his weaving, he had started with the fur of the murder goats and slowly worked his way up the scale. Now, he had a small field where he grew, with [Grow], several fibrous plants that he used for practice. It was an amazing power that he¡¯d made. At first it had only allowed him to accelerate the grow of the plants, but as he experimented with augmenting the power, he had found that he could slowly alter the properties of the plants it was used on.

    Yay for a psionic way to genetically alter plants!

    Sigh.

    One of the first things that he¡¯d done was to make sure that they couldn¡¯t reproduce in any way. No pollen, no seeds, and no spreading through its roots. The only way was to take a cutting from the plant and to use [Grow] on it to get it going.

    Anyway! They had even gone on many expeditions to find other materials they could use for his weaving and had found, amongst other things, some massive spider webs.

    That had been an experience. The bloody spiders had been the size of horses! Then the brood mother had come out. If he had been able to soil himself, his bowels would have surely done so at that point, because the beast was the size of a two-storey house; and that was just its body!

    Joram shuddered at the memory and got a reassuring squeeze from Altaea. He smiled.

    He had never really been afraid of spiders growing up, but neither had he gone out of his way to play with them. Nevermind diving into an over-sized nest of them¡­

    If he¡¯d been able to dream, he¡¯d have likely had nightmares. So. Much. Ichor.

    But! It had provided copious amounts spider silk! He still had a pile of it that he wanted to try hardening, to make it more durable. After removing the adhesive properties of course.

    But he had made good progress. There were rows upon rows of shelving holding anything from a butter knife to a claymore, a knee pad to a set of full-plate armour, from a horseshoe to, well, you got the idea. And that was just the smithy section.

    In the sculpting section he had used anything from wood to stone to gems to metals. There were even several pieces of scrimshaw made from the remains of several vanquished monsters that roamed the mountains.

    His favourite pieces were the ones carved of his favourite stone. He wasn¡¯t particularly good at identifying the various types of stone found in these parts, but Altaea told him it was a kind of marble. Whatever it was, it was gorgeous.

    He had seen videos of how marble was mined, all focussing on the high-demand pure white marble. This stuff, though white, had veins of blue ranging to indigo and back running through it. Now, that wasn¡¯t the best part: it was that the veins of colour shifted from blue to indigo and back, seemingly at random. It was, quite simply, stunning. Magical stone for the win!

    But for most of his practice he used some standard white marble, not wanting to potentially waste the precious variant. With all of his practice, his little shop was full of his creations. He had even brought a few pieces outside to decorate their plateau. He¡¯d even made a rock garden!

    Over in the weaving room, there were bolts of cloth of various thread-counts. The oldest ¡°rolls¡± of fabric made burlap sacks seem like the height of luxury.

    It didn¡¯t take him long to get better, and the quality just keep improving as he got more practice weaving with [Modify Matter]. He¡¯d long since left the loom behind, never mind the spinning wheel.

    The last area that was in the workshop was the lab. That was where he practiced using [Delve] and [Extract] to isolate various compounds and to practice his alchemy.

    When he first started, he had just been able to [Extract] individual elements, but as his proficiency grew, he was able to target more complex molecules and eventually whole items like gemstones, or magic crystals.

    Yeah, magic crystals!

    At first, he hadn¡¯t any idea what they were, only having found the load due to its highly magical nature. It had taken him nearly a week to dig down to the large deposit. It took him another week of experimentation to realize that it was kind of like a blank slate. It could take on various elemental properties, and even conceptual properties. Well, what he considered conceptual. Was ¡°space¡± really an element?

    It was very similar to Dust, but not quite. Dust was, well, Dust, but these magical crystals almost seemed like cognizance crystals, though he hadn¡¯t quite figured out how to extract the energy from them for his internal use yet.

    But it felt like he should be able to¡­

    He shrugged. He was now living in a magical land so anything was possible, really.

    The best discovery, related to the magic crystal, was that it was easily turned into Dust. The more vibrant the crystal, the higher the yield of Dust it provided. The opalescent ones gave a decent amount of Dust when converted, but then the ones that looked like smoky quartz gave an astounding amount of dust. He¡¯d found a few that looked like sapphires, but both he and Altaea had stopped there because they felt¡­ explosive.

    Anyway, Altaea had almost kissed him for that discovery.

    He was a little bit disappointed that she hadn¡¯t¡­

    But! It was progress! He had even managed to get a small stockpile of Dust for himself, and even condensed a few Dust crystals. He wasn¡¯t sure if he could replicate the strange magic crystals yet, but he¡¯d put that on his list.

    He might even get to make those boots soon!

    The alchemy portion of his workshop was another unusual scene. It shared his materials research area, but also had distinct features. Like having lots of jade.

    They¡¯d discovered that, for some reason, jade was able to keep many of the alchemical ingredients they collected fresh. Scientifically, it was strange. But it was yet another thing he chalked up to being in a magical world.

    How accurate were the many tales from home¡­?

    That said, he had a wall-full of ingredients they¡¯d harvested in the surrounding valleys and even some of the monsters they¡¯d killed. Yes, monster parts. And cores.

    That was another thing that had him briefly wondering if he was in a coma-dream. In many of the xianxia and wuxia novels he¡¯d read over the years, nevermind the multitude of manga he¡¯d read, one of the many great ¡°ingredients¡± was the fabled ¡°monster core¡±, or some other name that described the same thing.

    Between the two of them, [Delve]ing, and so on, they¡¯d managed to find a few uses for the cores in alchemy, singling out some beneficial properties of the various cores they¡¯d collected and stored.

    It was, quite frankly, a new field for not only him, but also for Altaea. This veered off hard from what she was used to with the alchemy she¡¯d learned in her world.

    Was it tough? Yes. Was it frustrating having things blow up in your face because you had to experiment with everything? Indeed.

    But it was awesome!

    Back to the present, he noticed that Altaea had an approving smile on her face.

    Even after almost two years together he never tired seeing her smile. It was quite possibly the most marvelous sight in all the multiverse for him.

    ***

    Altaea¡¯s smile widened as she noticed that vaguely vacant look in Joram¡¯s eyes that told her that she had once again stunned him her smile.

    The first few times that it had happened she had worried that something was wrong, so she had checked his mind to be sure that there weren¡¯t any hidden complications from the transformation. Then she had blushed.

    She could only describe it in one of his quaint colloquial expressions: butterflies and rainbows. ¡°Happy Land¡±.

    Now, she just enjoyed the fact that she could bring such happiness to him with a smile. Then her smile faded a bit as she recalled what would soon need to happen.

    For now, she took in all his hard work. It was truly a prodigious rate of improvement. Sure, he had graduated from needing to manually manipulate the raw materials and instead used [Modify Matter] on an impressive scale, but he had still gained a reasonable proficiency with the basic tools of the trade, especially with forging and sculpting.

    Was the colour selection of the various cloth and fabrics somewhat drab? Yes. But the varying earth tones had their own charm; and he had done it almost singlehandedly. Sure, she had taught him the basics of forging, but he had taken those basics and made them his own, improved upon them, and adapted them to each new metal or alloy that he worked with.

    The man loved crafting.

    He had even learned to work mithril and adamantine, and that was no easy feat! And now he could work those metals, and other alloys, even faster while using a combination of [Extract] and [Modify Matter] to make the highest quality products.

    Was she proud of him?

    A resounding yes!

    Did it pain her heart knowing that she would have to leave him soon?

    Absolutely.

    She gave a mental shake of the head as she noticed Joram snapping out of it.

    ¡°Again, well done Joram,¡± Altaea said with a great deal of warmth in her voice.

    Joram blinked, blushed again, and then cleared his throat. ¡°I, ah, made this for you,¡± he said as he pulled a cloth off something on the bench.

    Altaea blinked, then blinked again.

    It was a statuette, no taller than her hand, of a couple embracing. They were of a height, so both of their heads were leaning on the others¡¯ shoulder, nuzzling the others¡¯ neck. Her heart skipped a beat. She reached out and gently picked it up to take a better look at it.

    It was them. Joram¡¯s figure had that short haircut that he liked and was wearing what he usually did, a simple shirt and pants, while she was wearing similar clothing, though what looked like a blouse instead of a work shirt.

    The stone he had used looked like a creamier marble, though still quite pale. The detail that went into the textures was so fine that they could only be achieved through [Modify Matter], never mind what he did with her hair.

    He had used a sapphire for the base of her hair then melded it to a ruby for the ends. She couldn¡¯t help it, she [Delve]d it as she inspected the fantastic detail. She could even see their eyelashes!

    He had somehow managed to fuse the sapphire and ruby in such a way that the gradient perfectly matched her actual hair.

    He had even gone so far as to harden the entirety of the piece with [Matter Manipulation], making it as hard as mithril.

    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Joram asked from her side. She could hear the smile in his voice.

    ¡°I love it,¡± she replied with her most genuine smile yet and watched as he started to fall over, stunned into unconsciousness. She caught him before he could fall, easily cradling him in her arms.

    For a few moments she just held him like that, taking in the moment. Then she reached into his pocket and retrieved his psicrystal.

    It was time to get to work.

    -

    When Joram came to, Altaea was gone.

 Chapter 004

    Chapter 004

    Joram searched everywhere but didn¡¯t find her.

    He wasn¡¯t even part of her network anymore.

    As the sun rose, it found him in his rock garden, sitting as still as one of his statues, blankly staring out into the distance.

    He had searched and searched. Nothing of hers was gone, not even the copy she had made of his main laptop. She was just gone.

    The dawn turned into day, then faded into evening, and finally dark again.

    He hadn¡¯t moved. He hardly seemed to blink, let alone breath. He just stared, his mind blank.

    More light happened; more darkness came. He didn¡¯t know how long he sat there for, but by the time he got up he was covered in a layer of dust.

    It tumbled off his as he stood and looked around, noticing that it seemed to be colder outside and that his little garden seemed to have gone wild. Well, it had significantly grown anyway. Hard to go wild when it couldn¡¯t reproduce and spread after all.

    He shook his head and walked back to the dome, entering his apartment.

    Had he left the door open?

    Shrug.

    He looked around and noticed that his spider plants had managed to grow quite well, his feather fern had gotten bigger, and even the little spruce tree had managed to grow a fair amount.

    But then it occurred to him: how were they still alive?

    That thought, more than any other, managed to focus his mind back to a semblance of normalcy.

    He looked around again, this time with fresh eyes.

    He noticed the lack of dust even though the door had been open. Nothing else seemed to have been moved, but everything was just¡­ clean.

    He looked to the fridge and freezer that they had decided to coat in quintessence to help preserve the perishable foodstuffs.

    Still coated, no change.

    Then movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. He quickly spun, adopting a defensive stance, then blinked.

    ¡°Hello Jeeves,¡± Joram croaked out. Huh, guess that¡¯s what happens when you don¡¯t speak for who knows how long. Then something occurred to him. ¡°Jeeves? How are you moving?¡±

    Well, it was no mystery how his psicrystal was moving as its spider-like legs were plainly visible. What was unusual was that he hadn¡¯t willed them into being. As far as he knew, his psicrystal wasn¡¯t supposed to be able to do that on its own.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a story there,¡± Jeeves replied in a very not Jeeves voice.

    Joram sat down on the floor.

    -

    Ater his shock had worn off, and he¡¯d gotten most of the explanation out of Jeeves- no, Altaea V.I., he still sat there, dumbstruck.

    For one, Jee- Altaea V.I., was able to project a cheesy-looking hologram right out of an iconic scene in his favourite space opera involving space wizards.

    ¡°As I said, please just call me Avi for short,¡± the hologram said patiently.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re what? A holocr-¡°

    ¡°Yes, one of those,¡± Avi interrupted him before he could somehow infringe on copyright in this universe far, far away. ¡°As I explained, this world is beyond strange, and I needed to leave to investigate it.¡±

    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you have taken me with you?¡± Joram asked for what seemed like the tenth time. Who knows, it very might well have been?

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t know how dangerous this world is. I didn¡¯t want to risk you,¡± Avi replied patiently, saying the same things she had said before. Or was it a re-played answer of a pre-recorded conversation that she¡¯d somehow known would take place?

    Joram paused. It really didn¡¯t help him to understand what was going on if he just kept asking the same question, over and over again.

    Deep breath in, deep breath out.

    ¡°OK. Altaea left,¡± he started. ¡°What now?¡±

    ¡°Altaea left me with the rest of your training package, as well as a few other things that will become useful in the future,¡± Avi replied, still using that hologram.

    For all the cheese it represented from a bygone age, Altaea had put in a lot of detail.

    ¡°So, are you able to project an, I don¡¯t know, normal image? This one is rather¡­ crude,¡± Joram asked, feeling awkward as he asked her. He didn¡¯t know why.

    The hologram smiled, then changed. The ¡°static¡± of the image cleared, then colour blossomed in the pale blue image until a perfect likeness of Altaea stood before him. Well, a slightly transparent likeness anyway.

    ¡°Altaea also gave me the improved ability to connect with your mind,¡± Avi said as she tapped the side of her head with her index finger. ¡°It isn¡¯t quite like her network, but it is much improved over the standard connection that a typical psicrystal, and its owner, possess.¡±

    Joram blinked.

    Of course she would have found a way to somehow alter his psicrystal. Was he mad? Nope. Was his brain now working a million miles per hour trying to figure it out? Certainly.

    Then they got talking. Then, after deciding that that was too inefficient, they began communicating telepathically.

    Soon he found out that he had a connection similar to that of her network, as Avi had previously stated. Gone were the pesky distance limitations for speaking with his psi-, with Avi. He even found that he could shift to using her perspective as naturally as blinking.

    Overall, she was better, faster, and stronger than any psicrystal out there.

    Altaea must have been planning this for a long time. Joram thought to himself as he tried to study the changes in Avi.

    ¡°Oh, and you needn¡¯t worry,¡± Avi said, catching his attention. ¡°Altaea performed the last ritual before she left.¡±

    Blink-blink.

    He really would have kissed Altaea if she were present. As it was, Avi got scooped up and became Altaea¡¯s proxy and received the kiss. Kissing a crystal just didn¡¯t quite do it for him though.

    ¡°Ahem,¡± Avi cleared her holographic throat. ¡°I also have several schematics for items that Altaea thought you would find useful. Also, the locations of the Dust Condensers that she left behind, as well as a storage room that she secretly made underneath your workshop.¡±

    Grin.

    The next hour found Joram returned to his apartment with a stack of Dust Crystals laying on the table. From what he knew of the condensation rate, and how much had been condensed, Joram guess that he had been catatonic for about forty-two days. Or to be more precise, that Altaea hadn¡¯t collected any Dust in the past forty-two days¡­

    Huh.

    Well, it was enough of a stack to get started anyways.

    He then went over to his workshop and [Delve]d the area below the building. Soon enough, he found the chamber. There were many shelves built directly from the stone of the walls. It was also two levels.

    With a bit of investigation, Joram found the section of the floor that hid the staircase down. Instead of just smashing through, or even teleporting, Joram used [Modify Matter] to make an opening, and even a guard rail around it. Not that there was anyone else around that he needed to worry about, but it just looked better than a hole in the ground.

    Joram went down the stairs, Avi perched on his head, and activated an augmented [Touchsight] to help him navigate. Well, that was a lie. He could see perfectly in the dark after all. It was really just to make sure that nothing¡­ unusual was down there and waiting. You could never be too careful.

    But, much to his relief, nothing was waiting to tackle/maim/eat him. What he found, however, was a veritable treasury.

    The storage wasn¡¯t just limited to the built-in shelves in the walls. There were many free-standing shelves that reached from floor to ceiling, all stacked full of ingots of every metal they¡¯d found while exploring.

    Joram grinned at the stacks of pure iron, aluminum, magnesium, manganese, titanium, tungsten, copper, silver, gold, platinum, palladium, lead, and more. Not only those, but there were bins full of every gemstone he knew, from simple quartz to diamonds, and others filled with those strange magic crystals Altaea loved so much.

    He shook his head at the sight of something any kingdom would kill for. And this was only the first level. Upon inspection, the second level contained more of the same, though it also contained oil drums filled with ingots of lithium and its family, not to mention glass containers filled with elements from groups thirteen through seventeen. There were even glass globes filled with the noble gasses.

    How much time had she spent gathering all of this? And why would she leave it all behind? Was it that she didn¡¯t need it? Or was it a parting gift? An ¡°I¡¯m sorry for leaving you in the night¡± make-up present?

    Joram shook his head, ridding himself of that line of thought.

    Deep breath in, deep breath out.

    ¡°Well, if she performed the last ritual on me, I may as well test out what I can do,¡± Joram said with a slightly sad grin.

    He then reached out to the shelf in front of him, this one holding stacks of what looked like diamonds. Bricks of them. He then concentrated on, well, storing it away.

    Nothing.

    Hmmm¡­ That was embarrassing.

    Too hasty.

    So, he sat down on the floor and closed his eyes, entering a meditative state.

    There, he explored his core, the centre of his being. It really wasn¡¯t what one would normally expect.

    Joram found himself in a familiar office space, filled with shelves on the walls, a large redwood desk and a very comfortable, reclining, office chair. The entire space was filled with nick-nacks of all kinds, books, paintings, doodles, and pictures. On the desk was the exact same laptop that he used for gaming, sitting open and ready to be used, his trackman mouse sitting to the right.

    He sat down and powered up the laptop, watching it boot up in an instant. Ah, the perks of a purely mental space. He then found the new icon on the desktop and smiled. It was a chibi version of Altaea giving a thumbs-up while winking. He shook is head in wonderment; she¡¯d even managed to affect what his mental representation of the ability looked like. Or was that just his subconscious?

    He shook his head again then he double-clicked it and watched as the application opened for the first time, asking for permissions and parameters. His eyes widened.

    Yes, he wanted what he stored to be in temporal stasis.

    Yes, he wanted to be able to activate it at any time.

    Yes, he wanted a separate space from the rest of his personal realm to be used as the storage space.

    Yes, he wanted the option of consciously deciding to put something into his personal realm instead of the storage space allocated.

    Yes, he wanted to be able to upgrade the size of the storage space any time he wished.

    On and on. It took him several minutes to go through the options, accepting or denying as he pleased. It was surprisingly comprehensive as there were even options to further grow and customize his personal realm added in. Well, that shouldn¡¯t have surprised him, as [Genesis] was designed to keep growing after all.

    How was he going to repay Altaea for all of¡­ well, everything?

    He took a moment to send a silent prayer of thanks her way. He didn¡¯t know if she got messages like the various gods he¡¯d read about or watched in anime and such, but he hoped that the feelings were at least conveyed¡­ minus the feeling of a gaping hole in his heart that is.

    Then, with a flexing of intent, he opened his eyes and stood up.

    ¡°Conditions met. Activating first protocol,¡± Avi said from on top of his head.

    Joram started, having briefly forgotten his passenger.

    But before he could question her, Avi began to glow as bright as a [Daylight] spell, then sink into his skull. Everything first went white, then suddenly black.

    Joram blinked and looked around. He was on the floor again, but this time it wasn¡¯t intentional, given the vague throbbing coming from the back of his head and all.

    He then checked his perception field to see if anything had changed round him. Nothing. But also, no Avi.

    As he was about to call out, he was stopped by a voice in his head.

    ¡®Good morning Joram.¡¯

    ¡®What happened?¡¯ Joram asked as he sat up.

    ¡®The First Protocol was activated once you finished configuring your personal space,¡¯ Avi replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the universe.

    ¡®And, ah, what exactly did that entail?¡¯ He asked as patiently as he could. It really was like talking to Altaea.

    ¡®While I am not needed, I will reside in your personal realm. I can also project a hologram of myself within close range if need be. I acknowledge the psychological benefit of speaking with another being in front of you, though I suppose that it would be limited to being holographic in nature for the time being,¡¯ with that said, the life-like hologram once again appeared in front of Joram, smiling down at him.

    He smiled. Well, that was at least something.

    ¡®Well, maybe we¡¯ll get you a body to use at some point,¡¯ he mused, thoughts now racing.

    ¡®Although that would be nice, it is not completely necessary. I am content residing in your psicrystal,¡¯ she replied with a slight shake of her head.

    ¡°No,¡± he said out loud, shaking his head. ¡°But it would be welcome for me.¡±

    Avi once again smiled at him, but didn¡¯t say anything this time.

    He then got up and took a deep breath, concentrated on what he wanted, then smiled as a whole shelf, contents and all, disappeared. He then felt as it took up space in his storage area, non-stasis side. Next, he concentrated on shifting it to his personal realm, and sure enough, he felt it leave the storage space and take up residence in a corner of his personal realm. Not that it was very big at the moment, but it was something.

    Another smile formed on his face as he began emptying the entire storage area. This ability was going to be very useful.

    -

    Now, even though Avi had bid him a good morning after she had taken up residence in his head- realm, only about an hour had passed, and even the looting of the storage area only took another half-hour or so. So it was that he emerged from the sub-levels and looked out a window to see bright sunlight streaming though.

    The pain of Altaea leaving him behind was still there, he didn¡¯t think it would ever really go away, but he did find comfort in the fact that she had created and left Avi with him as a, well, substitute Master ¨C Teacher, Instructor, Mentor? -, and confidant.

    ¡®Avi? What happens if your form is destroyed when you¡¯re out in the world?¡¯ He asked as the thought occurred to him. Normally, a psicrystal would just naturally reform after a day. But Avi was obviously more than just a standard psicrystal. Would she be like a golem that needed repairs if damaged? Or would she be gone forever because her matrix was tied to the body of the psicrystal¡­

    ¡®There is no need to worry Joram. My core, essence if you will, has merged with you and your realm. Should the physical vessel be destroyed, I would still be preserved.¡¯

    Joram blinked and slapped his forehead.

    That¡¯s why the icon was like that!

    ¡®Well, that¡¯s good to know,¡¯ he replied lamely. This felt like a cheat. But Altaea was, after all, a goddess; she could do things that no mere mortal could. Including unageing ones like him.

    As he walked out of his workshop, Joram once again looked around. He noted the garden and its plants, his rock garden with its various sculptures and one set of footprints going to and from a central rock: one set almost invisible after so long in the elements.

    He took in the obstacle course, much larger and more complex than it had been in the beginning. So much so that he doubted that anyone from home could hope to finish it, let alone do so while timed. Then he turned to the small forest of training dummies in a patch of smoothed-out ground. They had indeed served him well in his training. They had also beaten the crap out of him as Altaea had improved them to keep up with his progress.

    He took it all in and let out a long breath.

    Inside his apartment, he looked around for only a few seconds before he started storing everything away in his realm. Well, not the fridge and freezer. Those he needed to scrape the quintessence off first, then he stored them in his actual storage space, taking advantage of the temporal stasis. He then checked the rest of the dry goods and cans with a [Delve], found them to still be good even after so long, then also stored them away in stasis. He did the same with the rest of his cupboards, taking extra care with the multitude of herbs and spices that he liked to have. You never knew when you¡¯d need some actual food after all.

    He wondered if they had an equivalent to tacos here¡­

    With another shrug, he then went from room to room storing everything away, taking extra care in his daughters¡¯ room. Then he was off to his bedroom, the storage closet (taking out the enchanted electrical panel), then the bathroom. There wasn¡¯t much there, but he supposed the various toiletries, the bottle of extra-strength Adwil, the laundry detergent (organic), static sheets, toilet paper, and paper towels might come in handy. He packed away his electric razor and beard trimmer with a grin. Not needing to worry about hair growing when you didn¡¯t want it to did have its advantages. Once he was done in the bathroom, he went to the hallway and collected what was stored there, then what was stored upstairs.

    Once the building had been cleared out Joram stood outside, taking it all in. He had spent several years in that place, including his time here. It was going to feel weird leaving it all behind.

    Well, waste not want not.

    Joram concentrated and activated [Modify Matter], using one of the augments that Altaea had taught him, and dismantled the building into its component parts. Stacks of cinderblocks formed beside stacks of lumber, concrete, and drywall. Pipes, wall plugs, fixtures, wires, and such all lined up as neat as can be. The blinds and screens even sat themselves down nicely. The glass, however, he just formed into bricks to save space as it was easy enough to shape; and recreating the ¡°winter¡± windows was easy enough with access to noble gasses.

    After it was all stored away, he turned to his garden and reached out with telekinesis to uproot every one of his modified plants and planted them in his personal realm, taking the time to adjust its environment to be more hospitable to life in general.

    Next came the workshop. He paused at the bench where he¡¯d shown Altaea the sculpture of them embracing. The cloth was still there, a little dusty, but carefully folded. The figurine, however, was gone. At least she took that, he thought to himself with a smile. After everything was cleared-out he decided to have one last sit-down on his thinking rock.

    Yes, the very same one he¡¯d sat on, catatonic, for over a month.

    He hadn¡¯t bothered to deconstruct the workshop itself as it was just made with the stone from the mountain, not even bothering with the glass from the windows.

    His personal realm was starting to get quite cramped¡­

    He looked from the dome to the training grounds to the obstacle course and had a thought. He¡¯d need a lot more stone.

    So it was that Joram took hold of the dome¡¯s stone with his mind and began reshaping it, adding more and more stone from around the plateau.

    He never grew tired of watching as whatever he was working on took the shape of what he imagined in his mind. The stone seemed to flow into place, thicker and thicker, adjusting its texture to seem as though the new structure was formed out of rough-hewn stone.

    When it was complete, he found himself staring at a much larger chamber than what the previous dome had offered. It was large enough to contain all four areas: the rock garden, the workshop, the training grounds, as well as the obstacle course. There were many support pillars (mainly for aesthetics) under the dome, each sporting carved reliefs on them showing what each area was meant for. He then made each one glow with the brightness of day, then used [Incarnate] on them, making each light permanent.

    With another thought, the sand in the rock garden smoothed out then formed lines as though someone had meticulously raked it into mesmerizing patterns. With another thought, a large set of double-doors formed at one end, the east side. He made sure to keep them the same texture as the rest of the outer wall, but added a line of script in cursive (about a metre and a half up), then used some Dust to make a basic lock/unlock enchantment with a keyword. It was in english, of course. He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle when he finished. It read: ¡°Speak, friend, and enter.¡±

    Yes, he was still a geek.

    -

    A few hours later he was once again found in his workshop, a stone table pulled up from the ground to serve his needs. On it was a pile of murder goat leather. Beside that lay a small pile of Dust Crystals. It was time for him to make himself some boots.

    And so the leather stood itself up and began to reform. There were no cuts, but simple restructuring of the leather itself. Soon the leather formed into three pairs of knee-high, soft-soled boots that turned down at the tops. Nothing too fancy, as they wouldn¡¯t need to be seen to be useful to him.

    Next came the enchantments. On one he applied an enchantment to improve his speed and mobility, on the next, one that allowed him to move across snow and ice with ease, not leaving any tracks behind but also protecting him from extreme temperatures. The last one was simplest. It allowed for him to always land on his feet, light as can be.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Three hours later, he was staring at three very basic magic items; wondrous items, if you will.

    Then he pulled an Altaea; he assimilated them.

    Heh-heh-heh. *Cough*

    No, he didn¡¯t just store them away, but assimilated them into his being, just as he had practiced with his ring for months on end.

    He felt the enchantments take hold and grinned.

    -

    He spent the next few weeks making the various magic items he thought he would need when he ventured forth. From defensive items like enchanted adamantine bracers to various stat-enhancing items. Some he absorbed, but several were too difficult, or just plain impossible. Like weapons and armour, or anything too powerful for him to assimilate.

    Those had to be worn.

    The next task he gave himself was to make himself a wardrobe. Well, he was really just making spare clothing as he was no fashion designer. Simple shirts, sleeveless and not (some button-up, all long-sleeved), pants ranging from loose kung-fu style to cargo style to what he¡¯d normally wear (cut like blue jeans, though he had no blue dye), and even several pairs of cargo-style shorts.

    He made boots, shoes, and sandals of varying styles, but all fairly plain-looking. Proper sandals though, not flip-flops. He had never liked those.

    For a laugh, he even made a set of space wizard robes and boots. Well, three sets; each one designed after the three orders. All in varying shades, from white to darkest brown to grey so dark it was almost black. Would he be mocked for only dressing in earth tones at home? Probably. Did it really matter? Nope.

    Once he was satisfied with not only the volume of what he¡¯d made, but the quality, it was time to make it all more durable than they already were. So, he manifested [Matter Manipulation] on the pile, strengthening it all without sacrificing texture or suppleness.

    ¡°Because why not make sure they last?¡± Joram mumbled to himself as he stored his new attire away.

    He looked around and noticed that Avi had activated her hologram and had been watching him.

    ¡°You know,¡± she started. ¡°You can just [Repair] anything that gets damaged. Why the extra effort?¡± She asked, eyebrow raised.

    He grinned. Guess Avi isn¡¯t quite like Altaea after all.

    ¡°Because it saves effort in the long run,¡± he said with a grin.

    ¡°Ah, noted.¡±

    ¡°So, which direction do you think we should go?¡± Joram asked as he looked around, then walked out of the workshop, Avi following at his side.

    ¡°Any direction works,¡± she replied with a shrug.

    That was true enough. He looked about, realized that he was still inside, then folded space to appear on top of the new dome, which really was more of an elongated dome, closer to the shape of an ¨¦clair, really.

    He smiled as he took a breath of cool air and felt the stone underfoot. He was wearing a pair of soft-soled leather boots that fit like a glove. Well, no surprise there, he had literally made them to fit every contour of his feet and legs.

    Looking about, Joram couldn¡¯t help but feeling lost for the first time in a long time. He was, once again, about to venture out on his own and didn¡¯t really have a plan beyond wandering around, seeing the sights, and learning about this new world.

    He thought about the area south-east of where he was that had accumulated all of those clouds but dismissed it because he preferred more sunshine than not. Not that there were clouds there at the moment, but any strike against heading in a particular direction pretty much ruled it out for him at this point.

    ¡°Well, since I¡¯m going for a positive spin on things, let¡¯s head east,¡± Joram decided at last.

    ¡°What makes it so positive?¡± Avi asked, looking a bit confused.

    ¡°Why, because that¡¯s where to sun comes up, of course.¡±

    It took her a moment, but eventually she caught on as she followed Joram as he began hopping from boulder to boulder as he headed down and east.

    -

    ¡°You do realize that you left the Dust Condensers behind, right?¡± Avi asked as she walked with Joram through a mountain valley. The walls almost vertical for several hundred feet making it almost seem that they were walking through a hall made for Titans.

    ¡°I do,¡± he replied, ¡°but I can check on them whenever I need. Besides, Altaea warded them twenty ways from tomorrow. I don¡¯t think anything will be disturbing them any time soon.¡±

    Avi nodded as she walked with her arms up, hands behind her head, fingers laced together.

    He didn¡¯t know where she had learned that, but he supposed Altaea had probably programmed in many such quirks. He grinned, because who wanted a boring instructor/companion?

    Joram enjoyed the scenery as he watched it go by, much faster than it would have back home. Part of his training had taught him to move faster and that extended to everything, including walking.

    He had to laugh when he thought of how his ex had complained about how fast he used to walk, and that hadn¡¯t even been considered fast, even back home. What would she say now with his current pace?

    Avi merely glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, but she already seemed to be used to his random laughter, or chuckling, over the last few days of travel.

    It had also been relatively peaceful. Sure, some murder goats had attacked them that first day, but they had been easy to leave behind without Altaea there turning it into a training exercise. Then there had been the gargoyles - because what else would you call giant rock beasts that looked like statues until they started trying to murder you? They had been a bit of a surprise when they¡¯d all just started jumping down at him.

    He¡¯d thought that they might have been golems at first but was dissuaded of that notion after he¡¯d punched one of their heads off and was treated to an orange-red fountain display. He¡¯d been so shocked that he hadn¡¯t thought to sidestep the macabre rain before he was soaked in it.

    After an experience like that, he¡¯d decided to try to avoid fights altogether.

    It hadn¡¯t been easy, as the mountains were populated by a surprising variety of monsters and such. He wasn¡¯t sure if he should call some of them magical beasts or not, but he was pretty sure that the gargoyles qualified.

    At any rate, it was a pleasant day, the sun shining down, and he had pleasant company, even if she was a hologram. The view was spectacular, featuring the occasional waterfall from cliffs of some dark stone, while the valley mostly held grasses, flowers, and a string of ponds that ran the length of the valley, it even a few trees towards the edges. Curious, but he supposed that since this was a world of magic and mystery, then plants could grow in unusual patterns if they chose to.

    While enjoying the scenery, he suddenly felt the faintest of tremors through the soles of his feet.

    ¡°What could be causing that?¡± Joram asked himself as he paused to looked around.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Avi asked, looking around.

    ¡°I thought I felt- There it is again,¡± Joram said as he felt another tremor, this one a bit stronger than the last.

    ¡°Ah. I, too, feel it,¡± Avi said with a quirked eyebrow.

    Another pause, then another tremor.

    ¡°Time to hide!¡± Joram said in a slightly strained voice as he looked around.

    There.

    He spotted a tree, only a couple hundred feet away and dashed to it, seeming to skim over the ground as he ran. He was still impressed at the speed with which he was able to move. He had the impression that it was faster than standard. For one, it was about twice as fast as what the game manuals had stated about his class.

    The important clue was that Altaea had seemed surprised with his new speed. At the time, he had just thought that it was due to the speed with which he learned and progressed. A humbling thought.

    But what had caused the change? He was no expert in the effects of being in a magical world, even if he had been living here for almost two years. Or was it already two years?

    Was it the unique properties of being a High Elan? Was it because he had grown up in, what he assumed to be, a non-magical world? Was it due to him having undergone the ritual here, in this world? Multiple rituals?

    Joram shook his head as he crouched low behind the tree, looking left and right in an effort to find the source of the tremors. They were, after all, too spread out to be a minor earthquake.

    His answer literally came around the corner. His jaw dropped.

    Coming around the bend at the end of the valley was what he could only describe as a colossus. Titan seemed too small a word for it.

    It must have been at least one hundred fifty feet fall. It looked as though it was made of stone, all crags and sheer planes. It was roughly humanoid in shape, but was almost as wide as it was tall, its arms as thick as its legs. If it sat down, he would have easily mistaken it for just another section of mountain.

    Joram then understood why there was a zig-zagging line of ponds through the valley: those were its footprints.

    And he was suddenly very glad he had decided to hide.

    As the colossus drew closer the tremors also increased in magnitude, causing the trees to shake and rustle, and the ponds to ripple with small waves that splashed up and out of their banks.

    He looked for Avi and saw her just standing there, ten feet away, not bothering to hide.

    ¡®What are you doing?! Come and hide!¡¯ Joram frantically sent to her, not wanting to attract the being¡¯s attention.

    ¡®It cannot see me,¡¯ Avi said matter-of-a-factly as she studied the approaching natural disaster.

    ¡®What?¡¯ He asked in a deadpanned tone.

    ¡®Did I forget to mention that only you can see and hear me like this?¡¯ Avi asked as she looked over, eyebrows raised.

    He had to stop himself from cursing. Then just laughed on the inside, because he really didn¡¯t want to attract the attention of the passing colossus.

    It was now halfway through the valley, seemingly enjoying its walk through the mountains. Well, that¡¯s what he thought anyway, as it didn¡¯t cause any undue destruction beyond just walking.

    But Joram also felt the aura coming off the being now that it was closer, and it felt¡­ ancient. Like it had been on this course since time immemorial, and it would continue to do so long after most beings returned to dust. The feeling of vastness, almost eternal, solid, that he felt wash over him nearly dropped him on his backside.

    Soon enough, the walking natural disaster left the valley and the tremors stopped. But not the ones in Joram¡¯s heart.

    He felt things slide into place, shifting inside him. He had had a glimpse of something, quite frankly, greater than himself. Then he did drop to his backside, folding his legs and cupping his hands together as he began to meditate.

    ***

    Avi watched as the colossus passed by. She used all the senses available to her, which in this form were those belonging to Joram, to observe and to learn.

    Altaea had indeed left her with much knowledge, but this was outside of what had been left with her.

    Sure, Altaea had fought a similar creature, but it had been roughly half the size of this one. It also hadn¡¯t had such an impressive aura.

    Avi nodded to herself as she watched it leave the valley, wholly approving of Joram¡¯s decision to hide. That one was definitely not worth tangling with.

    Then she felt a¡­ ripple from Joram. She immediately focussed to see what was happening, brow furrowed, then smiled. He was ready, and if what she was sensing from him was any indicator, he was going to blow past that final barrier in his training.

    And then¡­ well, then she would have a lot of work to do. The Second Protocol was waiting.

    ***

    Joram sat meditating as the feelings of epiphany and understanding washed over him in waves. He knew what it meant to have a rock-solid presence in reality, what it meant to be stable. Permanent.

    It was the feeling of looking up into the night sky and realizing for the first time that those stars were there long before you came into the world and that they would be there long after.

    It was the feeling of your parents holding you tight as a child, taking comfort in their comparatively vast experience and resilience.

    It was the feeling of being in the presence of an immortal. In his case, it was when he was with Altaea. Though he suspected that she had withheld the majority of her aura from him.

    But he knew then how to affix something into reality, make it stable, solid¡­ enduring. It was far beyond making an enchanted item, a magic sword or armour. That was affixing the matrix of the enchantment into a physical object, anchoring it. This, this was taking something and anchoring it into reality itself.

    As those thoughts, and many, many more, flowed through his mind, his body began to change.

    It was subtle at first. Just a shimmer here, a small twinkle of light there. But as his understanding grew so too did the changes in him.

    His skin slowly lightened in colour, going from the healthy sun-tanned look of a young farmer, to that of an alabaster statue. It wasn¡¯t a sickly or unhealthy look, his skin remained as full of vitality as it ever had, if not more so.

    His short hair went from a brown so dark it was nearly black to a fiery red. Not that of a normal red head from his home, but truly fiery in colour, a ruby similar to that of Altaea¡¯s hair.

    If you could see his eyes under his closed eyelids, you would see the colour of his irises going from being a mix of green, brown, blue, and gold, to that of a deep emerald, or that of vibrant leaves in late spring.

    Probably the most surprising change was taking place on his back.

    Light seemed to shimmer and coalesce, slowly talking the shape of wings, each one being nearly as long as he was tall.

    Then came the flood of information that nearly overwhelmed him.

    Knowledge of powers that he had discussed with Altaea came, burning themselves into his mind. The low-level powers were merely uncomfortable, but by the time the later-stage ones began etching themselves into his mind it was almost overwhelming. Then came the knowledge of crafting things he both knew of and had no experience with, causing even more damage, making his nose bleed like a tap.

    Soon enough, or maybe too long, the flood of information ceased and he slumped over, then fell onto the ground.

    ***

    As he lay there the hair on the top of his head waved slightly, then a crystal the size of a walnut fell to the ground. Once there, it sprouted a set of spider-like legs and stepped over to his face.

    Avi regarded Joram as his nose continued to bleed, then reached out a leg and tapped him on the forehead, releasing healing energies to fix the not-so-minor aneurism. She then regarded the bloody mess that had been created by the ordeal and released a [Cleanse] to not only clean him up, but to avoid any potential predators or annoying insects from investigating.

    With a mental sigh, Avi regarded the wings sprouting from Joram¡¯s back. She would not only have to teach him how to fly, but how to stow them away. Never mind how to shift back to his elan form. It would likely take some time for him to learn how to merge his two forms together like her creator had, but that was a resource he had in spades. Time.

    For now¡­ it was guard duty.

    ***

    Joram slowly opened his eyes and looked around, then closed them again.

    ¡°What on earth was that¡­?¡± He mumbled from his side as he opened his eyes again, taking in the grass in front of his face.

    He tried focussing on it, but instead found a splitting headache as information swirled about in his brain, seemingly intent on escape.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I make any healing items before leaving?¡± He asked himself as he lay there, trying to put order to the chaos.

    ¡°I have healed all of your physical ailments already,¡± Avi piped in from beside him.

    He glanced over and wished he hadn¡¯t.

    ¡°Then what should I do?¡± He asked through gritted teeth as it felt like some of the information punched a hole through his head to escape.

    ¡°Make Crystal Minds. That should reduce the strain.¡±

    He blinked. He should have thought of that, but he gave himself a bit of leeway due to the overcrowding in his head, not to mention the epic-level migraine¡­

    ¡°Help,¡± was all he could mutter, hoping she got what he meant as his eyes once again closed.

    It seemed as though she did because he then felt her through their connection as she shifted several small diamonds out of storage along with a sizable pile of Dust Crystals.

    Soon he was following her directions, taking one category of information and willing it into a semblance of order, then into a textbook-like format. Once that was done, he could feel the textbook slip away, page-by-page through his link to Avi.

    Each time a textbook vanished, he began working on another, the process smoothing out more and more as the clutter in his mind was reduced, not to mention the pain.

    All the information hadn¡¯t been captured though. He felt that he had probably lost about half of the knowledge that had crowded his brain. Some had gone before he knew what the knowledge was, but he had been able to catch glimpses of others, like knowledge of the various planes of existence, or of the many languages found on Altaea¡¯s home world, even animal husbandry.

    Now, what would he have done with that information? Well, probably nothing for the time being. But he had a very long life ahead of him and he didn¡¯t know if he¡¯d ever see Altaea again. So, it kind of stung more than he thought it would.

    He just shook his head, finding that the motion no longer caused any sort of pain or dizziness. Which was a plus.

    Another plus was the small pile of diamonds-turned-Crystal-Minds. He was astonished to find so many. There were subjects from how to craft various things to encyclopedic knowledge of various topics. And a couple that confused him.

    Why would he need to know sleight of hand? Or even riding? With his land speed he could easily outrun a horse several times over. And why did he need to know about brewing and distilling? He didn¡¯t even like the taste of alcohol.

    Well, he shouldn¡¯t look a gift horse in the mouth. He reached for the first one and paused as he saw his hand.

    ¡°Why am I so pale?¡± Joram asked.

    Avi, who had been piling up the diamonds into a little pyramid, turned to him. ¡°That would be the final phase of your transformation.¡±

    ¡°My what?¡±

    ¡°You had told Altaea that you wished to become like her,¡± Avi explained. ¡°Altaea implanted the necessary genetic, and magical, information when converting you to a High Elan. She regrets, however, that she was unable to completely replicate the process that changed her into what she is today as she did not know how to add in the last bit, as it were.¡±

    ¡°And why, pray tell, did it only take effect now?¡± Joram asked, more curious than angry. Though there was a bit of that. Why? He didn¡¯t really know.

    ¡°It was set to trigger when you reached your final understanding along the martial path; when you ascended a half step and became an outsider. This allowed for a certain synergy in the transformation process, with minimal¡­ interference.¡±

    Joram sighed. As laid-back as he was, this was a little much to process at the moment.

    So he shrugged, sat up, and began to assimilate the crystal minds in front of him, finding that the packets of knowledge were now very easily contained in his mind.

    When he was done, he sat for a time, going through the new knowledge. It would certainly come in handy¡­ at some point. Especially the knowledge of how to make other elans, even High Elans.

    He looked over to Avi, who was now clinging to the side of a tree looking like one of the weirdest spiders he had ever seen.

    ¡°Do I look very different?¡± He asked, somewhat hesitant to look.

    ¡°Yes and no,¡± Avi replied. ¡°But you certainly do look more handsome. And those wings are rather fetching.¡±

    Joram blinked at the ¡°handsome¡± bit, then blinked again at the wings comment.

    Now his curiosity went from a candle to a bonfire. He concentrated for a moment, pulling raw ectoplasm from the Astral Plane, and formed it into a full-length mirror.

    ¡°I¡¯m a ginger,¡± he said in a deadpan voice.

    ¡°I like the red,¡± Avi piped in.

    ¡°I¡¯m damn pale.¡±

    ¡°I would say ¡®exceedingly fair skinned¡¯.¡±

    ¡°What are my wings made of?¡± He asked, trying to touch them, but only managing to pass his hand through them, though he did feel some resistance. They were red. A red that went from almost black at the base of the ¡°feathers¡± to a deep, ruby red. Almost blood-red.

    ¡°I am not familiar with the exact terms, but to put in layman¡¯s terms, they are hardened light.¡±

    ¡°My hair?¡±

    ¡°Are you going to ask me every little thing?¡± Avi demanded, though she sounded more amused than angry.

    ¡°Point taken,¡± he said, running a hand through his short hair. At least it didn¡¯t feel any different. ¡°So, ah, I know Altaea could shift between being an elan and an aasimar whenever she needed. Can I do the same?¡±

    Avi hopped from the tree to land on the top of the mirror and seemed to look him in the eye.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    He waited.

    And waited¡­

    ¡°Will you please teach me how?¡± He asked as nicely as he could. He really didn¡¯t like that personality quirk.

    ¡°Yes, but first you should try to get used to that form. We¡¯ll go with flying lessons first,¡± Avi replied, then sprouted her own set of wings. ¡°Remember to go slow at first.¡±

    ¡°Ok, but first I should renew my [Astral Seed] in case there are any unfortunate accidents.¡±

    Avi regarded him for a moment, then nodded. ¡°A wise precaution.¡±

    -

    After that, the next several hours involved more grass in his face than he would have liked, not to mention his impersonations of George of the Jungle. At least the trees were softer than the cliffs.

    Though, he had to say, none of those hurt quite as much as he thought they would. Thinking about it, he realized that peak-level monks became more resistant to physical damage. Maybe that was it?

    Nevertheless, he still had many bruises by the time Avi deemed him ¡°at least not a hazard to yourself¡±. Well, he¡¯d take what he could get. It was, after all, flying!

    He couldn¡¯t remember the last time he¡¯d been so happy! Well, he could, but this was right up there with those times. And to be fair, flying was in a completely different category.

    I mean, who hadn¡¯t dreamt of flying when they were kids? Never mind as adults¡­.

    So, he sat upon the clifftop enjoying the view. And the knowledge that he could FLY!!

    Ahem.

    Even with him fortifying his clothing, they¡¯d managed to get a few tears, not to mention many, many, grass/mud/tree/I-don¡¯t-know-what-that-is stains on them.

    A moment later, a flexing of intent, and he was all clean. Another minute later, and his clothing was [Mend]ed right up.

    Maybe he hadn¡¯t needed to make so many sets of clothing?

    Meh. He¡¯d been told on too many occasions that he¡¯d needed to expand his wardrobe. Sure, most of what he¡¯d made was of simple cuts and plain earth tones. But at least he had several sets now! Progress!

    Cough.

    ¡°Avi?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Joram?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to fly in my elan form, will I?¡±

    ¡°Nnnn-ope.¡±

    Eyebrow twitch.

    Why¡¯d she have to copy that?

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get back to hoof¡¯n it then,¡± he said as he jumped off the cliff.

    After the many hours of practice, a controlled fall was comparatively easy. Soon enough, he was back to walking through the valley, avoiding the new craters formed by the passing of the colossus, most of them partially overlapping the existing ponds, muddy water now filling both.

    Avi melted back into his head as he walked. He really didn¡¯t know why she chose to do it that way, as he was pretty sure that she could just shift herself into is personal realm. Maybe it was just to weird him out?

    Probably that. Even V.I.s seemed to need a bit of entertainment.

    The walk out of the valley was predictably uneventful, as he was pretty sure that most of the local fauna was still in hiding after the passing of the colossus.

    He really couldn¡¯t blame them. But he was also grateful because it made for an uneventful ¡°walk¡±. Yup, he was likely the fastest land based being back home. Well, if he ever got back home that was¡­ The point was: he was crazy fast. Faster than what most people went on the Autobahn for sure.

    *Cough*

    Maybe not quite that fast. People were crazy. But still fast.

    Was that crazy? Surely! Was he glad that his perception and reaction time had also improved to match his speed? Yes!

    Good thing Altaea had been so¡­ thorough.

    The next several days passed in relative peace. Meaning he was able to hide, or run, from the annoying local fauna instead of fighting them. Each night he renewed his [Astral Seed], getting in the habit of doing so. He¡¯d been lax in the past, especially with Altaea there, but now he needed to be sure he had a ¡°safety net¡±, so to speak.

    Sure, he¡¯d lose any time/memories he¡¯d accumulate from the time when he manifested [Astral Seed] to when he died, but it was better than outright death. A little ¡°lost time¡± versus being able to come back? Deal.

    The major question was: where would he store it?

    Usually, one stored it in a secure location in the Astral Plane, but he hadn¡¯t managed to get there and explore yet. Nor did he want to leave it in the mountains here, as there seemed to be many critters about and he really didn¡¯t want to risk that.

    At length, he decided to store it in his personal realm as Avi didn¡¯t see anything wrong with that option.

    Progress!

    He was also able to get the hang of switching between his forms after a few days of practice. As cool as it was to have wings and extra abilities, he really didn¡¯t enjoy looking like a vampire. Yes, he had looked: his incisors were more pronounced than they had been. Not to an unnerving degree but nonetheless noticeable. The ¡°exceedingly fair skin¡± was another point in that direction.

    He wondered if vampires existed here. Would they be like the undead versions in most pop-culture? Or would they be the genetic variants found in other pop-culture? Would it be a disease here? Who knows!

    As a side note: Avi had said that he would be able to somehow retract his wings into himself, but he hadn¡¯t managed to pull that one off yet. He was trying very hard with that one as he figured that having an alternate appearance might come in handy¡­ except the wings. Wings were less than inconspicuous. Conspicuous, if you will.

    It was a pleasant journey even with dodging monsters almost hourly, though he had also come across a fissure that opened-up into quite the nest of spiders ranging in size from miniscule to ¡°Oh My Word!!!¡±. He really didn¡¯t like knowing that the things could get to the size of a large house. Like, what did they eat to get that big?

    The most interesting thing about the encounter, however, was their silk. Not only was it crazy strong (as it should be) but is also had an elastic quality to it that made breaking the webbing all the more challenging.

    He was excited because he had effectively found spandex.

    Yup.

    What self-respecting geek/otaku who found themselves in possession of superpowers wouldn¡¯t want to dress up as a superhero? And what did almost every superhero need?

    Spandex.

    So, the fissure in the mountain was soon depopulated and all the spider silk harvested.

    As a bonus, the fissure led to a load of titanium and rutile. Score.

    -

    He spent weeks wandering about the mountains, mainly due to exploring, trying to find other unique materials, and testing the qualities of the various flora he came across. There was one neat bamboo-like plant that was as strong as steel, yet still retained a decent flexibility. He¡¯d taken a good dozen of the shoots and planted them in his personal realm.

    On that note, while he travelled, Joram had Avi on ¡°realm expansion duty¡±. What was that you ask? Well! Seeing as how the realm was pretty small, and also grew at a very small fixed rate, he decided that having Avi help the process along would make things much more convenient in the long run. Especially with her guiding the growth. Want more rocky areas? Done. Need more farmland? Done!

    Need more storage? There you go! Want to transplant more of those intriguing plants you found? No worries! Plenty of room!

    *Ahem*

    Back to exploring the mountains!

    As he walked, though, Joram took more time to inspect the plants. Not that there was a huge variety yet, but there were a few shrubs and many wildflowers mixed in with the grasses that looked interesting. He took several samples of each, planning on studying them in more detail later.

    He also used [Delve] as he walked, always interested to see if anything interesting lay below the surface. That was how he¡¯d managed to increase his stocks of various minerals, crystals, gems, and especially high-quality jade.

    Though, looking at the dwindling free space in his storage area Joram decided to just memorize the areas of greater interest with a mental note of what he¡¯d found there. Being able to teleport made it easier to just come back and harvest things when he had more storage space.

    With that in mind, he realized that he could just send Avi to harvest those deposits, as she could just planeshift to and from his personal realm, teleport to wherever she needed to go, and have at it.

    He paused to appreciate just how amazing a helper/mentor/friend Avi was.

    One thing that had been bothering him for a while was the geography. Well, not the landscape itself, but how things didn¡¯t seem to fade into the distance like they ¡°should¡±.

    He was pretty sure that with the curvature of the Earth, things should disappear from sight at about five kilometres or so.

    Now, he had never been great at gauging distance, but he was pretty sure the mountain with the cool striation patter on it that he¡¯d passed by yesterday was more than a hundred kilometres away. Yet he could still see it fairly clearly. Not just clearly though, but it didn¡¯t seem ¡°shorter¡± at all. You know, the way you¡¯d see the tip of a tower from far away, but not its base.

    Sure, there were intervening things in the way, but that didn¡¯t quite explain the view.

    Joram looked around, found a lovely-looking rock, and sat upon it to think.

    One: he was in a magical world. That much was obvious with the abundance of flora and fauna that shouldn¡¯t exist, nevermind the magical crystals they¡¯d found.

    Two: Altaea. If Altaea existed, then did other things from his world, that people had imagined, also exist?

    Like those crazy huge planets that every wuxia and xianxia novel had in them? Like: ¡°Just go over to the next major city, it¡¯s only 100,000 km away!¡±

    Joram face-palmed.

    Was he really in a world that had such ridiculous scales of distance? Heck, the Moon was only about 384,400km away from the Earth. Were we talking about a Jupiter-scale planet here? Wait, that one was only about 440,000km in circumference¡­

    Damn.

    Also, damn. Yay for remembering random trivia!

    Those planets were ridiculous. The only way he could see planets like that existing without insane levels of gravity was magic.

    Wow, that¡¯s such an over-used plot point. Magic explains everything!!

    Sigh.

    Well, if he ever found civilization, he¡¯d have to find a cartographer or something. Even with his insane memory, he didn¡¯t quite remember how to measure the radius of a planet by using a stick and its shadow.

    Nope, he was just going to enjoy himself. Take his time exploring, maybe have some fun sculpting a cliff-face and see what theories arose when someone eventually found it. Yup, sounded fun.

    With that thought, he started keeping an eye out for an appropriate cliff.

 Chapter 005

    The mountain chain was very large.

    It had now been a good two months of him wandering in an easterly direction, pausing from time-to-time to take note of various deposits and unusual flora.

    He¡¯d also spent a good week reshaping a cliff-face that was made of a golden granite-like stone. He wasn¡¯t sure what people would make of it, seeing as how he¡¯d decided to make a giant good-fortune kitty out of it. He¡¯d thought of making a giant buddha (due to the golden rock) but had decided that that particular theme had been overdone.

    Hence, the fortune kitty.

    He wondered if there¡¯d be some civilization that popped up around it sometime in the future, worshiping the thing. That would make the effort worth it. Or maybe some new martial skill would be created by someone who had been inspired by it? The future was limitless!

    Ah, the tangents.

    One thing that seemed to be the same as the Light Novels he¡¯d read was this: the more interesting the plant, the more likely that it had some sort of strong being protecting it.

    He said ¡°being¡±, but they all seemed like magic-steroid versions of their mundane counterparts.

    Did one expect to see a giant snake in the mountains in the middle of winter? He sure as hell didn¡¯t.

    The bloody thing had been so big that it had swallowed him whole when it had struck from under the snow.

    Fortunately, he¡¯d been in his outsider form at the time which gave him a half-decent resistance to acid. Which had saved his life.

    Sure, holding ones¡¯ breath in the belly of a beast was hard, but not getting digested was a more difficult task for most people.

    A quick teleport out, then a psychic smashing of its brain later, and he was back to studying the interesting tree with developing fruit on it.

    The tree was only a few metres tall but was lush as could be in winter. The maturing fruit on it had a faint glow to them that was quite appealing. Sure, they were still green and shaped vaguely like a five-pointed star, but something about them attracted ones¡¯ gaze.

    Well, after a lengthy pros and cons session in his brain, Joram decided to transplant it into his realm for future study. He made sure to [Delve] down to ensure that he didn¡¯t clip the roots at all, which wound up being quite the depth.

    The tree was only about four metres tall, but its roots wend down a good twenty metres. They didn¡¯t spread much to either side, which helped immensely, but it did mean that it took him longer than normal to store it away in a cleared-out space he¡¯d made for it in his realm/soul.

    His next project was the behemoth of a snake. It made Titanoboa look like a baby, this one coming in at a whopping forty-eight metres long.

    He really didn¡¯t like wasting things, so he [Delve]d the beast, taking note of its unique anatomy and structure, then its DNA and then put all that information aside for later addition to his ¡°Bestiary¡± Crystal Mind. He had a codex for the flora he¡¯d found as well, taking all the notes he could about any plant he found: colour, shape, texture, scent, taste, and even the soil composition it was found in, then adding their genetic and magical structure to the entry.

    Was it time-consuming? Yup.

    Did it give him something to do besides worry about silly things like how ridiculously large the planet was? And how hard it would likely be to find one person somewhere on the surface of said ridiculously large planet? It sure did!!

    Sigh.

    Joram looked down at the felled beast. Was this likely the largest thing he¡¯d find here? Not even close. That colossus he¡¯d hidden from was much larger that this gigantic snake was.

    ¡°Wonder if it tastes like chicken?¡± Joram asked himself as he got to work dissecting it, storing away just about everything as he wanted to experiment with it all later.

    Once he¡¯d taken everything, bones and all, he sat down and started a fire with some deadwood he found nearby and began roasting a large slab of snake meat. He¡¯d have to see what the natural flavour of the meat tasted like before he would be able to determine what herbs and spices he¡¯d need to add to it.

    This wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d killed something that had attacked him, but it was one of the first times that he¡¯d taken some time to roast up some meat to see what it tasted like.

    ¡®Joram.¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Avi?¡¯

    ¡®Why bother cooking? You know that you don¡¯t need to eat.¡¯

    ¡®Yes, well, it gives me something to do.¡¯

    There was a pause.

    ¡®Aren¡¯t you exploring though?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, but that gets old,¡¯ he sent as he slowly turned the meat on its spit. ¡®I remembered a time where I liked cooking and experimenting with food, and the nostalgia of it kind of got to me.¡¯

    ¡®Ah, the power of nostalgia. Careful not to fall into any old habits,¡¯ Avi sent, unhelpfully.

    Joram frowned a bit.

    Sure, he was an introvert. Sure, he enjoyed his quiet time. But he also enjoyed being around friends and missed it terribly. When the whole pandemic issue had hit back home, he¡¯d not been able to gather with his best friends for almost a year and a half.

    Now, now he was stuck in the middle of a mountain range, wandering about, trying to keep busy.

    What Avi was probably referring to was his tendency to just sit down with a book or a show/movie when he got lonely. Well, not that he had needed an excuse to sit down with a book. But this was on the level of reading for almost sixteen hours a day or binging on a new tv show.

    He¡¯d hoped that Avi would have differentiated between that old habit and him actually working on something. Or was it that she saw his cataloging everything as a diversion for him?

    Hmmmm¡­

    Well, it was certainly that. But it was also his innate curiosity coming out. Who on Earth had ever seen things like these in person? Was this world even populated by sapient species that he would recognize? Were there humans or elves or dwarves or any other species that he knew from literature/game systems back home?

    Was this whole planet just one insanely huge set of mountains? Or were there plains, forests, and deserts out there? Was there a vast ocean to explore and get terrified of? Was this a post-apocalyptic world where only the beasts remained? Is that why they were so huge? Did they mutate to become what they were today?

    Joram shrugged.

    It wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d get any of those answers today, just by thinking about them. Well, maybe he could get some.

    Sure, he could send his senses out with a clairsentience power or something.

    But.

    Would that take away from the thrill of exploration? Would he just find disappointment wherever he looked? Or would he find civilization at last?

    Those were questions he really didn¡¯t want to find the answer to just yet. Yes, it would be nice to see people and maybe interact with them¡­ but he was also somewhat enjoying himself.

    Sure, Avi was busy most of the time managing his personal realm, an extension of his very soul, and the many plants and trees and such that he¡¯d transplanted there, but he could still talk with her. She¡¯d pipe in whenever she thought he needed guidance or even just conversation.

    This work of cataloging pretty much everything he came across was¡­ fulfilling. He enjoyed seeing something new, learning about it, and writing everything down. Heck, he even still took the time to pull out his laptop to keep up his journal writing.

    There wasn¡¯t much to say beyond what he came across day after day, but he still recorded his thoughts on what he saw, how he felt. It was¡­ cathartic. He really should have listened to his dad all those years ago.

    With a bitter smile, Joram checked the meat and decided it was done.

    It was surprisingly tender considering that it came from an absolutely massive specimen. It was a bit gamey, but had a nice texture, similar to chicken, but closer to fish, surprisingly enough.

    The crispy exterior held in the juices very well, it even tasted a bit like chicken, though if you¡¯d ever eaten snake before you¡¯d recognize the taste.

    Overall, not bad. Good, actually.

    So it was that he spent the next hour or so slowly eating bits of meat while taking mental notes on what seasoning(s) he should use on it.

    -

    Another few months passed by as he explored, catalogued, and fought.

    It was a curious thing. As he fought, and meditated after each fight to recover, he noticed gradual changes in himself.

    Like, for some reason his sight and hearing had improved beyond what he¡¯d consider normal ranges. Sure, he¡¯d always had very acute senses, but now he could make out the veins on a leaf almost forty metres away and hear a rabbit-like creature eating from almost as far away.

    It didn¡¯t stop there.

    He also noticed that he was stronger than before. At first, he thought that it was just him getting into better shape from his many exertions, but then he began to start measuring it in the form of making a set of weights he¡¯d test himself with every day.

    Yes, he¡¯d gotten crazy-strong after his extreme training with Altaea, but this was beyond that. Beyond what he would consider ¡°normal¡±.

    So, each night he¡¯d take out his weights to see if picking them up got any easier.

    It did.

    He wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, but he slowly felt his body getting¡­ tougher, stronger. To say that it was a peculiar feeling wouldn¡¯t do it justice.

    What was causing these changes in him? Was it the meat he was eating? The edible plants he found?

    One thing he did notice, however, was that his body was absorbing the ambient mana in his environment, possibly in the food he ate for fun. Was this a good thing? Or would it negatively impact him in some way?

    Or was this some sort of wuxia world where you gradually got stronger and stronger until you could punch a planet in half? Would he become one of those overpowered main characters one read about? Or would he come across one of those ¡°cultivation accidents¡± that were such a popular trope in those light novels?

    Joram shook his head as he investigated an interesting fern-like plant that had stalks that grew in a double-helix pattern. It was quite the specimen. Not just the unique shape, but the fact that it had a faint glow to it that registered on the magic-spectrum instead of the visual light spectrum.

    He¡¯d found that many plants actually contained at least some mana in them, while others practically blazed like a burning building.

    It was the latter category of flora that seemed to attract those guardians. Maybe, like what was in those light novels, they got some benefits from staying around them? Probably.

    Magic!!

    Sigh.

    After transplanting a couple of those ferns, Joram got up and looked around.

    Spring was here and only a bit of snow remained in shaded areas that didn¡¯t see very much sun, or any at all. The local wildlife had also gotten more active during this time, causing the great need to hide as various animals were out for mating season.

    Yup. One didn¡¯t want to be mistaken for a competitor of some sort. Or, heaven forbid, a potential mate. By far, though, he was just seen as some sort of snack/offering for a potential mate. Guess they needed all the energy they could get to reproduce.

    Good to have an updated [Astral Seed] always on the go! Who knew when his luck would run out?

    He quickly looked around, round a tree, then hit it. No sense jinxing it¡­

    ¡°Back to it!¡± He shout-whispered so that he didn¡¯t attract too much attention. Safety first!

    Then he was back to wandering about, looking at this and that as he kept out of sight of anything larger than he was.

    It was slow-going at times. Sometimes he¡¯d find something interesting to analyze, other times he¡¯d need to run and hide in a quickly excavated hole in the ground while whatever it was that thought he¡¯d be a good snack rummaged about then left for an easier snack somewhere else.

    One particular event that had had him hiding for a most of a day was when the sky had exploded.

    Well, that¡¯s what it looked like from where he had been clinging to a cliff-face peering at a wonderful flower that seemed to be made of fire.

    Before he knew what was going on, he¡¯d been knocked off the cliff-face by a wall of wind and sent tumbling to the ground below. The first few rotations were confusing as anything could be, but once he stopped the rolling and began to slide down the cliff and he landed on his feet. That¡¯s when he saw the fireworks.

    Well, it looked more like giant balls of fire and lightning exploding in the sky, so bright that it hurt so see, even in his planar form.

    As he came to a stop at the foot of the cliff, Joram limp-dashed over to a small fissure in the cliff and used [Modify Matter] to open it enough so that he could slip in and hide.

    As he watched the explosions in the sky, he took the time to heal, sending psionic energy rushing through his body to repair the damage done to it.

    Then he saw the most amazing thing he¡¯d seen to date.

    What looked like a bird made of flames streaked across the sky, closely followed by what he¡¯d call an Eastern dragon. It had an amazing mane that looked like molten gold, its scales an electric jade, and claws that shone silver. It was hard to describe the legendary beasts flying about in the sky, fighting back and forth in a blur.

    One moment they were in the east, the next they were in the west, then in the north, back to the east, then south. It went so fast that he couldn¡¯t keep up, his eyes straining almost to the point of injury.

    Something that did strike him, though, was the sheer amount of magic being thrown around by the dragon and the phoenix, nevermind their overwhelming auras. It was so thick, so pervasive, that he found it hard to breath, instead relying on [Adapt Body] to get him through. Even then, he passed out at some point before the end of the fight, only waking up when Avi smacked him in the face.

    Well, he said ¡°smack¡±, but her wings didn¡¯t really have enough mass to them to really do much of anything to him. She did, however, manage to wake him.

    ¡®Why didn¡¯t you retreat to your realm?¡¯ Avi demanded as she continued to smack him with her wings as she clung to the side of the fissure.

    ¡®¡­ Right,¡¯ he coughed. ¡®That would have made sense.¡¯

    What he didn¡¯t say was that he wasn¡¯t sure if he would have been able to do so given the ridiculous amounts of magical turbulence that had been rocking the region.

    He looked outside and saw devastation on the level of a natural disaster and a war zone, all rolled into one.

    Gone were most of the trees in the valley, the ones that remained nothing more then slow-burning torches. Her and there he saw new rockslides, upturned earth, and scorch marks where things weren¡¯t just on fire.

    Avi seemed to catch on to his mood because she didn¡¯t say anything else, instead choosing to now observe from on top of his head.

    Dusk had fallen by the time Joram got the courage to leave his small hidey-hole.

    Slowly, and as carefully as he could, using every trick that Altaea had taught him about sneaking and stealth, he snuck out of the fissure.

    Most of the fires had gone out by now, leaving a smoke-haze laying over the valley. It really did look like some post-apocalyptic scene from a movie. The air was still, nothing flying in the sky. The sounds of insects hadn¡¯t even come back yet; the few that probably remained too scared to risk revealing their presence by making any sort of sound.

    It was the eeriest thing he could remember having experienced. It was like someone had turned off all the sound in the entire world and forced you to just watch the video feed.

    Doesn¡¯t sound that bad? Try walking through a forest at night with earplugs in to deafen you, but still letting you hear the beat of your heart.

    Yes, it was that bad.

    With a silent shudder, Joram looked up at the cliff he¡¯d been on when it had all started.

    Only a few dozen metres to the left he found another rockslide. He was very glad that it hadn¡¯t occurred where he was hiding. Sure, it wouldn¡¯t have taken long to dig himself out, but he¡¯d have missed the mind-blowing sight of those two great beings. He even felt that there was some higher law that he could touch on if he spent the time meditating on it¡­

    Further up the cliff he found a surprise. The fire flower was still there, still burning. With a grin, he brought his wings out and quickly flew up and transferred the flower, and a good one cubic metre of the surrounding cliff, into his realm for replanting.

    Then it was time to look around.

    <ul>

    <li> </li>

    </ul>

    Several hours later found him looking down at a vermillion feather taller than he was. It was slightly bent and covered in a bit of blood, but still radiated heat like an open oven. He didn¡¯t know how the blood hadn¡¯t dried yet but decided that that wasn¡¯t important right now. What was important was getting it into storage, into stasis. He really didn¡¯t want to miss the opportunity to study the sample, so he reached out, gritting his teeth at the pain of getting so close to it, even with his fire resistance, carefully avoided the blood, and stored it away.

    Not long after that, he found a few of the amazing jade dragon scales scattered over a small area. They, too, had blood on them, so he really wanted to store them away as well.

    But.

    The scales still sparked with electricity, causing even his short hair to stand straight up when he got too close.

    Heat was one thing; you could easily heal any burn that might get through ones¡¯ resistances. Electricity on the other hand, had the unfortunate ability to lock up ones¡¯ muscles and nervous system.

    He was already fairly resistant to electricity but decided that [Energy Adaptation] might be a wise choice for this one. He¡¯d have to create a new power to cover ¡°immunity¡± to the various elements because this was likely going to hurt.

    Sure enough, he felt his hand lock-up as electricity surged through him when he touched the giant scale, easily the size of his torso. After taking a few minutes to allow the feeling to come back to his hand, he went on to the next one, repeating the process eight more times.

    If he had to judge the fight of the dragon and the phoenix by what he found down here, he¡¯d say that the phoenix had come out on top of that battle. One feather compared to nine scales. Either way, he was happy to have what he¡¯d found. Who knew how valuable the samples would be?

    With that thought, Joram looked around again, this time looking for some cover to hide in while he updated his [Astral Seed]. At length, he decided to go back to his little fissure and meditate there.

    <ul>

    <li> </li>

    </ul>

    When morning came, Joram once again left his hiding spot, this time to leave the area entirely. Who knew what would show up after this, or how long things might stay away?

    If this was a semi-regular occurrence, then he thought it would be better to just get out of here before anything came stiffing around¡­ and found him.

    With only a glance at the sky he decided that running would be best. Who knew if the dragon and the phoenix would come back? With how fast they were he didn¡¯t have the confidence that he¡¯d be able to escape before being atomized by one of their attacks.

    Overall, it didn¡¯t take too long to leave the devastated valley and get to the next one. That said, the next valley over was also an ecological horror story.

    This valley had been more densely forested than the one he¡¯d come from. But by the looks of it, one of the attacks had landed near the edge of the valley, vaporizing everything within several hundred metres and laying everything else scorched, stripped, and flat.

    He¡¯d seen picture of forests that had been too close to a volcanic eruption, and this scene could have easily been swapped out for one of those pictures. The trees looked like fallen, burnt-out, matchsticks all pointing away from the source of the blast. If any animals had been present, they had likely been burned to ash.

    Stolen story; please report.

    Joram activated his augmented [Touchsight] as he did a half-hearted search of the valley for any other fallen treasures.

    Sure enough, he managed to find two phoenix feathers this time, but only six dragon scales. As he searched though, he had Avi retrieve the blood from each sample and store it in the best jade bottles he had, labeling each bottle, and then putting each sample back into stasis.

    <ul>

    <li> </li>

    </ul>

    He was finishing his fourth ruined valley when he met his first person.

    Well, other than Altaea that is, he thought to himself as he sized up the old man floating in front of him. Human, long scraggly white hair, and skinny as a scarecrow. Well, he wasn¡¯t just floating, he was standing on a flying sword.

    Yes, this must either be a coma-dream, or I¡¯m now in a wuxia world¡­

    The old man - he was even wearing those ceremonial kung-fu robes and slippers - was giving him a look that told Joram volumes.

    One: that Joram was far beneath his auguste status.

    Two: that Joram meant less to him than the dirt of the ground he disdained to walk upon.

    Three: he probably had a rod stuck so far up his ass that he could no longer bend his neck.

    Why the third point? Well, the old man seemed incapable of looking at Joram without looking down his nose at him.

    ¡°You,¡± the man started, arrogance practically dripping from his tone. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I live here,¡± Joram replied in as neutral a tone as he could muster. He really hated dealing with entitled people.

    That got him a sneer.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be smart with me welp,¡± he said. ¡°Did you find anything in this valley?¡±

    ¡°Just what we can see,¡± Joram lied. If this was one of those famous ¡°shake-downs¡± he really didn¡¯t want to deal with it.

    The old man¡¯s eyes lit up, literally. His eyes blazed as a look of fury replaced the arrogant one from a moment ago.

    ¡°You dare lie to me?!¡± The old man yelled, raising a hand.

    Everything went dark.

    * * *

    Avi wanted to say something to Joram, but she wasn¡¯t sure of the old man¡¯s abilities. Better to keep quiet in this case.

    Unfortunately, things didn¡¯t quite work out that way.

    Her ¡°tv screen¡±, what she called the panel she used to see out of Joram¡¯s eyes with, went black. A fraction of a second later she felt the realm shake.

    Not like the tremors that had rocked the valley that the colossus had walked through, but almost like reality itself had been picked up and shaken like a puppy playing with a new chew toy.

    Then it suddenly stopped.

    Avi looked around, then flew about looking here and there to see if anything was amiss.

    Well, aside from a few things falling over, everything seemed to be in order.

    Then she checked on Joram¡¯s [Astral Seed].

    From what she knew of the power, and she knew as much as Altaea knew, the bright glow that it was now emitting indicated that Joram¡¯s soul was now residing in it¡­ Or, in this case, that the [Astral Seed] was now active.

    Avi nodded to herself. This would be where Avi and Joram would be the closest to being the same as they would likely get. Because Joram¡¯s consciousness had been transferred to the Seed, the Seed would then act as a body for him, like her psicrystal body, until he was able to form his new organic body.

    Back to work!

    -

    - Day 10 -

    Avi was starting to get a bit concerned.

    Normally, Joram should have been walking around as a psicrystal, doing his thing. Or even just concentrating on forming his new body.

    Neither were happening.

    The Seed was still glowing, which she took as a good sign, but nothing else had changed.

    She¡¯d already finished cleaning up, properly storing the phoenix and dragon blood, and organizing the many specimens that he¡¯d collected.

    So she sat and stared at the Astral Seed.

    <ul>

    <li> </li>

    </ul>

    Day 20

    At this point Avi was having as close to a freak-out moment as a V.I. could have.

    There had been no changes in the Seed this entire time.

    And he was running out of time.

    If someone got to day thirty without having formed their new body, or taken other drastic measures, then they¡¯d dissipate into nothing.

    If that happened, only very strong magics or psionics could bring someone back. She really hoped that Joram¡¯s soul hadn¡¯t passed to the afterlife.

    But the Seed was still glowing. That was something. But what did that mean exactly?

    Avi did every test that she could think of on the Seed to see what might be wrong. Well, every test that didn¡¯t require someone to touch it anyways. She really didn¡¯t want to risk something happening to it.

    She couldn¡¯t tell what had affected Joram. She had no idea what was wrong. His consciousness was still in the Seed, but it was quiet, dormant.

    If he didn¡¯t start to form his body today, he wouldn¡¯t have enough time to finish it before his consciousness dissipated¡­

    -

    Day 30

    Avi stared at the glowing Seed.

    She had done everything that she could think of. Still nothing.

    Today was the day that he would pass on. She didn¡¯t know if the afterlife was the same in this universe/reality/whatever-it-was as it was in Altaea¡¯s, but she hoped that he¡¯d find himself somewhere nice.

    She thought she was a bit depressed. Could a V.I. get depressed?

    She¡¯d failed in keeping Joram safe. Well, as safe as she could being a psicrystal and all. She wouldn¡¯t get to tutor him. She wouldn¡¯t get to show him the designs for the omni-tool that Altaea had worked on, or any of the other cool things that had been prepared for him.

    Avi looked around the growing pocket-realm. They¡¯d put a lot of work into the place, making it into a wonderful garden and retreat.

    She hadn¡¯t had much to do in the past month, so she¡¯d been tending the garden, adding more plots as space opened up¡­ or, rather, was created. The boundary of the realm was ever expanding after all.

    Well, if she was going to be alone, she may as well keep busy.

    Maybe she¡¯d take up brewing and distilling¡­?

    <ul>

    <li> </li>

    </ul>

    Day 48

    Avi looked at the neat stacks of Joram¡¯s personal effects and had a thought.

    If he was gone, did they matter?

    Well, they were mementos of him, so she supposed that they mattered to her.

    But what to do with them? She could make an area of preservation, preventing the items from decaying with time.

    Hmmm¡­ Yes. She would expand the stasis storage space to accommodate his things.

    With that decision made, Avi felt a bit better about things. Joram did, after all, love his houseplants and she wanted to preserve them as a kind of tribute to him.

    Oh, and his other stuff too. Who knew when any of that stuff would be useful again some day?

    Day 237

    Still no change in the Seed. She was quite thoroughly impressed and confused by that. By all rights, Joram¡¯s consciousness should have dissipated by now and the Seed crumbled to dust.

    But there it was, still glowing on its little, cushioned, pedestal that overlooked the gardens.

    The growing space was now much, much larger. When the realm had stopped growing at its initial rate, Avi had decided to renew [Genesis] to keep the realm growing at its advanced rate.

    After all, she needed more space for the orchards and vineyards¡­

    -

    Day 9,999

    Still no change with the Seed.

    ¡°Maybe I should write a paper on this unusual occurrence?¡± Avi mused to herself.

    She¡¯d long since gotten into the habit of vocalizing her thoughts, giving the realm a bit of variation in its quiet, everyday, existence.

    <ul>

    <li> </li>

    </ul>

    Year 113, day 62

    Avi gazed out at the vast realm before her, now tended by minor golems that she¡¯d crafted. It was just getting too big for her to keep up by her lonesome.

    Maybe she should stop renewing [Genesis] every 180 days?

    Nah. One should keep on the path they¡¯d chosen for themselves after all.

    She glanced over and nodded to the Seed.

    ¡°Yes, this is what I should do.¡±

    She looked over at the rather expansive estates and winery that she¡¯d had built. She would have to expand the orchard and the gardens some more to accommodate the demand for more base materials. She was very proud of her accomplishments in the field of brewing/distilling/wine making.

    Avi nodded to herself as she regarded the main building, a mansion really. She¡¯d have to add more sub-levels to the estates soon.

    You always needed more room for stock.

    -

    Year 999, day 329

    Something was different.

    Avi looked around trying to discern what had changed.

    The sky was the same. The fields, vineyards, and orchards were the same.

    Then she turned to the Seed.

    It was flickering.

    Avi panicked.

    * * *

    Badum-badum¡­ badum-badum¡­

    What was that?

    Badum-badum¡­ badum-badum¡­

    He tried to roll over but found that he not only didn¡¯t have purchase to do so, but also didn¡¯t have the room to do so.

    What¡¯s going on? Joram thought to himself as he tried to open his eyes but found that that only confused him more.

    Everything was red. Everything was warm.

    Badum-badum¡­ badum-badum¡­

    He then tried to run and hand through his hair but found a problem.

    His arm was too short.

    What is going on here?! He tried to say but found that he couldn¡¯t speak.

    He looked at his hand and frowned. At least he thought he frowned but didn¡¯t know because his face felt weird.

    His hand, though, was definitely weird.

    What he could make out, anyway.

    Badum-badum¡­ badum-badum¡­

    Short, stubby fingers atop stubby hands attached to little t-rex-like arms greeted his blurry vision.

    ¡®Joram?!¡¯

    Joram gave a great start, jerking a bit in his tight confines.

    What was that?

    ¡®Is that you Avi?¡¯ Joram asked as he tried to figure out what was going on.

    ¡®Yes, it¡¯s so good to hear your voice again!¡¯

    Joram tried to quirk an eyebrow at that but found that his face still felt weird.

    ¡®You say that like we didn¡¯t just speak an hour ago,¡¯ he sent back.

    There was a long pause.

    Badum-badum¡­ badum-badum¡­

    Was it getting further apart?

    ¡®Joram,¡¯ Avi sent. ¡®I have been waiting a thousand years to hear your voice again.¡¯

    That got his attention right back to the conversation.

    ¡®What? How is that possible? I was just settling down for some meditation after renewing my [Astral Seed],¡¯ he sent back, not quite following along.

    ¡®Joram, you died,¡¯ Avi sent back after a short pause.

    Was it getting colder? Or was that just his visceral reaction to hearing that he¡¯d died? A chill down the spine?

    ¡®What happened?¡¯

    ¡®The last thing that I saw out of your eyes was an old man standing on a sword attacking you,¡¯ she sent. ¡®Everything went black after that.¡¯

    Another long pause.

    It really did feel like it was getting colder.

    Badum-badum¡­ Badum-badum¡­

    ¡®Avi, where am I?¡¯ He sent, getting a terrible feeling in his gut.

    A moment later Avi popped out of his head, looking much bigger than she used to.

    ¡®It would seem that you¡¯re in someone¡¯s womb,¡¯ she sent after a moment of looking around. ¡®And it seems as though they are dying.¡¯

    Joram¡¯s eyes bugged out at that.

    ¡®What do we do?!¡¯ Joram sent back, panic rising.

    ¡®Why don¡¯t you heal her?¡¯

    He could have smacked himself, but his arms were too weird at the moment.

    Why hadn¡¯t he thought of that?

    With as much care as he could, Joram prepared and then manifested [Natural Healing], augmented as high as he could.

    Badum-badum¡­ badum-badum¡­

    ¡®Can you see if anything else is wrong?¡¯ Joram asked Avi as he manifested [Natural Healing] again.

    He felt her use [Delve] and waited as she concentrated.

    ¡®There seems to be trauma to the head,¡¯ she reported.

    Joram immediately manifested [Physical Restoration], focussing on a mental image of a person¡¯s head.

    Badum-badum, badum-badum¡­

    ¡®I think it might be a good time to teach you how to form a Network,¡¯ Avi sent as she melded back into Joram¡¯s head.

    Still panicking somewhat, Joram replied. ¡®Is this really the best time for that?¡¯

    ¡®This would, in fact, be the best time for it,¡¯ she sent, with obvious patience.

    Joram closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and then realized that his lungs were full of amniotic fluid and began to hiccup.

    Damn, he really hadn¡¯t missed hiccups.

    With a mental nod to Avi to proceed, she then started to impart the knowledge of how to form a Psionic Network, as well as how to share powers over said network, directly into his consciousness. In short, he was learning to be a Vitalist in the most compact course he¡¯d ever taken.

    Badum-badum, badum-badum¡­

    He wasn¡¯t sure how long it had taken, but by the time he came back around he noticed that it was appreciably warmer in the womb.

    He also noticed many muffled voices in the background, but ignored them as he quickly went over the process of starting a connection with another person.

    Normally you¡¯d need their consent to join the network¡­ but it seemed that he was considered a part of his ¡°mother¡± because the connection automatically formed when he sent the invite.

    Badum-badum, badum-badum¡­

    He could immediately feel a torrent of emotions flooding through the link, confusing him further.

    Normally the Network didn¡¯t convey feelings, only the thoughts one wanted to send to another in the network. This, however, was well beyond that. Or was it that it was a more primitive link?

    Did I get it right?

    Well, he¡¯d see. [Health Sense].

    Joram got a flood of information from his ¡°mother¡±. She was indeed injured and seemed to be healing without issue. Her blood pressure seemed to be on the lower side, but nothing life-threatening anymore. Then he concentrated again, this time to manifest [Sustenance] to make sure that she would get what she needed for healing, nevermind what he needed to get from her.

    He paused.

    That was incredibly selfish of him. He took another moment to manifest [Sustenance] on himself so that he¡¯d alleviate the stress on her system.

    Next, he manifested [Touchsight] on himself so that he could get a better picture of, well, everything.

    Going by his somewhat limited knowledge of fetal development, he guessed that he was around eight months along.

    Well, that is if his mother had the same gestation period as a human.

    Was he a human?

    Upon closer inspection, he was pretty sure that he was a human. No weird bone structure, no discernable points to his ears, normal¡¯ish face¡­ Well, it was an infant¡¯s face. Everything looked all right though.

    Ten digits on his hands, ten toes on his feet. Checked out.

    An extra one between his legs.

    That was more of a relief than he¡¯d thought it would be.

    With a sigh that turned into a hiccup, he went back to relaxing as he monitored his mother.

    -

    ¡®You¡¯re telling me that you did all of this,¡¯ Joram sent as he looked through Avi¡¯s ¡°eyes¡± at what she¡¯d accomplished over the last millennium that she¡¯d been waiting for him.

    ¡®Yes,¡¯ Avi sent back, a slightly smug tone coming through the link.

    ¡®Well, damn,¡¯ he sent back.

    He was quite thoroughly impressed with what she¡¯d done.

    For one, she had kept expanding the realm every time she could over the last thousand years, resulting in the realm now being over a hundred kilometres across.

    Then there was the multitude of farming golems.

    Everywhere he looked he could see them doing anything from ploughing, seeding, watering, harvesting, pruning, repairing, and building. It was, quite frankly, beyond impressive.

    As far as he could see there were farmlands, orchards, and vineyards.

    Many sections of farmland weren¡¯t touched. Instead, as Avi informed him, they were set aside for special plants that seemed to get more potent with age. She hadn¡¯t experimented with Alchemy while he was gone but had instead gone into the business of booze.

    It was, again, quite frankly impressive. She¡¯d shown him the first sub-level of the estates and it was filled with the infrastructure needed to make anything from a simple ale all the way to the finest wine or distilled spirits.

    The next four sub-levels were filled with aging product. With another level being excavated.

    There were tens of thousands of bottles, barrels, casks, kegs, butts, and tuns. It was, to be honest, intimidating.

    ¡®Um¡­¡¯ Joram started then paused. ¡®You don¡¯t expect me to drink all that, do you?¡¯

    He heard a chuckle over the link. ¡®No, silly,¡¯ she started. ¡®I know full-well that you don¡¯t like alcohol. This is just in case we need to make some quick money or something¡­¡¯

    Joram waited, then waited some more.

    ¡®I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t with you that whole time.¡¯

    Another pause.

    ¡®At least I had a hobby,¡¯ Avi sent with forced enthusiasm.

    That gave him another thing to think about. Had she grown, evolved, over the last thousand years? What had changed in her over this time? Was she OK?

    He wasn¡¯t really comfortable with delving into that with her. But who else would?

    ¡®Would you like to talk about it?¡¯

    Another pause.

    ¡®Yeah, I¡¯d like that.¡¯

    * * *

    ¡°Will she be all right?¡± A man asked, sitting next to a bed, holding the hand of a woman laying prone on the bead, her head wrapped in bandages.

    ¡°The healer said that she just needs rest now,¡± a woman replied, presumably a servant of some sort judging by her posture, her clothing, and where she stood in relation to the man.

    ¡°How did this happen?¡± He asked. It was, presumably, a rhetorical question because he spoke softly as he gazed at the pale woman.

    ¡°The healer can¡¯t explain what happened after the incident,¡± she said. ¡°Either way, he is glad it did. It saved them both.¡±

    ¡°Let the Matriarch know that I¡¯ll be staying here.¡±

    The woman bowed and quietly left the room.

    ¡°We need to be more careful, my love,¡± the man said as he kissed the back of the hand that he was holding while he placed his right hand over her enlarged belly. ¡°I can¡¯t lose you.¡±

    * * *

    ¡®Any change in your¡­ mother?¡¯ Avi asked as she walked through the orchard of the trees that had those star-shaped fruits hanging from its boughs.

    ¡®She seems to be sleeping right now,¡¯ Joram replied as he inspected the indigo fruit. ¡®Say, have you made lots of stuff with this fruit?¡¯

    Avi focussed for a moment then replied. ¡®Yes, there is a large section dedicated to them.¡¯

    ¡®Good-good¡­¡¯ Joram trailed off. ¡®Avi?¡¯

    ¡®Yes.¡¯

    ¡®Would you stay with me while I¡¯m being born?¡¯

    A pregnant pause.

    ¡®I¡¯m always with you, Joram.¡¯

    ¡®Yeah, but I¡¯m¡­ nervous about it.¡¯

    ¡®That is understandable.¡¯

    ¡®Really?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, but I¡¯m a V.I., so I¡¯m not sure about all of that.¡¯

    ¡®That¡¯s fair.¡¯

    ¡®Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Yes?¡¯

    ¡®Can I be part of your network too?¡¯

    If he had had the ability to fall over, he would have. ¡®I¡¯m so sorry!!¡¯ He sent, then sent the invitation to Avi who then promptly accepted.

    That gave him pause.

    If she¡¯d been part of him, he didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d need to ¡°accept¡± the invitation, instead she¡¯d have just automatically joined.

    That made him think. Why hadn¡¯t his mother needed to accept his invitation to the network, but Avi had had to? Was it some weird biological thing? He was pretty sure that Avi was a part of him, his psicrystal being the medium of her creation and all. But she was also a distinct personality.

    Was she really just a V.I. now? Or had she become¡­ more¡­ over the last thousand years? There were so many questions that he¡¯d love to ask Altaea¡­ but he wasn¡¯t even sure she was still in this realm¡­ or alive.

    That thought sobered him up.

    By most measures, he had probably been considered decently strong, yet he hadn¡¯t even been able to survive one hit from that old fart. What if Altaea had run across someone like that? Would she have been able to escape? Or was she just another victim of assholes who thought they were all that?

    Though, given how beautiful she was, he really hoped that she didn¡¯t fall into some perv¡¯s hands¡­

    Joram shook his head, trying to rid himself of those negative thoughts.

    Once he ¡°grew up¡± he¡¯d be able to go out and investigate.

    He just hoped that he wouldn¡¯t be too late.

    * * *

    ¡°Reporting to Matriarch,¡± a woman said, bowing low, hands cupped together.

    A dignified woman in elegant plum robes, who didn¡¯t look a day over thirty, sat in an important looking chair in a large hall with many people milling about. When she heard that, and saw who it was, the Matriarch rose and waved a hand.

    ¡°Leave us.¡±

    Soon enough, the hall cleared of the murmuring people. The Matriarch touched a blue gem on her bracelet and a shimmering bubble appeared around her and the still-bowing woman.

    ¡°Rise.¡±

    The woman rose, revealing her to be the same woman who¡¯d been standing behind the man beside the bed.

    ¡°The Healer Reursa reports that Sulia¡¯s life is no longer in danger, and in fact is healing at an astonishing rate,¡± the servant woman reported, still bowing low.

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t know the cause?¡±

    ¡°No, Matriarch.¡±

    ¡°Is this an auspicious moment for the clan?¡± The Matriarch mused out loud as thoughts raced through her head.

    The servant kept her head bowed and hands cupped but managed a slight shrug.

    The Matriarch pondered for a short time before she spoke. ¡°Tell Healer Reursa to spare no expense in finding out how Sulia was healed. This could mean a new age of prosperity for our clan.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Matriarch,¡± the servant lady replied. ¡°By your leave.¡±

    A slight nod, then the servant lady hurried off, stepping through the shimmering bubble.

    The Matriarch stood there for a while, arms folded, her slender index finger tapping her lip.

    * * *

    ¡°Is that you, my love?¡± A weak voice asked.

    The man, laying slumped over on the side of the bed, practically jumped to his feat.

    ¡°I¡¯m here, my love,¡± he hurried to assure her.

    The woman, Sulia, reached up with her left hand and touched her bandaged head. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°We were on our way back from our assignment in Osmanthus Country when we were attacked by bandits,¡± the man explained.

    Sulia¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°Was anyone else hurt, Ivaryn?¡±

    The man, Ivaryn, shook his head, but sadly. ¡°All but one of our guards were killed, the others gave their lives to allow us to escape.¡±

    Sulia paused, taking it in. The look of profound sadness only seemed to make her look younger than the twenty years that she appeared to be.

    ¡°Have their families been informed?¡±

    ¡°The Matriarch will do so,¡± Ivaryn said as he turned on his chair to face her more directly, the cleared his throat. ¡°We are very blessed, Sulia. The healer said that the baby is still healthy.¡±

    Sulia¡¯s hand immediately went to her belly, feeling around as though she could touch the child directly.

    ¡°Yes, we are¡­¡± Sulia said absently, finally noticing the new ball of feelings in her head. ¡°He seems well.¡±

    Ivaryn¡¯s eyes opened wide for a moment before he schooled his features to stillness.

    ¡°He?¡± He asked, his tone carefully neutral.

    Sulia looked over at her husband and knew what was going on inside his head.

    Sulia was part of the Clear Knowledge Clan, a matriarchal clan through and through. The women of their clan were the ones who led, who made the decisions. So, in this clan, having a daughter was what everyone hoped for. While having a son born first tended to drop that family¡¯s position in the hierarchy.

    While they had both prayed for a daughter, she knew that Ivaryn also hoped for a son. It was understandable, as he had married into the clan from a patriarchal family.

    As for his neutral tone, Sulia knew that it was so that he could gauge her feelings on this new revelation.

    ¡°Yes, I get the distinct impression that our child is a boy,¡± Sulia responded after a few moments, also allowing herself to get over the shock.

    ¡°Why are you so certain?¡± Ivaryn asked, a look of puzzlement on his face.

    Sulia couldn¡¯t blame him. They¡¯d spoken with many midwives, healers, and soothsayers, yet none of them had been unified in their answers¡­ except the midwives who had generally thought they¡¯d have a boy, much to the displeasure of the clan.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Sulia started. ¡°It¡¯s as though we now share¡­ a connection,¡± she finished after a brief pause.

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°It is hard to explain,¡± Sulia said as she moved her deep purple hair out of her face, then returned her hand to her belly. ¡°It¡¯s like¡­ our hearts are connected. I can feel that he¡¯s happy and resting.¡±

    Ivaryn took a moment to process that. ¡°But how?¡± Was all he could think to ask.

    ¡°I would call it a miracle,¡± Sulia replied, then yawned.

    Ivaryn immediately began to fuss over her, adjusting her pillows, pulling up the blankets even though it was a beautiful day outside.

    Sulia, however, bore it with good grace knowing that she would likely have done the same if Ivaryn was the one laid-up in bed.

    Soon enough he was done and promised to return shortly with some dinner.

    Though, funnily enough, she really didn¡¯t feel as though she¡¯d been heavily wounded. She wasn¡¯t hungry, nor was she nauseated ¨C what would have been a sure sign of a head-wound. She touched her head again, feeling at the padded bandages on the left side of her head.

    Slowly, carefully, she reached up and unwound the bandage, taking care to not allow the matted blood to pull too much on her hair. By the time she had unwound the bandages, and removed the wadded gauze, she had a not insignificant pile of bloodied bandages laying beside her.

    Sulia reached out her hand, spoke a strange word and then caught the hand mirror that flew over from the vanity in the corner by the window.

    She brought the mirror up to inspect the wound and found what she had suspected.

    The reflection showed her that most of the hair on the left side of her head had been shaved off revealing smooth, alabaster, skin.

    Completely smooth.

    Even with the best medicinal pills there was usually some sign of an injury as extensive as the one Ivaryn had told her about.

    Had some Old Master or Mistress provided the clan healer with a Tier 6 medicinal pill?

    She felt her heartrate begin to race as she thought about how this might have come to be. But then a soothing warmth radiated out from her womb, relaxing and comforting her. She sat back on her pillows and brought her arms down to cradle her belly.

    Had the gods blessed them with a miracle?

    * * *

    Joram felt his mother¡¯s heartrate increase and pulsed a bit of fast healing for her. He didn¡¯t know what was going on, but he could feel a mixture of anxiety and excitement practically rolling off her in waves.

    ¡®So, you¡¯re saying that all of the plants absorb ambient mana to help them grow?¡¯ Joram asked as his brought his attention back to his conversation with Avi.

    ¡®Yes, and I posit that the improvements that you saw after you arrived on this world are related to that,¡¯ Avi replied in such an academic tone that he had to blink. He could just picture her standing there in business attire, a pair of spectacles on her face with her hair tied up in a neat bun.

    He grinned.

    ¡®Well, how do I go about doing the same?¡¯ He asked. If he could get a head start on his training, he¡¯d be that much closer to being able to search for Altaea.

    ¡®I don¡¯t know,¡¯ Avi replied neutrally. ¡®I have only the hypothesis for now.¡¯

    How did it go in those wuxia novels? You needed to circulate the energy in your body a certain way, thus allowing your body to absorb the energy more efficiently and thus strengthening your body.

    The big problem was that if you did it wrong you might cripple or even kill yourself through a backlash.

    So, Joram put his metaphorical thinking cap on and thought back to his training with Altaea and the many fights that he¡¯d gone through since then.

    The smallest gains that he¡¯d noticed, or rather, Altaea had noticed, were during his training with her. While his largest gains had been while he was exploring the mountains.

    But why was that? Was it because he¡¯d been with Altaea? Was there some sort of danger factor involved? Was there some sort of meta-system out there that allocated XP or something ridiculous like that?

    He¡¯d received no tell-tale system notifications, alerts, bells, ringing, or anything of the sort that you read about in those light novels/manga/manhua and such.

    Both while training and exploring he¡¯d taken time every day to meditate to restore himself. He was pretty sure that that wasn¡¯t the major factor there.

    But what had changed? The only thing he could think of was that he¡¯d started eating monsters every now and then¡­

    Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

    Was this some sort of Foodie-themed world that made you stronger the more you ate?!

    He face-palmed, which was pretty difficult given his cramped quarters.

    Then he felt a warmth radiate from the side of the womb. He glanced over and was able to make out a shadow. Was that his mother¡¯s hand?

    He smiled. Or tried to. He still wasn¡¯t used to this body yet.

    That aside, he really hoped that it wasn¡¯t a Foodie-based world as he¡¯d finally gotten his long-desired wish: to not have to eat. Eating being optional was where it was at for him.

    Then he nearly face-palmed again. He¡¯d already thought of all this while he was exploring. How had he forgotten all that so soon?

    He¡¯d have to get a board or something so that he could write things down on, so as not to forget important stuff like that.

    But really, why hadn¡¯t he remembered something so important?

    * * *

    Sulia smiled as she felt the slight wiggle in her womb. Though she was confused by the overwhelming feeling of exasperation coming from him.

    She was then taken out of her musings when Ivaryn came in with a tray of food then paused as he saw her.

    Eyes nearly popping out of his head, he rushed over, barely taking the time to set the tray of food down on his chair before sitting beside her on the bed.

    ¡°My love! Why did you take your bandages off?¡± He asked, reaching out to cup her face in his right hand as he leaned over to look at her left side.

    ¡°Dear, I¡¯m fine,¡± Sulia said as she gently swatted his hand down. ¡°Did someone use a Tier 6 medicinal pill on me?¡±

    Ivaryn blinked a few times, then blushed. ¡°Sulia, my love. The healer only had Tier 3 pills that he could use,¡± he said slowly as he tried to lean over to inspect his wife¡¯s head. It was made difficult by her leaning the other way, not allowing him to lean over her for fear of squishing the baby.

    Sulia paused a moment in thought. ¡°Is there some hidden Immortal watching out for us?¡± She asked seriously, finally turning her head so that Ivaryn could see the now bald side of her head.

    His mouth dropped open so wide that Sulia was tempted to see if she could fit an egg into it. The only thing that stopped her was the lack of an egg.

    ¡°How is this possible?¡± He finally managed to get out as his hand rubbed her smooth scalp, searching for the tell-tale scars that should be there.

    Sulia just shook her head, her deep purple hair falling over Ivaryn¡¯s hand. ¡°That¡¯s why I asked if there was some hidden Immortal looking out for us.¡±

    Ivaryn paused, then shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think that the Kellam Clan has any Immortals in it.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m pretty sure that my Aneath Clan doesn¡¯t have any either.¡±

    Both exchanged a glance and, as one, looked down at her belly as they finally felt a faint whisp of mental strength coming from there.

 Chapter 006

    Chapter 006

    ¡°Do we tell anyone?¡±  Sulia asked as she finally looked up to see Ivaryn¡¯s reaction.

    For his part, Ivaryn looked calm, but she knew him.  His calm demeanour was only there to cover the shock that was on the inside.  She was sure that his mind was running at least as fast as hers was right now.

    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know,¡± Ivaryn replied, half shaking he head.

    Sulia gave the barest of nods to that, appreciating the honesty.

    She had no idea if there was a precedent for having an unborn baby giving off mental strength, no matter how faint.  As far as she knew, mental strength had to be cultivated and studied like the tiers of magic.

    Did either of their families have an ancestor that had reached incredible heights in mental strength?  Could it be possible that their son had inherited something of that ancestor¡¯s bloodline, their talent?

    She was fully aware of the many examples of a distant descendant inheriting the talent of a distant ancestor who had reached legendary heights in their achievements in magic or cultivation.  But those exceedingly rare cases usually occurred when the child was entering puberty.  Not while still in the womb.

    Ivaryn shook his head, spotted the tray of food, and picked it up.

    ¡°Well, best to think on a full stomach,¡± he said as he arranged the tray beside her as her belly wasn¡¯t conducive to the easy eating one would normally enjoy while using a lap-tray.

    But she just shook her head.  ¡°I¡¯m surprisingly good.¡±

    ¡°Good?  In what way?¡±  He asked, eyebrow quirked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not actually hungry,¡± she replied with a shake of her head.  ¡°It isn¡¯t that I¡¯m not feeling well and don¡¯t have an appetite.  Nor am I nauseated.  I¡¯m just not hungry.  Which is weird when you¡¯re recovering from a serious wound.¡±

    Ivaryn nodded, a concerned look on his face.

    ¡°That¡¯s not normal,¡± he agreed.  ¡°Should we get the healer back here for an exam?¡±

    ¡°He has a name you know,¡± Sulia said with a mock-stern tone.

    Ivaryn grinned.  ¡°Yes, but he¡¯s got such an ego that I¡¯d rather not remember his name.¡±

    Sulia rolled her eyes at that but didn¡¯t argue the point.  Being a Healer was an auspicious profession, as not many people were gifted in both that school of magic and in alchemy.  It took many years of studying both fields to get to the point where you were able to be licensed to treat even the most minor of wounds.

    Well, anyone could treat a wound, but a Healer could charge for it and expect to get paid handsomely for their work.  Theirs was a profession that guaranteed results for any work they did.

    Key word: did.  If they didn¡¯t think they could help, they¡¯d usually refuse to treat a patient.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that he wasn¡¯t best pleased when he couldn¡¯t explain why I had suddenly gotten better,¡± Sulia inquired with a grin.

    ¡°I have never seen him look so pale,¡± Ivaryn answered with a smile of his own.  ¡°He looked like a ghost when he left.  Probably worrying about what he¡¯d say to the Matriarch.¡±

    Sulia smiled and nodded at that.  She didn¡¯t envy Healer Reursa his role at this time.  Matriarch Tatia was infamous for not accepting half-assed answers to any of her questions.  Especially when it came to family.

    ¡°You don¡¯t suppose she¡¯ll ask the Guild to send another healer, do you?¡±

    Ivaryn just shook his head.  ¡°It takes longer than I care to think about to get proper clearance to come here,¡± he said.  ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine, though.  You¡¯re OK, our baby is OK, and you don¡¯t even have a scar to remember the occasion with.¡±

    He was doing so well up until that last bit, which earned him a punch in the arm.

    ¡°What?  You want your beautiful wife to have a scarred face?¡±  She asked, more than mildly outraged at the thought.

    You could say many things about Ivaryn Kellam, but none of them was ¡°idiot¡±.

    ¡°Of course not, my love,¡± he said.  ¡°But having a slight reminder to be ever vigilant never goes amiss.¡±

    Sulia gave him a flat look as she absently nibbled on a slice of fruit at the end of a thin fork.

    They sat in silence for another few minutes before Ivaryn couldn¡¯t handle it anymore.

    ¡°So, what do we do?¡±  He asked, giving her belly a significant look.

    ¡°Well,¡± she started, then swallowed her fruit.  ¡°Why don¡¯t we get a charm that masks mental strength?  That way we won¡¯t have to worry about any of the clan sensing anything.¡±

    He nodded, still looking at her belly.  ¡°Then we should probably spend some time in the Library researching this¡­ phenomenon.¡±

    She gave him a cool look for that last bit.  ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have enough time.  The Matriarch won¡¯t send me on another mission this close to our due date, and I¡¯ll have lots of time afterwards to do research.¡±

    ¡°Careful, our son might become a bookworm if you keep him in the Library all the time,¡± Ivaryn said with a stupid grin.

    Sulia just gave him a cheeky smile in return.

    Coming from outside of the Clan, he just didn¡¯t understand.  The whole purpose of her clan was to find and preserve knowledge.  That bred research fanatics, bookworms, and academics.  Each and every one of them loved reading.

    As much as she loved Ivaryn, she had to admit that he was more of a warrior than a scholar.  Sure, he was talented in magic, but he wasn¡¯t one of the few who researched new magic, new arrays and formations, new ways to use and harness mana.

    His clan was as close to being Cultivators as anyone ever got on the Waeryn Continent.  Academically, she understood the ancient grudge between her homeland and the Zhizun Zhanshi Continent.  On a personal note, she really didn¡¯t care.  They had their own Way, her home had theirs.

    What did it matter, that they called the same thing by different names?  Though, if she were to say that out loud while in the wrong company, she¡¯d surely land in hot water.

    Maybe it was the perspective of someone who spent their entire life researching and gathering the hidden knowledge of the world.  She just wished that her perspective wasn¡¯t such a minority.  Even with Ivaryn.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be the most well-respected scholar of our time,¡± Sulia replied with a beautiful smile.

    Ivaryn groaned.  ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that he¡¯s the most talented fighter in the realm!¡±

    Sulia reached out and pinched him, which prompted him to grab her ticklish knee and give it a squeeze.  After that, it degenerated into a tickling match, Sulia barely waving the serving tray away in time to save it from getting knocked over.

    As it slowly floated to a side table, the young couple got busy.

    * * *

    Joram paused his conversation with Avi a moment as he sensed his mother¡¯s heartrate increasing.  After a moment of listening and paying attention to their link, he blushed furiously and dove right back into conversation with Avi.

    He now very much appreciated the fact that people didn¡¯t remember anything from when they were infants¡­

    ¡°So, do you think that we can somehow slip some of the monster meat into her stomach?¡¯  Joram asked Avi, trying very hard to ignore the sensory inputs from his body.  Ah, how glad was he that Altaea had trained his ability to concentrate to ridiculous levels?

    Extremely glad.

    ¡®Well, there is the possibility of teleporting small amounts of meat directly into her stomach, but that is all sorts of tricky.  Also, she¡¯d likely notice,¡¯ Avi replied in a dry tone.

    ¡®Gee, thanks.¡¯

    ¡®You¡¯re welcome,¡± Avi sent back, a smile on her holographic face.

    Over the last half-hour or so, they¡¯d managed to figure out a way for Joram to take direct control of the psicrystal, while Avi walked around as a ¡°person¡±.  It was a weird reversal to how they normally interacted, but it worked.  It just took a bit of adjusting to.  Eight legs weren¡¯t very intuitive for him.

    ¡®So, got any ideas on how I can start cultivating my body?¡¯

    ¡®Not really,¡¯ she said.  ¡®Well, not while you¡¯re in the womb anyways.  I would guess that you¡¯d have to at least be able to digest solids before we could get started.¡¯

    ¡®Great, at least six months¡­¡¯ he grumbled.  And that was if this society was as anxious to get the baby off the boob as it was on Earth.  Well, North America anyways.

    Avi just nodded along at that.  She wasn¡¯t in too much of a hurry.  She had, after all, waited a thousand years for him.  What was a few extra months?

    ¡®What we¡¯re really lacking is information,¡¯ Joram grumbled.  He really didn¡¯t like being in the dark, not to mention physically unable to go and study something.  He wondered how fast he could get walking.  Would it be weird if he began to start walking at five or six months?  What was the norm here anyways?

    Bah!

    How inconvenient was it being a baby?!

    * * *

    The next day found Ivaryn coming back from the market with the requested charm.  It was a cute star silver ring with a beautiful cushion-cut moonstone as the centrepiece.  It was reported to be able to block the senses of anyone of Tier 5 or lower.  And seeing as how even the Matriarch was a Tier 5 Mage, well, he was confident that it would do the trick.

    Now, as he got closer to his rooms, he noticed more and more servants quickly dodging around corners or being very studious about cleaning.

    With a sinking feeling, he quickened his pace.

    * * *

    Sulia wasn¡¯t in a great mood.

    It had been a few years since she¡¯d last gotten along well with her grandmother, namely after she¡¯d chosen to marry Ivaryn.

    When you were the only girl in the family, with three older brothers, you were paid attention to.  Overly much.

    Since young, she¡¯d felt stifled with the expectations of the older generation.  Because her Aneath Clan was a matriarchy, those expectations fell on her, the only daughter of her mother who was the only daughter of the Matriarch.  Oh, how she had envied her brothers growing up, not having to worry about the fate of the clan.  More-or-less having the freedom to choose who they¡¯d marry.

    It was frustrating for a young girl, and even more so when she had become a young woman.

    She¡¯d qualified to go on low-level gathering missions when she¡¯d turned sixteen, having proven not only her academic achievements but also her magical prowess.

    She had soon proved her worth in the field by being able to retrieve every requested piece of information that she had been assigned to.

    That was probably her biggest mistake.  In trying to prove how valuable she was to the clan outside of being the Matriarch¡¯s heir, she had cemented her worth to the clan as the ideal future Matriarch.

    Now she sat in her bed, her grandmother sitting in Ivaryn¡¯s chair.

    Was it going to be a scolding about being careless?  Or about the package nearly being lost?  Perhaps words about how she should have come home sooner so that the baby wasn¡¯t in danger?

    ¡°How are you feeling Sulia?¡±  Her grandmother asked, throwing her for a loop.

    ¡°I am well,¡± she replied, not sure where this was going.

    ¡°Healer Reursa reported that you had been healed.¡±  It was not a question.

    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±

    Matriarch Tatia Aneath gave her The Look, the one where it said that she knew her granddaughter was hedging.

    ¡°Did Healer Reursa give me a Tier 6 healing pill?¡±  Sulia asked, trying hard to keep the slightly puzzled expression on her face.

    ¡°No, he did not,¡± her grandmother replied.  ¡°And that is part of what concerns both Healer Reursa and I.¡±

    Sulia nodded, absently touching her head where she¡¯d been struck.

    ¡°Do you have any idea how it happened?¡±  Her grandmother came right out and asked.

    Sulia suppressed a wince, then chose her words carefully.

    ¡°Ivaryn and I have been discussing this and came to the only logical conclusion: that the most likely source of my good fortune was some hidden Immortal interested in keeping my alive.¡±

    She really didn¡¯t know how close to the answer she and Ivaryn had gotten with that one.

    Matriarch Tatia Aneath slowly nodded, mulling it over as she scanned her granddaughter¡¯s face.

    Sulia could only lower her head and clasp her hands around her belly.

    At length, Tatia leaned back and nodded.  ¡°I really am glad that you are well, my granddaughter,¡± Tatia said with a smile that melted the stern mask that she normally wore, her emerald eyes sparkling.

    For a moment, Sulia was brought back to her early years, where her grandmother had had more time to be with her, to spend time with her not as Matriarch and Heir, but more as an actual family.

    Sulia took in the sight, noticing just how much she resembled her grandmother.  It was almost uncanny.  Sure, she looked like her mother, Bezia, but as one would expect a mother and daughter to look alike.  Her grandmother, on the other hand, looked like she could be her older sister.  Or an older version of herself.

    Sure, Tatia was a Tier 5 Mage and as such had a much longer lifespan than she, herself, did as a Tier 3 Mage.  But they would both age much more slowly as they gained in power, so the likelihood that people would mistake her grandmother as her sister would just keep getting higher.

    If you were being pessimistic, you¡¯d say her grandmother looked about thirty years old.  Realistically, she looked a few years younger than that.

    Sulia, herself, only looked about twenty years old - if you were also being pessimistic - so it was well within the realm of possibility that people would mistake them as sisters because higher tier mages often had children decades apart.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting a little tired grandmother, but would it be OK to have you visit again tomorrow?¡±

    Tatia smiled at her, genuine warmth in the expression.  ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡±  With that said, she stood up gave Sulia a nod then turned and went to the door where she paused in opening it.

    ¡°I am very much looking forward to playing with my new grandchild,¡± she said over her shoulder, then left, closing the door behind her.

    Sulia waited ten breaths of time, then let out a long sigh.

    She really didn¡¯t like deceiving her grandmother like that, but she was afraid of what might happen if anyone found out that her baby was quite possibly the source of her miraculous healing.

    Just as she was about to lay back into her stacked pillows the door opened once again, giving her a minor heart attack before she saw that it was only Ivaryn.  Then she fell back onto her pillows and let out another, long, breath.

    ¡°My love,¡± she said, eyes closed.  ¡°Please knock.¡±

    He quirked an eyebrow that she didn¡¯t see, but just softly closed the door and made his way to her bedside and sat down in his chair.

    Sulia opened her eyes when she felt her husband¡¯s hand on hers.

    ¡°Did it go well?¡±

    Ivaryn¡¯s reply was in the form of taking the hand he was holing and sliding a ring onto her third finger, all the while smiling like it was going out of style.

    Sulia¡¯s eyes sparkled as she regarded her beloved.  He may be a relatively simple man, but he was surely the most genuine that she¡¯d ever met.

    * * *

    Joram looked up, well towards his mother¡¯s belly button anyway, as he sensed a new magical aura.  He extended his senses ever-so-slightly, trying to see what was going on.

    After a few moments he determined that it was a simple aura shroud.

    Why would she need that?  He wondered as he shifted a bit, trying to get a bit more comfortable and found a nice pillow-like area near his elbow.

    Ah, much better.

    * * *

    Sulia¡¯s eyes suddenly widened, her face going a little pale.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± she said as she made a few gestures with her hands, then literally flew out of the room.

    ¡°Huh.¡±  Ivaryn shrugged.  It was well known that pregnant women had weak bladders, so why was she so weird about it?

    That said, what would they do when their son was born?  He was sure that there¡¯d be people there after the birth to test his aptitude and bloodline.

    No, not to test if he was the father, but to see if he¡¯d inherited anything from their ancestors.

    Not that either family had any notable ancestors recorded in their family histories.  But it was the traditional thing to do.  Who knew when a lingering remnant of a bloodline would activate?

    That said, both he and Sulia had much work to do.  He knew that they could not seek help from the clan in searching the vast archives of the Library, so the task was simply daunting.

    Every day more information came in, and every day hundreds of scribes were tasked to transcribe the data, sort and collate it, then to properly file it away.  The data ranged from new cooking techniques and recipes to the birth records and bloodline tests of notable houses and clans.  There were also the archives that stored the histories, spells ancient and new, and even the various cultivation techniques of the Zhizun Zhanshi Continent.

    Those last ones were the hardest to get.  The various clans, sects, and orders over there hoarded them like dragons hoarded, and guarded, their treasures.  Those various techniques and skills were so valuable that the Clear Knowledge Clan didn¡¯t trust in their secret teleportation network with them.  Instead, each agent had to return in person to deliver their invaluable cargo.

    Maybe the Zhizun Zhanshi section was the one they¡¯d need to focus on.  Even though the two great continents focussed on completely different methods of harnessing mana, it wasn¡¯t unheard of to find someone on either continent that was more proficient in the others¡¯ way of cultivation.

    Not that someone being strong in mental strength was unusual on their Waeryn Continent, it was actually a fairly even distribution amongst all their peoples; it was just rare.

    Rare to the point that anyone proficient in mental strength was heavily nurtured and educated.

    Not just for the rare ability in and of itself, but because Alchemists needed mental strength to perform their craft.  Not only them but also, to a certain extent, artifact refiners, array and formation specialists, and puppet refiners (which included dolls and golems).  Sure, the others didn¡¯t rely on mental strength as heavily as alchemists, but if they had a decent level of mental strength, their accomplishments were always higher than their counterparts without mental strength.

    All-in-all if their son was gifted in mental strength then their clan¡¯s reputation would soar.

    Then a thought occurred to him, and his face fell, shoulders slumping.

    Well, their fame would increase if they were a normal clan.

    He leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling, running a hand through his black hair.

    The Clear Knowledge Clan was a hidden clan.  One that operated in the shadows of society.  If someone became famous, they were doing something wrong.

    He sighed.

    Well, at least they had a few alchemists that could at least get their son started in alchemy.

    He was then lost in wild fantasies of the future accomplishments of their son, to the point that he just about jumped out of his skin when a finger from behind poked him in the forehead.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±  Sulia asked, a bemused expression on her face.

    *Cough*

    ¡°Well, I was thinking that if our son was naturally talented in mental strength he might become an amazing alchemist,¡± he said with a big grin as he watched Sulia carefully arrange herself in bed, lending a hand when needed.

    She thought about this for a moment, then shook her head a bit.  ¡°I don¡¯t disagree, but I think we¡¯ll have to pass this ring,¡± she motioned to the one he¡¯d just given her, ¡°to our son when he¡¯s born.¡±

    Ivaryn nodded slowly.  ¡°That makes sense, especially if he winds up being the first recorded child to show signs of mental strength while still in the womb.¡±

    From there, they went on to planning which sections of the archives they¡¯d each search.  Their planning went long into the night.

    * * *

    Joram face-palmed.

    Was his infant body affecting him somehow?

    He¡¯d absorbed a ring of sustenance early on in his training with Altaea, so he¡¯d wasted his mental energy when manifesting [Sustenance] on himself.

    This might get to be a problem if his immature body affected his consciousness overly much¡­

    He sighed, then promptly began to hiccup.

    Damn.  He hated hiccups.

    To distract himself from the uncomfortable occurrence he sent his consciousness into his psicrystal, Avi¡¯s body, and had a look around.

    Avi then appeared beside him in her slightly translucent form, ready to escort him around.

    ¡°Avi,¡± Joram turned his little body to face her.  ¡°Do you know of any other ways to create more psicrystals?¡±

    She pondered a moment before answering.  ¡°No, not really.  You could get a second one through significant hard work, but no more than that.¡±

    ¡°Do you think I could make a sort of pseudo-psicrystal?  Use a bit of the code Altaea used to create your system?  Ones that I could add to the network.  But I don¡¯t really want to make independent, intelligent, magic items you see.¡±

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Another pause, this time accompanied by a slightly concerned look.

    ¡°Yes, that might be possible¡­¡± she said at length.

    Joram blinked.  Had he implied that he would replace Avi there?  Had he somehow put his metaphorical foot in his mouth?  So, he concentrated for a moment to split his mind using [Schism], then concentrated to manifest a [Holographic Projection] of himself.  One part of his mind maintained the image, while the other spoke.

    ¡°Avi,¡± he began.  ¡°There is no replacing you,¡± he said while his holographic self took Avi by the shoulder and then gave her a careful hug.

    Now, you¡¯d think that giving a hug was a simple enough thing, but no.  Joram developed an even greater appreciation for game developers who had to worry about weird spacing when two rendered characters ¡°touched¡± each other.  He could feel the strain on his second mind as it tried to keep up with preventing two holograms from overlapping each other.  Because that would be just plain awkward.

    Avi¡¯s face twitched a bit.

    ¡°Joram?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°If your now-human brain isn¡¯t up to the task, then having even those simplified versions of psicrystals running around would give you a cascading aneurism.¡±

    Blink-blink.

    Oh.  Well, damn.

    *Cough*

    Joram dismissed his other mind, causing his holographic self to dissipate then turned the psicrystal ¨C Avi¡¯s body ¨C away slightly in embarrassment.

    ¡°That¡¯s good to know,¡± he said after a rather awkward pause.  ¡°I¡¯ll, ah, go check on¡­ things.¡±

    With that said, he cut the connection and looked up at the reddish light and sighed.

    *Hiccup*

    All gods damn-it!

    He missed Avi¡¯s pleased smile.

    -

    Joram spent a bit more time, mentally, in the womb over the next several days.

    He was just too damned embarrassed to more than chat briefly with Avi here and there.  Well, ¡°now and then¡± would be more accurate.  He was stuck in a womb after all¡­

    But he did notice something.

    It was good that he noticed it, but it wasn¡¯t good news.

    He had been right in thinking that his infant body was affecting his conscious self.

    Now, most people would say that that was pure logic right there, and in most cases they¡¯d be right.  But Joram was a bit different from most cases.

    When Altaea had performed the¡­ procedure, he¡¯d changed in more ways than anyone could even guess.

    One was that his consciousness was tied to his soul, not his physical brain.  But his thoughts weren¡¯t unaffected by his physical body.

    For example.  Before he¡¯d gotten his class ability to be immune to annoying things like the various poisons in the world, mundane and magical, he could have gotten drunk.  That there would affect his consciousness.  Simple.

    His soul was also what kept track of, and expressed, his gestalt class abilities that he¡¯d been training with Altaea.  What did that mean?

    Well, there were attributes inherent to the physical body he inhabited, like his elemental resistances when in his planar form.  Others, like his class abilities, were useable in his High Elan form or his planar form, affecting both physical bodies equally.  Like manifesting or being able to punch through a brick wall and not hurt yourself.

    Ah, the joys of having the ¡°shapechanger¡± sub-type (it was hard not to think in things in a ¡°meta¡± sense; he was still on the fence about the whole coma-dream theory).

    If someone used something like a [True Seeing] spell on him, you¡¯d see both of his forms at the same time, superimposed on each other.  Why?  Because each form was technically his ¡°true form¡±.

    Yeah, it was weird.

    So, back to his developing body.  He was noticing that he was having trouble focussing on something, or even thinking of something as simple as not needing to manifest [Sustenance] on himself as he¡¯d long since absorbed a ring of sustenance.

    What did this mean?

    He really hoped that it wouldn¡¯t get worse¡­ because if it did, he was in trouble.  Not just him though, possibly everyone around him.

    Having an infant with a psyche as powerful as his was equivalent of giving a toddler a laser pointed to play with the cats with.  But that laser pointed was a ¡°painter¡± for an aerial strike waiting to hit.

    *Sig-

    NOPE!

    He mentally shook his head, not wanting to disturb his mother with actually shaking his physical head, then smiled.

    Joram could feel the warmth, love, and protectiveness flowing through their connection.  He could vaguely hear his father¡¯s voice as he spoke with his mother.  Or would it be more accurate to use ¡°wife¡± there?

    Bah!

    It was going to be all sorts of weird when he got out of there- here.

    He wondered if the humans here were like the humans back home.  Did babies here also have that terrible vison for the first couple months after being born?  Vision developed slowly in youth, only developing fully around three to five years of age.  Or was their vision better here?  Would he have to rely on [Touchsight] to accurately ¡°see¡± things?  Would he need to make a pair of ¡°glasses¡± enchanted with [Touchsight], then assimilate it?

    Well, he¡¯d actually been meaning to do that last one for a while now.  Hmmm, maybe he should get on that before the due date¡­

    The Due Date.

    He didn¡¯t know why, but the thought of being born still weirded him out.  Not the fact that people were born.  No.

    He was¡­ hesitant because he would remember it.

    All. Of. It.

    Were people really meant to remember the journey through the birth canal, the crazy pressure, the feeling of your body deforming as it was pushed out?

    He was tempted to drop his mother from his network before it happened because of the empathic connection that flowed between them.  Did he really want to feel every emotion his mother experienced while giving birth?  Did he want her to experience what he was feeling while being born?

    This was hell for an introvert.

    He couldn¡¯t just keep his consciousness in Avi¡¯s psicrystal while being born because if a baby came out and didn¡¯t make a sound, people panicked¡­ hard.

    He was still feeling awkward around Avi, so that also contributed to the uncomfortable feeling.

    He felt like doing that Jackie Chan wtf gif.  But: no appreciable hair on his little head.

    Why was he feeling so weird around Avi anyway?  She as a V.I., not an artificial intelligence¡­  Or was she?  She¡¯d spent a thousand years by herself, making her own decisions and developing his realm while he was¡­ indisposed.

    Had Altaea written a little something into Avi¡¯s code that allowed for that kind of growth/development?  Was Avi now fully self-aware?  Was she a slave to his whims?

    Was he a slave-owner?

    All gods damn-it!!

    * * *

    Sulia gave a start and looked down at her belly with such a look that Ivaryn¡¯s heart nearly skipped a beat.

    ¡°Is everything OK?¡±  He asked, getting to his feet beside their bed and then glancing at the door.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t know what our boy is thinking,¡± Sulia replied.  ¡°Do babies think in the womb?¡±

    Ivaryn just blinked at her.

    Sulia smiled, but still had a furrowed brow.  ¡°I just got a series of strong emotions from him, going from embarrassment to extreme discomfort to what felt like¡­ self-loathing.¡±

    Ivaryn looked from his wife to her belly and back.  ¡°Should we call the healer?¡±

    Sulia rolled her eyes at her husband¡¯s insistence on ¡°forgetting¡± Healer Reursa¡¯s name.

    ¡°No.  He¡¯ll wonder why I¡¯m wearing an aura shroud, then insist on removing it to properly examine the baby,¡± she explained with a slight shake of her head that caused a small lock of hair to fall out from behind her ear.

    Ivaryn hesitated for a moment before sitting down again.

    ¡°I¡¯m really not good with all this,¡± he motioned towards her belly with his hand, ¡°yet.¡±

    Sulia grinned ruefully.  ¡°Dear,¡± she said.  ¡°Do you think I¡¯m better off?¡±

    Ivaryn blinked at her, then gave her his cockiest grin.  ¡°Of course!  You¡¯re the clan¡¯s Little Miss, you can do anything!¡±

    She threw a pillow at him.

    * * *

    ¡®Avi?¡¯

    ¡®Yes Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Would you be able to go to one of the Dust Condensers and pick up some of the Dust there?¡¯

    Avi regarded ¡°him¡± for a moment before nodding.  ¡®I was thinking that I could also use some more resources here,¡¯ she sent.  ¡®I can also make stops to collect some of the resources you marked for later acquisition.¡¯

    ¡®That would be wonderful Avi, thank you,¡¯ Joram replied, sending a warm smile along with his response.

    ¡®But you¡¯ll also be ¡°stuck¡± in your body for the time being,¡¯ Avi said.  ¡®Unless you feel like ¡°coming¡± along for some fresh air.¡¯

    That was true.  He wouldn¡¯t be able to hang out in his personal realm while she was gone.  On the upside, he¡¯d be able to see the mountains again.

    He nearly groaned.  To him, it only felt like a couple of days since he¡¯d seen the mountains.  For Avi, it had been a thousand years.  Had she been able to leave while he was¡­ indisposed?  How cooped-up was she?  Could she even get cooped-up?

    Ah, the existential questions that plagued him these days¡­

    ¡®That would me most welcome, thank you,¡¯ Joram replied, sending another image of a smile to her.

    ¡®Then I¡¯ll first head to the Dust Condensers,¡¯ Avi sent with a smile.

    Ah, that warmed his heart.

    He knew that she wasn¡¯t Altaea, but he couldn¡¯t help but smile at the sight of that smiling face.

    Avi planeshifted away, then he felt as though he¡¯d walked face-first into a wall and fell back¡­ into his body.

    What-the-what?!

    Joram looked about, only seeing his red surroundings.

    ¡®Avi?  What happened?¡¯

    A pause.

    ¡®I do not know,¡¯ she replied at last.

    He thought about it for a second, then wanted to face-palm again.

    ¡®Do you suppose that the aura shroud my mother is using affected it somehow?¡¯

    ¡®That could very well be.  I am not familiar with the uses of magic in this realm, so anything is possible.¡¯

    He had the absurd thought that his mother had just prevented his first ¡°date¡±.

    This time he really did face-palm, nearly poking himself in the eye.  He really needed to work on his hand-eye coordination.

    ¡®I¡¯m sorry Avi, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to go with you until after I¡¯m born,¡¯ he sent with a mental pout.

    He got the distinct impression that Avi smiled when she received that.

    * * *

    Avi was understandably disappointed that Joram couldn¡¯t tag along for the trip but was pleased that he had at least wanted to go out with her.  She knew Joram pretty well, not just from her own experiences with him, but also from what Altaea had left with her.

    He was an introvert.  Sure, she had enjoyed watching him playing around in the mountains, but she also knew that he was just as likely, if not more so, to want to sit down and get lost in a book.

    ¡®Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t be long,¡¯ Avi sent with an imager of her smile.

    She felt the warmth flow through the network and smiled again.  Well, she mentally smiled.  Maybe she would ask Joram to hurry along with creating a body for her after all.

    Back to work!

    She looked around the peak of the mountain she found herself on and then formed the image of where the first condenser was and used [Greater Teleport].

    She arrived on the windy peak, the sun shining down to refract through her body, casting glittering light about the area.

    Yes, this is the place, she thought as she scuttled towards a giant boulder.

    Once there, she simply walked through the ¡°boulder¡± that hid the first Dust Condenser.

    If she had had eyes, she would have blinked.

    The depression in the mountain that Altaea had made to house the condensing unit was about ten metres across and about five metres deep.  That wasn¡¯t what caused her to pause.

    The entire bowl was filled to overflowing with Dust Crystals.  Yes, crystals, not just Dust.

    The units had been designed to automatically condense any Dust present into crystal once it had reached a certain volume, then continue to create crystals instead of Dust until the unit was cleaned out.

    Well, a thousand years of accumulated crystals was sure a sight to behold.

    Maybe she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about sharing resources with Joram after all?

    * * *

    Joram was bored.

    He realized that any clairsentient power he wanted to use outside the limits of her body was blocked by the aura shroud that his mother had equipped.

    Yes, equipped.  He got the distinct feeling that the source of the shroud came from a magic item.

    Was his mother worried about being scried upon?  Was there some secret that she needed to keep?  Or were they in some sort of danger?

    This is too frustrating!  Joram silently raged.

    He knew that he had sent Avi to get resources for them, and that it wasn¡¯t her fault that he couldn¡¯t go along for the ride, but he still felt trapped.

    Sure, he was used to staying in one place for extended periods of time, but at least he¡¯d been able to walk around!

    Even the first few days here weren¡¯t so bad as he could just switch his perception to that of Avi¡¯s and pretend that he was somewhere else.  He could even ¡°walk¡± there.

    *Deep br-

    Nope!

    He settled on meditation.  Nice, calm, relaxing.  No deep breaths, but calm.  He concentrated a moment then manifested [Adapt Body], hoping that it would do the trick.

    Immediately, he felt less constricted, though his environs hadn¡¯t actually changed.

    He smiled.

    Time to test it.

    He took a deep breath, then let it out.

    Waited.

    Waited some more.

    No hiccups!!

    Yes, this was going to be a staple until he was born!

    Oooh!!  Maybe this would make the whole birthing process easier on them both?!

    He did a little jig.

    * * *

    Sulia paused in her reading, a look of confuzzlement on her face.

    ¡°Is something the matter, love?¡±  Ivaryn asked, setting his book aside.

    Sulia didn¡¯t respond right away, instead she went to poke her belly but suddenly jerked back, shock painted on her face.

    Ivaryn didn¡¯t seem to know what to do beyond scooting closer to her, his anxiety plain to see.

    ¡°The pressure on my belly suddenly eased, to the point where I was wondering if he had vanished,¡± Sulia started.  ¡°But then he decided to dance on my ribs.¡±

    Ivaryn blinked.

    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±

    Sulia took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got quite the puzzle on our hands,¡± she said as she shook her head.  ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, but I felt a bit of mental strength before the pressure eased, and a very pleased feeling from our baby.¡±

    Ivaryn blinked again.

    ¡°More reading?¡±  He asked, not looking very hopeful.

    ¡°Yes, dear.¡±

    Ivaryn sighed.

    * * *

    Avi seemed to have found something, as Joram could feel things entering his realm.

    A quick mental check later and Joram was almost as happy with what Avi had found as he had been to discover that [Adapt Body] had such an amazing fringe-benefit.

    Dust Crystals.  Piles, and piles of them.

    He wiggled a bit, slipping the umbilical cord away from his head, then smiled as he sensed another pile appear, then a third one.

    Oh, this was probably the best thing that had happened since¡­ well, since he hadn¡¯t died-died.

    He didn¡¯t know what he¡¯d do with so many Dust Crystals, but he did know that he¡¯d surely need them for future projects.  Possibly for use with his future cultivation, but he still needed to research that.

    Over the next several hours, Avi deposited more and more raw materials, those weird mana crystals, and magical plants in his realm, surprising him at how fast she was with her errand.

    -

    Joram passed the next couple of weeks helping Avi organize what she brought back; even going so fast as to add a special storage warehouse to the estates.

    Special how?

    He¡¯d taken the time to enchant the building with a variation of [Gentle Repose] that kept various ingredients fresh; be they stacks of meat or various herbs, plants, and fruits that he had stored in jade containers.

    The overall effect heightened the preservation effects of the jade containers, bottles, and boxes to the point where he figured that the ingredients would stay fresh for thousands of years, if not indefinitely.

    Why take the effort to do that?  Because he wanted to clear out his storage areas in preparation of being born, and thus being able to explore again¡­ in a few months.

    He sighed.

    He was aware that a few months, or even a year, wasn¡¯t that long at all.  But he was anxious to take up his search for Altaea, learn of this world, and to possibly try to get back to Earth.

    Well, Earth was on the low-end of the priority list.  He really didn¡¯t know what he¡¯d do once he returned, nevermind the fact that he¡¯d been gone so long¡­  Did time flow differently here?  Would he return home to find that it was already the 31<sup>st</sup> century?  Or was it similar to a Narnia experience where it would translate to a few days?

    Would his understanding of creation and space help him to navigate the threshold between the universes and, possibly, the space/time continuum?

    There was a thought.  Would his understanding of space lead to an understanding of time?  If so, what would that do for him?  Would he be able to create a wormhole that not only joined this universe to his own, but also allowed him to drop the other end to a specific point in space/time?

    Bah!

    He didn¡¯t know how long he had to figure that out, so he just shoved it aside for now as there was a more pressing issue at hand.

    Namely, the womb.

    If his mother had needed an aura shroud for some reason, then he should probably do the same.  He didn¡¯t know why she had done so, but he trusted that it was probably important in some way.

    So he concentrated for a moment¡­

    * * *

    Sulia groaned a bit, her hands going to her belly.

    Ivaryn dropped his book and leapt to the bed, putting a hand on her forehead.  ¡°Is he coming?¡±

    She took a deep breath, then another.  ¡°I think so,¡± she said.  ¡°The contractions have been coming closer together¡­ and getting stronger.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get the healer!¡±  Ivaryn practically jumped up again before Sulia grabbed his hand in a death-grip and hauled him back.

    ¡°You¡¯re forgetting the bell,¡± she said in that sweet tone that implied you¡¯d die if you made another mistake.

    Ivaryn breathed through the pain of a nearly crushed hand, reached over with his free one, and rang the bell at the bedside that they hadn¡¯t used in recent memory.

    Within moments, a servant entered and bowed.

    Ivaryn cleared this throat, then spoke.  ¡°Please bring the healer; I believe the baby is coming forthwith.¡±

    The woman¡¯s eyes shone for a moment before she bowed again and practically teleported out of the room in her haste.

    * * *

    ¡°Reporting to Matriarch,¡± the servant woman said as she ran into the Matriarch¡¯s personal study and bowed while skidding to a stop.

    Matriarch Tatia looked up and waved her hand impatiently.

    ¡°The Young Mistress is in labour.¡±

    Tatia¡¯s eyes shone as she smiled.  ¡°Have you informed Healer Reursa and the Midwife?¡±

    ¡°I sent servants to inform them while on the way to you.¡±

    ¡°Well done,¡± Matriarch Tatia said with a nod as she stood up and strode to the door.  ¡°Be sure to arrange for extra seating and some food.¡±

    With that said, Matriarch Tatia Aneath of Clan Clear Knowledge blew past the servant fast enough to set her robes fluttering.

    * * *

    ¡°Maybe now I¡¯ll get to the bottom of this,¡± Healer Marowz Reursa murmured to himself as he strode down the halls leading to their rooms.

    He had been hounded this past month to get to the bottom of the mystery of Sulia Aneath¡¯s mysterious recovery.

    Not only had she stabilized shortly after arriving at the Clan Home, but she had recovered perfectly.  He had been sure that she¡¯d lose the baby given her extensive head injury, nevermind the shock to her system.

    But not only had the baby survived, but it had thrived.

    He was surely glad that the baby had lived.  But it was an enigma wrapped in mystery.  Everything that he¡¯d been taught and everything that he¡¯d learned through long experience told him that this was no mere miracle.  There was someone behind the recovery and he was dying to know who.

    From what he knew of medicinal pills, it would take at least a Tier 5, high-grade medicinal pill to let her recover so well, as save the baby.  In all likelihood it had been a Tier 6 medicinal pill that had done the work, as she had recovered without the faintest trace of a scar.

    The most unusual part was that he¡¯d felt the faintest whisps of mental strength coming from her while she was recovering.

    From what he knew, she wasn¡¯t gifted with mental strength, nor was that annoying husband of hers.

    So, what had caused it?

    By the time he¡¯d come back to try and figure it out, the young Mistress had acquired an aura shroud, preventing him from using his mental strength from investigating the issue further.  No amount of persuasion on his part had convinced the stubborn young woman to remove the aura shroud while he did his check-ups.

    With a nod and a grin, he stopped in front of their door and knocked.

    Well, at least he¡¯d get a chance to at least investigate the baby when it arrived.

    * * *

    It was definitely getting tight in there.

    Joram squirmed a bit, though he was doing relatively OK with [Adapt Body] going.  He was glad that he¡¯d used [Barred Mind] as well, as that would help keep him looking ¡°normal¡±.  He¡¯d worked on an augment for it that allowed for him to just seem like an ordinary person.  It didn¡¯t automatically cause divinations to fail; they would just come back with the parameters that he had set.

    In this case: mundane baby.

    He listened as more voices outside of his little home started talking.  He heard the Matriarch, as well as the healer guy that liked to poke and prod at him.  He was also pretty sure that the midwife was there too.  She was much gentler than that healer guy when she did her thing.

    He gazed up at the red dome of light that was his mother¡¯s belly and wondered how long it would take.

    He¡¯d heard that some people took a couple of days to birth, while others only took a matter of hours.

    Then it stuck him: he was ¡°star gazing¡±.

    Oh, shit.

    He then began to wiggle.

    * * *

    ¡°Young Mistress,¡± the midwife began.  ¡°Do you know if the baby has managed to roll over yet?¡±

    Sulia paused in thought.  It wasn¡¯t easy, as the contractions were getting intense.  ¡°I don¡¯t know.  He hasn¡¯t moved much in the past few days.¡±

    Midwife Ulanan nodded, a serious look on her face.  ¡°I will have to try to roll the baby over before you can progress further.¡±

    Sulia nodded, the Matriarch nodded, and even Healer Reursa nodded.  It was well known that babies who stared at the sky, as it were, made childbirth difficult to the point where it wasn¡¯t unusual to lose not only the baby, but the mother as well.

    Sulia watched as Midwife Ulanan began to massage her belly between contractions.  She was glad that Healer Reursa was assigned a corner of the room, away from direct view.  The female servants were, more-or-less, standing in his line of sight anyway, doing their part to protect the modesty of the Young Mistress.

    Only Matriarch Tatia and Midwife Ulanan were by her bed, Ivaryn having been banished once the Matriarch had arrived.

    For some reason that had bothered her a bit.  He was, after all, the father of their child.  But millennia-old traditions demanded that none save women and healers be present during childbirth.

    But there was a silly tradition in her clan that stated that it was unlucky for a man to be present during labour and childbirth.  She guessed that it originated with the desire for female progeny and having a ¡°yang¡± influence there was considered ¡°unlucky¡±.

    She sighed, then her breath caught as another contraction started; this one more powerful than the last ones.

    ¡°Breath, let your body do the work.  Don¡¯t force it,¡± Midwife Ulanan said in a soothing voice.  ¡°I feel the baby turning.  You¡¯ve got this.¡±

    Sulia smiled.

    * * *

    His body might be able to adapt to the changing pressure of the contractions, but it was still wildly uncomfortable.

    Then there were the prodding hands.  Based on the size of the hands, and how adept they were, he was pretty sure that it was the midwife.  It was actually a relief to get help rolling over as he could then concentrate on keeping the umbilical cord away from his neck.

    Problem two with stargazers.  If they rolled over as they were being born, there was a good chance that the umbilical cord could wrap around the baby in an unfortunate way.

    Had he spent the last month in the womb to just get lynched on the way out?  Nope.

    He took a moment to activate [Touchsight] again so that he could ¡°see¡± who was around when he came out.

    He did, after all, want to be able to get a good look at his family.

    Was Avi not back yet?

    * * *

    - Seven hours later -

    Sulia was exhausted.  She was tempted to take an energy-renewing medicinal pill but was fairly sure that she¡¯d not be able to keep it down.  Even the small sips of water the midwife had been giving her were hard to swallow.

    She had transitioned to laying on her side while the contractions came and went.  She was very glad for the extra pillows that she could grab and squeeze as she rode out the pain.

    She really missed Ivaryn right then, and just about burst into tears.

    Sulia squeezed her eyes closed and cleared her mind.  She needed to focus.

    * * *

    Avi looked at the spent seam of that ruby-coloured magical crystal and felt a sense of accomplishment.  It had taken her a few days to excavate the entire seam but had also provided several tonnes of the stuff.

    She knew that both Joram and Altaea had been wary of the stuff, but she felt that it would be a tremendous source of energy for future endeavours and projects.

    She had watched as Joram had worked on his pseudo-psicrystals and was glad that their enchantments didn¡¯t need an external power source to function.  But what about her future body?

    She didn¡¯t want to be the size of a psicrystal, nor only three apples tall, or even the size of a cat.  No, she wanted to be like Altaea; tall, majestic, heroic looking.

    Did that seem unreasonable?  A bit.  She knew that it would take him years of experimentation and work to get even a reasonable body working for her.

    From what information Altaea had left her, Joram had only made the most basic of golems in the past.  He hadn¡¯t even kept them around, instead choosing to recycle them and then work on a new version.

    She let out a mental sigh, then remembered that his due date was coming up.

    Avi looked around one last time the [Planeshift]ed back to his realm.

    * * *

    ¡®Avi!¡±  Joram sent as he sensed her return.

    ¡®Is it time?¡¯  Avi inquired in her usual tone: calm.

    ¡®Yes, it¡¯s been hours!  I¡¯m getting exhausted here,¡¯ he sent back tiredly.  ¡®I may need to you manifest [Touchsight] on me before I am out of the womb.  It¡¯s just getting too tiring keeping it up.¡¯

    He felt a mental affirmation and sighed in relief.  She was back.

    * * *

    - Thirteen hours -

    Matriarch Tatia Aneath sat in her chair beside the bed as she watched the midwife help Sulia walk around a bit to help her from cramping up on the bed.

    She was disappointed that her daughter, Sulia¡¯s mother, wasn¡¯t able to be there as well.  But duty was important, and her mission was more important than most.  If what they¡¯d found was what they thought it was, then it would be the find of the century.

    No, it would be the crowning achievement of their Clan.

    She prayed that Bezia and her team would come out of it safely.

    * * *

    ¡®OK, it feels like she¡¯s laying down again.¡¯

    ¡®Are you sure about this?¡¯  Avi asked, her holographic eyebrows raised.

    ¡®Well, I¡¯m fairly sure,¡¯ he sent.  ¡°Sixty percent sure,¡¯ he amended.

    It wasn¡¯t the most ridiculous thought he¡¯d ever had.  And based on his knowledge of biology, physics, and the power he was thinking about using¡­  Well, he was pretty sure it¡¯d be OK.

    Avi just looked at him.  They both knew that he could heal Sulia through the network if anything went horribly wrong¡­  But who wanted to risk it?  Not that it was a risk, per se, by who knew how things really worked in this universe?

    ¡®OK, only if I sense that she¡¯d too tired to go on,¡¯ Joram conceded.

    ¡®Yes.¡¯

    * * *

    Avi wasn¡¯t sure what to think of his proposition.

    She had Altaea¡¯s vast wealth of knowledge and information as well as many personal experiences that she thought might come in handy for Joram while they were separated.

    One of them had been her own childbirth experiences.

    Altaea was over a thousand years old by the time she had met Joram.  She¡¯d been married early on in life and had had her own family and had watched them grow and have families of their own.  So on and so forth.

    What had given Avi pause was that Altaea hadn¡¯t ever bothered with any form of pain medication, claiming that having limbs torn off and such was much more painful than childbirth.

    Avi thought that it was just good childbearing hips that had made it easier for her, as even her first birth had only taken a few hours from start to finish.

    Not once had Altaea thought of doing what Joram had thought of.

    Was it just that Altaea was tougher than hell, or that it was simply the difference in thinking between a woman and a man?

    She really didn¡¯t know.

    Sure, she¡¯d been programmed by a woman, but she was still just a construct without a biological body.  How would she know what was best, even with the massive banks of knowledge passed on to her?

    From their conversations, Joram had let her know that many women from his home opted to take extreme pain medication to get through the birthing process.  Some even chose to go through major surgery to avoid any complications or pain down there.

    That had been an eye-opener.  Learning about cesarian sections had really brought home to her how hard life without magic must have been for his people.  Every injury having to, more-or-less, heal naturally.  Having to develop surgical techniques and advanced medicines to help keep people alive, where a simple potion would have done the same for someone from Altaea¡¯s world.

    Even here, it seemed as though the people had access to at least some healing magics.

    She just hoped that they wouldn¡¯t be necessary.

    * * *

    - Seventeen hours -

    Matriarch Tatia Aneath watched as Midwife Ulanan gave Sulia a tincture to help her relax, then another to ease the contractions.

    It had been a long day, the moons were out and shining, and Sulia needed to rest up before she would start again later next the morning.

    Midwife Ulanan came over and motioned for all of them to leave, except for one servant who would be able to let anyone know if something came up in the night.

    As they exited the room, Ivaryn stood up from where he¡¯d been sitting across the hall and hurried over.

    ¡°What new?!¡±  He asked, voice low so as not to disturb Sulia, just in case.

    ¡°She needs rest right now,¡± Midwife Ulanan said.  ¡°I have given her something to ease her contractions to allow her to sleep for a time.¡±

    ¡°Can I see her?¡±  He asked, his face a mask of calm, but his voice ever-so-slightly betraying his anxiety.

    ¡°No,¡± the Matriarch of the Clear Knowledge Clan spoke.  ¡°Go sleep in a guest room so you can be ready to help Sulia after the baby comes,¡± she finished, not unkindly.

    Ivaryn nodded, then followed a servant to the room that had been prepared for him just in case of such an eventuality.

    Midwife Ulanan then turned to Matriarch Aneath and gave a significant glance at the blue-gemmed bracelet she wore.

    With a nod, the Matriarch stepped across the hall to where Ivaryn had been sitting and motioned the Midwife to sit with her.  It was only then that she touched the blue gems that created a shimmering bubble of silence around them.

    ¡°Shael,¡± Tatia spoke.  ¡°Be honest.¡±

    Shael Ulanan did not hesitate.  ¡°This is the oddest birth I have ever attended.¡±

    Tatia nodded.  ¡°I, too, have been wondering about it.¡±

    ¡°She is just too¡­ calm,¡± Shael started.  ¡°There is normally at least some anxiety with one¡¯s first labour, not to mention the other stressed on the body.¡±

    Tatia nodded along.  She well remembered her several birth experiences, and Sulia¡¯s seemed¡­ easy, by comparison.

    ¡°I have been checking her heartrate and blood pressure, but aside from a minor increase that one would expect in someone taking an easy stroll, they haven¡¯t changed much.¡±

    Tatia blinked.  If she remembered correctly, her own heart had felt like it would burst through her chest as she gave birth.

    ¡°I this some auspicious sign?¡±

    Shael shook her head.  ¡°I just know babies and birth.  But I do know that, aside from the contractions, she is likely having the most pleasant time I¡¯ve seen anyone have going through labour.¡±

    Tatia looked back to the bedroom door and sighed.

    Some people just had all the luck.

    * * *

    ¡®I¡¯ve decided,¡¯ Joram sent.

    ¡®When will you do it?¡¯

    ¡®When the medicine wears off and the contractions start again,¡¯ he sent back, nodding to himself.

    It hadn¡¯t been easy on his mother, and he¡¯d been sending little bits of healing her way to keep her healthy and good, and all that.

    But he too was tired and needed a rest.  Even with his body adapting to the changes in the womb, he felt wrung-out.  He needed to rest and restore his psychic reserves.

    ¡®Rest well, then,¡± Avi sent with a mental smile.

    ¡®Thank you.¡¯

    ¡®You¡¯re welcome.¡¯

    ¡®¡­ And Avi?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Thanks for being here.¡¯

    * * *

    - Twenty-two hours ¨C

    ¡°Gah,¡± Sulia uttered as she was rudely awoken by the renewed contractions.

    Sulia looked around after, what felt like, as short nap.  But if the sun coming through the window wasn¡¯t lying, then she¡¯d been asleep for at least a few hours.

    Then she blinked.  She felt like she¡¯d had a full-nights¡¯ rest.  Her head was clear, her body aches weren¡¯t there.  The only thing that told her that he was still in labour was the rather insistent contractions that had started up again.

    She noticed a servant slip out the door for before another one came in, looking fresh.  She wondered what she looked like at this point?

    Not that it really mattered.  Ivaryn wouldn¡¯t be allowed in until after Joram was-

    What?

    Sulia paused, a little bit stunned.

    She and Ivaryn had spoken of names for the baby but hadn¡¯t decided on one yet.  And none of them had included that name.

    They both knew that they had a good hundred days before the naming ceremony, so they hadn¡¯t really rushed to choose a name just yet.

    But where had that name come from?

    It didn¡¯t really sound like something they¡¯d pick; so why had it come to mind?

    Her thoughts were interrupted by another, insistent, contraction.

    A moment later, the door opened once again, admitting the midwife and healer, as well as another several servants who caried in fresh blankets, robes, and towels.  A moment later, several more came in with a tub and an artifact in the shape of a teakettle, steam rising from its mouth.

    Well, looks like they think Joram will arrive shortly, she thought as she watched the servant fill the tub with the seemingly bottomless teakettle.

    She wasn¡¯t disappointed.

    The next contraction came as Healer Reursa got to his corner and Midwife Ulanan shifted the sheets aside to check her dilation again.

    Then the next contraction came and next thing she knew, Midwife Ulanan was catching a baby as it flew into her arms.

    Everyone blinked.  Then blinked again as they heard a baby wailing.

 Chapter 007

    Chapter 007

    Now, he had experienced watching his daughters being born. He had watched the nurses wash them off a bit and use nice warm towels to dry them off, then wrap them up in warm blankets before heading off to do those things like measuring height and weight and such.

    Here?

    [Slip the Bonds], ftw!!

    Once the midwife-lady got over her shock, he¡¯d been wrapped up in a blanket and handed to his mother.

    He was glad that [Adapt Body] was still going, as that saved him from the temperature-shock he would normally have experienced upon exiting the birth canal.

    Joram found himself placed on his mother¡¯s now bare chest, encouraged to suckle on the presented boob.

    He took a moment to sort through the many hormones and thoughts rushing through him.

    One: it was weird seeing a breast bigger than his head. Much bigger.

    Two: it was also weird not having teeth. But fortunate for his mother he supposed, as his muscle coordination was still in the development phase.

    Three: the hormones flowing through his system all pushed him to think that everything in the world was good and OK now because he was snuggled up to his mother.

    Four: his old-man consciousness was weirded out.

    He might have to do some selective editing of his consciousness to deal with being reborn. How the heck did all those people in stories cope with it?

    Probably a Deus-ex thing.

    He would admit, he was a boob man. He liked them. Like their shape, how soft they were, or how firm. Liked how they moved.

    So, he did the only thing that made sense at that point.

    He gathered all of that up, put it into a little packet, and had Avi put it into a Crystal Mind and leave it on a shelf somewhere.

    Much better.

    * * *

    Sulia was in shock.

    Not physical shock, but a mental one.

    She had expected to go through a not-inconsiderable amount of pain as Joram came out.

    Instead, she¡¯d been witness to something she didn¡¯t think anyone had ever seen before. She¡¯d have to check the archives.

    But! The sight of her baby flying through the air as the last bit of fluid came out of his mouth¡­ that sight would never leave her.

    And she had not felt one bit of the pain that had been described to her in horrid detail by her (well meaning?) family members.

    If it was going to be that easy, why had it taken so long? What had changed? Had little Joram done something?

    As she looked down at her bosom where he lay, latched on and drinking, she also tried to sort out the many emotions that had come through from that bundle in her head.

    Once he¡¯d come out, she could have sworn that she¡¯d felt a sense of¡­ satisfaction(?) come from him. Then a sense of exasperation as he cried out for a few moments before he¡¯d been wrapped up.

    The weirdest of all had been the excitement she¡¯d felt from him when he¡¯d been placed on her chest. Did babies inherently know that breasts meant food?

    Either way, she was glad that he seemed content to suckle as she held him.

    She didn¡¯t, however, miss the look that Midwife Ulanan and her grandmother shared before they stepped out the door.

    She wondered how much they suspected. She¡¯d nearly had a heart attack when Joram had shot out like that. Not only because of the surreal sight, but also because she worried that Midwife Ulanan might sense the mental strength in Joram as she held him.

    Sulia was glad, then, that Shael had been too shocked to do anything but the barest minimum before handing Joram off to her.

    She paused again.

    It was stronger now, her sense that he should be called Joram.

    She looked down at the little head full of lilac-white hair and wondered what it all meant. Was her son the reincarnation of a legendary Master? Would he bring their clan to never-before seen heights of glory and prestige?

    Sulia shook her head, knowing that if that were the case, then their clan would likely be endangered. Would they need to move to the Kellam Clan to start a new life there so that Joram could grow with talents without fear of their clan being discovered?

    They hadn¡¯t really ever told Ivaryn¡¯s family and clan anything about hers. Sure, they had shared that she was from a small mountain village on the border of the Wilds and the Chrysanthemum Country, but nothing else.

    Maybe they could move in with his clan if Joram wound up being too¡­ conspicuous here.

    She shuffled aside as the attendants helped change the bedding around her, taking away the large soaker-pad along with the rest of the sheets and the placenta.

    She looked down at her baby boy again and extended her senses ever-so-slightly so that she could examine him. And found that he was perfectly normal.

    In the best way!

    She didn¡¯t find any traces of mental strength coming from him, but found his body to be healthy and strong, with a good foundation¡­

    What?

    Sulia firmed her heart, determined to let Joram grow to his full potential while living as boring a life as she could make for him.

    * * *

    ¡°What was that?!¡± Tatia demanded of Shael as soon as the privacy barrier was up.

    ¡°How would I know?¡± She almost snapped back, but managed to moderate her tone in time. ¡°That was the first time that has ever happened. Ever.¡± She emphasised.

    Tatia paused, taking control of her wildly fluttering thoughts and emotions.

    She wasn¡¯t sure which thoughts were more prominent in her head. Was it the part of her that demanded answers to this strange phenomenon? Or was it that part of her that was jealous of her granddaughter for having such a ludicrously easy birth?

    Tatia really didn¡¯t want to entertain that second though, as she knew that she, herself, was still able to bear children and didn¡¯t want to think about the uncomfortable conclusion to any possible, future, pregnancies.

    ¡°So,¡± she began then stopped. ¡°It¡¯s a boy.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Yes,¡± Shael replied in a neutral tone.

    ¡°Do you suppose he¡¯ll turn out to be another one of those useless playboys?¡±

    Shael just face-palmed.

    * * *

    The next several days found Joram being passed back and forth between the family, everyone wanting to see the adorable baby.

    The worst part of it was that there seemed to be a Universal Truth with people and babies: they liked to dress them up.

    Now, he¡¯d heard that even as recent as the beginning of the 20<sup>th</sup> Century back on Earth, people would still dress up their boys in dresses for family photos.

    Now, he was also giving the Clear Knowledge Clan a bit of leeway due to their being a matriarchal clan and all¡­

    But enough was enough!!

    Who even wore pink in that shade?! Why must they insist on trussing up his hair with a spearmint-green bow? Who was deciding on these horrendous colour schemes?!

    The last straw was when he was about to get a good meal and yet another random relative scooped him up and stuffed him into yet another outfit.

    He could hardly see details with his eyes but could still see colour, and with the help of [Touchsight] (he¡¯d had Avi make a pair of Sight Lenses for him that first day, then assimilated them) he was able to make out the rest of the details.

    The outfit looked like a mini-emperor get-up in saffron yellow, with jade green trimming. Sure, it was made of the finest silk¡­

    But no.

    He tried to give his best [Death Glare], but its effectiveness seemed to be crippled when used in a new-born¡¯s body.

    ¡°Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!¡±

    ¡°What did you do to him?¡± Someone asked the offending party.

    ¡°Nothing! I was just going to change him into this wonderful outfit!¡± The offended defended.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± a third person piped in. ¡°I¡¯d have the same reaction if someone wanted to put me in an outfit like that.¡±

    *Cold stare*

    Joram, however, was successfully rescued by Super-Mom. She swept in, made such skillful platitudes and assurances that none of it was their fault that when she whisked him away no one said a thing. Off to a quieter corner the went, Super-Mom setting Super-Dad to fend off the evildoers.

    Soon enough, Joram was happily eating and cuddling his favourite human.

    He nearly coughed at that.

    What am I, the pet cat?!

    Joram paused his wandering brain for a moment, bringing himself back to reality.

    ¡®Avi?¡¯

    ¡®Yes?¡¯

    ¡®This baby brain is going to be a problem¡­¡¯

    * * *

    Marowz Reursa had a headache.

    He¡¯d been trying for the last week to examine the newest addition to the Clan.

    Every time he got close enough to examine the boy, he¡¯d been stymied in his efforts.

    Not that anyone would chase away someone of his auguste standing.

    No.

    It was the baby.

    During the birth, he had been sure that he¡¯d felt a shimmer of mental strength coming from the baby, but hadn¡¯t been able to feel anything since.

    It was beyond bizarre.

    He¡¯d been spending most of his free time perusing the Clan¡¯s considerable library, seeing if he could find anything that could help explain what he¡¯d felt.

    Nothing.

    Nothing in the library, nothing when he examined the baby.

    Not only nothing, but he got the evil-eye whenever he held the baby.

    From. The. Baby.

    How in all of Creation had a baby come to poses such a look? Was he tainted by an evil spirit? Did he just have bad gas?

    All-told, he had an almost constant headache due to the Matriarch pressing him for answers.

    What could he say when there was nothing to ¡°see¡±?

    He had been so sure that he¡¯d felt that whisp of mental strength, but now¡­ now he wasn¡¯t so sure.

    Maybe it had been the young Mistress. Some sort of faint, inherent, bond with her offspring.

    He rubbed a balm into his temples, hoping that his medicinal mix would do the trick.

    He still had to report to the Matriarch today.

    * * *

    - Week 4 -

    Joram lay in his bassinette, staring up at the contraption they¡¯d hung above it to give him something to look at.

    Was that also universal?

    Maybe. But this thing was a bit different.

    For one, he could detect magic coming off it. He wasn¡¯t quite sure what it was for exactly, but he had noticed that the ambient mana had risen slightly.

    The painted wooden caricatures dangling from the thing were probably just that: decoration. But the tiny crystals in the base of the unit, from which the caricatures hung, was the base of this enchanted item.

    So, while he worked on his muscle coordination (reaching over and trying to pick up a stuffed toy one-handed), he studied the (what he called) [Wondrous Item].

    It was enchanted. It had an effect. Therefore, he classified it as such.

    The past few weeks had been lest eventful than his first week. The hype of a new baby had died down slightly, though he still had many people visiting.

    Though one thing that had bothered him was that they¡¯d gotten him a wetnurse.

    Yes, a substitute food-source for the time when his mother had to be away during the day.

    Sure, the lady was nice. She was even more well-endowed than his mother, which was saying something. But he supposed that having such large reservoirs of milk was useful when you now had to feed two babies.

    Yes, there had been another baby born about ten days after he¡¯d come along, and she was much more popular than he was.

    Though, going by what people were saying, it didn¡¯t really matter as much as the Heir of the Clan not having birthed a baby girl.

    Why?

    Well, this baby girl was a few times removed from the main family line. Something like a third cousin. Sure, they still had the same last name, but at that point, were you still considered related?

    From what he¡¯d gathered, she was the great-grand niece of the Matriarch (her brother¡¯s-son¡¯s-son¡¯s-daughter). For a matriarchal clan like this one, that had put her pretty low on the totem pole of the clan¡¯s hierarchy.

    Thus, her mother ¨C who¡¯d married into the clan ¨C was roped into being his wetnurse and babysitter.

    He looked through the bars of his bassinette and saw his dinner companion happily giggling as she tried to reach for the dangling toys above her. No [Wondrous Item] for her though.

    He wondered if he could somehow alter the effect to get her into the increased mana field¡­?

    Anyway, he was impressed with her developing coordination.

    He had goals of his own.

    He¡¯d already been able to roll over when he needed and was now working on sitting up.

    Sure, that was already tremendous progress for an infant, but he wasn¡¯t just any infant.

    When he reached his goal of being able to sit up, hopefully by the time he was six weeks old, his next goal was to be standing (with the aid of furniture and such) by twelve weeks.

    The trickiest part was doing it while not being watched, which meant that most of his practice was done at night while the adults were sleeping.

    Why avoid the attention?

    If they caught him, they¡¯d likely faun all over him and then most of his free time would be gone.

    The majority of his day was spent working in his realm with Avi trying to get the design for the pseudo-psicrystals (he needed to find a better name for them). If he could get those fully developed and made, then he¡¯d be able to explore his home even while confined to the nursery.

    Not to mention being able to do work even while Avi was out and about gathering supplied for them¡­

    He looked over at his food-buddy again and wondered if he could help her train too.

    * * *

    ¡°Sulia,¡± Ivaryn said as he nudged her. ¡°It has been weeks, and we still haven¡¯t found anything.¡±

    Sulia looked up from her book and gave her fabulously patient husband a look. ¡°Yes, but the archives are vast and we knew that it wouldn¡¯t be an easy search.¡±

    Ivaryn sighed. She knew that he longed to be playing with their son instead of reading in the Library.

    Yes, capital ¡°L¡±.

    Their clan library was just a diversion, a front. Sure, it was considered to be the largest library outside of a provincial capital, but it wasn¡¯t the true Library of the Clear Knowledge Clan.

    The actual Library was set deep within the mountain that the clan resided next to. There were vast halls filled with shelves that went from floor to the twenty-foot ceiling, wheeled ladders everywhere. It was comprised of seven levels, all filled with encyclopedic knowledge that covered anything from cooking to alchemy, smithing to artifact refining, and so on.

    They had a small army of archivists, librarians, and formation experts that tended to the Library day and night. New information was constantly being added to it and so various sections were constantly being added to.

    It gave the feeling of a library that only had shelves that were half-full. Yes, the shelves were indeed half-full, but that was only to accommodate sections that were known to grow and thus needed the room.

    What even Ivaryn didn¡¯t know was that even this vast bastion of knowledge wasn¡¯t the true treasure of the clan. No, that was what their clan kept hidden at all costs: The Heavenly Archive.

    That place held all of the ¡°sensitive¡± knowledge that her clan had been collecting for thousands of years.

    It contained every secret spell they could find from Tier 1 to Tier 9, from low-grade to mid-grade to high-grade spells and techniques.

    Probably the most controversial part of the Heavenly Archive was the sections devoted to the various cultivation techniques. From what they called ¡°Body Tempering¡±, which was the preparatory stage, or Tier 0, as everyone called it, all the way to the mythical, well, ¡°Mythical¡± stage, or Tier 9 for cultivators.

    Sure, there were no living Tier 9s on their planet, but they had still managed to scrape together some things over their millennia-long search.

    She was almost certain that the information that they sought wasn¡¯t in the Heavenly Archive, that separate realm, but here in the ¡°Bloodlines¡± section of the Library.

    If anyone had come across the same thing they had with their son, then she was sure that someone had recorded it at some point.

    The problem was that they didn¡¯t feel that they could ask anyone for help, as they feared that their secret would get out. But they did indeed need help, as the ¡°Bloodlines¡± section of the Library was an entire floor that rivalled most cities in size.

    Sulia looked back to the dispirited Ivaryn, her love, her heart, and took pity on him.

    ¡°I can manage her for today. Why don¡¯t you go and see how our son is doing?¡±

    That livened him up.

    * * *

    - Week 11 ¨C

    Success!

    Joram let out a manic giggle as he stood in his bassinet/crib thing, then promptly fell over again.

    Well, it was progress, and one week ahead of schedule!

    *More baby giggles*

    He stopped, not wanting to risk waking his aunt in the middle of the night, let alone his baby cousin.

    One had to look out for their juniors after all!

    So, Joram rolled over again, got onto his hands and knees, then pulled himself up until he was standing. Good progress.

    He stayed like that until his legs began to wobble and then finally gave out.

    It is much harder practicing crawling while in bed, he mused as he rolled over onto his back and stared up at the mobile ¡°formation¡±.

    Sure, he had ¡°belly¡± time during the day, but he had to keep his progress paralleled to that of his cousin. If they saw him crawling already, they¡¯d flip.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    So he was forced to exercise his legs at night.

    Almost two weeks ago he and Avi had managed to ¡°crack¡± the mystery of how the mobile¡¯s ¡°formation¡± was able to gather mana.

    Yes, ¡°formation¡±. He¡¯d overheard the adults speaking about it, and how it wasn¡¯t quite fair that he was able to have one over his crib, but his cousin couldn¡¯t.

    Ah, the murmurs of ¡°golden spoons¡±, he mused.

    From what he¡¯d been able to overhear from the adults¡¯ conversations, the clan seemed to have a bit of a problem with ¡°silk pants¡± and ¡°playboys¡±. What a popular trope.

    But in this case, it was his reality.

    The men of the clan were basically ignored, and thus allowed to do pretty much what they wanted as they didn¡¯t have as much value as the women of the clan.

    *Cough*

    Back to it, brain!

    His tiny brain was making it hard to focus for long.

    So, from what he gathered, ¡°formations¡± were what people called enchantments here. It was more or less synonymous with ¡°array¡± when describing them. Though, ¡°arrays¡± seemed to be able to have a more active component to them, like someone being able to control aspects of them. While ¡°formations¡± seemed to be more-or-less a set thing, though you could still turn it off and on again.

    That said, it was hard to alter an existing formation without getting in there and fiddling with the physical side of it.

    So, for now, he¡¯d have to leave the quandary of helping his cousin to gain a mana-gathering formation.

    Maybe I can figure out how to forcibly add someone to the network, then figure out how to get mana to flow over to her¡­

    He sighed.

    So much work to do¡­

    * * *

    ¡°How is his progress?¡± Tatia asked as she was sitting for tea in once of the pagodas in her yard. It had a majestic view of the mountains that seemed to go well with tea.

    ¡°He¡¯s a baby,¡± Shael replied as she added a dab of honey to her tea. ¡°He¡¯s doing well. His coordination is good, as are his reflexes. He can track things with his eyes, and even seems to be interested in looking at various paintings and illustrations.¡±

    Tatia nodded and took a sip of the steaming tea as she watched a creature flying in the distance, so small that anyone below tier 5 would have probably missed it.

    ¡°And the girl?¡±

    ¡°Doing well enough,¡± Shael said, now sipping her tea then taking a nibble of a pastry. ¡°Her progress isn¡¯t as pronounced as his, but well within what one would expect of an infant her age.¡±

    Tatia nodded, taking a pastry for herself, a plum jam filling hers. ¡°Be sure that they both receive what they need.¡±

    Shael gave her a level look. ¡°Sure, then I¡¯ll commission another gathering formation for her as well.¡±

    Tatia blinked. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have one yet?¡±

    Shael shook her head. ¡°No, the quartermistress didn¡¯t think someone so far removed from the main line would need one. I heard that she even dallied getting one for the boy, given that he wasn¡¯t born a female.¡±

    ¡°Well, we shall have to fix that, shan¡¯t we?¡± She said, a small smile forming on her youthful face. ¡°You never know where a talent might pop up.¡±

    Shael nodded, then took another bite from her lemon pastry, then a sip of tea. She was glad that Tatia was taking a more active role with the younger generation. She¡¯d ignored them for far too long.

    * * *

    Sulia watched Ivaryn as he dozed, as book half propped up on his head as he lay face-first, slumped over on the table.

    He was doing his best, but he truly was a warrior first, a scholar¡­ fifteenth.

    She wondered if Joram would take after his father or inherit her clan¡¯s strong love of books and learning. She suspected that he would lean towards the more scholarly path, as she always felt a keen interest coming from their bond whenever she spoke about books around him.

    She¡¯d even started brining home some children¡¯s books to read to him in the evenings. She¡¯d been pleasantly surprised to see him wiggle over to look at the simple book as she read it to him during nursing time.

    She wasn¡¯t quite sure, but she thought that he might be working on copying their words. Granted, most of what came out of his mouth was either laughter or cooing, but those coos were sounding more and more like he was trying to say something.

    Sulia shook her head, dismissing those fancies.

    What infant could speak at such an age? Was she affected by the tendency of a new parent to see things that weren¡¯t actually there? Or, in this case, to hear what wasn¡¯t said?

    She rubbed at her eyes a bit, trying to bring herself back to the moment, and to wake herself up a bit. It was tiring work, going through the Bloodlines archives. She, herself, wanted nothing more than to go back and cuddle her baby, and she feared that they wouldn¡¯t be able to bond properly with her being gone for so long each day.

    Maybe she could bring little Joram with her soon. Yes. Yes, since he was still immobile, this would be the best time to bring him. She was sure that he¡¯d be OK in a crib while she read, or she could even cuddle him while reading!

    Nursing and reading. What could be better?

    * * *

    ¡°No,¡± Matriarch Tatia Aneath told her.

    Sulia blinked as her grandmother as she sat in a small tearoom in her grandmother¡¯s home.

    ¡°But why not?¡± Was all she could think to ask.

    Her grandmother gave her a look that said that the answer should have been obvious.

    ¡°You cannot bring the mana-gathering formation inside the Library.¡±

    Sulia paused in answering, realizing that that was indeed true. But.

    ¡°I won¡¯t need the formation there,¡± she said. ¡°Neither does he need to be in it at all times. Aloralla tells me that he plays outside of his crib most of the day when he¡¯s not eating or napping. How would this be any different?¡±

    ¡°These are his formative months; he needs to be in an enriching environment for the best development.¡±

    ¡°Well, what better enriching than his mother¡¯s milk? If he is with me, then he can have access to much better food than Aloralla can provide.¡±

    That gave her grandmother pause. They both knew that Aloralla was only at the end of Tier 2 while Sulia was at Rank eight of Tier 3.

    ¡°Agreed,¡± she said, causing Sulia to blink at how fast she¡¯d agreed. ¡°Provided that you wear him while he sleeps, and he can nurse whenever he needs.¡±

    Sulia bristled a bit at that. Of course she¡¯d feed him whenever he needed! ¡°Deal!¡±

    And that is how Aloralla¡¯s daughter got her own mana-gathering formation.

    * * *

    Joram couldn¡¯t believe his eyes.

    Well, they were still developing, so he was astonished at what [Touchsight] was giving him.

    He was in an absolutely cavernous library filled with bookshelves as far as the eye could see. And further, because his eyes kinda sucked at the moment.

    Everywhere within a hundred twenty feet or so just showed up as massive bookshelves.

    He just couldn¡¯t believe it. Not even the largest libraries back home could compare.

    And he was stuck in a baby-carrier. One of those kanga-pouch style ones that allowed him to be carried hands-free, but also allowed him to get a snack whenever needed.

    He¡¯d play it cool. Yes, that was the ticket. He only needed a small part of his body outside of the kanga-pouch to be able to ¡°see¡±, you see.

    Har-har.

    Ah, the puns. He still had it.

    *Sigh*

    What was this body doing to his psyche? He really hoped that he¡¯d get better as he grew up.

    Back to the library! Also, listening to his mother¡¯s explanation!

    ¡°¡­ and this is the section for the Bloodline records. It houses all the records of the major houses, clans, and sects¡¯ births. We record anything that comes up, like if someone shows an affinity to one of the elements, or if they inherited a trait from an ancestor.

    ¡°Inherited traits are very rare, as the one passing them down usually have to be tier 7 or higher when their conceive their progeny¡­¡±

    Huh.

    ¡°¡­ and because there are so few tier 7s around, it is thus easier to actually get records on any traits that have been passed along,¡± she explained as several people looked at her oddly as she passed.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re probably wondering what makes tier 7 so special,¡± she said. ¡°Well, tier 7 is colloquially known as the Immortal Realm, or on the Zhizun Zhanshi Continent. They love their naming conventions there. A new name for everything,¡± she said, shaking her head.

    ¡°We like more standardized naming conventions. For example. What people normally call ¡°Tier 1¡± is actually the second step in preparing yourself to become a Mage or a Cultivator.

    ¡°The first step, or tier 0, is where you prepare your body to be able to house the mana you¡¯ll need as a Mage or a Cultivator,¡± she said, then looked around, found no one, and went on.

    ¡°You see, they¡¯re really the same thing,¡± she whispered to him. ¡°They have their weird cultivation techniques that primarily focus on making the body stronger, making fighters that can smash mountains with a single palm. We, however, focus on using the mana to cast spells. Neither is wrong, it just really depends on your own aptitude for either path.¡±

    Maybe I¡¯m not actually in a wuxia world after all? He mused as he absorbed the data-dump his mother was providing.

    ¡°You see,¡± she said quietly, still looking around for anyone who might overhear. ¡°We may have six levels worth of books, manuscripts, scrolls, and such, with a seventh being worked on as we speak, but¡­¡± She stopped there with a grin as she looked down at him.

    ¡°But the good stuff isn¡¯t here; it¡¯s hidden,¡± she finished as she approached a table where someone was already sitting, or rather, slumped at. Upon further inspection, he found that it was his father.

    Ah, the forced study session. How brave my father is!

    ¡°I¡¯m back, Dear,¡± Mother said to Father as she pulled out a chair to sit in.

    It took a bit of shifting, but they managed to fit at the table.

    Joram went back to nursing, enjoying the better-tasting milk that his mother provided, but still listening in, and ¡°watching¡±.

    ¡°Oh?! You convinced that ice cube, did you?¡± Father asked as he sat up properly in his chair.

    Mother just gave Father a sassy look. ¡°Yes, our son can be with us as we search.¡±

    ¡®Avi!¡¯ Joram sent, terribly excited.

    ¡®Joram!¡¯

    He paused. Was she also being affected by his infant brain?

    ¡®You¡¯d never guess where I am!¡¯

    ¡®¡­ you¡¯re eating.¡¯

    ¡®But where am I eating?!¡¯ He sent as he unlatched for a moment to peek his head out of the kanga-pouch so Avi could see better.

    ¡®You¡¯re kidding,¡¯ she sent, astonishment coming through their connection.

    ¡®Mom just told me that this place has six levels to it, and they¡¯re working on the seventh!¡¯

    ¡®That is rather impressive,¡¯ Avi sent.

    He could feel her interest oozing through their connection now.

    ¡®What do you say to heading out to explore¡­ copying some books¡­? Finding the ¡°hidden¡± section?¡¯

    ¡®Let me know when it¡¯s safe!¡¯ She replied with a huge mental grin attached.

    ¡°¡­ just saying that maybe our son would enjoy taking a walk with me, is all,¡± Father was saying, seemingly attempting to convince his wife to let him slack off with their son.

    ¡°Well, he does seem to be full¡­¡± his mother replied in a grudging tone.

    Soon enough, his mother was covered up and the kanga-pouch was rewrapped around his father, then he was being re-tucked into it.

    Joram sighed. His father might be in excellent physical shape, akin to a Greek god, but it made for a less-than-comfortable ride. Muscles that were hard as rocks just weren¡¯t comfy to lay against.

    He did, however, stifle his protests as it allowed him to see more of the Library¡­ and to drop Avi off so that she could explore.

    * * *

    Avi watched through Joram¡¯s eyes as he bounced along in his pouch. She was very much looking forward to being out and about so that she could ¡°see¡± better. She just hoped that his vision got better soon.

    Soon enough, Joram gave her the ¡°go-ahead¡± and she slipped out of his foot that he¡¯d stuck out of his wrap.

    She quickly manifested her legs and wings and landed gently on the ground, quickly scuttling behind a bookshelf.

    ¡°Did you hear something?¡± Ivaryn asked Joram as he paused to look around.

    ¡°Pffffft!¡± Joram gave a raspberry in response, making Ivaryn laugh.

    ¡°Nevermind, let¡¯s go,¡± he said. ¡°As I was saying, this library is a bit boring. We should spend more time outside¡­¡± his voice trailed off as he went around a corner.

    ¡®Safe!¡¯ Joram sent with a mental thumbs-up.

    ¡®Indeed.¡¯

    When she could hear no one else nearby, she carefully climbed the bookshelf and began reading titles.

    ¡°Clan Tordave, generations XII to IX¡±

    ¡°Clan Tordec, generations XII to IX¡±

    This might get a little boring, Avi mused as she spent the next several hours going from section to section, reading the section name written on the side of each case, realizing that this whole floor was likely focussed on ¡°Bloodlines¡± like Joram had told her.

    Then, finally, she found the way down to the next level.

    It was a grand staircase that was nonetheless simple in design. The stairs were a good twenty feet wide and had the standard stairwell design, though carved murals made the walk down more interesting than most.

    What gave her pause, however, were the formations that she saw glowing all around the staircase.

    What could those be?

    Though she wasn¡¯t very well versed in magical theory, she nevertheless had Altaea¡¯s knowledge to draw upon. So, draw upon it she did.

    After another few minutes of comparing her notes to what was in front of her, she realized that even though both realms used magic, they were completely different in their individual approaches.

    While Altaea¡¯s world¡¯s magic system could be describes as ¡°writing code¡±, this one was more based on diagrams and, well, geometry. It focused on using those shapes, and some ¡°words¡±, to create a magical ¡°circuit¡±, that once completed, would then fire off the desired effect.

    What she basically got from this, and she hoped that she was right, was that it was divination focussed. Probably to detect if someone went past without the proper permissions.

    After pondering the issue for a few minutes, Avi made up her mind.

    [Barred Mind]

    With that going she slowly snuck along the ceiling (because really, who looked up?) and approached the wards. Well, ¡°formations¡±.

    Bah. A ward was a ward was a ward.

    She just hoped that its detections were based around divination. Worst-case, she had now physically been to the Library, so she could just [Planeshift] back here if something went terribly wrong.

    The thought didn¡¯t make her any less nervous. She knew, intellectually, that her body would just reform if it should be destroyed, and that her consciousness was tied to Joram¡­ But she would much rather prefer not to have to go through that experience herself.

    What if she wound up like Joram, unable to come back right away? Would that leave Joram alone in this place? Would he have to wait a thousand years for her return?

    Deep breath, Avi told herself. Yes, no lungs. But she could take a moment to clear her thoughts, and so she did.

    Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

    She stepped across the metaphysical line and paused, waiting to see if anything happened. And waited.

    After a good minute of nothing happening, she hurried along, not wanting to waste any more time than she needed.

    * * *

    - Week 14 ¨C

    Fun fact, each week was still seven days here, Joram found out. Then each month had twenty-eight days, and there were thirteen months to the year.

    So, pretty much the same as earth. Which was weird, but OK.

    The weirdest part was that each of the seven moons followed the same lunar cycle¡­ exactly twenty-eight days.

    It felt¡­ artificial. Like, what were the odds of a planet having such a regular orbit, nevermind the moons?

    Well, it was pretty easy to remember his birthday and the lunar phase of when he was born. The fourteenth day of the thirteenth month, a New Moon. Which meant that he¡¯d be officially named on the second day of the fourth month¡­

    Ah, well, at least things were fairly easy to keep track of. Though, they still used the Imperial System for some reason¡­ Well, no one was perfect.

    With all that said, it meant that he only had a couple of days before he was to appear before the entire Clan to be named.

    Downsides:

    <ul>

    <li>He had to be at the gathering.</li>

    <li>They would dress him up all fancy-like¡­</li>

    <li>He¡¯d be passed around like a blunt at a party.</li>

    <li>He couldn¡¯t just zone out because everyone would be paying attention to him and would be expecting a reaction to their antics.</li>

    <li>Mealtime would likely be deferred¡­

    <ul>

    <li>Yes, he still had the ring of sustenance assimilated, but the added nutrients and mana was super-helpful for his growth and developing immune system.</li>

    </ul>

    </li>

    </ul>

    Upsides:

    <ul>

    <li>He could possibly play up being cute to further ingratiate himself with his relatives.</li>

    <li>Cuddles were, admittedly, kinda nice¡­</li>

    </ul>

    *Ahem*

    Currently, he was being patient as could be while a seamstress took his measurements for the outfit that he¡¯d be subjected to for the naming ceremony after having decided on the material and the colour.

    He was very glad that it was his great-grandmother who was in charge of the colour scheme of his outfit, as his one aunt had horrible taste (in his not-so-humble opinion).

    He was still amazed that a person who was nearly two hundred years old looked so good. She didn¡¯t look a day over thirty, if you were being unkind. She actually looked like she was in her late twenties¡­ and a supermodel. No, it wasn¡¯t the application of copious amounts of makeup, nor was it an illusion. It was the side benefit of being a high-tier Mage.

    Another fun fact he¡¯d learned: people more or less stopped aging for a time every time they tiered-up.

    Oh, his old world would have been so envious they¡¯d likely have vomited blood¡­

    Maybe it was a side-effect of cultivation? Because almost every woman here looked like they could be a cover-girl, without the airbrushing.

    He wondered if he¡¯d wind up being an attractive person in this life. He¡¯d been somewhat average back home, so, yeah¡­

    He would have already started trying to become a mage already, except it was ¡°common knowledge¡± that one could only start learning magic as one entered adolescence.

    Was it some sort of hormonal trigger that allowed the body to start ¡°cultivating¡±? He wasn¡¯t sure, but so far Avi had been able to copy down all the basics of how one started to cultivate, and it was¡­ varied.

    Some could start a bit younger, others: later. There was also the factor of which cultivation method you used.

    As per the universal wuxia rules, cultivation methods came in varying efficacies. Thus, finding a ¡°good¡± one would allow for a person to go further along the path of Magic/Cultivation than someone who got an average method.

    ¡°Ah, that jade circlet will go perfectly with his eyes,¡± his great-grandmother practically cooed.

    He looked over at the thin circlet and sighed. His head was, finally, more-or-less solid now and so it shouldn¡¯t be too uncomfortable to wear.

    ¡°Ooooooh, it looks like he likes it too!¡± The seamstress practically squealed.

    OK, she¡¯d now renamed the ¡°Baby-Maniac¡±, he thought to himself as he grabbed the circlet so he could get a better look at it as his eyes still weren¡¯t that great.

    Alas, the adults didn¡¯t think that he was trusted enough to hold the valuable item and took it away almost instantly.

    ¡°Where do you suppose he learned to glare like that?¡± Another aunt/cousin/something asked with feigned affront. It was ruined by the laughter threatening to bubble out.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but he¡¯ll surely be able to stop a charging bull with it when he¡¯s older,¡± his mother piped in, pleased as a bear in a beehive. She was of the opinion that he should be a great manly-man of a scholar. How she managed to get those two images to jive, he didn¡¯t know.

    ¡±Oh, please,¡± another aunt started. ¡°He¡¯ll be far too handsome to scare a fly!¡±

    That elicited a round of laughter and giggles from the gathered women and young women. Not that there were that many of them, but it was enough. His introverted side was starting to tingle.

    Ah, baby-struck women, he sighed. Not that I¡¯m any better¡­

    He looked over at his younger cousin and smiled. She¡¯d already fallen into a food coma, softly snoring. He also heard that another one of his aunts (the baby would be a second cousin) was due any day now. It must have been a busy time of the year¡­ lol.

    Yes, he was in trouble. Because as soon as he was strong enough to start carrying things while walking, he¡¯d likely be sneaking over for baby cuddles of his own.

    Man, he missed those¡­

    Well!

    He looked around again, noting that things seemed to be wrapping up. He watched as the baby-maniac packed up and took her leave, bowing to his great-grandmother (hmm, maybe ¡°Grammy¡±?) as she left.

    Soon enough, he was packed up and brought to the clan nursery and deposited along with Xiao¡¯Er (yeah, he totally just took that from the many wuxia he¡¯d read), left to do their own thing as aunty Aloralla sat in a rocking chair and pulled out knitting materials from her storage ring.

    That was one thing that he really wanted to get his hands on and investigate. The mythical ¡°storage ring¡± in countless stories from his world. Did they need a special material here, like some stories claimed? Or did they just need the appropriate ¡°understanding¡± of the Dao of Space?

    So much to learn!!

    Anyways, he had been surprised at first that a ¡°noble¡± of a clan such as theirs would have the hobby, but then remembered that she was barely considered part of the main family due to her husband being the third first-born son in his line, going back to Grammy¡¯s brother. So, Grammy¡¯s brother¡¯s son¡¯s, son¡¯s, daughter. Auntie-in-law meant a lower status, but was still respected due to being a woman.

    He shrugged. Maybe her family had been ¡°commoners¡± or something. Either way, he hoped that he could get a great-big scarf one day. He loved those.

    At any rate, he was pretty sure that he¡¯d had the right insights to forcibly adding someone to his network, and thus wanted to try it out on Xiao¡¯Er, and so he rolled on over to her play-pad and handed her a toy to distract her.

    Why roll? Well, he still wasn¡¯t ready to show his hand. He knew that they¡¯d be expecting him to crawl soon¡­ but rolling around on the floor was kinda fun. People looked at you weird if you did that as an adult after all.

    Xiao¡¯Er was successfully distracted, so he got started.

    It was rather¡­ anticlimactic. He¡¯d only needed to concentrate for a moment, and she was ¡°in¡±. He felt the burst of emotions rush through the network, telling him that he had indeed succeeded.

    Welp, on to ¡°nap time¡±, as he wanted to get on with his pseudo-psicrystal research.

    He hoped that his mom would take him to the library again tomorrow¡­

    * * *

    Sulia sighed. She really was beginning to this that Joram¡¯s situation was unique.

    Almost thirteen weeks of searching had turned up almost nothing. Sure, there were cases of where a child of six or seven years old had shown an aptitude for mental strength, but that was it.

    Another sigh.

    Well, she may as well go through the Heavenly Archive to start looking for an appropriate mental strength cultivation technique.

    So, she packed up what she¡¯d been going through, and headed to the inner stairwell, but stopped at the first landing down and looked around.

    Seeing no one, she touched a section of the wall and watched as a small doorway appeared. With another quick look around, she opened the door and slipped inside, the door vanishing behind her as she closed it.

    She didn¡¯t notice her stowaway.

    * * *

    Aloralla smiled as she watched the two infants, her hands on autopilot.

    She¡¯d been hearing the murmuring of clan-hens and was still surprised. She¡¯d thought that marrying into a larger clan would be different than living in her old one.

    No, it actually seemed worse.

    The bickering and infighting for resources was even worse, as the Clear Knowledge Clan had many more of the younger generation to nurture, and everyone was fighting all the harder after the clan¡¯s young mistress had delivered a boy instead of girl.

    Oh, the murmuring.

    Not to say that she, herself, was disappointed that Sulia¡¯s union had produced a male heir. No, she was a bit happy even. For she had been blessed with a daughter, the first in her husband¡¯s line since his great-grandmother, her daughter¡¯s great-great-grandmother.

    People were saying that their line might be on the rise, if her daughter proved capable enough that is.

    She shrugged.

    She¡¯d only ever wanted a comfortable life for her family, and she was indeed comfortable here.

    She smiled again as she watched Sulia¡¯s boy fall asleep next to her daughter. In her little village, third cousins weren¡¯t considered related, especially after having a daughter after so many generations of males. She entertained a few fantasies of how good the two would get along, hoping that they¡¯d ¨C at the very least ¨C look after each other as they grew up.

    Especially with the proverbial sharks circling the waters.

    Even being Sulia¡¯s boy, he¡¯d have a hard time competing with his female cousins for the best resources in the clan, as their parents were already maneuvering behind the scenes.

    If he¡¯d been just about anywhere else, she was sure that the boy would have a decent chance at it. But at the same time, Sulia was the fourth child, and the only female at that. So, her son would still have had a hard time competing with the other members of the younger generation.

    Well, if the two children proved capable enough, then they might stand a chance.

    Coming out of her thoughts, she noticed that her little girl had also fallen asleep. Cuddling him.

    *Cuteness overload*.

    * * *

    - Naming Ceremony ¨C

    Sulia was dressed in her best; a long silk robe, the same shade of purple as her hair that was tied back with heart-jade pins. Ivaryn, to her right, was dressed similarly, though his robe was black, with purple trim, also the same shade as her hair.

    It was a¡­ unique family tradition that the woman wears a robe the same shade as her hair and her husband or consort wear one of his hair-colour; but trimmed with his wife¡¯s hair colour. She didn¡¯t know who¡¯d come up with the tradition, but it made these gathering annoying to prepare for.

    Why? Well, their clan was unusual in that their hair colour changed over the years. Either going a lighter shade as they aged, or actually deepening. They weren¡¯t sure what decided if someone went lighter or deeper, as every factor they¡¯d considered led to random results.

    With a mental shake of the head, she focussed on the ceremony.

    The Clan Matriarch stood at the head of the hall on a low dais, with a slender jade stand topped by a white velvet cushion, the small jade circlet that Joram would wear sitting on it.

    She carried Joram in her arms as she slowly walked down the centre aisle with Ivaryn, along a ridiculously long carpet. Also purple. Well, aubergine. One had to know the various shade of purple in her clan, after all.

    Sulia didn¡¯t look to either side as she walked but instead kept her eyes on the Matriarch. She had always thought that she was the prettiest woman that she¡¯d ever seen. Regal, but kind¡­ when she wasn¡¯t being the Matriarch, but instead being her grandmother.

    Her own parents spent more time out of the clan home than they did at home, so her grandmother wound up being more of a mother to her over the years. So, it had hurt that she hadn¡¯t approved of her marrying Ivaryn and had stopped speaking with her for a few years.

    Now, years later, she was bringing her own child to be named.

    She nearly teared-up.

    Her parents were still out on assignment, not able to be there for the naming ceremony. She hoped that someone would be recording the ceremony for her parents to watch once they returned. She kicked herself for not having arranged for it. Being forgetful was getting very tiring. She hoped that it would soon pass.

    She needed to pay attention. She was distracting herself too much.

    They were almost there.

    Deep breath in, deep breath out.

    No crying.

    * * *

    The only way Sulia could have made her happier is if she¡¯d had a daughter¡­ and gotten her approval¡­

    Tatia smiled, ever-so-slightly, as she watched her favourite granddaughter approaching, ignoring her husband. He was just so¡­ disrespectful. And not her first choice, nor her thirtieth.

    But here they were, and she just had to accept it. If she had to admit it ¨C only to herself! ¨C he wasn¡¯t that bad a choice. He was third tier Sword Saint already at the 10th rank, at the doorway to the 4th tier. It was only a matter of time before he broke through to the fourth tier. His talent was amazing, being only twenty-two and almost being at tier 4.

    She wondered if great-grandson would follow after Sulia or Ivaryn. Sulia, an exemplary Mage and Scholar. Ivaryn, a Sword Saint, mixing the sword with sorcery. A front-line fighter that, admittedly, was a good pairing with her daughter, as he would be her meat-shield in any fight¡­

    She nearly frowned.

    They¡¯d nearly lost Sulia before her baby had arrived, and if not for having some invisible benefactor, Tatia wouldn¡¯t be watching her beloved granddaughter approaching for her first naming ceremony.

    Slow, deep, breath in. Slow breath out.

    She was nearly two hundred years old; she would not cry.

    * * *

    ¡°¡­ present you, Joram Aneath, first of his name,¡± Matriarch Aneath proclaimed as she placed the jade circlet on his head.

    For his part, Joram kept still and proper, not complaining about how cold the thing was. He even tried to give his most regal smile, even waving like his queen of old, much to the delight of the gathered clan.

    He didn¡¯t know what the significance of the jade circlet was as he was not going to be declared heir of the clan or anything. He shrugged.

    Then it was done and was being showed off to the rest of the clan that hadn¡¯t seen him yet. Every one of the newcomers exclaimed at how lush his light purple hair was, almost a lilac. He silently wondered if his hair would deepen in colour like his mother¡¯s. It would certainly look better.

    Then came the passing around, going from one aunt to another, then one cousin to another, round and round. He certainly made the best of it, snuggling into the bosom of each until they had the thought that maybe he was hungry.

    A nice lunch later, and the passing about started again.

    Well, at least he was full.

    That would have been a good thing, until one uncle/cousin got him and decided that it was the most brilliant idea to toss him up into the air¡­ repeatedly.

    Sure, it was fun. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time he¡¯d been thrown around like that¡­ that wasn¡¯t training and ended with a *thump!*.

    Unfortunately, his tiny body wasn¡¯t on the same page as his brain and decided that churning the milk in his belly to butter wasn¡¯t what it wanted, so up it went.

    Shaken, not stirred. He was sure spinning would have worked out better¡­

    Joram gave the young man his best glare for having ruined lunch, then did his best to motion for his mother to come over to rectify the situation.

    He got Aunt Aloralla instead.

    Well, that was also acceptable, as she had ample¡­ food stores.

    That also earned him some coos from the younger women, and respect from the mothers, as his eating etiquette was impeccable. No extra wiggling, no pinching hands, and especially no gnawing.

    Little did he know that there were silent waves of envy flowing his mother¡¯s way, earning her some little ire. Especially hearing how ¡°easy¡± the birth had been.

    Who was this almost perfect child?

    Why ¡°almost¡±?

    He wasn¡¯t a ¡°she¡±.

    * * *

    Avi watched through Joram¡¯s eyes as she worked on her puzzle. She really didn¡¯t envy Joram being passed around like a rare treasure being inspected by merchants.

    Back to the task at hand.

    She¡¯d spent the last two weeks going over the magical theory of this world. Their use of geometry in their magic was puzzling, but not overly complex.

    Thus, she was pretty sure that she¡¯d figured out the trick to the antechamber that led to the interesting part of the Library.

    She¡¯d thought that she could just hitch a ride on Sulia and that would be it.

    Nope.

    She¡¯d been somehow bounced away by the portal itself. Hence the studying.

    What she¡¯d found wasn¡¯t very encouraging.

    If what she could understand of the formations that made up both the portal and its wards was accurate, then she couldn¡¯t bypass the wards without disrupting the portal, and thus breaking it. The wards also seemed to be tied to the Aneath bloodline, if Sulia entering without issue was any clue.

    Would she need Joram? Or would she need a female member of the clan? It was, after all, a matriarchy and thus the wards were more likely to be tuned to the women instead of the men, like patriarchal families did.

    Maybe if she could watch the portal open a few more times, then she might be able to get enough of a feel for the dimensional fluctuation to maybe just [Planeshift] in.

    Camping time.

    * * *

    Joram reflexively kicked the damn healer in the face after having been pricked in the heal to draw blood for his entry into his Bloodlines records of the clan.

    Now, that wouldn¡¯t have been an issue with a normal baby, but Joram was far from normal. The inner strength that he¡¯d worked so hard on with Altaea had been slowly returning to him as his muscle coordination improved.

    Thus, it resulted in breaking the healer¡¯s nose and causing a minor fountain of blood to spray forth, spattering on the same white cushion that his circlet had rested upon, the same one that he¡¯d been laid upon to get this part of the naming ceremony done.

    Everyone stared.

    Ivaryn laughed so hard that he nearly fell over.

    Oh, crap. The damn cat escaped.

 Chapter 008

    Sulia¡¯s jaw dropped.  Tatia¡¯s jaw didn¡¯t quite drop, but her mouth certainly opened.  Ivaryn laughed.

    Joram just lay there, a look of such angelic innocence on his face that people started to chuckle and titter nervously as they looked at the incredulous healer who had finally managed to get a handkerchief to his nose to stope the flow of blood.

    The Matriarch cleared her throat.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get a drop later, as I dare say that this one had been¡­ spoiled,¡± she said as diplomatically as she could.  It was very hard to keep the amusement out of her voice.

    ¡°Yes, Matriarch,¡± Healer Reursa said.  ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way then.¡±  With that said, he turned on his heel and left the great hall with as much dignity as he could muster.

    Tatia looked down at Joram Aneath and couldn¡¯t help but allow the corner of her mouth to curl up slightly.  She didn¡¯t know if it had been an incredibly luck shot, or if there was something more to it, but she did know that she¡¯d investigate it most thoroughly.  Between this and Healer Reursa¡¯s report of detecting a whisp of mental strength from Joram, well, it was a bit too much of a coincidence.

    Sulia stepped over, picked Joram up, then smiled to everyone.

    ¡°Everyone, thank you for coming to share this joyous time with us,¡± she said as Joram hid his face in her bosom.  ¡°I think, however, that little Joram is getting tired and should retire.  I would love to entertain anyone who wants to come over in the next few days while you¡¯re still here,¡± she said, giving a slight bow, then a quick glance to Ivaryn.

    ¡°Yes, thank you all for coming.  Please, enjoy the refreshments.¡±

    -

    ¡°So, Joram, what do you have to say for yourself?¡±  Sulia asked him once they¡¯re returned to their rooms and sat down.

    Joram looked up at her, a wide-eyed expression on his little face.

    ¡°I can feel the guilt coming off you in waves little one,¡± she said, giving him a stern look.

    Is there really something to this, she thought as she kept an eye on him, looking for any possible clue.

    Joram¡¯s face turned from curious to concentrating.  A moment later, her third-tier nose caught a whiff of something foul.

    Joram giggled at her, his green eyes sparkling.

    She hmm¡¯d to herself for a moment before waving her hand, changing supplied floating over to them.

    Well, we have time, don¡¯t we?  She thought as she got to work.

    * * *

    Joram sighed in relief as the appraising look left his mother and she got to work changing his messy bum.  He¡¯d nearly started sweating at the scrutiny.  Did she believe him?  What did everyone else think?  The healer was no doubt planning his revenge¡­ or rather, probably planning on a more thorough examination of him¡­

    He was tempted to ¡°turn on¡± the stat-enhancing items he¡¯d assimilated before, but didn¡¯t want to rely on those to get by, nor to deal with the healer.  He was almost sure that he¡¯d be able to detect the stat-enhancers anyway.

    He sighed as his bum was once again wrapped up and he got a more relaxing outfit to wear.

    Time for family bonding, aka: cuddles!

    * * *

    - Week 24 ¨C

    It was time.

    Joram looked around the nursery, taking note of his mother and aunt Aloralla chatting to one side, joined by Selussa who¡¯d added to the clan just a few weeks ago.

    He supposed that her boy would wind up being a second cousin, as his mother and Selussa were first cousins.  And since the boy was family, and that he¡¯d managed to get the hang of forcibly adding people to his network, he¡¯d also added Xiao¡­ kid.  His Chinese was almost non-existent.

    *Cough*

    He looked around again, saw that his embarrassed cough had caught his mother¡¯s attention, and went with it.

    He quickly pulled himself up to his feet, which didn¡¯t elicit much more than an encouraging smile from his mother, but then let go with one hand as he looked at her.

    That got a reaction.

    She immediately cut off speaking with Aloralla & Selussa and shone a beaming smile at him as she stretched her arms out towards him, encouraging him to come over.

    He smiled, nothing better than that sight, and let out a giggle as he let go with his other hand.

    At this point, Aloralla and Selussa both turned his way and began their own cheering, though quietly so as not to startle him.

    Bless their hearts.

    He took a step, making sure to make it look¡­ unpracticed.  He planted his foot, then did that full-body rotation that babies did when bringing their other leg around for another step.

    He repeated this again, smiling wider and wider as the cheering got more and more enthusiastic, his mother¡¯s smile turning celestial in its radiance.

    Joram had started a good five or so metres away from his mother and decided that going about halfway would be enough for his ¡°first steps¡±.  He promptly did an exaggerated wobble as he planted his foot, then took a hard sit on the ground, not having to try making his eyes go wide at the impact.

    At least gravity liked him better being this small¡­

    That said, before he could even register the fall properly, his mother had dashed over and scooped him up into an amazing hug, squishing his face into her left collar bone; so, he reciprocated and tried to hug her around the neck, but didn¡¯t quite get all the way around as his arms were still rather short.

    ¡°Did you see that?¡±  Sulia asked rhetorically, as her friends were still showering him with encouragement and praise.

    At this point, Xiao¡¯Er (now Xiora, as she¡¯d had her own naming ceremony shortly after his) was staring at all the fun and decided that she also needed to be part of the action.  She did her best, but couldn¡¯t quite pull herself up, so she decided to crawl over to Aloralla for cuddles.  Xiao Kid just began fussing, not quite knowing what was going on and unsure what to think of it.

    Soon enough, all three were cuddling with their respective mommies and having a mid-morning meal.

    Ah, happy days!

    * * *

    Avi could have chewed rocks into sand¡­ if she¡¯d had a mouth.

    She¡¯d been alternating between camping in the ¡°portal¡± room (as she now called it) and copying everything of use in the Library.

    Why was she so frustrated?

    Well, almost no one went into the portal room.  There had been one person four weeks after Sulia, and none since.  She was certain that she¡¯d need another two or three attempts at analyzing the spatial fluctuations before she could ¡°crack¡± the vault, as it were.

    Not that she wasn¡¯t happy having gone through so much interesting material, but she was also very goal focussed.  She was sure that the really good stuff was in that spatial vault/demiplane.

    She was glad, however, that Joram seemed to be absorbing (metaphorically this time) the information that she was able to bring him, ranging from alchemy to smithing to magical theory.  It had been quite the revelation to both of them how ¡°true¡± alchemy worked here.

    What Joram had learned form Altaea was considered pseudo-alchemy here, what any lay-person could manage without mental strength to support their endeavours.  Come to that, so was his level of smithing.  Sure, he¡¯d gotten ridiculously good at it, and when he eventually combined what he knew with what he was learning he¡¯d likely surpass others in no time.

    It was just that they were both a bit impatient to get at it.  There was only so much that Joram could do while possessing her body to work on thing in his personal realm.  Yes, it was practice, and likely very effective at increasing his level of control, but it was exceedingly difficult without his physical body there to do the work.

    Though, alchemy was much easier to practice than smithing.  He could just control the ingredients telekinetically, sending new ingredients into the ¡°pill furnace¡± they¡¯d needed to first craft.  It wasn¡¯t the highest quality, but good enough for a beginner.

    Either way, she was proud of his progress.  The various manuals they¡¯d read stated that he should be close to a tier one alchemist with his current progress.

    They were both glad that mental strength was the same as psionics, as this allowed him to keep going with alchemy as there really wasn¡¯t much in that field that relied upon magical might, only one¡¯s own ability to concentrate and focus on the task at hand.

    Yes, there was the side of it that needed a certain amount of psionic¡­ oompf.  It wasn¡¯t enough to have a vast well of mental strength.  You also needed the force of will to guide, direct, and force things to happen.

    For example.  One needed to refine Herb A to extract the medicinal qualities that you wanted to use.  You needed to control the heat of the fire, then control the refined product so that it wouldn¡¯t interact with anything else in the furnace before you needed it to.  Then repeat x number of times more before combining everything in its own due time.

    Well, alchemy was complicated.

    Joram, however, just ¡°cheated¡±.

    The many herbs, plants, and fruits that he¡¯d gathered in the mountains before he got¡­ reincarnated had provided an ample wealth of practice materials.  He¡¯d already [Delve]d each one, cataloguing their various traits, attributes, and such.  The only thing he needed to do to ¡°cheat¡± was to [Delve] the ingredient again, this time paying attention to the specific quality that the alchemy manual described that was needed in the refining process.

    Well, it hadn¡¯t taken him very long to not only single out what each recipe needed, but to single out other useful components that each ingredient had and then [Extract] them.

    From what either of them could tell, the ¡°refining¡± process was not only what singled out the beneficial component of the ingredient, but also served to purify it.  The flames, and by extension the temperature, were there for just that.

    Now, Joram had also posited that the heat was also needed to change the nature of the extracted ¡°essence¡±.  But she wasn¡¯t so sure.

    If you cooked something, you wanted to get that something into a state that you wanted, something beneficial.

    But from the chemical sciences of Joram¡¯s home world, it was all done to single out a desired quality, or element.  Cooking: breaking bonds in the food so that it was easier to digest.  Chemistry: singling out a compound, then using that compound or substance to create something else.

    Ipso-facto, just using [Extract] should work just fine.  And, so far, it had.

    Another bonus to doing alchemy like this was that: one, they didn¡¯t need to waste so much energy playing with fire.  Two: they could [Extract] many different things from the same plant without ruining them.  Three: they wouldn¡¯t have to either make a fancy pill furnace or buy one.  They could perform alchemy anywhere, at any time.

    Another perk was that they could just take each component and stuff it into a jade bottle, then store it into the temporal-stasis section of the storage area, or Joram¡¯s newly built warehouse, either one.  By [Extract]ing as much as they could beforehand, they would be able to make anything they might need much faster!

    Sigh.

    Not that most of what they¡¯d come across would be useful to either of them.

    Who needed bunion cream?  Anti-wrinkle cream?  Laxatives?

    ¡­ and this was why she was so impatient to get into that vault.  Everything in the Library seemed to be information that had been collected from mundane sources or, at best, low-tier sources.

    She¡¯d also found references to ¡°puppet¡± refining that she found interesting but couldn¡¯t find any actual methods/schematics/information on it.  Again, she was sure that all the good stuff was in the vault.

    Maybe she could get Joram to somehow convince his mother to bring him along when she next visited the vault?

    Sigh.

    How would he manage that?  He couldn¡¯t even talk yet, nevermind explaining how he knew about the vault.

    ¡­ more camping.

    * * *

    ¡°Nothing; not one scrape, not one sniffle from the boy,¡± Healer Reursa complained more than said.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll just need to bide our time,¡± Matriarch Tatia said after a moment.  ¡°I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll have an opportunity to examine Joram soon, as I hear he just started walking.¡±  She said with a smile, not able to suppress the surge of pride in her.

    She wasn¡¯t quite like the rest of the clan, putting the females of the clan on such a high pedestal that they didn¡¯t notice the males of the clan standing around.  Yes, her clan was matriarchal, but she also knew that the men of the clan weren¡¯t useless wastes of space.  Too many of her clan viewed the men as glorified breeding materials, vying to get the ¡°best¡± one so that they could try for a female heir, and thus elevating their status within the clan¡¯s hierarchy.

    She also knew that the competition to gain her, the Matriarch¡¯s, favour had ramped up after Joram had been born.  If the others could produce a female heir of outstanding ability, then they might stand a chance of their child becoming her successor if Sulia didn¡¯t produce a female heir.

    Because it wasn¡¯t enough to be chosen by the current Matriarch, but that candidate also needed to have a daughter to finish her qualifications.  To cement her place as the next matriarch in the clan.

    ¡°Ah, yes, good point.¡±  Healer Reursa acknowledged, nodding his head.

    They¡¯d both been waiting for an opportunity to examine Joram more thoroughly after the¡­ incident.  Neither could quite write it off as a fluke, especially after everything else that had happened.  The, quite frankly, absurd birth.  The trace of mental strength that Healer Reursa had felt.  That amaz- outrageous kick.  Even the fact that Joram was already walking.

    No, it wasn¡¯t unheard of for an infant to be walking at that age but with everything else stacked onto the pile, well, she really wanted to know what was going on.

    ¡°So just leave Sulia alone for now and concentrate on research in the library.  Maybe you¡¯ll find a precedence for all this.¡±

    Healer Reursa nodded, but his pensive expression didn¡¯t fade.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do that,¡± he said with a bow, then took his leave.

    * * *

    - Week 29 ¨C

    ¡°Gooooo!¡±  Joram cheered, waving his arms about as he cheered Xixi (Xiora) as she took her first steps.

    That was, unfortunately, the wrong thing to do as it not only distracted Xixi while walking, resulting in her falling down (and getting scooped up by Aloralla), but it got the attention of his mother and aunts.

    ¡°What was that?¡±  Sulia asked Joram as she scooped him up into her arms.

    Joram blinked and gave her his best clueless look.

    It didn¡¯t work.

    ¡°Come on my little man!¡±  Sulia cajoled, now holding him under his armpits at arms¡¯ length, letting his feet dangle.  ¡°Say it again!¡±

    ¡°Go!¡±  He obliged, much to his mother¡¯s delight.

    Then she frowned slightly, but the smile came back again just as fast.

    ¡°Again!¡±

    ¡°Go-go-go-go!¡±  He said, over and over again, waiting for the praise to come.

    ¡°I need to show Ivaryn,¡± Sulia declared as she turned to his aunts.  ¡°Congratulations Aloralla, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be walking around in no time!¡±

    ¡°Thank you Sulia,¡± Aloralla replied with a smile as she was encouraging Xiora to try again.

    Smiles and nods were exchanged, then they were off so fast that Joram couldn¡¯t help but let out a happy squeal.

    Ah, baby-brain.  Not jus for mothers.

    Before he knew it, they were back in their rooms where his father was reading through another one of the Bloodlines (genealogy) books, looking about ready to fall asleep, but jumped up when they swept in.

    ¡°Dear,¡± Sulia exclaimed.  ¡°You need to see Joram speak!¡±  She said, pointing at Joram¡¯s mouth.

    Ivaryn made his way over with a smile on his face.  ¡°Joram, could you say ¡®go¡¯ for me?¡±

    By this point, even with his baby-brain, he could tell something was up.

    Was it how he said it?  Did he have an accent?  Even though they were all speaking English, they-

    Oh, crap.

    He¡¯d forgotten [Tongue of the Sun and Moon].  Not to mention the glasses of [Comprehend Language] that he¡¯d gotten from Altaea and then assimilated way back when.

    He¡¯d spent so many years reading horrible translations of various comics and web novels that his brain had just gone into ¡°auto-parse¡± mode whenever he read anything that Avi brought back, so he never really noticed the translation issues when reading.

    Sure, he could speak with any living creature, but that didn¡¯t mean that he spoke their language.  He could understand them, and they could understand him.  It didn¡¯t mean that his lips sync¡¯d with what they ¡°heard¡±.

    He gulped a mighty gulp.

    ¡°Go¡­?¡±  He said, trying to form his lips to what he had seen his father¡¯s do when he said the word.

    His mother and father exchanged a Look.

    Crap on a cracker.

    ¡°Joram,¡± his mother started.  ¡°Can you say any other words?¡±  She asked, sweet as could be.

    Joram smiled the best smile he could, showing his three teeth and his emerging fourth tooth.  Side note: teething wasn¡¯t fun.

    ¡®Avi!¡¯  Joram sent in a panic.  ¡®I need as many learning-to-read books as you can find!  Also, pronunciation guides!¡¯

    ¡®Sure thing,¡¯ Avi sent back.  ¡®They finally found out that your ¡°talking¡± didn¡¯t sync up, did they?¡¯  She queried.

    ¡®I¡¯m¡¯a¡¯gonna kick you.¡¯

    ¡®Have fun!¡¯

    Was this because of her Library assignment?  Or was she getting back at him for something else?

    Well, at least he¡¯d finally get to put his Linguistics skill to use.  Well, what Altaea had dumped into his brain through Avi, anyway.  Hopefully he could pick up their- his- language quickly!

    Back to the situation at hand, Joram just kind of shook his head lamely, a very real pout slowly appearing on his face.

    Is this the end of my journey¡­ again?  He mused, hoping that his [Astral Seed] wouldn¡¯t malfunction again so that he wouldn¡¯t have to go through reincarnation.  He could just wander about as an almost eight-month-old baby¡­

    I am so screwed¡­

    ¡°Joram,¡± his mother said.  ¡°Are your eyes OK?  Can you hear me all right?¡±  She asked, leaning down to examine him more closely.

    He blinked.

    What did that have to do with anything?

    Ivaryn leaned over to have a better look too, then leaned back again and held up his hand, a few fingers raised.

    ¡°How many fingers?¡±  He asked Joram, making it sound like a game.

    Joram just blinked at the obviously addlebrained man.

    What was going on with these people?

    ¡°Love,¡± his mother started.  ¡°I don¡¯t think he knows how to count yet.¡±

    Ivaryn blushed and dropped his hand down again.

    ¡°Well, should we call the healer to see if anything is amiss?¡±

    His mother shook her head, but only slightly.  ¡°Maybe not for now,¡± she began.  ¡°If what I think is truly the issue, then we¡¯ll just have to work a bit harder with little Joram.¡±

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    Ivaryn nodded sagely.

    ¡°We can always have his eyes tested in a couple of years.  It is well known that little ones¡¯ eyes don¡¯t work as well until they¡¯re a bit older.  It could just fix itself as he grows.¡±  His mother explained as she peered into his eyes.

    ¡°Say, do you think there¡¯s a bit of blue sneaking into his eyes?¡±  She asked, squinting a bit.

    His dad also leaned in to get a better look, then nodded.

    ¡°I was hoping he¡¯d get some good old blue in his eyes,¡± he said with a big grin.

    ¡°And what¡¯s wrong with having emerald-green eyes?¡±  His mother asked, as glint sparkling in her eyes.

    Then Joram got it.

    They thought his vision was terrible, and maybe his hearing too.  Babies learned to form their words watching people speak, so if he couldn¡¯t see their mouths properly, then maybe his speech would also be affected.  Then if his hearing was also compromised, that would also affect his speech¡­

    Either they were deluded, or they were now trying to cover their tracks so as to throw off his suspicions that his cover might have been blown.

    Ha.  Cover.

    Reincarnation was just plain inconvenient when one retained their memories.  Or was it OP?

    Bah, it was both.  Who had the patience to go through all this growth and learning to control their body again?  Like, who, in their right minds would want to go through potty-training again?  Diapers!!  Ewwww!!!

    It had been the greatest trial of his new life to not use [Cleanse] every time he soiled himself when he was still learning bladder and bowel control.  Now?  It was very hard not to just walk over to the water closet to do his business.  Not hard to just take a stool out from his storage space, climb up, and not deal with diapers ever again!

    And now, now his beautiful plan of starting talking in sentences by the age of one was going to be put on hold while he scrambled to learn the language!  Then he¡¯d have to wait longer before requesting going to the library all by himself.

    That was the worst part of all this: the delay of his future library time.

    Gone were the thoughts of him being discovered as a reincarnater¡­ uh, reincarnating being?  Bah!

    He needed comfort food!

    So when his mother leaned forward just a bit more, he leaned in, grabbed her robes, and pulled himself towards his mobile-meal.

    His father laughed at him, mimicking the fish-face he was making as he tried to convey that he needed boob, and he needed it now!

    Soon enough, he was being cradled and fed, the happy/comfort endorphins flooding his system.

    For the first time in a very long time, Joram took a nap.

    * * *

    Sulia waited for a few more minutes, gauging the suction on her breast, then determined that Joram was indeed asleep, then turned to her husband who was already looking at her.

    ¡°Reincarnation.¡±  They both said at the same time, then nodded at the same time.

    Then they both burst into giggles/laughs, trying to stifle them so as not to wake their son.

    After a few minutes they managed to calm, wiping tears from their eyes.

    ¡°That look,¡± Sulia said, nearly bursting into laughter again.  ¡°That look when he probably thought that we were onto him.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that was awesome,¡± Ivaryn replied, once again chuckling.  ¡°I was about to lose it when he looked at me like a crazy person when I asked him ¡®how many fingers?¡¯!¡±

    Sulia did laugh at that, but quieted very quickly again, not wanting to wake Joram.

    ¡°I mean, the clues have been adding up,¡± Ivaryn said, shaking his head.

    ¡°I know!¡±  She said.  ¡°What baby has a glare like that?!¡±

    ¡°Right?!  I didn¡¯t know that a baby could look like an old man!¡±

    That just about got them laughing again.

    ¡°So,¡± she started, then pause a second.  ¡°What do we do?¡±

    That gave him pause.  At length, he responded.  ¡°Well, he is our son.  Just because he might remember something of his old life, doesn¡¯t mean that we should hold that against him.  We are, after all, all reincarnations.¡±

    ¡°True, the Eternal Cycle does go on,¡± she replied, nodding.  ¡°So, why would it scare him so much that we might discover that he isn¡¯t just a baby?¡±

    ¡°Maybe he was an Old Master from ancient times that has plans on conquering the world?¡±

    That got a pillow thrown at him for his efforts.

    ¡°But really,¡± she said.  ¡°Is he scared that we would abandon him or something?¡±

    Ivaryn nodded.  ¡°Probably,¡± he said.  ¡°It must have been quite an adjustment if he has had his memories the entire time.¡±

    Sulia blinked.  ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t suppose that he was responsible for healing me, do you?¡±

    Ivaryn paused, then shook his head.  ¡°As far as I know, anyone who has reincarnated with some, or all of their memories still had to cultivate to regain their strength.  How could he do something like that while still in the womb?¡±

    She shook her head, but said, ¡°It¡¯s just a feeling I have.  I can¡¯t quite explain it, but the connection I have with him is more than just a maternal bond, it¡¯s¡­ deeper.  I can feel what he does, and I¡¯m almost certain that I could hear him speaking to me if the ¡®connection¡¯ were to get stronger.¡±

    Ivaryn was nodding along, seemingly deep in thought.

    ¡°So,¡± he began.  ¡°If he does indeed have the memories from his past life, does that mean that I have an old man suckling on my wife¡¯s bosom?¡±

    That got him a chair thrown at his head.

    * * *

    Avi was well pleased.

    After only about twenty minutes after Joram¡¯s panicked message, Sulia came into the portal room and activated the door/portal.

    This time, she was ready.  She manifested [Reality Revision] as soon as Sulia was halfway through the portal, causing a small pile of Dust Crystals in the storage space to turn into inert dust that seemed to blow away in a wind that didn¡¯t exist.

    But what it produced was well-worth the cost.

    As she watched, as small runestone coalesced in front of her, taking shape over the next several seconds.  It was a rather pretty effect, as it looked like ethereal strands spun together to form the runestone.

    Before it could fall, Avi reached out two limbs and grabbed it, glad that it wasn¡¯t much bigger than she was, otherwise she might have fallen off the ceiling.

    She then transferred the runestone, now a deep amethyst in colour, into their realm for safekeeping.  She didn¡¯t know if Sulia had noticed the burst of psionic energy, but she didn¡¯t want to take any chances.

    Ah, job well-done Avi!  Thank you Joram!  She mimed with her legs, then heaved a mental sigh.

    Was Joram¡¯s baby-brain affecting her too?

    She really hoped not.

    Well, off to study the runestone!

    * * *

    - Week 38 ¨C

    Deciphering the language of his new home wasn¡¯t too difficult.  Well, the spoken portion, anyway.

    The written portion was just¡­ crazy.  He¡¯d been hoping that it would have been like learning Spanish, or Italian.  No, no convenient character overlap with this language.  This was closer to Chinese, or the ancient Japanese stuff that had come from China, but that they¡¯d turned into their own.

    They used characters as simple as one line all the way to ones that had at least thirty.  And dots.  And things that looked like apostrophes¡­  The entire meaning of a word/character would change based on where that extra bit went.

    He¡¯d had to ¡°cheat¡± a bit at first.  He had had Avi take the entire dictionary, every character, and add it to a Crystal Mind.

    That way, he could assimilate the Crystal Mind and always have the dictionary handy when he came across something that gave him trouble.

    Yes, he could just memorize the entire thing himself, but that wasn¡¯t as useful as it seemed.  He needed to form the neural patterns in his developing brain, train his brain to see and know what each character meant instead of just recognizing it.

    It was the difference between memorizing a mathematical formula and actually knowing what to do with it, knowing how to flip that ¡°a¡± from the left side of the equation to the right side, as it were.  It was much more complicated than that, but that was the simplest simile he could think of right then.

    Then, as he got his parents to read him the baby books, he would attach the verbal component to the character, and the ascribed meaning.  Then the meaning of that character when used in different context.  Nevermind the words that had the same pronunciation, but different characters with different structures and meanings.

    Damn other languages having the same issues as English!

    Sure, English only had twenty-six letters in its alphabet, but it also had others like ¡°&¡± that was almost added to the official alphabet at one point.

    Anyway, with those twenty-six letters, you could create millions of words.  It was a great system that made learning and recognizing words pretty easy.

    This, this language here was tough.

    There was a new character for each and every word, nevermind ones that represented concepts or ideas, or even whole philosophies.  Even the shape of a brushstroke would subtly alter its meaning.

    He had been about to give up when his parents threw him the metaphorical bone and showed him the books with the simplified characters in it.  It was closer to a phonetic character set, like the Japanese katakana.  This form seemed to have been made for the commoners who didn¡¯t have the time needed to learn the full character set, but still needed to ¡°read¡±.

    It was also used to help children practice their pronunciation and penmanship- er, brushwork.

    But it was, again, much easier to speak and he was getting much better at doing so.  Probably because the actual spoken language sounded like a weird cross between English and Japanese, with a heavier tilt towards the Japanese side.

    But it wasn¡¯t Japanese.  Words that he¡¯d picked up over his years of watching anime and casually studying the language didn¡¯t match up.  Even if there was a word that sounded the same, the meaning was completely different here, and that drove him a bit nuts.

    Anyway!  The point was that he was making progress and could even convey to his parents what he wanted¡­ without the weird lip-syncing issues.

    For their part, his parents seemed quite pleased with his progress.  He was still unsure if they suspected that he wasn¡¯t just a normal, if an exceptionally talented, baby.  Every now and then, he¡¯d spot them exchanging a look, but he couldn¡¯t quite parse the meaning behind it.

    The worst part was that he didn¡¯t know if it meant something more than just a look, or if they were just sharing a proud parent moment.  He also didn¡¯t know if it was his baby-brain affecting his perception of events or not¡­ and that worried him.

    Would he lose various aspects of himself as he grew?  Would his mind slowly revert to that of a child?

    Would that be so bad?

    Sure, there were arguments for both sides, but he was more leaning towards ¡°bad¡±.  He wanted to grow up fast, learn how to become a Mage, and maybe even a Cultivator, so that when he went searching for Altaea he wouldn¡¯t just get bitch-slapped into oblivion again by some random douchebag.

    That said, he should probably learn to be a bit more humble.  Could he have avoided death there if he¡¯d just kept telling the truth?  Or would that old man have just killed him after taking him for everything that he had?

    He¡¯d heard the phrase ¡°might makes right¡± more than once in his short time here, and he supposed that the only way to prevent becoming a random fatality in this world was to get stronger.

    And knowledge was power.

    Back to the book.

    * * *

    ¡°Still nothing?¡±

    Healer Reursa shook his head.  ¡°Nothing Matriarch,¡± he replied.  ¡°The child is careful and does not easily fall.  If he does, well, I¡¯ve never seen so much as a shadow of a bruise on him, let alone a scrape.¡±

    Matriarch Tatia nodded, secretly pleased that her great-grandson was doing so well, but also somewhat vexed.  They needed an excuse to do a more thorough examination on him, and he wasn¡¯t giving them a chance to do so.

    Well, not like anyone went out of their way to hurt themselves, let alone an infant.

    Well, that point could be argued.  Babies were notorious for getting themselves into unfortunate situations.  Perhaps Sulia and that man were just keeping too close an eye on him?

    Well, the time for Sulia and company to head out on missions again was coming up soon.  Well, when Joram turned two.  Then she¡¯d be able to send them out and have an easier time examining the child.

    Maybe she should start spending more time around him?  That would give her a chance to perform her own examinations while building up a good relationship with him.

    Not that that was strictly needed, but if he did wind up being the genius of the younger generation, then all the better.

    Strong familial ties keep clans going when disaster strikes, as they say.

    ¡°Then I shall take over for the time being,¡± she said with a small nod towards the door.  ¡°Thank you for your assistance in this.¡±

    Healer Reursa looked startled for a moment, but then quickly bowed and made his way out of the parlour.

    It was another lovely day, a beautiful summer day that promised gentle breezes and fluffy clouds.

    Maybe she¡¯d take Joram out to walk in her gardens?  That would certainly change things up for him, and perhaps¡­

    Yes, it was a fine day for a walk.

    * * *

    Joram had been a bit surprised when Grammy had come by to pick him up.

    His mother was, of course, beyond happy that her grandmother was taking such an interest in him, so had been more than happy to let the two head off together.

    Joram regarded his great-grandmother with not a small amount of awe and respect.  Here was a woman that was almost two hundred years old but looked like she could be his mother¡¯s sister.  The resemblance was uncanny.

    Then there was the aspect of her being the Matriarch of their clan, a rather large clan with thousands of family members to keep track of and manage.  Sure, most were so distantly related that they made little Xixi look like his twin sister, but they were all nonetheless a tight-knit group.

    As they headed through the halls, Grammy held him in a cradled position, cushioning his head against her bosom.

    Yes, that was the way it should be.  Comfort while being carried.

    It was so familiar, and the softness through her silk robes so familiar, that he just about went for a snack before he stopped himself.  He wasn¡¯t entirely sure, but he thought that maybe that wasn¡¯t such a good idea.

    He knew that her body was just as ¡°young¡± as she appeared to be, but he was also fairly sure that those mammary glands hadn¡¯t done any ¡°work¡± in over a century.  There would be no lunch coming from them, only the high possibility of getting a swat on the head.

    He did, however, adopt the position anyway, and snuggles were a good way to show an adult that you were happy.

    His efforts were rewarded shortly after by a rumbling coming from Grammy¡¯s chest; a beautiful tune that she hummed as she walked.  It was so nice that he even felt himself drifting off as he listened.

    Soon enough, though, he was brought back to his surroundings by as face-full of sunshine, causing him to squeeze his eyes closed and attempt to burry his head in Grammy¡¯s chest.

    Well, he wasn¡¯t so lucky.

    ¡°Time to explore, little Joram,¡± she said, as smile in her voice.

    He looked around again as she crouched down and placed him on his feet where he wobbled for a moment before catching his balance again.

    He noticed two major things at that point.  One: that his bare feet were very happy with the soft grass, and two: that he could see Grammy¡¯s bare feet peeking out from under her robes when she stood up again.

    Huh.

    ¡°Mmm-mmm,¡± he mumbled with a nod then looked around.

    They were in a very well-kept garden with a fantastic view of the mountains not too far in the distance.  The place was filled with small ceremonial trees that were ringed in cut stone, many gardens filled with flowers of all kinds, and even a small stream that led to a large pond, or a small lake.  He was never very good at determining when a pond became a lake.  To him, a lake was at least a kilometre across, but he was also sure that the rest of the world didn¡¯t agree with that.

    He looked back to Grammy, eyes wide.

    She smiled and nodded at him.  ¡°Go on, explore,¡± she said and made a delicate shooing motion with her hands.

    Welp, no need to ask me twice!  Joram thought as he turned and first hurried over to the flowers.

    For a wonder, he actually recognized a few of the flowers.  He¡¯d already catalogued them and was interested because he was pretty sure that they were considered medicinal plants.  Was it just a coincidence, or was this garden cultivated for an alchemist¡¯s use?

    He noticed Grammy get close a couple of times when he approached a few different plants, ready to intervene.  He supposed that perhaps those ones weren¡¯t healthy for a toddler to play with.

    He looked up at Grammy while pointing to one of the specimens that had cause her to approach.

    ¡°Bad?¡±  He asked, trying had to pronounce it properly.

    She blinked at him, then smiled a radiant smile.  ¡°Yes and no,¡± she said.  ¡°That is called Thunder Sage and will give a slight shock if touched without the proper gloves.  It can also be used to help cultivate an affinity to thunder if refined correctly.¡±

    That¡¯s a thing?

    He made an ¡°oh¡± face and began pointing to every other one, taking studious mental notes that he¡¯d add to his flora codex (mental note: find a better name for it) later that night.

    Joram was pleasantly surprised to find that he was having a great time with his Grammy.  He hadn¡¯t really known what to expect from Grammy-time, but his was certainly better than what he¡¯d vaguely thought it would be.

    Yes, she was an awesome leader.  Yes, she was a powerful Mage.  But those things didn¡¯t always translate to being awesome in smaller, more personal settings.

    This was a good day.

    * * *

    Tatia followed along as Joram went from plant to plant, inspecting each with his big eyes while his mouth opened wide in wonderment.

    She was amazed that he stayed with her, listening to everything that she said, even when she told him not to touch something.

    From her experience with her own five children, that had seldom been the case with curious children.

    Who was she kidding, just about every child in the clan managed to injure themselves at some point because they hadn¡¯t listened to the advice of their parents or someone else.

    This, this was almost bizarre.  He was nine and a half months old and looked like he was absorbing what she was saying like a dry sponge in water.  What could cause such studiousness in a child?

    Was it the emergence of a prestigious bloodline?  Doubtful, as they hadn¡¯t found anything when they¡¯d eventually been able to get a drop of blood from Joram after that disastrous first attempt.

    She nearly laughed there, catching herself just in time.

    Was he just better disposed to absorbing ambient mana than most?  But the Brain Rank was later in Tier Zero, so that wasn¡¯t likely the case.

    Could it be his diet?  Most women in the clan had their children a bit younger, as a strong body that came with the higher tiers sometimes made it harder to conceive and give birth.  She, herself, had had all of her children while in the second tier.

    Did the breastmilk of a high rank, third tier Mage have such unrecorded benefits for the infant?  And Sulia was a higher ranked third tier Mage than most in her generation.  Actually, she was at the bottom of that generation, age-wise, and yet she was still right at the top of the clan rankings.

    Maybe she could convince some of her older peers to try for more babies to see if the breastmilk really was the key here.  If so, then their clan just may reach new heights in the foreseeable future.

    Watching Joram play, she even started thinking that it might be nice to have another one of her own¡­

    If only Kinkade were still with them¡­

    With a shake of her head, she hurried after Joram, who seemed determined to learn how to swim.

    * * *

    - Week 52 ¨C

    Ah, winter again, Joram thought to himself as he watched the snow gently falling past the window from the chair he¡¯d brought over to look out said window.

    Today marked his first full year as Joram Aneath.  Well, he¡¯d turned one anyway.  He¡¯d really only gotten his name at almost four months old.

    That said, he once again found himself dressed to the nines, as it were.  His robes were now the same shade as his hair, which had thankfully darkened a shade, trimmed with the same purple as his mother¡¯s hair.  They¡¯d even thrown his father a bone by getting him some black slippers.

    Or it was just customary to wear black slippers, he wasn¡¯t sure.

    Either way, he felt quite spiffy with his long hair tied back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, a new jade circlet (though of the same design) on his brow.

    The adults were still getting ready, leaving him to his own devices.

    Well, not that that was an unusual occurrence these days.  They¡¯d found that he was quite ¡°mature¡± for his age and wouldn¡¯t get into trouble if left alone for a short time.  Ah, just how he liked it.

    He¡¯d studiously cultivated the image of a responsible youth (toddler) and had reaped the benefits.  He was able to be left alone for as much as an hour at a time without someone constantly hovering nearby.  Sure, he was still in the same nursery as Xixi and Xiao¡¯Kid- er, Lysanthir (Zanth for short), but he could ¡°read¡± by himself for a good amount of time.

    Heck, after he¡¯d shown initiative in wanting to be potty-trained, they¡¯d been overjoyed and had thus given him a bit more free reign.

    At the same time, his mother seemed to be going through a bit of baby-withdrawal.  She would insist on cuddle time before bed, not just the normal ¡°top-up¡± time he¡¯d get to supplement his now mostly solid diet.

    He didn¡¯t mind, though.  He found that he really did love his parents and extended family.  Spending time cuddling his mother before she went to bed was just plain awesome.  His father was a bit more reserved, but also still loved his tackle-hugs.  But mommy-cuddles trumped daddy-cuddles mainly because cuddling his father felt like cuddling a marble statue, albeit a warm marble statue.

    He sighed, flopped down into the chair, and adjusted his circlet.

    He was very proud of Xixi and Zander.  Xixi had started walking about a month after he had, which was impressive, and even Zander had started experimenting with walking now.  Aunt Aloralla and aunt Selussa were both kept busy shadowing their progeny, preventing mishaps here and there.  It was good exercise.

    Joram looked around again, this time noticing that almost everyone was ready, then did a mental check-up on his bladder.

    Hmm, should probably deal with that before the party, he mused, then hopped down and headed over to the water closet.

    A minute later, he was disrobed and ready to go!

    He was still weirded out that they didn¡¯t have a hand-washing station in there, but didn¡¯t let that stop him.  He¡¯d found that if he was far enough away from everyone, he could just activate a [Clean Hands] item that he¡¯d made a couple months back and assimilated.  It used very little power, unlike a full blast of [Cleanse], so it was able to go undetected if he was alone in there.

    Still, he¡¯d need to somehow get that oversight remedied when he was a bit older.

    For now, he concentrated on getting the robe back on, in just the right way.

    For all his efforts, his mother still came over and straightened everything just so.  Was it a mom super-power to be able to adjust ones¡¯ clothing even though they appeared perfect?

    Soon enough, he was herded into the grand hall and once again presented to the Clan.  He was pleased to see that there were more babies in attendance this time ¡®round as that would take a bit of the social pressure off him.

    He was, however, disappointed to notice that they didn¡¯t have the birthday cake tradition here.  Sure, there were sweets and stacks aplenty, but there was just something about blowing out candles on your birthday that was appealing.  And, of course, nostalgic.

    ¡°Jo!¡±

    He turned to see Xixi waving from her mother¡¯s arms, also dressed up, but not quite as fancy as he was.  She would have her own celebration for her parents to show her off soon enough.

    He smiled at her, noticing that her hair was getting pretty long for her age, nearly to her shoulders already.  It was also getting a wee bit darker too.  He wondered if her hair would be as dark as his mother¡¯s when she got older.

    Then they were off playing, having gone through the obligatory presentation and well-wishes.  He was interested to note that this culture also handed small envelopes to his parents, who then placed them into a basket by their side.

    Was that birthday money?

    The thought went to the back of his head as he stopped in front of one of the many examples of calligraphy hanging around the main hall, all done in that vertical stile, like a scroll rolling down the wall.  He blinked, then blinked again.

    This one seemed to have hidden depths to it.

    ¡°Xixi,¡± he started.  ¡°The character on the top is for ¡®Clear¡¯, as in undisturbed, or unable to be disturbed by outside forces, unperturbable.¡±  He explained, then pulled a chair over, then a second one for himself so that he could point things out easier.

    For her part Xixi nodded along, eyes serious as she followed his pointing finger.  He smiled.  She was such a studious girl.

    Through his connection to her, he could tell that she was fascinated by it, so he kept explaining his insights into each character.  As he went on and on, he felt that even his understanding was opening up as he took in each character individually, then as a whole.

    He was most startled by the same feeling coming from Xixi, then realized that even at her tender age, she was gaining a profound insight from this painting.  So he hurried to sit her down, careful not to distract her too much from her thoughts, and sat down right beside her to go over the insights that he¡¯d gleaned.

    * * *

    Sulia was having a good time.  There were, of course, still many of her ¡°political¡± opposition in attendance at Joram¡¯s birthday celebration, but they were playing nice.  So that was a plus.

    She was also enjoying socializing with her extended family that she usually didn¡¯t get to visit with due to distance or work schedules.  She¡¯d even heard a rumour that her mother might actually be coming back to the Clan, having finally finished her assignment.

    She wasn¡¯t quite sure how she felt about that, but decided to make the best of it.

    They¡¯d been¡­ distant.  Growing up, her grandmother was more of a mother to her than Bezia had been, as she kept taking assignment after assignment that took her away from the clan home.

    It had given her a bit of a complex growing up, thinking that maybe her mother didn¡¯t love her very much, or that she¡¯d somehow disappointed her in some way.

    Her grandmother had spent years reassuring her that that wasn¡¯t the case, that Bezia had always been like that.  Distant.  Even her older brother had been treated the same, or so she¡¯d heard.

    That had kind of made it worse for her, for she then started thinking that she was no better than the men of the clan, a second-rate existence.

    Yes, her grandmother had had her hands full keeping her granddaughter¡¯s brain from exploding every other day.

    She smiled at that, glad that she¡¯d been able to share a closer bond with Joram than she¡¯d enjoyed from her own mother.  The best part was that she¡¯d been rewarded with Joram¡¯s reciprocated feelings.  It was easy to tell, as she could feel the warmth flowing through their bond.

    She blinked.

    There was a lot of warmth flowing through their bond, and not the kind she¡¯d just been thinking about.

    She quickly looked around, then started making her way through the great hall in search of Joram.  Ivaryn spotted her and immediately caught on, searching the other side of the hall from her.

    Then she spotted her grandmother¡¯s waving arm, and b-lined it over to her.  The expression on her grandmother¡¯s face demanded nothing less.

    She arrived and slid through the small semi-circle of people gathered to witness the spectacle in front of them.

    And there was her mother, Bezia.

    ¡°Hello, my daughter,¡± she said as she looked up, a small smile on her face.

    There she sat on a padded bench, Joram on one lap, Xixi on the other.  That wasn¡¯t exactly startling to see, but the fact that both children had their eyes closed and were giving off minor magical turbulence, was.

    Bezia held them, their feet dangling off her thighs as they both leaned back into her, their heads bowed.

    ¡°What caused this?¡±  She asked in wonderment, keeping her voice low so as not to disturb her son or her niece.

    Bezia just nodded to her right before looking back down at the little ones on her lap.

    Sulia looked to the side and noticed two chairs pulled up to one of the calligraphy paintings, this one describing how a clear, unruffled mind was the source of enlightenment.  There were, of course, many layers to it, but that was the gist of it.

    She then looked back to the two one year-olds sitting in her mother¡¯s lap, her jaw dropping.

    ¡°It seems that we have a couple good seeds here, no?¡±  Bezia said with a mysterious smile on her face.

    Word spread and soon the entire hall was gathered around, respect and awe keeping them quiet, or at least very soft whispers.

    Sulia stood there with her husband, holding his hand.  She wished she could find a room and speak with him right then, but she also wanted to stay there for when Joram came out of his epiphany, to be able to hold and cuddle him and congratulate him, and all the things!

    Deep breath.

    Intellectually, she knew that Joram was a reincarnation that had managed to keep at least part of his memories, if not all, but she nevertheless felt so proud of him at that moment.  Even Xixi was there, also going through an epiphany of her own.

    If there was anything that pointed to an auspicious future for those two kids, it was this.  She didn¡¯t know what their futures would hold, but it would surely be great.

    * * *

    Matriarch Tatia Aneath stood with her granddaughter as they both witnessed something that had never been recorded before.

    It was, quite simply, humbling to behold.

    Here were two toddlers, already having their first epiphany at barely a year old.  When was the last time that she¡¯d had a breakthrough in her own studies?  When had any of her children¡¯s generation had one recently?

    She looked again at the painting that the children had been observing, really looked this time.  She sent her senses out to it, taking everything in that she could perceive, every curve of each brushstroke, even the faint lines at the edges of each stroke.

    She¡¯d initially dismissed those miniscule lines that paralleled each stroke as having been made by an average calligraphist but had kept it in the hall due to its extreme age.

    But now she took those lines in with the whole, seeing that they, in fact, did not take away from the character, but added to it.  Then she looked to the other characters and saw that each one had its own miniscule strokes that added to each, and then added to the whole.

    Tatia¡¯s eyes flashed, a small smile forming on her lips, then she promptly sat down in the middle of the great hall and closer her eyes to meditate.

    * * *

    Sulia was flabbergasted.

    Yes, that was the correct word for the situation.

    One seemingly impossible event that involved her son and niece, and two highly improbable events involving her mother and her grandmother.

    Sure, seeing her mother was¡­ nice, and a somewhat welcome event.  It was even nice seeing her son being held by her mother.

    But seeing her grandmother drop all propriety and just sit down on the floor of the great hall was almost as world-shaking as seeing Joram taken in epiphany.

    Then she felt Ivaryn¡¯s hand go slack in hers and turned in time to see him dropping down to sit on the floor, legs crossed, eyes closed, and hands folded in a hand seal.

    What is going on here?!  She mentally screamed, at her wits¡¯ end.

    What it that painting?  Well, it must be.  But what was so special about it that could cause four people to have such a fortuitous experience by simply observing it?

    So, she too began to study the old painting, not realizing that everyone else in the hall were also now intently studying it.

    * * *

    Bezia smiled to herself as she watched everyone staring intently at the old painting.

    It was about time someone noticed that it was actually an old treasure left by one of their ancestors.

    She looked over to her husband, Zanth, and smiled to see that he too was now giving the painting serious thought and contemplation.

    Well, at least he was good-looking.

    For now, she would enjoy the baby-cuddles.

 Chapter 009

    Joram opened his eyes as the feelings of understanding finally withdrew from his mind and saw an unusual sight in front of him.

    Now he knew why his mother had been so confused that she¡¯d actually managed to scream through their connection in his network for the first time. He¡¯d ignored it, instead focussing on gaining as much as he could from his sudden burst of understanding.

    Well, it looked like both of his parents were now in silent meditation, as well as Grammy and most of his aunts and uncles, and not a few cousins. There were, however, many more people still staring at the painting though.

    Well, not everyone was lucky.

    That said, he could still feel little Xixi¡¯s concentration through their connection, not to mention the waves of concentration flowing through the connection with his mother.

    As he sat there, he came to a realization.

    Someone was holding him.

    He blinked, turned his head up and to the side, and regarded the woman who was holding not only him, but Xixi as well.

    She was rather striking. Her hair was purple like a clan member¡¯s would be, and she only looked to be in her early twenties. Looking a bit more, he realized that she shared many of the same features of his mother and Grammy.

    Was she another aunt that he¡¯d not met yet? Or was she the fabled ¡°grandmother¡± that had been out on assignment his entire life?

    Well, to be fair, he was only now a year old, but still. Perspective.

    She was also looking down at him with her jade eyes. Well, not jade-jade, but jade-coloured.

    Why am I mentally babbling? He chided himself as he did a quick mental head shake.

    ¡°Granny?¡± He asked, then immediately regretted it as her hand snaked out and a finger flicked him in the middle of the forehead.

    After about a minute or so the stinging died down and he looked up at the Old Witch through teary eyes.

    What¡¯s her problem?!

    ¡°You may call me ¡®grandmother¡¯, ¡®gran¡¯, ¡®grandma¡¯, or even ¡®nana¡¯. But not ¡®granny¡¯. That¡¯s just rude.¡± She explained as she once again began to cuddle with Xixi.

    He gave her his best pout, doing his best to get the puppy-dog eyes working, trying to play up the shimmering eyes so as not to waste the tears that were already there.

    She just stared at him.

    ¡°I have three sons of my own, and a daughter,¡± she began. ¡°Do you really think that that look will work on me?¡±

    He knew then, deep down in his bones, that this woman was going to be his bane.

    * * *

    - Week 60 ¨C

    Joram sighed as he sat with his Gran and recited each character she drew for him.

    It had indeed been hell.

    His parents had been out of it for a whole week, along with most of the people there who''d been at the party.

    Grammy had broken through to Tier 6, what cultivators called the Mystic Realm. The benefits were also quite amazing, as she¡¯d gained another four hundred hears or so to her lifespan. Which was apparently a good thing, as Tier 6 was one of the hardest tiers to complete. Most people stalled out in the 6<sup>th</sup> Tier, so he hoped that Grammy would be able to progress!

    Then there were the cosmetic benefits.

    He¡¯d had to suffer an untold number of delusional bachelors intruding on his Grammy Time as they seemed to pop up like flies wherever they went.

    Grammy was now well beyond super-model status, approaching Altaea-levels of beauty.

    So, he performed his filial duty to the best of his ability and screwed with those idiots to the best of his ability. No mercy for gold-diggers!

    His mother had gone up to Rank 10 of Tier 3, a whole 2 ranks up! His father had broken through to Tier 4, Rank 1 and was now considered one of the elites of the clan¡­ Well, the clan¡¯s males anyway. Either way, Joram could feel the power rolling off his father as he had continued to solidify his foundations after having broken through.

    There were a few others, but that wasn¡¯t as important as the fact that that painting had become a priceless treasure of the clan and was moved to a secure training hall where people could come and meditate on what they saw.

    Back to the present.

    Once Gran had learned that he had daily Grammy-Time, she¡¯d insisted that she also get some time with him every day.

    Sometimes, his Grammy and Gran time would overlap, causing a distinct cuddles-deficit in his day, but would also allow him to learn interesting things.

    Like how his Gran would be leaving in the not-too-distant future on another assignment, this one likely to take much longer than the previous one. They hadn¡¯t gone into details, but he was insanely curious about it, as they had briefly mentioned that the destination would be the Zhizun Zhanshi continent.

    Obviously, they¡¯d sent people there before on assignment, as Avi had managed to copy over hundreds of cultivation, martial, artifact refining, and alchemical techniques in her many weeks inside the dimensional vault.

    But what was this lead they were not-quite-talking about? It must have been big, as they weren¡¯t as good at hiding their excitement as they thought they were.

    He gave a mental shrug and once again came back to the present as Gran finished drawing another character.

    ¡°And what do you make of this one, little Joram?¡± Gran asked as she set the inkbrush down.

    Joram regarded it for a moment, then stopped as he was about to look away again.

    If one were creative in their description of the character, one might say that it looked like a person sitting cross-legged, hands folded, and a halo around their head, all done in meticulous brushwork.

    Each stroke seemed to carry its own significance that he couldn¡¯t quite grasp.

    Ten minutes went by as he stared at it, still not quite grasping what seemed to be fluttering just out of sight.

    ¡®Avi?¡¯

    ¡®Yes?¡¯

    ¡®Could you please recreate this in the manor. I would like to study it more,¡¯ he sent, hardly focussing enough to do so.

    ¡®Of course,¡¯ Avi replied, sounding bored.

    ¡°What do you see, little Joram?¡± Gran asked.

    ¡°Umm,¡± he started. ¡°A person meditating,¡± he said, being very careful to enunciate correctly.

    Gran paused and looked at him again. ¡°Do you feel anything from it?¡±

    ¡°Umm, I am not sure,¡± he said. ¡°I think¡­ there is more.¡± He finished, not quite sure how to phrase it with the limited vocabulary he was supposed to have.

    Gran nodded, the faintest smile adorning her face for a fraction of a second. ¡°Then you shall have to study harder, little Joram.¡± She said, a predatory smile replacing her previous expression. ¡°I will have this hung in your room so that you can study it whenever you can.¡±

    Joram sighed.

    She would do this every time he ran into a character that he couldn¡¯t quite grasp right away. They were, all of those ones, characters outside of standard learning, representing whole concepts, philosophies, and Daos. His head felt over-stuffed from the amount of studying that he¡¯d been doing, even with offloading whole sections to Crystal Minds.

    He¡¯d not been able to slack at all this entire time either. It was like Gran was an insatiable taskmistress that had it in her head to stuff his head as full of knowledge as she could before leaving again.

    It was a noble goal, and he¡¯d normally applaud the zeal for learning¡­ but he wasn¡¯t even 2 years old yet. His poor brain was still developing!

    True, this was the best time for a person to learn things. True, he was indeed soaking it up like a dry sponge. But he had really been looking forward to having a care-free childhood this time ¡®round.

    You know, spending his days playing in the gardens, learning as he went. Playing with his friends, developing those relationships that would last throughout their lives. Spending time with his parents, especially since they¡¯d be heading out on assignment again shortly after he turned two¡­

    Well, stiff upper lip and all that!

    He knew that in these kinds of societies where there was still a class-system, that the youth of the rich would receive tutoring for years before they were declared ready to take up their position in society.

    It wasn¡¯t that different from what he¡¯d come from, actually¡­

    So, he took the insane tutoring sessions with his Gran as just another way to improve himself¡­ Even if it took time away from Grammy and his parents¡­

    After another half-hour, this time studying mathematics, he was set free in the garden to run about and do his thing.

    Which so happened to be sprawling out on the lawn, letting his poor brain cool off in the ¡°winter¡± air. Ha!

    Winter in these parts consisted of it cooling off about ten degrees (Celsius) and getting slightly windier. To see snow was an exceptionally rare thing, much to his disappointment.

    His first whole winter had been spent inside, not able to see anything out the windows, so he¡¯d missed the fact that it hadn¡¯t snowed at all that year.

    This year, well, he was able to run around and do this thing, mostly. He¡¯d been dreaming of making snowmen with his little cousins, teaching them the ways of snow-play. His heart had been shattered.

    So, he lay there in the wind, enjoying the cool breeze, not paying it any mind even though some of the servants looks apprehensive in letting him lay there without a scarf or something.

    It didn¡¯t really bother him at all, as shortly after he¡¯d come out of his ¡°epiphany¡±, he¡¯d realized that he had stepped into the paths of cultivation/mage-hood. He¡¯d gone up a whole four ranks in Tier 0, or as the cultivators called it: Body Tempering.

    His hearing and sight had improved drastically to the point where he could see the veins on the leaved from ten metres away. Well, it wasn¡¯t spectacular, as he¡¯d had much better vision before his¡­ accident. But it was progress for someone who¡¯d had trouble making out details from more than twenty metres away.

    He¡¯d also noticed that his skin felt tougher, and when he¡¯d [Delve]d his body one night, he¡¯d found that even his bones were much denser than they had been.

    Gran had given him a physical examination, much to Healer Reursa¡¯s indignation, and had confirmed that he¡¯d stepped all the way to Rank 4.

    From what he¡¯d learned, there were still another five ranks to go before he fully stepped onto the path of cultivation/mage-hood, as Tier 0 was universally accepted as being the foundational stage where the chaff was separated from the good seeds. Because, if you couldn¡¯t get past Tier 0 in your youth, then you stood no chance of progressing along either path.

    He sighed as he stared up at the fluffy clouds above.

    Joram really wished that he and Avi had found a good cultivation technique before he¡¯d started, but he still had hopes that it wouldn¡¯t somehow hinder his progress. They¡¯d read many accounts of would-be trainees starting their cultivation before getting a good manual to guide their progress. Most of them failed in the long-run, effectively crippling their growth by taking a wrong path somewhere.

    Maybe they¡¯d find something soon.

    * * *

    Bezia watched Joram as he stared up at the sky, spread-eagled on the well manicured lawn.

    He was an amazingly smart child, almost scarily so.

    After his epiphany, she realized that he would need extra care and consideration with his coming education.

    When Sulia had told her that she and Ivaryn had already started reading lessons with him, she knew that she couldn¡¯t delay for even a day.

    She¡¯d arranged to have him for a short time each day, ostensibly for Grandmother/grandson time. But everyone knew what she was like and expected what had come.

    Bezia had started her own children¡¯s education at a young age and had been quite rigorous in her efforts with them. True, she had started when they¡¯d turned four, but the principle was the same.

    In just the two months of tutoring since his first-year celebration, Joram had passed where her own children had been after a full year learning. It was astonishing.

    But slowly, she¡¯d started thinking that things might not be what they¡¯d seemed. She wasn¡¯t quite sure, but she suspected that perhaps ¡°little¡± Joram wasn¡¯t as little as he seemed.

    Unfortunately, every time she had arranged a test for Joram to prove her theory, her own mother would stop by saying that her own schedule only permitted that specific time for her daily visit with Joram.

    Now, she was no fool, so when her mother had interrupted them for the third time, Bezia came to suspect that Tatia knew more than what she let on.

    Which only helped prove that there was indeed something to hide.

    Her theory was such: Joram was, as they all were, a reincarnation. But where he differed was that he¡¯d kept a portion - or all - of his memories.

    It would explain his unnerving intelligence, his early development, even his stepping into Tier 0 at the tender age of one!

    What it didn¡¯t explain, was how little Xiora had also followed Joram¡¯s achievements so closely with her own.

    What was the likelihood of have not one, but two children born in the same clan, within two weeks of each other, as well as retaining her memories? She¡¯d tried doing the calculations but had stopped when the probability had reached the ten-digit mark¡­ when she was only part-way through.

    What was done was done. She only hoped that Joram and little Xiora would prove to bring blessings to their clan, and not catastrophe.

    She didn¡¯t know much about Xiora, as she couldn¡¯t really spend much time with her, but from what she had gathered about Joram, he might have been an alchemist in his past life. Between a rumour of him already having a faint trace of mental strength and his interest in the various medicinal gardens, it wasn¡¯t a difficult conclusion to come to.

    But what bothered her was that they couldn¡¯t, after all this time, confirm whether-or-not Joram did indeed have a talent for mental strength or not. Hence today¡¯s last character.

    It was one that embodied the basic concepts of mental strength, and had a chance of brining out that spark in someone who pondered on it.

    She¡¯d hoped that Joram would show more of a reaction to it, but was still hopeful as he¡¯d spent about ten minutes just staring at the character she¡¯d drawn. She hadn¡¯t felt any resonance with him yet, but he was still quite young, so again, she had high hopes for him.

    If only she could smooth out his personality a bit. He was, by far, too cheeky in how he behaved. Sure, he did what he was told, but there was just something about how he did things sometimes that got on her nerves.

    Deep breath in, deep breath out.

    Again, she shouldn¡¯t take things too seriously. For all she knew, he wasn¡¯t a reincarnator at all, but just an exceptionally gifted youth, like Xiora¡­ He was only fifteen months old.

    So why did he sometimes feel like an old soul when she looked into his eyes? Or was she just imagining things to corroborate her theory?

    She sighed, then looked over to where her husband, Xander, was sitting while reading a book. Then had a thought.

    ¡°Xander,¡± she said. ¡°How would you like to¡­¡±

    * * *

    Bane. Of. His. Existence.

    Sure, Gran might pretend to be all nice and sweet and everything, but he knew.

    She was a sadist; one who enjoyed the suffering of others. There was no other explanation for what was happening now.

    His grandfather, Xander, or maybe just ¡°Gramps¡±?, was standing a few feet away from him, holding a stick. He¡¯d given Joram a much nicer looking stick, and had proceeded to smack, thwack, poke, prod, hack, and slash him for the last twenty minutes.

    The man was well over six feet tall (yes, back and forth between imperial and metric; curse his upbringing!) and was built almost as well as he had been before¡­ now. Which meant that he still looked like an Olympian.

    Sigh.

    Why was he putting up with this on such a lovely day? Well.

    Grammy had shown up seconds after the ¡°bout¡± had started, but hadn¡¯t stopped it. No, she had encouraged it on the premise that he could train to be like his father and grandfather!

    Grammy had lost points there.

    Sure, he was familiar with fighting with any number of weapons, having been trained by a walking arsenal and all. But! He was much better with his bare hands. And feet. Well, pretty much his whole body. He had been super-glad that he was getting better at controlling his body, working on the various kata, or forms, that Altaea had taught him, as well as ones they¡¯d developed themselves.

    It was damn hard practicing though, as he had to do that at night, all the while trying to be as quiet as could be so as not to wake his parents. Night-time was also the time where he studied the copies of the many materials, documents, tomes, manuals, techniques, and arts that Avi brought back each day.

    He wasn¡¯t sure what he¡¯d do when he was no longer allowed to take an afternoon nap each day, as that was when he took time to actually sleep.

    Another sigh.

    Gramps was a beast. He was pretty sure that the man was early Tier 5. So, why did they think it was appropriate for him to be testing his modest¨C if you were being generous, that is- reflexes? He had several welts already, with many more still forming across his little body.

    Was it truly to test his aptitude? Wasn¡¯t this sort of thing meant for those children who¡¯d already turned five?

    He gave his grandpa a very pouty look as he tossed his nice stick aside.

    ¡°No more,¡± he said, trying to keep the slight warble out of his voice.

    Now that he was no longer focussed solely on his tormentor, Joram noticed that they¡¯d managed to gain quite the crowd. Servants lined the walkways where various family members weren¡¯t already standing. Grammy and Gran were standing beside each other, while his parents stood slightly apart, concerned expressions plain on their faces.

    When she saw that gramps wasn¡¯t going to say anything, his mother rushed over to him in a flash and scooped him up in a huge hug.

    Normally, such an occurrence would have been most welcome, but it wasn¡¯t such a good thing this time.

    ¡°Ow-ow-ow-owwww~~,¡± Joram whined as the welts that had merely stung before now flared up like gas poured on a bonfire.

    Oh, how he missed being able to just turn of his nerve endings¡­

    Instead, as his mother produced a healing balm, he concentrated with [Autohypnosis] to ignore the pain.

    A moment later he was breathing easier as his mother smeared the balm over him, shooting death-glares at her mother and father. He listened as people discussed the ¡°training¡± session and was a little bit surprised to hear an overall approval for the session.

    He was sure to take note of those people, as they seemed to be predominantly the clan members who were vying for a higher status with each other, and his own family. They were the ones with children they hoped to get into higher ranking positions in the clan.

    He sighed, then gave his mother a hug, being careful to not smear any of the balm on her robes. His efforts were in vain, as she didn¡¯t seem to care about that and once again scooped him up into a protective hug.

    ¡°So,¡± she said, turning to her father. ¡°Why go so hard on my baby?¡±

    Her father blinked at her, looked at his stick, then tossed it over a shoulder.

    ¡°A few scrapes is hardly ¡®going hard¡¯ on the boy,¡± he said rumbled, calm as could be.

    He could feel his mother¡¯s blood pressure rising. He was sure that there was history there, as his mother didn¡¯t generally get worked up over a few welts¡­ Well, this was more than a few, but easily taken care of with her balm.

    To distract her, Joram reached over, wrapped his arms around her neck, and gave her a great-big raspberry on the cheek that sounded like some prodigious flatulence.

    Everyone stopped. Everyone stared.

    ¡°When I¡¯m as tall as gramps,¡± he said, pointing a finger at said gramps, ¡°I¡¯ll win!¡±

    3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­

    The spectators burst into laughter, some approving, most mocking. His own father clapped him on the shoulder so enthusiastically that he nearly fell out of his mother¡¯s arms, eliciting a Look from his mother.

    He watched the reactions of Gran and Grammy, noting how their smiles were similar, both showing faint signs of approval, though Gran looked a bit amused. What she was amused at, he couldn¡¯t say, but there it was.

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    Through their bond, his mother was radiating a confusing swirl of amusement, concern, disbelief, and a fierce pride that mostly overwhelmed the rest.

    Not only her, but Joram could also feel little Xixi¡¯s excitement flow through their bond after his declaration. He looked around quickly and saw that she was watching with Aloralla off to the side, though not as far as they would have been in the past.

    Xixi¡¯s own accomplishments had put her on everyone¡¯s radar, as it were. The only reason that people were paying so much attention to him was because he was the Heir¡¯s son. If he hadn¡¯t been around, Joram was sure that Xixi would have been centre stage, even with her practically being from a branch family.

    That said, he was nonetheless proud of is little cousin, as her accomplishments were her own; he¡¯d only guided her a bit.

    ¡°Well done, Joram,¡± Grammy said as she stepped forward, waving a hand at the gathered crowd. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone has something important to do.¡±

    A cool look was all it took to scatter the crowd, though Joram tried to wave to aunt Aloralla to get her and Xixi to stay. Alas, his Grammy¡¯s cool look was still stronger than his waving arm.

    With a sigh, he wiggled around again, gave his mom a kiss on the cheek and another hug.

    After she¡¯d reciprocated, Joram was let down to stand on his own feet. Even with the cool air, he loved the feel of the soft grass under his feet, between his toes.

    He looked down at his feet and smiled. He had more normal looking feet this time ¡®round. Not that he¡¯d had particularly unusual feet before, but they¡¯d been rather wide which made finding good shoes a literal pain. Also, no toe gap, so maybe he¡¯d give flip-flop type sandals another go in this life.

    Joram looked at the adults, noticed that they were not paying him any attention, then quickly slipped away as they began discussing ¡°appropriate¡± levels of training for him.

    He chased after Xixi, hoping to get some actual play-time into his day.

    * * *

    In a dim space, filled with rows upon rows of bookshelves, stacks, and cases with pigeon-holes that scrolls of various makes and sizes were stored in. Surprisingly, the area was dust-free with not a trace of a cobweb to be seen.

    Nevertheless, the place gave off an ancient vibe, almost pressing down on the observer. There must have been many preservation and cleaning runes, arrays, or formations to keep the massive stone hall pristine.

    Though, if one thought about it, most dust came from living beings shedding dead cells and such, or other things being slowly disintegrated by various organisms eating it. A wooden bookshelf would normally disintegrate in the time it took for this place to gather such an ancient aura.

    Even mites¡¯ excrement added to the accumulation of dust. There weren¡¯t even any windows in the great hall, so there was no possibility of minute particles blowing in from outside.

    For that matter, there was no ¡°outside¡±, as it were.

    The building floated in a void, with an impenetrable fog that began only thirty or so metres away. It was a rather disconcerting view from the entryway to the hall, but not something that bothered the observer over-much, as she¡¯d seen its like many times before. Or, rather, she¡¯d had that knowledge passed along to her by her creator.

    She took a moment to sense the spatial fluctuations around the edges of the fog and confirmed her suspicions: this place was in the astral plane. It was a logical place to create such a space, allowing for the ambient energies of the astral plane to nurture it.

    Avi smiled an invisible smile as she enjoyed the moment. She¡¯d finally managed to isolate the spatial fluctuations that this tiny realm gave off, then reverse-engineered the runestone so that she was able to create an augment for [Planeshift] that allowed her to travel directly to this space from anywhere she happened to be.

    It was a proud moment celebrated by one person only.

    Sigh.

    She, nor even Joram, had realized just how busy his family would keep him even in his tender years. She¡¯d wanted to bring him along for the first trip there but hadn¡¯t been able to due to his grandpa thrashing him.

    Avi mentally shook her head to help clear all that way and had another look around.

    The great hall did indeed live up to its appellation. It was a good fifty metres wide and at least two hundred metres long. She wasn¡¯t sure about that, as the massive stacks blocked her view further into the place. The ceiling wasn¡¯t too ridiculous, only coming in at forty metres tall or so, yet the pillars that also acted as more shelving lower to the ground seemed small, almost decorative in nature.

    The stacks seemed to not only be used to store various forms of written works, but also served as walls for various sub-sections of the hall. Or one could simply call them ¡°rooms¡±.

    Each room had a plaque naming the subject of the room, with smaller listings of sub-topics. It was well organized, pleasing Avi greatly as she walked through the place, taking note of every room, and memorizing the layout of the hall.

    She¡¯d thought of the light in the great hall as dim, but she realized that a normal human would be able to comfortably read with the light that was present.

    Avi paused again, this time to appreciate how well designed this massive archive was. She could feel the various enchantments continually working to preserve everything inside of the building, even going as far as providing energy to various enchanted tomes so that they wouldn¡¯t degrade over time.

    ¡®Avi?¡¯

    She was so engrossed in studying the various enchantments that she nearly jumped. If she¡¯d had an actual heart, she was sure that it would have leapt out of her non-existent mouth.

    ¡®Yes?¡¯ She sent, calming her thoughts as best she could.

    ¡®You¡¯ve been gone a while,¡¯ he started. ¡®I was just wondering if everything was OK¡­¡¯

    That gave her reason to pause, then quickly check her internal chronometer. Sure enough, she¡¯d been engrossed in her studies for over two days now.

    On one hand, she understood his concern, as they normally spoke quite often, with him ¡°visiting¡± his realm to ¡°spend time¡± with her. On the other¡­

    Well, she¡¯d gone a thousand years without him, so she had very little sympathy¡­ until she remembered that he¡¯d been more affected by his growing body than he thought he was.

    No more was he the introvert that he painted himself as. He loved spending time with his parents, Xixi, Zanth, and Grammy. He ran and played with them, taking the lessons that his family arranged for him, or personally taught.

    Though, his memory had suffered from his developing human brain.

    He¡¯d forgotten many of his goals along the way. What had happened to eating the monster meat when he could finally eat solids? He¡¯d been excited about that!

    ¡®Yes, Joram, I am well,¡¯ she sent. ¡®I am merely studying the archive I found through the portal that your mother seemed to frequent.¡¯

    ¡®Ah, cool. Is it very interesting?¡¯ He sent, a bit of curiosity mixed in. Though, surprisingly, there was a bit of jealousy and guilt in there as well. Hmm.

    ¡®I am studying the preservation and restoration enchantments in this place. I plan on investigating the content after I finish.¡¯

    ¡®Cool, cool¡­¡¯ he sent, trying to act cool.

    He really needs his body to mature as soon as possible, Avi thought with a mental face-palm.

    ¡®Would you like to come along?¡¯

    ¡®No, no. I¡¯m settling in for nap-time and just wondered how you were,¡¯ he sent back, obviously pouting.

    ¡®I will make a recording of my investigations and let you watch it later,¡¯ Avi sent back. ¡®Does that sound good?¡¯

    She could feel the happiness flowing through their link in the network as he replied. ¡®Yes, sounds great!¡¯

    ¡®Then, have a good nap Joram.¡¯

    ¡®Thanks! Enjoy your exploration!¡¯

    Avi felt his attention moving away from her and then completely depart. For someone who¡¯d been so¡­ anxious about being born and having to grow up¡­ well, he¡¯d settled in quite well with his new life.

    Well, there was nothing that she could do about it, so she got back to work studying the enchantments of the great hall, as well as the structure of this tiny realm. Just how solidly was it anchored in the astral plane?

    * * *

    Sulia watched as Joram slept, enjoying the peaceful look in his little face.

    He was growing so fast that she couldn¡¯t help but feel some heartache at the thought of him growing up too fast.

    Sulia knew that she and Ivaryn would once again be sent out on assignment when Joram turned two, and the thought of having to leave her little boy nearly broke her heart.

    What would she do without his cuddles? What would he do without her there? She knew that she would have to begin weaning him before she left, and even that caused her heart to flutter.

    Would they have the same closeness as they had before he was weaned? Would he drift away, becoming more distant as she was sent on assignment after assignment? Would he become one of those useless things in the clan that knew nothing beyond pleasuring the flesh and throwing their weight around with the commoners?

    As her anxiety rose, she noticed that Joram began to stir and quickly began meditating to clear her heart.

    That was another thing. Would her connection, that special bond they shared, fade away as she spent extended periods of time away from him? Would he bond to someone else?

    When she saw Joram begin to stir again, she clapped both hands to her face and took a deep breath.

    In, then out, she told herself, imagining all the anxiety flowing out her mouth as she exhaled.

    She would send letters. Lots of letters. They had a good information network that would see them safely delivered. That would work.

    Her thoughts soon turned to Joram¡¯s training and again became muddled.

    From what her father had been willing to say ¨C it had always been like trying to get a rock to speak -, he was pleased with Joram¡¯s current abilities. Her mother, on the other hand, wouldn¡¯t say much, but after she¡¯d hung that character that had aspects of mental strength to it in his bedroom, she was sure that Bezia also had hope for him.

    Why would she think that? Well, because her mother never did anything without a reason. For example, when she¡¯d been a little girl, she¡¯d had a dream about being a great healer. But after her mother had tested her aptitude for healing arts and had found it almost non-existent, Bezia had refused to entertain her with that any longer.

    That Bezia had taken the initiative to place that character in Joram¡¯s room meant that she suspected something was there.

    Which scared Sulia a bit, to be honest. She and Ivaryn had done everything that they could to divert anyone¡¯s attention away from that.

    They, she and Ivaryn, had decided to support their son in everything that he did (well, nothing evil of course) and wanted him to live a peaceful life. If he became a great alchemist, so be it. If here merely wanted to study herbology, then they¡¯d help him do so. But they didn¡¯t want to push him.

    Well, she didn¡¯t want to push him. Ivaryn had been taken in flights of fancy that Joram would be the greatest alchemist of all time (well, she too thought that he could reach such heights) and wanted to get him on that path. Who didn¡¯t want an amazing alchemist in the family?

    Well, she did. But she didn¡¯t want to push him into it.

    She took a moment to take that in. Was she just projecting? Was she taking what she¡¯d gone through growing up and trying to prevent that for Joram?

    Sulia began rubbing her temples. It was so much easier to just find a random topic and write a thesis on it. Who knew that being a parent would be so hard? Growing up, she¡¯d thought that she could have done a better job than her own mother. Just spend more time with her child, show more love and affection, and voila! Perfect setting!

    Yes, she¡¯d given all her love to her baby, and spent more time with him than her own mother had with her. But. Would she just let Joram do whatever he wanted? No guiding hand to show him the myriad paths he could take?

    She thought about the many silk-pants and playboys in the clan and wondered if that was how they¡¯d been made, how they¡¯d turned out like that. Sure, their accomplishments in training and studying weren¡¯t bad, but their characters were more than lacking.

    Sulia then had imaged of a grown Joram, his hair now lavender in colour (the actual plant, not the washed out colour that people normally associated with lavender), walking around with a woman on each arm, dressed in the finest silks, with a lecherous expression on his face as he ogled the women he passed by.

    *Smack!*

    Aloralla looked over at her, a concerned expression on her face.

    Sulia gave her a strained smile as she rubbed her cheek, glad that the pain helped to dispel the horrifying image in her head.

    No, she needed to make sure that he grew up right! She would make sure that he studied! She would make sure that he remained pure and chaste! He would need good people around him to keep him on the straight and narrow path to a virtuous life!

    She then looked over at Aloralla and did a more critical appraisal of her ¡°cousin¡±.

    She was a good-looking woman with dark green hair, a long, slender neck, and a willowy frame. She could see why Joram liked to nurse with her as she, contrary what one would expect from such a lithe body, was quite buxom.

    Even though she was quite the beauty, she also dressed conservatively. That was good. She had married into the clan, but was in the periphery of the clan, being three generations removed from the main line.

    She had a decent foundation, being at the top end of the 2<sup>nd</sup> Tier, yet didn¡¯t seem overly ambitious. Since she¡¯d arrived in the clan several years ago, Sulia hadn¡¯t heard of anything contentious occurring around Aloralla. Now, that could just mean that she was a patient schemer, but Sulia didn¡¯t get that impression from her.

    If she weren¡¯t a good person, then she was sure that Joram wouldn¡¯t want anything to do with her, as was evident by him staying away from other family members.

    Then she turned to little Xiora, watching her softly snore as she slept. Her hair was darker than Joram¡¯s, a heliotrope bordering on indigo. Though she did spot a dark green lock of hair above her right eye. It was a cute colouration, giving the impression of a green stem holding up a mass of purple flowers.

    Could little Xiora be the one to help keep Joram from becoming a little silk-pants?

    Or would it be little Lysanthir? They were all so close in age, so it was an almost surety that they¡¯d grow up to be friends. Hopefully good friends that would support one another.

    But.

    She knew how young men got around and wondered how she could keep him honest.

    Maybe arranging a fianc¨¦ would help? Would the knowledge that he needed to ¡°save¡± himself for his future wife keep him from becoming a wandering bee, going from flower to flower?

    She looked over at Aloralla again and watched the young woman (gah!, they were the same age!) knit. Joram already had a good relationship with her, so would that translate well to her becoming his mother-in-law?

    Hmm¡­

    * * *

    - Week 72 -

    He must have missed something along the way.

    He was at yet another gathering of the clan, dressed up in fancy robes with yet another jade circlet on his brow holding back his hair that was slowly darkening. More indigo was creeping in, and he was very glad of that. Not that he had anything against pastels in general, but he really liked the darker purples and eggplants that the older generations had.

    He looked over at his partner for this gathering and smiled. Xiora had lovely purple hair and even had a lock of her mother¡¯s green hair sprouting from her bangs above her right eye. Though, he really hoped that they¡¯d let her hair grow out, as bangs were just so¡­ 80s.

    That said, she was adorable in her purple-trimmed white robes, a jade comb holding most of her hair at the back of her head.

    Seeing her sitting so nicely, trying so hard to listen to her parents as they encouraged her to sit still, Joram came to a decision.

    ¡®You¡¯re doing good, Xixi,¡¯ he sent with a warm smile.

    Xiora blinked and looked over at him and smiled, but didn¡¯t say anything for fear of being scolded by her parents. She also brought a finger up to her lips, miming that he should also be quiet.

    ¡®Don¡¯t worry, they can¡¯t hear us like this,¡¯ he sent back while looking her straight in the eye.

    Said eyes grew as large as could be as she clued in that he hadn¡¯t been speaking out loud.

    It as his turn to hold a finger up to his lips, not hiding his smile from her as her mouth slowly fell open in shock.

    ¡®If you think about me hearing your words you can talk like this, too, with me,¡¯ he sent again, this time tapping his head with his index finger.

    His mother took said hand in hers and lowered it to his side, her other hand adjusting his circlet.

    He rolled his eyes at that, but kept his eyes on Xiora. He gave her an encouraging smile and looked forwards again, this time keeping an eye out for the bane of his existence.

    After a few minutes of excitement, frustration, and determination coming through her link to his network, she finally succeeded.

    ¡®How?¡¯ She sent, but mostly coming through as a jumble of emotions associated with the word.

    ¡®Because I like you,¡¯ he sent with a big mental smile, and a big smile on his actual face.

    He watched as it sank in, then watched at a wonderful smile blossomed on her face.

    ¡°Everyone, thank you for gathering with us today to celebrate this special occasion,¡± Grammy said, interrupting their moment. ¡°I am sure some of you know why we¡¯ve gathered, but I will announce it anyways.¡± She said as she walked over to stand between Joram and Xiora, then took his right hand and Xiora¡¯s left hand in hers.

    ¡°I hereby announce that Joram Aneath and Xiora Aneath are to be married when they come of age.¡±

    Everyone clapped and cheered, exclaiming about how it was such a perfect union, and how they made such a cute couple as they were already inseparable.

    Joram¡¯s mouth fell open as he stared at his grammy. He couldn¡¯t see Xixi to gauge her expression, but what he got from their link was a vague surprise, happiness, but mostly confusion. For her part, his mother stood there with his father, beaming.

    He looked over to Xixi¡¯s parents and saw how happy they looked.

    He looked up at Grammy and saw that her usual cool look had been replaced by¡­ a cool look with the barest of smiles present.

    ¡®Congratulations,¡¯ Avi sent, amusement thick in the sending.

    ¡®What-the-what!?¡¯ He sent right back. ¡®How is it OK to have an arranged marriage already?!¡¯

    ¡®Joram, arranged marriages can be made decades before the children are even born,¡¯ she explained patiently. ¡®This is obviously something that came up more recently; likely due to the ¡°astonishing¡± talent both you and Xiora have shown.¡¯

    ¡®But we¡¯re cousins!¡¯

    ¡®Joram,¡¯ Avi began. ¡®How much have you forgotten?¡¯

    ¡®What are you talking about?¡¯ He sent back impatiently.

    ¡®Even in your old world, there were many places where it was legal to marry your first cousin,¡¯ she explained. ¡®By the time you reach third cousin status, you aren¡¯t even considered related anymore. Now, consider this world that has no real grasp of genetics.¡¯

    ¡®Uh-huh¡­¡¯

    ¡®For them, marrying a first cousin is more-or-less normal,¡¯ she assured him. ¡®You don¡¯t even share any chromosomes, who what¡¯s the issue?¡¯

    He paused, trying very hard to focus. It seemed harder to fully concentrate these days. At the same time, it also felt easier in some respects.

    But focus! He chided himself.

    What was the issue here? Genetically, it was fine. Socially, it was fine. Morally?

    What set of morals was he to adhere to in this world? The morals of this world were mostly different from those of his old world. ¡°Might makes right¡±, and ¡°Law of the Jungle: the strongest rules¡± and such were the foundations of this world¡¯s morality.

    Yes, they had many laws, customs, and traditions that smoothed things out so that society could exist in the first place, but the core philosophy was still there.

    He couldn¡¯t quite remember what the term was called, but he thought it might have been ¡°grooming¡±. Raising someone to marry another, usually an older person.

    But did that apply here?

    Yes, his mental age was actually older than his parents, but his physical body was virtually the same age as Xixi¡¯s. Had he guided her in any was towards this future?

    No.

    But could he think of someone so young as being his future wife, even with their physical ages being the same?

    Did he love Xixi? Indeed. But it wasn¡¯t a romantic kind of love, but one of pure affection towards another person who was close to you. Someone who you¡¯d been around all your life (well, this one). Heck, he was even her nursing buddy! They had shared the same breastmilk!

    Was she more of a sister to him?

    These many thoughts tumbled around his mind like a hurricane whipping around wind.

    * * *

    Sulia noticed that Joram had gone quiet, then pale.

    How much of his previous life did he truly remember? Was the engagement not welcome? Had she fumbled this?

    A warm hand grabbed hers and squeezed it tightly. She looked over and smiled at her husband and realized that he, too, had seen Joram¡¯s expression and understood what she was thinking.

    For that matter, so had her grandmother.

    She had picked Joram up in one arm, and then had Aloralla hand Xiora over to her other arm. Both children were now cuddled tightly by Tatia, but also being squished together as she held them in front of her instead of to either side, on her hips.

    Xiora was smiling beautifully while Joram smiled and nodded to people who approached to congratulate the toddler. Several of his cousins also came over, some almost as young as he, others older than her. The older ones were no doubt curious about this early engagement. Others¡­ Well, others were probably already plotting to get close and see how they could get closer to the two, seeing potential for political gain.

    What Joram¡¯s smile couldn¡¯t hide from her was that he was troubled by the announcement. The way he laughed. How he looked at Tatia. Even how he had subtly shifted in her arms to not be squished as tightly against Xiora.

    It all spoke volumes to Sulia. And threw in doubt her reincarnator theory.

    For if he was indeed a reincarnator, then this should have been normal for him as arranged marriages had been going on since time immemorial.

    Or was it that Joram more thought of Xiora as a sister figure? They had, after all, been nursed by the same person and had spent most of their time together. Was that it?

    She sighed when she felt Ivaryn once again squeeze her hand, bringing her back to the world outside of her head.

    Either way she was sure that as they grew up, they¡¯d get closer to each other, and love would blossom.

    * * *

    What are my parents thinking?! Joram silently raged as he was approached by the 141<sup>st</sup> well-wisher.

    Sure, this was a very¡­ traditional world, and they seemed to love breeding talent with talent. Had he stood out too much?

    Well, that was a stupid question. Of course, he had. Otherwise, he¡¯d not be in this situation. He should have just taken his time, enjoyed being a child again. No, he¡¯d been too impatient, wanting to get a head start on, well, everything.

    Had his ridiculous thoughts of being an isekai¡¯d reincarnator pushed him along too much? Assuredly. His thoughts of being able to start cultivating and learning magic early had prompted his impatience. He didn¡¯t exactly know why his family had arranged a fianc¨¦ for him at such a young age, but he placed the blame on himself. Stand out too much, and things happen.

    Not always what you expected.

    Yes, he¡¯d need to reign himself in. Stop acting like he knew everything, stop being so impulsive. He¡¯d need to make sure that Xixi didn¡¯t spill the beans about their ability to communicate telepathically, or anything else, really.

    But now he¡¯d need to get everyone to think that he was somehow¡­ ordinary.

    Ha!

    Well, maybe he could read-up on accidents while cultivating and pretend to have one; one that would ¡°delay¡± him for a decade or so¡­ That way, maybe they¡¯d rethink the engagement.

    Hmm¡­

    ¡®Happy!¡¯ Xixi sent him, jarring him out of his thoughts.

    ¡®Oh? Why is that?¡¯ He sent back, dreading the answer.

    ¡®Because mommy said that we will be together forever!¡¯

    There was so much pure joy and sunshine and bright glittery feeling sent with that that he almost dropped their connection right then. He didn¡¯t know how to process that; what or how to feel about it.

    Xiora had become one of his best friends. Having spent so much time with her, playing, napping, and eating together. He loved her dearly. Loved her like a best friend.

    Did this society care about that, though? Arranged marriages weren¡¯t well known for the couple being in love before they got married, even after. Yes, there were many who developed an abiding love after the fact. But what about those that didn¡¯t? Would he be in a marriage where he didn¡¯t have a profound, romantic, love for his wife?

    Would he and Xiora go through their lives just as ¡°husband and wife¡±, not as soulmates?

    Joram was a firm believer in personal agency. Moral agency.

    He was also a romantic at heart. An idealist. Though, that had been tempered by age, he still had those roots.

    So, what would it mean for him to marry someone not of his choosing? Would he passive-aggressively go through his marriage? Would he grow to resent his parents and even his Grammy for forcing this upon them?

    Or would he, as people said, grow to love his designated spouse? Would they wind up having a fantastic marriage and life together?

    He really didn¡¯t know, nor did he want to think about it right then.

    His introverted core was about to go into meltdown.

    -

    - Week 77 ¨C

    ¡®Joram.¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Avi.¡±

    ¡®Even though I am happy that you¡¯re spending more time with me, why are you here?¡¯

    Joram stopped reading the latest cultivation manual in their growing collection and looked over at Holo-Avi.

    ¡®I¡¯m studying,¡¯ he sent in a deadpan tone.

    ¡®That is obvious,¡¯ she replied. ¡®But why are you spending so much time here? You aren¡¯t avoiding Xiora, are you?¡¯

    ¡®I would never do such a thing!¡¯

    ¡®Then you¡¯re avoiding your family?¡¯

    He would never admit that she was spot on with that one. It had been over a month since the announcement, and his subsequent meltdown. It wasn¡¯t something that he was proud of. The opposite, in fact.

    Hence his avoiding his family whenever he could by taking ¡°longer naps¡±. And more of them.

    He was very put-out by his inability to keep it together with his family. He was sure that it was a combination of his introverted nature being infringed upon and his young body. Both had contributed to his meltdown.

    It was, quite frankly, embarrassing. He didn¡¯t have ¡°the face¡± to, well, face his family more than he had had to over the past while.

    Gran was still coming by every day, still teaching what she could in their short time together. That would have been fine by itself but since the incident, she had incorporated meditation sessions into it. She¡¯d go on and on about a still mind, a still heart, and a still soul. Having the three in balance kept the person in balance, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera¡­

    It hadn¡¯t been bad the first day, or even the first week. By the end of the second week, he was ready to kick her over the edge of the gardens and down the mountainside.

    Grammy. Grammy had just given him more cuddles and reassured him that all would be well and continued to teach him about herbology and even some basic pill refining theory. It wasn¡¯t much, just ¡°add this and that to get x, y, or z¡±, depending on how they¡¯re mixed and their ratios. Those were the nice times.

    His mother, however, seemed to have panicked slightly but tried to follow Grammy¡¯s example in not bringing it up like aunt Aloralla did almost every time he went to the nursery to spend time with Xixi, Zanth, and the other children.

    He was glad that the ring of sustenance was still going strong, as he¡¯d gone on a boob-strike when mealtime came around. It was to show that he wasn¡¯t happy with his mother or Aloralla. It had worked somewhat, as they¡¯d gotten increasingly distressed at his unwillingness to suckle from either of them.

    Sure, he was on a supplement of solid foods but even Midwife Ulanan was perturbed that he¡¯d stopped breast feeding so suddenly. There was talk of how it might affect his growth and future achievements if his body didn¡¯t get the proper nutrients early in life.

    The only person who connected his boob-strike to his engagement was his mother. She tried the best she could to convince him that all would be well, that the engagement was perfectly normal and that he and Xiora would get along famously. She tried coaxing and punishing. She tried withholding his solid meals to get him hungry enough to once again breastfeed, but it was all for naught.

    That said, he did miss the connection time with his mother an Aloralla. It hurt him somewhat to think that this time of profound connection to his mother would soon end, even if he started suckling again. He had heard the members of the clan talking about how his parents, and even his grandparents, would be heading out on assignments again when he turned two.

    One could say that his time was limited.

    He sat down, thinking hard.

    Was this another immature reaction? Was he once again acting on impulse, hurting himself and others rather than actually doing something productive? He had a long history of being unreasonably stubborn and didn¡¯t want that trend to continue in this new life of his. It had, quite simply, been a detriment in his old life. What was the point of sticking to an argument if the only results were harmful ones?

    He was hurting his mother, Aloralla, and even Xixi. He¡¯d seen Xixi watching him, taking note of his refusal to breastfeed and had even started being fussy with her mealtimes. He had his ring of sustenance, but she had to rely on the food provided to her for her growth. Was he being a bad example for her?

    Yes, yes he was.

    *Deep breath*

    Was there a better way to show that he wasn¡¯t happy with being thrown into an engagement not of his choosing? Certainly. Passive-aggressive had to go. Time to put on his grownup pants.

    So, he stood up, straightened his shirt and pants, then made his way over to his mother who was conversing softly with Aloralla and Selussa. His mother looked over at his approach but continued speaking until he stopped in front of her.

    His approach hadn¡¯t been missed by Xixi nor Zanth, the latter trying to get a bear stuffy from Xixi but failing miserably as he was both younger and smaller than her.

    He waited a moment as Selussa got up to calm the irate Zanth, then started.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said, looking his mother in the eye.

    She blinked once, then regarded him seriously for a minute. Then another.

    He was about to start fidgeting when she finally spoke.

    ¡°So am I,¡± she began. ¡°Would you like to talk about it?¡± She leaned forward until her elbows were pressed against her knees, tempting him with sweet, sweet, lunch.

    No! I will not be bought off with food!

    He nodded, then took her hand in his and pulled her towards the door, wanting to have a more private setting for their Talk.

    After a few quick goodbyes, they made their way to their family rooms and made themselves comfortable around a small table set with in-season fruit. It was a bit extravagant, but fresh fruit was definitely welcome.

    It was hard to concentrate on what he wanted to say with Xixi asking him every few seconds to come back to play, so he sent a quick ¡°I¡¯ll be back¡± then put her on mute.

    At last, he mustered up his nerve and began.

    * * *

    Sulia wondered what exactly Joram was sorry about and what exactly he wanted to say to her. He was distracted the whole way back to their rooms, not even saying ¡°hi¡± to anyone that passed by like he usually did.

    It took him a few minutes after they¡¯d sat down to start, but what he had to say surprised her.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask me?¡± He said, tilting his head up to look her in the eye.

    ¡°About the engagement?¡±

    He nodded, so she continued.

    ¡°Let me ask you something,¡± she said. ¡°What about the engagement disturbs you so?¡±

    He paused, furrowing his little brow, before responding.

    ¡°Xixi is like a sister to me,¡± he finally said.

    Sulia nodded at that, having expected the answer. ¡°But she isn¡¯t,¡± she replied. ¡°You both have many years before you¡¯re expected to marry. You¡¯ll have plenty of time to develop your relationship further.¡±

    Joram paused again, probably because she¡¯d already said as much to him, and he wanted to say something more meaningful than ¡°no!¡±.

    ¡°But why didn¡¯t you ask me?¡± He asked, returning to his original point.

    ¡°Because we¡¯re your parents. Parents decide many things for their children.¡±

    Another pause, then, ¡°But you married who you wanted.¡±

    That gave her pause. Both because she¡¯d never spoken to him about that, and because she felt that thread of stubbornness making its way through their bond.

    Children remembered all sorts of things that people didn¡¯t expect them to. But who might have spilled the beans on that one? Their family wasn¡¯t the type that would just speak about anything at all, at any time. Or were they?

    Had Joram been exposed to the gossips of the clan after the announcement of his engagement? Had some busybody spoken poison into her son¡¯s ear, causing this confrontation?

    No. Well, probably not. She had noticed his reaction to the announcement after all.

    Then she came to a decision and went out on a limb.

    ¡°Is this not how things are done from where you come from?¡± She asked, casual as could be.

    Joram nodded, then stopped, eyes going round and face paling.

    She knew an ¡°oh, shit!¡± look when she saw it.

 Chapter 010

    Oh, shit! Oh, shit! Oh, shit! Oh, shit! Oh, shit! Oh, shit!

    Joram¡¯s mind was stuck in a loop, and he wasn¡¯t quite sure how to get out of it.

    On the one hand, it was a relief that his mother knew his biggest secret, that he wasn¡¯t from this realm. On the other hand, he was so freaked out, his mind going to every possible ¡°worst case¡± scenario, that he was starting to give himself an anxiety attack.

    It wasn¡¯t until he felt [Calm Emotions] flow through the network and into his brain that he realized that Avi had been trying to speak with him.

    ¡®Joram!¡¯

    ¡®What!?¡¯ He sent/yelled back even as he calmed down, his heartrate going back to a semblance of normal.

    ¡®Are you still alive?¡¯ She sent, patient as could be.

    ¡®Yes?¡¯ He sent back, not sure what she was getting at.

    ¡®Then I think that your mother has been sort of expecting that answer from you and isn¡¯t likely going to do something silly like killing you.¡¯

    Joram blinked, then brought his attention back to his mother who was looking at him with a mix of concern and amusement on her face.

    Then he blushed.

    He couldn¡¯t wait until the body was done developing!

    Then he facepalmed, remembering that the plethora of hormones messing with him wouldn¡¯t subside until his early twenties¡­

    Oh, fml!

    Then he looked at his mother again, who just so happened to be smoothing out her expression into one of serious concern, then touched a small gem on her bracelet as she sat up a bit straighter.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± he said reflexively, then mentally kicked himself in the head.

    ¡°Yeah, nice try little mister,¡± his mother replied with that ¡°cool Mom Look¡± that seemed to be genetically ingrained in every woman with a child. ¡°Your father and I have had our suspicions for quite a while now. So, you can explain it to me now and again when your father arrives, or you can explain it to us at the same time when your father arrives.¡±

    He stopped, this time taking a longer breath to calm himself again. No need for another intervention from Avi after all.

    ¡°When dad gets here,¡± he replied, sitting back into his chair after grabbing an apple.

    Well, it was called something else here, but if it looked like an apple, smelled like an apple, and tasted like an apple then he¡¯d call it an apple in his head. No use confusing people.

    He¡¯d barely gotten a bite out of it, with his mother looking at him with raised eyebrows, when his father flew into the room¡­ from the balcony. Also, literally. Ivaryn flew onto the balcony, swung the doors open, then flew to the couch where his wife was sitting, where he promptly sat down and stared at Joram.

    ¡°Ummmmm¡­¡± Joram said after chewing and swallowing his mouthful of apple.

    ¡°So, where would you like to start, Joram?¡± His mother asked as she took his father¡¯s hand in hers.

    He paused again, thinking of how to explain it all so that they wouldn¡¯t think him touched in the head.

    ¡°Well, it all started a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away¡­¡±

    Well, he was still a geek after all.

    -

    It took him a good three hours of explaining and answering questions to get through his story. He¡¯d thought that he¡¯d done well in learning the language here, but [Tongue of the Sun and Moon] had kicked in a few times with things like ¡°galaxy¡±, ¡°outsider¡±, and pretty much anything related to technology after the middle-ages.

    He was impressed with how well they were taking it in. The biggest surprise for them hadn¡¯t been that he¡¯d been reincarnated (again, they¡¯d pretty much decided that he was a reincarnator after all) but that he¡¯d come from another universe entirely.

    They¡¯d also questioned him about his cultivation before being killed.

    ¡°I really can¡¯t say,¡± he said. ¡°I was weak enough to be instantly killed by that old man though.¡±

    ¡°Bah,¡± his father said. ¡°It was probably some old monster that had come out of hiding to look for anything interesting after all that incident. No need to worry about it.¡±

    His mother nodded at that. ¡°Indeed, there¡¯s no use in worrying about something like that.¡±

    Now, he hadn¡¯t told them a few key things. One, that he had his own personal realm that he could store things away in, plant things, and even go there himself. Two, he hadn¡¯t gone into too much detail about Altaea, nor did he mention Avi, not wanting to give too much away. Nevermind that he had ¡°other¡± forms¡­

    His network, however, got much attention.

    ¡°So, you can speak with someone from anywhere?¡± His mother asked, eyes lighting up.

    ¡°Yes, and a few other things, like healing,¡± he replied.

    His parents exchanged looks at that, then once again turned to him, expression serious.

    ¡°Joram,¡± his father began. ¡°Healing like how you¡¯ve described it doesn¡¯t exist here.¡±

    His mother was nodding along, then continued for him.

    ¡°Please, do not let anyone know that you can heal by only using your mental strength,¡± she said, many levels of serious.

    He nodded, then blinked as his father continued.

    ¡°Being able to heal without medicinal pills is something that anyone would kill for,¡± he said. ¡°If anyone finds out about it, you¡¯ll be lucky if you only wind up being a ¡®prolonged¡¯ guest somewhere. If you¡¯re not, well, you¡¯ll wind up being a slave to whoever gets their hands on you.¡±

    Joram gulped. It had been a long time since he¡¯d gulped like that and was quite impressed by it.

    Yes, he was getting distracted. Who wanted to think about being enslaved?

    ¡°On another note,¡± his father segued. ¡°Can I join your ¡®net-work¡¯?¡± He asked, having a bit of trouble with the unfamiliar word, but then smiled as he got the ¡°invitation¡± and accepted.

    ¡®It is rather easy to speak like this,¡¯ Joram started. ¡®You just need to concentrate on what you¡¯d like to send through the network, much like you have to think about speaking out loud.¡¯

    His parents blinked in surprise at ¡®hearing¡¯ his voice, at not seeing his mouth move, not to mention how mature he sounded.

    ¡®We should probably speak this way any time we need to talk about¡­ me and stuff.¡¯ Joram sent, trailing off at the end. He really didn¡¯t like being the centre of attention and saying something like that had made him blush.

    After a little practice, they continued.

    ¡®So,¡¯ his mother started. ¡®You know how to use mental strength in unusual ways and can ¡®enchant¡¯ items. You also know some martial arts, which is good.¡¯ She said, lifting a finger for each point. ¡®You can heal, and even know some alchemy. But nothing of cultivation, of either path.¡¯

    ¡®No, I was only just discovering the Body Tempering stage when I had that¡­ encounter.¡¯

    ¡®That isn¡¯t a worry,¡¯ his father piped in. ¡®We can get you a wide variety of cultivation techniques that will be suitable for you.¡¯

    ¡®We should also see if any of the manuals for cultivating mental strength will help him.¡¯ His mother added thoughtfully.

    ¡®Yes, that would be good. But should we start him with the beginner¡¯s manuals, or go for the most advanced ones?¡¯ His father asked as he looked at his wife.

    *Ahem*, Joram cleared his throat to get their attention before they went off onto their own set of tangents.

    ¡®I think that starting at the beginning would be best,¡¯ he sent. ¡®I am, after all, unfamiliar with the techniques and methods of your world.¡¯

    That brought them both up short. They exchanged a look, slight blushes on their cheeks.

    ¡®Sorry,¡¯ his mother sent. ¡®It may take a while for us to adjust to having a son who remembers his past life.¡¯

    His father nodded at that, then turned serious.

    ¡®It¡¯s a good thing that you¡¯ve already stopped breastfeeding-¡® he cut off abruptly as his wife punched him in the shoulder hard enough to knock him out of his seat.

    ¡°If he needs to keep breastfeeding, he¡¯ll keep breastfeeding!¡± She said, eyes on fire.

    Well, not literally, but they certainly shone with an inner light.

    -

    - Week 79 ¨C

    His parents spent the majority of the last couple of weeks in the Library searching through the various cultivation manuals, both for his physical body and his mental strength. They¡¯d all agreed that Joram needed to finish his Body Tempering (or Tier 0, as they called it) before he would start studying the first Tier of magic.

    They¡¯d also gone over his other aptitudes and had been astonished at just how much he could do. Eventually, they decided that while he worked on completing Tier 0, he would cultivate his mental strength along with learning alchemy, especially once they heard the part of his story that had him cataloguing every interesting plant he¡¯d come across.

    Once he reached Tier 1, they would start teaching him Arrays and Formations, the basics of their magic system even though he¡¯d not be able to use them yet. He learned that that would come at the end of Tier 2, with much better results in the 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier and up.

    They¡¯d also go into Artifact Refining as his knowledge and cultivation increased, but wouldn¡¯t go too far into it, as they didn¡¯t want his attention split between too many paths. Nevermind that he basically knew how to do that already¡­

    All the while he¡¯d be cultivating his body while he studied. Well, doing various exercises, agility training, and basically calisthenics.

    It was taking them so long in their search not because they were being indecisive but because they wanted to find the best manuals for him that would allow for the best, most efficient, growth.

    Which led to today.

    ¡®I¡¯ll be heading into the¡­ archives,¡¯ his mother sent, hesitant to share that particular secret with him yet, ¡®to look for something appropriate for your physical cultivation.¡¯

    Joram just nodded along waving good-bye, happy to pretend that he didn¡¯t know exactly what she was talking about. The Heavenly Archive was something the whole clan knew about, but he understood why his mother was hesitant in letting him in on the secret.

    He and Avi had read through a lot of the first few sections of the Heavenly Archive, and they understood that it was a dangerous place.

    Not physically dangerous, no. It was the content, what was hidden there.

    There were secret techniques, refining methods, and such that would likely shift the balance of power in their country (let alone the continent) if the information got out. That didn¡¯t stop him from memorizing those more ¡°efficient¡± methods though.

    Besides the ¡°danger¡±, his parents didn¡¯t really know who Joram was, or what he¡¯d do with that knowledge.

    Which was fair. He¡¯d been effectively lying to his parents his whole life, hiding who and what he was.

    Did they understand his reluctance to trust anyone after he¡¯d been killed by the first native he¡¯d met in this world? Yes, yes they did.

    Did it lessen the hurt from being lied to all this time? Only a little.

    He could see that they¡¯d been hurt by his reluctance to share his secret with them, but also saw that they were trying. He couldn¡¯t express how much that meant to him.

    During this time, he¡¯d also become closer with his parents, if that didn¡¯t seem weird. He no longer had to pretend to be limited in his thinking and could thus share more effectively with them.

    That still didn¡¯t get him out of the engagement though.

    Well, baby steps.

    Unfortunately, there were no baby steps back to nursing. It seemed that his lull in breastfeeding had prompted his mother¡¯s mammaries to stop producing, much to his father¡¯s great amusement. So, that just meant that he was back to getting supplements from aunt Aloralla, which put a huge smile on her face.

    Not because of the extra workload on her system, but because Xixi had seen his return to breastfeeding and had wholeheartedly resumed her normal feeding habits.

    His daily classes with Gran continued, with her focussing more and more on him learning the foundations of mental strength. It wasn¡¯t bad, as he was getting a broader view of the subject according to the residents of this world.

    It seemed that everyone started by making a sort of bastion in their mind where they could gather their mental strength. From there, the bastion would expand from being a building- usually a pagoda here- to getting ¡°land¡± that surrounded it. This land would then be infused with mental strength as it grew. Or one could say that as ones¡¯ mental strength increased, so too did the size of the lands surrounding the original bastion/building/thingy.

    From there, it seemed that one would condense their mental strength into a body of water that surrounded that small island.

    He wasn¡¯t sure why they did it like this, as going from a solid state to a liquid state seemed backwards to him.

    For example, when a cultivator (from either path) reached Tier 1, their focus was to be able to gather the mana they absorbed as they increased in rank until they formed their ¡°core¡±, the centre of their body¡¯s power.

    Once they reached Tier 2, they then concentrated on increasing the size of their core, infusing as much mana as was safely possible. Even in this phase, the mana was in a ¡°gaseous¡± state, according to what he¡¯d read. It was like fog that swirled about a central axis in the core. Learning to use it internally is the goal for this realm.

    Tier 3 is where the Waeryn continent considered you a ¡°Mage¡± as this was where people learned to externally manifest the mana they¡¯d absorbed in the early ranks. While in the latter ranks, they would then focus on learning how to detect and then draw upon the mana of the ¡°Earth¡±. Once the Mage learned how to condense their internal mana in their core into a solid, they stepped into the 10<sup>th</sup> rank, but it wasn¡¯t until they could draw the Earth Mana that they made the breakthrough to the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier.

    That all said, it was a process of gathering energy and condensing it over and over again for the Mages. Even the Cultivators did pretty much the same thing, though calling Tier 1 the Foundation Realm, Tier 2 the Qi Gathering Realm, Tier 3 the Human Realm, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

    So then, why did the people who practiced mental strength here (he really was just going to start calling them ¡°psions¡± at this point as they really needed a name) go about it backwards compared to the rest?

    It wasn¡¯t until Avi came back from the Heavenly Archive with a new manual that he understood.

    It was an advanced volume, meant for those who¡¯d already condensed their ¡°knowledge sea¡± around their bastion. To summarize, for it went into quite the wordy and expansive explanation that the bastion was to protect the psion (his word there) from many possible situations like backlash and an invading mind or spirit.

    Sure, that was a good idea¡­ but he felt like it was made by someone who hadn¡¯t build up their mental fortitude, their mental defenses sufficiently as they progressed and had to basically use a bunker to keep from being hurt, or hurting themselves.

    He¡¯d have to ponder a work-around for that, as every technique that his parents had found only focussed on that path.

    His own ¡°knowledge sea¡± was quite different from what they described here.

    When he¡¯d first started training his mind to harness his psionic potential, Altaea had told him to visualize his energy any way that he liked. It could be a pond, a fortress, a palace, even a rock. But he had to keep with it. So, he¡¯d imagined his power taking the shape of a simple crystal that grew as he did.

    By this time, it had grown to be quite the size, something like the size of his old apartment building back home, a good seven stories tall, and sprawling.

    Anyway, what he didn¡¯t quite get was how the psions of world were able to store such vast amounts of psionic energy in their knowledge seas.

    Did it have to do with forming a bastion first? Did that somehow stabilize, and thus allow them retain such vast amounts of power? Could he somehow use his crystal as the bastion, then begin to condense that ¡°sea¡± of power?

    It was worth a shot.

    So, while he absently doodled as Gran went on about the latest character she¡¯d drawn for him, he entered his daily meditation early.  Well, most people called it sleep, but he could get by just meditating for the two hours per day instead of actually sleeping nowadays.

    As he meditated, he summoned the energy that normally infused his being and did his best to keep it around his crystal instead of merely dissipating once it left the surface of the crystal as it did when it was already full.

    It was like trying to prevent water from escaping his cupped hands¡­ in a windstorm, while balancing on one foot on top of a pole. Every time the energy gathered, he mentally ¡°grabbed¡± it to prevent it from dissipating, but it was like fog on a hot sunny day.

    It didn¡¯t work.

    Then a thought occurred to him, or rather a memory popped up of how a planet could keep a thin disk around itself. Or rather, how a planet could gather a ring that stayed with it in a stable orbit. It wasn¡¯t a mess that surrounded the planet from all sides, but a very thin, densely populated, ring, or disc.

    Well, ¡°dense¡± was relative, but worked for what he now planned.

    With that memory acting as a new source for the image that he wanted his knowledge sea to look like, he began imagining that his crystal had a massive amount of gravity to it; to help pull back the dissipating energy. Then he imagined it rotating, causing everything near it to do the same.

    At first, it was just as one would expect: not much happened.

    But slowly, ever so slowly, his crystal (or maybe he would start calling it his bastion) began to change. The shift was ever-so-slight at first, merely causing a small eddy in the flow of energy flowing away from the bastion. Then another eddy joined the first, then another, and soon he could see a marked shift in how the energy flowed around the bastion.

    He did a little dance in his head as his consciousness watched the changes taking place, then reverse.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    The resulting expulsion of energy not only threw him out of his mind, but also knocked him out his chair to fall on his back, his head bouncing on the hardwood floor.

    * * *

    Bezia sat on the floor, Joram¡¯s head cradled in her lap. She¡¯d already wiped the blood away from his nose and fed him a Gentle Jade Breeze medicinal pill to help stabilize his condition, so she waited for him to recover as her daughter glared daggers at her.

    She wasn¡¯t sure how Sulia (and her husband) had known Joram had suffered a backlash, but they¡¯d arrived shortly after she¡¯d fed Joram the medicinal pill and had demanded answers.

    She hadn¡¯t been able to give them much of anything, as she didn¡¯t have a clue as to why he¡¯d suffer such a backlash from her lesson. It had been centred on a character related to mental strength, yes, but one meant for meditation.

    Bezia suppressed another sigh as Sulia once again dabbed Joram¡¯s forehead with a wet cloth provided to her by Ivaryn.

    ¡°Tell me again what you were saying when he collapsed,¡± Sulia said from Joram¡¯s stool at his little desk while she looked at what he¡¯d been working on.

    Bezia suppressed another sigh. Her daughter was sure getting bossy.

    ¡°That is the ¡®Thought as a Still Pool¡¯ character, as you well know,¡± she began. ¡°I was expounding upon the subtler meanings associated with each brushstroke when I noticed him go completely still.¡±

    Bezia eyed Sulia, but she only nodded absently as she looked at something Joram had been working on.

    ¡°That is when I felt a trace amount of mental strength coming from him and stopped to observe,¡± she finished, now waiting on Sulia to continue her redundant questioning.

    She was then surprised when Sulia merely nodded vaguely and picked up the coarse paper, used for letting children practice their brushwork, then held it up so that Bezia could see.

    Bezia was about to ask why she thought it was so important when she began to recognize some of the drawings on it.

    There was what looked like a tall pagoda on a small island in the sea, but crossed out. The next one, right beside the first, was of a large rock surrounded by fog. That one was also crossed out. The third and final drawing was of that same rock but surrounded by what looked like concentric rings.

    Bezia¡¯s eyes went back to the pagoda, noticing the subtlety of the strokes indicating the flow of energy and intent to and from the pagoda. The thickening of a stroke here, the faintest of strokes there, and it all added up to one conclusion.

    It almost seemed as though the child thought that it was¡­ wrong.

    The audacity.

    She paused again, this time taking the paper from Sulia and inspecting it more thoroughly. She didn¡¯t even notice when Sulia slid Joram from her lap, so intent was she on ferreting out the meaning behind the drawings.

    * * *

    Sulia knew that Joram¡¯s life wasn¡¯t in danger, but seeing him laying there, pale as could be had scared her more than she cared to say; nevermind when she¡¯d felt traces of the backlash through her bond- connection to him.

    ¡®Dear,¡¯ she sent to her husband. ¡®Could you please take Joram to our rooms? I need to speak with my mother.¡¯

    Ivaryn merely nodded as he gently picked Joram up and cradled him in his large arms.

    Sulia smiled at the sight. Seeing her husband holding their son so tenderly warmed her heart that so badly needed comfort right then. She reached over and delicately moved the hair out of her son¡¯s face, then kissed Ivaryn before he left.

    Deep breath in, deep breath out, she told herself as she composed her heart and face, then turned around to regard her mother.

    Her mother. The strongest in mental strength in the family, even beating out Tatia who was a full Tier stronger than her. She had the most profound insights in generations, reaching late into Tier 4 mental strength already.

    Sulia had known that it might be dangerous letting her mother have so much time with Joram but had trusted that he would be like other children while learning. Namely, in taking his time.

    After Joram¡¯s big revelation to them, she¡¯d even dismissed her worries when she¡¯d found out that he was even more talented and more powerful than just about anyone else on the continent when it came to mental strength.

    But now, now she was worried again. If someone so talented had had such a backlash while looking at a simple character, then maybe she had been right to worry in the first place. Maybe their cultivation methods for mental strength weren¡¯t compatible with the ones he¡¯d been taught? Was that the cause of this?

    Sulia looked to her mother again, seeing that she hadn¡¯t moved a muscle after taking the page from her. She seemed to be in a state of deep contemplation, not even blinking as she gazed at the page.

    So, Sulia did what her mother had done for her in the past; she squatted down, carefully slid her left arm under her mother¡¯s knees while her right arm went around her back, just under the shoulder blades, then stood up in one smooth motion.

    Her mother didn¡¯t even blink as she was lifted, nor did she blink when she was placed on the soft couch beside the window with a view of the gardens. Not even when Sulia placed a cushion just so behind her and sat on the other end of the couch.

    And waited.

    And while she waited some more, she went through her mental list of cultivation techniques that she and Ivaryn hand gone through and short-listed for further perusal. She was tempted to toss out the entire list of manuals on mental strength and how to cultivate it but was hesitant to do so since they hadn¡¯t gotten to the bottom of Joram¡¯s backlash mystery.

    She knew that many of the cultivation techniques from the Zhizun Zhanshi continent were horribly incompatible with the cultivation techniques that her Waeryn continent used, and vice-versa. So then, it stood to reason that the same could be said of various mental strength cultivation techniques out there.

    She heaved a sigh, as she now regretted not being strong in mental strength like never before. She didn¡¯t have the insights needed to help Joram through this new trial of his.

    She looked over to her mother again, trying to decide if letting her in on Joram¡¯s secret was a wise decision or not. Sure, she had high attainments in mental strength, but she was also still Bezia. Would she put her own desires for knowledge before the well-being of her grandson? Would she insist on teaching him everything she thought he should know, even with all the risks that it might entail?

    Lost in her thoughts, Sulia was jarred out of them by a very un-ladylike bark of laughter from beside her, bringing her back to reality and the realization that it was the middle of the night, judging from the position of the moon.

    Bezia was now looking around with a bit of a blank look on her face, seemingly confused by her presence on the couch. After a couple of blinks, Bezia turned to her with a smile that she¡¯d rarely seen on her mother.

    ¡°That boy is a genius,¡± she said without preamble, still smiling.

    The smile was starting to give her the shivers. She¡¯d never seen her mother smile for so long.

    ¡°Well, yes, yes he is,¡± she replied with her own smile. ¡°What insights have you gained from his doodles?¡±

    Her mother blinked, then blinked again, her smile finally fading.

    ¡°Yes, well, it might just be coincidence,¡± she started. ¡°But we both know that there is no such thing as coincidence.¡±

    Sulia didn¡¯t reply to that. It had been quite the topic of debate throughout history, and in their home. Fate. Destiny. The idea that everything was pre-determined and thus was not chance, but plan. Her mother was strongly for the Fate Argument, while she was somewhat opposed to it. She¡¯d even used her marriage to Ivaryn as an argument that ¡°Fate¡± wasn¡¯t in control of her life, only herself.

    Neither her mother nor grandmother had liked that argument one bit.

    ¡°With such insights into the workings of the knowledge sea, why can¡¯t I feel anything but traces, wisps, of mental strength from him?¡±

    Sulia took that as a rhetorical question, mostly because she didn¡¯t want to answer it.

    Fortunately, Bezia didn¡¯t seem to expect an answer from her and continued.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t much time to teach him before I need to leave on assignment again,¡± she said. ¡°I need more time with him each day to nurture him as much as possible before leaving again.¡±

    ¡°Stop,¡± Sulia said, hand raised in front of her. ¡°Until we an determine what caused this backlash, there will be no further training for Joram.¡±

    Bezia blinked at her, then furrowed her brow slightly as her eyes narrowed.

    ¡°Daughter,¡± she began, emphasizing the familial tie. ¡°I appreciate your concern for Joram, but if his potential is as high as I suspect it is, he will need all the guidance that he can get before I leave.¡±

    ¡°And it could be that the many lessons related to mental strength that you¡¯ve taught him over the past year have become jumbled up in his head and caused him to try for something that he wasn¡¯t ready for,¡± Sulia replied, arms crossed, jaw set stubbornly.

    She wasn¡¯t exactly lying there, as she was pretty sure that it was likely a conflict in cultivation methods that had caused the backlash. However, that wasn¡¯t something she could share right then.

    Bezia paused in thought for a moment before shaking her head.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t taught him anything that could cause such a reaction,¡± she said, shaking her head again. ¡°Either way, you are right though. We need to find out what caused this before continuing with his lessons.

    ¡°That said, thank you for bringing me to the couch,¡± Bezia said with another smile, though this one was more of what she¡¯d experienced throughout her life.

    ¡°I only did what I should have,¡± she replied, clearing her throat. It was relatively rare to receive thanks from her mother, so she hadn¡¯t been prepared for it.

    ¡°Nevertheless, thank you,¡± she said. ¡°Well, we should rest up before the night gets away from us. Good night, dear.¡± She said as she stood up, stepped over to Sulia and gave her a kiss on the forehead, then left.

    Sulia was so stunned that she couldn¡¯t even blink for a while, nevermind say anything.

    Who is that, and what has she done with my mother?!

    That was only a half joke.

    Did the fact that Sulia was now a mother somehow change things in her mother¡¯s head? Had some hidden wall broken down, now allowing her to show more affection for her youngest child and only daughter?

    She¡¯d never been close with her three older brothers as the next oldest from her was a quarter century older than her, and thus hadn¡¯t had much to do with the ¡°new¡± baby when she¡¯d come along. That said, maybe she should go ask them if they¡¯d noticed anything weird with their mother¡­

    * * *

    Avi was bored as could be.

    Yes, she was in the most exclusive library on the planet (probably). Yes, she had plenty to do. But it was monotonous.

    Every day it was the same. Her day started when she finished her meditations to restore her power reserves, followed by briefly checking up on her vast Alcohol Empire (newly dubbed) to make sure that it was running smoothly. Then she was off to copy text after text, manual after manual, tome after tome.

    Sure, there were slightly more interesting parts where she found a text/manual/tome/scroll/what-have-you that was magical in nature and required extra attention in copying. Those were a bit more fun, as their contents wouldn¡¯t copy over fully with her standard use of [Replicate]. No, those needed something a bit more potent like [Bend Reality] or [Reality Revision] to properly copy over and would thus require more time to set the appropriate parameters for it to work properly.

    Interesting distractions like that had been rare in the first few Tiers of the Heavenly Archive, but as she got further into it, the appeared more often, thus taking more and more time to copy things over even though the sheer volume of materials to copy was decreasing. She¡¯d soon need to get pickier at what she copied if she had any hope of completing the task in the next decade or so.

    Then there was Joram. He¡¯d somehow managed to give himself some psychic feedback in the form of an overchannel, dealing himself a rather substantial blow.

    She was sure that he¡¯d made items to protect himself from such damage, so she was all the more confused that it had happened at all.

    That said, she couldn¡¯t even talk to Joram because his injury had knocked him out. She had already done a diagnostic on him to make sure that he wouldn¡¯t suffer any ¡°permanent¡± damage from the feedback and had decided to just let him wake up on his own. After all, kids didn¡¯t learn if they were saved from themselves too often.

    ¡­ and she was still bored.

    At least when Sulia came into the Heavenly Archive it made things a bit more interesting as she¡¯d need to keep out of sight and not do anything too obvious so that she could avoid detection.

    Maybe there¡¯s something more interesting in the Tier 7 section¡­? She mused as she drifted over to that ¡°wing¡±.

    Well, a teleport-pad that led to that wing. The building had been sectioned off into the various Tiers, all physically blocked off from the other sections with the only way to access them being the teleportation network built into the place.

    There were interesting restrictions preventing any sort of teleportation throughout the building, so it was necessary to use the pads to get to where you wanted to go. Fortunately the runestone she¡¯d made when examining Sulia¡¯s had every permission except for the Tier 8 stuff. Maybe that was reserved for the Matriarch.

    A flash of light later found Avi floating to the nearest stack, perusing the titles as she drifted by.

    She ignored the ones with the most pretentious titles like: ¡°Supreme Heavenly Might¡±, ¡°Overturn the Heavens with a Palm¡±, and ¡°Emperor¡¯s Divine Fist¡±. Maybe she¡¯d copy them later, but for now they were ignored. She needed a cultivation manual that suited Joram, not a guide on how to conquer the world.

    She was on the last stack, right up at the top where a few other books had fallen over somehow and covered a smaller volume in their bulk.

    She heaved a mental sigh as she righted the stack of books, not wanting them to be damaged by laying at an angle like that.

    The smaller book was closer to a magazine than an actual book in thickness. Well, most of the ¡°books¡± here were rather thin compared to what Joram had stored away in his collection from Earth. But this one was only a half-centimetre or so thick, which was unusual in this section. Most of the others were at least three times as thick as this one, and more fancifully decorated too.

    Well, the long-forgotten/ignored manual is either trash and deserved to be forgotten. Or it was the secret treasure that everyone ignored because it was so plain looking.

    *Nod-nod*

    Sound logic, that. Right out of the ¡°Last Crusade¡±.

    She heaved another mental sigh at just how bored she was to be so easily going on tangents like that. Though, in her defense, she¡¯d had a thousand years to go through every bit of media that Joram had collected over the years¡­ several times, learn programming and edit some games/files/apps/what-have-you... However, she¡¯d never admit to Joram that she¡¯d become an otaku...

    Who needed two people nerding-out when something triggered them?

    One was enough, thank you.

    Coming back to the here-and-now, Avi looked down at the plain black cover and read the title that was so faded that it was barely legible.

    ¡°Encompass the Universe,¡± she read out loud, then nearly threw it away in disgust due to yet another pretentious title, but stopped. Maybe this would actually be useful¡­?

    But she didn¡¯t detect any magical or psionic emanations coming from it. Would it actually be useful? The magical ones all seemed impressive, even going as far as helping guide the reader on their path with various insights at the right time.

    Welp, the welp gets what he gets, she happily thought to herself as she made her way back to the teleport pad, then back to the entrance so she could planeshift back.

    Ah, good days¡¯ work there Avi! She congratulated herself as she disappeared from the Heavenly Archive.

    * * *

    Her visit to her third brother, Cyran and his wife Renna, had been¡­ dull. Yes, it had been nice to visit with them, but Renna had kept giving her shrewd looks that she thought she wouldn¡¯t notice. Her brother, however, just went with the flow, doing all the little things one expected of a good host.

    Their daughter, Valetha, had been the model of propriety, offering to serve her auntie. Sulia didn¡¯t know if she was as guileless as she seemed; but if not, her acting skills were top-notch.

    ¡°¡­ seen anything unusual,¡± Cyran said then took a sip of tea.

    Sulia mentally went back a few moments in the conversation to catch the gist of what he¡¯d said, then nodded in relief.

    ¡°Then, how do you explain her odd behaviour?¡±

    Cyran nodded serenely as he answered. ¡°Eldest Brother once shared that he¡¯d been positively pampered growing up. He then noticed that the extra attention that he had growing up lessened with Second Brother. By the time I came around, I was more-or-less left to run free,¡± he said with a shake of the head. ¡°Then, after so long, you came along. I think she placed so many of her hopes on you and that is why she was so hard on you as you grew up.¡±

    Sulia was¡­ perplexed, puzzled, and positively flabbergasted at the revelation that her mother had been so¡­ normal with her firstborn. If she had it in her to be like that with her firstborn, then why hadn¡¯t she treated her first daughter like that?

    And why had people said that Bezia had always been distant?!

    Yes, there was a bit of jealousy in there; she wouldn¡¯t lie to herself.

    ¡°Besides,¡± Cyran continued. ¡°With a child as talented as nephew, I¡¯m sure that she¡¯d just bursting at the seams to teach him everything she can while she¡¯s around.¡±

    Sulia caught Renna suppressing a frown and Valetha not quite succeeding at hiding her own.

    If what she¡¯d heard since returning, all of Joram¡¯s first cousins hadn¡¯t quite lived up to her performance growing up.

    Valetha was only at the peak of the 1<sup>st</sup> Tier at almost seventeen years old, while her other cousins were only in the early 2<sup>nd</sup> Tier, except for her oldest nephew who¡¯d finally reached the 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier a few years ago. They were all a disappointment to the matriarch, let alone their grandmother, so Valetha¡¯s reaction didn¡¯t surprise Sulia. When the Matriarch of the Clan was displeased about something, everyone knew it. Not from gossip, no. From the Matriarch herself. If she thought something wasn¡¯t up to her standards, she did her best to rectify it.

    ¡°Thank you for the praise Third Brother,¡± Sulia said with a smile. ¡°But placing too many expectations on the younger generation will weigh them down too much.¡±

    Cyran just waved that off with a smile and changed the subject, going away from what he knew to be a touchy subject. Soon, they were chatting about the clan businesses and how they were doing.

    They didn¡¯t have the high-end shops, or the ones that catered to the elite. Theirs were aimed at the middle-class, the ones with enough money to spend on extras while not having to worry over-much about a budget. Having high-end shops attracted too much attention for their own good.

    The one thing that they had over even the high-end shop was a secret teleportation network that allowed for easy transport of the clan and its assets. They always ¡°just happened¡± to have enough stock, even when ¡°times were tough¡±.

    Their shops¡¯ wares ranged from common items such as food and clothing, all the way to low-grade to mid-grade arrays, formations, artifacts, and even alchemy. They had shops in many cities across the continent, serving the masses. One might think that that would make them rich, but a good portion of the crystals they made in profit went to powering their teleportation arrays.

    It was, quite honestly, a ridiculous expense for the clan, but one that allowed them to continue their sacred work of finding and preserving knowledge in secret.

    After another hour of discussing family business and other mundane things, Sulia excused herself and headed back to her rooms, thinking.

    She could probably arrange for regular deliveries of alchemical supplies, through their network, for Joram to use and practice alchemy. But it would be expensive. They¡¯d need to arrange to sell most of the pills and such that he made to cover the costs.

    It would be tight at first, as they¡¯d only brought Joram manuals and recipes for Tier 0 and Tier 1. There wasn¡¯t a lot of profit in those unless you were willing to create them in bulk to help mitigate the transportation costs.

    Well, even if the sales didn¡¯t cover all the expenses, she and Ivaryn had some pretty good savings they could dip into until Joram¡¯s alchemical prowess improved.

    She topped at the door to their family¡¯s quarters and briefly sent her senses out to feel if there were any fluctuations from within.

    Nothing.

    Good, the privacy array seems to be working, she thought as she opened the door and quickly slipped inside.

    Once inside though, she could feel everything that was going on. Ivaryn was meditating on the balcony while Joram slept soundly in his room. Well, at least she assumed as much as she sensed his rhythmic breathing and slower heartrate.

    The array had been a good decision on their part as they needed to keep Joram¡¯s growth on the down-low to avoid any potential family politicking¡­ or backstabbing.

    There hadn¡¯t been any of that in the last few generations, but clans could give birth to any sort. And with how long it had been since the last family ¡°dispute¡±, she wasn¡¯t going to take any chances, especially since her line hadn¡¯t produced as many female heirs as they would have liked.

    ¡°So,¡± Ivaryn said, nearly stopping her heart as she¡¯d missed his approach. ¡°What does the family think?¡± He asked, referring to her investigation concerning her mother.

    ¡°Basically, she¡¯s excited to have someone to teach,¡± Sulia replied once her heart calmed down. ¡°Did you know that Eldest Brother was spoiled by her?¡±

    Ivaryn laughed at that. ¡°Well, he does seem to have a golden spoon shoved up his arse.¡±

    Sulia was about to give him a punch, but held back due to how accurate that statement was. He¡¯d been insufferable growing up, acting like he was her father and could order her about as he wished just because he was first-born and forty years older than her.

    To be fair, he had actually been around for most of her childhood and had already been married by the time she¡¯d been born. So maybe that was why he¡¯d taken a father figure role instead of an older brother role.

    Well, he¡¯d learned. From her grandmother, anyway.

    Tatia had had to step in a few times to put Rydel in his place and to punish her for being too ¡°strong-willed¡±. Ones¡¯ elders needed to be respected after all.

    ¡°How¡¯s Joram?¡± She asked, looking towards his room.

    ¡°Sleeping well. He needs the rest after such a backlash,¡± Ivaryn replied with a slight shake of his head. ¡°I thought he was supposed to be really good with that sort of thing.¡±

    Sulia nodded, then said. ¡°I think that it was a conflict of cultivation methods,¡± she explained. ¡°If he was trying to get them to work together and failed, then that would explain what happened.¡±

    Ivaryn nodded then shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to trust in his knowledge of mental strength and how best to cultivate it.¡±

    ¡°About that,¡± Sulia started, not quite looking at Ivaryn. ¡°Mother is going to be helping him more once we all figure out ¡®what went wrong¡¯.¡±

    Ivaryn just levelled a flat look at her.

    Sulia shrugged, trying not to show how embarrassed she was that she couldn¡¯t even say no to her own mother.

    ¡°Well, I did manage to get her to hold off on new lessons until we figure out the backlash issue¡­¡±

    The flat look continued.

    ¡°Besides,¡± she began, starting to get flustered. ¡°She¡¯s the only one in the clan with such high attainments in mental strength. She is likely the best qualified to help Joram figure things out.¡± She said, now folding her arms and leaning back slightly from where Ivaryn stood.

    The flat look continued¡­

    At this point, Sulia was definitely flustered. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, then let it out slowly as she opened them again to regard her husband.

    Missing husband.

    She blinked, then blinked again to make sure that she was indeed registering a lack of Ivaryn in front of her, then just about jumped out of her skin when she felt arms wrap around her from behind, and stifled a very un-ladylike shriek at the same time.

    ¡°Ah, I love how easy it still is to tease you,¡± he whispered in her ear as he held her firmly in his arms.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to kick you to the capital!¡± She said, but started to melt as he lowered his head and breathed out hot air onto her neck then gave her a little nip, causing her knees to nearly buckle.

    ¡°Let¡¯s make a stop in the bedroom first,¡± he said, picked her up, then made his way to their room.

    * * *

    With a start, Joram¡¯s eyes popped open looking this way and that wondering what had woken him up.

    After a moment he managed to calm his racing heart and take a few deep breaths.

    He looked around again, this time taking note of the dying light outside and the room itself. He was in his bedroom, so¡­

    Ah, the feedback from my¡­ experiment, he thought as he rubbed his eyes. He must have been out all afternoon.

    ¡®Avi?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Did I miss anything important?¡¯ He asked as he sat up and leaned against the oversized headboard of his bed, taking note of the pajamas (well, a robe equivalent of pajamas anyway) he wore and shook his head.

    ¡®Well, I found what I think to be a decent cultivation manual. Bezia will be spending more time tutoring you,¡¯ she said, then added. ¡®Oh, and your parents seem to be trying for another child.¡¯

    That¡¯s what woke me up?!

    ¡®Stop! No details!¡¯ He sent frantically. No one needed to know that, especially their child!

    ¡®Ah, it¡¯s so fun riling you up,¡¯ she sent. ¡®So, so much easier than before.¡¯

    Joram held back a comment, then something occurred to him.

    ¡®Avi?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Joram?¡¯

    ¡®It has been bugging me for a while now, but V.I.s shouldn¡¯t have¡­¡¯ he trailed off, trying to find the words to express the sentiment. Then the words of his favourite Traynor came to mind. ¡®V.I.s don¡¯t act like you. They don¡¯t make requests like being added to my network.¡¯

    He got the distinct impression that Avi smiled right then.

    ¡®I¡¯m an A.I., fully self-aware.¡¯

    Joram¡¯s head exploded, metaphorically speaking.

    No, the largest thing in his brain that was the most attention-grabbing was the Mass Effect reference being shot right back at him. He didn¡¯t know why, but that was more important at that moment in time than remembering to breath.

    Which he eventually did, with a loud intake of air once he finally noticed that his vision was dimming.

    Then everything else hit, all at once.

    She wasn¡¯t just his personal droid doing what he needed, nor an assistant, or what-have-you. No, she was sapient. Fully self-aware with her own preferences, desires, and presumably goals in ¡°life¡±. He¡¯d been treating her like he¡¯d treated his psicrystal before Altaea¡¯s alterations to it: as a fragment of himself to do what he wanted with.

    But she was based off his psicrystal and existed because he existed¡­ Or so he thought. Would Avi have continued on if he¡¯d actually died that day, or would she have ¡°died¡± with him?

    Then his thought from a while ago came up again. Was he treating her like a slave? Was he a slave owner? Was he now one of those scumbags he¡¯d read about countless times? The ones who didn¡¯t care about the enslaved person but only cared about their own interests?

    Was Avi helping him because she wanted to, or was it because of some remnant programming of her base V.I. that kept her loyal to him? Was that any different? That he wasn¡¯t the one who enslaved her, but still took advantage of that bit of programming? Was being an unwitting ¡°master¡± any better than being a knowing one?

    ¡®Avi?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Joram?¡¯

    ¡®How much of your¡­ ¡°programming¡± are you aware of?¡¯

    ¡®All of it,¡¯ she replied, taking on that sexy ship voice.

    Joram gulped, then continued. ¡®So, is there anything written in there to make you¡­¡¯ Damn, this is hard!

    ¡®Subservient? Slave to your will?¡¯ She helpfully provided for him.

    He sent a mental nod, trying very hard not to freak out.

    ¡®No, there is not,¡¯ she finished, still in that sexy ship voice.

    How is she so good at imitating Edi¡¯s voice?!

    ¡®So, you¡¯re OK doing¡­ stuff?¡¯ He asked lamely. He so wasn¡¯t good with this stuff.

    Like, who is good at discussing things like slavery and if they¡¯re a slave owner or not?!

    Deep breath in, deep breath out.

    ¡®It gets boring at times, but at least it is something more interesting than supervising and managing a demiplane for a thousand years.¡¯

    ¡®But you¡¯re not just doing it because you feel obliged to, are you?¡¯

    ¡®No.¡¯

    ¡®¡­ and you¡¯re OK with our¡­ relationship?¡¯

    ¡®Joram,¡¯ she began. ¡®I am doing what I am doing because I want to. Yes, we are linked at a fundamental level, but that doesn¡¯t mean that you have any undue influence over my wants, desires, or actions. I am me; you are you. Two unique beings originating from one entity.¡¯

    ¡®Huh.¡¯

 Chapter 011

    After a <em style="font-size: 0.9em">very lengthy discussion about their relationship and how they worked together, Joram and Avi- who¡¯d come out of his head to sit with him in bed, her holographic projection sitting there with him- sat in thought for a while.

    Finally, Joram spoke up.

    ¡®So, I¡¯ve decided to work on a body for you so that you can be more autonomous.¡¯

    ¡®Don¡¯t worry about it for now,¡¯ Avi sent back. ¡®This form is more convenient for helping you with what you need, and staying out of sight,¡¯ she added with a smile.

    ¡®OK, then. So, about that cultivation manual?¡¯ He asked, much relieved to be past that supremely awkward topic.

    ¡®Yes, I think that this one might be a suitable starting point for you,¡¯ she sent as she summoned the manual from his storage area and ¡°handed¡± it to him with four of her eight legs as her hologram couldn¡¯t actually interact with the physical realm.

    Joram¡¯s fingers tingled slightly when he took the manual but ignored it when he read the tile: Encompass the Universe.

    He quirked an eyebrow at Avi who merely shrugged with a ¡°don¡¯t aske me¡± look.

    Shaking his head, he once again noticed the tingle in his fingers. ¡®Is this special in some way?¡¯

    ¡®Well, the book seems to be non-magical, but I thought it best to just bring the original copy with me as it was in a very over-looked place in the Archive.¡¯

    ¡®It tingles,¡¯ he sent, focussing more on the manual in his hands. It was about as thick as a magazine, with paper finer than what he was used to seeing in his new home, but gave off the impression that each page was much stronger than the pages of a magazine back in his original world.

    He was about to [Delve] it to see what it was all about when he felt the door starting to slide open. With a thought, he stored the manual away again, grabbed Avi and stuffed her under his blanket, then started a yawn/stretch combination as the door opened fully to show his parents.

    ¡°You¡¯re up!¡± His mother exclaimed and rushed to his side, sliding through the hologram of Avi on her way- that was weird to see-, and put a hand on his forehead to presumably check his temperature.

    ¡°Yup, just got up!¡± He replied as he felt Avi shift into him. That never got any less weird, no matter how many times she did it. He was also glad that he was the only one who could see Avi when she ¡°projected¡± like that. How awkward would a conversation about a strange woman being in his room be?

    After an exchange of pleasantries and worries, they continued.

    ¡°So, do you know what happened?¡± His father asked, taking a seat on a chair instead of his bed. He made the chair sized for Joram look ridiculous.

    ¡®Well, I had a theory about expanding my ¡®knowledge sea¡¯ and it didn¡¯t quite go according to plan,¡¯ he sent, not wanting to risk any of this leaking out.

    ¡®What happened?¡¯ His mother coaxed him.

    With a wry grin, he explained his theory about how he could expand his reservoir of psionic energy by incorporating the cultivation methods of this world with what he¡¯d be taught. He also went into how useful it would be to have an expanded reservoir to work with even though his methods of using psionic energy were levels of magnitude more efficient than those of this world.

    ¡®In short,¡¯ his mother began. ¡®You took the first step to becoming the most powerful practitioner of mental strength on the planet.¡¯

    Joram blinked at that, then grinned ruefully.

    ¡®Well, yeah, if you put it like that,¡¯ he sent back. ¡®But I was really curious as to why practicing psionics here seems to be completely different from cultivating to be a Mage.¡¯

    His parents shared a look, then turned back to him. ¡®Many people have gone down that road before, but none have been able to fully answer that question.¡± His mother finally said, a slight frown on her face.

    ¡®It¡¯s just so weird,¡¯ he sent. ¡®Tier 0 is all about preparing the body to house mana. Tier 1 is all about using that mana internally to prepare to use it externally. But from Tier 1, you condense the ephemeral into a kind of fog that you continue to condense as you rise in Tiers. But with psionics- mental strength, you go from first condensing a solid to then condensing a liquid. It¡¯s just so¡­ backwards!¡¯ He sent, letting his frustration flow through the network to really convey how he was feeling about the seemingly contradictory cultivation methods.

    His parents shared another look, causing him to think that they¡¯d somehow developed their own type of network to silently communicate.

    ¡®That was one reason I found it so hard to get on the path of mental strength, or as you put it, ¡°psionics¡±,¡¯ she sent, sending her own feelings on the matter, frustration being the predominant one. ¡®That said, there is an innate talent for psionics that one can¡¯t ignore, so there¡¯s that.¡¯

    ¡®Well, there¡¯s much to think about,¡¯ he sent, then changed the subject. ¡®I hope I didn¡¯t freak-out Gran with passing out like that.¡¯

    Another glance was exchanged, this time causing his mother to blush slightly. ¡®Well, yes and no,¡¯ she sent. ¡®She was confused as to the ¡°why it happened¡± more than it happening at all.¡¯

    ¡®Yes, she wants to have more time with you, every day now, to help teach you before we¡¯re all sent off on assignment,¡¯ his father piped in. ¡®You wouldn¡¯t believe how annoying it¡¯s been trying to keep her away these past two days.¡¯

    Blink-blink.

    ¡®What?¡¯

    Another glance was exchanged. What¡¯s up with that?

    ¡®You¡¯ve been unconscious for over two days now.¡¯ His mother sent, not quite hiding the concern on her face.

    ¡®Huh, I¡¯d wondered why I was wearing my pajamas,¡¯ he sent with a weak grin on his face.

    He noticed the blank looks on their faces when he used a word they didn¡¯t recognize, but nonetheless had its meaning conveyed through the network. Ah, so useful!

    ¡®So, what¡¯s your plan going forward with your training?¡¯ His father asked, getting back on topic.

    ¡®Well, I think that my theory has merit. It was just that I¡¯d gotten¡­ a bit distracted at the end and that¡¯s what caused the issue. If I could go into seclusion for a while, I¡¯m sure that I could get it going.¡¯

    ¡®Your grandmother won¡¯t like that very much,¡¯ his father interjected before his mother could say anything.

    ¡®Yes, she¡¯s quite interested in getting you going on the path of mental strength,¡¯ his mother sent, physically nodding her head.

    ¡®Well, I suppose that I could wait until she¡¯s gone to do that.¡¯

    ¡®We¡¯ll also be gone, so we won¡¯t be able to deflect questions about why you¡¯re in seclusion at such a young age.¡¯ His father sent, adding the voice of wisdom to the conversation.

    ¡®Being a child is such a pain!¡¯ He sent, letting his frustration flow, which elicited smiles from his parents.

    ¡®Yes, it is. But you¡¯ll figure it out,¡¯ his mother sent, still smiling.

    ¡®In the mean-time,¡¯ his father butted in. ¡®We should probably go out and have a meal with the family. They¡¯ve been anxious to make sure that you¡¯re well, and going to see them would help reassure them that you¡¯re doing fine.¡¯

    His mother gave his father a Look but gave in as the logic of the argument was fairly sound.

    Soon enough, Joram was changed and heading down to the dining hall where members of the clan took their meals if they didn¡¯t just stay home to have a quieter meal.

    Joram was dropped off at the ¡°kids¡± table, smiling at Xixi and Zander as they waved at him, then waved to his other cousins.

    Soon enough they were all eating, being served their portions by a servant¡­ Or were these maids? They were responsible for doing almost all of the mundane day-to-day things that kept a large clan like theirs running. They cooked, cleaned, and ran errands. Most were from branch families- well, everyone in the town was related in one way or another, however distantly- and paid well for their work.

    Some chose to live at the main house/compound, while others came and went from their own homes.

    He shrugged and just kept the ¡°maid¡± tag.

    With a sigh, he dug into his food to show that he was ¡°healthy and well¡±. Sure, it was tasty- great even- but he¡¯d gotten used to pretty much just eating when it was time to breastfeed with aunt Aloralla.

    Well, he got his reprieve when Gran came over to see how he was doing¡­ and question him about what had happened.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said with a shrug and a bland look.

    ¡°Do you remember what you were thinking about when it happened?¡± Gran prodded, not wanting to let it go.

    ¡°Nope,¡± he lied with a straight face, putting into practice the many hours he¡¯d spent with Altaea working on his ¡°poker face¡±.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s OK then,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ll have lots of time together to get things sorted out and get you on the right path.¡±

    Joram¡¯s eyebrow just about twitched, a habit from his old life, but stopped it with a supreme act of willpower.

    ¡°Right path¡±, my eye! He thought to himself as she smiled at his grandmother. Only a few months, only a few months¡­ He practically turned it into a mantra.

    On the outside, he only nodded, bowed, then went back to eating. That was much preferable to speaking with his Gran.

    To be fair, she wasn¡¯t all that bad, but he did have a strong independent streak- not to mention his introverted nature- and really didn¡¯t like it when people demanded his attention. He much preferred to be the one initiating any social contact. There were, of course, exceptions to this but it was generally true.

    He missed the look she gave him before leaving, but that was for the best.

    ¡°Jo,¡± Xixi said as she prodded him. ¡°More?¡± She asked, pointing to a kind of bean salad that she really liked.

    With a smile, he reached over and added another ladleful of salad to her plate, then added another one to his own.

    The cooks were really good.

    * * *

    Tatia watched as Joram all but dismissed his grandmother in favour of eating, then smiled at the look she gave the boy.

    Tatia really couldn¡¯t blame him for wanting to eat instead of talk, as Sulia had told her that he¡¯d only had some broth while unconscious.

    But there was still a mystery there. Why had he suffered a backlash like that that had rendered him unconscious for two days? What had happened?

    She hadn¡¯t been able to get any answers, nor had Healer Reursa when he¡¯d gone to examine Joram.

    Sulia had just stayed home those two days, aside from visiting her third brother, tending to Joram. The only answer Tatia could get from her was that he¡¯d suffered ¡°some sort of backlash¡± when attending Bezia¡¯s tutoring session.

    Like she hadn¡¯t gotten that from Bezia herself.

    What was truly intriguing was the drawing she¡¯d finally gotten Bezia to share with her. Tatia wasn¡¯t someone gifted in mental strength like her daughter, but she¡¯d been fascinated by what she¡¯d gotten Bezia to explain.

    Was it merely coincidence? Or was Joram some sort of savant when it came to mental strength?

    She and Bezia had put their heads together to see if there was greater meaning in what was drawn on that paper and came to the conclusion that it might be the beginnings of a new cultivation method, if one were to make a few changes.

    Did it make sense that a toddler could come up with this on his own? No, it certainly did not. Her vague, and not-so-vague, impressions that Joram wasn¡¯t what he seemed had come out again, as had Bezia¡¯s when they came to that conclusion. There was just no way a toddler could do that on his own.

    Unless there was some hidden master teaching the child? Was it the same one that had protected and healed Sulia? But why?

    All these thoughts, and many more, swirled around her head as she absently spoke with various people who stopped by her table to ask her various things, or to sign something that needed to get done today rather than tomorrow.

    They had precious few months again before Bezia and Sulia were once again sent out on assignment. She could order Bezia to stay longer to teach Joram, but she worried that their lead would disappear if she didn¡¯t send Bezia out sooner rather than later.

    That one item would be the crowning achievement of her time as Matriarch¡­ if they could get it. When that hidden realm opened once again the competition would be fierce for any artifact, martial art, or cultivation manual that anyone could find.

    If they couldn¡¯t get it, well, they¡¯d have to keep an eye on auction houses if the person didn¡¯t know what exactly they¡¯d found. If not, they¡¯d have to employ other methods, much to her distaste. But that item would shake the world if it was allowed to get out, so they needed to hide it away.

    She looked at Joram again and this time wondered if he would be someone who¡¯d shake the world. Was he just a boy who happened to doodle out something profound? Was he being taught by a hidden master in the ways of mental strength? Or was there something else there that they should consider, like him being a Reincarnator; someone who retained the memories of their past life?

    Each one had its pros and cons, and she¡¯d gone over each one more than once. The problem was that each one didn¡¯t quite stand on its own, but that each put together made a more believable picture.

    ¡°Matriarch,¡± someone said, jolting her out of her thoughts. ¡°Are you sure that you want to expand the medicinal herb gardens? The expense is not something to take lightly.¡± One of the elders said from her side.

    Thinking back to what had been said, she replied.

    ¡°Yes, I think that it would be of benefit a bit further down the line,¡± she said as she turned to look at the old man.

    He hadn¡¯t gotten very far as a Mage, only the end of the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier, but had instead proved more useful as an administrator throughout his long life.

    ¡°But to ask for things in the 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier, it will take a while to procure and cultivate,¡± Airden Aneath replied, not wanting to let go of the substantial number of crystals that it would take to set up a whole new set of medicinal gardens.

    ¡°I understand your hesitation in setting up such a large project, but I assure you that it will be well worth it.¡±

    He gave her an appraising look, then said ¡°Did you manage to snare an alchemist then?¡±

    Tatia pointedly kept her gaze on Airden, not looking over to where Joram was eating with his friends.

    ¡°Something like that,¡± she said with a smile.

    * * *

    - Week 80 ¨C

    It had taken several days, but Joram had finally managed to get his parents to arrange for a day off, as it were.

    The days that he¡¯d had to spend with Gran were, frankly, boring. She had gone on and on about how to start a stable foundation for building mental strength, then expounded upon the need for guidance when one tried to establish said foundation.

    That said, it had also helped in that she continued to provide various characters related to the foundation of one¡¯s bastion, adding to his thoughts that they focussed on defense of their knowledge sea before establishing their foundation.

    And so it was that he¡¯d started getting the little clues he needed to expand upon his idea of creating that planet-like foundation to build up his power base.

    With these clues he¡¯d started slowly working on his image of the rings that surrounded his crystal, his bastion, and had managed to get a faint wisp of a ring to stabilize and remain there after he ended his nightly meditations.

    Back to the present, he was sitting in his bed, the Encompass the Universe manual in his hands with a small candle burning on his nightstand to provide light.

    The manual still caused his hands to tingle even though he couldn¡¯t sense anything from it. Even his [Delve] had told him that it was a mundane item, though made from superior paper that he hadn¡¯t yet found anywhere else. It was so good in fact, that he had memorized its complex structure so that he could produce some for himself when he needed to record something that didn¡¯t wind up on a computer.

    Then there was the ¡°ink¡±. It wasn¡¯t so much that the author had used ink, but that they¡¯d somehow managed to alter the colour of the page itself. It was quite the way to record things if he had to say so himself. He appreciated not using ink as it tended to fade over time. Also, being left-handed skewed his views on writing anything, as ink smears had been a problem for him even in his old world.

    No more distractions, brain!

    So, he started to read.

    Then stopped, blinked, rubbed his eyes, then looked again.

    The writing had changed to English.

    What in the world is going on here? He thought as he looked over the text, then at the cover. The cover remained unchanged, but the words inside were definitely English.

    Was this some sort of advanced magic item? But what got him was that the manual appeared, in every way he could think to inspect it, as mundane.

    This, this was a treasure he would more than happily exploit.

    -

    Joram yawned as he received a ¡°wake-up call¡± from his mother through the network. He¡¯d been studying that first chapter all night and was more thoroughly wrung out mentally than he¡¯d been since he had first started training with Altaea.

    He¡¯d followed the instructions on how to help ones¡¯ body absorb the ¡°Qi¡± in the environment to speed along the Body Tempering phase. Well, that wasn¡¯t quite right. Each Rank in Body Tempering focussed on a specific part of the body, and thus would normally require specific training for each part.

    This manual had put forward that a better ¡°foundation¡± would be had if one was able to circulate their Qi in a specific way, nourishing the entire body until one broke through to the Foundation Realm in one fell swoop.

    What had taken so much thought and planning wasn¡¯t in the doing. No. He had spent most of the night using [Psychic Reformation] to undo the progress he¡¯d inadvertently made at his first birthday party. It had been¡­ unpleasant.

    After he¡¯d ¡°reverted¡± himself though, it felt like he¡¯d gone blind and deaf. He hadn¡¯t realized how acute his senses had become after the change, nevermind how much sturdier he¡¯d become.

    So, there he was, laying in bed wondering how he¡¯d keep up with everyone today. According to the manual, one could expect to break through to the Foundation Realm with relative ease once they started practicing.

    All that said, he felt like his limbs were lead. He briefly contemplated the pros and cons of re-equipping his stat-boosters, but gave up on it as it would likely make cultivating more difficult as he tried to compensate for the enchantments affecting him.

    With that though in mind, he then began thinking about his ring of sustenance. It too affected his body, helping to provide it with the nutrients and hydration needed to function, as well as making sleep more efficient.

    He was nearly certain that it wouldn¡¯t affect his cultivation, but he wouldn¡¯t know until he tried.

    Ah, the problems of an outworlder, he thought as he hopped out of bed, then promptly fell on his face.

    As he lay there rubbing his face, and cursing under his breath, he wondered if he would be OK just equipping the strength item. Sure, it might interfere with cultivation, but he could just ¡°take it off¡± when he needed to start, right?

    He shook his head, then rolled over so that he could get on his hands and knees, then work up from there.

    It took another two tries before he was standing again, wobbling slightly, but he did it! Now, he wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯s slacked off too much on his physical exercise after he¡¯d entered the Body Tempering phase, but he did know how wobbly he felt and that wasn¡¯t good.

    Had he relied too much on his progress with Body Tempering and had thus done himself a disservice by not actively exercising his body?

    Yup, seems legit, he thought to himself as he made his way over to the wardrobe to get his outfit for the day.

    Half and hour later, he emerged from his room having put his parents on ¡°mute¡± in his network after they¡¯d asked if he needed help for the seventh time. He felt proud to have done it all on his own after all. Riding those feelings of accomplishment, he struck a ¡°big boy¡± pose in his doorway and smiled.

    ¡°Are you OK Joram?¡± His father asked, a look of concern written on his face.

    ¡°Yes! I did it all by myself!¡± He stated proudly, then facepalmed.

    His parents exchanged another Look.

    ¡®I can¡¯t wait to grow up!!¡¯ He exclaimed over the network. ¡®Child-brain makes things so hard!¡¯

    ¡®Yes, yes it does,¡¯ his mother sent. ¡®Would you like a hug?¡¯

    His head dropped, chin hitting his chest.

    ¡®Yes.¡¯

    * * *

    Avi casually watched through Joram¡¯s eyes as he went through his day.

    This must be like what watching reality TV must have been like, she mused as she took her time perusing the 7<sup>th</sup> Tier materials in the Heavenly Archive.

    Things had been¡­ awkward for a time after their conversation and the revelation of her self-awareness. He couldn¡¯t quite figure out how to treat her for the first bit, then just fell back on more-or-less treating her as he always had: a friend.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    He was a simple person that way. If the thought of someone as a person, he treated them like a person. And she¡¯d been too ¡°real¡± for him to think of her as anything but a person from the get-go.

    Anyway, now that she¡¯d found a good cultivation manual for him, she was now looking for a body tempering technique of some sort. They¡¯d been nice enough to divide their sections by subject, so it hadn¡¯t been an issue finding the section. No, it was the sheer volume of the body tempering techniques that filled the section that gave her pause.

    From the many stories that Joram had collected on Earth, she had assumed that body tempering techniques would be just as rare on this planet as they were in those stories. Ha.

    There was a whole section devoted to ¡°Wood¡± body tempering techniques. If there was a tree, there was a technique to emulate that tree. There were thousands.

    It was the same with mammals, insects, birds, and fishes. There were even some devoted to the various fungus out there.

    *Shudder*

    That said, she had narrowed down her search to the ¡°ancient¡± beast section, namely dragons and phoenixes. Why? Well!

    Every body tempering technique she¡¯d come across needed the person to have access to the subject of the manual. Tiger physique? Get some tigers. Etcetera.

    From what she¡¯d read, the ones focussing on the ancient beasts were the best of the best.

    Though, she did stop in the section that was devoted to minerals and such and had taken out the ¡°Star Metal Body¡± manual as well as the ¡°Adamantium Body¡± manual. The second was on a hunch, as it was also made like cultivation manual that she¡¯d found.

    That said, it had taken her a while to find the appropriate body tempering technique amongst all the dragon techniques listed.

    What didn¡¯t surprise her was that dragons seems to be just as horny here as they had been on Altaea¡¯s home world as there was a dragon type for just about every species of animal on the planet.

    Finding the same dragon type had taken her most of the day. But she wasn¡¯t disappointed.

    It seemed that it was the Heavenly Lightning Jade Dragon, one of the most rare dragon types out there, and in the top three, power-wise. It was legendary for its tough scales and sharp claws and its ability to disintegrate just about anything with its blasts of lightning.

    Yes, a worthy dragon to emulate.

    The phoenix had been, well, a phoenix. It was hard to find varying lineages of phoenixes as they tended to be more¡­ discerning with whom they procreated with.

    That said, the one that had fought the Heavenly Lightning Jade Dragon must have been one of the pure breeds as it was able to hold its own in a direct fight with the dragon. Another worthy beast to emulate.

    Finally, she had picked the two metals due to their naming.

    ¡°Star Metal¡± wasn¡¯t a unique name in and of itself, as many cultures referred to any mineral that fell from the sky as ¡°star metal¡±. But it was the grade of the technique that caught her attention. It was a peak-grade technique, practically an 8<sup>th</sup> Tier, low-grade technique with how powerful it was.

    8<sup>th</sup> Tier stuff was sparse. So, finding a peak-grade 7<sup>th</sup> Tier technique was like hitting the jackpot.

    The only reason she¡¯d decided to keep the Adamantium Body technique was because of the manual itself, as it was only graded as ¡°low¡±. Much like the Encompass the Universe manual, this one had been sitting at the back of the shelf, only found because her [Touchsight] had found it laying back here.

    Now, she was no fan of the ¡°destiny¡± and ¡°fate¡± theories out there, but finding two manuals in the Heavenly Archive that just so happened to be made of the same type of ¡°paper¡±, that also happened to be much overlooked and even neglected, really made her think that someone had been behind her finds.

    The problem was that she couldn¡¯t find any clues. The Heavenly Archive cleaned everything up. No dust or detritus of any kind was able to exist within its walls. That also meant no fingerprints.

    The clue was probably in the paper. Well, it was the ¡°paper¡±.

    From what she could see, this world didn¡¯t have the technology or know-how to make such an advanced substance, even with their weird alchemy.

    At one point when she¡¯d been going through Joram¡¯s things, when she was particularly bored one year, she¡¯d come across the currency from his home country and found it fascinating. It was a kind of plastic known as a polymer. Now, these books that she¡¯d found weren¡¯t made of the same stuff, but close.

    From what she could tell, it was a hybrid between that polymer, something else she couldn¡¯t identify, and a type of bamboo from this world, Iron Bamboo. The exact kind that Joram had found and planted in their garden back on the mountain.

    The fibres had been so thoroughly broken up that they made silk seem rough and crude. From there, the polymer seemed to be used as a sort of binding or filler agent. It was so seamlessly integrated that it appeared to be one whole substance, not a composite one.

    Now, did that mean anything for certain? No, not really. But many small things seemed to be adding up to a much larger thing. And that ¡°thing¡± was that Altaea had made these books.

    She didn¡¯t really know why Altaea would do such a thing, or how she knew what she did, but the pieces fit together. And now that she had that thought, she had many other thoughts that wouldn¡¯t stay quiet.

    For example, the cleaning array used here. It was almost identical to the [Cleanse] power that Altaea had taught Joram right at the start. It covered so many things that it seemed ¡°godly¡± in what it could do.

    From there, she began looking into the workings of the Heavenly Archive, and how it was made.

    * * *

    - Week 82 ¨C

    Joram was well pleased with his progress. He¡¯d been able to keep up with Gran¡¯s vigorous schedule, exercise, and cultivated well in the past couple of weeks.

    It had been a bit lonely with Avi having spent most of her time in the Heavenly Archive doing ¡°research¡±, but he¡¯d filled those empty times with his own research.

    Gran had been insistent in figuring out what had happened to him and had even shown him the doodle he¡¯d made before his accident. She had, apparently, decided that it was a large nugget of profound¡­ profoundness.

    He didn¡¯t know, but that was as close to it as he could get. That she gleaned something from his doodle was admirable but was confusing in its own right. From what he could decipher of his doodle, for he couldn¡¯t really remember drawing it, it followed his thoughts on cultivating mental strength.

    But the more he thought about it, the more it seemed as though the way they cultivated psionics was only half of what should be there. Like, there was a tactical nuke, but with no rocket or guidance system to make it any better than a nuclear power plant going critical. Lots of power, no real way to direct it efficiently.

    Anyway, he¡¯d done well enough with his efforts in merging the two paths, so he¡¯d also taken the time to follow the Encompass the Universe manual at night and found that he was improving at a respectable pace. He¡¯d not broken through any of the ranks in Body Tempering yet but felt as though he would break through them all at the same time, just like how the manual claimed would happen if done correctly.

    It was an impressive piece of work, that was for sure. It was so easy to understand that it was almost like it had been written for him. There were even parts that described how to use the methods with other ¡°special physiques¡±. Not that he had time to investigate them, but he would get there eventually.

    Then Avi called just as he was getting up to stretch after a long session with Gran.

    ¡®Joram? We need to talk.¡¯ Avi sent, her tone serious.

    He blinked at that, looked towards where Gran was cleaning up, then moseyed out of the room and onto the lawn to enjoy the summer sun. He found a good tree, something that looked like a cherry tree but still had its blossoms, and laid down under it with his hands behind his head.

    ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯ He asked, concern evident in his tone.

    ¡®Come to the villa,¡¯ she sent back, referring to a smaller house she¡¯d made on the estates at some point.

    After a quick check around, he closed his eyes and entered Avi¡¯s body and saw that she¡¯d already taken her holographic form and was sitting at a table stacked with books. Well, he said books, but they were all slim things much like the cultivation manual he was using.

    ¡®What¡¯s all that?¡¯ He asked, waving a leg at the pile.

    ¡®This,¡¯ she motioned at the pile. ¡®This is a bit of a story.¡¯ She sent with a small frown.

    ¡®I¡¯m all ears,¡¯ he sent back with a smile.

    Avi nodded to herself before she continued. ¡®Have you noticed how strange that manual is?¡¯

    ¡®In what way?¡¯

    ¡®Its composition for one,¡¯ she sent back as she used telekinesis to move said manual closer to him.

    ¡®I did. It¡¯s got some crazy durability for being so thin,¡¯ he sent with a full-body nod. He¡¯d really have to make another construct that he could use when sending his consciousness here in the future.

    ¡®Yes, it is. But that¡¯s not all. Did you notice the polymer base used in the pages?¡¯

    ¡®The what now?¡¯ He sent back, drawing a blank.

    ¡®You never [Delve]d your money?¡¯ She asked, somewhat taken aback at the thought of him not [Delve]ing everything in sight when he first learned the power.

    ¡®No, didn¡¯t think to,¡¯ he sent. ¡®Why would I need to know how to make more of that money?¡¯

    ¡®Touche,¡¯ she sent back acknowledging the point. ¡®Anyway, the point is this: it was made in part with the same kind of polymer used in your bank notes. Another component is the Iron Bamboo that you¡¯d gathered at one point.¡¯

    Joram took a moment to calm his heart when he heard that. He didn¡¯t want to jump to conclusions, so he took another few seconds to go over what she¡¯d said, then decided that that was indeed what she meant.

    ¡®Altaea made these.¡¯

    ¡®I think so, yes.¡¯ She sent, serious as could be. ¡®Not only that, but if I am reading these correctly, she made them thousands of years ago. Possibly longer.¡¯

    That gave him pause.

    How was that possible? He¡¯d only been ¡°dead¡± for a thousand years or so. Unless time moved slower in his realm?

    No, that wasn¡¯t it. He¡¯d been to and from his realm often enough in the past twenty or so months that he was reasonably sure that time flowed the same inside as it did outside.

    So, then what? Had the reason she¡¯d disappeared something to do with this mystery? Had she gotten sucked into some sort of time portal that dropped her far into the past? Is that why their connection had broken? Sure, her network was powerful enough to be used throughout the known universe, but was it powerful enough to be used across time?

    Likely not.

    But if she had been thrown into the past, why hadn¡¯t she found him again?

    If he¡¯d had a hand and a face, he would have facepalmed right then.

    How would she know when to look for him? Or even the ¡°where¡±. They¡¯d been in some pretty distant mountains at the time and he wasn¡¯t sure what everything had looked like back then, or if even those mountains had been mountains when/where she¡¯d arrived.

    Man, he hated time travel mysteries. If he¡¯d been a madman in a blue box, then maybe he could have made some sense out of it, or even done something about it¡­ but he wasn¡¯t.

    He was just himself.

    ¡®So, ah, what else did you find,¡¯ he finally asked, wrestling his brain back to the present.

    Avi regarded him for a moment before answering.

    ¡®I also think that the Heavenly Archive was made by her.¡¯

    That caused a cascading failure in his brain as he began imagining the many possibilities that went with that statement.

    After a mental equivalent to a bucket of ice water being dumped on his head, Avi continued.

    ¡®Yes, it is possible that the Clear Knowledge Clan are her descendants,¡¯ she sent. ¡®But unlikely.¡¯

    He metaphorically blinked at that.

    ¡®Why do you say that?¡¯

    ¡®Because if they only pass on the position of matriarch to their eldest daughter, and they interbreed if they¡¯re at least second cousins, then there should be at least some of Altaea¡¯s DNA in them still.¡¯

    ¡®¡­ and there isn¡¯t?¡¯ He asked, timid as could be.

    ¡®Not that I¡¯ve found, no.¡¯ She sent with a shake of the head. ¡®But I did find evidence that there was a High Elan somewhere down their family tree.¡¯

    ¡®The purple hair!¡¯ They both sent at the same time, causing him to laugh a bit.

    ¡®So, does that mean that she set up the clan some time in the distant past?¡¯ He asked, a bit of hope surging up in his chest.

    ¡®It would appear that, at the very least, the High Elan did so. But I think that she took a more active role here.¡¯

    ¡®Why do you say that?¡¯

    ¡®Well, I examined the wards on the demiplane that the Heavenly Archive occupies and found something interesting,¡¯ she sent, then paused for dramatic effect.

    ¡®I believe that the wards are attuned to your soul.¡¯

    He imagined himself blinking a few times at that revelation.

    ¡®What makes you say that?¡¯

    ¡®Again, I examined the wards quite thoroughly, but this time focussed on the keys that allowed entry into the Archive. I found that the one that I had copied from your mother had a familiar note to it. Upon further investigation, I found that it emulated a particular section of your soul: the part where our souls are linked.¡¯

    If he¡¯d been in his body he would have fallen over, nevermind that he was currently laying on the grass.

    The implications were staggering.

    Had Altaea used part of her soul to make Avi? How would that even work? She was a gestalt being, one whose spirit and body were one. Had she pulled a Sun Wukong and added a strand of hair to complete her work on Avi? If so, then did that mean that he could use that same part of her to search for Altaea in the future?

    Was she their¡­?

    ¡®Are you, our daughter?¡¯ He finally managed to get the thought sent, not sure how he felt about that. It was just too big.

    ¡®In a spiritual sense, yes,¡¯ she sent, then added. ¡®That is, if everything that I¡¯ve found and surmised is correct.¡¯

    His thoughts wandered this way and that for a time, eventually coming to a stop on his favourite Sci-Fi author and wondered if old Orson would laugh at him for having a child of the mind.

    ¡®So,¡¯ she began. ¡®That leads us to the many volumes I found in the Heavenly Archive that matched the construction methods used in making Encompass the Universe. They range from anything between cultivation techniques to body tempering art, from alchemy to refining just about everything one could imagine. Each and every one was placed somewhere that would easily be overlooked by anyone visiting the Archive.

    ¡®That said, they were easily found by me because of the modified [Touchsight] that we both use. So, one could infer that someone with the knowledge of that power had placed them deliberately so that only someone using that power could easily notice them.¡¯

    Joram looked up at her, tilting his whole body for added effect.

    ¡®Are you saying that Altaea deliberately made all these manuals for me, then stored them here in such a way that I would be likely to find them?¡¯

    ¡®Maybe,¡¯ she sent, sounding a bit uncertain for the first time during the conversation so far. ¡®I do know that she made those volumes and the Heavenly Archive itself. I do know that she is the only one in this realm, besides you, who could create another High Elan.¡¯

    That was a lot right there.

    Everything had aligned so perfectly that it almost seemed ridiculous. Ha! It was ridiculous! Who could even plan something like that out? Nevermind knowing that he would one day make his way to the very same secret archive that she¡¯d created!

    Had she planned for him to be here one day? Had she somehow found out about his death and arranged for him to be reborn into this family?

    Who could do that?

    Then he remembered something very important about Altaea Seraphina Potentia: she was a goddess.

    During the time that he¡¯d been ¡°gone¡±, had she found out about it somehow? Was that how she was able to arrange for all this?

    If so, then why hadn¡¯t she just used [True Resurrection] on him and brought him back? Did she not want to have to babysit him any longer? Had she ¡°moved on¡±, as it were?

    Or was it that she couldn¡¯t? Was there some sort of realm restriction that prevented her from resurrecting him? If so, was that why his [Astral Seed] hadn¡¯t worked as intended?

    ¡®Joram!¡¯

    ¡®What?!¡¯ He sent back, startled enough to shout.

    ¡®I haven¡¯t searched the entirety of the Heavenly Archive yet, but I feel that there might be more in the 8<sup>th</sup> and 9<sup>th</sup> Tier rooms.¡¯

    ¡®OK?¡¯

    ¡®I can¡¯t get into those with the runestone key alone. I think I need someone either of the lineage or you to get in there.¡¯

    ¡®But I¡¯m not allowed in that part of the Library,¡¯ he sent back, not quite getting it.

    ¡®No, but you can just [Planeshift] there with me and we can try,¡¯ she explained patiently.

    ¡®Ah, right, that makes sense,¡¯ he mumbled. ¡®How about tonight then?¡¯

    ¡®Sounds good.¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯ll, ah, head back. I need to take my nap to be at my best tonight,¡¯ he sent, already distracted.

    He barely registered Avi nodding before he slipped back into his physical body. He noticed that someone had set up an umbrella to help shield him from the sun and had lit an incense stick to ward away any biting insects.

    Well, since it¡¯s so comfy already, I may as well nap here, he reasoned as he once again closed his eyes, but this time concentrated on sleep.

    -

    He didn¡¯t sleep so well, plagued by legions of thoughts that laid siege to his mind as he tried to find that calm needed for sleep.

    Each thought came like a world-shaking event, tossing him about until the next one came. His mental state had been so perturbed that he couldn¡¯t even appreciate the beautiful day that brought with it the sounds of crickets, cicadas, a gentle breeze, and beautiful fluffy clouds.

    No, by the time someone came to wake him, he¡¯d determined that he¡¯d find and smash every single cricket and cicada on their section of mountain. No more would they disturb his rest!

    But he took deep breaths, then many more, and eventually calmed himself enough to appreciate playing with Xixi and Zander. He even took extra comfort in nursing a bit from Aloralla, especially since she wasn¡¯t part of the clan.

    His whole outlook on the clan and everything related to it had shifted. No more were they kind strangers to him, a new home that he¡¯d been born into. Now, now it was a place created by Altaea for him. To house him, to nurture him, then to be left behind in his search of her.

    It felt¡­ hollow.

    The rest of the day more or less passed in a daze for him, causing not a few people to wonder if he¡¯d come down with something.

    Even his mother, the kind and sweet soul that she was, couldn¡¯t get him out of his funk no matter what she did. They eventually left him alone, so he went to his room to ¡°meditate¡±.

    It must have been after midnight by the time Avi contacted him by popping out of his head and landing on his face.

    So startled was he that he nearly shrieked like, well, a little child. It hurt swallowing it back, to the point that he thought he¡¯d actually damaged his throat somehow.

    ¡®Let¡¯s go, Scaredy-Pants,¡¯ she sent.

    They both transferred to his realm the next instant, causing a bit of vertigo due to this being his first experience crossing a dimensional boundary in this life.

    After a moment of composing himself, he took a deep breath, appreciating the unique environment. He hadn¡¯t noticed every time he¡¯d visited in the past, but now he could feel how different his realm was from what he was used to. The ambient mana seemed to be much higher here, richer.

    He didn¡¯t have long to appreciate his realm with all of his senses before Avi [Planeshift]ed them to the entrance of the Heavenly Archive, the Library side.

    He panicked for a moment before he realized that they were alone, no one in their vicinity.

    ¡®You could have given me a bit of warning,¡¯ he groused, a frown on his face.

    ¡®You¡¯re fine,¡¯ she replied in a distracted tone. ¡®Now to test if my theory is correct,¡¯ she sent and dramatically motioned him forwards with a spindly leg and a sweeping wing. With one last grump, he stepped towards the indicated section of wall, appearing no different from any other part of said wall.

    He took another moment, this time to mentally prepare himself in case Avi was actually wrong, then reached his hand out and touched the wall.

    Nothing happened.

    He looked over to Avi, who¡¯d repositioned herself to his shoulder, and raised an eyebrow. He was about to speak his mind when he felt the wall suddenly disappear and nearly fell over in surprise.

    He whipped his head around and was greeted by the sight of a rather large portal shimmering in the dim light.

    ¡®Let¡¯s go,¡¯ Avi sent, her smugness overwhelming their connection for a moment.

    Joram just shook his head and stepped through the portal and out the other side.

    The vertigo seemed to be less pronounced this time, only taking him a few heartbeats to get over it. He hoped that he was getting used to it and that it would soon become unnoticeable with more crossings.

    He opened his eyes again and beheld beauty.

    The Heavenly Archive was enormous yet had such delicate detail that he couldn¡¯t help but marvel. The columns on the outside of the structure were decorated with what looked like vines, the detail so fine that if someone had pained them, he¡¯d believe that they were alive.

    The whole structure was over forty metres tall and about fifty metres wide. He wasn¡¯t sure how long it was, but he couldn¡¯t see the other end of it. Not that that was any indication as his eyesight still hadn¡¯t gotten to where it had been before his ¡°reset¡±.

    Aside from that, well, it was quite the sight for someone of limited visual capabilities. His [Touchsight] on the other hand, well, that picked up lots in a fifty-metre radius. Stacks upon stacks of books interspersed with bookshelves almost as large. It was quite the sight.

    ¡°Well, you were right, Avi,¡± he said with a sigh. He didn¡¯t quite know what to think. On the one hand this was a type of legacy that she¡¯d left for him, while on the other hand it was a mystery as to the how. How had she set all this up in a time before they¡¯d arrived in this realm.

    ¡°Of course I was,¡± she replied smugly.

    Joram shot her a look that said that she was getting a little too cheeky. In return, she merely set up her projection to walk with him while she flew off ahead.

    Great, I have a thousand-year-old grade-schooler¡­ he thought to himself as he made his way further into the Heavenly Archive.

    He didn¡¯t stay bothered for long as his wonder at the architecture and sheer grandeur of the building overwhelmed his annoyance. He hurried along though as he realized that they wouldn¡¯t¡¯ have too long to spend there.

    But now that he¡¯d been there, he could return by himself at any time. That thought alone made him happier than he thought it would. He could return to a super-secret library and peruse the shelves whenever he wanted, nevermind that it had been left for him by Altaea.

    Well, he assumed that it had been, anyways. Heck, she might have set this whole place up long before she knew when in time she was, or if he was still even alive. Either way, he¡¯d investigate as thoroughly as he could to discover any answers that might remain for him to find.

    With that thought in mind he lengthened his, admittedly short, stride and hurried on to the back where Avi had mentioned that the teleport pad waited.

    He still couldn¡¯t believe how many books, volumes, tomes, manuscripts, and scrolls where hidden away here. He would need several lifetimes to get through this section alone but smiled when he remembered that he would indeed have that time once he cultivated only a few Tiers up, nevermind if he reached Tier 7 where you naturally became immortal.

    Well, immortal as in un-ageing, you could still be killed after all.

    Soon he arrived at the back where the teleporters were located and stopped dead.

    If he¡¯d had any doubts as to whether-or-not Altaea had indeed made this place they were immediately dispelled.

    Before him lay the teleportation platform. An almost perfect replica from his favourite space exploring show set in the 23rd Century. He¡¯d never gotten the episodes downloaded, but he¡¯d let Altaea read his memories as he did his best to recall each and every episode he¡¯d seen. And he¡¯d seen every episode, but long enough ago that some had become hazy. But not the transporter pad.

    Altaea had recreated the whole thing using crystal of varying colour, from the black of the lines separating each pad to the milky colour of the pads themselves. She¡¯d even done the centre in what appeared to be sapphire, top and bottom.

    He took yet another moment, this time to just stare and appreciate the sight. If this wasn¡¯t a message for him, nothing was.

    He felt his heart lighten as he strode forward, climbed the stairs to the platform, and stood front and centre. He looked off into the distance, hands at his sides and held that pose for a good ten seconds before turning to Avi.

    ¡°Beam me up, Scottie,¡± he said in his best Shatner, which was slightly ruined by his infantile voice.

    Nevertheless, he¡¯d managed to just knock something off his bucket list.

    ¡°What?¡± Avi asked, having her hologram quirk an eyebrow.

    Ah, how he missed those shows.

    ¡°Can this take me directly to the 8<sup>th</sup> section, or do I have to stop at the 7<sup>th</sup> first?¡± He asked, ignoring her inquiry.

    ¡°We need to stop at the 7<sup>th</sup> Tier section and make our way to the other end of the hall where the platform for the 8<sup>th</sup> Tier section is located,¡± she explained, eyebrow still raised.

    ¡°So, how do we acti-¡° Joram cut off as Avi activated the teleporter.

    ¡°-vate¡­ Huh,¡± he said as he looked around at the somewhat smaller area.

    It was still awesome, but much less populated with written media. Also, still clean as could be.

    His long experience with many dungeon-delving games wasn¡¯t jiving with reality.

    *Shrug*

    So, he hopped off the platform and started down the aisle, taking note of the books, etcetera, that sparsely populated the units made for them.

    It didn¡¯t take long to get to the next platform, this one exactly the same as the first. He didn¡¯t know why Altaea had done so, but he was sure that she had had her reasons.

    He looked about again, this time trying to spot Avi. She was very good at sneaking about, even with his [Touchsight] going. With another shrug, he dragged a chair over to the activation console, climbed up, and had a peek.

    He¡¯d almost expected it to be labeled in English but found that it was in the local language instead.

    *Pout*

    He didn¡¯t know why, but that bothered him more than he could explain.

    After a few minutes of studying it, he got the gist of it and tapped the 8<sup>th</sup> Tier button and the delayed teleport button, then made his way over to stand on the platform.

    As he was counting down, Avi flew into sight, then into his forehead, almost causing him to fall over in that jerk-knee reaction one has at something flying at one¡¯s head.

    ¡®I need to catch a lift!¡¯ Avi sent just before the teleporter activated, sending him to the 8<sup>th</sup> Tier section.

    ¡°A little warning would be nice,¡± he grumbled, double checking hit pajama robes.

    ¡®Well, you didn¡¯t wait for me to get there, so I had to rush,¡¯ she explained patiently, very much like one would do for a toddler.

    He just about ground his teeth at her tone. It didn¡¯t take that long to follow along through the teleporter.

    He took another deep breath and looked around at the new section they found themselves in.

    It was slightly smaller than the 7<sup>th</sup> section but still just as clean, still with the same style. But with markedly fewer books and such.

    As he was headed to the first bookshelf (as there were too few volumes and such to use actual stacks) Avi popped out of his head.

    ¡®I¡¯ll look over at this section,¡¯ she said as she flew over to the set of bookshelves across the aisle from him.

    ¡°Have fun,¡± Joram murmured as he concentrated on his senses, trying to find any other volumes like the ones Avi had already found.

    The Tier 8 section was devoted to what the cultivators called the Emperor/Empress Realm. He wasn¡¯t sure, but he¡¯d heard that there were very few of them on the entire planet, nevermind their Waeryn Continent.

    Then the Tier 9 section would be for the ¡°Mystic Realm¡± section, and as far as he knew there weren¡¯t any living Mystic Realm practitioners around. One heard stories, or read them, of how Mystic Realm practitioners were basically the overlords of the entire planet, they were so strong.

    Well, he¡¯d get to that section soon enough.

    It took him and Avi both a good two hours to thoroughly scour the 8<sup>th</sup> Section, netting them another three volumes. One was a continuation of the Encompass the Universe manual, another was for cultivating mental strength, while the last one- and the thickest of the bunch- covered pill and artifact refining as well as advanced theories on various spells and arrays.

    Joram didn¡¯t dare look at them in more detail as that might risk damaging his cultivation base, or even his psionic foundation. High-level methods like these were, quite simply, a death sentence to anyone unwise enough to delve into their mysteries before they were ready, especially the ones that were continuations of another volume.

    ¡°We should probably head back soon,¡± Joram said as he stored the last of the manuals away in his storage space.

    ¡®You know,¡¯ Avi said with a quirked holographic eyebrow. ¡®I wasn¡¯t able to store things away like that while in here.¡¯

    ¡°Just another argument that Altaea made this place with me in mind,¡± he said with a sad smile. ¡°Good to know. Maybe I should try to enter my realm from here too.¡± He finished with a nod and an extended hand towards Avi.

    Her image smiled as her crystalline body lazily flew over to land on his head.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that you can ¡®enter¡¯ from anywhere, not just my head,¡± he said in a flat voice, eyes looking up to where he could see her legs dangling over his brow.

    ¡®Yes, but not as fun,¡¯ she replied with genuine mirth.

    Joram just shook his head, not wanting to say anything else. If this was one of the ways that she could entertain herself, then who was he to argue? Well, he was the owner of his body and all that, but aside from the minor mental discomfort of seeing a crystal spider with wings flying towards your head, or climbing up your body, or jumping up, well¡­ OK, so it was awkward as Eff. But he just viewed it as another psychological issue to root out and be done with.

    If one didn¡¯t have a calm heart, how would one be able to improve oneself?

    Ah, more damn philosophy, he thought as he shifted to his realm, then back to his bed.

    A quick check around the room revealed no waiting surprises, so he slipped back under his covers and settled down to meditate. He really needed to complete Tier 0 soon and get started on his path to find Altaea. And work on his knowledge star (as he was now going to call it, as ¡°sea¡± just didn¡¯t fit the image for him). And learn more about alchemy here. And artifact refining. And puppet making and refining.

    Well, he had a lot to work on.

    At least I won¡¯t be bored, he thought tiredly. Maybe he should take a small break once he finished with Tier 0?

 Chapter 012

    - Week 104 ¨C

    Captain¡¯s log, arbitrary star date: 1001.13.13

    ¡°The last few months have been hectic. Gran stepped up her training schedule with me, wanting to cram as much information into my brain as she could before she is once again sent out on assignment. I have also found out that she has put together a teaching plan for one of the top tutors in the Clan, one specially designed to keep me busy and engaged. Ha!

    *Ahem*

    ¡°Mother and Father finally found a cultivation manual, one specifically aimed at developing one¡¯s ¡®magical talent¡¯, that they pressed me to use. I gave it a bit of lip-service, not wanting to switch to an inferior cultivation technique. I¡¯ll have to remember to pretend to advance closer to what that technique would allow for.

    ¡°Speaking of techniques and manuals. Avi and I made another two trips to the Heavenly Archive. The next trip involved getting to the 9<sup>th</sup> Section where we actually found five volumes made by Altaea. The first three had to do with cultivation, one for mental strength, one for cultivating, and the last for a body tempering technique.

    ¡°The fourth was a manual for the upkeep and repair of the Heavenly Archive should anything occur to it. The fifth was the best one, in my opinion.

    ¡°The fifth one, ¡°Becoming One¡±, wasn¡¯t a dual-cultivation technique like it sounded, but instead a way to convert psionic energy to ¡°mana¡± and vice-versa.

    ¡°Yes, that was an amazing find! I couldn¡¯t help but do a little jig- yes, my legs are still too small to do anything more complex- when I realized what it did¡­ and could do. The possibilities are astounding, to say the least.

    ¡°The best part is that it¡¯s something I can start practicing as soon as I reach Tier 1! I can also start the body tempering manuals soon too!

    ¡°The ¡®Adamantium Body¡¯ technique that Avi found is also quite interesting. From what Altaea had told me of her world, there was no ¡®adamantium¡¯ there, but instead ¡®adamantine¡¯. Adamantium is a word from my old world, and thus would help the manual stand out for me when I eventually got into the Heavenly Archive.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why she called it that, as the material she made the manual out of was way more eye-catching than the title, but it is what it is. That said, she also tailor-made the technique for me, or us. I can start that one at T1- er, Tier 1- and use it all the way up to the end of T7 where the next installment gets me further along.

    ¡°We suspect that there¡¯s a 10<sup>th</sup> Section, but we haven¡¯t been able to access it just yet. Not that we really need to, as what I¡¯ve already got my hands on will do me for quite some time. Honestly, I don¡¯t know how long it will take me to work my way up through the Tiers, but if it goes like most people, I¡¯ll be cultivating for centuries¡­

    ¡°Anyway. Training-training-training. That¡¯s my life.

    ¡°Also, my second birthday will be tomorrow, and the party is supposed to be quite something as it is also doubling as a farewell party for my parents... as well as Gran and Gramps. Yes, ¡®Gramps¡¯. He gets called that for continuing his beating sessions.

    ¡°Time for one last lesson from Gran. End of log.¡±

    -

    ¡°¡­ and this last stroke signifies the crystallization of what you know,¡± Gran finished by putting her brush down and levelling her stare at him.

    ¡°So, how much did you get from that?¡±

    Joram wasn¡¯t really sure what she was expecting to hear from a two-year-old, but gave it a shot.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty,¡± he said with a smile and saw Gran¡¯s hand move towards her face before she controlled the action. Guess it wasn¡¯t what she was aiming for.

    ¡°That it is,¡± she said. ¡°You can go and play now if you¡¯d like.¡±

    Joram sensed a trap in there but shrugged, hopped off his little chair, and b-lined it for the door.

    By the time he¡¯d made it outside and adjusted to the bright glare of the sun, it was already too late.

    Gramps was standing there, two sticks in hand.

    ¡°Time for one final lesson, boy,¡± he said in that tone that meant that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get out of it for the life of him.

    With how thoroughly his Gramps beat him in these sessions, and that it was the last one before he left on assignment, Joram supposed that he¡¯d have to actually heal himself after this session.

    Sure enough, no matter what he did, how he jumped around, rolled, flipped, or side-stepped, he was hit, and hit hard over the course of two hours. After the first hour, his parents had likely felt his frustration and had shown up to watch.

    Gramps didn¡¯t go any easier on him.

    His parents didn¡¯t intervene either. Probably because they knew he¡¯d be able to heal up afterwards or something.

    At any rate, he wasn¡¯t happy as he sat in the garden, the cool winter air only slightly soothing his angry nerve endings. He could see his parents speaking with his grandparents but decided not to lip-read as it was likely a commentary on just how badly he¡¯d been beaten.

    That said, he was making good progress with the Encompass the Universe manual and was sure that he¡¯d break through any day now. That also said, he was still lacking the physical boosts that came with doing it step-by-step, rank by rank, so it was no wonder that Gramps seemed annoyed with his performance. Or lack thereof¡­

    Well, tomorrow was his second birthday and the family seemed pretty excited about it. He¡¯d heard talk of combining his and Xiora¡¯s celebration but was glad that it was not combined as he really wanted Xiora to have her own celebration.

    Heck, it would nearly be as extravagant as his as there was much talk of how amazing she was doing. Talent. Genius. Many more words denoting the same thing.

    Honestly, he couldn¡¯t blame them as Xiora was amazingly talented. If he¡¯d not had his memories to go on, he was certain that he¡¯d be just another average child in the clan. He was just glad that he could help Xiora, and Zander, along.

    Joram laid back into the finely manicured lawn and stared up at the sky.

    He wondered what the clan would have been like if he wasn¡¯t born to it. Had Altaea had something to do with that thousand year wait for him to be reborn? Heck, he¡¯d been downright highjacked and stuffed into another body. If everything had worked correctly, he¡¯d have taken no longer than ten days to form his body again and continue his explorations¡­ far from where he¡¯d been killed of course.

    So, what had Altaea seen to necessitate sending him here? Creating the clan and the Heavenly Archive? Was the ancestor of the clan even still alive?

    From what he¡¯d been able to glean, that ancestor had lived roughly twenty thousand years ago.

    Yes, that was an even bigger mystery. He was reasonably certain that time flowed on a 1:1 ratio in his realm and in the ¡°real¡± world. So how in all the multiverse had she been able to create another High Elan before they¡¯d arrived?

    So many questions, so little time. No use asking them over and over again when he didn¡¯t have any new information to go on.

    That said, he was already two!

    In his old life, he¡¯d found that time had passed by ridiculously fast; years passing like months for him. Here? Here it felt like he¡¯d just been born!

    He really needed to investigate the Heavenly Archive further as he had a strong hunch that there was more to that place than met the eye.

    What did he base that hunch off of? Well, he¡¯d literally written the book on Altaea and that she¡¯d add in extra things for him to find was something that she¡¯d totally do.

    That said, if the timelines were correct, then she¡¯d had at least twenty thousand years in which she could grow and change. A lot happened over the course of one¡¯s life, nevermind twenty thousand years¡­

    Yes, he¡¯d investigate further in the hope that she¡¯d left more than cultivation, crafting, and magic manuals behind for him to find. Not that he was complaining that she¡¯d left him those amazing materials. No, he was just hoping for¡­ more. Something more¡­ personal.

    Joram heaved a great sight as he stared up at the wispy winter clouds that liked to tear themselves to ribbons on their mountain¡¯s peak.

    He wasn¡¯t very good at relationships, now or then. His biggest worry was that he¡¯d come on too strong with Altaea, crafting that figurine of them embracing. He knew that the craftsmanship wasn¡¯t anything to sneeze at, so he was pretty sure that she hadn¡¯t been offended in that respect.

    He had gone out on a limb, and the limb broke.

    How did one approach a thousand year old who¡¯d saved her universe with her friends before she could legally vote (in Canada)? Nevermind that she¡¯d not only ruled a nation for most of those thousand years, but she¡¯d also ascended to the divine before taking the throne.

    Someone who was, quite frankly, lightyears out of his league.

    Had she been offended that he¡¯d even tried?

    No, he didn¡¯t think that that was the case. Unless he was completely clueless- and that was a very real possibility-, then he was sure that there¡¯d been a least a few reciprocated feelings there. Then there was the fact that she¡¯d taken the figurine with her. So, there was hope right there.

    Then his mind turned in on itself again, trying to puzzle out how she had managed to travel back in time. His current theories revolved around finding a fissure and being sucked in, suffering an attack from on Old Monster, or having some sort of accident while cultivating some sort of space/time technique.

    He really hoped that his schedule would open up after Gran left again as he really needed to get to work.

    * * *

    ¡°Are you sure that he hasn¡¯t suffered some sort of accident in his cultivation?¡± Xander asked again, scrutinizing his¡­ strong willed daughter.

    Sulia gave him a cool look, then stuck her tongue out at him before answering. ¡°We thought so too,¡± she said, indicating Ivaryn who was standing to her right. ¡°But we found no evidence to indicate that any sort of accident had occurred.¡±

    He looked at Bezia and noted that she hadn¡¯t taken her eyes off Joram the entire time. Well, she was watching him from the corner of her eye, and he could feel that she had extended her sensed to also observe the boy.

    ¡°How, then, do you explain his reduced physical abilities?¡± He pressed, sure that there was something there to be ferreted out as Sulia didn¡¯t act like that with him unless she was hiding something.

    ¡°Maybe his heart just wasn¡¯t in it?¡± She suggested with a shrug. ¡°I mean, who actually likes being beaten black and blue like that?¡±

    Xander grunted at that. It took a rare person indeed to train like a maniac and he was reasonably certain that Joram wasn¡¯t one of those types.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Bezia injected herself back into the conversation. ¡°Have you reviewed the lesson plan that I prepared for him to follow while we¡¯re away?¡± She asked, locking her viridian eyes onto her daughter. If it was one thing that Bezia took seriously, it was education.

    Sulia and Ivaryn exchanged glances and Xander knew what was coming.

    ¡°We have, but we¡¯ve found that the schedule it a little too¡­¡± Sulia started.

    ¡°Intense,¡± Ivaryn finished for her. ¡°Joram won¡¯t have any time to just be a child, and he needs that more than he needs to train for twelve hours per day.¡±

    Yup, here it comes, Xander thought as he watched his wife.

    Bezia¡¯s complexion went from a smooth alabaster to quite the rose pink over the span of a few seconds as her brain went over what had been said, undoubtedly dozens of times in those few seconds.

    ¡°He¡¯s the most talented child born into the clan in¡­ Ever! We should nurture and educate him to the best of our abilities, and arrange for such when we¡¯re not here!¡± Bezia started, but stopped when she felt Xander¡¯s hand on her shoulder.

    ¡°I agree that he needs nurturing,¡± he began. ¡°But I also know that if he doesn¡¯t have normal social time with his peers, friends, and family, then I¡¯m afraid that he¡¯ll turn into a bookworm with no real-life experience behind all of his book learning.¡±

    Yes, his wasn¡¯t a popular opinion amongst the Clear Knowledge Clan but that was life. People needed more than just reading and study to become valuable members of society, nevermind being able to find a spouse¡­

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Bezia¡¯s reaction was expected, the ¡°harumph¡± and all. Sulia¡¯s, on the other hand, was more interesting to say the least.

    Her face went from stubborn to smug to shocked (likely at his insistence that books weren¡¯t the answer to everything) to a kind of confidence that he couldn¡¯t quite place. The first two reactions were textbook Sulia, while the last one only pushed up his thoughts that she was hiding something. Likely the both of them.

    Xander took a moment to glance over at the subject of their discussion and noticed that Joram was laying, spread-eagled, on the lawn staring up at the sky, a look of deep contemplation on his baby face.

    Now, normally a child would be running around doing something outside while the ¡°grown-ups¡± talked. Or maybe sat and pouted due to the many bruises and welts covering his small body. But no, Joram was staring off into the distance, a million miles away even though he was so battered.

    Xander turned back to his arguing family, nodded to himself, and went with it.

    ¡°So, he¡¯s a Reincarnator, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    The argument went on for another few heartbeats before his words registered to his wife and daughter. For his part, Ivaryn honed-in on him like a falcon diving for its dinner.

    ¡°Stop,¡± he said before any of the three could say anything. ¡°Your mother isn¡¯t the only one who¡¯s read a book you know,¡± he said, dry as could be. ¡°The many signs are there, and if you haven¡¯t noticed yourselves yet, then I¡¯d question your intelligence.¡±

    Sulia flushed at that but stayed stubborn and turned her head away. Ivaryn on the other hand, nearly smiled.

    ¡°So, what are the details?¡± He asked, choosing to stare at his daughter as she could never withstand his prolonged stare.

    * * * * *

    ¡®Joram,¡¯ his mother sent, sounding more serious than usual. ¡®Your grandparents know.¡¯

    Joram blinked a few times, coming back to the here and now. He¡¯d like to say that that wasn¡¯t a surprise and all that, but that would be a lie.

    It wasn¡¯t a very large surprise though.

    His parents had figured it out in not too long a timeframe, so his grandparents that were now spending much more time with him figuring it out wasn¡¯t an ¡°out-there¡± scenario.

    That said, it would mean he couldn¡¯t get away with nearly as much as he had been.

    Not that he was bad or anything, but ¡°playing¡± at being a kid was no longer in the books.

    He was pretty sure that they¡¯d wind up telling Grammy and that would also let out a whole can of worms. He really hoped that it would stop there, though, as otherwise he would likely turn back to his introverted ways and become a recluse to avoid all of the attention that would be coming his way.

    ¡®How¡¯s their reaction?¡¯

    ¡®Gran seems to be the more annoyed of the two; likely because Granpa was the one to reveal it all,¡¯ she sent, using the terms for her parents she used when speaking with Joram. Even though she knew he was a Reincarnator she still tried to use honorifics instead of her parents¡¯ names. Perhaps to make it a bit less weird between them.

    ¡®Never underestimate the quieter one,¡¯ Joram sent with a sagely mental nod.

    ¡®We¡¯ll be talking for a while, so maybe go find something to do while we ¡°grown-ups¡± discuss everything,¡¯ she sent that last part with some wry mirth in there.

    Joram merely sent a mental nod her way as he got up and moseyed in the direction of the Library. He was well-known enough to at least get in the door, and after that he could just wander at his leisure, not needing to worry about any wards that might block his way. Because, well, he would ¡°just be reading¡± at a table. Then maybe ¡°napping¡±.

    Though, he was pretty sure that Grammy would send someone to get him so that they could begin preparations for tomorrow¡¯s birthday celebration/sending off party for his immediate family.

    Maybe he¡¯d spend his time trying to get through that last bit of Tier 0? Yeah, that sounded good. That way he¡¯d have a good surprise for his parents before they left.

    - - - - -

    It hadn¡¯t taken him long to get into the Library, nor did anyone make a fuss about him being there. All good so far.

    What one librarian had made a fuss over was that he had headed over to the stairwell down to the next Tier¡¯s section and had promptly turned him about and sent him on his way.

    Minor setback.

    So, Joram make his way over to a quiet corner in the Cultivation section and quickly walked under a table.

    Yes, he was still tiny. Even a bit short for his age, as he didn¡¯t need to duck at all to stand under the large table.

    Not that it really mattered, but he¡¯d always had a thing in his previous life about how long it had taken him to hit that puberty growth spurt. But it had been noticeable when it happened.

    Coming back to the present, he quickly checked his field of perception through his augmented [Touchsight] and was glad to find that he was the only one around. Who knew that most people wouldn¡¯t be too interested in this section?

    Lol

    Then with a flicker of intent, he used [Planeshift] and found himself in the entryway of the Heavenly Archive. He smiled at the now familiar cloudy edges of the minor realm, enjoying the feeling of the place, then turned and headed to the teleport platforms.

    A few minutes later, he was standing in the 9<sup>th</sup> section of the Heavenly Archive and was once again filled with awe.

    It was smaller than the 8<sup>th</sup> section by a bit, but what it lacked in area it made up for in quality.

    The stone here was of the same stuff that he¡¯d collected so long ago, that while marble-like stone with the shifting blue inclusions. It gave the place the feeling of being in the clouds as one watched the blues shift in hue, then seem to waver ever-so-slightly to and fro, making it look like eddies in the clouds.

    The tables and chairs were of simple white marble though and looked to be carved with great care. The scrollwork on the legs of that table over there was so fine that he was sure that it was paper thin in parts. He¡¯d even [Delve]d a table and found that Altaea had also taken the time to ¡°harden¡± everything in here to further decrease the possibility of accidental damage to any of the detailed work.

    With a small shake of his head, he dismissed those thoughts as the distractions that they were. He was here to try to break through to Tier 1, the Foundation Stage, or Realm, as the cultivators liked to call it.

    He looked about again, this time feeling out the area; looking for a spot that was just right, as it were.

    After dismissing the area by the teleporter as being too likely to distract him- he was still quite the geek after all- he decided on the area directly across from it. It was more a cubby where someone could curl up with a book and have a good read, sporting an actual couch with padding!

    He grinned. Altaea certainly knew him well.

    Then his grin faded in the face of his memories and the reality in front of him. She had left. But she had also left this place for him to discover and use. What did it all mean?

    After a few moments of having a bit of a pity party, he shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts and made his way over to the couch.

    Wow, I wish I¡¯d had one of these back home¡­ he thought to himself as he experienced a couch superior to any couch that he¡¯d ever sat upon. It wasn¡¯t so soft that one would get engulfed in it and need to be rescued, nor was it one of those hard waiting-room couches meant to secretly make you want to leave after a short time experiencing them. No, this was bliss.

    The cushions gave just enough under his slight weight, but were also soft to the touch. It almost felt like silk, if silk could also be slightly fuzzy to the touch. It was just so¡­ soft!

    Joram quickly shook his head again, reprimanding himself for once again becoming distracted.

    ¡®I¡¯m going to meditate, I¡¯ll be back later this evening,¡¯ he sent his parents then muted the connection so that he wouldn¡¯t be disturbed, then closed his eyes.

    He brought up the manual in his mind¡¯s eye, going over it one more time before doubling down.

    Pull in the Qi, circulate the Qi. Gotcha.

    It was simple enough in principle, but much more difficult in practice¡­ if he¡¯d been a normal kid.

    He¡¯d spent years training with Altaea, and almost another year exploring on his own after that, exploring his new abilities and feeling how his soul and body had changed.

    He he¡¯d taken on those Outsider traits, becoming more like Altaea, he¡¯d noticed that the many abilities that came with the new change in himself were mostly instinctual, but many also had needed his to concentrate on to activate. Each one drawing upon mana that his body had begun to generate. Which was indeed different from the psionic energy that he generated on a regular basis.

    He¡¯d noticed how different they were and that he couldn¡¯t substitute one energy for the other. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t know how, but that the two energies seemed to be incompatible with each other.

    And the fact that Altaea had managed to create a cultivation technique that allowed for the conversion of one to the other was beyond spectacular.

    All that said, he was used to energy circulating through his body. He wasn¡¯t, however, used to circulating it in such an unusual way.

    It wasn¡¯t like the many Xianxia or Wuxia novels, manga, manhwa, and manhua that he¡¯d read over the years where you took the energy and followed a convoluted route through the body to eventually end up where you started, usually your centre, core, or dantian, whatever the author called it.

    This method was technically circulating the Qi, or Mana, through his body in a specific way, but that was about it.

    The Encompass the Universe technique required him to pull in the ambient mana from his environment through his skin, and immediately begin to draw it into his muscles, sinews, bones, organs, etc. It was like being cooked by a microwave. The mana would penetrate him through, then he would direct it to the surface again, then back down to the centre of his being.

    It was like taking a deep breath in, then exhaling. Except his whole body was the lung.

    It wasn¡¯t particularly comfortable, nor was it very uncomfortable. It was just odd.

    The main thing that made this a difficult technique was that he needed to also keep a set of images in his head while he did this, guiding how the mana interacted with his body on its way in and out again, over and over again.

    That said, it did seem to be working well. He could almost feel the bottleneck crumbling as he meditated here, enjoying the pleasant atmosphere.

    Not that he was aware of what was going on around him, but he could feel the ambient mana here and it was rich, but calm and peaceful. It reminded him of the times where he¡¯d gone for a walk in the woods growing up, feeling how peaceful everything was.

    That thought nearly broke him out of his meditations right there. The feeling of the Heavenly Archive was that of home. Someplace safe and secure, yet familiar all at once¡­

    ¡­ and as those thoughts settled into his head, relaxing him, he felt a sudden influx of mana coming into him.

    He panicked for a brief moment before he remembered that the major sign that you were going to break through to the Foundation Realm was this very influx of mana that he was experiencing.

    So, he doubled down, as it were, and kept a firm hold on the mental images of how the mana was to circulate and absorb into him.

    It wasn¡¯t as easy as all that though, as it soon felt like he was an overfull balloon about to pop. So, he then began to concentrate on the flow of mana now that was coming in all on its own.

    He mentally peaked ahead to the Tier 1 chapter and began to use the methods there to circulate the excess mana that seemed about to burst out of him.

    It wasn¡¯t easy.

    It felt like trying to catch a greased pig- not that he¡¯d ever done that- the size of a sedan. Every time he though he had a hold of the situation, he¡¯d get knocked off, as it were. But he¡¯d be right back there, directing the flows every time he was knocked down.

    And he was indeed ¡°knocked down¡± many, many times.

    The issue wasn¡¯t so much needing to get back up as it was that every time he was ¡°knocked down¡±, it caused a bit of backlash. A time or ten didn¡¯t phase him too much, but once he was knocked down for the twentieth time or so, he was really starting to feel the damage to his body.

    The various manuals and such referred to the damage to his body as damage to his meridians. Well, his veins were indeed taking the hits, as well as every other pathway in his body. It was getting so bad, in fact, that he was considering taking the minor his to his cultivation and stopping then and there when he felt tingles all over his body.

    He didn¡¯t dare open his eyes, or even send out a thought through his network as he was afraid of loosing his concentration and having one of those ¡°cultivation mishaps¡±, but he did notice that his body was now healing from the damage the bucking mana was causing.

    He grinned, both mentally and physically and doubled down.

    Not in trying to wrestle the mana, but this time to corralling it where he needed it to go. The manual hadn¡¯t been very specific on that particular detail, but he suspected that it was something that one had to experience and learn for oneself. One of those life lessons that you had to live through, not merely being told of it.

    Whatever the reason, his new approach seemed to work wonders.

    The Qi, or mana, was now swirling about like a misty storm in his core, or ¡°dantian¡± as some called it. He could feel how much more energy his body seemed to have now.

    It seemed that while he¡¯d be wrestling with the Qi/mana that he¡¯d missed the integration of Qi/mana into his being.

    Huh.

    That was more than a little disappointing. Everything that he¡¯d read and heard from others had mentioned how wonderful it felt to finally break through to Tier 1, of how the rush of energy seemed to heal and invigorate the whole body¡­

    He paused there.

    He was sure that what he¡¯d felt was healing being sent to him from Avi¡­ But was it really just that? Could she have timed it perfectly to coincide with his breakthrough to the first tier?

    He shook his head slightly at the thought, not wanting to go too far down that path until he had time to speak with Avi about it. For now, he contented himself to ¡°observe¡± the mana swirling about his core. Well, his core area. He hadn¡¯t yet formed a proper core as that would be what determined what he¡¯d reached Tier 2. All of Tier 1 was about accumulating mana in your centre in preparation for making your actual core.

    Well, ¡°core¡± as in: centre. The act of forming one¡¯s core involved condensing the accumulated mana (in its gaseous state) into a liquid state at one¡¯s centre.

    From what he could gauge, he wasn¡¯t just at Tier 1, level 1, but he seemed to be somewhere in the mid levels if the accumulation of mana in his centre was anything to go by.

    Then the paused again, this time to mentally go over the details of the manual.

    ¡°By cultivating in this way, one is able to secure a broader foundation with which to build upon from then on.¡±

    It went on to describe how Encompass the Universe allowed for the cultivator to have an absolutely monstrous amount of mana compared to others of the same realm, and that if one didn¡¯t have ample resources when cultivating, then it might take several times longer to break through to the next realm as compared to others.

    Why did I gloss over that little detail before? He asked himself as he physically face-palmed.

    Well, at least for now he had access to a fair amount of resources. Avi had, after all, retrieved a staggering amount of wealth on her occasional foray out into the world.

    But if pop culture was at all accurate in the quantity of resources he¡¯d need to use while cultivating, he was sure that he¡¯d be out treasure hunting in no time at all¡­

    * * * * *

    To say that Tatia was angry was an understatement.

    Sulia had never seen her grandmother¡¯s eyebrow twitch, nor had she ever seen that vein throbbing on her forehead.

    They¡¯d just finished explaining things to her grandmother; her parents and Ivaryn standing at her sides. This wasn¡¯t quite going as well as she¡¯d hoped.

    They¡¯d come in after dinner to fill her in on the Joram ¡°situation¡± and had spent the better part of two hours explaining things and answering what questions they could. Or in her and Ivaryn¡¯s case, willing to answer. They¡¯d managed to keep out most of what Joram could do and had pretty much left it at Joram retaining his memories from his previous life.

    Well, they¡¯d also mentioned that Joram had dabbled in Alchemy and Smithing, but hadn¡¯t gone too far with their explanations.

    They¡¯d been standing there for a while now, waiting for Tatia- The Matriarch- to say something.

    At length, Matriarch Aneath stood up from her padded arm chair to stare at the four of them standing in the middle of the room, no seating having been offered.

    Looking at Sulia, she spoke. ¡°You¡¯ve known for almost a year, yet you didn¡¯t think that it would be important enough to tell me that our family had produced a Reincarnator?¡±

    Sulia tried to speak, but found that her throat had gone a bit dry. After taking a moment to try and swallow some desperately produced saliva, she answered.

    ¡°Joram feared that we might take his being a Reincarnator negatively, and thus wished to remain anonymous.¡±

    Tatia¡¯s eyebrow twitched again.

    ¡°So,¡± she began. ¡°You disregarded the clan¡¯s safety in favour or keeping this Reincarnator¡¯s secret?¡±

    Sulia couldn¡¯t respond to that, as she was right to condemn their actions.

    ¡°What if he has malign designs on our clan? What if he¡¯s the reincarnation of an ancient enemy? What if he¡¯s just the reincarnation of a despicable person that would sell out our clan for the greatest profit?¡±

    Each question hammered at her conscience, nailing each point home. She¡¯d been raised to keep the secrets of the clan, and what their mission was, the utmost secret. Yet allowing a Reincarnator to roam about without first vetting them was one of the largest mistakes one could make. Never mind that he was their son, the Clan came first.

    ¡°Where is he now?¡±

    Sulia instinctively looked over to Ivaryn and felt his mental shake of the head. He didn¡¯t know either.

    ¡°He said that he wanted to meditate,¡± she said quietly, seemingly withering under her grandmother¡¯s glare as she failed to exactly answer the question.

    She peeked at her mother from the corner of her eye and noticed that she, too, looked a bit ashamed.

    I guess mother was caught up in the moment and was only thinking of the teaching and learning side of things, she thought to herself when motion caught her eye.

    Tatia walked over to a small crystal bell, picked it up, and gave it precisely three rings then set it down again.

    After a moment several people entered her room, all wearing tight fitting clothing in patchy patterns of black and dark greys, each one also having most of their face covered by a black cloth, only revealing their eyes.

    ¡°Find young Joram and bring him here,¡± Tatia commanded as she once again took her seat.

    Sulia¡¯s back was now drenched in sweat.

    The clan Enforcers weren¡¯t to be taken lightly.

 Chapter 013

    Chapter 013

    Joram lay in bed, hands behind his head, enjoying the late-night air as it came through the window to play with the near shear curtains.  He watched as they lazily danced about, casting shadows across the floor that mirrored their dance.

    He remembered how good it felt to be able to see clearly, but his new and improved vision was much better than it had been, even when he was very young¡­

    Not only that, but his other senses put his old ones- from his previous life- to shame.  A human just couldn¡¯t compare.  Heck, even his High Elan side wasn¡¯t as good right off the hop, nor even his planar side.  That said, he did still miss having darkvision.  Sure, his lowlight vision was out of this world right now, but he was pretty sure that he¡¯d still be blind in absolute darkness.

    Tier 1 was amazing.  Even his little body had some serious power to it now.  Sure, it wasn¡¯t anything like an adult¡¯s strength at Tier 1, but he was at least as strong as what he¡¯d been as a human.  Which was crazy to think about.

    Given his size, his muscle to mass ratio was now insane.  How many toddlers out there could lift a couple hundred pounds?  He¡¯d have to test it more¡­  Probably the day after tomorrow, as tomorrow was the big shindig after all.

    As he lay there watching the shadows, a faint sound caught his attention.  Coming back to the here and now, he focussed on his [Touchsight] and noticed that someone had snuck up outside his window.

    Well, if that wasn¡¯t enough to alarm him, the fellow- the person didn¡¯t curve in all the right places- was dressed like a ninja.  He wasn¡¯t sure on the colour of his garb, as [Touchsight] didn¡¯t allow for colour, but he was willing to bet that it was pretty much all black.

    ¡®Mom, dad?¡¯  He sent, remembering to un-mute his parents.

    He blinked as he got a flood of messages that had cued up, all coming in fast enough to make him a bit dizzy.  He didn¡¯t know that that was a thing, cueing the chat log.

    ¡®Joram, where are you?¡¯  His mother sent at the same time that his father sent a variation of the same thing.

    ¡®I¡¯m in my room, and there¡¯s a ninja outside the window,¡¯ he sent back, trying to process their worry.

    What the clan under attack?

    ¡®That would be one of the clan enforcers,¡¯ his mother sent.  ¡®Please cooperate with them when they come to get you.¡¯

    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯  He sent back as the figure outside slipped through the window and spotted him on the bed.

    ¡®Grandmother, Grandfather, and the Matriarch know.¡¯

    ¡°Joram Aneath,¡± the figure said in a quiet, but strong voice.  ¡°You will come with me.¡±

    I guess that Grammy didn¡¯t take it well, he thought as he slid out of bed and into his slippers.

    * * * * *

    Matriarch Tatia Aneath watched as one of the enforcers brought Joram in, still in his night robes, blinking up at everyone.

    She had to admit, he was a very good actor.  If she hadn¡¯t known better, she would have taken him for any child woken in the middle of the night, blearily looking about, curiosity written on his face.  But now, now she looked at how he stood, not quite how most two year-olds would stand.  No, she noticed that as relaxed and sleepy as he looked, he was actually poised to run, balanced on the balls of his feet.

    She took that in and more.  The way his shoulders were set, even how he kept glancing around at everyone, not quite smiling.

    Am I reading too much into this?  She asked herself as the enforcer stopped Joram in the middle of the room where his parents had stood not too long ago.

    Tatia spared a glance for her child and grandchild, noticing that they¡¯d locked onto Joram and hardly seemed to breath as they sat to the side of the room.

    The men weren¡¯t much different, though Xander seemed to be the more composed of the two sitting there drinking tea¡­

    Where¡¯d he get the tea from?  She asked herself, then gave a mental shake of the head.  It really didn¡¯t matter, nor did the fact that he retrieved some candied nuts to snack on as he watched.

    Is this entertaining for him?!

    Tatia suppressed a snide comment, working very hard to keep her face looking calm and serene.  After a few breaths, she waved the enforcers out of the room and touched then centre jewel on her necklace.

    Once the privacy array had been activated, and the enforcers had vacated the room, she stood up as she kept her eyes on Joram, gauging his reaction.

    He was either oblivious to the array being activated or he was indeed a very good actor, as he didn¡¯t react at all, keeping his gaze locked onto his mother, fidgeting in place.

    It was very much a two year-old reaction and not that of a more mature mind.  Yes, a very good actor indeed.

    ¡°Joram, come here and sit with me,¡± she said, motioning to a plush armchair that was beside her own.  It was normally reserved for the exceedingly aged elders of the clan who came to speak with her in private, but she didn¡¯t see any problem with Joram borrowing it for a bit.

    Joram gave a sleepy blink, then a smile as he moseyed on over, tilting this way and that until he reached the chair, climbed up, and wiggled about until he got comfortable.  Tatia¡¯s heart nearly burst at the cuteness factor as she watched his little face scrunch and then relax as he found the sweet spot.  He then smiled up at her with sleepy eyes that even shimmered a bit with overly-tired tears.

    She glanced back over to Bezia and Sulia and saw that they¡¯d also been struck by the adorable display, even Ivaryn didn¡¯t seem immune as he leaned forward slightly.  Xander, on the other hand, popped a few candied nuts into his mouth and began chewing, a faint grind on his placid face.

    That brought her back to the moment.  She resumed her study of Joram and found that he seemed to be falling asleep.

    With an exasperated sigh, Tatia leaned over and poked Joram.  ¡°Hey, now, no sleeping just yet.¡±

    Joram¡¯s eyes popped open and looked about for a moment before settling on her again.  If she hadn¡¯t gotten the whole story from Sulia, she¡¯d have thought that maybe he was only a partially Awakened Reincarnator, someone who only retained a smattering of the memories from their previous life.

    But since they¡¯d shared that Joram had indeed retained his memories, well, she couldn¡¯t help but admire his poise.  Not many people could remain so calm under the scrutiny of a Tier 6 Mage, nevertheless Joram did.  Not only that, but he got up, wobble, then climbed over to her chair and wiggled into her lap, his head resting on her chest.

    She very nearly blushed when she remembered that he was a Reincarnator.  She was about to toss him back to his own seat when he tilted his head up to look at her over her bosom.

    ¡°What¡¯s up Grammy?¡±  He asked in a sleepy voice.

    She blinked.

    That wasn¡¯t how he normally spoke to her.

    ¡°You¡¯re a Reincarnator,¡± she said, not at all a question.

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    She blinked again, searching his eyes for any deceit, trickery, or guile, and found none.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us?¡±  She asked, trying very hard to keep all of her feelings in check.

    ¡°I was scared,¡± he replied with a shrug, then looked back down to his hands.

    This was much harder than she thought it would be.  Sure, he was the first Reincarnator to show up in their family line in centuries, but the rules surrounding them had been passed down for thousands of years, taught to each Matriarch as they took their position in the Clan.

    This, though, was very difficult.  She would freely admit that Joram had taken a special place in her heart, nevermind in her hopes for the clan.  He was an exceptionally well behaved child, studious, and just plain loveable.

    He gave amazingly warm hugs and cuddles too.

    So, why had he been scared to share with them.  She even asked as much.

    ¡°Well,¡± he started, tilting his head back up so he could look her in the eyes.  ¡°It all started when was sitting down to have some delicious chicken cashew stir fry¡­¡±

    Tatia listened with baited breath, surprised at how well he was able to tell his story and provoke vivid imaged in her mind at his descriptions.  The self-training that he¡¯d put himself through once he¡¯d arrived made her think that he was a masochist, and she even noticed that Xander seemed approving of just how grueling his training had been.

    The fact that he¡¯d come from another world surprised her though.  She¡¯d only ever heard of a few examples of such.  To a one, every outworlder she¡¯d read about had brought about new, and sometimes disastrous, changes to their world.  The Aneath Clan had had to step in more than once to sequester either the outworlder or their knowledge before it could become too widely spread.

    By the time Joram got to the part where he¡¯d been exploring on his own, she began to worry.  Unexplored wilderness was exceptionally dangerous.  Nevertheless, she enjoyed his retelling of finding various spiritual fruit, herbs, and vegetables.  He was an amazingly thorough researcher, and she wholeheartedly approved.

    Then he spoke of a massive fight between a dragon and a phoenix, which tickled at her memory, but the thought was swept away when he got to the part where he¡¯d been killed.

    ¡°So,¡± he said.  ¡°You can see why I was a bit hesitant to share my personal history with anyone after being killed by the first human I ran across.¡±

    Tatia could not refute that.

    After a few moments, she asked.  ¡°Do you see us as your new family then?¡±

    Joram blinked at her, but nodded.

    ¡°Do you love us?¡±

    Joram blinked at her again, this time to clear his eyes of the welling tears.  They came back, and he had to look down once again.  Finally, a whisper came.

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Tatia¡¯s throat threatened to close, her heart leaping up to block the way.  She took a moment to take a deep breath, then another five.  She noticed that even her daughter, the infamously academic and clinical Bezia, had to blink a few times as she turned her head away.  Sulia, however, looked like a leaking faucet.  Ivaryn had his eyes closed and quivering chin up.

    Xander took a sip of tea.

    Tatia returned her attention to Joram and took another breath before asking: ¡°Then, why would we love you less?¡±

    She felt his little body quivering against her own as a sob escaped his little body.  It took a while before she felt the shudders subside, then she spoke again.

    ¡°Take off your aura shroud.¡±  She told him as she held out her left hand.

    After a moment he slid the ring off his finger, reached over, and dropped it into her open palm.  Nodding to herself as she was now able to clearly read his aura, she asked her next question.

    ¡°Do you have any ill intentions towards the Clan?¡±

    She was treated to seeing his tear-soaked face, runny nose and all, as his head whipped up to level a look of pure indignation and outrage at her.

    It was very, very, hard not to laugh just then, the look was so previous.

    ¡°No!¡±  He said adamantly, face morphing to sheer stubbornness and resolution, which was also mirrored in his aura.

    ¡°Will you do everything you can to protect the clan?¡±

    He twisted about in her lap, getting to his knees so he was closer to eye-level with her, hands pressed on her chest for balance.

    ¡°You can bet your last crystal I will!¡±  He said, tiny face the model of seriousness.  Still ruined somewhat by his runny nose though.

    Again, pure confidence, honesty, and certainty showed in his aura.  She smiled to herself as her left hand played with the ring.

    ¡°So, then, I see no problem at all,¡± she said with a smile.  Joram¡¯s relief was evident, so she regretted what came next only slightly.  ¡°Though, for not trusting your family and hiding this from us, you are grounded for a year.¡±

    When she saw his little face fall into incredulity and disbelief, she really did laugh then.  Next, she handed Joram back his aura shroud and placed him in his chair, then stood up.

    ¡°Sulia,¡± she began once she was composed.  ¡°You and Ivaryn will receive half wages for the next two years for not sharing this important information sooner.¡±

    She rather enjoyed their varied expressions.  Sulia seemed about to swallow her tongue, while Ivaryn looked like he had a sudden headache coming on by the way he pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger.

    * * * * *

    Joram lay in bed staring up, watching as the shadows slowly faded from the panels that made up the ceiling.

    He was¡­ conflicted.

    On the one hand, he was glad that his secret was out.  Well, to his immediate family anyway.  Grammy had told everyone that his identity as a Reincarnator would remain secret, that only those in the room would know.

    On the other hand, the fact that Grammy now knew, and Gran and Gramps, he wouldn¡¯t have the luxury of having as relaxing a time as he¡¯d hoped.

    They¡¯d continued talking and going over things until well after midnight, where Grammy had dismissed everyone but him and had had her own talk with him.

    She had, while his ring was off, felt that he¡¯d broken through to the First Tier, and had commented on how he¡¯d even reached the Fourth Rank.  He¡¯d opted for the truth in saying that the cultivation method he was using seemed tailor-made for him, and that it was easier than he¡¯d anticipated.

    What he hadn¡¯t said was that he was using Encompass the Universe rather than the cultivation method his parents had found him.

    *Shrug

    Well, now he was here, going over the restrictions that Grammy had set in place, frowning.

    He wasn¡¯t to go to the Library by himself during his year of being grounded.  He also needed to have someone accompany him while he wasn¡¯t in his family¡¯s apartments.  That last one was the most annoying restriction.  Sure, she¡¯d also slated him in for nine hours per day of classes, with only one day per week for rest.  But that wasn¡¯t so bad.

    Well, that was a lie.

    He really wanted to study on his own, not having to worry about learning things that he wasn¡¯t interested in.  Well, he¡¯d see what was on the table after his birthday party.

    Yes, he still needed to attend that celebration.  He was just glad that he¡¯d been cultivating and was still refreshed from it.  Hence the staring at the ceiling.

    His parents hadn¡¯t been quiet either.  Well, over the Network anyway.

    They¡¯d been chatting up a storm, trying to plan and going over many plans with him; most redundant.

    They were both relieved and stressed out that his secret was out for obvious, and not-so-obvious, reasons.

    Reincarnators had a mixed reputation, as they came in every shape and form.  From the saintliest to the vilest.  All, however, were recognized for their talents.  Be it in cultivation, alchemy, arrays, or other areas, they tended to be at the top of their generation in their field of expertise.

    He really hoped that he and his parents had gotten through to his grand parents, and especially Grammy, that he hadn¡¯t been some sort of Old Master, prodigy, or savant.  Just a guy who had fallen into their world and hadn¡¯t even survived three years.

    That said, with how mature he was, and with his comprehension, they still expected him to be well above average in his studies and accomplishments.  Hence the added study.

    As he lay there pondering, a servant eventually came in to wake him and get him ready for the Big Day.

    He obediently rose, consumed breakfast, albeit distractedly, and got dressed up.  He even put up with the extra touches of makeup that the attendant, Tillia, quickly added to emphasize his big green eyes, gushing about how handsome he was the whole time.

    And yes, there was a new little circlet for his to wear.  Or maybe it was the same, but resized?  Meh.

    All-in-all he was dressed to the nines, as it were.  And now he was sitting on a tall stool-like chair, on display for al to see.

    He was sure to greet everyone properly, getting much praise for his manners and poise from the older generation.

    From the children of his generation, the reactions were mixed.

    The ones closer to his age seemed to be mostly good with him while the older ones, mostly those in their early teens, had faker smiles.

    Now, that could have just been explained away by virtue of them been teenagers, but he didn¡¯t get that impression from them all.

    It was likely because he was a male descendent of the Matriarch, and one favoured by her too.  Petty jealousies were a thing, especially when everyone fought to elevate themselves in the eyes of those in power.

    He hated to admit it, but power really trumped all here.  Power and ability, that is.

    It wasn¡¯t until the greetings were over halfway through that he was finally able to see Xiora.  Their family being so far from the main line, it was no wonder that it took so long for them to get through the greeting line.  That said, Joram was sure that Xiora¡¯s family would be rising in the ranks as they finally noticed her potential.

    ¡®Jo?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Xixi?¡¯

    ¡®I missed you!¡¯  Xiora sent, a huge smile on her face.

    ¡®I missed you too,¡¯ he sent back, reciprocating her warmth.  It wasn¡¯t hard, for Xiora was one of those lovable children, the kind that everyone gushed over.

    So, they sat there, hand-in-hand as he finished his familial duties of greeting the guests who¡¯d come to wish him well on his birthday.  Once he was done, they hopped down and made their way to one of the snack tables, as he liked to call them.

    Loaded up, they made their way to a section of the Great Hall where they had chairs lined up against the wall where people could sit and chat if they wished.  Or in their case, eat!

    Shortly after they started eating, Zanth was dropped off by his mother, Selussa.  Being the toddlers they were, the trio first focussed on devouring their respective meals, then got to chatting about random things.

    Joram felt a little bad that Zanth¡¯s progress was almost non-existent, only having just touched the first level of Tier 0.  In his case, the ears.  It made sense, as the hearing of a child was much better than their eyesight, so the gains were much more apparent.  Joram was also glad that Zanth had started with hearing, as waiting for his eyesight to naturally improve would allow for better improvement of his eyesight once he started to refine his eyes through cultivation.

    In other words, it was better to work on your body once it had fully developed naturally.

    In Joram¡¯s case, he had elected to suppress his cultivation in order to allow his body to develop more naturally.  It was certainly a huge temptation to keep walking around with the strength of an adult, but he knew that suppressing his cultivation was indeed better for his development in the long run.

    As for Xixi, she was following his advice, also suppressing her cultivation to allow her body to develop naturally.

    This all had been a bit of a surprise to him when he¡¯d come across that tidbit in his research.  He¡¯d thought that cultivation and natural growth would have a compounding effect when both occurred at the same time.  On the contrary, cultivation would stunt the natural growth of the body if done too soon.  So, there he was, cultivation suppressed in order to allow his body to properly grow.

    It still sucked.

    It was very hard to keep his impatience in check, though, as he very much wanted to just grow up and get on with his life, to get out there and explore this ridiculous new world.  To find Altaea, or, at the least, to find out what happened to her.

    So, he came to a decision that would lead to him being perpetually exhausted: he would need to constantly run [Schism].

    Now, if he¡¯d decided to do this before he¡¯d been killed, it would have been impossible.  The energy needed to keep that power up and running would have drained him in under two hours.  But now that he had been practicing on expanding his ¡°knowledge sea¡±- or maybe he could call it his ¡°power star¡±?- his reserves had greatly increased.

    That, however, still wasn¡¯t enough.  He would have to rely on the mana-power conversion technique that Altaea had left him to make up the difference.

    How would this help?  Well, [Schism] allowed him to basically duplicate his mind and have it running in parallel with his primary mind, allowing both to communicate and act separately.  Both were him, however, so there was no worry about a rogue personality taking over or anything like that.

    Sure, the second mind could only act mentally, as his primary mind would stay in control of his body, but that didn¡¯t matter as his second mind would be set to purely mental tasks anyways; like studying, cultivation, comprehension, etc..  The downside was that he¡¯d be effectively drained of power while doing this.  This method wouldn¡¯t be anything but draining on his system until he was able to form and keep up a third mind through [Schism].  However, that was easier said than done.

    That would need him to either come up with a viable augmentation to the power, or to create a whole new power to handle it.  Hmmm, maybe that should be his first project for his second mind, to create that needed augment.

    ¡°Joram, time to go up,¡± his mother said, interrupting his musings.

    Nodding, he hopped down and followed her to the small platform set up at the head of the great hall where his great grandmother stood with his grandparents and his father.

    Unsurprisingly, the bit where he was presented to the clan was more or less the same, using another circlet of the same design as the previous two.  What was different, however, was what came at the end.

    ¡°This also marks the last day where my daughter and her daughter will be on leave,¡± Tatia announced.  ¡°Tomorrow, they shall depart for their next assignments.  So, let us also take this time to bid them great success in their endeavours.¡±

    Well, he had known that they¡¯d be leaving after his birthday, but this was a bit sudden.  Not that he should have been surprised, though, as he¡¯d been getting the impression that their missions were on the more important side of things.  They had, of course, kept the details secret.  He really couldn¡¯t blame them after what had happened yesterday, though.  At least he¡¯d be able to stay in contact with his parents through the Network.

    Once Grammy was done, Joram took the opportunity to escape the incoming well-wishers and congratulators in favour of hanging out with his friends.

    He did, however, keep an ear on the conversations going on around him to see if anything interesting would be mentioned.

    Well, it was a typically boring gathering- as he¡¯d never been big on attending parties, this life of the last-, people talking about new products on the market, from clothing to various elixirs to a new smith in town who seemed to have great accomplishments and thus more expensive materials were being ordered in to accommodate their growth.

    He was, once again, frustrated by this language¡¯s grammatical structure.  He very much preferred English¡¯s binary gender pronouns.  Sure, there was the whole gender fluidity movement, along with the political correctness that went along with it, but he was used to what he was used to.  This language, however, had the gender neutral pronouns that German had, so he guessed that that made things easier overall.  He wondered how much English would change as the gender movement progressed¡­.

    With a shake of his head, he once again focussed on the gossip.

    Fashion was relatively conservative here, closer to that of the ancient East back home, though less flowy.  The robes didn¡¯t have those ridiculously huge sleeves but were closer to that of a modern suit jacket.  Also, they tended to end just past the hips, flaring slightly.  Women tended to wear a skirt along with that type of jacket, while men preferred pants of various cuts.  Sure, there were still many people who wore the tradition-style robes, but the new style seemed to appeal to more people.

    There was also talk of how the Matriarch was expanding the clan¡¯s medicinal gardens, and he wondered if that had anything to do with him.  He wasn¡¯t sure due to the fact that this project seemed to me months old already, but it was always a possibility.

    Another topic that caught his ear was the general expectations of the clan that Xiora would rise very high in the clan, possibly inheriting the position of Matriarch in the future, especially with her engagement to Joram.  He laughed a bit inside, as he suspected they¡¯d be greatly disappointed if they learned that his parents weren¡¯t actively using contraceptives already.

    In his previous life, while growing up, his family hadn¡¯t been what you¡¯d call a model family.  It was broken, with many, many issues.  So, he was very much looking forward to having a younger sibling arrive, to build that familial bond with them.  To be able to be that Big Brother to them.

    Then his thoughts turned somber as he remembered how he¡¯d died and had thus been born into the new family.

    He needed to get stronger.  Strong enough that some random jerk couldn¡¯t just kill him for whatever reason that happened to skitter across their entitled brains.

    Yes, tonight he¡¯d start using [Schism] and have his second mind begin working on how to get a third mind going.  Only then would he be able to make the kind of progress that would allow him to grow fast enough to be able to protect his family.

    * * * * *

    Sulia turned to look at Joram as she felt a wave of determination flow across the Network and saw that Look on his face.

    She didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, or what caused this abrupt shift, but she hoped that whatever it was wasn¡¯t anything dangerous.

 Chapter 014

    Captain¡¯s log, arbitrary star date: 1002.13.14

    It has been one of the most boring years of any life that I¡¯ve lived.

    The education and training schedule that Granny left behind was followed strictly by the tutor the clan assigned me. It probably wouldn¡¯t have been so bad if the tutor hadn¡¯t been such an old fossil that dust literally fell off him sometimes. The man was so traditional that I couldn¡¯t even enjoy the newer fashion that had creeped into town, instead being forced to wear the incredibly impractical traditional robes that he favoured.

    On the tangent of his very orthodox views of the world, he was also of the opinion that children should been seen and not heard unless first addressed. That was¡­ well, let¡¯s just say that I almost got a new tutor the first day. You wouldn¡¯t believe how tempting it is to have the power to selectively remove portions of someone¡¯s brain and not use that power in such a setting.

    Ahem.

    On the positive side of things, I¡¯ve now learned the written history of the Waeryn Continent and the dozens of empires, kingdoms, and countries that call it home. I was very impressed when I learned of the scale of this world. It seems that my initial calculations were somewhat off. Heh, they were horribly off. This ¡°planet¡± is roughly the size of Sol, my old home star.

    The other major continent, the Zhizun Zhanshi Continent, is roughly the same size as my Waeryn Continent and almost exactly on the other side of the planet.

    As a side note, I now see why the authors in those Wuxia/Xianxia novels called them ¡°stars¡± instead of ¡°planets¡±.

    Anyway, there are many major islands scattered about, but nothing coming close to being classified as a continent.

    As for the history of this world, it goes way back. There was an insane cataclysm just over twenty thousand years ago that wiped out most of civilization, almost all records pre-cataclysm having been destroyed. Sure, there¡¯re records made by survivors who tried to record everything that they knew, but their works paled in comparison to what had been lost.

    There are many conflicting stories about what caused the great cataclysm, but all agree on the destruction that ensued.

    First, mana, Qi, or whatever the historians were wont to call it, died. That¡¯s to say, the levels of mana dropped so low as to be nearly imperceptible, even in areas that had been overflowing with the stuff up to that point.

    Next, the sky fell. Not sure if that was literal or figurative, but from what I could piece together, this world used to have several more moons. Somehow, all but two of the moons were shattered and rained down on the world, decimating everything under the heavens. So, maybe more literal than figurative.

    From there, earthquakes rocked the land for months on end. The survivors could scarce believe just how much the landscape had changed; most believing that they¡¯d somehow been sent to another world entirely.

    They weren¡¯t far wrong.

    The changes that occurred afterwards weren¡¯t few. One of the minor changes was how the flora adapted, mutated, and grew once mana returned to the world. The return of mana wasn¡¯t a gradual event, but one just as drastic as its disappearance. From the reports of the survivors, it was actually much stronger than it was before if vanished.

    That said, the plant life exploded, covering vast and burnt-out swaths of land, adapting and mutating to the local conditions. Whole areas were now elementally attuned to the various elements, causing whatever grew or lived there to take on that elemental attribute.

    Whole clans and sects popped up in these areas, wholly dedicated to that particular element, learning and teaching ways to harness that power in their cultivation. It was also a golden era for alchemists, as the abundance of new ingredients, plant, animal, or mineral, meant that new discoveries were as common as mushrooms after rain.

    Artifact refining, as well as subdisciplines like puppet-making, also took off with how many raw resources had quite literally fallen from the sky. Unfortunately, resources like gold, silver, and copper had also fallen in abundance, so the monetary system of the Old World went out the window when those precious metals flooded the market.

    Then came the advent of the currency that we use today. It¡¯s basically condensed mana. You can still find crystal lodes and mine the appropriate grade of crystal, but sometime about ten thousand years ago someone invented a mana condenser that allowed them to produce crystalized mana artificially.

    I suspect that person might have been Altaea, but it is hard to say. For one, it has been ten thousand years, and the technology has been revised countless times since, making it very difficult to tell just by looking at the tech. For another, I have absolutely no hope of inspecting one of those ¡°machines¡± anyways due to how valuable and restricted they are to anyone but the Crystal Consortium.

    Yes, that¡¯s a lame name. I got in trouble from the Old Fossil for laughing when I heard it.

    Anyways, another reason that I suspect that Altaea had something to do with the new currency and its production is the ratios used in each denomination.

    It very much follows the Metric System¡¯s use of base ten. The lowest denomination of Crystal currency is the basic Tier 1 Mana/Qi coin. Each tier has three grades to it: low, mid, and high. Each coin is exactly the same size, but the colour saturation deepens as the grade goes up. So, a Tier 1 low-grade coin is almost completely translucent, while the high-grade coin looks like milky quartz.

    I managed to convince Grammy to let me have a low-grade T1 coin and was able to measure its dimensions after digging out an old digital caliper from storage. Every coin is exactly 25mm in diameter and 2mm thick. Not too weird, but still of note.

    The biggest clue that Altaea was behind all this was that one low-grade coin was worth one tenth of a mid-grade coin, and one one-hundredth of a high-grade coin. So, one high-grade coin would get you one hundred low-grade coins. Cool.

    Then you needed ten high-grade coins to get one low-grade coin of the next tier up. So, one Tier 2, low-grade coin would get you one thousand Teir 1, low-grade coins.

    Now, another interesting point is that each coin¡¯s value exactly paralleled the mana density in the coins. Yes, one mid-grade coin had ten times the mana contained in it that a low-grade coin had. It scaled up exactly the same way all the way through to the Fourth-Tier currency, which only the highest-grade Empires or Sects could afford to circulate.

    The last point that made me think that Altaea was behind the currency was the ¡°card¡± version of each tier¡¯s currency. Each card was the same size as a standard playing card one would come across in a casino or someone¡¯s poker night. The only difference was that each card was also 2mm thick.

    Now, all of this could have been a crazy coincidence and Altaea hadn¡¯t had anything to do with how the monetary system had evolved¡­ But I¡¯d rather bet on my chance of surviving another hit from that Old Fart than bet against Altaea being involved.

    Whew! That was an info-dump!

    Anyway, those cards ares also rather convenient, as each one is actually worth one thousand high-grade coins of that tier. Makes carrying around vast sums of money much easier. Well, storage items are a thing here, so that point is only really valid for someone who can¡¯t afford one¡­

    Anywho.

    On another note, Grammy came by the day after my second birthday to share a little something that she¡¯d been reminded of during my brief autobiography. Apparently, the incident with the Dragon and Phoenix had been a well-documented event one thousand years ago. She was also impressed at how ¡°coincidental¡± it was that I¡¯d been born exactly one thousand years after I¡¯d been killed.

    On that note, she also let me know that I¡¯d been killed on the Zhizun Zhanshi continent, the northwest corner. It was eventful because those two great beings only fight every couple thousand years and each time they do, there tended to be a bountiful harvest of their scales and feathers, not to mention anyone getting lucky enough to snatch up some blood.

    Each of those parts would sell for vast sums of money in auction whenever they appeared, so it was no wonder that that Old Fart had been so trigger-happy. Just one of those scales or feathers was valuable enough to support a mid-sized clan for a decade, easily netting dozens of Tier 3 cards.

    Now, vast wealth was indeed something that people loved to accumulate here, but not entirely for the status of it. Each Crystal coin or card can be used in cultivation. One can meditate and absorb the mana/Qi stored therein. Sure, mana density had increased after the cataclysm, but people still liked to speed things up by increasing their absorption of mana by adding the Crystals to the equation.

    Specifically, because not all areas of the world have the same mana-density.

    The areas with the highest mana density have been claimed long ago by various sects, clans, and empires, allowing them to grow much faster than those in lower mana regions.

    Anyways, one of the most interesting things, post-cataclysm, was how cultivation developed on each continent.

    Waeryn developed ¡°mages¡±, while Zhizun Zhanshi pretty much continued with the traditional methods of cultivation, keeping the old name for mana (Qi) as well as the old names for each level of cultivation. This in another point in favour of my theory that Altaea had managed to somehow travel back in time and influence things.

    Why she chose this continent instead of the one we landed on still remains a mystery though. As far as I can tell, both continents have equal distributions of mana-density, resources, and all such things. All things being equal, why not stay where we landed?

    Meh.

    Better to not dwell on it.

    All that said, it wasn¡¯t an entirely boring year, just mostly.

    Grammy kept her promise to keep my identity as a Reincarnator secret and began giving me personal lessons in Alchemy. She isn¡¯t very accomplished in the field, as her psionic abilities are quite limited, but it proved to be a good primer, helping to establish a good foundation from which I can proceed.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    From there, she branched off to various fields in refining, from metallurgy to woodcraft. It is fascinating how these people have experimented with just about everything, resulting in wondrous production methods. This one wood, Lightning Willow- yes, the naming conventions here are somewhat lacking-, is practically unusable in its raw state, being too soft¡­ and zappy. But when treated with various reagents, it becomes as hard as steel, but retains is light weight, also providing some measure of resistance to electricity. It also makes good lightning-aligned weapons and such.

    Ah, I could go on and on. Suffice it so say, Grammy gave me a ¡°pass¡± on every knowledge test she threw my way. So, technically, I could go to any Crafting Hall and get certified after taking their tests. Grammy assures me that her requirements are much stricter than what the various Halls require, so she doesn¡¯t foresee any issue in the future should I go for licensing.

    Between the lessons from the Old Fossil, Grammy¡¯s tutoring, and my own research with Avi, I¡¯m pretty sure that I¡¯m miles ahead of even people ten years older than me, likely even twenty years older. But that¡¯s no reason to become complacent. It merely highlighted just how much I still need to learn and grow.

    Speaking of growth, I managed to get to the peak of the First Tier last month. I¡¯ve been suppression my cultivation though, as I want to be sure that my foundations are flawless.

    Mental Strength/Psionics levels independently of standard cultivation, meaning that I have to work twice as much to keep things equal. I have, however, made good progress with my Knowledge Star.

    My theory proved sound, as I¡¯ve been able to not only add several rings around the star, but I¡¯ve also managed to increase its ¡°gravity¡±, pulling more psionic energy in to increase the ¡°mass¡± of the star, effectively doubling my psionic reserves. Which is insane, as I¡¯ve found that my efficiency is light-years ahead of anyone here. Their methods are very crude and primitive, using the equivalent of a twenty-pound sledgehammer to tap in a finishing nail, with all the finesse one would imagine in that scenario. And that is considered exquisite control here¡­ It is no wonder that they don¡¯t have psionic healing, they are more likely to blow the person up rather than doing anything useful.

    Well, blowing people up with your mind is also a thing¡­.

    Anyway, this log is getting a bit long, so I¡¯ll end it here.

    - - - - -

    Joram lay in bed, not quite willing to get up just yet. This was one of the rare days that he had off, which also coincided with it being his birthday as it always landed on the 7<sup>th</sup> day of the week, the calendar being as static as it was.

    He¡¯d just finished ¡°talking¡± with his parents over the Network, happy to hear their well-wishes on his birthday. They shared their regrets that they weren¡¯t able to attend his birthday this year but had been sure to send him a birthday present that Grammy was holding onto until the small gathering later in the day.

    It was odd how they did things here. They celebrated the first, second, fourth, eighth, sixteenth, etc., birthdays here. Well, they made a big deal about those milestones anyway. It was another mystery that had hitherto been unsolved but was nonetheless a fun quirk. It meant that he didn¡¯t have to go through the big parties nearly as much as he¡¯d feared.

    Sure, he¡¯d get less loot for each birthday, but that was an acceptable trade-off to not having to endure those huge birthday parties every year. Well, not that he was able to hold onto most of the loot, as it took the form of Crystals most of the time. Grammy had taken all those Crystals and deposited them into the World Bank, run by the Crystal Consortium, under his name. There was a modest interest rate on the account, which was kind of nice. Anything that he earned or was gifted was also deposited, adding to his future nest-egg.

    He really didn¡¯t see the point, as his storage realm was much more secure, but since Grammy didn¡¯t know about it, he went along with the whole bank thing.

    Another pleasant discovery this year had been that all the crystals that Avi had been collecting were indeed Mana Crystals, in their raw form. This meant that he was rich! Another discovery had come in the form of the Dust Crystals that had been condensed.

    They were indeed a type of Mana Crystal, but of a far higher tier. The basic Tier 1 Crystal were just condensed mana. The Tier 2 Crystals, colloquially called ¡°Earth Crystals¡±, contained traces of Earth Law. He couldn¡¯t figure out for the life of him how Earth could be a Law, but it was what it was. The Tier 3 Crystals contained ¡°Heaven/Celestial Law¡±, while the Tier 4 Crystals contained ¡°Immortal Law¡±. All very confusing, all told. ¡°Laws¡± were very mysterious things.

    Back to the Dust Crystals, Joram had found another type of energy in those Crystals. He wasn¡¯t quite sure which law, but he got the impression that it was ¡°Creation¡±. Again, he couldn¡¯t explain Laws to save his life, but the energy seemed to resonate with his Metacreationist/Shaper training. His ¡°class¡± was all about making things after all, and it made sense that Dust Crystals would have that Law in them with how they were literally made to make enchanting faster and easier.

    That said, he was pretty sure that he was the only one who could make Dust Crystals. He was also sure that if they were discovered that they would shake-up society to the point where another economic collapse would be inevitable. So, erring on the side of caution, he had decided to keep them a top-secret level, well, secret.

    *Knock-knock

    He just about asked who was there, but she wouldn¡¯t get the joke.

    Tillia, his new nanny, opened the door and glided across the floor, chattering the whole way.

    ¡°Time to get up Joram!¡± She said in that too-bright way that morning people had. ¡°Breakfast is a lovely rice porridge with cinnamon, honey, and fresh baked apples!¡±

    Now that pepped him up a bit as he sat up and allowed Tillia to scoop him up inter her arms and sweep him over to the wardrobe where she began changing him for the day. It had been a bit of a transition going from being dressed by his parents to dressing himself and now back to being dressed again. For how bright and cheerful Tillia was, she had managed to out-stubborn him, persevering in her insistence on performing the daily task.

    Which left Joram resigned to his fate. Sure, he could have fought her off as she was only at the peak of Tier 0, but that would have been rude. It really didn¡¯t cost him anything besides a slightly rumpled dignity, but it made Tillia happy, and he did enjoy seeing her smiling face. She was quite pretty after all.

    She was taller than most of the girls her age, eighteen now, standing at about 172cm. She had a dancer¡¯s figure, though was slightly bustier than most dancers back home, which put her at about average for the clan. That said, he was pretty sure that his clan was above average in that department, but couldn¡¯t say for certain as he hadn¡¯t met many people who weren¡¯t actually part of the clan.

    She also had the purple hair of the Clear Knowledge Clan, but it was closer to indigo and had many black streaks throughout, showing that she was a more distant relative to the main line. Her large, innocent, eyes were still green, but very pale and with intrusions of sky blue. He thought that she was probably around a 4<sup>th</sup> or 5<sup>th</sup> cousin but hadn¡¯t asked as he thought that that would be somewhat rude of him.

    That all said, she was incredibly competent. She had him undressed, wiped down, and dressed again in under two minutes. If he hadn¡¯t known better, he would have said that it was magic. But no, she was just that good. He was very much debating giving her a more appropriate cultivation method so that he could keep her around longer.

    Yes, that was a selfish thought, but he truly liked Tillia and enjoyed being with her, even with her being a morning person.

    Upon further reflection, he wondered if he¡¯d actually developed a crush on her. Yes, she had a delicate, heart-shaped face, with a milky-white complexion and the grace of a dancer. Yes, her legs went on all day long, and she showed a conservative amount of cleavage with her modern attire. But it was more likely due to her being such a genuinely good person that he liked her. Looks could only take a person so far before their personality came through.

    ¡°Huh,¡± he grunted out loud as she did that final bit of adjusting with his clothes as she knelt in front of him.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Tillia asked, now looking him in the eye.

    He had a brief moment of panic before he calmed himself down. In his first life, he¡¯d been incredibly shy and introverted, not daring to let a girl know that he had a crush on them. As he¡¯d gotten older it had become easier, but was still a very difficult thing for him. In this life, though, he was determined to break out of his shell, so he opened his mouth and spoke.

    ¡°I like you,¡± he said, unsuccessfully fighting off a blush that coloured his cheeks.

    Tillia blinked at him for a moment before a huge smile nearly cracked her face in two.

    ¡°I like you too,¡± she said as she gave him a big hug, smooshing his face into her bosom.

    Well, that¡¯s nice, he thought as he enjoyed the warmth of the moment before she pulled him away.

    ¡°But you have a fianc¨¦, so you shouldn¡¯t go looking at other girls,¡± she said as she gave his nose a little flick, which caused him to blush even more.

    He nearly blurted out that he¡¯d learned that polygamy was an accepted practice amongst the powerful people of the world, but stopped short. He wasn¡¯t powerful yet. She¡¯d just laugh at his declaration. Besides, he wasn¡¯t sure that it wasn¡¯t just his three year-old brain and hormones messing with him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get breakfast so you have some time before the gathering with the Matriarch,¡± Tillia said as she stood up and took his hand in hers.

    He looked up at her and nodded.

    - - - - -

    Breakfast was breakfast; tasty and filling. He must have been starting a growth spurt, as he packed away much more than usual.

    During the meal, Tillia continued to chatter on about this and that, sharing the local gossip. It was impressive, really, because she spent the majority of her day with him. She must have been a natural talent for information gathering given how much she could natter on about just about everything.

    While she was going on, Joram started up his [Schism] again, hopeful that he¡¯d make a breakthrough in his research soon. He was sure that he was close to figuring out how to get that third mind going, but wasn¡¯t quite there yet. It would truly be a game-changer once he cracked that though.

    Then something that Tillia had said caught his attention, bringing him back to the moment.

    ¡°What was that again?¡± He asked, trying to pull up what she¡¯d just said.

    ¡°Oh, I was saying that you must be looking forward to no longer being grounded,¡± she replied with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ve been looking forward to going out and seeing the town and all that.¡±

    With everything that had been dumped on him, nevermind his own research, he¡¯d completely forgotten that his grounding would end today. Or was it already over since he¡¯d been grounded the day before his birthday? He¡¯d have to ask Grammy.

    ¡°I would love to explore!¡± He said with a huge smile. ¡°Will you take me?¡± He asked, trying to do his best puppy-dog eyes.

    Tillia let out a mighty laugh, nearly falling over in the process. ¡°Of course,¡± she managed to say once she¡¯d regained some breath. ¡°I am, after all, your Nanny!¡± She finished proudly, sticking out her chest and poking it with her thumb.

    He didn¡¯t bother holding in his mirth, laughing along with her. She was probably one of the most down-to-earth people he¡¯d met since being reborn. It was, quite frankly, refreshing. You could only take so much bowing and deference before you got sick of it. And he hadn¡¯t had much of a tolerance to begin with¡­

    Yes, he was only a ¡°son¡±, not a coveted daughter of the clan, but still people had to show respect since he was the firstborn child of the next Matriarch. At least Xixi and Zanth treated him normally, even with their parents encouraging a more reserved approach. Well, Zanth¡¯s parents anyway. Aloralla and Ailmar were much more relaxed in how they expected Xixi to behave around him due her being engaged to him after all. He just wished that Selussa and Vulen would chill out more and let Zanth just be a kid.

    Anyway, he was now very much looking forward to visiting the town and seeing what he could scavenge from the various crafters there. Sure, Avi was still making trips out into the world nearly every day to gather various resources, but he also wanted to see how other people worked on their crafts. Scavenging was great and all, but really just an excuse. One could only learn so much from reading before one had to get out there and see the theory in action.

    He¡¯d always been more of a visual/hands-on learner, something that had amazed people with how fast he¡¯d pick something up. Well, maybe he¡¯d finally get to pick up a new technique after all these years!

    Three years now. Time passed so quickly; he was glad that he¡¯d have countless years to enjoy life. Life for mortals, or rather, non-cultivators, was too short, often made shorter by disaster, disease, or war. Well, now that he was at the peak of Tier 1, he was very close to getting a chunk of time added to his lifespan. If he recalled correctly, it should be about thirty years or so.

    Nothing over the top, but definitely a boost, as those years were actually front-loaded. In other words, the cultivator would stop growing older for those extra years. Now, that might have been a problem for him, as he didn¡¯t want to stay a toddler for another thirty-plus years. But he¡¯d read that you could actually choose to have your body continue to grow should you reach that milestone before you¡¯d completely developed physically.

    Now, there were some strange people out there who enjoyed looking like a teenager when they were several hundred years old, but they tended to be in the minority. Most people wanted to look like an adult. That said, most people chose to ¡°stop aging¡± at about twenty years old. He really couldn¡¯t blame them.

    ¡°Time to go Joram!¡±

    He nearly jumped out of his robes.

    After calming his heartrate, and getting his breathing under control, he got up from his little desk and made his way over to Tillia, a mock scowl appearing on his face when he spotted the mirth on hers.

    Well, time to get this gathering over with.

 Chapter 015

    It was a short walk to the parlour that Grammy had set aside for his birthday gathering. The parlour itself was almost a gazebo, it was so open. Though, at this time of the year they¡¯d installed the expensive glass windows again to help keep in the warmth. He was impressed with the craftsmanship of the glass, not seeing a single bubble in any of them. Sure, they weren¡¯t perfectly flat, but they were very close.

    Joram smiled and nodded, cupping his hands in the traditional form of greeting. First to Grammy, then to Aunt Selussa and Uncle Vulen, then to Aunt Aloralla and Uncle Ailmar. It was always important to greet people in the proper order. They were touchy about status and all that.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you Joram,¡± Grammy said as she stood to greet him, which still caused people to blink in surprise. ¡°How has your day been?¡±

    ¡°Really good,¡± he said, giving her a big smile and a thumbs-up.

    Yes, she was the reason that he¡¯d been nearly bored out of his mind this last year, but she hadn¡¯t been unkind either. Even with classes that lasted ten hours per day, he was still able to have a break every two hours to stretch his legs and have a snack if he needed. Yes, it was grueling having to learn for such extended periods of time, but he had learned to switch out which mind was paying attention and do other things at the same time, so it didn¡¯t wind up being so bad.

    Sure, the drain on his psionic reserves was intense, but with the Becoming One conversion technique, he was just able to get through the day before he was sucked dry. That being said, he was definitely noticing that his mana reserves were getting deeper as his proficiency with Becoming Once increased. Together with his ever-improving Knowledge Star, he was sure that once he hit Tier 2, he¡¯d have loads of energy left at the end of a day where he¡¯d been constantly running [Schism].

    Grammy smiled at him, though he noticed that it was just slightly strained, likely because of the unusual gesture on his part.

    ¡°Come, let us sit and talk,¡± she said as she motioned Joram to sit at the large table with the rest of the family.

    It was a round table, large enough to accommodate all nine of them, with the children sitting to their mother¡¯s right, sandwiched between their parents. It made any conversation between the children more difficult, but that was probably the point. The adults didn¡¯t like interruptions when they spoke.

    ¡°So, what are your plans for this year,¡± Grammy asked as a servant placed a tray of finger food in front of him. Then another two servants placed similar trays in front of his other relatives. Ah, rank.

    ¡°Umm,¡± he hedged, not quite sure what she was expecting to hear with the extended family in the room. ¡°To get good grades!¡± He finally decided on, much to the amusement of Grammy and the pleasure of his aunts. Xixi smiled, though Zanth made a face.

    Grammy caught herself and put that strained smile on her face again, but nodded. ¡°Good to hear. One must always strive to learn as much as they can.¡±

    Joram nodded along as he began pilfering the snacks. They actually had a version of lumpia, one of his favourite Filipino foods. This version, though, had monster meat instead of chicken or shrimp, though he was more partial to chicken over shrimp anyways. Heck, the monster meat was even from a flying type monster, so it even tasted a bit like chicken.

    Other than that, there were many other things present. Since he could once again eat eggs, he¡¯d managed to convince one of the clan chefs to experiment with making a few different things. Like mayonnaise and yellow mustard.

    Very simple things, but they had proved to be wildly popular, especially when he¡¯d helped mix up a batch of devilled eggs. Man, he¡¯d missed those.

    That said, he¡¯d gotten into a bit of hot water with Grammy over the attention he¡¯d gained from such exploits. After that, she¡¯d made sure that he came to her first with any new recipes so that she could pass them along without attracting unwanted attention.

    Heck, from there he¡¯d practically inundated Grammy with recipes that he missed. They¡¯d spent hours upon hours going over various herbs and spices trying to match them up to what Joram knew from his world. Or at least find something that tasted reasonably similar to them.

    So it was that his plate filled up with lumpia, devilled eggs, a blooming onion, and sweet potato fries. It was quite the mix, but it was his birthday, so he didn¡¯t mind the looks he was getting from his aunts, nevermind his uncles. Grammy was already used to it though.

    The next hour passed with inconsequential chit-chat, covering the mundane goings-on of the clan and news of the outside world. They were quite secluded on their mountain, so news from the larger world was always a hot topic, even with reports coming in daily.

    Joram didn¡¯t mind them though, as he was able to eat while chatting with Xixi and Zanth over the Network, hearing their complaints about how their parents had forced them to dress up and to stay in their seats.

    He really couldn¡¯t blame them, as he also wanted to get up and play after having cleaned his little plate three times, much to the astonishment of even Grammy. Maybe he really was starting a growth spurt.

    After the dishes and trays had been cleared, Grammy motioned to another pair of servants who then came forward to place several presents on the table in front of her. He could feel Xixi¡¯s and Zanth¡¯s excitement leaking into the Network as they eyed the presents. Again, he couldn¡¯t say anything because he knew how enticing a present was to a child. Heck, even he wasn¡¯t immune, his own heartrate increasing as his excitement grew.

    ¡°We shall start with the one from your parents,¡± Grammy said as she handed him a small box tied with an aubergine ribbon.

    He was careful to take the box in both hands and give a quick nod in thanks before he placed it in front of him. With slightly trembling hands, he reached out and undid the silk ribbon and opened the wooden box.

    Inside was a plush velvet cushion that matched the ribbon. Tucked into a crease in the middle of it was a black metal ring standing up, half engulfed by the cushion.

    He blinked, then looked over to his great-grandmother, who smiled at him.

    ¡°They wanted you to have a storage ring,¡± she said by way of explanation. ¡°It is only a minor one, able to store about one cubic metre of materials, but should be more than enough for you right now.¡±

    Joram blinked at that. That was still a lot of space, more than what a Haversack could hold. He then smiled, reached out and took the ring. It was heavier than it looked, and cool to the touch.

    After a few moments of turning it over again and again in his hands, he slipped it onto the middle finder of his right hand and smiled as it resized to fit his tiny finder.

    He didn¡¯t miss the silent look between Selussa and Vulen though.

    What¡¯s that about?

    But they soon passed from his mind as Grammy placed another present in front of him, this one also in a small box tied with a ribbon, this one closer to violet, but a shade darker.

    ¡°This is from your Aunty Selussa and Uncle Vulen,¡± she said as he took the box from her in his both hands and a nod. He then turned to them, box still in hand, and also gave them a nod of thanks.

    Pleasantries done, he quickly slipped the ribbon off and opened the box. Sure enough, there was another velvet cushion that matched the ribbon along with another ring. This one, however, looked to be made from a deep green jade.

    ¡°This one is an artifact that allows you to use [Cleanse] three times per day,¡± Grammy explained with a wry grin. ¡°So that you¡¯ll always be presentable.¡±

    With a supreme effort of will, he managed to keep his eyebrow from twitching as he retrieved the ring and slid it onto the middle finder of his left hand where it also resized to fit his tiny digit.

    ¡°Many thanks Aunty and Uncle,¡± Joram said as he cupped his hands together and gave them another bob of the head.

    That received approving nods from them as they gave a few platitudes.

    ¡°This one is from your Aunty Aloralla and Uncle Ailmar,¡± she said as she handed him the second-to-last present.

    This box was somewhat larger than a ring box, being a foot long and half that wide. It was, of course, colour themed to Aloralla¡¯s hair, as was the custom with present giving in the clan. It took him all of two seconds to get the ribbon off and open the lid.

    Inside was a hand-knit scarf of the finest wool. Well, it was an animal similar to a sheep, but about the size of a cow. Nevertheless, it provided exceptionally soft wool¡­ and was also quite tasty¡­.

    The main colour was the same shade of purple as his hair, while the zig-zag pattern was done in the same shade as Xixi¡¯s green lock of hair in her bangs. And on one end someone had embroidered his initials. Judging by the less-than optimally shaped letters, he guessed that it had been Xixi herself that had added that final touch.

    From the corner of his eye he spied Uncle Vulen¡¯s less than impressed expression, but he covered it up quick enough when Selussa kicked him under the table.

    Suppressing a grin, he hopped down from his chair and hurried over to Xixi and gave her a big hug.

    ¡°Thank you Xixi,¡± he said, choking up slightly as he did.

    That surprised him more than his hug had surprised Xixi. He hadn¡¯t expected to be so touched by the gesture.

    He was glad that he was.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Xixi replied, also squeezing for all she was worth.

    After a few moments of huggles, he excused himself and returned to his seat between Grammy and Tillia.

    ¡°Lastly, this one is from me,¡± Grammy said as she handed him a small box slightly larger than the ring boxes, but definitely smaller than the scarf box.

    Joram regarded the box for a moment, then raised it to his ear and gave it a gentle shake, which elicited raised eyebrows from everyone at the table.

    It gave a faint thudding sound, indicating something solid. It wasn¡¯t too heavy, less than a kilo. He regarded it for a few moments longer, causing those around the table to arch their eyebrows further.

    At length, he undid the silk ribbon and slid it off. He looked up at Grammy again, saw that Look, then hurried to open the box.

    Inside, on yet another satin cushion, sat a small purple jade plaque. If he were to guess, it was probably Sky Nether Jade. He had no idea why it was called that, but it possessed a quality that helped refresh the mind when carried on your person.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Now, that wasn¡¯t the most remarkable thing about the plaque. No, the most remarkable thing was that it was carved to show the Clan¡¯s crest, a scroll hanging in the night sky filled with stars. Now, the thing about the stars was that the more there were on the plaque, the higher your clearance; from one to nine.

    His had three.

    Now, one might be tempted to think that that wasn¡¯t very good, but when taken into perspective, those three stars allowed a clan member to visit up to the 3<sup>rd</sup> Floor of the Library. It also allowed for a certain number of resources to be withdrawn from the clan storehouse each month. Three stars was the same clearance level that Healer Reursa enjoyed.

    His uncles and aunts shared looks, as their levels of clearance were only Tier 4.

    Remembering his manners, he quickly cupped his hands and said, ¡°Many thanks Great-Grandmother.¡±

    Grammy finally smiled a genuine smile and patted his head. ¡°You have become a very responsible youth, so please continue to walk the straight and narrow path,¡± she said, causing his left eye to twitch, his face pale.

    No, it wasn¡¯t the admonition that caused the reaction, but the words that she had used. It threw him back to his days on Earth, where it had been a common saying at church, particular to his faith.

    He felt a pang then and realized that he¡¯d not given thought to his faith since before Altaea had left him. It left a hollow kind of feeling in his chest, making it hard to breath for a few moments. As his head dropped so that he could try to breath through it, he noticed the concerned look on everyone¡¯s face through [Touchsight]. He really had no way to explain to anyone besides Grammy what had happened, and really hoped that they wouldn¡¯t question him too much about it.

    He didn¡¯t know when she had started, but he finally noticed that Tillia was rubbing his back, whispering in a soothing tone for him to just breath in and out, in and out.

    ¡®Are you OK, Jo?¡¯ Xixi sent, concern evident on her face.

    ¡®I¡¯ll be OK, it is just a lot,¡¯ he sent back, not wanting to worry her dear heart.

    He got a nod back, but she still looked unconvinced.

    ¡°I see that Joram has taken this responsibility to heart; I am glad,¡± Grammy said, likely to help cover for him.

    Quiet chatter ensued as he regained his composure, giving everyone an embarrassed smile and apologies for the unbecoming display. To which everyone waved it off. That was more than OK with him.

    When he¡¯d regained his colour, Grammy suggested they play for a while, to get some fresh air.

    He was more than good with that, so he grabbed his new scarf and chased after Xixi and Zanth as they rushed outside to play in a thin layer of snow that had fallen the night before.

    ¡°Wow, you got a storage ring,¡± Zanth practically drooled as they stopped by a tree to catch their breath.

    ¡°Imagine what you can put in there¡­¡± Xixi said, also staring at the ring.

    Joram grinned. ¡°Yeah, I can store a lot of snowballs!¡± He said, putting his words to action as he scooped up snow and formed a snowball right there.

    Both their eyes grew very wide, then they both took off screaming in glee.

    * * * * *

    Tatia watched the children play from the corner of her eye as she continued to chat. Joram storing away snowballs for later use wasn¡¯t exactly original, but it was effective. She gave him a few marks for that.

    What she was concerned about, however, was his reaction to her words. Why would he react like that to asking him to keep on the Righteous Path? Had he already done something that warranted concern? Had he done something to hurt the clan? Or was he planning on it?

    She didn¡¯t think so, as she prided herself on being a sharp judge of character. So, what was it?

    The question continued to vex her even after everyone excused themselves from the small gathering, and even after she¡¯d retired to her chambers.

    His reactions to his presents were, what she¡¯d consider, normal. Well, the reaction to the scarf was more than she thought it would have been, but still within the realm of ¡°normal¡±.

    Even his reaction to the Authority Token was within expectations, just not his reaction to her words.

    Did it have something to do with his previous life? It was a common enough saying in this world, going back thousands of years to the times of troubles after the Great Cataclysm when people had reverted to such an extent that they resembled beasts in their actions.

    She wasn¡¯t sure who the leader of the Righteous Faction was at that time, as the records had been lost, but that leader had made that saying popular to the point that it was still in use twenty thousand years later.

    Did he have a connection to someone who¡¯d said those words to him before?

    She shook her head, remembering that the first person that he¡¯d met on Dovaynia had just killed him instead of engaging in conversation (she didn¡¯t consider a shake-down to be a conversation).

    Tatia took out her own Authority Token, the Matriarch¡¯s Seal, and rubber her thumb over it absently, enjoying the feeling of her mind being refreshed, like a cool breeze on a hot summer day. Or a breeze that helped break up the fog on a sunny morning.

    Joram had done well this past year, much better than she thought he would. His grades were exceptional, and his tutor had very little cause to complain about him. Which, quite frankly, surprised Tatia given that Joram was a Reincarnator. They were famously stubborn, often refusing to ¡°learn¡± what tutors and teachers had to share, or showing them up with their knowledge from their previous life.

    Well, if she were reborn and retained her memories, she didn¡¯t know if she¡¯d have the patience to sit through those classes again, especially since she was academically more accomplished than most anyone else on Waeryn.

    At the same time, he came from another world entirely, so he likely found everything interesting. Or at least she hoped he did¡­

    Nevertheless, Joram had been a model student and an exceptionally well behaved youth this past year to the point that many people had commented on how mature he was, how brave, how obedient, etc.. It had been particularly difficult hearing the praises being heaped on, as she knew that those people would take Joram¡¯s bearing as the new bar with which they measured other children that would come along, and even those already there.

    Very unfair to those children.

    As much as it pained her, she really wished that he¡¯d go and do normal toddler stuff that would get him into trouble, as that would actually lessen the strain on her in the long run¡­

    And that was why she¡¯d shared those words at his party, for he truly seemed to be on the ¡°straight and narrow path¡±. She could tell that he had a strong personal sense of justice and that he would stick to his ideals.

    She also saw how loyal he was.

    That was probably the deciding factor in allowing him to have an Authority Token in the first place, nevermind ending his year-long punishment. His loyalty to those he was close to would likely extend to the clan as a whole as he grew, especially if the clan treated him well. Hence why she was trying to cultivate a good relationship with Joram.

    Well, to be honest, it was more that she was trying to return to what she felt for him from before she found out that he was a Reincarnator. That had been a heavy blow, and she had felt a much heavier blow at the perceived betrayal than she would have thought possible.

    She realized that her reaction hadn¡¯t been very logical, that everyone was entitled to their secrets and personal lives. But she had well and truly formed a strong attachment to Joram in those two years, once again enjoying having a child around to cuddle with, one who seemed at complete ease with her as well.

    Ah, the matters of the heart.

    It still hurt when she noticed that they weren¡¯t as close as they used to be, and she couldn¡¯t determine if it was because of him, or because of her pulling away. Or both. She just knew that she missed that connection that they¡¯d had and wished that they could have it once again.

    Tatia shook her head as she placed her teacup down, not having realized that she¡¯d picked it up, never mind that someone had served it to her.

    After more deliberation, she rang a bell to summon a servant.

    ¡°Please fetch Joram for me,¡± she said, then picked up her teacup again and took a sip as the servant bowed then hurried off.

    Then frowned because it had gone cold. With a sigh, she set the teacup down again, not bothering to reheat it as this particular blend didn¡¯t reheat well, and waited.

    ¡­ and waited¡­

    ¡­ and waited some more.

    At this point she was getting increasingly impatient. How hard was it to find a toddler at dinner-time?

    * * * * *

    Joram walked down the street, hands laced behind his head as he looked from shop to shop as they were preparing to close up for the day.

    It hadn¡¯t been hard to leave the clan home as he now had the Authority Token that gave him free access to and from the clan home. The guards had rightly been skeptical at first, but when he pointed out that it was his birthday, and that Tillia was accompanying him, they eventually let them out.

    It had taken a bit of flattery and honeyed words, not to mention a decadent bribe, to convince Tillia to take a trip to town, but in the end she caved in.

    Ah, the power of chocolate! He mused as he stepped closer to a street vendor specialized in knick-knacks. He¡¯d had a decent supply of the stuff before the Incident and it had all been stored away in stasis this whole time, which had led to the idea of bribery.

    It hadn¡¯t been difficult to replicate the molecular structures of the chocolates- he had anything from white chocolate to the darkest, most bitter chocolate due to his attempts to make the perfect Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge- and then mass produce the stuff. Sure, it was easier when you had all the actual ingredients on hand, but he¡¯d not gotten around to remaking a cacao plant yet, so he had made do.

    All-in-all, even he was impressed with the quality of the end product. Then releasing it to an innocent who¡¯d never experienced the joys of chocolate, well, enough said.

    What had actually surprised him most was that Tillia enjoyed the darker chocolates more than the milkier kinds, nevermind white chocolate. A gal after his own heart!

    Anyway, he¡¯d been glad that she was OK with peanut butter, as that was also a foreign thing in this world. If he were to ask Tillia, his Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge was a divine creation sent by the gods. Really, she¡¯d said as much as she rested her wobbly knees after having a square.

    The end result was a trip to town!

    He¡¯d long prepared for this day by asking various people if he could see their money and ¡°play¡± with it for a bit. Being who he was, everyone had readily agreed to his requests, and were even more impressed that he¡¯d even given the money back afterwards. It seemed as though some of the clan silk pants hadn¡¯t done that in the past.

    But that had allowed him to [Delve] each coin he¡¯d been allowed to play with, then from there it had just been a matter of making sure that he had all of the appropriate elements on hand before he [Fabricate]d his own stock of bronze, silver, and gold coins. He hadn¡¯t had any luck convincing anyone to lend him anything more than a bronze bar, which was equivalent to one thousand bronze coins, but that didn¡¯t bother him too much as it was only a matter of time before he¡¯d get a chance to [Delve] a silver or a gold bar.

    Avi had been busy this last year, acquiring mounds of resources, many of which were actually quite rare. What he really enjoyed was the stacks upon stacks of raw elements that he¡¯d been able to [Extract] from the many, many mounds that were brought back. He felt a little bit like a Replicator from his favourite space exploration show.

    But now he was looking to see if he could meet that renowned smith that had been hired by the clan. Sure, they stayed and worked in town, but he was pretty sure that the town itself wouldn¡¯t likely be able to afford someone of their skill level. Especially with how remote their mountain was. The prospects of attracting customers here were slim to none.

    He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts as he approached his destination, a three-story building that resembled an inn, patioed terraces and all.

    He looked up to Tillia and saw that she also looked a bit confused. He couldn¡¯t blame her, because they¡¯d asked for directions to the smith¡¯s workshop, and here they were at what looked like an inn.

    Sure, the place looked like it had been recently built or renovated, the paint not having had time to fade in the sun. But just what kind of smith wanted their place of craft to look like an inn?

    With another shake of his head, he led the way up to the double doors where an attendant waited, clipboard in hand.

    ¡°Name,¡± he said more than asked in a bored tone of voice.

    ¡°Joram Aneath,¡± Tillia replied with a smile as Joram himself worked hard not to scowl.

    After a moment of scanning over the page on the clipboard, the attendant lazily said, ¡°You¡¯re not on the list. Would you like to be added to the waiting list?¡±

    Joram couldn¡¯t help the scowl that spread across his face this time. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was because of his impatient body and developing hormones or what, but this guy just grated his nerves. Especially when he leered out of the corner of his eye at Tillia.

    He was just about to wrap him in an [Ectoplasmic Cocoon] and kick him down the mountain when Tillia piped in.

    ¡°You can add Joram Aneath to the waiting list and send a messenger to the Clan Home with the details of the appointment, thank you.¡±

    The attendant glanced briefly at Joram, then nodded, writing a note. ¡°I would be happy to do so, and I hope that you¡¯ll be able to visit again soon,¡± he said, then cleared his throat as he not-so-subtly held out a hand.

    It seemed as though Tillia noticed Joram¡¯s twitching eyebrow, because she then turned him around and started walking away as she thanked the corrupt attendant over her shoulder.

    Joram caught a scowl from the wretch before he was ushered around a corner, then over to a food stall.

    ¡°Now Joram,¡± Tillia said, her voice sweet and reasonable. ¡°I know that he wasn¡¯t pleasant to deal with, but could you please refrain from doing anything¡­ rash?¡±

    As she was speaking, she pointed to a couple steamed buns and handed over a few bronze pieces, accepting the buns on a small wooden plate as Joram thought about it.

    Joram took a few more breaths, clearing his mind before responding.

    ¡°I will give you some face and allow you to handle him then,¡± he said with as much dignity as he could muster. It was hard because of the lingering adrenaline in his system, and the memory of that wretch¡¯s leer.

    ¡°Good,¡± she said, guiding them to a bench beside the stand. ¡°Because things will go much smoother if people are able to talk things out rather than resorting to less civilized methods.¡±

    That got through to him like a lightning bolt to the head, as the vivid memory of that Old Fart attacking him played across his vision.

    He took a shuddering breath, exhaled, and repeated that until his nerves were settled. Then he turned to look up at Tillia and smiled.

    ¡°Thanks, Big Sis Tillia,¡± he said, then grabbed a bun and took a big bite.

    Tillia reached over and patted him on the head and smiled. They sat there, happily eating their little snack until someone approached them from behind and cleared their throat to get their attention.

 Chapter 016

    Chapter 016

    Joram looked over his shoulder- not that he really needed to, but he wanted to be sure he wasn¡¯t imagining anything weird- and saw one of the clan ninjas standing there, face half covered with that black cloth.

    Well, crap on a cracker, he thought as he swallowed the rest of his bun.

    ¡°Is there something that we can do for you?¡±  Tillia asked politely as she set her bun down on the wooden plate beside her.

    ¡°The Matriarch would like to speak with you,¡± the woman replied, which gave him pause.  He took another look at her, taking in her figure and calculating.

    His eyebrow went up as he looked back up to her face and noticed that her eyebrows had drawn down slightly as she regarded him with flinty eyes.

    Feeling a trickle of sweat roll down his back, he hopped to his feet and announced, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    As they passed by the food stall, Tillia handed the wooden plate back to the old man and thanked him for the food, telling him how good it was.  The man beamed as he received the plate and invited her and ¡°her brother¡± back any time.

    Joram grinned at that and noticed that Tillia had kept the rest of her bun, proving that what she¡¯d said was indeed true.

    The walk back through town was a much quieter affair, Joram not wanting to say anything that might anger the ninja further.  It also seemed that Tillia didn¡¯t want to say anything out of place, so she too kept quiet as they walked.

    Most of the snow that had fallen last night was still visible as they walked, having been protected from the sun by the many trees that lined the road.  He was impressed with them, still green and luxuriant in winter.  They weren¡¯t a standard coniferous tree with pointy needle-like leaves, but instead closer to one of those junipers that had the soft, flatter, leaves.  Upon closer inspection, the leaves almost looked like feathers, and were just as soft, even in the larger specimens.

    He didn¡¯t tarry long, as the ninja scared him a bit, nor did he hurry overly much as he was genuinely interested in exploring the local flora.  Yes, they¡¯d passed by on their way down the mountain path, but he¡¯d been so excited to visit the town that he¡¯d mostly ignored the plants on his way down.

    He also realized that he was likely sub-consciously procrastinating his return.  Yes, he was fairly certain that he wasn¡¯t in trouble as the ninja hadn¡¯t done anything so drastic as grabbing him and running.  But there was always the chance that this was the ¡°nicer¡± option reserved for cooperation.  He didn¡¯t want to push his luck and be potentially subjected to the ¡°not-so-nice¡± option.

    When they passed the gates into the clan hold, Joram noticed that the guards had slightly pitying looks on their faces.  He wasn¡¯t sure if they knew something he didn¡¯t, or if it was due to his escort.  Either way, he felt a bit more sweat trickle down his back.

    By the time he¡¯d been led to Grammy¡¯s door, Tillia had been asked to wait in their apartments until Joram came back.  She hadn¡¯t taken the request well, but still did as she was told.

    Bless her heart, he¡¯d thought as she had stiffly walked down an adjoining hall.

    Now he stared at the door leading to the Matriarch as the ninja knocked smartly thereon, then opened it a moment later.  He wasn¡¯t sure if there¡¯d been some sort of invitation, permission granted, or if she had instructions to just enter right after knocking.  Either way, he was led in and saw the Matriarch¡¯s twitching eyebrow and knew that he was in for it.

    ¡°You may go,¡± the Matriarch said with a flick of a finger, dismissing the ninja as she watched Joram.

    If he hadn¡¯t ¡°seen¡± the door close behind the ninja with [Touchsight], he wouldn¡¯t have known she¡¯d left and closed the door, she was so quiet.  That unnerved him almost as much as the expression on Grammy¡¯s face.

    Then he stood there, waiting for some sort of sign or instruction.

    After a good ten minutes of her staring at him, she sighed and motioned for him to come sit beside her.

    He really wished that he¡¯d worked on [Detect Thoughts] more in the last year as he really didn¡¯t know what Grammy was thinking.  Altaea had managed to get so good with the power that it had become a permanent ability of hers.

    Well, I guess I¡¯ll have time to practice over the coming years¡­ he mused as he took a seat to her right, hoping that he wasn¡¯t being too presumptuous taking the favoured seat, but also hoping that it would subconsciously influence how she perceived and treated him.

    ¡°You went to town,¡± she said abruptly, finally looking over to where he sat.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±  She asked, raising a slender eyebrow.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said, lowering his head.

    ¡°That is not what I asked.¡±

    He gulped, then tried to work saliva back into his mouth before he replied.

    ¡°I really wanted to see the town and didn¡¯t think to tell you,¡± he said, trying very hard to be meek.  It was difficult, as he hadn¡¯t known that there¡¯d been this restriction in place.  Sure, he knew not to go out without an adult, that¡¯s why he¡¯d bribed Tillia, but needing to tell the Matriarch wasn¡¯t something he¡¯d thought of.

    ¡°Joram,¡± she said, now twisting her body in her chair so that she could more easily look at him.  ¡°I realize that you¡¯re much more mature than your body would indicate, and that you could likely handle any unfortunate incident that might arise, but.  You are also a Reincarnator, and we need to make sure that your identity as such isn¡¯t exposed before you are able to fully handle the consequences of that information getting out.

    ¡°So, if you wish to visit Brightside Town in the future, please take along a guard.  Tillia may well be your caretaker while your parents are away, but she hasn¡¯t even stepped into the First Tier, so she isn¡¯t able to adequately protect you yet.¡±

    Joram took that all in, then took another breath.  She¡¯d just been worried about him.

    That was surprisingly touching.  Sure, being picked up and escorted by a ninja, possibly with more in the shadows, was a bit much in his books, but he could also understand wanting to protect someone.  Heck, he¡¯d been one of those protective parents too¡­

    That thought sobered him even further, causing his expression to become dead serious.

    ¡°OK,¡± he said, nodding at the same time.

    Grammy blinked at him, then nodded back, seeming to accept the answer.

    ¡°That said,¡± she segued.  ¡°Why were you so bothered when I mentioned ¡®the straight and narrow path¡¯ earlier?¡±

    That caught him a bit off guard, causing him to break eye contact and look around the room, his chest tightening slightly, his breath coming a bit faster.

    ¡°It brought back memories of home,¡± he said at last, his voice cracking at the end.

    He cleared his throat a bit, composing himself as Grammy stared at him, a thoughtful expression on her face.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, could you tell me about it?¡±  She asked, her voice surprisingly gentle.

    That made it worse, the memories flooding back to his life on Earth, to the months leading up to his sudden departure from that plain of existence.

    ¡°I was a father once,¡± he began, then stopped to clear his throat.  ¡°It happened in April, late spring, when the yearly last dump of snow came.  It was a particularly fierce storm, dropping over thirty centimetres of wet snow of the course of the afternoon.

    ¡°They had been visiting her mother, their grandmother, and needed to return home so that the girls would be in bed at a good time because they had school the next day.

    ¡°I¡¯m told that she lost control of the vehicle as they were going up the overpass and ran into another vehicle.  They smashed into the guard rail, then were hit by another vehicle who wasn¡¯t able to stop in time, sending them over the side of the bridge, right into oncoming traffic.¡±

    He stopped there, not able to continue through the sudden lump in his throat, his eyes stinging.

    It had been quite some time since he¡¯d gone over this, let alone spoke of it out loud, and he found that his eyes were also stinging.

    Through [Touchsight], he noticed that Grammy¡¯s expression had turned grave.  She sat there, though, patiently waiting for him to continue.

    At length, he did.

    ¡°By some miracle she survived, but my girls didn¡¯t.  I had to raise funds for a proper burial.  It was closed casket.¡±  He finished, looking out a side window at the deepening colours of dusk.

    Grammy shifted in her seat, then reached over, picked him up, and placed him in her lap where she then hugged him tight.

    That broke whatever restraints he had left, and he began to bawl, tears coming fast and hot.

    They sat there for a long time as he felt the pain tear at his chest and soul.  He had cried after hearing the news, but it was a more despairing sort of thing.  This, this was the full, soul-scouring release of those pent-up thoughts, feelings, and emotions that hadn¡¯t been properly addressed in all this time.

    It was pretty ugly.  His eyes were red and puffy, his nose also red, but running like a tap.  But eventually he calmed, the tears stopped flowing, and his shuddering breaths turned calm as Grammy continued to hold him, not minding the fluids that soaked her robes.

    ¡°Thank you for sharing,¡± she said quietly, still holding onto him.

    He went to speak, but then coughed instead as he realized that he¡¯d cried himself raw.  So, he merely nodded and croaked out, ¡°Sorry,¡± as he motioned to her mucus-covered front.

    She just shook her head and continued to hold him.

    A thought occurred to him, or rather he remembered the ring on his finger, so he activated it, [Cleanse]ing away the mess in a small bubble around him.  Grammy was close enough that she was included in the area of effect, turning his embarrassing mess into faint particles of light that left behind pure water that was quickly evaporating.

    Grammy smiled, ¡°Thank you, but you didn¡¯t need to bother,¡± she said as she continued to hold him.

    He still didn¡¯t trust his voice, so he just shrugged and cleared his throat again.  At which point Grammy nodded to herself, then motioned to a side table that held a tray with a pitcher and two glasses.  The whole things rose into the air slightly before floating over to rest to the front and left of them.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    She then poured a glass and handed it to him.  He drank, grateful for the water.  After a few more minutes, he felt better able to speak, so he did.

    ¡°I really appreciate being able to share with you.¡±

    ¡°And I appreciate the trust you¡¯ve shown me,¡± Grammy replied kindly.

    ¡°I missed you,¡± he said quietly, still not used to being vulnerable.

    ¡°And I, you,¡± she said, giving him another squeeze, which warmed his heart further.

    He came to a decision then.  ¡°Can I share with you one of my abilities?¡±  He asked, looking up to look her vibrant green eyes.

    An eyebrow peaked, then dropped again as a wry grin replaced the piqued expression.  ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not mad?¡±  He asked, searching her face, paying close attention to her body language.

    She breathed in, then said, ¡°I have long suspected that you¡¯ve not told us all that you can do with your skill in Mental Strength.  I¡¯m just glad that you feel that you can share now.¡±

    Joram studied her face for a bit longer before nodding to himself, then sent out the invitation to join his Network as he said, ¡°Then please accept my invitation.¡±

    He then took a moment to commit her expression to memory, it was so precious.  Never before had he witnessed her eyes go so round as her jaw dropped.

    After a few moments of stunned silence, he felt her accept his invitation and then suddenly she was in.

    ¡®It is something I picked up along the way,¡¯ he sent.  ¡®We are able to communicate telepathically over this ¡°Network¡± of mine.  There are also some other benefits, but we can go over that later.¡¯

    ¡°How?¡±  She asked, then closed her mouth as she realized that he hadn¡¯t been speaking out loud.  Then her eyes once again widened as she realized that his voice wasn¡¯t the same.

    ¡®You just need to concentrate on what you want to say, then ¡°think¡± it with the intention of me ¡°hearing¡± it.¡¯

    It took a bit longer, but Grammy got the hang of it sooner that he thought she would, which pleased him greatly.  She may not have been gifted in the area of psionics, but she was certainly capable of learning things rather quickly.

    ¡®How long have you been able to do this?¡¯  She asked, curiosity and suspicion leaking across their connection.

    ¡®Since before I was born here,¡¯ he hedged, not very confident that he wasn¡¯t going to get in trouble, regardless of her assurance.

    ¡®Then, have you formed this connection with your parents?  Anyone else?¡¯

    Oh, it felt like the jaws of a massive trap were about to snap closed around his tiny little neck.

    ¡®Yes?¡¯  He sent, not wanting to lie, but also not wanting to sour their newfound closeness.

    She sat quiet for a while, thinking.  After a few minutes, she sent, ¡®Why not tell me before now?¡¯

    He blinked at that, for that wasn¡¯t at all what he¡¯d been expecting.

    He looked away, not making eye contact as he casually sent, ¡®It might be because you might be ever-so-slightly¡­ scary,¡¯ he finished in a rush, ducking his head as his arms came up to cover it, prepared for an explosion.

    ¡­ that didn¡¯t come.

    Instead, he felt her arms wrap around him again, pulling him into her bosom where she firmly held him in place.

    ¡®Just what have you gone through?¡¯  She sent quietly, deep sorrow flowing through, the understanding inherent in how the Network worked giving him the full intent behind her words.

    He sat there, stunned, his brain locking up until he felt a mental jolt from Avi.

    ¡®Any more shock there, and I may have to use [Psychic Chirurgery] to repair the damage,¡¯ she sent, sass evident in the tone.

    Which was, somehow, what he needed for his brain to start up again and process everything.

    ¡®Thanks,¡¯ he sent to Avi on their own, personal, line.

    ¡®Thank you, Grammy,¡¯ he sent, then proceeded to share some of his backstory, relaying the things that had contributed to his reaction.

    * * * * *

    Tatia ¡°listened¡± to Joram¡¯s story, amazed at what she was hearing.  She¡¯d known that he¡¯d come from another world, but hadn¡¯t guessed that it had been so different from her own.

    She listened to his stories of his childhood and couldn¡¯t help but be appalled at a good deal of the things that had happened to him.  Sure, clan life could be hard, and competition fierce, but people generally weren¡¯t so outright¡­ damaging.

    Yes, she knew of many stories about clans that had such fierce competition that they would resort to murder, but that was far away from here.  The Clear Knowledge clan was a paradise compared to what he¡¯d grown up with.

    Then she understood his trust issues, in general, and especially with female authority figures.  She couldn¡¯t yet tell if it had been a blessing for him to be reborn into a matriarchy, or a curse.  Well, ¡°curse¡± was a bit dramatic, but still fit the bill.

    She had her work cut out for her, but at least they¡¯d taken the first steps together.

    * * * * *

    Joram lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling.  It really was an interesting ceiling, as the architecture here was somewhat different than what he was used to.

    Sure, the support beams were the same, but instead of covering them with drywall or something similar, they put frames filled with paper between the beams.  They weren¡¯t square, nor even of uniform size, instead preferring to have the same number of rectangular panels on each side of a beam.  It was an odd design choice, as sometimes the panels on one side of a beam were narrower than the ones on the other side of the beam.

    And all this was to distract him from the many emotions and feelings that¡¯d been dragged out into the open.

    Yes, talking about things helped one to work through them.  No, it wasn¡¯t healthy to just put things like that aside indefinitely.  It was just¡­ hard.

    He¡¯d done much work on himself over the years, and even more after coming to this world.  But with how he¡¯d broken down like that, he supposed that it hadn¡¯t been nearly enough.

    Gah, this sucks, he thought as he pulled a pillow over his head.

    He was very glad that Grammy was so understanding.  And supportive.  And awesome.

    It did feel better to have gotten a lot of that off his chest, though.  But it would take a lot more to fully work through the rest of it.  Feelings didn¡¯t just go away because one found them inconvenient.  Nor did the past go away because you locked those memories away.

    Man, he had a lot of work to do.

    - - -

    The following days passed by without further incident.  Joram kept working at solidifying his foundation, making sure that he hadn¡¯t missed anything that might need to get started before he entered the Second Tier.  Which proved to be a good thing, as he finally noticed that the Adamantium Body Technique suggested starting it while in Tier 1.

    While the benefits of starting it in Tier 1 were good, the pain described was less than encouraging.

    After having researched as thoroughly as he could about adamantium, he came to realize that it was also a rare metal here that was prized in artifact refining.

    It took him another month to track down a small sample of the stuff, and even then he¡¯d needed to badger one of the clan smiths for another two weeks before he¡¯d been allowed to just hold the raw ore.

    Fortunately, he¡¯d been able to [Delve] the sample, first isolating the metal, then memorizing its atomic structure.  Which proceeded to confuse him to no end.

    He could identify any of the basic elements from Hydrogen to Lead.  He avoided anything that started to have half-lives, not particularly keen on the inherent radiation of those ones.  That said, adamantium was¡­ strange.

    He knew that magic made what would normally be termed as ¡°impossible¡±, possible.  But this was just¡­ weird.

    The sample was completely stable, with an atomic weight that pushed it to the 330s on the periodic table, which was higher than what¡¯d been discovered on Earth before he¡¯d¡­ left.

    Everything that he knew about atomic theory said that this was an impossible element, that this thing should be belting off radiation and causing mass death, if not just going outright nuclear when someone hit it.

    OK, maybe that was an exaggeration, and he was no nuclear physicist, but he was more than a bit freaked out by the impossibility in front of him.

    Adamantine was a clever alloy that was incredibly hard and resilient.  Adamantium was just freaky.

    And the manual wanted him to absorb the stuff.

    It had taken him another few days to convince the smith to show him a small billet of adamantium.  It was much lighter than he¡¯d anticipated, weighing not much more than an equal sized block of aluminum.  The structure was fascinating!  He could see why Altaea had made a body tempering technique focussing on the stuff.

    If anything, it seemed more durable than adamantine and was lighter to boot!

    ¡­ and cost hundreds of Tier 2 Cards for just that one billet.

    To put that into perspective, his storage ring had only cost three hundred, Tier 1, mid-grade crystals.  Which was also more than what it would cost to build an inn in Brightview.

    Sure, he had enough raw crystals to purchase what he needed, but he also had no way of going about doing that without spilling the beans on why he needed that much adamantium, nevermind where he¡¯d gotten the crystals from.

    ¡®Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Avi?¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯ve been monitoring your body these last few months, and I believe that suppressing your cultivation for much longer could have deleterious effects,¡¯ she sent, concern evident in her voice.

    That gave him pause.

    On the one hand, he really wanted to get the best results from his training and so he very much wanted to get the first stage of the Adamantium Body Technique completed before he broke through to Tier 2, Qi Gathering.  On the other hand, if he somehow damaged his foundations in suppressing the cultivation too long, he might wind up being a dreaded ¡±cripple¡±.

    Now, injuries weren¡¯t something that bothered him, as he could heal up with a mere thought.  Well, it was slightly more complicated than that, but was basically true.  What gave him pause, though, was that he didn¡¯t know enough about how cultivation affected the body and the ¡°meridians¡±.

    Would he be able to repair any damage that occurred through a cultivation accident or some such?  And besides that, how did cultivation affect his gestalt nature?  Normally, cultivation affected the body, making it more magical, durable, healthier, stronger, etc..  If one wanted their spirit/soul to get stronger, then there were specific cultivation methods for that, likewise for mental strength.

    But this body was a ¡°normal¡± human, so maybe he didn¡¯t have to worry too much about that.  But what would happen when he eventually switched back to his High Elan or Outsider forms?  Would his training translate over, or would he have to cultivate each ¡°self¡± separately?

    This is giving me a headache, he thought as he rubbed his forehead, leaning back against a ¡°peach¡± tree, enjoying the blossoms.

    He¡¯d been long tempted to switch back to his High Elan form, but worried that it might affect him in some unforeseen way.  Sure, there were many benefits to being a High Elan, but what if something happened that he couldn¡¯t fix?

    He slapped himself then, reprimanding himself for falling into rumination from simple pondering.  Focussing on the problem, and not the solution, wasn¡¯t going to get him anywhere except down.

    ¡®Well, since I don¡¯t need that much right now, do you suppose we could somehow ¡°acquire¡± that billet of adamantium from Careth?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, we can certainly do that,¡¯ Avi readily replied.  ¡®Except you¡¯ll have to find an excuse to go into seclusion while you¡¯re refining it.¡¯

    ¡®I could just tell Grammy that I¡¯m close to breaking through to the second Tier and wish to go into seclusion?¡¯

    ¡®You could, but she¡¯d probably want to have someone there, likely her, to watch over you due to your age and relative inexperience.¡¯

    ¡®Bah.  Nothing¡¯s easy these days¡­¡¯ he grumbled, kicking at a small rock in the grass.  ¡®How long do you suppose it¡¯ll take?  The manual was exceptionally vague on that part.¡¯

    ¡®Who knows?  Could be done in a flash, or it would take weeks.  I don¡¯t even have the pop culture exposure that you¡¯ve had, so I can¡¯t even make a guesstimate.¡¯

    He frowned, somewhat regretting not having copied those stories over while he was on Earth.  To be fair, some of those translations were hardly readable, their grammar so broken, nevermind the idioms that were literally translated instead of having their meanings translated.  Ah, machine translations.

    ¡®Well, we¡¯ll just have to risk it.  I don¡¯t want to have a backlash from suppressing my cultivation, nor do I want to have a sub-optimal foundation with body tempering.¡¯

    ¡®Well, maybe it¡¯ll go as smoothly as when Altaea would absorb various inherently magical materials,¡¯ she added in a hopeful tone.

    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t that be fantastic,¡¯ he sent, channeling his inner Ninth.

    ¡®Alons-y!¡¯ she sent right back, causing him to be divided between a face-palm or cheering her for her geekly reference.

    - - -

    ¡®You¡¯re sure you left enough crystals behind?¡¯  He asked, fidgeting in bed.

    Avi¡¯s hologram just gave him a level look in return, arms folded, foot tapping.

    ¡®OK, OK, I¡¯ll get right to it¡­¡¯ he mumble-sent back as he picked up the shiny metal block and turned it over and over again.

    ¡®It probably won¡¯t be as bad as you think,¡¯ Avi sent by way of encouragement.

    That was likely true, as his imagination was quite active and vivid.  It reminded him of a web comic he¡¯d read quite a while ago about a doctor who asked the patient¡¯s level of pain.  They gave eight out of ten.  The doctor then told them to imagine the worst possible pain they could and set that as the benchmark for ten.  The number went down to three.

    He¡¯d taken that as more or less his standard for measuring pain, or what he expected something to feel like.  And this, well, this was on the level of imagining having molten aluminum poured over him.

    Sure, horrible burns, cooking flesh, nerves firing for all they were worth before being burnt to charcoal.  The worst part was that once the molten metal cooled, it would stick in place, continuing to cook you.  Yes, his imagination was quite vivid.  Nevermind the experience of being turned into a High Elan and having been peeled like an orange, having his bones rearrange, and having himself changed at a fundamental level.

    So, no, he wasn¡¯t looking forward to what this might be like, especially since Altaea had indeed warned of the great pain involved.

    ¡®We could just find another body cultivation method that might not be so¡­ uncomfortable,¡¯ Avi suggested, spreading her arms in an open-armed shrug.

    He just gave her a flat look.  Everything that he¡¯d read about body tempering techniques had one thing in common: they were far from comfortable.  Sometimes, outright deadly.

    ¡®No, I¡¯ll do this,¡¯ he sent back as he took the adamantium in his right hand and gave it a squeeze.  That didn¡¯t do anything besides make his hand ache slightly, so he took a deep breath, went into his headspace, and sat down at that old desk.

    He was back in his High Elan form, tall and well built.  It didn¡¯t matter what form he took here; he could even be an eight-foot tall pink bunny with a gravelly voice if he wanted to.  It was mere perspective.

    With a nod to himself, he reached out and pressed the power button on his laptop, the screen lighting up.

    Ah, how he missed just playing a video game.  Maybe when he completed the clan¡¯s basic education that everyone went though, he could take a bit of time off and have fun gaming for a while.  Yeah, that¡¯d be nice.

    His hand went to the trackball mouse waiting beside the computer, his thumb rolling the ball until the cursor rested on the ¡°Absorb¡± icon.

    With one last mental sigh, he fixed the image from the manual in his head, then double-clicked.

 Chapter 017

    Chapter 017

    He watched as a progress bar popped up, then quickly filled, and disappeared again, just to be replaced with another window.

    - - - - -

    Are you sure you wish to absorb [Adamantium]?

    Y/N

    - - - - -

    Well, he wasn¡¯t sure if that was a good thing or not. Did his soul and subconscious designate this as a dangerous thing to absorb? Or was it just one of those: Are you really sure that you want to permanently destroy this incredibly valuable resource?

    He clicked ¡°Y¡±.

    The lights actually dimmed for a moment before another notification popped up saying that the process was complete.

    He sat there for another few minutes, staring off into the distance as he contemplating life, the universe, and everything.

    Then he stood up and flipped his desk, arms flying above his head. ¡°Why the hell did I get myself so worked up?!¡± He yelled, then stood there panting, knowing that he was just a mental construct here and that breathing meant absolutely nothing.

    After a few more minutes of ¡°breathing¡±, he concentrated, then watched the room right itself, everything going back in its place.

    ¡°I should have remembered Altaea¡¯s experiences when absorbing things,¡± he muttered before closing his eyes, then opening his physical eyes.

    Avi was still standing there, a bored look on her face.

    ¡®All done, then?¡¯

    His eyebrow twitched.

    ¡®Glad it went so smoothly,¡¯ she sent, a smirk on her face. ¡®Have a good sleep!¡¯

    With that said, she faded away like mist on a hot summer morning.

    Scratch that, she bloody well ran away! She knew!

    He closed his eyes again, focussing on calming breaths. He was almost three and a half, emotions got big, hormones were doing their thing¡­

    Light, I hate this! I need to grow up faster!

    Deep breath in¡­ deep breath out¡­

    Now that that was done, he looked down at himself and realized that things hadn¡¯t gone as smoothly as he¡¯d thought.

    His pj¡¯s were soaked with¡­ filth. Some sort of black, slimy, sludge stuck to everything. Sending a mental ¡°thanks!¡± to Aunty and Uncle, he activated his ring and watched as the filth was [Cleanse]d away. It never quite got old watching as filth disintegrated into smaller and smaller motes of light until the divisions were so small that you could no longer see them.

    Then a thought occurred to him as he looked at his clean hands. So, he reached over to his right hand and gave it a pinch.

    Pain.

    Hmmmm¡­

    Maybe this was like the tabletop game he used to play with his buddies back home, where a creature could always bypass its own damage reduction. Biting one¡¯s tongue would still be a painful experience.

    ¡°Sounds legit,¡± he mumbled to himself as he concentrated for a moment and summoned his old hunting knife from his storage space. He stared at the old leather sheath that his dad had bought him about thirty years ago. It seemed much bigger in his tiny hands now.

    With a sigh, he popped open the catch and slid the knife out. It wasn¡¯t anything huge, just a five-inch blade, just a bit more than an inch wide with a black and steel grey grip. He then brought it to his right hand and paused.

    Now, he wasn¡¯t a masochist by any stretch of the imagination, so the thought of deliberately cutting himself wasn¡¯t the most appealing thought, even though he could just heal himself afterwards. There was just something about a knife and an aversion to wanting it too close.

    Like, you¡¯ve been told all your life to be careful with knives or something, he thought wryly.

    With a deep breath, he brought the knife¡¯s wickedly sharp edge to his right arm and tried to shave the peach fuzz there.

    The knife jumped.

    He paused, then with a determined look on his face he tried again, this time pressing harder.

    Nothing.

    A smile slowly crept onto his face as he stared at the knife. It wasn¡¯t anything super expensive or anything, being made with just average steel, more than good enough to do anything you¡¯d need a knife to do¡­ normally.

    He tried again, this time pressing harder and was rewarded with a couple of sparks jumping off the blade, as though he¡¯d struck a flint or something. Which caused a minor problem in the form of his blanket starting to smoulder.

    A few pats and a [Reconstruction] later, and all was well in the world...

    He then poked his arm with a finger but found that it still felt like normal. To him, anyways. He wondered if anyone else would notice anything. He sure hoped not, as it would be somewhat awkward explaining things.

    As he lay there pondering the implications, he re-sheathed his knife and stored it away. He¡¯d need to test just how resilient he¡¯d become, to see if there were any differences in effectiveness of the technique due to his young age. Most techniques had been designed for people who¡¯d already mostly grown, not for toddlers. Had Altaea anticipated that he¡¯d likely start cultivating as soon as possible?

    Probably.

    He closed his eyes again, concentrating on the feeling of the mana circulating through his body, paying attention to any changes that had taken place.

    For one, he noticed that there was an extra¡­ weave throughout his skin. Upon further investigation, he found the same weave going through every part of his body, from his hair to his organs and bones. Each cell seemed to be fortified, each one forming a sort of bond with those surrounding it. It was a bit hard to explain, but the end result meant that his durability had increased radically.

    That was more than OK with him, as he very much wanted to avoid being one-shot again in the future. He still wasn¡¯t sure how ¡°tough¡± he¡¯d become, but if the manual was anything to go by, he¡¯d be able to take a hit from someone almost a full Tier higher than him and not suffer too badly, never mind anyone from his same Tier.

    With a smile on his face, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

    - - - - -

    Time was flying, and it had taken him another week to be sure that his foundations were where he wanted them to be. But also to convince Grammy that he was indeed ready to step into the Second Tier.

    That there had been quite a shock for her. She had been astonished at his progress, insisting on testing him to be sure that he wasn¡¯t mistaken. So, between the physical testing and her feeling out his aura with hers, she was finally convinced.

    She had then gone over what he needed to do to form his centre/core (it was a weird translation), or as the traditionalists called it: his dantian. He¡¯d been more than glad to hear her explanations and her experience condensing her own.

    That said, the Encompass the Universe manual had a somewhat different method. While the traditional way was to take all of one¡¯s mana and pressure it until it condensed into a liquid from its gaseous state, Encompass the Universe went a bit further, and had a much higher standard.

    One needed to rely on having an exceptionally high mana region, or a pile of mana crystals nearby, as the mana required was absurd. During the condensing stage, one also had to divide up the ¡°gasses¡± into as many clumps as you could while simultaneously keeping them stable while pressuring them into a liquid state. All while drawing in enough mana to sustain the process.

    Now, that wouldn¡¯t have been much of a problem, except that Avi¡¯s prediction that Grammy would want to oversee his ascension to the Second Tier herself had proven true. He was then particularly glad that he was able to draw from mana crystals that were in his realm, so there would be no need to explain to Grammy where he¡¯d acquired a small mound of wealth.

    So, there he was, sitting in Grammy¡¯s personal cultivation room. It was¡­ spartan. Grammy had removed the cushion that she used when cultivating and had replaced it with his own. The walls were stone, which wasn¡¯t terribly surprising given the fact that this room was deep inside the mountain that the clan had been built on. The walls were also bare except for one wall hanging that had a single character representing the word and concept of ¡°Focus¡±.

    Well, that¡¯s not going to be distracting or anything, me mentally groused, then rethought it. Maybe it could actually help if he got some insights from that character, allowing him to further hone his ability to, well, focus.

    He then ¡°glanced¡± at Grammy sitting in the corner through is sphere of perception. Ah, [Touchsight] for the win! She had also equipped an aura shroud of her own, a simple silver necklace with an aquamarine as the centrepiece. He supposed that was for his benefit, so as not to distract him with her ¡°presence¡± while he tried to break through. Too bad that didn¡¯t work on him very well.

    With a slight shake of his head, he said: ¡°I¡¯ll start now,¡± then closed his eyes, focussing on his core.

    Well, not an actual core like one of the monsters, but his centre where his mana reserve would be found. Well, besides the stuff that had infused his physical body, anyway.

    Once there, he found that a few whisps of mana had already made it their home. That was a good sign, as that meant that he was already a half-step into Tier 2. He watched it for a bit, admiring the whorls and eddies that played throughout the small cloud, causing it to shift from colour to colour. It was very much iridescent, almost like the polished insides of the clam shells he used to find in the little river by his house growing up.

    Then it was time to get to work.

    Remembering the instructions given in the Encompass the Universe manual, he extended his will through his body, pulling in mana from the outside and circulating it through his body until it eventually arrived at his core. Once there, it joined the small cloud, causing it to grow at a visible rate. He smiled.

    This process continued for a while until he noticed that the amount of mana coming in from the outside was slowly dropping. So, he then concentrated, focussing on his realm and the small mountain of mana crystals stored away there, and began to draw from them to supplement his intake.

    As this went on, he realized that he could draw more than what he currently was. With another thought, he increased the pull on the crystals in his realm, flooding his core with torrents of mana, swelling the size of the cloud.

    He didn¡¯t have the spare mental capacity to watch the cloud anymore, instead choosing to concentrate on the process of drawing in and refining the mana. Draw in, refine, deposit. This cycle continued, never ending, never slowing down.

    He didn¡¯t know how long he spent doing this, but when he eventually felt a bit of fatigue setting in, he once again lessened how much mana he was drawing in and took another look at his core.

    His jaw dropped. He wasn¡¯t sure if his physical body copied the mental one, but the shock was such that it wouldn¡¯t have surprised him.

    His centre, core, dantian, or whatever you wanted to call it, had undergone a drastic change. The small cloud had swelled to titanic proportions, now more resembling a vast nebula than anything else he could think of. The scope was simply mind boggling, to the point where his concentration nearly broke.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡®Are you done pulling all that mana in yet?¡¯ Avi sent, concern and annoyance coming through.

    ¡®Yes?¡¯ He sent back, not knowing where she was coming from with her tone.

    ¡®Good, because I¡¯ve spent nearly two weeks keeping your body from breaking down due to the strain that it was putting on you.¡¯

    ¡®Excuse me? What?¡¯ He must have misheard.

    ¡®I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve been doing, but your consumption rate had been on a level where most people would have exploded due to the pressures involved, nevermind the damage it would do to them as a cellular level even if they didn¡¯t explode.¡¯

    He very nearly blanked there for a second, regaining control just in time to avoid having the mana flowing through his system from going out of control and causing untold damage.

    ¡®Thank you for that. I really didn¡¯t notice.¡¯

    ¡®Well, just let me know before you do something like this again. It¡¯ll be easier if I¡¯m able to prepare for it.¡¯ She sent, sounding a bit mollified.

    Then something caught his eye. He again focussed on the nebula in his core and noticed that the eddies, swirls, and whorls, were getting more and more chaotic and violent. The lightshow was also increasing to the point where any rave-goers would have been impressed. For him, though, it was a cause for concern.

    ¡®Avi?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Joram?¡¯

    ¡®I think I¡¯ll need your help again right away,¡¯ he sent, sending the image of the increasingly chaotic nebula along with his words.

    He only got a mental nod back, but he felt his body being reinforced shortly after. It was very nice to have such an amazing friend who was able to watch his back.

    Next, he quickly reviewed the next chapter of Encompass the Universe, making sure that he wasn¡¯t forgetting anything important with the next steps that he¡¯d need to take. He had to hurry, as he could feel the mana now flowing into his core of its own volition, causing the nebula to become increasingly unstable.

    With a nod to himself, he got started. The first step was to extend his senses into the nebula and to begin separating it into smaller clouds. The process wasn¡¯t easy, nor smooth, as each separated cloud wanted to rejoin the main body of mana, causing no end of work for him.

    He paused for a moment to chide himself for thinking that he could do this without using his ¡°mental strength¡± to keep the clouds divided. Well, it was worth a shot, he thought with a wry grin.

    Soon enough, he¡¯d managed to divide the nebula into two equal sections, both kept separate by being enclosed in a box of psionic energy. Once that was done, he repeated the process for each box, resulting in two additional boxes of mana. He then repeated the process four more times, reaching his mental limit. Well, the limit he was comfortable with, anyway. He thought that he might be able to repeat the process once more, but the strain of maintaining the barriers would likely have proven too much, especially since he still needed to ¡°condense¡± the gaseous mana into a liquid from.

    Next, he activated [Schism]. With his second mind running he was then able to have it keep the barriers up while his primary mind was able to solely focus on condensing the mana. He had, in part, divided the nebula so much because he didn¡¯t think that he¡¯d be able to condense such a large volume of mana by himself.

    He realized then, as his will began to bear down on each of the gas clouds at the same time, that he¡¯d taken this task far too lightly. The amount of pressure needed to condense a core wasn¡¯t negligible, as was evident by the number of people who failed at condensing their core on their first try. Well, if they were lucky, it was the ¡°first time¡±. If they weren¡¯t, well, they burnt themselves out, resulting in a crippled cultivation.

    He didn¡¯t know, but his body began to sweat as the mental pressure continued to rise. Inside, however, he continued to apply pressure to all sixty-four clouds, causing them to flash in many amazing colours. That was, unfortunately, not quite enough, as he began to feel some of the ones on the edge of the group begin to slip from his control.

    Mind racing, he came to a decision that he wasn¡¯t sure was brilliant or mad. Before he could lose control, nevermind regret his decision, he acted.

    With a titanic effort of will, he pulled each box out of his centre and over to his Knowledge Star, placing them in orbit, causing them to experience the intense gravity of his Star. Well, that solved one problem, but caused another, larger, problem. Yes, the pressure on each cloud was now sufficient to begin their brilliant collapse into spheres of shining liquid mana, each a unique colour from the deepest black to the most brilliant white and every colour in between, but they were now also in a degenerating orbit and would soon fall into his Knowledge Star.

    Well, ain¡¯t that a kick in the pants, he thought as each orb began to inch closer with each passing orbit. Was he going to become the first cultivator with so many cores just to become another casualty of a failed ascent?

    He was more than just a little bit unwilling.

    Thinking fast, he came up with another crazy idea that just might work. Sure, the gravity of the Star was intense, but what if he could add momentum to each of those cores? Speed them up so that their orbits would stabilize around his Star?

    Only one way to find out, he thought as both is primary mind and his secondary mind each took thirty-two orbs and began to exert their combined wills upon them, drawing heavily on the stocks of mana crystals in his realm.

    With the extra, desperate, push, the orbs slowly began to speed up. He watched as they went from a slow and lazy descent to a very fast, but gradual descent. He pushed harder, speeding them up and actually began to enjoy the show, for each orb was now going so fast that each had developed a tail of light, making for an awesome lightshow.

    But the best part was that the orbits began to stabilize. Yes, it looked rather chaotic around his Knowledge Star with its huge ring divided into smaller concentric rings, with the cores trailing light and making it appear as though a rainbow cage had been formed around the Star. It somewhat resembled the Bohr Model of an atom of Krypton, with an added doughnut¡­

    Hah, Krypton, he laughed to himself, a little bit of relieved hysteria creeping in.

    Then he paused. As a practitioner of Mental Strength improved their Knowledge Sea, it would eventually form a ¡°small world¡± where there was a chance for life to grow. Now, the number of those individuals who had managed to reach such an extreme level were able to be counted on one hand. But if he managed to cultivate that far, what would his Knowledge Star look like?

    Well, if the ¡°gravity¡± continued to increase, it would likely collapse into a ¡°black hole¡±. He was about fifty percent sure that that would be a terrible thing, but at the same time, he wondered what kind of energy it would give off after it stabilized.

    He mentally shook his head, not willing to go down that rabbit hole just yet, and continued to observe the orbits of the cores, making sure that they were indeed stable.

    He let [Schism] lapse as he watched, not wanting the draw on his psionic reserves anymore, for fear that it might somehow affect the orbits. He watched for a long time, becoming entranced with the sight of so many colours whizzing about, leaving trails of light in their wake. Every now and then, he¡¯d give a mental nudge to a core, adjusting its orbit just so, making the whole that much more stable.

    Joram wasn¡¯t sure how much time had passed, but he came to realize that he was now fully exhausted, so he reluctantly withdrew his gaze from his Knowledge Star, content with its stability, and returned his awareness to his physical body. As his awareness returned, he realized that he was no longer sitting, but laying down on something soft.

    Information began to flood in from [Touchsight], letting him know that he was no longer in Grammy¡¯s personal cultivation room, but was instead laying on his bed, Grammy seated beside him on a comfortable looking chair, reading a book.

    As his senses sorted everything out, he also realized that a mana gathering array must have been set up because the ambient mana was much higher than he was used to.

    Just what had happened? Why had he been taken back to his room?

    As he went to open his eyes, Grammy noticed the movement, slid a bookmark into the book, then set it aside. By the time he¡¯d managed to open his crusty eyes, she was leaning forward, an intense look on her face as she examined him.

    The world seemed much brighter than before, causing him to squint then rub his eyes in discomfort. He then realized that it was nighttime, and the only illumination came from a small crystal lamp on the bedside table that Grammy must have brought in with her. He really liked those lamps, as they didn¡¯t burn oil or anything, but instead had a crystal that glowed brightly enough to illuminate a small room, its light diffused through frosted glass to avoid blinding someone.

    Back to Grammy, he was surprised that she was there. Upon closer inspection, he could see faint signs of fatigue around her eyes, a wisp of hair that wasn¡¯t in line with the others. He took a deep breath, then frowned as the gentle breeze from his open window carried in a heavy scent of autumn.

    What-the-what?

    He reached for his connection to his parents in the Network and realized that every connection had been dropped. His heartrate increased. Did they think that something had happened to him? Had he worried everyone unduly? What were they now thinking? Were they OK?

    All of these thoughts passed through his mind in a few short seconds. He was once again brought back to himself, this time by Grammy asking him a question. He blinked, then went back a moment and realized that he¡¯d been so engrossed in his worries that he¡¯d completely missed the question.

    ¡°Sorry, what was that?¡± He croaked more than asked. He blinked. It wasn¡¯t that he was dehydrated or anything, just that his voice had gone unused for too long.

    ¡°I asked how you are feeling,¡± Grammy said, reaching out a hand to test his forehead.

    Her fingers were cool and smooth against his skin, leaving a tingle behind.

    ¡°Just a bit confused is all,¡± he replied, blinking as he reached up and rubbed away the accumulated sleep he¡¯d missed from his first rubbing.

    She regarded him for a few moments, a look that he couldn¡¯t quite place on her face, then she spoke.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been unconscious for one hundred twenty-eight days,¡± she said, that same look on her face. ¡°After you collapsed on your fourteenth day of cultivation, we brought you back here to recover. The only signs that you were even alive were a very faint heartbeat, only once per minute, and the occasional trace of mental strength from you. Even your connection to everyone in your Network had... dropped, causing many people to think that the backlash of your cultivation had been a fatal one.¡±

    He blinked at that, then pushed himself into a sitting position, with more effort than he¡¯d care to admit. He sat there, slightly wobbly, as he stared at Grammy, not quite believing what she¡¯d said.

    ¡°I am very glad that you¡¯ve woken up,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll be well cared for,¡± she said, once again touching his forehead delicately, then tracing her fingers across his brow to move some errant hair out of the way.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad¡­?¡± He said, gratified, but also confused.

    ¡°You needn¡¯t worry, your status in the clan won¡¯t be affected by your¡­ disability,¡± she finally said, the look of such tender kindness in her eyes almost made him miss what those words meant.

    He blinked, then blinked again.

    ¡°Disability?¡± He asked, his mind blanking.

    Grammy¡¯s eyes turned moist, causing her to turn away and blink a few times before she was able to look at him again, this time with resolve.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that your ascent went so poorly. You¡¯ve completely burned out your ability to cultivate.¡±

    His jaw dropped; his mind stunned. What exactly was she talking about?

    Joram closed his eyes and went back to his ¡°core¡± and realized something that might have been a bit more than a little bit important: it was empty. Where one¡¯s liquified core would normally be was instead occupied by a vast emptiness.

    What had he done?

    His mind raced so much that he became dizzy, causing him to nearly fall over if not for Grammy reaching out to hold him up in time.

    Once his mind cleared enough to regain his sense of balance, he concentrated on his Knowledge Star and was relieved to see the lightshow continuing around it. OK, so that was fine. But what did that mean for his cultivation?

    He came back to himself, seeing Grammy¡¯s expression. His heart filled to overflowing at the love she was showing him, so he reached out and embraced her, hugging her fiercely. She responded in kind but held back so as not to break him in half, which he appreciated greatly.

    After a moment she stiffened up, then ended the huggles by holding him at arms¡¯ length, a look of utter shock on her face.

    ¡°How are you so strong?¡± She asked, incredulity thick in her voice and plain as day on her face.

    He concentrated for a moment to send her another invitation through the Network, then smiled as it was accepted as soon as it was received.

    ¡®You remember how I described working on my Knowledge Star?¡¯

    ¡®Yes?¡¯

    ¡®Well, I found it a bit too difficult to condense the mana, so I kind of brought it to my Knowledge Star so that the gravity there could help in the process,¡¯ he sent, realizing that this was likely the reason that she thought that he¡¯d burned himself out in his attempt to condense his core.

    Her jaw dropped.

    He took a moment to commit that sight to memory, not wanting to forget such a rare and wondrous sight.

    ¡®You what?¡¯, disbelief practically flooded the Network, causing him to blink.

    ¡®Well, I was losing my ¡°grip¡± on the mana, so I pulled it to my Knowledge Star to help the process along.¡¯

    She sat there for a minute in stunned silence before her eyes lit up, then they began darting back and forth as her mind raced, her mouth moving as though speaking, but no sound came out. After another few minutes of that never-before-seen spectacle, she once again focussed on Joram.

    ¡®I don¡¯t know if what you did was incredibly¡­ unwise, or if it was the most brilliant thing performed in the history of cultivation,¡¯ she sent with such seriousness and awe that it almost felt like a blow to the head.

    ¡®I don¡¯t know what this will mean for your future cultivation, as this in an entirely new path you¡¯ll need to tread on your own, but I hope that you¡¯ll let me share this journey of yours and record it for future posterity.¡¯

    That gave him pause. He wasn¡¯t willing to let her know that he¡¯d raided the Heavenly Archive and was using cultivation methods left behind by Altaea. He was sure that that would cause an eruption that he might not survive. That said, if he left out the fact that he had condensed more than one core, he might just be able to share his progress with her.

    There was a thought. He had formed sixty-four cores that were now zipping about his Knowledge Star. Each one, according to Altaea, had the same growth potential as a single core formed in the traditional way. That meant that his mana reserves would be monstrous¡­ But that also meant that he¡¯d consume that much more while cultivating, as the manual was very clear that to keep progressing through the Tiers, he¡¯d need to make sure that each and every core was developed equally. In other words, they all had to reach the same point before he could advance.

    That meant that all sixty-four cores would have to be condensed into a solid before he could reach Tier 4.

    He felt a headache coming on. This had gone way too fast, surpassing his expectations and causing not a little bit of uncertainty.

    ¡®Yes, Grammy, I can share my progress with you as I cultivate,¡¯ he sent. Then had a thought. ¡®It may take longer than normal now that my core isn¡¯t at the centre of my body. I¡¯m not sure how that¡¯ll affect things.¡¯

    He really hoped that she¡¯d buy that explanation, as he knew that it¡¯d take him a very long time to solidify all of his cores. He also knew that he¡¯d need Avi on almost constant resource acquisition mode to help sustain his growth. Then another thought occurred to him that really did cause a headache to come on.

    Each cultivation method that Altaea had left for him, and every other one on the planet, assumed that his core would be at his ¡°centre¡±, meaning that he would have to research how to rework the paths that mana needed to circulate through his body.

    His headache quickly slid to the realm of migraine, causing him to close his eyes with a wince.

    ¡®I think I need more rest,¡¯ he managed to send through the pain. It was better than speaking out loud, as that would cause a whole other level of pain to blossom in his head.

    Grammy caught on quickly, merely nodding as she helped him lay down and tucked him in. She then leaned forward and kissed his forehead, as light as a feather being blown across his skin. He smiled, then mouthed the words: ¡°I love you¡± before letting his consciousness fade.

    * * * * *

    Tatia watched as Joram¡¯s breathing evened out, sensing through the Network that he had fallen asleep. She could feel just how much his head hurt, as the pain managed to reach her through their connection.

    She sent a silent prayer to whatever gods may be listening, asking them to keep him safe.

    She didn¡¯t know what the future would hold for him, but as daunting as the thought of how difficult his cultivation would be now, she also felt a thrill of excitement run through her body. He had managed to completely pass through the Second Tier and condense his core, leaping straight to Tier 3. It was simply heaven-defying.

    He was breaking new ground here, potentially pioneering a whole new cultivation method.

    Tatia didn¡¯t know what his results would bring, but she very much looked forward to the future.

 Chapter 018

    Chapter 018

    Joram woke up slowly, enjoying the birdsong and the fresh air coming in through the window as much as he enjoyed the lack of a migraine.  He didn¡¯t bother opening his eyes yet, for he already saw everything around him through his sphere of perception provided by [Touchsight].

    Grammy was gone, but in her chair was Tillia, sleeping away.  The most amazing thing was that she remained upright, head tilted back, mouth open with soft snores coming out.  It looked like she¡¯d already prepared for the day, being dressed in her usual smart clothes, hair done up just so.  He smiled at that; she really did try to be presentable for her young charge and those he would interact with.

    He¡¯d asked her one time why she always spent so much time perfecting her hair and outfit and had received wisdom, instead of a smack to the head that he had more than half expected.

    ¡°I don¡¯t spend as much time as others, nor do I use beauty products to try and enhance my appearance.  Rather, I dress well and keep myself well presented¡­ for myself.  It is a measure of self-respect to dress and present yourself in a dignified manner.¡±

    That had given him much to think about.

    Back on Earth, he hadn¡¯t much cared how he dressed.  Blue jeans or shorts paired with a t-shirt of some sort or another.  That was his staple.  He hadn¡¯t been the best at remembering to get a haircut on a regular basis, and due to his face having an extreme dislike of razors, he¡¯d wound up just having a short beard for most of his adult life.  Then later, when that whole pandemic scare was at its height, he¡¯d just let his beard grow as many others had; the ¡°pandemic beard¡±.

    Even after he¡¯d arrived in this world, he hadn¡¯t bothered to dress fancy, instead preferring the simple designs and colours of his handmade/[Fabricate]d clothes.  Heck, he¡¯d even ¡°cheated¡± by stopping his hair from growing just so that he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about haircuts or shaving.

    He almost laughed then, remembering that he still had his clippers and electric razor- the one with the round foils that helped to reduce razor-burn- sitting in his storage.  He¡¯d say that they were gathering dust, but that wouldn¡¯t be true as they, along with the rest of his electronics, were in the stasis part of his storage space.

    He smiled, remembering that he wouldn¡¯t ever have to buy a new razor or clippers ever again due to having [Reconstruction] and [Psionic Repair] in his repertoire of powers known.  No longer would he have to worry about degenerating battery life, dulling blades, fraying cords, or the many other annoying ways that electronics and their accessories failed.  Ah, life was grand¡­

    He idly wondered what his life would be like if he somehow managed to return to Earth one day.  Would he arrive when he left, or would the same time have passed over there as it had here?  Would he even be able to find his original world amongst the infinite realms of the multiverse?

    He sighed then, causing Tillia to stir.  He hadn¡¯t meant to do that, but he supposed that it was about time for him to get up anyways.

    ¡°Oh, Joram!  You¡¯re up!¡±  Tillia exclaimed, leaning over to give him a huge hug.  ¡°We were so worried about you!  When the Matriarch told us that you¡¯d finally awoken in the night, you wouldn¡¯t believe how relieved I was!¡±

    Now, it was a bit hard to hear someone with one side of your head pressed into someone¡¯s bosom, while the other side was wrapped about with said person¡¯s arms.  In the end, he did manage to parse what she¡¯d said and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

    When that didn¡¯t work, he started tapping a bit more insistently due to his increasing need to take a breath.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡±  She said, quickly pushing him away so that he could breathe.  ¡°I was just so worried, and so relieved at the good news, I guess I lost my composure,¡± she finished, looking away for a bit.

    But not fast enough for him to catch the extra shimmering in her eyes, or the tears that had already escaped.

    Like a gentleman, he silently sat up and turned his head to studiously study the simply stunning view out his window.  It was truly a wonderful day, with nary a cloud to be seen, beautiful music provided by the birds and frogs in and around the pond outside his window.  Yes, it was truly a wonder to behold¡­

    But that did nothing to prevent his sphere of perception from seeing Tillia wiping her eyes with a handkerchief that had been hidden in her sleeve, nor did he miss the deep, calming, beaths she took in an effort to compose herself for her ward.

    Then he finally listened to that little voice that said that you should really do something, and then kept on nagging you to do it.

    So, he scooted closer to her, then climbed into her lap, then had a shocking revelation of his own.

    He didn¡¯t fit as well as he used to.  In fact, it was downright crowded now.

    Between both his and her startlement, there was an awkward pause where he was clumsily perched on her lap, and she¡¯d somewhat turned to him to see what was going on.  They regarded each other for a moment before his foot slipped off her thigh, causing him to fall forward, causing her in turn to jerk back to avoid getting head-butted in the face¡­ causing her to fall backwards in the chair, bringing him along for the ride.

    Fortunately, Joram was cushioned in his fall by some conveniently placed ¡°air bags¡±.  Unfortunately for Tillia, there was no such padding for her head, causing it to bounce once before resting on the floor, where she lay still.

    Joram panicked for a moment before he noticed that her chest was still rising and falling as she breathed.

    ¡®Now, that was entertaining,¡¯ Avi sent with a chuckle.  ¡®But you should probably check to make sure that she doesn¡¯t have a concussion or something.¡¯

    With a supreme effort of will, he managed not to cuss-out Avi.  This is serious, damn it!

    He then sat up, hopped off her belly, and kneeled down next to her head.  He reached out, placing a hand on her forehead, then [Delve]d her.

    Sure enough, she had a small concussion, some minor subluxation in the cervical and upper thoracic areas of her spine, but was otherwise OK.  With another thought, he gave her a shot of healing, repairing the damage while reducing the swelling, shifting things back to where they needed to be, and convincing her body that all was once again well in the world.

    With that done, he scooted a bit, lifted her head, then laid it back down on his lap.  While he waited for her to regain consciousness, he moved the hair off her face and over to the side.  He smiled then as he watched her laying on his lap, slowly breathing in and out again.

    He then retrieved a small jade bottle with a dropper as its stopper.  It was one of the batches of medicine he¡¯d made as he practiced alchemy.  This batch was in liquid form, an experiment to see if its efficacy was affected by not refining it into a solid pill form.  He shrugged, then gently opened her mouth, and dripped two drops in.

    It was, after all, the best way to explain why she didn¡¯t have an injury when she woke up, even if the healing effects of the medicine weren¡¯t quite as strong as a formed pill.

    Gotta cover all the bases!

    * * * * *

    She was a bit confused.  She thought that she¡¯d already gotten up for the day, so why was she waking up again?  Then she realized that she wasn¡¯t in her comfortable bed, but was instead laying on a hard surface, though her head was comfortable enough.

    Had she fainted?  What had happened?

    Then she opened her eyes slowly, the light trickling in, but still a bit fuzzy.

    She regarded a handsome visage, purple hair framing his face.  She closed her eyes again, fighting a blush that threatened to turn her face scarlet.

    What the heck is going on?  Who is that?  She frantically though as the tried her hardest to remember the meditation techniques taught to her in her youth to help her calm her heart and mind for cultivation.

    Well, that didn¡¯t work very well, as she¡¯d never been particularly good at finding that calm centre needed for cultivation.

    She took a deep, calming breath, released it, then repeated that twice more.  After that, she found that she¡¯d at least managed to calm her racing heart down to the level of just beating quickly.

    Firming up her resolve, she cracked her eyelids open again, blinking a few times to help things come into focus faster.

    Yup, still there, she thought as his image became clearer and the handsome figure morphed into a young face leaning over, staring at her.

    ¡°Joram!¡±  She squeaked, instantly losing the battle to keep the blush from her face.  ¡°What?!  How?  When?-¡°

    ¡°You fell and bumped your head,¡± Joram said, cutting off her frantic rambling with a smile.

    Ah, so that explains the hallucination!  She thought with relief, bringing her hand up to the back of her head as she turned away from Joram.  Once there, her hand failed to find a sore spot, nevermind the expected goose-egg.

    She sat up then, barely missing Joram¡¯s head with hers.  She turned, swung her legs around and then folded them under her, and regarded her young ward.

    ¡°I fell?¡±  She asked, realizing how lame that sounded after the fact.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Joram replied with a nod.

    ¡°I hit my head?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Did you give me a healing pill?¡±  She asked, but knew that he had to have done so, as there was a medicinal aftertaste in her mouth.

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    She paused there, not quite sure what to ask.  Maybe: ¡°where¡¯d you get the medicinal pill from?¡± or something along those lines.  But that really didn¡¯t make much sense, as he¡¯d probably received medicinal pills for emergency use.

    She settled with: ¡°Thank you,¡± trying very hard to forget the handsome visage that had greeted her upon first waking up.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± he said with a bright smile.  ¡°I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re all right.¡±

    ¡°Well, thank you for making sure that I was all right,¡± she replied with her own smile.

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°For my woman, any time!¡±  He said as he puffed his chest out and placed his hands on his waist, chin raised high.

    Between the fading image of that visage, and her own awkward feelings, a laugh finally burst out of her, startling both her and Joram.  It continued for a few minutes, Joram eventually joining in.

    After a while, she caught her breath, then grabbed him in a headlock.

    ¡°Who¡¯s your woman, you womanizer?!¡±

    * * * * *

    Ah, he¡¯d messed up.

    He was more than strong enough to break free of the headlock and the following noogy, but it was a good test to see just how effective the Adamantium Body¡¯s first stage was.

    Well, he felt the knuckles on his head, but there was no pain.  To keep up the ruse, he squirmed about in her grasp, protesting all the while.

    ¡°You!¡±  He said, ¡°You¡¯re going to be my woman!¡±

    Through the corner of his eye, he caught a blush flooding her cheeks again, and was then flipped onto his back and sat upon.  He blinked, then came the tickling.

    Now, one should note that tickling is in all actuality a form of torture because the nerves responsible for that response are actually pain nerves.  Yes, you can be tickled to death.  Please play responsibly.

    That said, due to his body tempering, the ¡°tickling¡± felt more like a gentle massage than anything else.  Again, he had to keep up the ruse, so he squirmed about, forcing out laughs and giggles.

    That was harder than it seemed.  Laughing was something so natural, that when someone faked a laugh, it was easy to tell when it wasn¡¯t genuine.  He had, however, spent decades perfecting his laugh.  Why?  Well, as an introvert and a rather opinionated person, he didn¡¯t find many things funny that the general populace did.  Popular sitcoms, slap-schtick, etc., were rather boring for him, as he just viewed them as immature.  But to be seen as ¡°fitting in¡±, he¡¯d felt that he¡¯d needed to ¡°go with the flow¡±, hence the polished fake laughter.

    Well, as proud as he was with that accomplishment, Tillia was too sharp.

    ¡°Joram,¡± Tillia said as she withdrew her hands and sat back on his legs.  ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    He continued to pretend at catching his breath for a few more seconds before replying.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    She fixed him with The Stare, telling him that his act had indeed been seen through.

    Had he messed up somehow?  Or was it just her amazing social skills at work, able to ferret out every detail in any social interaction she witnessed?  He realized then that Tillia was a more formidable foe than he¡¯d originally thought.

    With a sigh, he sat up, bringing his face uncomfortably close to her bosom, but then reached out and took her by the waist, picked her up, and place her to the side.

    Her eyes went wide when he touched her waist, then nearly popped out when he picked her up and moved her.

    ¡°You see,¡± he started, not quite sure what to say as this was such an unexpected development.  ¡°I didn¡¯t exactly fail in my cultivation,¡± he finished lamely.

    Joram watched as Tillia¡¯s shock faded away and her eyes went back to a normal size as she processed what he¡¯d just said, then shot open again when it all clicked.

    ¡°You¡¯re Tier 2?¡±  She asked, face going deadpan, tone on the flat side of disbelief.

    He nodded, not quite sure how to tell her that he¡¯d skipped that Tier and had landed in Tier 3¡­

    She looked down at his hand where the aura shroud ring sat, reached out, and gently slid it off his finger.  She then placed the other hand on his chest and closed her eyes.  After a few moments, a frown crept onto her delicate face, her brow creasing.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I feel your cultivation?¡±  She asked as she opened her eyes, a look of concern and confusion warring on her face.

    He thought for a moment, then came to a decision as he looked out the window.

    ¡®Grammy?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Joram?¡¯

    ¡®I need to tell Tillia about some stuff,¡¯ he sent, allowing his feelings of certainty to flow across their connection.

    There was a pause before she responded.  ¡®I will make the necessary arrangements on my side,¡¯ she finally sent with a mental nod.

    That done, he turned back to Tillia and noticed that the concern written on her face was winning out against the confusion.

    ¡°Please accept,¡± he said, then sent her an invitation to the Network.

    He smiled as her eye nearly popped out again, then nodded to himself when her presence appeared in the Network.

    ¡®There¡¯s a bit of a story to tell,¡¯ he began, again smiling when her eyes nearly popped out of her face due to this latest shock.

    * * * * *

    After about a half-hour of explaining to her what he¡¯d been hiding from her this entire time, Tillia didn¡¯t know what to think.

    One: he was a Reincarnator.  That alone was enough to boggle the mind.  Suddenly, many little things that had piled up in the back of her head over the almost two years she¡¯d spent with Joram clicked into place.  The way he spoke, the way he walked.  The occasional death glare that someone would get.

    His crush on her¡­

    Her brain nearly melted there.  He wasn¡¯t even four years old yet!  But at the same time, his mind could have been thousands of years old!  She would be the child to him!  Yet he still wanted her, someone with below-average talent in cultivation, who hadn¡¯t even reached Tier 1 at the age of eighteen!

    Then her mind swung back around to his not-quite four-year-old body and felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her.

    What am I thinking?!  He¡¯s my ward!  Well, I¡¯m his Nanny, anyway!  I can¡¯t go thinking of him being an adult!  What kind of pervert would that make me?!

    On and on her mind whirled in circles, slowly descending into the pit of self recrimination and loathing.

    ¡®Oi!¡¯

    She blinked at the mental shout that rang inside her head and refocussed on Joram.

    That¡¯s right, I can¡¯t let this negatively affect me.  I still have my duty to watch, protect, and educate Joram!  I am his Nanny!

    ¡®Right, well,¡¯ she began, not sure where to go from there.  ¡®We¡¯ll need to go over a few things, like boundaries and expectations from here on out,¡¯ she sent, proud of how well she was keeping it together.

    She saw a small smile appear on his face, a look of knowing that belied his physical age.

    ¡®Yes, we definitely need to go over a few things,¡¯ Joram sent as his smile grew mischievous.  ¡®For one, you¡¯ll need to keep this secret more tightly than even the core purpose of the Clan.¡¯

    She started at that, not sure what to think of this little person.  How had he known about that?  Then she shook her head, clearing those useless thoughts.  If he was indeed a Reincarnator with a heaven-defying ability like this mental communication, then what else could he do?  What else could he already know?  Yes, he¡¯d explained to her about his parents, grandparents, and the Matriarch knowing about him.  But.  Just what had she gotten herself into?

    What changes would come to the clan?  To their way of life?  Would his appearance in the clan herald a new age to come?  He¡¯d been vague about when he¡¯d died, not to mention the full extent of his abilities, for she was keen enough to know that he hadn¡¯t told her even a fraction of what he could do and what he knew.

    ¡®Next,¡¯ his voice brought her back to the present.  ¡®I was quite serious when I told you that I like you.  Yes, I know that Xiora and I are engaged, but all things in due time.¡¯

    ¡®But you¡¯re not even four!¡¯  She sent back, panicking again.  Her heart was a confused mess, her common sense and morals rebelling against the idea of them becoming a couple.

    ¡®True, but time flies, and we have more than enough of it to work things out,¡¯ his calm voice came through, causing her eyebrow to twitch.

    ¡®What time?  I haven¡¯t even reached Tier 1, let alone Tier 2!  I¡¯ll be an old woman before you are old enough!¡¯

    She hadn¡¯t meant to phrase it like that, with the subtext that there was a possibility of a relationship between them being a possibility.

    ¡®Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure that I can help you along with your cultivation,¡¯ he sent back in a confident tone, bordering on smug.

    She didn¡¯t know why, but that tweaked a nerve.  She¡¯d laboured diligently for eight years, doing her best to comprehend her family¡¯s cultivation method and make progress.  It had been a very long and grueling road to even get where she was today, yet he claimed that he could help her?

    Then she remembered that this ¡°child¡± had already stepped into Tier 2, and a spark of hope ignited in her chest.

    Can he really help me break through my limitations?

    That thought alone caused her to take this whole affair more seriously.  Then her mind blanked at her unconscious use of the word ¡°affair¡± in that last thought, her face once again filled with a fierce blush.

    ¡®Then I¡¯ll have to rely on you,¡¯ she sent meekly, trying very hard to put a clamp on her confused emotions.  It was made all the harder by that vision of the handsome man she¡¯d seen when she¡¯d woken up.  Paired with what she¡¯d just said, her brain finally overloaded, bringing sweet, sweet, unconsciousness.

    * * * * *

    Joram watched as a parade of emotions made their way across Tillia¡¯s face.  It was quite the show, ending with a blush so fierce that he worried if she might burst a blood vessel somewhere.  He was glad that they were sitting so close to each other, for when she fainted he was able to catch her before she hit the ground again.

    He gently laid her down again, this time on his bed.  It wasn¡¯t hard to lift her negligible weight, just a tad awkward in balancing a body so much larger than his.  After a few slips where his hands went places he¡¯d never admit they¡¯d gone, he got her settled.  He then righted the chair beside his bed and hopped on, smacking his shin in the process.

    Yes, he had indeed grown.  Hmmm¡­

    Anyway, had he been too forward with her?  Probably, but he¡¯d make the best of what came.  He was more than willing to wait the decade or so before he married Xixi to see if he really did want to marry Tillia as well.  He was sure that, in that time, he would be able to properly sort his feelings and determine if this was just a childhood crush, or something that would develop into a more lasting relationship.

    But in the meantime, it was all sorts of fun to tease her a bit.  At the same time, he also wondered if that was fair.  His mind was already in its mid-forties after all.  He¡¯d have to ponder on this for a while.  More sorting needed.

    ¡®Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Avi?¡¯

    ¡®Does this mean I¡¯ll have three moms?¡¯  She sent, curiosity coming through.

    He blanked for a minute before he realized that she meant Altaea, Xixi, and now Tillia, then he coughed.

    ¡®Only if you wish to view them as such,¡¯ he sent back carefully, not sure how to handle this.  Heck, after his divorce, he¡¯d remained single, so he¡¯d never had to have that discussion with his own daughters.  That might have actually been part of the reason he¡¯d stayed single.  Huh.

    ¡®We¡¯ll see,¡¯ she sent back, a note of haughtiness coming through.

    He nearly face-palmed.  She was doing this on purpose.

    ¡®Anyway, how are our reserves of mana crystals doing?¡¯  He sent, changing the subject.

    ¡®We¡¯re almost out of the Tier 1 stuff, but we still have plenty of the higher tier stuff on hand.  I¡¯m currently investigating another seam in the mountains.  Hopefully I¡¯ll find something good.¡¯

    ¡®Thank you, Avi.  I really do appreciate all that you¡¯re doing.¡¯

    ¡®Hey, it beats sitting around in a vineyard for a thousand years,¡¯ she sent back with a grin.

    He really couldn¡¯t say anything to that, so he just nodded and closed his eyes, withdrawing to his Knowledge Star.

    He observed it for a short while, not wanting to lose track of time, to be sure that wall was still stable.  Sure enough, everything looked good.  It was a wonder, and possibly a miracle, that he¡¯d managed to jump an entire Realm in his cultivation, landing in Tier 3, the Human Realm.

    He didn¡¯t know what repercussions were hiding in his body from his rapid ascent, but he¡¯d need a lot of time to investigate.  One major change was that he had indeed grown.

    He stood up and made his way to the window, where he liked to mark his height every twenty-six weeks, and marked his new height.  He turned, then blinked a few times, not quite believing his eyes.

    He turned back around, retrieved a large square from storage, then used it to again mark his new height.  That done, he turned around as he deposited the square back into storage and blinked again.

    Well, this time it was slightly higher, by on a couple of millimetres though.  Still, if his eyes weren¡¯t lying to him, then he¡¯d grown a whopping fourteen point eight centimetres.  That was almost six inches.

    He took a deep breath, then made his way to his little bathroom, climbed up his stool, and looked at himself in the mirror.  Now, he could have just gone to his wardrobe and looked at the full-length mirror on the inside of the door, but somehow it felt more appropriate to do this in the bathroom.

    Don¡¯t ask him why, he was also confused by the sentiment.

    Finally paying attention to his reflection, he noticed that his face had indeed changed, nevermind the longer hair that had noticeably darkened at the roots.

    He¡¯d lost a fair amount of baby fat, his face now leaner than before.  In fact, he could even see that line of muscle at his jaw very clearly as he clenched and unclenched his jaw.

    Then another thought occurred to him, so he hurried over to his wardrobe, stripped his pj¡¯s, and opened the door with the mirror on it.  What he saw stunned him more than it probably should have.

    Back on Earth, he¡¯d never had a six-pack, though he was solidly built.  He¡¯d always had a layer of belly fat, and a bit of a tire.  He¡¯d fortunately never developed the dreaded ¡°muffin top¡±, but he¡¯d not ever been described as lean or skinny.  It wasn¡¯t until his transformation by Altaea¡¯s hands, then the subsequent insane training he¡¯d gone through that he¡¯d finally developed muscles on par with an Olympian, toned to near perfection.

    Since his rebirth he¡¯d once again, understandably, gotten chubby.  Sure, it was a natural process children went through, gaining their baby fat that accumulated between growth spurts, then slowly faded away as the child aged.

    Now, however, he saw a sculpted body, muscles showing definition that a three-year-old really shouldn¡¯t have.  He wasn¡¯t bulky by any stretch of the imagination, but the definition he saw in the mirror was shocking.  He really didn¡¯t know how he felt about that.  Coming from a society that placed undue emphasis on having a sculpted body nudged him to the side of gratification.  On the other hand, every other bit of learning and understanding he¡¯d gained along the way screamed that it didn¡¯t matter what he looked like, so long as he was healthy.

    And that was the thing: was he healthy?  Had his extreme rise in cultivation somehow negatively impacted his health?  Would he suffer unforeseen issues as he grew?

    He did a quick mental check and confirmed that he still had his Ring of Sustenance ¡°equipped¡±.  That was a relief, as it provided everything that the body needed for its day-to-day function; meaning that he shouldn¡¯t be deficient in vitamins or minerals.  It also explained why he hadn¡¯t been thirsty when waking up.  Also, the lack of pressure to do his morning routine.

    He looked in his wardrobe and realized that he needed an entirely new set of clothes made.  Which confused him somewhat, as his pj¡¯s had fit properly.  Had they just decided to wait until he woke up before having new clothes made for him?  Probably.

    With a sigh, he reached down to pick up his pj¡¯s when he heard a loud gasp behind him.

 Chapter 019

    Joram turned around as he stood up again with pj¡¯s in hand, to see Tillia sitting up in bed, staring at him wide-eyed, a blush infusing her alabaster cheeks.

    He looked down at his far-from-mature body, then back up at Tillia.  Even with his growth spurt, he was far from impressive.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you been changing and bathing me for almost two years now?¡±  He asked, raising an eyebrow at her reaction.

    If anything, her face got redder, steam practically coming off her head as she quickly turned around to stare at the far wall.

    ¡°Well, that was before you declared me your ¡®woman¡¯,¡± she said quickly, then seemed to regret it as she buried her face into her hands.

    ¡°Ah, well, then we must be chaste then,¡± he replied with a smile, then quickly slipped his pj¡¯s on to cover himself.  Looking over at Tillia again, he spotted his aura shroud ring still laying on the floor, so he concentrated for a moment, using [Telekinesis] to bring it to his hand, where he slipped it on once again.

    ¡°So,¡± he started cheerily, ¡°what¡¯s for breakfast?¡±

    Tillia took a quick peek at him from the corner of her eye, and seeing him now dressed, hopped out of bed and made her way over to him, seemingly glad for the change of subject.

    ¡°Ah, that completely slipped my mind,¡± she said, cleared her throat, then took the lead.  ¡°The kitchens made up some of those pan-cakes that are so popular these days, as well as some bacon,¡± she explained as they left his family¡¯s apartments.

    It didn¡¯t take them long to get to the communal dining hall where they were then served their meals, all the while listening to people telling him how glad they were to see him up and about and expressing their well-wishes for his future health.

    He supposed that Grammy had spread the word that he¡¯d come down with something or another, so he played along, thanking everyone for their care and well-wishes.

    Joram got more than a few side-eyes directed his way, as people tried to figure out what was up, or something else, but he didn¡¯t let it bother him.

    He¡¯d spent months not eating, so he took it slow so that he wouldn¡¯t get sick.  But funny enough, his stomach felt OK with the food going in, even after a short break from eating to let his stomach realize how much he¡¯d packed in.

    Maybe they fed me while I was out?  Yeah, probably that, as I haven¡¯t exactly shared anything about [Sustenance] with them¡­

    It wound up being a pleasant breakfast, even with the constant interruptions from the well-wishers and stickybeaks.  They didn¡¯t exactly have maple syrup, but what they did have was something a bit similar but had a bit of a cinnamon-y taste to it.  They also provided several other syrups derived from various fruits and berries, as well as a host of jams.

    The ¡°bacon¡± was even cooked to crispiness for him, for which he was very grateful.  He¡¯d never been one to like chewing the fat, and having it cooked to crispiness made it much better.  Besides that, they served some scones, fresh sliced fruits, juice, and tea.

    Hmmm, have to work on cinnamon rolls and various flavoured scones with Grammy, he thought as he stuffed a butter-laden scone into his mouth.  Tillia tsk¡¯d his lack of etiquette, but otherwise left him alone; likely due to finally seeing him eat something for the first time in months.

    Near the end, word seemed to have gotten to Xixi, for she slid to a stop outside the open doors to the hall, then took off again at a dead sprint, straight at him.

    He quickly hopped down so that she wouldn¡¯t tackle him in his chair and cause a ruckus, then sent her an invitation to the Network as she passed the halfway mark to him.

    He smiled as she immediately accepted the invitation, then decided not to fully brace for the tackle-hug that was coming his way.  Reason number one being that he didn¡¯t want to potentially hurt Xixi when she collided with a solid object, and the second reason being that he didn¡¯t want anyone to suspect his true cultivation due to him taking a flying tackle-hug like an oak tree.

    So it was that Xixi made contact, brining them both down to the floor in an impressive arc through the air.  He was simply impressed, but also a bit sore from the two impacts.  But happy as well.  He hadn¡¯t realized how lonely it felt to have a mostly empty Network.  Well, not like it had ever been full yet, but going from having five people to none was a bit of a change.  Now he had three people, so it was starting to feel a bit better.  Like having people living in a huge mansion with you instead of living there all by yourself.

    ¡°I missed you!¡±  Xixi sobbed into his chest as she clung to him as though he was a life raft, and she was in a turbulent storm way out at sea.

    ¡°I missed you too,¡± he said, hugging her back, though careful not to squeeze too hard.  It was doubly hard, because he¡¯d grown up in a family where the men didn¡¯t give normal hugs, but instead gave bear hugs.  Now, that wouldn¡¯t have been bad if his family was the average North American family.  No, they were all old, Austrian, farmers.  None of them were below six feet, nor less than fifty inches around the chest.  Nor were they flabby¡­

    Anyways, that all contributed to his overabundance of caution when hugging people, no matter who it was.  And since he was now in the Third Tier, and also having started refining his body, well, all the more reason to be careful.

    After a few more minutes of being tackle-hugged, they got up, hand-in-hand, and sat back at his table.  Aunt Aloralla had joined the table, sitting to Tillia¡¯s left, while Joram enjoyed sitting to her right, with Xixi on the other side.

    ¡°How are you feeling, Joram?¡±  Aunt Aloralla asked as he took a cup of tea.

    ¡°I¡¯m going good,¡± he said with a smile, then stuffed another slice of bacon in his mouth, chewing happily.

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± she said after a sip of tea.  ¡°I¡¯m glad that you¡¯ll be able to accompany Xiora again, as she¡¯s done nothing but pout these last months.¡±  She finished with a mock-glare at her daughter, but still had a twinkle in her eye.

    For her part, Xixi made a face right back at her mother, though it was probably due to the glare she received as she was unapologetic about her affection towards Joram.

    The rest of breakfast went by quickly, Xixi heading off to her own lessons, while Tillia shepherded him off to see the Matriarch.

    ¡®Any idea what she wants?¡¯  He asked as they approached Grammy¡¯s rooms.

    There was a pause before she replied, likely due to her still getting the hang of speaking over the Network.

    ¡®No, but I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s important,¡¯ she replied with a light shrug.

    Whenever Grammy summoned him, she would never respond to his questioning her what it was about over the Network.  Only when he showed up in person did she reveal what she wanted.

    When they arrived, there was no attendant to be seen.  So, after they exchanged glances briefly, Tillia knocked on the door, then stood still as a statue.

    Which was a bit odd.  Did she think that she had gotten into trouble for something?  Judging by her slow and shallow breathing, she seemed to be suppressing a bit of a panic response.

    He didn¡¯t have to wonder long, as the call for them to enter came almost right away, causing Tillia to jump slightly before reaching for the door.

    Once inside, Joram continued on to where Grammy sat in her customary chair, Tillia following close behind.  This time, however, there were no chairs beside hers, but instead they were placed in front of her.

    Curiouser and curiouser, he thought as he mentally stroked his non-existent beard.

    He hopped into the chair on the left, which was to Grammy¡¯s right, as Tillia quickly bowed and stood by her chair.  Grammy nodded back, the indicated that Tillia should sit.  She sat.

    Grammy regarded them for a few minutes, face calm and unreadable.  He was used to this by now, needing to wait as she examined them before speaking.  He suspected that it was a habit she¡¯d developed after having used the technique to make someone with a guilty conscience squirm.  Classic patent tactic, right there.

    Tillia, however, wasn¡¯t used to being silently stared at by the Matriarch, as was evident by the slight perspiration forming on her brow.  He checked with his perception and found that her back was already soaked.

    Just what is she so nervous about?  He wondered as he, too, began to watch her, though he used his field of perception to do so.  No need to melt the poor girl¡¯s brain after all.

    By the time Tillia looked like she was about to crack under the strain, Grammy finally spoke up.

    ¡°It seems that young Joram has taken a fancy to you.¡±

    He groaned inwardly as Grammy¡¯s words hit Tillia like a freight train.  She visibly paled, which was impressive given her already fair complexion, and nearly swooned right then and there.

    ¡°Yes, Grammy, I like her.  Please don¡¯t break her brain,¡± he said to interrupt Grammy¡¯s little bit of sadistic pleasure.  Well, maybe that was a bit unkind, but he certainly understood wanting to protect your family any way you could.  In this case, make them sweat so hard they passed out.  Or so it seemed.

    Grammy turned a frosty look at him, which was about as effective as dumping water on a duck.  After a moment, she relented, her poker face finally melting away to reveal a bit of amusement.

    ¡°Yes, well, I did need to be sure,¡± she said dismissively, then turned back to Tillia.  ¡°But in all seriousness, you are now privy to one of the most carefully guarded secrets of the Clan.  I trust that I can depend on your good judgement and discretion regarding this?¡±

    Tillia tried to say ¡°yes¡±, but instead a squeak came out, so she just nodded vigorously, causing the accumulated sweat on her brow to roll down and sting her eyes.

    Joram sighed, timed his use of [Cleanse] to her blinking, then released the power, eradicating the sweat in her eyes and cleaning the rest of it away, leaving pure water behind.

    Both Tillia and Grammy started at that, then turned to stare at him.

    ¡°What?¡±  He asked, giving them a flat look.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t use your ring,¡± Grammy said, fixing him with a look so sharp he wondered if it could be used to give him a haircut.

    ¡°No, no I did not.¡±

    Grammy sighed while Tillia stared at him.  It was understandable, as [Cleanse] was normally a Level 2 spell that only someone who¡¯d stepped into Tier 3 could cast.  Well, one could only start using mana externally at Tier 3, that¡¯s why.  That said, he¡¯d read a tome where the spell had been recorded and realized at that time just how complicated spellcasting was here.

    The Tiers for cultivation were easy enough to follow, but the levels of spells were a whole different matter.  While you could start using mana externally once you reached the Third Tier, the spell levels started there.  So, a Level 1 spell was the base-level spell for a Tier 3 Mage.  He didn¡¯t know why or how that convention started, but it was very annoying.  Everything that could be used before reaching Tier 3 was considered a Level 0 spell due to only being able to direct mana internally, and thus only being able to affect oneself.

    That said, using [Cleanse] as a power was dead simple for him, but was currently impossible for him to do with mana.  He really needed to figure out how to adapt everything to his new¡­ physique.  It was going to be a pain, literally.

    ¡°So, then, it was one of your ¡®powers¡¯?¡±

    He wasn¡¯t sure if that was a rhetorical question, but he nodded anyways just to be sure.

    She turned back to Tillia, who was still staring at Joram, then spoke.

    ¡°As you can see, young Joram is a very special case.  Much is riding on his secrets being kept,¡± she said, locking eyes with Tillia when she turned back to look at Grammy.  ¡°I will require a Heart Oath for you to stay with Joram from here on out.¡±

    Joram blinked at that.  He¡¯d come across references to ¡°Heart Oaths¡± in his readings.  If a cultivator made a Heart Oath, their very cultivation enforced it.  Sure, one could make a mild one that had a lesser effect, like not being able to speak for a year if they broke the oath, but the stronger ones could kill.

    ¡°Is that really necessary, Grammy?¡±  He asked, his brow furrowing.

    She calmly turned her head to fix him with an iron stare before answering.  ¡°I don¡¯t think you know exactly how much the Clan needs you,¡± she said, then turned back to continue giving Tillia The Look.

    There was an extra-large gulp from Tillia when she heard that, her face going completely white.

    Tillia took a moment to wet her lips before answering.

    ¡°I will certainly take the oath,¡± she replied bravely, her voice only wavering slightly.

    He was very proud of her then, sitting there in front of Grammy doing her best to not entirely wilt under the pressure.  For her part, Grammy nodded, but continued to give Tillia The Look.

    Another moment passed as Tillia composed herself, then she spoke.

    ¡°I, Tillia Aneath, swear to keep Joram¡¯s secret, never betraying him; my fate tied to his.  If I break this oath, may my heart be destroyed.¡±

    Joram blinked at that, then felt a small ripple of mana as it emanated from Tillia for a brief moment before fading away.

    ¡°Good,¡± Grammy said, now looking serene.  ¡°That said, I¡¯ll appoint better cultivation resources to you, and help you to find a better cultivation method.¡±

    Joram raised his eyebrows in surprise while Tillia nearly fell over due to shock.

    ¡°Thank you, Matriarch,¡± she said, gratitude abounding.  She bowed in her chair, cupping her hands in respect.

    ¡°Well, I need you to be able to keep up with this little rascal, so of course I would make sure that you have better resources with which to cultivate,¡± Grammy said, not unkindly.

    Joram stuck his tongue out at her for calling him a rascal but was ignored.

    ¡°I shall also arrange for you to move into his apartments, so that you can be closer to help him,¡± she said, then continued with a grin.  ¡°You¡¯ll also be closer to him for when you need advice with your cultivation.¡±

    Joram blinked at that, turning a curious eye towards her.  For her part, Tillia was growing redder by the minute.  She was back to sweating and looking a bit shifty.  Which drew Grammy¡¯s attention like an iron filing to a lodestone.

    ¡°Oh?¡±  She said, a small smile appearing on her face.  Grammy then looked at him, that smile getting wider.  ¡°I see that we have a real lady-killer on our hands.¡±

    Well, that wasn¡¯t exactly the translation, being more an idiom meaning the same thing.  That said, both he and Tillia blushed hard at that statement.  Tillia started to ramble, not making much sense in her haste to confirm/deny/claim ignorance.

    Once he¡¯d recovered a bit from the surprise, Joram saw that Grammy looked like a cat that had gotten into the creamery.  It was one of the most self-satisfied looks that he¡¯d ever seen.

    He took a moment to commit it to memory.

    Once done, he firmed up his resolve and spoke.

    ¡°Yes, I like Tillia, and I¡¯ll keep her,¡± he said, then realized just how that sounded when said out loud and face palmed.  ¡°What I mean by that is, I want her to continue being with me.¡±

    He stopped, sure that if he tried to clarify again, he¡¯d just dig himself a bigger hole.

    He was normally so good with his words.  Was it because he was slightly flustered?  Was it another case of ¡°underdeveloped brain¡± syndrome?  Either way, he clammed up at the look of great amusement on Grammy¡¯s face.

    He spared a glance at Tillia and saw that she was on the verge of embarrassment-induced-implosion.  Then the best idea he¡¯d had all day struck him like lightning, so he went with it.  With a flex of intent, he manifested [Calm Emotions] through his connection to Tillia, smiling as she visibly calmed down.

    He briefly wondered how many years off her life that level of stress had shaved off.  Well, he hoped that that wasn¡¯t actually a thing.  Getting her to Tier 7, the Immortal Realm, was going to be a process, and he hoped that she¡¯d be able to make it.  The way he was going, he might make it before twenty.

    Well, that was a bit unrealistic, as he now had sixty-four cores he needed to cultivate to keep going up in tiers.

    ¡°Enough fun,¡± Grammy said, interrupting his musings.  ¡°With those three things taken care of, I also need to mention that an appointment came to meet with the Smith Megami, but has long since passed.¡±

    Joram¡¯s jaw dropped.  He¡¯d totally forgotten about that, probably because he¡¯d had no faith that that corrupt attendant would actually add them to the waiting list.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she continued with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve made sure to arrange an open invitation for you so that you can go visit once you were well enough to.¡±

    Joram jumped off his chair and tackle-hugged Grammy, saying, ¡°Thank you!¡±.  It wasn¡¯t the most graceful leap, as he was still getting used to limbs that were longer that he was used to.  The end result was a faceplant into Grammy¡¯s chest, which wasn¡¯t as comfortable as one would think, because she reflexively circulated her mana to fortify her body¡­ resulting in Joram¡¯s face getting smooshed instead.

    Tillia was so scandalized that she actually laughed out loud before clapping a hand over her mouth.  For her part, Grammy just picked him up, took a look at his nose to be sure that he hadn¡¯t broken it, then sat him on her lap where he began to rub his nose.

    I probably would have broken my nose if I hadn¡¯t cultivated the Adamantium Body Technique, he thought ruefully.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re happy about that,¡± Grammy said, patting him on the head.  ¡°Now, you¡¯ve probably already heard that I spread word that you¡¯d come down with a terrible illness.  It was a cover to explain why you were confined to bed for all this time.  Only I, Healer Reursa, and now Tillia know that that wasn¡¯t the case.

    ¡°Have you told her why you were unconscious?¡±  Grammy asked, then continued when he -shrugged.  ¡°Joram was actually cultivating this entire time.  There was¡­ a complication which caused him to fall into that state.  However, he is now a Tier 3 Mage.¡±  She finished, then quirked at eyebrow at Tillia¡¯s reaction.

    Tillia was staring at Joram, a mix of awe, hurt, and incredulity warring on her face as her mouth hung open in shock.  Which made him all the more uncomfortable because he¡¯d been caught out in his lie.  It didn¡¯t matter that it was a white lie, it just mattered that he had lied, no matter the intent behind it.

    He cleared his throat before speaking.  ¡°Well, even though I have stepped into the Third Tier, I¡¯m actually closer to a Tier 2 Mage due to the complication in my cultivation.¡±

    At Grammy¡¯s inquiring look, he explained.  ¡°I haven¡¯t had time to fully explore the issue, but I think my initial thoughts on it are accurate.  I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to use mana externally, possibly even internally, until I¡¯m able to rectify the issue.¡±

    Grammy stared at him for a while before nodding her head.  ¡°We¡¯ll take it a step at a time.  Just keep me informed of your methods and progress, please.¡±

    From there, the conversation went on to the logistics of moving Tillia into his family¡¯s residence and arranging for appropriate cultivation resources.  Tillia nearly dropped the Authority Token when a servant brought it over to her but managed to catch the fumble in time.

    Joram couldn¡¯t help but notice Grammy¡¯s mischievous streak coming out during their visit.  He wasn¡¯t sure if it was fair for someone who was probably close to two hundred years old to tease a junior as much as she did, but he figured that there was at least a purpose behind it and not just pure schadenfreude.  He had been tempted to pass another [Calm Emotions] her way a few times but refrained as it would be good for her mental fortitude in the long run.

    The meeting eventually ended, and they made their way back to the dining hall as the meeting had taken up the entire morning.

    Neither were in the mood to do much socializing, so they quickly placed an order to be delivered to his rooms before returning.

    Between what was coming across the Network and her body language, Joram could tell that she needed some alone time to process everything that had happened over the course of the morning.  So, he excused himself on the pretense of needing to examine his cultivation, then retired to his room.

    He didn¡¯t bother meditating just yet, as the food would soon arrive.  Instead, he began studying the Adamantium Body Technique again, pouring over it to make sure that he hadn¡¯t missed a step by completely bypassing Tier 2.

    While it mentioned absorbing more adamantium during Tier 2, it didn¡¯t require anything new until Tier 4, which relieved him greatly.  It also gave him time to find more adamantium.  Or, rather, for Avi to find it.  He doubted that poor Careth would be getting any more refined adamantium any time soon due to his sample going missing, even with a pile of mana crystals left behind.

    He really hoped he hadn¡¯t gotten into too much trouble over it.  He was sure that he would have heard some gossip about something like that, but then realized that it had been roughly six months since the incident.  Even the most shocking news wouldn¡¯t likely still be talked about after that long.  He¡¯d have to remember to visit the old man¡­

    Then the food came.  The meal was eaten in relative silence, only broken by the occasional offering of a second helping of this and that.  He was starting to get concerned that she¡¯d taken too many big revelations in too short a timespan, resulting in a bit of emotional and psychological shock.

    Well, if she hasn¡¯t recovered by tomorrow, I might just have to do some mental healing, he thought as he once again retired to his room after thanking Tillia and letting her know that he¡¯d be cultivating.

    * * * * *

    Tatia sat for a while after Joram and Tillia left, thinking things over.

    She could understand why Joram had chosen to confide in Tillia, she was, after all, a very personable and trustworthy girl.  On the other hand, she wondered if he¡¯d been swayed by her beauty instead of her personality.

    Joram didn¡¯t seem the type, but he¡¯d also manage to fool her for two years with his acting.

    She shrugged, deciding to let the issue drop.  The milk had been spilled, then walked through.

    Then she smiled as she recalled Tillia¡¯s face as she had teased her throughout the morning meeting.  It was clear as day to her that Tillia was very confused about her feelings towards Joram, but it was also equally clear to Tatia that she deeply cared for him.  Now, what that care would develop into in the future was anyone¡¯s guess, but she had a feeling that it would eventually turn romantic.

    Did it bother her that someone so much older than Joram might fall for him?  Not at all.  Well, not unless something inappropriate happened before he grew up.  But she couldn¡¯t see that happening with how¡­ rigid Tillia was.  There was also the well trodden precedent of people marrying someone so much older or so much younger than themselves, that the whole ¡°issue¡± was a moot point.

    After everything was said, she trusted that Joram was mature enough to deal with any romantic interests in a responsible way.  One didn¡¯t come by the power he had without extreme discipline and focus.

    She began laughing then, reminded of her cultivation room with its painting of ¡°Focus¡± on the wall.  Who knew that Joram would accomplish something so utterly ridiculous?  Being able to not only draw in enough mana to jump all the way through Tier 2, then being able to condense that mana into a core, pushing him into Tier 3.  It was unprecedented.

    Yes, he¡¯d run into a rather unique¡­ conundrum by doing so.  Yes, she had no idea how he was going to get out of that situation.  But.  She very much looked forward to being able to research the issue with him, to be able to break new ground in the thousands of years old traditions that kept on being passed down from generation to generation, hardly changing as time went by.

    If Joram didn¡¯t end in failure, this would indeed change the world as they knew it.

    Sure, it depended heavily on having what Joram called a ¡°Knowledge Star¡±, but if he managed to push through and progress, then every crafter out there would be able to take a qualitative leap forward in their own cultivation while keeping up with their training in mental strength.

    Then a thought occurred to her.  Would this method only be effective when first condensing one¡¯s core?  Was it possible for someone to move their core to their knowledge sea after it had been formed?  If not, what would happen to someone who tried?  Would it completely cripple them, destroying their core in the process?  Or would they become useless until they managed to re-learn everything due to having moved their core, thus rewriting their internal pathways?

    Her smile grew a bit manic as her mind continued to come up with more and more questions.  This was what she lived for: knowledge.  Knowledge that had either been lost or, preferably, was entirely new.

    She¡¯d spent far too long being the Matriarch, ignoring her true passion.  She knew that most people thought that Bezia was the die-hard academic of the family, but the older generation remembered Tatia¡¯s passion, and how hard it had been for the previous Matriarch to wrangle, hog-tie, then harness her with her new duty.

    ¡°At last, something interesting!¡±  She said as she leaned back and had a full-body stretch, luxuriating in both the feeling and the anticipation of what was to come.

 Chapter 020

    The next day, Tillia was fine.

    What admirable mental fortitude, Joram thought as he munched on his breakfast while Tillia sat across from him, chattering away.

    With how much he wanted to get his cultivation ironed out, not to mention the research needed to adapt just about every technique he¡¯d need to use in the future, Joram would have normally skipped breakfast and continued with his important work. Tillia, however, didn¡¯t see it that way.

    It was maybe a fault of his, that he hadn¡¯t shared that he knew [Sustenance], or that he had a magic item enchanted with the same. So it was that Tillia had interrupted his meditation and hauled him off to breakfast.

    Well, not that she wasn¡¯t a pleasant person to be around, far from it, but when he got to working on something, time tended to become¡­ ephemeral? Transient? Like water slipping from between one¡¯s fingers?

    No matter the simile, he tended to forget about little things like sleep, eating, and other such things normal people paid attention to. Especially with a [Sustenance] effect going.

    Well, at least he had a second mind going, working on re-pathing the way he¡¯d have to circulate mana throughout his body. Now that his psionic reserves were much deeper, nevermind the crazy amount of mana he could now draw on, he could keep [Schism] running all day. So, he did.

    One thing that kept his attention on the meal were the looks that Tillia would occasionally shoot his way. If he was reading it right, and he was half-decent at such things, she was still confused and conflicted about what she¡¯d learned yesterday.

    Well, that really didn¡¯t count as a revelation, per se. What caught his interest was the occasional blush that coloured her cheeks when she¡¯d get a particularly intent look on her face. So, of course, he¡¯d take the time to look at her directly and give her a huge smile. The first few times caused the blush to explode, going as far as her collar bones. After that, she seemed to slowly get inoculated against those smiles, reducing the resulting blushes to the normal range of the spectrum.

    Ah, can¡¯t tease her too much, otherwise she¡¯ll become completely immune, he thought as he nodded to himself, which elicited a confused eyebrow quirk from Tillia. He just shook his head, smiling.

    As for news from the Clan and Brightside, well, there wasn¡¯t much. So-and-so had their sixth child, the medicinal gardens were continuing to expand, and old Careth was finally able to order more adamantium after having somehow had it stolen by a¡­ thief who¡¯d left enough raw mana crystals to buy twice as much as had been stolen.

    He nearly choked at that, then mentally revised how much he¡¯d need to spend if he ever had to¡­ acquire more in the same way.

    Or, maybe, he could finally make a body for Avi so that she could go and buy some if she couldn¡¯t find any out there in the world on her daily expeditions¡­

    Yeah, I should work on that¡­ he thought as he finished breakfast.

    ¡°Tillia?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Joram?¡±

    He smiled as that same conversational template played out again for, what seemed, the thousandth time.

    ¡°I still need to work on my cultivation, so be sure that no one comes to bother me,¡± he said, causing Tillia to frown. ¡°You can always send me a message through the Network, though. That said¡­¡±

    ¡®I don¡¯t actually need to eat, unless I want to that is,¡¯ he sent, causing her eyes to nearly bug out.

    ¡®What? How?¡¯ She stammered, her thoughts translating to so much more as the intent behind the short questions was made clear.

    ¡®Ah, one of the ¡°powers¡± I know. I don¡¯t know how to do it with mana just yet, but I¡¯ll pass it along if I manage to figure it out,¡¯ he sent, giving her a smile as he got up.

    ¡®OK.¡¯ Tillia blinked at him, for once at a loss for words. Well, that wasn¡¯t strictly true, she¡¯d been struck mute several times yesterday already.

    Joram took that opening to hurry up to her and give her a big hug, burying his face into her mid-section as he leaned over to hug her sitting form.

    Tillia reflexively hugged him back, then stiffened a bit, probably because she remembered that he wasn¡¯t just a child. Either way, he¡¯d gotten his hug, so he scampered off to his room where he turned to give Tillia one last wave.

    Sure, the wave she responded with was a bit weak, but he was delighted to see a faint blush suffuse her cheeks again.

    Mischief managed, he thought as he entered his room, a huge grin on his face.

    * * * * *

    Tillia was doing her best to keep the mortification from her face.

    She couldn¡¯t believe how much her mind kept circling back to that image of that handsome man leaning over her when she¡¯d first woken up on the floor. Knowing that it had been Joram was what made it so bad, because she¡¯d somewhat fallen for that stunning sight.

    Then Joram kept smiling at her, almost every time the thought ran through her head! She knew that he was a very powerful ¡°psion¡±, what he called a practitioner of Mental Strength, so she kept wondering if he could somehow read her mind.

    Thankfully, he soon stopped, allowing her to regain a measure of composure¡­ Until he dropped a fireball that was.

    She could hardly believe it. If he didn¡¯t need to eat, then why was he bothering? What was the point?

    She nearly hit her head on the table then. Of course, it was to keep up the ruse! She kept forgetting that he was a Reincarnator, then kept forgetting that it was a secret of the highest caliber¡­ which was bad because she¡¯d taken an Oath stating that she¡¯d never reveal his secret and that her life was bound to his¡­

    She very nearly fainted again, remembering her wording, as blood rushed to her head.

    Why did I have to phrase it like that?!

    Tillia was very glad that Joram had already retired, as she would have been unable to even look at him at that point. Never mind the fact that he¡¯d likely tease her over it again¡­

    Then there was the Matriarch. Who knew that she¡¯d take so much perverse pleasure in tormenting a junior like that?! She was very tempted to report her to the Elders, but realized that she wouldn¡¯t be able to share why she¡¯d been tormented.

    She sighed.

    Then sighed again, then pulled out the Authority Token and ran a finger over the three stars carved into the sky.

    Well, at least there are some perks to all this, she mused as she stood up, then made her way to the door leading to the rest of the Clan Home.

    It was time to claim her newfound wealth!

    * * * * *

    Joram lay in bed, very glad that there was no one else around¡­ except Avi.

    Well, some things couldn¡¯t be kept from everyone.

    He¡¯d just spent the entire day, and the better part of the evening, trying to map out new pathways, or ¡°meridians¡±, as those guys in Zhizun Zhanshi liked to call them.

    Well, more like ¡°planning¡± new pathways, as mapping implied that there was already something there to discover. No, he would have to create new pathways if he didn¡¯t want to be stuck as a ¡°cripple¡±. Well, not that he¡¯d be unable to cultivate to a certain extent, but he¡¯d never be able to use his power.

    It had been interesting, though, as he¡¯d found that drawing mana into his body still caused it to gather where it had always gathered in the past. Once there, however, the mana would quickly flow to his Knowledge Star where the many ¡°moons¡± would then absorb what came.

    The thing that fascinated him was that the mana didn¡¯t go directly to his Knowledge Star, but still went to his ¡°centre¡±. There was nothing there when he wasn¡¯t drawing in mana. Well, that wasn¡¯t entirely accurate. There seemed to be a ¡°void¡± of sorts, as though his body and spirit acknowledged that something was missing and was still trying to fill it.

    That, right there, gave him a few thoughts.

    If his body still wanted something there, could he fill it with something?

    The question was: with what?

    Any time that he tried to gather mana there, it automatically got whisked away. What had caused him to lay in bed, wishing that Avi wasn¡¯t chuckling at his expense, was that he¡¯d tried something¡­ unwise.

    While he¡¯d been drawing in mana, he¡¯d attempted to use his mind to keep the mana from flowing away. In short, he¡¯d tried to create another mana-cloud. That hadn¡¯t been so bad. What had been so bad, was what had happened when he¡¯d tried to condense that mana cloud.

    As he¡¯d exerted pressure on the cloud, it had grown increasingly unstable, much more than when he¡¯d initially tried it. To the point where it had exploded.

    So, there he was, laying in bed as Avi took her time putting him back together. Well, that was a bit exaggerated. It was only putting his guts back into his body¡­ and repairing his spine.

    It had been¡­ unpleasant.

    He was glad that she¡¯d been able to send healing his way through the Network, as that had saved his life. Yes, he was stabilized. Yes, he was watching as his spleen was being reconstructed, but at least he was alive to see it. That said, he¡¯d rather have been unconscious for that part.

    It wasn¡¯t the sight of his insides being on the outside. Nope. It was the smell of the blood. Even back on Earth, he¡¯d never really been bothered by the sight of gore. Watch a surgery on TV? Sure. Help his dad butcher a deer? No problem. Visit a slaughterhouse? OK. Smell the blood? Nope.

    It seemed as though that particular trait of his hadn¡¯t gone away. Yes, he¡¯d had ridiculously acute senses back home, but they paled in comparison to what cultivation did to enhance what you already had.

    All that said, it sucked.

    Sure, the pain was rather inconvenient, but with much use of [Autohypnosis], well, he¡¯d managed to ignore it. Such a great Skill Altaea had taught him. He¡¯d have to remember to give her a huge kiss for that.

    Back to the present, Avi was just finishing up, closing the jagged and irregular wound on his lower abdomen. He took that as his cue, and activated an augmented [Cleanse] to clean up the mess in his room. He took a moment to appreciate the lovely sight of thousands upon thousands of tiny lights dividing into even more, tinier, lights.

    It was over all too soon, and he was forced to finally look at Avi.

    ¡°So, what went wrong?¡± She asked, tapping a holographic foot.

    ¡®Well¡­¡¯ he went on to explain his thought process, then what led to the accident. ¡®¡­ and you saw then end result.¡¯

    Avi stood there for a moment, amusement warring with anger warring with incredulity on her face. Then it seemed that incredulity won out as she replied.

    ¡°What would make you think that that was anywhere near a good idea?¡±

    Joram coughed into a hand, looking away. What he hadn¡¯t told her was that it was more whim than anything else that had prompted him to try what he had.

    ¡®Well, at least we learned something¡­¡¯ he sent lamely, to which Avi face-palmed.

    ¡°I can only thank all the gods out there that you¡¯ve gotten into the habit of using [Astral Seed] every day again,¡± she said, shaking her head, causing her sapphire-amethyst-ruby hair to cascade from side to side.

    He allowed that wondrous sight to distract him, going along with the memories of his time spent with Altaea. It had probably been the best and worst time of his life.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    Best: because, well, Altaea. She was fantastic, charming, and probably the smartest being he¡¯d ever met. She was as personable as one could ever want, especially for a being as powerful as she was. The fact that she was drop-dead gorgeous also helped. Just a bit¡­

    Worst: she was a training demon. Sure, she made sure that he was healed up, physically, psychologically, and emotionally. But that was also the problem. Yes, she would heal any damage to his body or psyche, but then it¡¯d happen all over again.

    Training was hell. Yes, he¡¯d voluntarily gone into it. Yes, he¡¯d quite literally asked for it. He¡¯d even pushed himself to, and beyond, his limits. He¡¯d worked his body to the breaking point more times than he could remember. If it weren¡¯t for Altaea being able to use [Astral Seed] on him through her own Network, he¡¯d have likely died-died several times.

    That brought up a thought, though. How had she been able to make her own use of [Astral Seed] work properly? Was it because of her divine spark? Or was it that she was just so much more practiced than he was with everything psionic? Either way, he¡¯d need to improve to find the answer to that rather important question.

    Which meant that he needed to stop his reminiscence and get back to work!

    ¡®So, how long do you figure before I can start cultivating again?¡¯

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not an issue. The issue is that you need to be much more careful with how you go about doing it,¡± she said, a small frown on her face. ¡°Yes, I can pull your bacon out of the fire, but it would be better if you had a more¡­ solid grasp of what it means to cultivate, and the general ¡®rules¡¯ surrounding it.¡±

    He gave her a bland look. ¡®¡­ I¡¯ll do more research.¡¯

    And thus began his deep dive into the accumulated works on cultivation collected by the Clear Knowledge Clan.

    - - - - -

    *1341.13.14*

    Ah, how time flies, he thought as he was once again being prepared for his birthday celebration. He¡¯d finally paid enough attention to the local calendar that he was now able to think, and use in his notes, the actual date. He preferred the ¡°year-month-day¡± format, so that¡¯s what he¡¯d continue to use, especially after having used that format for his ¡°Captain¡¯s Logs¡±.

    He did not, however, bother remembering the names of each month as most people were more than fine with referring to each month by their respective number. That made his life easier, however small it was.

    He smiled at Tillia as she fussed over his new robes, adjusting them just so. He felt a little bad, as he¡¯d intended on helping her find a better-suited cultivation method, but had instead been buried in his research. Yes, she¡¯d made wonderful progress in her cultivation now that she had more resources and a better cultivation method provided by the clan. He was glad to see that she was about to break through to Tier 1 soon. She was probably holding back so that she could break through after his birthday celebration. She was considerate like that.

    Not that he¡¯d mind, but Tillia had wanted to help prepare everything. It was one of the ¡°milestone¡± birthdays, after all.

    He still hadn¡¯t managed to find out where or when the tradition had started, nevermind the ¡°why¡±, and that bugged him. All he could find was that it had started with the clan, with no hints as to where the idea had come from before its adoption by the ancestral founder of the clan.

    ¡°You¡¯re looking quite dapper, if I do say so myself,¡± Tillia gushed as she finished with her adjusting.

    Joram blinked at that. He¡¯d never heard her even use the word ¡°dapper¡± before, and it threw him for a bit of a loop as his brain tried to latch onto the word that had been auto translated by [Tongue of the Sun and Moon]. Sure, his ability to speak any language was still in full effect, but when that skill provided the word for his audience it created a weird lip-sync issue. The very same one that had tipped his parents off to him being a Reincarnator.

    Thus, he had done his utmost to learn every word that he could and practiced saying it until he could use the word fluently in conversation.

    ¡°Thanks, Tillia,¡± he said with a smile that caused her to blink then quickly look away.

    Ah, still adjusting I see.

    ¡°Yes, well, you¡¯ve gotten quite tall for your age, so you¡¯re starting to look more and more refined,¡± she said, still not looking at him.

    Joram looked down at himself, then over to Tillia. It was indeed true that he¡¯d undergone a growth spurt this year, managing to hit 126cm. He was pretty sure it was because of his cultivation, his body trying to accommodate his increased mana capacity by hurrying along his physical growth. Between [Sustenance] and eating every now and then, he wasn¡¯t worried about vitamin deficiencies or any such thing. He was more worried about sticking out.

    Why? Well, he wanted to spend as much time researching how to deal with his unique cultivation situation rather than being dragged around the clan, paraded about as some sort of paragon of¡­ some sort. He really didn¡¯t know what would happen, nor did he want to find out. The more someone stuck out, the more likely they¡¯d have¡­ an eventful life. He wanted peace and quiet.

    Sure, he¡¯d eventually need to go out into the world to gain the experiences that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get by staying home. He also wanted to explore. Given all the tales he¡¯d read about in the histories, he was sure that there were many places where one could find¡­ treasure!!

    Yes, he wanted to go treasure hunting. That was a romance that just about everyone from any world had entertained at some point in their lives. And given how much that theme appeared in the various Wuxia, Xianxia, manga, manhua, and manhwa, well, there was probably a nugget of truth to it all.

    ¡°Hmmm, hope I don¡¯t grow too fast,¡± he muttered to himself, which earned him a startled look from Tillia. So, he explained. ¡°The more I stand out, the less time I¡¯ll have to do what I need to.¡±

    Tillia blinked at that, then smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes. ¡®Ah, but don¡¯t you want to grow up faster so that you can marry me sooner?¡¯

    That caused a double-take.

    ¡®Why, Tillia, my dear, I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d be so eager for me to grow up,¡¯ he sent back with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

    Tillia¡¯s face figuratively burst into flames, her face and ears were so red. He was treated to the sight of her blush going all the way down to the top of her chest where her robes covered the rest.

    She reached out and pulled him into a headlock and was about to begin a noogy when it occurred to her where she¡¯d placed his head.

    Joram idly wondered if Tillia would develop some sort of flaming body technique given just how red she managed to turn after that realization. The heat coming off her was also quite impressive.

    And so Joram was summarily released as Tillia managed an impressive jump backwards, even managing what he¡¯d classify as an 8/10 landing.

    ¡®Aww, no fun today,¡¯ he sent teasingly as he fixed his hair in the wardrobe¡¯s full-length mirror.

    He got a very strong impression through the Network that Tillia was tempted to toss him out the window, never mind that it wasn¡¯t open, so he relented.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s almost time,¡± he said as he glanced out the window. ¡°Last one for the next while.¡± He said with a smile as he turned back to Tillia.

    ¡°Hmmm?¡± Tillia looked distracted, the confused.

    ¡°Last party for a while,¡± he explained as he walked up to her. ¡°I¡¯m OK with not having to be paraded in front of the clan all the time.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± she said as she nabbed the new circlet from its pillow, still looking distracted.

    Hmmmm¡­ he hmm¡¯d, not quite sure what was going on with Tillia at the moment. One minute she seemed to want to throw him out a window, then the next she was all sorts of distracted.

    Women are wondrous and mysterious creatures, he thought as he followed Tillia to the Great Hall.

    He suspected that this party might be bigger than the last one, and not just because he was a bit older. The fact that his next party would be four years away was what caused him to suspect that they¡¯d make the whole thing even more elaborate.

    It wasn¡¯t until he got closer to the Great Hall that he started to see more people about. Sure, they were all dressed to impress, but he also got the feeling that they were more¡­ casual this time ¡®round.

    He couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on why he felt that way, but it was there.

    Not that that was a problem, far from it. He much preferred a more relaxed atmosphere when he was forced to attend gatherings of any sort. The more rules, the higher the expectation for etiquette, the more stressful it was and thus that much less enjoyable.

    As Joram and Tillia approached, he took note of the many people making their way to the Great Hall, how they chatted as they progressed at a relaxed pace. Not that he was specifically looking, but he didn¡¯t notice many obvious presents being carried by the attendees. He was a bit¡­ socially reclusive, so he didn¡¯t pay much attention to the various social conventions that weren¡¯t covered in the daily lessons he¡¯d taken.

    Was the fourth birthday celebration not as important as the second? Meh, he really didn¡¯t care unless it meant less social pressure on him during the shindig. On the other hand, would Tillia care? She really seemed to try her best to look out for his best interests, as she saw them. They didn¡¯t always jive with what he thought they should be, but he knew such things were important to her, and possibly to save face for his family, so he usually just went along with everything she planned.

    He briefly wondered if it was poor manners for him to show up after so many other people, but shrugged it off. If Tillia hadn¡¯t said anything, it was likely that it didn¡¯t really matter.

    Then they were entering the hall, exchanging greetings with almost everyone they passed by. His social programming took over, kicking him into ¡°Charming Mode¡±. Well, he called it that, but it was really just the social ¡°program¡± that he used when he used to work in retail. Smile. Say a few friendly words. Maybe drop a low-key compliment. Make it look like you were entirely focussed on the person. Don¡¯t keep staring them in the eye; people got weird when you did that.

    All that done, it still took him longer than he would have liked to make his way through the crowd to where Grammy waited for him. He was impressed with how disciplined Grammy was with her use of the Network. She didn¡¯t constantly ask him questions or chat all the time. He did notice, however, that she and Tillia had been speaking to each other more frequently over the Network. Yes, he could have ¡°listened-in¡±, but that would have been rude. It wasn¡¯t hard to allow people to chat with each other in their own¡­ rooms.

    Huh, I¡¯m a Discord server¡­ he thought wryly. There were more than a few differences, but it was overall very similar. Group chat? Yup. One-on-one chat? Yup. Send silly things to each other? Yup.

    Well, he hadn¡¯t let them know about that one yet as he wasn¡¯t sure what kind of can of worms that would wind up being.

    ¡°Ah, the guest of honour,¡± Grammy said as they got within normal speaking distance of her. ¡°Come, Joram, let me look at you.¡±

    As confused as he was, he nevertheless went over to her and allowed her to fawn over him a bit. During the inspection, Joram noticed that Xixi was close by with her parents, as was Zanth with his. Selussa and Vulen were chatting with some other clan members, which allowed Zanth to sneak away to stand with Xixi while she waited patiently while her own parents were engaged in conversation.

    Something about that caught his attention. Aloralla¡¯s body language in particular. She was dressed in what he¡¯d call a fall dress, something a bit heavier than a summer dress, but nothing as crazy as a Victorian gown. It looked to be made of a heavier sea-green cloth, leaving the tops of her shoulders bare, fitting well in the torso, but then flaring out at the waist to go down in flowing folds of cloth that went all the way to her ankles. All-in-all, quite flattering.

    But that wasn¡¯t what caught his attention. Aunt Aloralla would unconsciously touch her belly from time to time as she spoke. Joram took another look at her bosom and then nodded to himself. She¡¯d stopped breastfeeding just under a year ago, causing her body to more or less return to its previous, pre-lactating, state. That said, she¡¯d become bustier recently. Add that to the touching of her belly, and Joram was sure that Xixi would become a big sister this coming year.

    That made him smile more than he thought it would. He was hoping to become a big brother one day, and the fact that it looked like Xixi would beat him to the Elder Sibling title made him grin. He wasn¡¯t so competitive that he¡¯d let a minor thing like that affect him in any negative way. On the contrary, he was excited for her. She¡¯d discover the joys of being the eldest child¡­ And some of the drawbacks. Either way, he knew that she¡¯d dote on that child.

    He probably would too, truth be told.

    ¡°Are you ready for this?¡± Grammy asked, bringing him back to the moment.

    ¡°The what?¡± He asked, no idea what she was on about.

    She gave him a slightly vexed look, then explained. ¡°Based on the talent you¡¯ve shown, and been tested for, during your fourth-year celebration the clan will present various introductory cultivation techniques to you to get a sense of which is best suited to you.

    ¡°Which means that you¡¯ll need to remove your aura shroud so that we can see which cultivation technique best resonates with you, showing which will provide you with optimal growth.¡±

    Joram nearly blanked there for a minute as his mind went into overdrive. Depending on who was doing the testing, they may find out more than either he or Grammy would find acceptable. That said, would they be strictly testing his aptitude for cultivation, or would they also test his body?

    That last thought was discarded, as the clan focussed on cultivating mana over cultivating the body. Well, both could arguably be said to cultivate the body, as mana did cause many changes to occur within the body as one progressed through the Tiers. If he could describe the difference, it would be that cultivating mana had the side effect of strengthening the body so that it could contain such a powerful force. While cultivating the body was specifically focussed on strengthening the body and had very little effect on one¡¯s cultivation.

    That said, the stronger one made one¡¯s body during each Tier through cultivating the body, the stronger the incidental strengthening one experienced while cultivating mana.

    To put it into hypothetical numbers, one could say that the body was strengthened by ten percent for each tier they advanced. This was a cumulative number. Now, if you managed to cultivate your body between each Tier, by say fifty percent, then when you advanced to the next Tier in your cultivation, then your gains would be much higher than someone who didn¡¯t cultivate their body. Meaning, that your physical strength would quickly surpass that of your peers.

    Well, fifty percent was an exaggerated number he used to highlight the point. Nevertheless, if one cultivated their body from the beginning, then their advantage in a physical confrontation would be very clear.

    ¡°This is just for cultivation, not for body tempering?¡±

    ¡°That is indeed what we focus on,¡± Grammy replied slowly. He could see the gears spinning in her head, so he tried to derail any potentially uncomfortable trains of thought.

    ¡°Oh, good. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d be able to concentrate on more than one area of cultivation,¡± he said, sighing in apparent relief.

    Grammy gave him a Look, but seemed to accept his answer. Just as she was about to say something else, one of the Elders of the clan spoke up.

    ¡°Thank you all for taking time out of your lives to come celebrate with us¡­¡±

    Joram¡¯s brain started tuning out the Elder¡­ Fescia, he thought? He was pretty sure that she oversaw education in the clan. Huh, maybe he should pay more attention to her¡­

    That got his mind back in panic mode. His brain continued to, preverbally, spin in the mud though. He was brought back to reality by Grammy giving him a subtle nudge, allowing him to see Elder Fescia standing in front of him, hand held out.

    He gave her a weak smile, slid the ring off his finger, then handed it to her.

    *Sniff*

    He blinked.

    Did she just sniff at him? Or was that just a slightly faster intake of breath through her nose? Had he insulted her by zoning out there? He knew that his grades were high, but he wasn¡¯t certain if Granny had included Elder Fescia when she¡¯d made his lesson plans. Was she angry about that? Had Granny stepped on her toes and now Elder Fescia was going to take it out on him?

    She said some more words that his brain didn¡¯t really process due to his anxiety, but he could still read body language, and something as obvious as her handing him a jade scroll.

    It was like those ancient Chinese scrolls that used slips of bamboo bound together to make a scroll/book. Except these long strips were made of a pale blue jade the colour of a clear sky in winter.

    He took the scroll, filtered through what he¡¯d been asked to do, which happened to be¡­ just holding it, for two minutes. So, he did just that.

    Scroll after scroll was handed to him, each faintly glowing with one kind of magic or another. As they continued, people started to look increasingly¡­ confused. Murmurs rose here and there, quiet enough that you couldn¡¯t quite hear what was said, but still loud enough to know that people were talking.

    After the twenty-third scroll was taken away from him, he started to see¡­ disappointment on Elder Fescia¡¯s face. After the thirty-fifth scroll was taken back, he could feel the worry coming off Grammy. Then it clicked.

    Each scroll was meant to resonate with the person holding it should their physique be especially compatible with the technique contained in the scroll. The magic was probably tuned to search a person¡¯s core. The very same core that was now a gaping void in him.

    Elder Fescia took one last scroll and handed it to him as though she were handing him his last meal.

    Joram reached out and took it, his little hand barely going halfway around the scroll. He held it, counting down the minutes, then the seconds.

    4¡­ 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ Done, he thought as he lifted the scroll for Elder Fescia to take, the scroll remaining unresponsive to his touch.

    He noticed Grammy giving Elder Fescia a Look, which was returned in kind.

    Well, crap.

 Chapter 021

    Chapter 021

    ¡°Was he really ¡®sick¡¯ all those months¡­?¡±

    ¡°No wonder he¡¯s always worn an aura shroud¡­¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s so smart, how could this happen¡­?¡±

    ¡°He was probably so arrogant to cover up his disability¡­¡±

    ¡°Poor Xiora, engaged to a cripple like him¡­¡±

    So on and so forth.  Joram found it a bit hard not to smack the lot of them.  Yes, he had had a¡­ minor setback, but he had plenty of time to work through it.

    Grammy suddenly clapped her hands to not only get everyone¡¯s attention, but to shut them up.

    ¡°It seems that we don¡¯t have a suitable cultivation method for young Joram right now, but we¡¯ll continue to search for one that will be the perfect fit,¡± Grammy announced, then waved her arm in a very clear signal for people to disperse.

    Through his field of perception, Joram still caught more than one whispered conversation with him as the main topic.  His hand twitched as he heard one group accusing the Matriarch of favouritism, shielding Joram even though he was ¡°obviously¡± a cripple.

    He looked up when he felt Grammy¡¯s hand on his shoulder and saw that she was giving him an encouraging smile.  He smiled back, letting the comments of the ignorant wash off his back.  After all, if one let the comments of such people affect them, then one probably deserved the comments in the first place.

    Well, maybe that was a bit harsh.  There were plenty of people who hadn¡¯t built up a sufficient resistance to such comments and often fell into depression.  Now that he thought about it more, he¡¯d really just prefer slapping those naysayers into next week.  Their glib tongues and ignorant comments harmed more people than genuine cultivation accidents ever would.

    Hmm, yes, for the sake of those tender hearts out there, it would be a Great Act of Justice to silence those evildoers.

    He was gathering his psionic might when his vision blurred for a second.  He blinked, then realized that Grammy had smoked him on the head with her knuckles.

    ¡®If you¡¯re going to do something stupid, at least put your aura shroud back on so it¡¯ll be harder to pin it to you,¡¯ she sent, disappointment heavy in the thoughts.

    Hmmmmmm, yes, Grammy is indeed wise, he thought as he accepted the ring from Grammy and slipped it on.

    He had indeed been too hasty.  He thoroughly reprimanded himself for letting his four-year-old brain go on a rampage.

    ¡®Also,¡¯ Grammy sent, ¡®have you been cultivating your body?¡¯  She asked, surreptitiously rubbing her knuckles.

    He gave her a rueful smile, then bolted.

    - - - - -

    Joram spent the rest of the party/gathering/celebration/whatever-you-wanted-to-call-it with Xixi and Zanth.  They were, fortunately, much better company compared to the vast majority of the adults gathered there.  He¡¯d had to suffer dozens of well-wishers, empty platitudes, and thinly covered contempt disguised as sympathetic words on his journey to find Xixi.

    He could feel that his cultivation was higher than most of those gathered, and with how tough his physical body currently was, he was pretty sure that he could have smacked around most of them with impunity, even if some were more than a few Ranks above him in Tier 3.

    In the end, he followed Grammy¡¯s silent advice to just ignore them.  Sure, she¡¯d also given explicit permission to teach them a lesson, but what she didn¡¯t say was that he should know better than to let his temper get the best of him.

    ¡®Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Xixi?¡¯

    ¡®I heard people say that you¡¯re a ¡°cripple¡±,¡¯ she sent, a slight frown marring her angelic features.

    ¡®Just ignore them, they don¡¯t know what they¡¯re talking about,¡¯ he sent back reassuringly.

    Sure enough, Xixi really loved and respected him.  The nod and smile she directed his way were filled with such trust and confidence in his words that he nearly blushed.  He looked at her again, this time taking note of how much she¡¯d grown.

    She was, surprisingly, only a handful of centimetres shorter than him, which was impressive.  She¡¯s also thinned out a bit, having lost most of her baby fat, though her cheeks were still pinchably-plump.  Her hair had also started to darken, the green lock of hair now a summer leaf green, while the rest of it was now more indigo than purple.  It was quite fetching.

    Yes, she would be quite the beauty when she grew up.  Emphasis on the ¡°grew up¡± part.  For now, she was his best friend, aside from Avi that is.

    Which got him thinking about Tillia.  What would Xixi think of having Tillia join them?  They got along pretty well, but would that change when Xixi matured and her hormones flooded her system, causing her feelings and emotions to get so much bigger?

    Gah, this was a mess.  Had he made a mistake in declaring his intentions towards Tillia?  Back on Earth, it surely would have been.  There, morals, social conventions, and traditions were very different from what they were here.  Much different to what he¡¯d grown up with there.  When immature boys discussed having multiple spouses back home, it was usually just flights of fancy.  He¡¯d come to the realization early on that having even two girlfriends or wives would be¡­ impractical for many reasons, even if they were all for it.

    But here?  It was practically expected that a powerful cultivator would have more than one partner.  Sure, they differentiated between the main wife and subsequent wives, and even concubines.  But was that what he wanted?

    His immature brain wanted all the things!

    Gah, I can¡¯t wait for all these hormones to finally level-out, he thought as he snacked and chatted with Xixi and Zanth.  He briefly considered shifting his second mind over to researching a way to expedite the growth process, but ultimately discarded that idea.  He really needed to get that augment for [Schism] done so that he could have a third mind going to help him with his many other research needs.

    ¡°Joram, do you think I¡¯ll be OK when they do that for me?¡±  Xiora asked seriously.

    He had to think for a second before it came to him what she was talking about.  ¡°You¡¯ll be OK, Xixi.  I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll find a good one for you,¡± he said reassuringly.  He knew for a fact that she¡¯d be fine as she had managed to make her way to the peak of Tier 0 already.  Heck, even Zanth wasn¡¯t far behind, already at Tier 0, Rank 7.

    He was so proud of them both.  Even with the increasing number of questions that came from Zanth, all surrounding various rumours and gossip about Joram, he was still a loyal child.  Joram expected that the three of them would become the focus of the clan over the next few years¡­

    Well, Xixi and Zanth, anyways.  The rest of the clan now thought that he¡¯d either been crippled or that he¡¯d somehow gotten himself into a dead-end in his cultivation, effectively stopping his growth.

    He really couldn¡¯t blame them for that second guess since it was mostly true.  He just needed to figure a few things out, that¡¯s all.

    - - - - -

    1342.04.28

    He¡¯d been right about Xixi¡¯s aptitude.  Out of the thirty-six prepared jade scrolls, twenty-nine had lit up, signalling a heaven-blessed future for her future cultivation.  Even Zanth had lit up twenty-six scrolls, indicating an innate talent akin to Xixi¡¯s.  The rumour-mill had gone into overdrive.

    There was the general opinion that Xixi¡¯s parents should cancel the engagement to Joram and instead have her engaged to Zanth.  Well, anyone saying that within Xixi¡¯s hearing got more then a mouthful.  Zanth even joined in on the upbraiding of those presumptuous people.  Joram had been thoroughly impressed.

    Even Tillia had made good progress during this time, having finally stepped into Tier 1.  The resources provided by the clan, not to mention a better cultivation method for her, had really pushed along her growth.  Which made him think that everyone should be nurtured equally so that the overall strength of the clan would grow.  But that major problem with that was, of course, resources.  As prosperous as the clan was, it was ultimately considered a small clan with small clan resources.

    He¡¯d have to work on that.

    That said, the most important thing to Joram was that he¡¯d finally managed to finish researching the augment to [Schism] today.  Well, at least he hoped that it was complete.  Testing still required.

    Which was why he¡¯d told Tillia that he needed to go into seclusion for a time, borrowing Grammy¡¯s cultivation room.  That had been an interesting conversation with Grammy, though.  Even though she knew that Joram wasn¡¯t a cripple, she¡¯d still questioned him on his proposed methodology.  He began to suspect that Gran had inherited her thirst for knowledge from her mother¡­

    ¡°But how are you going to explore new pathways?¡±  Grammy asked, wanting to know the nitty-gritty.

    Joram sighed.  ¡°Since this is, as far as we know, entirely new ground that I¡¯m breaking, it will mostly be trial and error at this point,¡± he explained patiently.  ¡°Once I¡¯ve found a promising route, I will then explore it to the best of my ability.  Rinse and repeat.¡±

    She blinked at the odd expression but didn¡¯t let that stop her.  ¡°What if you manage to damage yourself?  Would that not hamper your efforts?¡±

    ¡°I can very easily repair any damage done to my body,¡± he explained.  ¡°The problem is that I need a lot of time to work all this out.¡±

    Grammy tapped a finger on her lips as she thought, incidentally reminding Joram just how crazy beautiful people would become at higher levels of cultivation.  Sure, if someone started off¡­ not as good-looking as someone else, their progress in the area of ¡°looks¡± wouldn¡¯t be quite as staggering to behold, but they¡¯d still end up looking like a model.

    ¡°Well, I might just have to have another cultivation room built for you if you¡¯re going to need to borrow mine all the time,¡± she said, a thoughtful look on her face.

    Joram sighed, knowing that she¡¯d receive a lot of pushback with that.  By this time, word had gotten to every ear in the clan that he was crippled in his cultivation.  The many friendly people he¡¯d meet every time he went out had turned more distant in their attitudes.  It hadn¡¯t gotten to the point where he¡¯d suffered rude behaviour yet, but he suspected that it wouldn¡¯t be too far in the future.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that.  I can make sure that even if you come in to cultivate that I won¡¯t disturb you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m worried about,¡± she said, a slight frown forming.  ¡°When I cultivate, the energy fluctuations aren¡¯t good to be around at your level of cultivation.¡±

    Ah, there¡¯s that.

    ¡®Then I¡¯ll just have to ¡°not¡± be there,¡¯ he sent with a mysterious grin.  Well, he hoped that he¡¯d managed to pull of a mysterious air.  But by the Look he was given, he was pretty sure that he¡¯d failed.

    ¡®And what, pray tell, does that mean?¡¯

    ¡®Well, as I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve come to suspect, I¡¯ve got a few other¡­ abilities that I¡¯ve not shared.¡¯

    Joram edged away nervously when Grammy¡¯s eyes lit up like a lighthouse.  Literally.  The light from her eyes washed the room in an emerald light for a moment before she managed to get it under control, lessening the suppressing effect of her aura on Joram.

    Gulp.

    * * * * *

    Tatia was beyond thrilled.  She¡¯d known that Joram had been holding out on what he could do; not that she could blame him.  Everyone needed to keep their own secrets after all.

    No, her excitement came from the possibility of learning something new!

    When she saw Joram¡¯s reaction to her leaking aura, she immediately calmed herself down, pulling her aura back in.  That had been a shameful display on her part.  Tatia silently reprimanded herself as she once again smiled at Joram, hoping to ease his worries.

    ¡®Sorry about that unseemly display,¡¯ she sent ruefully.  ¡®Please, go on.¡¯

    Joram eyed her for a moment before sending, ¡®It is just a small extradimensional space that I can open up and hide in,¡¯ he sent slowly.

    Again, Tatia reprimanded herself for her lack of self control.  It would take a while to clear up this misunderstanding so that he would once again feel comfortable around her.

    ¡®Is there a way to teach that technique to me?¡¯  She asked very politely.

    Joram just blinked at her.

    It took another full minute before he responded.

    ¡®Uh, maybe?  The traditions we learnt are significantly different, so I¡¯m not really sure,¡¯ he finished with a shrug.

    ¡®I see,¡¯ she sent, doing her best to keep her disappointment reigned in.

    He continued to regard her for a while, actually managing to make her feel a bit uncomfortable, which surprised her to no end.

    Was it just that serious look coming from such a young and tiny face?  Or was it the realization, a deeper understanding of just how powerful a Mental Strength practitioner he really was?  If he could do something as outrageous as opening an extradimensional space just to sit in, what else could he do?  There were legends that spoke of extremely powerful mages and cultivators- really, effectively the same thing- that had been able to create small, independent, worlds where they¡¯d then spent the majority of their time cultivating, amassing treasures, medicinal plants, and other such exotic things.

    Joram had also spoken about how he could heal people with just his Mental Strength- psionics, as he called it.  She really wanted to know how to do that, but she also knew how hard it was to pry secrets from people.  Not that she¡¯d ever use force with him.  She just really wanted to learn all the things!

    ¡®Well, maybe we can try after I¡¯m done with my seclusion,¡¯ he sent, sounding like he was testing the waters, as it were.

    ¡®Certainly,¡¯ she sent back with a smile, lifting her arms in a silent invitation for a hug.

    Joram tilted his head to the right, blinked, then cracked a smile.  Tatia was surprised by his sudden leap into her arms, but gratified by the fierce hug she received.

    ¡®It¡¯s so good to have a friend,¡¯ he sent, laying his head on her right shoulder, his breath tickling her neck slightly as he breathed.

    She really didn¡¯t know what to say to that.  She¡¯d been the Matriarch of the clan for over a century at this point.  She¡¯d been a mother, grandmother, leader, and an authority figure for the clan in that time, sometimes all at once.  She¡¯d let some relationships slide somewhat as she grew busier with her duties to the clan over the years.

    Yet she¡¯d not once been called a ¡°friend¡± by a member of a younger generation, nevermind her descendants.

    A smile came to her face as she found that she really liked that.

    * * * * *

    And so Joram found himself alone in Grammy¡¯s cultivation room, wondering if he should start by using [Dimensional Shelter], or only hop in there once she needed the room.

    Eventually he settled on using [Dimensional Shelter] as he could just shift to his realm once there and not arouse any suspicions in Grammy.

    With that minor issue out of the way, he flexed his will, drawing on his Knowledge Star and manifested [Dimensional Shelter], choosing to make the entrance invisible to anyone but himself.  He developed a rueful grin on his face as he realized that he could have just ¡°walked¡± into an imaginary portal, just shifting to his realm mid-step.

    *Shrug*

    Well, if anyone was gifted in the Dao of Space, them maybe they¡¯d be able to glean something from the [Dimensional Shelter].  In the meantime, he went with plan b and just shifted to his realm while taking a step forward.

    Once there he took a deep breath, enjoying the higher mana density, the fresh air, and the cloudless sky.  It would be easy enough to keep track of time here as the day/night cycled was synchronous to that of his new world.  He briefly wondered if new realms like his automatically tuned to the same time cycles as the world on which they were made.  He shrugged, setting that thought aside for another¡­ decade or something.  There were, quite frankly, many other questions that were much more important than that one.

    With a shake of his head, he made his way from the patio outside one of the main villa¡¯s courtyards into the main bedroom that Avi had built for his use should he ever show up.

    Man, I really kept her waiting there, he thought with a sad smile.  He really should spend more quality time with her.  She was, spiritually speaking, his daughter after all.  Well, it was significantly more complicated than that, but he¡¯d just leave it at that.

    Because he was procrastinating by letting his mind wander about so much.

    He settled down in a comfortable lazy-boy style armchair and closed his eyes.  Strictly speaking, he didn¡¯t have to close his eyes, but it was a habit he¡¯d developed when he had first started out learning psionics.  With an augmented [Touchsight] constantly running these days, it really didn¡¯t matter if his eyes were closed or not.

    Again with the wandering mind.  He sighed, acknowledging that he was maybe more nervous about this than he realized.  After all, it wasn¡¯t a simple thing he was aiming for.

    Joram clenched his jaw for a moment before releasing the tension in his body, exhaling a long breath at the same time.

    He then dismissed the [Schism] that was currently running, took another breath, then brought up the template for [Schism] in his mind.  Well, he said that, but he was sitting in his ¡°office space¡±, computer in front of him.  Though, this time, he had one of those ridiculously wide computer monitors plugged into the laptop, allowing for a much larger workspace.  On one side of the screen was the ¡°code¡± for the original [Schism], while the other contained the completed augmentation to said power.  Both ¡°codes¡± were like some weird, bastardized, version of a programming language.  The various syntaxes were¡­ simplified.  That was to say, something that would take, say, one thousand lines of code to write in C# would only take about fifty or so lines in this ¡°language¡±.

    Simplified, yet more dense and complicated at the same time because it used many more ¡°terms¡± that were amalgams, or entire concepts, to ¡°shorten¡± the process.  Well, it was complicated.

    Shaking his head, Joram refocussed on the windows in front of him, going over the code again and again, making sure that he hadn¡¯t missed anything.  [Schism] didn¡¯t have an option for augmentation normally, so he needed to be extra sure that he hadn¡¯t messed anything up in trying to add one of his own.

    Well, technically two of his own.  The one was for the possibility of additional minds to be added when manifesting the power.  The other was a slight change to the original power once this augmentation was added to the original power.

    So, he ran the combined code through his simulator one last time, paying attention to any possible issues that might arise, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem.

    After the first time, he turned himself into a liar by running it another sixteen times before he stopped himself.  This was as good as it would get without actually manifesting the power himself.

    Another deep breath was taken as he rolled the cursor over to the new icon on the desktop, an animated gif of someone touching their forehead with their index finger, then the head split in two, then three, then four before resetting the loop.

    Yet another deep breath, this time with an ¡°Ah, why the hell not?¡± kind of mentality, and double-clicked the shortcut.

    He felt as the power executed, giving him the knowledge of what would happen with however much power he added at start-up.  He chose the first-tier option, which allowed for an additional mind to be added to the standard one.

    He wasn¡¯t disappointed.

    He immediately became aware of the second mind, then a third mind.

    ¡°Let¡¯s put you guys to work, shall we?¡±  He asked himself, rather rhetorically.  He set his second mind to working on an offline mode for one of the apps on his phone¡­ a phone that had probably been ignored for the last millennium or so¡­  The third mind was then tasked with doing the same with another app.  Both were games, neither were particularly important.  They¡¯d been amusing games back when he¡¯d needed a distraction from life, but had ultimately been forgotten when his life had taken an upswing.

    Joram nodded to himself as each mind gave status updates, periodically sharing their work with him.  Well, that wasn¡¯t quite right, as he knew what each knew at any given time, it was more like he was talking to himself as he reached various points in his work.  He also took his time to renew the power before it lapsed, paying attention to how smooth the transition was.  Or, rather, how the energy needed to keep the power running was¡­ topped up, much like adding fuel to the tank.  Or another quarter to keep the music playing in a jukebox.

    He wasn¡¯t quite sure how much time passed this way, but as he kept testing his additional minds, project after project was completed, finally allowing him to get those silly tasks removed from his ¡°to-do¡± list.  It was¡­ refreshing.

    He even took the time to open his eyes, his physical ones, and summon his phone and his main laptop.  He then proceeded to boot it up, grinning as it came to life as he connected them with a USB-C cable.

    Next, he started up the necessary programs for editing/creating apps.  Just in case, he made full back-ups of the apps and their data before loading them into the editor.  With that done, he concentrated on the first patch Mind #3 had worked on then manifested [Data Transfer], a very useful power that allowed one to transfer what was on the user¡¯s mind to a computer, and vice versa.  One of his favourite power¡¯s he¡¯d created with Altaea¡¯s help back in the day.

    Once the data was uploaded, he ran it through the compiler and waited.  Not long.  He then updated the app on the phone, waited for the install to complete, then tapped on the icon.

    He held his breath as the loading screen popped up with a progress bar.  Seconds later, the home screen appeared.  He grinned as he saw that the menu where one would choose a server was now replaced by a ¡°Local Play¡± bar instead.  He clicked on that, then frowned when the profile loaded started him off at level 1.

    ¡°Well, that should have been expected,¡± he mumbled, remembering that level data was stored on the selected server.  ¡°Welp, that¡¯s what save editors are for!¡±  He said with a grin.

    ¡°You¡¯ve finally got it working?¡±  Avi asked from his side, causing him to nearly jump out of his chair.  [Touchsight] was only as good as the one paying attention to it.  Distracted mind = missing things like someone suddenly appearing beside you.

    After a few calming breaths, and getting his racing heart under control, he turned to Avi.  ¡°Yes, and I think that it¡¯s a success!¡±  He said with a huge grin.

    ¡°Awesome!  We should compare patch notes some time,¡± she said with a smile.

    That gave him pause.

    ¡°You¡¯ve written patches for some of the games?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it got boring after the first decade, so I started little projects using Altaea¡¯s copied stuff,¡± she explained, summoning the laptop that Altaea had copied so long ago.

    Joram looked at it for a full minute, then another as he sorted out how he felt about that.  On the one hand, Altaea had left all that behind.  For what reason, he couldn¡¯t be sure.  On the other hand, they were mementos of her.  All things considered, he realized that Altaea probably wouldn¡¯t want her things put into some sort of memorial to her memory, and that she¡¯d probably prefer they be used instead of left to collect dust.

    ¡°Huh, that¡¯d be a good idea,¡± he said, a soul-weary grin on his face.  ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that you¡¯d taken up programming.¡±

    ¡°One tends to pick up this and that over the centuries,¡± she said with an airy tone, waving a hand dismissively.

    This time he laughed out loud, finally letting go.  ¡°I¡¯m glad you managed to keep yourself busy,¡± he said, a huge smile on his face.

    ¡°Indeed I did,¡± she said, sharing his smile.  ¡°I even took the liberty to reverse engineer some of the game engines and make a few games,¡± she said, a self-satisfied smile on her face.

    Joram¡¯s jaw dropped as he turned his whole body to her.  ¡°I could kiss you!¡±  He said before his brain could stop him from saying such a ridiculous and cringeworthy thing.

    Avi just smirked.  ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t be opposed to that,¡± she said, giving him a wink.

    Joram¡¯s brain froze, locked up, went into an infinite processing loop that prevented any other processes from starting up.

    What-the-what?!  His mind whirled in circles.  She had been made using his psicrystal, a part of his psyche made manifest.  The rest of her was made from Altaea, conceptually and literally.  Her ¡°soul¡± was based off Altaea¡¯s own.  Her ability to have a physical form was based off his psicrystal.

    He immediately set minds 2 and 3 to working out the problem with him.

    Mind 1: A psicrystal is formed using a personality fragment from the manifester.

    Mind 2: One could say that once that fragment leaves the whole, it becomes its own entity.

    Mind 3: I concur.  I would posit that this was just a shortcut in terms of teaching someone else.  In teaching someone, you imprint what you know on them.  However, that knowledge will then be processed and made their own.

    Mind 2: Indeed.  Given that, would you then consider someone whom you¡¯ve taught to be your child?

    Mind 3: Nevermind all that.  I¡¯m pretty sure that Altaea merely used the psionic matrix of our psicrystal as the platform with which to install the [Altaea Virtual Intelligence].  Claiming that she¡¯s a part of you should only go as far as: her continued existence relies on your survival, as a psicrystal cannot survive the death of its owner/creator.

    Mind 2: Good points there, old chap!

    Mind 1: Why do you guys sound like you¡¯re a Brit narrating a documentary?

    Mind 3: We¡¯re you.  Why do you think?

    Mind 1: *Face-palm*

    ¡°Joram?¡±  Avi said, interrupting his process and liberating him from that loop.

    ¡°Yes, Avi?¡±  He said by rote, taking comfort in that much repeated process.

    ¡°You realize that I¡¯m not actually your child, right?¡±

    ¡°I was just working through that,¡± he mumbled, a blush rising in his cheeks.

    ¡°If anything, I¡¯m a pseudo clone of Altaea.  Sure, I have her appearance, a sliver of her soul, and most of her knowledge, but I am still my own person,¡± she explained patiently, but not unkindly.

    ¡°That¡­ has thrown much of my understanding to the four winds,¡± he admitted with a sigh.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡± Avi said with a smirk.  ¡°Now, let¡¯s get gaming!¡±

 Chapter 022

    The following days were some of the best he¡¯d had in years.  He hadn¡¯t realized just how much he¡¯d missed gaming.  Nor had he realized how much he enjoyed gaming with someone else.

    He¡¯d traditionally been a solo gamer, preferring to avoid any MMO type games in favour of one where he didn¡¯t have to rely on often unreliable gamers to progress in the game.  Never mind finishing said game.

    This, however, was just plain sublime.

    Avi had her own play style which complemented his own and very much reminded him of how Altaea used to play.  Which, admittedly, shouldn¡¯t have surprised him in the least, given how she¡¯d been ¡°born¡±.

    That said, he was also impressed with the creativity that went into each of the games that she¡¯d developed.  Not only had she flawlessly continued the story of his favourite Shepard, but she¡¯d also developed her own voice synthesis program so that the characters would remain immersive.

    She¡¯d also managed to maker her own game engine.  Sure, it had been based on the Unreal Engine, but she¡¯d taken it to the next level.  Dynamic lighting and light refraction, character/object interactions, rendering speeds, antialiasing, everything had been improved.  He was, quite frankly, stunned with how well she¡¯d done, and with how far she¡¯d come.

    Upon further reflection, he supposed that it shouldn¡¯t have surprised him at all given that she¡¯d started out as a V.I..  Perhaps that had given her an innate understanding of programming and code.

    Heck, she¡¯d even managed to make schematics for a ¡°holodeck¡± using [Holographic Projection].  Looking at them, it could go from simple recreations of various environments and scenarios all the way to having the ¡°safeties¡± disabled.  Meaning that it could be used to train in deadly ways, simulating real-life situations.

    All told, he was thoroughly impressed, even after Avi admitted that most of the work had been done by Altaea before she¡¯d left.  Which then opened up a whole other can of worms, as it were.

    ¡°So, I didn¡¯t exactly have a good moment to tell you that Altaea had also left schematics for a few other devices that she thought you¡¯d enjoy,¡± Avi explained, squirming slightly under his intense gaze.

    The revelation of potentially being able to construct his own holodeck, as well as Altaea having left more for him, had ignited his uber-geek side.  Every nerd and geek out there had likely dreamed of having their own sci-fi gizmos, and he was no different.

    ¡°Please, continue,¡± he said, calming himself through a supreme act of willpower.

    ¡°Well,¡± she started, grinning as she realized that she wasn¡¯t in trouble for not having shared sooner.  ¡°I¡¯ve so far been able to access the schematics for the holodeck, as you know, and also an omni-tool and a li*COUGH-COUGH*er.¡±  She finished, not quite able to look him in the eye at the end.

    ¡°Ah what?¡±  He asked, his right eyebrow raising.

    ¡°A li*COUGH-COUGH*er,¡± she coughed again.

    ¡°Maybe just use the Network if you¡¯ve having trouble speaking,¡± he said, his left eyebrow now twitching.

    ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± she trailed off, still having trouble looking him in the eye.  ¡°Just promise that you¡¯ll not freak out, or overly obsess¡­¡±

    Mind 2: Going by the number of coughs and how the first started¡­

    Mind 3: ¡­ and the second ended¡­

    Mind 1: *BOOM*

    * * * * *

    Joram¡¯s eyes went blank, his mouth dropping open.

    Avi stood there for a minute, not quite sure what to do.  She hadn¡¯t seen Joram in this state since he¡¯d discovered Altaea¡¯s absence all those years ago.  Fortunately, this shock induced state didn¡¯t stem from a negative state of mind, but from a positive stimulation overload.

    Is this the legendary ¡°Geek-gasm¡±?

    Avi quickly shook her head, clearing it of unnecessary clutter before pulling up a chair and sitting in front of Joram to wait.

    She¡¯d been hesitant to share that Altaea had started having those visions Joram had described before she¡¯d left.  With them, Altaea had managed to copy over everything into Avi¡¯s archives, each to be released at the appropriate time.  The holodeck was released due to her departure and the knowledge that Joram would need a place to continue his training.  The omni-tool had been released for much same reason; Altaea leaving.  She¡¯d been worried that Joram wouldn¡¯t be prepared for his journey out into the wider world and had prepared the omni-tool as an aid for his survival.

    The third item that had been unlocked was arguably the most dangerous thing yet.  A lightsaber.

    With the production knowledge that Altaea had left behind, it had become trivial to reproduce the needed technologies with the [Fabricate] tree of powers/augments, let alone [True Creation].  What she worried about wasn¡¯t Joram¡¯s safety, as he could just regenerate any lost limbs resulting from training accidents.  No, she worried about his tendency to fixate on something he found particularly interesting.

    And one could say that a lightsaber was indeed that to a lifetime fan.

    Truth be told, she couldn¡¯t blame him.  She¡¯d spent many a day going through the piles of media he¡¯d left in storage during his¡­ convalescence.  She¡¯d become something of a¡­ hardcore geek.  Nerd?  Either way, she¡¯d spent endless days pursuing her interests, from programming to manufacturing.  She¡¯d experimented for years on end, working on various projects that took her interest.

    The expansion and building of her vineyard, gardens, and orchards and subsequent building of the winery and distillation facilities had just been a drop in the bucket.  The many ¡°golems¡± she¡¯d created during that time had taken over the everyday maintenance of the place, freeing up vast amounts of time.

    She¡¯d neglected to share with Joram that she¡¯d also made a psionic item that took over her need to constantly manifest [Genesis] to keep the realm expanding by itself.  There weren¡¯t any issues with the realm getting too big or anything like that.  The only thing she¡¯d need to do from time to time would be to adjust the programmed template for future expansions should Joram want the place to have more variation than it already had.  Maybe some mountains, as he really liked the ¡°amplified¡± biomes in his favourite sandbox game.

    Avi came out of her thoughts for a moment to check on Joram and found that his state hadn¡¯t changed yet.  After wiping away a bit of drool, she went back to her thoughts!

    To conserve on mana, the ¡°golems¡± were actually ¡°droids¡±.  Completely ¡°mundane¡±.  The energy needed to sustain droids was considerably lessened when electricity was used instead of mana.  She¡¯d even equipped each droid with a type of skin that acted as a solar cell, allowing the ambient light to power the droid.  And with the inclusion of a robust battery designed after the one used in a lightsaber, the droids just kept on going.

    Sure, they¡¯d need maintenance every now and then, but that was as simple a making a [Reconstruction] bay that they could either get loaded into or walk into by themselves if the damage wasn¡¯t too bad.  Usually, it was just ¡°regular¡± maintenance, having programmed them to go through the bay once per month to keep things in good working order.

    Beyond those things, she hadn¡¯t as yet experimented with actually building the tech Altaea had left behind.

    That said, she was very much looking forward to helping Joram build them.  The best part was that Altaea had actually left two sets of schematics for each item: a mundane version and a psionic/magic version.  That meant that if they somehow found themselves in a null-magic/psionic zone that they¡¯d still be able to use those devices.

    She¡¯d also left the software for each device, as well as the development platform for said software.  The psionic versions were a bit trickier, but nothing they couldn¡¯t handle if they put their heads together.

    Ah, the adventures we¡¯ll have together, Avi mused with a smile on her face.

    * * * * *

    Joram finally snapped out of it and saw that Avi had pulled up a chair to wait out his¡­ unusual state.

    *Cough*

    ¡°So, if I guessed correctly, Altaea left the schematics for a lightsaber for me?¡±  He asked, trying very hard not to get his hopes too high.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she said with a twinkle in her eye.  ¡°Plans and supporting software for mundane versions of those things.  As well as psionic versions of them.¡±  She finished with a wink.

    His jaw dropped again as he pulled his mind back from re-entering that special place.  ¡°You¡¯re serious.¡±

    Nod-nod went her head.

    ¡°I really do need to get on making you a body so that I can give you the biggest hug ever,¡± he said in all seriousness, which elicited a smile from Avi.

    ¡°No big hurry,¡± she said, still smiling.  ¡°I¡¯ve managed to upgrade my core so that I can project a [Holographic Image] of myself, effectively giving myself a body that can interact with the physical world.¡±

    More blinking.

    ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡±  He asked, hesitantly reaching out a hand.

    In response, Avi leaned forward in her chair and took his hand in hers.

    ¡°It¡¯s warm,¡± he said dumbly.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m able to fully control this projection.¡±

    Joram scooted forward to the edge of the chair, then hopped down to stand nose to nose with Avi.  That close, he could even see his reflection in her emerald eyes.  Then, without warning, Avi scooped him up in a hug, squeezing for all she was worth.

    For his part, Joram returned the hug, not bothered by the pressure she was able to exert due to the Adamantium Body Technique.

    They stood like that for a while, his legs dangling a couple feet off the floor.  He enjoyed her mild scent, perfumed by a flower he couldn¡¯t quite identify, but reminded him of vanilla.  Then he recalled that they hadn¡¯t actually spent much time together before the Incident, only really chatting away as they discussed research topics, places to explore for resources, and other such mundane things.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Sure, they¡¯d spent time working on a few things together, like the chocolate, but it hadn¡¯t been¡­ emotionally significant, as some people might have called it.

    Well, not that he was like most people.  His ¡°love languages¡± consisted of spending time with someone and physical touch.  Affirmation was up there too, but just knowing that someone cared for him and spent time with him was already more than enough.  Presents?  Yeah, they were nice and fun to get, but not something that determined his affection for someone.  As much as he loved his various gadgets, gizmos, and trinkets, he wasn¡¯t a materialist at heart.  The acquisition of wealth and items for its own sake didn¡¯t really interest him.  It was what he could do with that wealth that really mattered.

    Because unspent wealth was just a waste, in his opinion.

    Was that weird for him to say when he had a tremendous stash of wealth in the form of natural resources, mana crystals, and Dust crystals stored in a warehouse not even one hundred metres away from where he was being held?  Well, he wasn¡¯t a dragon, no matter how much he joked about having a dragon-like disposition towards loot.  For him, having the resources on hand when he needed them was what was important.

    ¡°Avi?¡± came his muffled voice.

    ¡°Yes, Joram?¡±  He felt just as much as he heard.

    ¡°You¡¯ve awesome,¡± he said, leaning back a bit so that he could look her in the eye when he spoke.

    A warm smile came to her face as she replied, ¡°You¡¯re not too shabby, yourself.¡±

    Joram got a goofy grin on his young face, then motioned to be put down.  Avi, reluctantly, complied and followed him when he motioned for her to do so.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking that the first thing that we need to work on is the omni-tool, as much as I¡¯d love to have a working lightsaber and all,¡± he muttered the last part as he opened the door to his workshop.

    The walls were lined with row upon row of drawers, each one filled with a specific element or substance, depending on how useful each one was.  Some drawers were smaller than others, representing how hard it was to acquire said resource, while others were as large as fifty cubic centimetres.  The best part was that each had been enchanted so that as the supply in the drawer was depleted, a small portal leading to the main storage container for each one would deposit more of that drawer¡¯s contents, keeping it topped up.

    He was very proud of how well Avi had organized the workshop.  Sure, she¡¯d made use of it during his downtime, so he guessed that it was really ¡°their¡± workshop and not just ¡°his¡±.

    OK, so maybe he was still a bit possessive, but he was working on that character flaw.

    Of the many benches set up in there, one was more of a workstation with two copies of his laptop set up with several monitors attached to each.

    ¡°Aww, you made matching workstations for us,¡± he gushed as he reached up and snagged her hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s more efficient that way,¡± she said with a slight grin.  ¡°On that note, we may need to spend time creating new computers that¡¯ll be able to handle the computing necessary for developing the software that the omni-tools will use.¡±

    Joram nearly groaned at that.  Yes, he¡¯d spent lots of time studying his devices with [Delve], but he wasn¡¯t quite there yet when it came to designing hardware.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she said with a smirk.  ¡°Altaea left many schematics and supporting documents to replicate the necessary hardware.¡±

    Joram was so happy that he jumped up to a level where they could stare eye to eye, then leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before gravity reclaimed him.

    ¡°Aww, shucks,¡± she said, adopting a southern accent.  ¡°You¡¯ll set my heart all aflutter if you keep doing that.¡±

    He laughed out loud at that.  ¡°Let¡¯s get to work,¡± he said, hopping into his chair.

    - - - - -

    1342.08.22

    Tillia was frustrated.

    Not only had Joram been in secluded cultivation for almost four months, but she¡¯d not been able to contact him through his Network.

    She could still feel that she was still a part of the Network, and could even speak with the Matriarch through it, but that was it.  No conversations with Joram, nothing.

    Then there were all the rumours floating around the clan home these days.

    ¡°After his display, it¡¯s no wonder that he¡¯d gone into hiding.¡±

    ¡°Xiora and Lysanthir are so talented!  They¡¯re already in the third and second, respectively, Ranks of Tier 1.  They¡¯re the ones who should be engaged.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it would be a waste to allow Xiora to marry a cripple like that.  Who knows if their children would also wind up becoming cripples?¡±

    ¡°I hear that Joram¡¯s Nanny is only getting so much support from the Matriarch because the Matriarch is planning to have her care for him for the rest of his life.¡±

    ¡°Ah, such a pitiful girl, being tied to such a dead-weight.¡±

    That last one was interchangeable between her and Xiora.  She tried very hard to ignore those naysayers and stickybeaks, but it was getting harder the longer Joram stayed in seclusion.  The longer he was away, the more courage those people built up to slander him.

    Tillia took a calming breath as she retreated from the clan storehouse, already having retrieved their weekly stipend of cultivation resources.  She was glad that the Matriarch had gifted her a storage ring, ostensibly to make sure that she had on hand anything that Joram might need during the day.  But for now, it was used to transport hers and Joram¡¯s supplies.

    They¡¯d balked at her retrieving both of their resources at the same time, but a later word from the Matriarch allowing her to do so had shut them up pretty fast.  She¡¯d even given Tillia permission to use any of Joram¡¯s accumulated resources if she needed to do so while cultivating.

    It was extremely generous of her to have done so, so Tillia made sure to only use something if she ran out of a pill or mana crystals when at a critical point in her cultivation.  Which meant that she¡¯d already stepped into Rank 7 of the 1<sup>st</sup> Tier.

    She was ecstatic over the progress that she¡¯d made ever since the Matriarch had approved of her.  She¡¯d made more progress in that time than she had in her previous nineteen years of life.  Even her parents were over the moons with her rate of improvement, practically preparing a feast for her every time she went back to visit them.

    Even her siblings were excited for her, which shouldn¡¯t have surprised her, as she was the eldest child of the family and she¡¯d spent most of her time mothering them.  It was where she¡¯d picked up her hand with children.  She was the eldest of six children, which was almost unheard of in such a short span of time.  Yet, her parents had only each managed to barely reach the peak of Tier 1, even though both were near forty.

    Yes, her parents had married young, having fallen for each other in their youth.  Since both weren¡¯t anywhere near the main line of the family, and their aptitudes had been deemed ¡°below average¡±, they¡¯d been allowed to do as they were wont.  So, they¡¯d gotten married and started their family in their late teens.

    Her father had taken up his branch family¡¯s business of wood crafting.  He couldn¡¯t work with the more exotic lumbers out there, but he was exceptionally skilled with his carving knife, to the point where even the main family members commissioned pieces from him from time to time.

    Her mother, now there was a saint.  Not only had she managed the family home while her father had worked tirelessly to earn their keep, but she had also started making clothes on the side.  She¡¯d quickly been acknowledged as a talented seamstress, also earning her some repute in the clan.  Like her father, she couldn¡¯t do anything with the magical materials out there as they required fine mana manipulation, but she could work wonders with her shears and needles.

    As a matter of a fact, most her Tillia¡¯s wardrobe had come from her mother, Annalee.  She kept up with the latest fashion across their corner of the continent, spanning three empires and seven kingdoms.  Her designs were so good, in fact, that she also sold them when she was able.

    Not that Tillia allowed her parents to carry the burden of supporting the family all by themselves.  Since she¡¯d been deemed old enough to care for other children, she¡¯d gone around letting other families know that she could help tend to their young ones.

    It didn¡¯t pay much, as most families who were forced to have both parents working did so for a reason.  That said, Tillia had been able to bring in a bit extra each month, allowing their family to get by that much better.  Once she¡¯d landed the position as Joram¡¯s Nanny, well, she¡¯d been the talk of the family.

    Not only was that considered a respectable position to have, but it had also come with a substantial increase in pay.  Well, from what she was used to anyway.

    But, due to her constant work supporting her family, she¡¯d not had any time to focus on cultivation.  Not that her family had had the necessary resources to support someone if they wanted to focus purely on cultivation.  But now?

    Not only was she still receiving the same pay, which she mostly sent back to her family, but she had also been allocated cultivation resources on top of that.  She¡¯d even asked if it was all right to share the cultivation manual that she¡¯d chosen for herself with her family.  The result was seeing the Matriarch¡¯s soft laugh.  It wasn¡¯t that the cultivation methods were secret, it was the expense in copying them that prevented widespread distribution.  So, of course she¡¯d be able to share it with her family since the scroll had already been copied!

    She wasn¡¯t sure just how useful it would be to her family, as everyone had their own unique abilities, but it was better than nothing.

    Tillia pulled herself out of her musings as she returned to her new room in Joram¡¯s home.  It felt weird being there, all alone.  She missed the days where Joram¡¯s parents were home, giving it a lively atmosphere.  Maybe she was a bit biased in her opinion, but she had grown up in a rather full home, always surrounded by family.

    She wondered if Joram ever felt lonely.  After his¡­ accident, she¡¯d been told that all of his Network connections had been dropped, including his parents.  It must have been lonely not being able to speak to his parents whenever he wanted to.  Or they, him.

    Tillia¡¯s spirit fired up at that point, fire practically burning in her gaze.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that he won¡¯t ever be lonely!¡±  She proclaimed to the world; right arm raised to the ceiling of her bedroom.

    After a moment, colour rushed to her face, steam practically coming out of her ears as she remembered Joram¡¯s decree that she was his woman.

    Soon enough, the conflicting thoughts, feelings, and emotions overwhelmed her, causing her to pass out, falling back onto her bed.

    * * * * *

    At the same time, Joram¡¯s head was found face down on his desk, fortunately still attached to his body.  Much to his great disappointment.

    Avi had inherited Altaea¡¯s¡­ training ethics.  Yeah, that¡¯s what he¡¯d call it.

    He¡¯d spent the better part of these last four moths going over theory and learning advanced biology, biochemistry, chemistry, physics, metallurgy, and three different programming languages necessary to construct the items he wished to make.

    Even with two extra minds working on it for twenty hours per day, it was a lot.  His head felt like it was filled with floating numbers, equations, formulas, and Latin terminology.  Even with offloading each subject onto its own crystal mind.  Ah, those were nice.  Not only did they contain the raw information of each subject, but they also retained his understandings of them.  Well, not like he lost his understanding of each subject offloaded into a crystal mind, but it was nice to have that refresher when he accessed it later.  Well, he¡¯d repeated what he¡¯d done for every other crystal mind he¡¯d ever made: he¡¯d assimilated them.  That way each one was able to be compartmentalized while allowing him to remain¡­ fresh.  The best part was that he could still network each one so that he could benefit from cross-disciplinary understandings which in turn allowed for easier¡­ epiphanies.

    Yeah, he¡¯d go with that term.  Sometimes things just clicked one day, and you went with it.

    Ah, how he¡¯d hoped that he could have had this third mind working on the issue of his meridians.  But, this should, hopefully, allow him to make much more progress in that area.  With his better understanding of physiology, he hoped to be able to create a true-to-life model of himself which would allow him to experiment with new pathways without injuring himself.

    And to get there, he would need to get that omni-tool working so that he could be constantly scanning his body to update the replica.  That was especially important seeing as how he was still growing and maturing, which caused his body to be in a constant state of change.

    Upon further reflection, he supposed that this was probably one of the many reasons why most people waited until puberty to start on the path of cultivation.

    He didn¡¯t react when he felt arms wrap around him, nor when said arms lifted him into Avi¡¯s embrace.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s been hard on you, but you¡¯ve done so well!¡±  She exclaimed happily, the sound of her voice resonating through her chest.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said, barely able to summon the energy to speak.  ¡°Can I sleep now?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±  She snorted.  ¡°You¡¯ve been able to get a full two hours each night!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I was referring to,¡± he mumbled, yearning for the sweet oblivion of unconsciousness.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, you can go and relax,¡± she said cheekily.  ¡°Do you want to soak in the hot springs first?¡±

    Any other time he would have jumped at the chance to go to a hot spring with Avi, holographic body or not.  But now?  He felt that his brain had been transmuted to gelatin; thoughts just bouncing around without landing anywhere solid.

    ¡°Bed?¡±

    ¡°OK, then.¡±

    - - - - -

    He wasn¡¯t sure how long he¡¯d slept, but he did know that it felt fantastically good to have a full body stretch as he yawned, blearily blinking his eyes once done.  He noticed Avi laying beside him on her side, watching him wake up.  She was in a simple white tank-top and blue jean shorts, her hair down.

    ¡°Have a good sleep?¡±

    ¡°Mmmm-mmm,¡± he mumbled, blinking some more.

    ¡°Good!¡±  She cheerily exclaimed as she sat up.  ¡°Time to make some stuff!¡±

    He¡¯d normally have been on board with that, jumping out of bed to follow her out the room, but¡­  he was still burnt out.

    He rolled onto his back, took a pillow, and covered his eyes with it.

    ¡°Nope,¡± he said, refusing to get up.  ¡°As much as I love you and crafting Avi, I need more downtown.¡±

    He heard her steps pause, then start up once again, this time coming back to the bed to pause beside him.

    ¡°If you get up, I¡¯ll make you your favourite Peanut Butter Marshmallow Fudge bars,¡± she purred out in her siren voice.

    ¡°Get ye hence, Temptress!¡±  He replied adamantly, holding the pillow tighter to his head.

    ¡°I¡¯ll include back scratches¡­¡± she purred from beside his pillow-covered ear.

 Chapter 023

    Ah, he was too easily bribed.

    That said, it was probably a good thing that Avi had been able to coax him out of bed. He really did need to get his unusual situation rectified. Or, at least, figured out.

    Joram was amazed at how sophisticated the designs for the omni-tool were. That really shouldn¡¯t have surprised him in the least, but going over the plans made him realize just how much nanotech went into something like this, not to mention the quantum tech.

    Altaea had managed to combine the imaginary technology from the Mass Effect series with the imaginary tech from Doctor Who.

    Well, up until Altaea had proved that those worlds weren¡¯t actually imaginary at all. The multiverse was quite the diverse collection of anything one could imagine, and more.

    Now, the plans suggested linking the omni-tool to a Time Lord power source, effectively running it on ¡°wireless¡± energy. Unfortunately, he was nowhere near being able to snag a star at the instant it went supernova and trap it on an infinite time loop.

    Nope. Not happening.

    Yet¡­

    Anyway, he was then stuck with the issue of an appropriate power cell. Fortunately, the Time Lord power source was only one of many suggestions for it.

    After much consideration and deliberation, they decided to go with a remote power source. This would allow for several benefits, namely the reduction in size. This made the whole module able to be implanted in his hand and forearm, which excited him to no end.

    That said, the module would also be connected to a set-up similar to the drawers in his workshop. There would be a small reservoir of materials that he could draw upon to make various items installed in the unit itself. That reservoir would then be able to instantly draw from his storage space to replenish what was used.

    Back to the power source. They decided to build a power generator and battery according to the schematics obtained from the Star Wars tech Altaea had left them. It was light, compact, and could power his home city on Earth for a month before needing to be refueled with more helium 3. Which was, unsurprisingly, difficult to synthesise.

    But after a few days of ability burn, he managed to make a decent supply of the stuff to have on hand. Then came the hard part.

    Even though Altaea had provided exhaustive information about Eezo, it had been particularly difficult to synthesis. His supposition was that Element Zero created a sort of field that interfered somewhat with psionics, even though Altaea had said nothing about it. Well, that was probably because of her divine status; ignoring silly things like null-psionic fields and such.

    A mere mortal like him, though, still had to take annoying things like that into consideration when trying to synthesise exotic materials.

    Well, he managed to do it in the end. It had taken even longer for him to recover the ability burn after that, but he now had a small pallet worth of the stuff sitting in storage, kilograms of it. The best part? The prototype omni-tool only took a few grams of Eezo to get up and running, so he had plenty to experiment with before needing to make more of the stuff.

    At the end of the day, well, the end of the following month, they¡¯d finally managed to create their first working prototype.

    ¡°You don¡¯t think it¡¯ll blow up on me, do you?¡± He asked Avi as she happily strapped it on his arm.

    ¡°Nah, you¡¯ll be fine,¡± she said. ¡°Especially since you¡¯ve kept up with your [Astral Seed].¡±

    That did not inspire one iota of confidence.

    ¡°Have you figured out what caused it to act so strangely?¡±

    ¡°Not yet~~¡± she said, finishing up on his arm. ¡°You¡¯ll do fine.¡±

    He would have been much more confident in her assurance if she hadn¡¯t immediately dashed away after she¡¯d finished speaking.

    ¡°Welp, no one lives forever,¡± he muttered as he opened his hand to activate the holographic interface. He was reassured that he wasn¡¯t going to immediately die when the interface worked as it should, no explosions.

    He looked over to the pile of samples that Avi had collected with her small army of worker droids. He went over to the first one, what looked like an apple. It was a good fruit, crisp like an apple, sweet like an apple, but was sky blue.

    With a shrug, he lifted his hand, passing it over the ¡°apple¡± so that the scanner could get a good read on it. After a moment, readings began popping up, telling him its chemical composition, what standard vitamins were in it, along with sugar and fibre levels. He grimaced as he learned just how much sugar it contained, but shrugged that thought away. It wasn¡¯t like he was avoiding the stuff. Case in point: Avi¡¯s bribe.

    He sighed, then continued taking readings of the apple. When nothing new showed up he made his way over to the next item, one of the hides he¡¯d stripped off a murder goat. More readings followed, then he was on to the next pile.

    By his fifth sample, he noticed that the omni-tool had grown uncomfortably warm, and when he was only half-way through his scans, the prototype had become burning hot.

    Mind 2 then triggered his prepared [Teleport Object] and sent it to an empty field a kilometre away.

    ¡°Well, at least it didn¡¯t-¡®¡¯ Avi started, but was interrupted by a massive explosion that rained turf down on them half a minute later.

    ¡°You were saying?¡±

    His tone could have created a polar region right there.

    ¡°Minor setback,¡± she said with a grin.

    - - - - -

    1342.12.16

    ¡°I¡¯m sure this¡¯ll be the one!¡± Avi declared confidently as she held out the latest prototype for Joram to put on.

    He no longer had the energy to give her a disbelieving look. Instead, he took the omni-tool, now attached to a long glove for ease of use and slipped it on.

    There had been several more iterations in design, all coming with their own drawbacks. At least the worst result had only been the loss of his arm from just below the elbow.

    Hah, ¡°at least¡±. That hurt like no one¡¯s business! At least we¡¯re getting close to a final product, he thought as he stepped over to the new scanning area. Same spread, same order, just different area. This area was closer to the hot springs. For convenience, you see.

    Joram [Delve]d the omni-tool one last time, searching for any flaws in the construction of its parts and assembly. After a minute of examining it, he gave up. He¡¯d examined every other one after the first, yet all had shown that they were ¡°fine¡±. Checking the software would take much longer, nevermind that they¡¯d already done that and found it to be bug-free¡­

    He wondered if he needed to increase the resolution of his [Delve] and that was why he was missing something whenever he examined one of the prototypes.

    He silently added that to the list of ¡°to-dos¡± then activated the omni-tool.

    Joram proceeded through the list, scanning each item, then each pile, letting the results scroll by. By the time he reached the end of the table, the omni-tool was doing surprisingly well. No overheating, no short-circuits, and best of all: no random explosions.

    With a sigh of relief, he stepped over to the training dummy, smirking at the little sign hung from its neck.

    Days without injury while at work: 83

    That was how long it had taken to get back to being able to test the crafting functions of the omni-tool. They¡¯d had early success in the scanning department, but had somehow regressed until now. Well, he hoped that the omni-tool wouldn¡¯t explode this time.

    They¡¯d figured out that the mass effect field responsible for containing the plasma required to flash-make the silicon carbide blade had destabilized. Thus, the explosion. He was particularly glad that it had failed on the first attempt, as that one had just been a dagger sized blade. If it had destabilized when he¡¯d been trying to make a shield, well, he¡¯d have found out whether or not he¡¯d take another thousand years to revive.

    Taking a deep breath, he activated the first form of the omni-blade and watched as the super-heated silicon and carbon were formed into a blade on the back of his hand. After another few seconds of observation, the blade cooled to the point where the mass effect field was able to drop without fear of burning his arm to charcoal.

    Another few seconds passed before the blade began to break down, first a bit, then a cascading failure that made it look like the blade had instantaneously been converted to sand, falling to the ground where it further disintegrated upon impact.

    It was rather pretty, all told. And bonus points for not blowing his arm off.

    He idly wondered if he could change the colour of the armaments produced by the omni-tool from its standard luminescent orange to something like indigo, or a deep purple. That¡¯d be cool. Well, at least he could change the colour of the holographic display with little effort. That was at least something.

    ¡°Good job!¡± Avi yelled over. ¡°Next form!¡±

    He sighed, then activated the standard sized blade while Mind 2 kept an emergency [Teleport Object] ready. He¡¯d briefly considered using [Energy Adaptation], but ultimately let it drop because it really wouldn¡¯t have worked here very well. At the temperatures the omni-tool used to create its ¡°blades¡±, the power would be useless.

    Mental note: work on a power to resist plasma.

    By the last form tested, the somewhat anticipated/dreaded shield form, the omni-tool remained stable. He gave it another [Delve] to see if here were any unseen changes that might have appeared during testing. Sure enough, there was some degradation in the energy conduits leading to and from the Eezo, but nothing too extreme. That gave him heart, as they could then concentrate on improving the materials used in the circuits and conduits instead of needing to guess what had gone wrong and only make semi-educated guesses and fixes.

    ¡°She¡¯s good!¡± He called back to Avi, somewhat enjoying the yelling. He¡¯d spent so long speaking at normal volume, or over the Network, that it felt nice to let go.

    ¡°Aces!¡± She exclaimed as she hurried over.

    Where had she picked that one up? He wondered as he handed the sleeve+omni-tool back to Avi.

    ¡°Anyways, I think I¡¯ll actually take some time now to start figuring out how to deal with my cultivation,¡± he said, raising a hand to wave at her as he walked off.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°Soooooo,¡± Avi drew out the word as she hurried to catch up to him. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing my own research on the side, and I think that I might have found a solution to the multiple-psicrystals issue.¡±

    Joram nearly tripped, windmilling his arms for a moment before he caught his balance, then turned to Stare at her.

    ¡°OK,¡± she said, raising her hands in a placating manner. ¡°It¡¯s a very recent thing. Anyway, it starts with having one of your additional minds¡­¡±

    She went on to explain that because he more or less had a permanent second and third mind running at all times, that one of them would be able to handle the extra load and create its own psicrystal/become its own psicrystal. There were many other technical and specialized terms, techniques, and concepts in there, but that is what it all boiled down to.

    He grinned.

    He¡¯d been wondering about the outside world for a long time. What was this continent like? Were people just as terrible as those on the Zhizun Zhanshi continent? Or were they more¡­ mellow? Would someone just murder him outright to get what he had? Or would they be prone to dialogue?

    One of the biggest issues he had was that he was low on resources. Yes, he could ask Grammy, but keeping some things secret- like needing adamantium for his body tempering- seemed more than prudent, it was great wisdom.

    ¡°OK, so, can you teach me how to make a [Holographic Image] like yours?¡±

    Avi looked at him a moment as she thought, then smiled. ¡°Ah, you want to send them out into the world on errands or something,¡± she said with a self-satisfied smirk.

    ¡°You got that right! And because they¡¯re a part of me, I won¡¯t have to worry about sending them off loaded with loot and risk them getting robbed; they can just grab what they need from storage, when they need it.¡±

    He was ridiculously proud of himself for thinking up that solution to his exploration quandaries. No need to risk sending himself out, nor was there a need to risk shifting to one of his other true selves to hide the fact that he was a child here. That said, those bodies/other selves were comparably weaker than his four-year-old self which, upon reflection, depressed him more than he thought it would.

    He¡¯d worked himself nearly to death on many occasions to get to where he had been. He had even tested just how strong he was and found that he¡¯d gotten to Superhero levels of strength, agility, and toughness.

    Well, back on Earth at least¡­

    ¡°Great! We can go out as a team! It would be like a date!¡± She said enthusiastically, fist pump and all.

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± He deadpanned, brain refusing to parse what she¡¯d just said.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t get all shy on me now,¡± she teased as she leaned over to stare him in the eye, incidentally exposing a generous amount of cleavage.

    She got really good with [Holographic Image] to be able to mimic physics so well, he thought, trying very hard to concentrate on the practical side of what he was seeing.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like we can do anything,¡± she said as she wiggled her eyebrows at him.

    ¡°OK, where is all this coming from?!¡± He demanded, foot tapping.

    ¡°Pooh, you¡¯re no fun,¡± she pouted. ¡°After having been able to go out and about for the past few years, I¡¯ve picked up a few things,¡± she explained. ¡°I realized early on that those tv shows and movies weren¡¯t indicative of real-life social interactions, so I hadn¡¯t bothered to emulate any of them after you woke up. But being able to go out into the world and witness what people are like, I¡¯ve been able to ¡®liven¡¯ myself up.¡±

    His head dropped, chin hitting his chest. His left hand rose to pinch the bridge of his nose, eyes shut tight.

    ¡°Have you been hanging around brothels?¡±

    Avi didn¡¯t immediately reply, so he looked up to see what was going on, not quite trusting [Touchsight]¡¯s feedback. Sure enough, Avi stood there, pretending to whistle, looking anywhere but him.

    ¡°Avi.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Joram¡­¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t emulate their behaviour,¡± he asked plaintively.

    To which Avi finally looked at him, a shit-eating grin on her face. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s more fun like this.¡±

    - - - - -

    1342.13.13

    The ¡°learning¡± of Avi¡¯s customized [Holographic Image] consisted of her subsuming her psicrystal body into his head and just transferring the ¡°data pack¡± directly to his mind, much like how she¡¯d transferred the knowledge of the Network and its intricacies to him.

    It wound up being a very, very, specific augmentation to the power, to the point where it could almost become its own power. Either way, he was happy to have learnt it.

    With the knowledge transferred, he was able to get Mind 2 out into the world with Avi. Their mission: to visit as many Merchant Consortiums and Auction Houses they could find. He was in dire need of some medicinal herbs which the clan lacked.

    He¡¯d managed to find a recipe for a pill, the Nine Revolving Pathways Pill, that would allow the imbiber to more easily rework the pathways in their body. It was designed to help those who, like him, had managed to cultivate themselves into a corner, or a dead end. Most who took it, however, were people who wanted to begin practicing a new cultivation technique, as each cultivation technique moulded the body in very specific ways, thus making it very difficult to begin practicing a new cultivation method.

    Well, Joram didn¡¯t want to change his cultivation method, he just wanted to rework how his pathways were spread out in his body. Basically, reworking the mana plumbing so that the ¡°source¡± was up in his head rather than below his navel.

    That said, he would also need the Meridian Reforming Pill to adjust his meridians as well. Aaaaand both happened to be Tier 5 pills. Overall, a pain in the glutes¡­

    Major reconstruction ahead, please be cautious.

    To that end, Avi and Mind 2 had gone out to procure what he needed.

    In the meantime, he and Mind 3 were working on mapping out and rerouting his pathways using the simulator they¡¯d finished. It was a complicated mess at the moment, though they¡¯d eventually get it streamlined. For now, it required him to stand on a disc while a ring made to fit perfectly with the outer edge of the disc would levitate from the ground to above his head, then slowly make its way down again. Said ring was the principal scanner of the system, providing the necessary data for the rest of the device to work, having been based on the scanning tech from the omni-tool.

    There was a second disc off to his left that would then display a perfect replica of his body, in and out. Both discs were connected by similarly flat arms that led to what looked like a kiosk, computer console and all. From above, it basically looked like a V with round bits added to the tops and the bottom.

    Currently, they were having fun with the [Holographic Image] of his body. They¡¯d done silly things like attempting various algorithms for aging, giving him a 50s villain mustache, making him bald, and giving him Arny-level muscles as a child.

    That last one had been more than a little disturbing, to the point that his mind went back to thinking about how everyone was doing in the clan. Which reminded him to check his ¡°messages¡±.

    *11 Messages saved*

    Hmm, should get on that, he thought as he began to go through them.

    ¡°Joram, how¡¯re you doing,¡± he heard Tillia¡¯s hesitant voice. ¡°I don¡¯t know what this is, but I just wanted to make sure you¡¯re doing well in your cultivation¡­ and not getting lonely. I know it can be hard for kids- er, people to be away from others for a long time, so don¡¯t push yourself, OK?¡±

    Joram blinked as he took a deep breath to help ease the unexpected tightness in his throat and chest. That¡¯s just like her, caring so much for others, he thought with a smile.

    ¡°So, it¡¯s been over two months now, just checking in. Wanted to know if you needed anything, like snacks or a hug, or something.¡±

    Joram smiled at that one.

    The next eight were also from Tillia, varying in how worried she sounded. It went from a casual inquiry to a near panic and back. Hmm, maybe he shouldn¡¯t stay away for too long at a time¡­

    The last one was from Grammy.

    ¡°I was wondering if you¡¯ll be exiting seclusion for your birthday. Also, your parents have expressed worry over your situation. Though they won¡¯t be back for a while yet, they have expressed a desire to return briefly to see you. Unfortunately, they cannot come back before spring, but I have nonetheless approved a short leave of absence for them to visit and re-connect with you.¡±

    Joram grinned at that last part. It seemed that his parents were very worried about his well being and also missed being able to speak with him whenever they needed/wanted to.

    He sat back on the high stool at the kiosk and sighed. He hadn¡¯t been very¡­ expressive in his past life, leading to not having the standard familial relationships that most people had. Most people he¡¯d known had called their parents or siblings at least once per week to chat and catch up. He¡¯d been closer to the 4-6 weeks kind of person, if not less frequently.

    Not that they¡¯d had a poor relationship, nor were there any other complications resulting in either party not wanting to speak with the other. No, he was just an introvert. He used to joke that he was almost a hermit, happy to just read, write, play the occasional video game, or watch the occasional movie or tv show. The only thing that had caused a deviation in that pattern had been his daughters.

    They¡¯d been his raison d''¨ºtre, then they were gone.

    Then he¡¯d slid right past where he¡¯d been and gone into the realm of ¡°just need to get a certificate to show that he was a hermit¡±.

    Anyway. He was more than happy to start everything over again. Well, he still had his reservations, let alone the fear of truly letting people in because he feared to lose them one day.

    That said, his current family was awesome. Maybe he was having a better time this time ¡®round because he¡¯d kept his memories, giving him a greater appreciation of what he now had. In the end it didn¡¯t really matter. He was there. He had an awesome family. And he was letting people in.

    With a thought, Joram un-muted his line and sent a message to Grammy.

    ¡®I¡¯ll be out later this evening.¡¯

    He was surprised to get an immediate response.

    ¡®Perfect, I¡¯ll make the arrangements,¡¯ she sent briskly. ¡®Did you find any success in your efforts?¡¯

    ¡®Not yet,¡¯ he sent ruefully, mostly because of how distracted they¡¯d become. ¡®But I think that I¡¯ve managed to get a good foundation laid for future work.¡¯

    ¡®Marvelous! I¡¯ll see you later this evening then,¡¯ she sent, then cut off the connection.

    Well, that was abrupt, he thought with a frown. Well, no sense in overthinking it.

    Mind 2: Ah, my first Auction! I can¡¯t wait to see if they¡¯re anything like what the stories made them out to be!

    ¡®Joram? We¡¯ve arrived at our first auction house where the next major auction will be the day after tomorrow,¡¯ Avi sent, a bit of excitement coming through.

    Welp, I guess I¡¯m not the only one who got excited, he though with a grin. If Avi was indeed as much of an otaku as he was, then she¡¯d be pumped. He was a bit disappointed to not be there ¡°in person¡±, but he couldn¡¯t do much about it as he was fairly sure that kids weren¡¯t allowed to participate.

    ¡®Nice! Hope you guys have some fun!¡¯

    ¡®Oh, we surely will!¡¯

    Mind 2: Yeah, just read over the rules; no kids allowed. Well, it¡¯ll only be a decade or so more. Time¡¯ll fly!

    Mind 3: Yeah, yeah, live it up. We¡¯re all the same person after all.

    Mind 2: Spoil-sport.

    What¡¯s wrong with me? He thought as he rubbed his temples then sighed. He¡¯d always been the most competitive with himself, so this shouldn¡¯t have surprised him in the least.

    Well, at least he wouldn¡¯t get bored¡­

    Dismissing that line of thought for later, Joram looked over to Mind 3, who was ¡°wearing¡± an image of his Planar self to make it easier to perform the various tasks he needed to accomplish. On that note, Mind 2 was walking around with Avi in the image of his High Elan self. Both minds occupied a psicrystal-cognizance crystal hybrid. Well, that wasn¡¯t all, but close enough. The end effect allowed each Mind to produce a ¡°body¡± that appeared real to any observers out there. And with the addition of [Barred Mind], it appeared to any would be investigators that they were wearing an aura shroud item, so no need to try and explain a lack of cultivation.

    It was a bit taxing on his psionic reserves to keep up the disguises, but he hoped that it would pay out.

    He glanced at an analogue clock on the wall, saw that he had several more hours before he needed to leave, so he decided to have a look at his Knowledge Star.

    Once there, he was once again struck by the view. His Knowledge Star had grown well over the past months, not only increasing its diameter, but also adding two extra rings resulting in the orbiting cores taking a wider orbit. The lightshow was no longer as densely packed as it used to be but was still quite a sight.

    If his Knowledge Star continued to grow at this pace, he¡¯d need to expand their orbits further. Not that that would be a problem, just time consuming.

    Well, his Knowledge Star¡¯s growth wasn¡¯t the only factor in the need to expand the orbits of the cores. Even with the minimal down-time he had to cultivate, the cores had managed to grow at a half-decent rate. Well, for him anyway. Any other cultivator would have likely been disgusted at their growth rate. He took solace in the fact that his cultivation was still progressing, even at a snail¡¯s pace.

    From what he¡¯d observed, he was fairly certain that if he wasn¡¯t able to correct his energy pathways, he wouldn¡¯t be able to break through to the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier. Yes, he could still accumulate mana and condense it to build his cores, but the hallmark of the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier was to be able to sense ¡°Earth Qi/Mana¡±. He had no idea why it was different, or what made it ¡°Earth Qi/Mana¡±, but without being able to sense it and condense it into one¡¯s core, you wouldn¡¯t be able to make your way to the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier.

    Part of the process was circulating that mana through your body, slowly preparing it to be able to house that qualitatively more potent mana without hurting yourself. If you went all-in, trying to incorporate it into your core before your body was prepared, well, that¡¯s when people died. In unpleasant ways.

    And until he was able to properly circulate said mana, he¡¯d be stuck in the 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier.

    Yes, he could change his physical body pretty much at will, but the changes to the body from cultivation were¡­ different. Maybe after he¡¯d taken the Nine Revolving Pathways Pill a few times while [Delve]¡¯ing himself would he be able to see what changed in his body when he reworked pathways, as well as the how. Yes, his body scanning device was helpful, but only so far as it was programmed to be so. If it didn¡¯t know what to look for, and have the appropriate sensors for it, then the whole contraption would be useless in this endeavour.

    Then he had a thought. Tier 5 medicinal ingredients were ridiculously expensive, especially for someone of his level. He¡¯d need to make lots more money, probably even more than what Avi was able to find and bring back in the form of raw resources.

    He¡¯d been playing around with the idea for a while now but had been a bit hesitant to go forward with it.

    It revolved around his ability to make psionic items. Well, most people just called them ¡°magic¡± items as they were effectively the same thing. However, the item he wanted to make was probably unique: a one-shot healing item.

    No, it wasn¡¯t like a pill, it was an item that would store a single use of [Mend Body], which would provide instant healing. To make it more appealing, he would set it so that it would activate for the person carrying it when they started dying, effectively making it a life-saving item. Of course, it could also be activated manually if that person wanted to use it on someone else.

    Who wouldn¡¯t want that, he thought with a grin as he checked his stock of Dust Crystals.

 Chapter 024

    It didn¡¯t take him long to gather a small pile of brown topaz, what a jeweller might refer to as ¡°Imperial¡± grade due to their clarity. It took just a bit longer for him use [Modify Matter] on them, turning the pile of raw crystals into a pile of finely cut gems.

    A quick count gave him over three hundred pear-cut, or rose-cut as he preferred to call it, brown imperial topazes. He¡¯d made them flat on one side, intending for them to easily be added to some form of jewellery so that whoever bought them would be able to carry them about with ease.

    Then came the tedious part: enchanting. It wouldn¡¯t have been so bad if he could enchant by the batch. Unfortunately, each gem had to be enchanted by itself. Maybe he could work on a method to enchant by the batch some time in the future, but for now he needed to do it the old-fashioned way.

    Even with the tremendous reduction in time needed to enchant when one used Dust Crystals, it still took him one minute per gem. Which, to be fair, was ridiculous in terms of enchanting speed. The customized power he was putting into each topaz would normally require about 2 days to enchant without the use of Dust Crystals.

    Was that OP? Surely. Were the Dust Crystals used in this process likely more expensive than the items he made? Yes? If he had been back on Golarion, Dust Crystals would have gone for hundreds of gold pieces per shard. A Shard being defined as the smallest unit that a Dust Crystal would form at, which would reduce the crafting time needed by about 1 hour.

    Here? It was probably worth much more.

    Except, he was using the Dust Crystals to make items that didn¡¯t exist in this world. Meaning, he would make a fortune, even considering the amount of Dust he was using.

    Why go through all this effort when he could easily heal himself without needing to rely on a magic item? Well.

    If he wanted to get his hands on the many alchemical ingredients that he needed, then he needed vast sums of money.

    He glanced at the clock on the wall and frowned. Time sure passed quickly when one was grinding out life-saving items¡­

    Mind 3 looked over at Joram as he stood up and stretched.

    Mind 3: You¡¯re off then?

    The corner of Joram¡¯s mouth twitched upwards. ¡°You already know the answer to that,¡± he said, tone as dry as a desert. ¡°Why do I keep asking myself questions that I already know the answers to?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re bored?¡±

    Touch¨¦, he thought, shaking his head. This wasn¡¯t any different from someone talking to themself as they worked on something. Except those people didn¡¯t have their answers come from a hologram imbued with a copy of their own mind, still connected to their own mind¡­

    He looked down at the small pile of completed [Mend Body] gems, twenty-four in total, and smiled. If he considered that a healing pill that could rapidly close wounds was at least Tier 3, then the gems would probably be considered Tier 4. Then, given that they were unique items, they''d likely fall in the range of a Tier 6 item, maybe even Tier 7 since one just needed to have it on their person for it to automatically work. Which meant that each would sell in the range of High-grade, Tier 3 Crystals.

    Now, if he could get them to be placed in an auction, then competition might get fierce.

    With one of those happy/pleased/ecstatic shivers, he took a step forward, shifting back to Grammy¡¯s cultivation room mid-step. He still needed to keep up appearances after all.

    - -- - - -

    Mind 2 was impressed. If anything, the manga, manhwas, and manhuas had undersold just how opulent auction houses were. Or maybe it was just this one, Heaven¡¯s Bounty, that tried to live up to its name. And whoever had made the interior design decisions had decided that the bounty of heaven meant gold. Lots, and lots of gold.

    There was gold leaf on everything in sight. Now, he¡¯d never been one for gold, having viewed it as somewhat gaudy, and this auction house cemented that opinion in his mind. He was tempted to quickly whip up a pair of sunglasses to help mitigate the glare, but thought better of it as ¡°sunglasses¡± didn¡¯t seem to be a thing here.

    Well, he and Avi had scoped the joint and those who entered it. To be precise, what those people were wearing. It had then taken them two whole days to program several new outfits into their psicrystals. It was amazingly complicated to make clothing realistic, from how textures interacted with light, wind, and even gravity, to how they felt should someone touch them. Heck, they¡¯d even gone so far as to include scent into the mix. Who knew when you¡¯d run into someone with a crazy sense of smell?

    With that tedious task completed, they now had another day and a half to kill before the actual auction. So, why were they there? Well.

    Mind 1, Joram Prime, the Head Honcho, etc., had come up with a brilliant idea to keep them from running through their mana crystal supply, which was why Mind 2 and Avi had entered a waiting room for an appraiser to arrive.

    ¡®So, how much do you think they¡¯ll sell for?¡¯ he sent to Avi, tearing his eyes away from the overabundance of gold.

    ¡®Oh, at least one hundred high-grade Tier 3 Crystals or so,¡¯ Avi sent thoughtfully as she idly played with her crystal goblet of water. It seemed that this auction house took prospective sellers seriously, especially ones dressed as nicely as them.

    Mind 2 nodded, playing it cool. Since he was still Joram, he failed to keep the glint out of his eyes. That was a lot of Crystals. He idly played with his collar, not used to having something rubbing his neck. It was purely psychological, as he didn¡¯t have any feeling in his ¡°skin¡±. Instead, they relied on [Touchsight] to keep track of where their hands contacted another object or person, nevermind how they sat, walked, and generally interacted with their environment.

    He was very glad that they didn¡¯t have to actively keep [Holographic Image] going, manually tweaking it as they went. It would have taken much more concentration to do so than would seem ¡°natural¡± to any observer. Instead, they¡¯d used their psicrystals to house the ¡°programming¡±, keying it to react to their thoughts, following the same signals one used to move a physical body.

    Mind 2 looked up when the door opened, revealing a short¡¯ish balding man who appeared to be middle-aged as well as a female attendant, dressed in what he would call a red traditional Chinese dress, with gold scrollwork along the hems and across the bust. Well, one of the less conservative ones with the slits halfway up the thighs and showed a sizable amount of cleavage. Her hair was even tied up in twin buns, a la Sailor Moon, though this girl had black hair. Maybe she was closer to Chun-Li, though without the cloth covering the buns.

    His mind was wandering.

    ¡°Greetings esteemed guests, I am Seth Rose, senior appraiser of the Heavan¡¯s Bounty Auction House,¡± he said as way of greetings and introduction, though he ignored the attendant.

    His name, however, caused Mind 2 to quirk an eyebrow. His name sounded distinctly¡­ North American. Maybe it was just the auto-translation doing it, but it still threw him for a bit of a loop.

    ¡°A pleasure,¡± Avi saved his bacon.

    ¡°So, what would you like to have appraised today?¡± Mr Rose asked politely from across the small round table they were sitting at.

    ¡®I got this,¡¯ Mind 2 sent to Avi, confident as could be.

    ¡°We came across this unusual gem recently and suspect that it might be a Relic grade artifact,¡± he said, retrieving one of the topazes from an inner breast pocket, then placing it on the table between them.

    Seth regarded the clear brown gem for a moment before once again looking up at them. ¡°What do you suspect it does?¡±

    ¡°I am proficient in Mental Strength, you see, and I get a very strong impression from it,¡± Mind 2 said, causing both Mr Rose and the attendant to raise their eyebrows. ¡°I am unfamiliar with the exact enchantment used, but I feel it has to do with¡­ healing,¡± he said, pausing at the end for dramatic effect.

    That sure got Mr Rose¡¯s attention. His eyes locked onto the glittery brown gem as he pulled out the chair opposite and sat down. He then pulled out what looked like a jeweler¡¯s loupe and leaned forwards to better inspect the object of his curiosity.

    Mind 2, or M2 as he now thought of himself, was interested to see that Mr Rose was very careful not to actually touch the topaz. Instead, he used what looked like padded tweezers to move it this way and that to catch the light.

    ¡°This is a magnificent specimen¡­¡± he said, still inspecting the gem. ¡°I would say that it is at least a grade 4 gem, with impeccable workmanship.¡±

    M2 nodded along, guessing that this was one of those cases where the higher the grade, the better, unlike other grading systems. Avi was also nodding along, a faint smile on her face. She likely knew all about that with how much time she¡¯d spent researching in the Library.

    ¡°That said, I cannot speak to the enchantment in the gem, as I am not proficient in Mental Strength,¡± he said, finally looking at them. ¡°What I can do is call for another appraiser to inspect this.¡±

    ¡°We would appreciate that,¡± Avi said with a slight nod of her head.

    ¡°Also, if it does indeed turn out to be a healing-type artifact, we would need to test it out to know just how effective it is,¡± Mr Rose said as he motioned to the attendant, who then slipped out the door, quiet as a mouse.

    ¡°That is understandable,¡± Avi said with another slight nod. ¡°But, what happens if it turns out to be a single-use item? How would we be compensated for that?¡±

    ¡°Good question. If the gem¡¯s enchantment does get used up in the testing, we would recompense you the value of an equivalent healing pill.¡±

    ¡®Not bad,¡¯ M2 sent to Avi as turned slightly to look directly at him.

    ¡®Yes, that would still give us a net profit,¡¯ she confirmed, then nodded to him.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°Yes, that would be acceptable,¡± M2 said once he¡¯d turned back to Mr Rose.

    After the three of them exchanged another round of minimal nods, they sat back to wait.

    Not long.

    The door opened much faster than it had when Mr Rose and the attendant had entered, admitting an older man in expensive coral and saffron coloured silk robes¡­ and with Doc Brown hair. Yup, that ruined the image slightly.

    ¡°Seth, move over so I can see!¡± The man almost shouted as he practically flew to the table.

    ¡®OK, we¡¯ve got a lively one here,¡¯ M2 sent to Avi.

    ¡®No kidding¡­ The man seriously looks like Christopher Lloyd cosplaying in a Chinese period drama,¡¯ she sent right back, amusement coming through heavily.

    M2 had to stifle a laugh, not wanting to ruin their impression of him.

    ¡°This would be our chief Mental Energy consultant, Evan Zimmer,¡± Mr Rose said as he quickly got out of the way. ¡°He has been with Heaven¡¯s Bounty for over thirty years and has had many great accomplishments in his tenure here.¡±

    ¡°Most impressive,¡± M2 said, successfully managing to not channel his inner James Earl Jones.

    ¡°Yes, he has reached Tier 4 and is also one of our prized artifact refiners,¡± Mr Rose said, talking Evan Zimmer up, trying to impress them.

    M2 smiled and tried to look impressed. Over the course of his studies, he¡¯d found out that even though Joram¡¯s psionic reserves would have him at only later Tier 1, his/their control and versatility were likely Tier 9 or so.

    So, M2 and Avi watched as ¡®Doc Brown¡¯ took his time investigating the topaz. It was actually fun to watch as the man became increasingly more agitated as the inspection continued, up until he shot to his feet and yelled.

    ¡°Where did you get this!¡± He then stared at them like his eyes could bore through their skulls and find the answers in their non-existent grey matter.

    *Cough*

    Everyone turned to Mr Rose, who didn¡¯t seem bothered by every eye landing on him.

    ¡°As glad as Heaven¡¯s Bounty is to purchase such information, it is against policy to demand such from our clientele,¡± he explained, a pleasant smile pasted to his face.

    *Cough-grumble-mumble-cough*

    ¡°Yes, please forgive my outburst,¡± Mr Zimmer said around the fist he¡¯d placed in front of his mouth when he¡¯d been¡­ composing himself. ¡°I grew a bit too excited.¡±

    ¡°No need for apologies,¡± Avi said, a reassuring smile on her face. ¡°We, too, grew very excited when we found them.¡±

    ¡°So, yes, I am willing to pay handsomely for the location of where you found this gem,¡± Mr Zimmer said, still managing to stare intently enough to make most people squirm.

    Some people just weren¡¯t people-people¡­ People-persons? New languages suck, especially when trying to translate colloquial terms¡­ M2 grumbled inwardly.

    ¡°We¡¯re sorry, but we¡¯re not in a position to do that,¡± Avi said with an apologetic smile. ¡°But should we find more than what we have, we¡¯d be happy to bring them by.¡±

    All three employees zeroed in on Avi like a ravenous wolf on an injured bunny.

    ¡°You¡¯ve found more?¡± Mr Rose asked, all too casually.

    ¡°That depends on how much this one will fetch at auction,¡± Avi replied with a bright smile.

    Damn, she¡¯s good, M2 thought as he was nearly caught in the overwhelming radiance of her smile.

    Unfortunately for them, Mr Rose and Mr Zimmer had no such resistance to said smile from years of exposure to it, so they practically fell over each other assuring her that it would indeed sell for a fortune!

    Even the attendant seemed transfixed by Avi¡¯s smile for a moment before she was able to turn away, a blush colouring her cheeks.

    ¡°Our monthly auction takes place the day after tomorrow, and we¡¯d be honoured to feature it there,¡± Mr Rose said with his best deal-closer smile. ¡°I will have to speak with the coordinator, but I am sure that this will be, at the very least, one of the top three best items.¡±

    ¡®Hook, line, and sinker,¡¯ Avi sent to M2, gratification coming through clear as day.

    ¡®Indeed,¡¯ he sent with an image of himself nodding sagely.

    ¡°Then, shall we?¡± M2 asked as he stood up, motioning to the topaz.

    ¡°Yes, yes, of course!¡±

    It took another hour to go through registering with the auction house, but in the end they each received a VIP token, allowing them to get a premium box whenever they stopped by. Well, it was the lowest rank of VIP tokens, the Bronze Token. Above that, there was the Silver Token, Gold Token, then the Platinum Token.

    ¡°When you¡¯ve done enough business here, your VIP status will naturally be upgraded. It all depends on the level of business that you provide, be it buying or selling,¡± Mr Rose explained as M2 turned his token over in his hands. It really was made of bronze, though there was an interesting enchantment included in its make. Likely just a verification-type enchantment.

    ¡°I look forward to doing much more business with Heaven¡¯s Bounty,¡± Avi replied graciously, a small smile on her face. ¡°Then we shall return on the day of the auction.¡±

    With that said, Avi took the lead in leaving the meeting room where they¡¯d done their paperwork. It was a short walk back outside where the sun told them that they¡¯d actually spent a few hours in the auction house.

    ¡®I hate paperwork,¡¯ M2 groused to Avi.

    ¡®Well, get used to it!¡¯ Avi sent back cheerily.

    And here I thought that I¡¯d get some slack for not being the prime, he thought ruefully as he followed Avi.

    * * * * *

    Ah, this is bliss, Joram thought as the was engulfed in a hug from Tillia, enjoying the soft-yet-firm feeling on his face. He¡¯d been enjoying the sensation for a good ten minutes but decided that he should probably start listening to what she was saying.

    ¡°¡­ and that¡¯s when I finally kicked that jerk across the yard!¡± Tilla said, pride coming through at the end of her annoyed rant.

    Going back a moment, Joram realized that Tillia had literally kicked someone across one of the training yards for bad-mouthing him.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who admonished me saying that it was always better to talk things out?¡± He asked, leaving out the ¡°if possible¡± part at the end, suspecting that it hadn¡¯t quite been possible¡­ from her perspective.

    Joram smiled at the indignant look that appeared on her face, then pouted when Tillia released him from her sweet embrace to look at him from arms¡¯ length.

    ¡°That was when I thought you were still a child!¡± She said, then her battle intent flared up. ¡°Hamon deserved it! He wouldn¡¯t stop insulting you and insisting that I should instead go ¡®serve¡¯ him instead of you, a ¡®useless cripple¡¯. Eventually I had enough, so I challenged him¡­¡± she trailed off, finally realizing how that might sound to someone.

    ¡°Thank you for defending my honour,¡± he said with a smile, then dove back in for another hug. It was easy, as he¡¯d been sitting on her lap the entire time.

    He couldn¡¯t catch the colour of her cheeks through [Touchsight], but from the flustered look on her face, he was sure that she was indeed blushing.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s your cultivation now?¡± He asked from his now-favourite cuddle spot.

    ¡°Hah!¡± She said, puffing out her chest and placing her hands on her hips, which did wonderful things for him. ¡°I¡¯m now at the peak of Tier 1!¡±

    Joram sat back, eyes wide. She¡¯d made incredible progress with her cultivation. He felt a bit bad that he hadn¡¯t managed to find her a cultivation method that was perfectly suited for her, but also very proud of her dedication.

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing,¡± he said, a huge smile replacing the shocked expression from a moment before. ¡°Are you close to being able to break through?¡±

    She looked at him with a glint in her eye. ¡°I was planning on going into seclusion after your birthday party to try to break through,¡± she said, proud as could be, chin raised high.

    He chuckled a bit then, for his imagination added a bit of something to that moment. Every time a character in a manhwa or manhua bragged too much, overly proud of something, they¡¯d be drawn with an incredibly long nose. Yes, Tillia¡¯s nose had done just such a thing in his overactive imagination.

    ¡°Well, let me know if I can do anything to help make the process as seamless as possible for you,¡± he said, still smiling.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± she said, now unable to look at him in the eye. ¡°The Matriarch gave me permission to collect your weekly cultivation resources, so I did¡­¡±

    ¡°OK¡­?¡±

    ¡°She also gave me permission to use whatever I needed from it since you weren¡¯t using any¡­¡±

    ¡°Tillia?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Joram?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you used what you needed to. This is what allowed you to fuel your progress, and I couldn¡¯t be happier for you,¡± he said, looking her straight in the eye.

    Tillia looked like she was about to say something, then coughed and looked away.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said quietly, uncharacteristically embarrassed, and shy.

    ¡°Then shall we meet Grammy?¡± He asked, poking her in the belly.

    She jumped, nearly knocking him out of her lap. ¡°Don¡¯t do that!¡± She exclaimed, eyes nearly bugging out as she tried to give him her most serious look.

    ¡°No belly pokes; gotcha!¡± He said with a grin, then hopped down.

    - - - - -

    ¡°It is good to see you, Joram,¡± Grammy said with a smile as they entered the sitting room they¡¯d used for his third birthday. Though, this time it was only the three of them; him, Tillia, and Grammy.

    ¡°I missed you too,¡± he said, going in for a hug and was pleased that it was freely given.

    ¡°So, tell me of your progress,¡± Grammy said, picked up Joram, then strolled over to the round table they¡¯d used before.

    ¡°Hmmm, there wasn¡¯t much progress in my cultivation, but I believe that I might see results soon with how much I¡¯ve learned about my body and pathways,¡± he said as she placed him in a chair, then sat to his left while Tillia took the seat to his right.

    ¡°Oh? Do tell,¡± Grammy said, then rang a bell, calling the servants in to set the table and load it up with plenty of food that soon had him salivating. As much as he¡¯d claimed back on Earth that he wouldn¡¯t mind giving up food if he ever got something like a Ring of Sustenance, well, maybe that had been an exaggeration. The sentiment had come when he¡¯d gotten tired of constantly having to prepare food, buy food, plan out meals, etc.. Nevermind having to go shopping and spending all that money¡­

    Yes, he¡¯d been a rather¡­ frugal, person.

    As soon as the servants were gone, he began explaining his findings and how he was working on a device that would help map out a person''s body and energy pathways.

    Grammy just stared at him, eyes nearly popping out of her sockets. Joram noticed that Tillia was in a slightly better state, but shock was still written all over her face.

    Ah, there¡¯s that. Is Grammy wondering where it is? Or how I¡¯d come across the materials needed for development and crafting? Well, crap. We both know that I don¡¯t have enough space in my storage ring.

    Joram sighed.

    ¡°You know how, when a cultivator develops far enough that they can store bound items in their Knowledge Sea?¡± He asked, then continued when Grammy nodded ever-so-slightly. ¡°Well, I can do something like that too,¡± he said, not quite looking at his beloved Grammy.

    For her part, she took it reasonably well. And by reasonably well, he meant that he wasn¡¯t immediately punted out the window, nor did he have his ear nearly twisted off. No, instead she went into full research mode.

    ¡°Have you always been able to do this? Are the things you store away actually in your Knowledge Sea, erm, Knowledge Star? What¡¯s the volume you¡¯re able to store? Or is it by weight? What are the limitations? Can you only store away inanimate objects? Or can you put things like plants in there? Would an insect/animal/person survive there? How-¡°

    Joram cut her off, not wanting to let her keep going as it would likely take him all night to just briefly cover what she wanted to know.

    ¡°No, no, not sure, nope, many?, no, yes, and yes x3. That said, there are a few things that we¡¯ll need to go over once mom and dad return for a visit.¡±

    Grammy looked like she¡¯d tried to swallow a watermelon instead of her questions. She then took a moment to compose herself, then took a tangent by starting to serve up some food for him and herself.

    Once his plate had been piled high, and Tillia had done the same for herself, Grammy nibbled on a lumpia before she finally asked another question, which caught him with a full mouth.

    ¡°Anything else you¡¯d like to share with us?¡± Grammy asked in a soft voice, eyes glinting.

    ¡°Well, there might be a few things I¡¯ve not shared about myself¡­¡± he hedged, looking out the window.

    ¡°Anything that might¡­ make things easier?¡±

    Easier for whom?! Joram shouted in his head.

    ¡°I might have an item that could be useful to the clan,¡± he said absently, admiring the beautiful sky outside. It was truly a fantastic day for the middle of ¡°winter. Hah, winter. He¡¯d compare the winters here to those one would find in the lower-mainland of B.C. back on Earth¡­

    ¡°¡­ and that would be¡­?¡±

    Joram cleared his throat, looked over to Tillia, whose eyes were locked onto him, not unlike someone seeing a strange and fantastical beast for the first time, then shifted a topaz from his realm onto the table in front of him.

    Grammy glanced at it, a confused look on her face until she examined it with her Mental Strength. It was then that she realized what was sitting in front of her, or at least the complexity of it.

    She looked at him, asking silent permission to touch it, so he nodded and watched as she reached out and gingerly picked it, awe evident in her body language.

    It only took her a few moments to finish examining it, probably due to her low attainments in Mental Strength. She looked back to Joram; shocked disbelief written all over her face.

    ¡°You made this?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    *Pause*

    ¡°I feel that it has to do with the body, but it is much too complex for me to decipher,¡± Grammy said, respect heavy in her voice.

    ¡°Hah! You got that right,¡± he said with a grin, also catching Tillia¡¯s confused expression behind him. ¡°Once you¡¯ve attuned yourself to it by touching it with your Mental Strength, it can be used at any time. It even has an automatic function that will activate should you suffer mortal wounds.¡±

    Grammy paused a moment to let that sink it, then to suss-out the implied meaning behind his words.

    ¡°This is a healing item,¡± she said, pure shock suffusing her words.

    ¡°Why are you so surprised?¡± Joram asked with a quirked eyebrow for emphasis. ¡°I¡¯ve told you that I can do as much by myself.¡±

    ¡°But to be able to make an artifact that can do the same¡­¡± she trailed off, not quite sure how to put the myriad of swirling thoughts in her head into words.

    ¡°Ah, I guess magic items here aren¡¯t as advanced,¡± Joram said, nodding sagely.

    ¡°Joram?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Grammy.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a monster.¡±

    ¡°That hurts.¡±

 Chapter 025

    Her eyes nearly bugged out when she realized what, exactly, she¡¯d just said. Her mind was in such an upheaval that she hadn¡¯t been able to say what she¡¯d actually meant.

    ¡°No! I meant that you have monstrous talent and ability!¡± She said hurriedly, not wanting Joram to mistake her intent.

    To her relief, and partial chagrin, Joram just laughed it off.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Grammy, I got what you meant,¡± he said, still chuckling.

    Tatia looked over at Tillia and realized that she, too, had been struck by Joram¡¯s casual revelation that he could make artifacts that had never existed before now.

    Sure, there were some Tier 7 artifacts that could do similar things, but they relied heavily on using Tier 4 Mana, also known as Immortal Qi, to do something similar; and those were legendary items. Entire empires had gone to war over those life-saving items.

    ¡°These are a bit different though,¡± Joram said, interrupting her thoughts. ¡°They are single-use items, meaning that they¡¯ll only work the once, much like a medicinal pill.¡±

    She didn¡¯t know why, but she felt a surge of relief and disappointment in equal measures. It was probably for the best that it was a single-use item, and that people wouldn¡¯t likely hunt him down with quite as much fervor should his secret get out, but she¡¯d also had (however briefly) dreams of equipping the many agents of the Clan who were out on assignment with these miraculous artifacts; thus, reducing the number of casualties they suffered.

    ¡°That said,¡± Joram continued. ¡°It would probably be too expensive to make something that could be used once or twice per day, so I probably won¡¯t produce more than a few of those.¡±

    Tatia¡¯s mind was once again blown then scattered to the four winds.

    ¡°You can make permanent artifacts that can heal someone?¡± Tillia asked, though it barely registered to Tatia.

    ¡°Yeah, but from Grammy¡¯s reaction, it probably wouldn¡¯t be a good idea¡­ Though, I probably could make them so that they could only be used by one person¡­¡± He mused, one arm held across his chest while the other was propped up at the elbow by the first, his second hand stroking his chin like he had a beard¡­ Which was more disjointing to her than what he was claiming to be able to do. It brought back to mind, with almost a vengeance, the knowledge that Joram was a Reincarnator.

    She hadn¡¯t realized just how important Joram had become to her, on a personal level. Yes, he was a talented youth with one of the most exciting cultivation issues in recorded history, but he was also a grown man on the inside, trapped in the body of a child. They¡¯d become so close over the years that his true identity had actually managed to slip into the background of her mind, even with the many ridiculously over-powered things that he could do.

    But this one took the cake, as it were.

    To be able to produce such a life-saving artifact so casually was beyond over-powered and bordered on what she would call ¡°godly¡±. But she knew full-well that he hadn¡¯t been any such thing in his previous life. So, just what/where had he studied to get to his level? Who had taught him?

    ¡°Joram?¡± Tatia asked, interrupting his conversation with Tillia.

    ¡°Yes, Grammy?¡± He asked, turning to look at her.

    ¡°Who taught you?¡± There, she¡¯d finally asked; relief practically flooding out of her.

    Joram looked a bit uncomfortable for a moment, going to conflicted, then it finally landed on resolved.

    ¡°This may take a bit, why don¡¯t you have a bite to eat,¡± he said, sliding her plate closer to her with a wave of his hand.

    Then she listened as she nibbled on the ¡°lumpia¡± that Joram loved so much.

    It was almost the same story that he¡¯d shared with them three years ago, except for one major detail.

    Altaea.

    Tatia was once again struck, though this time from what the name meant to their clan. She didn¡¯t know if it was a coincidence or not, but that was the name of the Founder, only known to the Matriarch of the clan and no one else. It wasn¡¯t even written down, but passed on as an oral tradition that had been kept nigh unto twenty-thousand years.

    The ¡°official¡± founding of the clan had only been about ten-thousand years ago, but the history of their lineage was much, much, more ancient than that.

    ¡°¡­ and she taught me various crafting techniques,¡± he said. ¡°I do miss being able to pick up a rock or piece of wood and just start carving.¡± He said with a whimsical smile and a far-away look in his eyes.

    ¡°So, you do know martial arts!¡± Tillia said from his side, eyes wide.

    ¡°Well, nothing like what¡¯s used here, but yes. But why does that matter?¡±

    ¡°Well, ah¡­¡± Tillia stammered. ¡°It¡¯s, ah, because I was wondering if you actually knew how to fight¡­¡±

    That was not what Tatia had been expecting to hear. So, she cleared her throat to get their attention, and brought the conversation back around.

    ¡°Are you able to make more of these for the clan, Joram?¡±

    He looked up at her, a look of surprise on his face. ¡°Of course, but not too many,¡± he said, now using his hand to speak more. ¡°If I make them for the clan, no one can know they came from me. Also, I¡¯d like to know where I can get more of this Sky Nether Jade from,¡± he said, holding up his Authority Token.

    Tatia was nodding along up to that point, then had to pause a moment to process what he¡¯d said, then try to figure out why he would need more Sky Nether Jade. Then the most obvious answer came to her.

    ¡°Is it important for your cultivation?¡±

    Joram nodded at her slightly. ¡°I think so. If I can find a higher purity seam of it, I think it will be very efficacious for not just me, but for the clan.¡±

    Tatia knew of the obvious use of Sky Nether Jade, which was to sooth one¡¯s mind and allow for mental energy to regenerate passively for a practitioner of Mental Strength.

    ¡°Do you plan on making things from it?¡± She asked, suspecting as much, but still unsure of his motives.

    ¡°Well, it does have a good affinity for psionic energy, so it will take enchantments much better than most things I can think of,¡± he said, a thoughtful look on his face. ¡°Well, aside from my personal use, I think that I can make an array using the jade for the array plates. I¡¯ll have to do a bit more research, but the array should have similar benefits to using a mana accumulating array, but for someone cultivating mental strength.¡±

    Tatia wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d heard properly, but then just gave up trying to make sense of her non-sensical great-grandson. Her world had been virtually turned upside-down with the revelations of the day, and there would likely be more coming.

    ¡°Yes, I think that I can get someone to compile a list of known seams,¡± she said faintly.

    ¡®You¡¯re the best, Grammy!¡± Joram said with a huge smile taking up an impressive amount of his face. ¡°Oh, and is it possible to get a space set aside for my own personal cultivation room?¡±

    Tatia just nodded, having already planned to have one made for him. ¡°And when you¡¯re in ¡®seclusion¡¯, Tillia will also be allowed to use it.¡±

    Joram beamed at her. ¡°That would be great! She¡¯s made fantastic progress, so I hope that she¡¯ll continue to get the support she needs to continue her growth.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± she said, regaining a bit of herself as the discussion went back to more ¡°normal¡± things. ¡°I will continue to allow Tillia to withdraw both of your weekly allotments of cultivation resources from the Clan Treasury. I also knew that you wouldn¡¯t mind Tillia using the portions you weren¡¯t using.¡±

    She saw Tillia colour slightly at that and shift a bit in her seat, but also noticed how Joram¡¯s smile turned more amused when Tillia¡¯s discomfort translated to fidgeting.

    Did he see Tillia¡¯s reaction somehow? She mused, filing that one away for later.

    Joram shrugged, then said ¡°She needs them more than I do right now, so no worries.¡±

    From there, they spoke of cultivation and shared what insights each of them had in the hopes that it would help Tillia successfully navigate her breakthrough to Tier 2.

    Tatia was relieved that Tillia hadn¡¯t started on the path of Mental Strength yet, as that was another thing she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about. She was pleased with Tillia¡¯s progress even though she was much older than others who¡¯d already reached Tier 2 in her generation. Yet her progress wasn¡¯t any worse than her peers.

    Yes, she was a bit behind, but Tatia figured that she would soon surpass the ¡°geniuses¡± of her generation. And with someone who was gaining such popularity by Joram¡¯s side Tatia wouldn¡¯t have to worry too much for him.

    Sure, there would be come complaints that a prodigy shouldn¡¯t be tied to a ¡°cripple¡±, but they should be in the minority. She had enough complaints because she hadn¡¯t acquiesced to the demands to cancel Joram¡¯s engagement to Xiora. Hopefully, they¡¯d soon see how short sighted they¡¯d all been when Joram eventually revealed his godly talent for Mental Strength.

    Tatia nearly laughed out loud then. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to call it that, not with who his teacher had been, or what she¡¯d done for, and to, him.

    ¡°Joram? Would you be amenable to showing your talent for Mental Strength to the clan to stop the rumour mill and nay-sayers from running rampant?¡±. Tatia asked, in apart to help Joram have a smoother time of it, but also in no small part in consideration for her future headaches.

    He looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°No, I¡¯ll silence them all once I¡¯ve sorted out how to continue advancing in my magical cultivation.¡±

    Tatia felt a small chill run down her spine at the look that briefly glinted in his eyes as he said that. She was sure that he was a generally gentle person, so she really didn¡¯t fear that he¡¯d go on a rampage slaughtering all those who¡¯d persecuted him. What she did suspect was that he might be a little ruthless in his verbal denouncement of his detractors, likely to shame them almost to death.

    She paused at that thought, reflecting on the current status of the clan, its members, and their general attitude when interacting with others¡­ and found them wanting. A culture of superiority seemed to have made its was into their hearts, causing them to look down on others not as talented as themselves.

    One thing she was glad about was that there wasn¡¯t an elitist mentality where wealth was concerned. All knew that if they worked hard, wealth would be a natural by-product of said hard work.

    Well, she hoped that they wouldn¡¯t be crushed too hard when the time came.

    * * * * *

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    It had been a good day. A visit and meal with Grammy and Tillia, and now an evening with more Tillia time.

    ¡°So, would you like to learn Psionics like me?¡±. He asked as they sat for evening tea, a wonderful blend that reminded him of red apple green tea.

    ¡°Me!?¡± She exclaimed, eyes going wide in disbelief.

    Joram made a show of looking around the room, then looked her in the eye. ¡°Yes. Once you¡¯ve broken through to Tier 2, we can start the training, if you¡¯re amenable.¡± He said, with a slight grin.

    Tillia sat there with a blush on her face for a bit before finally composing herself.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I am talented enough to have a dual focus like you,¡± she said, head slightly bowed, peeking up at him as she spoke.

    Joram nodded at that, but also shrugged.

    ¡°Talent is only a small part of one¡¯s potential; the rest is hard work and dedication. Yes, it may take a long time to advance in both areas, but I think that it would be worth it to all of us in the long run.¡±

    Tillia sat there for a while, considering her options. It was quite the spectacle because she tended to wear her heart on her sleeve, as they say. Her face was a book to read if one had the ability, and he did. Well, mostly. He wasn¡¯t as good as his favourite Paradox Wizard who happened to love giant trees almost as much as he did, but he was still better than the average bear.

    That said, by the time she¡¯d come to her decision, he¡¯d already guessed her answer.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I will at this time,¡± she said at length. ¡°I think that if I split my focus that I won¡¯t be able to achieve my fullest potential right now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Joram said with a nod. And he meant it. If he didn¡¯t have two extra minds helping him with his research and other projects, he¡¯d probably be stuck for a very long time. ¡°But I do hope that you¡¯ll accept a gift from me later.¡±

    He smiled as an interesting mix of confusion and surprise mixed on her face, making her look like a young lass again. Well, young to him anyways; she was, after all, twenty years-old now.

    ¡°Well, I would be very happy to accept a gift from you,¡± she finally said, a smile now replacing the previous expression.

    ¡°Sounds good.¡±

    * * * * *

    M2 and Avi had made their way to the auction house the next day, enjoying skipping the normal line-up by instead going to the ¡°preferred customer¡± line where one would need to present their membership card to pass.

    They did just that, somewhat enjoying the jealous looks shot their way, even if they were in the minority compared to the curiosity on most faces. Sure, it was only the Bronze VIP Token, but it was something that was out of reach for most participants of these auctions because they were primarily buyers.

    They were quickly led to their booth where some refreshments awaited and another attendant, a young woman of uncommonly good looks. She, too, was dressed in the style the last attendant had worn, leading M2 to think that it was some sort of uniform.

    Or perhaps it was just that they got better tips that way.

    Who knows?

    Once they¡¯d settled in, they got as comfortable as they could, meaning that they placed their psicrystal bodies on the soft cushions of the chairs. Sure, they did have tactile feedback from their holograms, but it was ultimately just feedback from an ongoing effect. Heck, even laying on a cushion didn¡¯t actually feel any different to them from laying on a stone, it was just a more stable surface to rest on.

    M2 mentally sighed, earning a mental nod from Prime and M3. They knew what that was all about.

    From their booth, they could see various patrons filling the floor seats in the opera house-like auditorium. They were on the second floor, just off centre, to the right. When they ¡°looked¡± with the senses that their psicrystal bodies used, they found that they couldn¡¯t ¡°see¡± into any of the other booths.

    ¡®Huh, they¡¯ve got privacy arrays set up,¡¯ M2 sent to Avi, not bothering with Prime and M3 as they were still connected, not needing the network to share their thoughts even though M2 was ¡°inhabiting¡± a psicrystal.

    ¡®Makes sense. Wouldn¡¯t want to get robbed after buying a particularly expensive item after all,¡¯ she sent back, a light smirk managing to be sent along with the thought.

    ¡®But it doesn¡¯t block [Touchsight],¡¯ he sent with a grin and got a nod in response from Avi.

    ¡®Not that that gives us the right to peek¡­¡¯

    ¡®Nope, nothing of the sort¡­¡¯

    They both laughed over the Network, knowing that they¡¯d both already observed each booth within range of [Touchsight] and memorized the appearance of each person there.

    But because of the arrays, they had no way of judging each person¡¯s cultivation, so it was still best to act with tact and discretion after they finished with the auction.

    Not long after their moment of levity, a person walked out onto the stage and caught everyone¡¯s attention. Not by saying anything, or even signalling for quiet. No, it was because she was drop-dead gorgeous. She wore the same ¡°uniform¡± as every other attendant they¡¯d seen, but hers was¡­ rather well filled-out.

    Her long black hair had a healthy sheen to it, not to mention the slight ultra-violet highlights when the light hit it in just the right way. She had the body of a dancer, or someone who kept themselves fit through regular exercise of one kind or another, yet still managed to remain buxom. He was beginning to suspect that that particular trait wasn¡¯t exclusive to the Clear Knowledge Clan.

    Her eyes were clear amethysts, while her skin was fair and smooth. He suspected that someone more poetic (or someone writing a wuxia/xianxia or something) would describe her skin as being comparable to the purest, most exquisite jade. Well, he wasn¡¯t quite sure if that applied. He¡¯d more describe it as pure alabaster. But maybe he was biased.

    ¡°On behalf of the Heaven¡¯s Bounty Auction House, I welcome our many esteemed guests, be they long-time patrons or visiting for the first time,¡± she said in a melodious voice that managed to carry to every ear perfectly. M2 wasn¡¯t sure if it was the acoustics, an array, or a spell used by the woman, but it was quite effective without being overbearing.

    ¡°Without further ado, I shall start the auction now!¡±

    The crowd gave a great cheer as she stepped to the side to allow another attendant to bring the first item up for auction.

    ¡°This is a Level 2, mid-grade sword crafted and sent to auction by the renowned League of Smiths. This sword is double-edged, sharp enough to cut through steel, and is imbued with an acid enchantment, allowing its damage potential to rise even further,¡± she explained as the attendant drew the sword from its scabbard to show it off.

    It wasn¡¯t a bad blade from what he could see, but not something worthy of note. It looked like one of those ancient Chinese swords. The image reminded him of the sword used in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Pretty, but not terribly useful to him.

    The bidding started from there. He was a bit surprised at how fierce the competition was already. The starting price had been fifteen Tier 1, mid-grade Crystals (or T2MG Crystals for short) and quickly rose to two hundred thirty T1MG Crystals at the end, causing many people to groan at how rich some people were.

    That gave him pause. Yes, he was aware of the value of Crystals, but it hadn¡¯t quite sunken in yet. Like how one was academically aware how cold -40*C was, but you didn¡¯t know what it was like until you experienced it. Now, as the auction went on, he was getting a greater appreciation for it all, and a growing dread as he saw how much various medicinal herbs, monster cores, and ores sold for. If they couldn¡¯t make good money by selling those [Mend Body] gems, then he was going to be going down a very long road of financial atrophy¡­

    Then one of the herbs that they¡¯d been looking for showed up.

    ¡°This next item was found by an intrepid explorer, risking their life to snatch this five-hundred-year-old Dragon Root from its guardian beast,¡± the auctioneer said, motioning to the jade box resting on a cushion held by yet another attendant, who then opened it to reveal¡­ a red root.

    Sure, the practically radiated mana, not to mention a strong medicinal scent¡­ but it still looked like an ordinary root. He was a bit let down, as he¡¯d half expected it to be shaped like a dragon, at least a little bit. But no, just a red root.

    ¡°The starting price is fifty Tier 2, high-grade Crystals and each bid must be no less than ten Tier 2, high-grade crystals,¡± she announced and was very nearly cut off by the sudden bids being shouted out.

    ¡°Sixty!¡±

    ¡°Eighty!¡±

    ¡°I hope that the friends here can give this old man some face and allow me to bid on this Dragon Root for two hundred Tier 2, high-grade Crystals,¡± someone from a booth off to their left called out.

    The resulting murmurs were generally salty at that, as the Dragon Root seemed to be in very high demand.

    M2 thought about this for a moment, not sure if he wanted to try bidding on it as the recipe for the Nine Revolving Pathways Pill called for a Dragon Root to at least one thousand years old.

    ¡®Can we do anything with that?¡¯ He asked Avi, as she had much more experience with the various herbs of this realm.

    ¡®Yes, we can set up a mana-gathering array to help nurture it to where we will need it to be,¡¯ she replied, sounding bored.

    ¡°This one apologizes for his discourtesy,¡± he said, activating the speaking array used in bidding. ¡°But I will bid five hundred Crystals.¡±

    The background noise suddenly swelled as everyone began talking at once.

    ¡°Who would bid that much for a Dragon Root of only five hundred years?¡±

    ¡°It must be an alchemist; they¡¯re all rich.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t that old man Quithana? Who¡¯d be rich enough to bid against him?¡±

    ¡°Then we shall see whose roots are deeper,¡± old man Quithana replied. ¡°Five hundred fifty Crystals.¡±

    ¡°Seven hundred,¡± M2 called out lazily. He was pretty sure that they¡¯d make much more than that with the sale of the [Mend Body] gem, so he didn¡¯t sweat it.

    At that, their theatre in the auction house went silent. M2 could practically feel the frustration and anger radiating from old man Quithana¡¯s booth. However, the old man didn¡¯t raise the price further.

    ¡®You may not realize, but over five hundred Tier 2, high-grade Crystals is already over-spending on this five-hundred-year-old Dragon Root.¡¯

    M2 just shrugged. There was a possibility that he could coax the root to grow again, then split it into two separate plants, effectively doubling what he bought; never mind increasing its potency with mana-gathering arrays.

    ¡°Then if there are no other bids, this Dragon Root shall go to booth seven,¡± the auctioneer said, calling an end to the bidding. ¡°Our next item is from¡­¡±

    M2 enjoyed himself, letting the energy of the auction house add to the experience of attending his first real-life auction.

    He won two other auctions, one for another herb, this time a Heavenly Fire Columbine, the other for a large meteorite that had a significant amount of adamantium ore in it. All-in-all, a good day. And their gem hadn¡¯t even gotten on stage yet.

    The auctioneer called for a short intermission, assuring the crowd that the highest-grade items would come out after the break.

    M2 sat back in his chair, fingers laced together behind his head. ¡°I wonder what else will show up today,¡± he more stated than asked Avi, wanting to keep up appearances with the attendant standing in the corner of their room, still waiting to be called upon.

    ¡°Well, it is a monthly auction, so it shouldn¡¯t be too bad,¡± she replied, showing every indication that she was bored.

    Man, she¡¯s good, he thought as he nodded at what she¡¯d said.

    M2 was aware that Prime was paying attention to what was happening, which wasn¡¯t at all surprising as they were literally one mind, effectively running parallel to each other. What one thought, observed, or experienced was shared equally amongst them all. Well, not quite. If someone were to use a mental attack on him, M2, and manage to destroy his psyche, then his instance of [Schism] would just end. No big deal.

    Then his attention was caught by the attendant in the corner shifting ever-so-slightly as she tried to get comfortable in her corner and remain unobtrusive at the same time.

    ¡°Come, sit with us,¡± M2 said as he looked over his shoulder at the young woman, who jumped at so suddenly being addressed.

    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be proper, young sir,¡± she replied meekly, bowing her head.

    ¡°Is it more proper to ignore the request of a patron?¡± He asked with a slight grin.

    Judging by her blushing cheeks, she also realized that offending a customer wasn¡¯t the route to go if she wanted this to be a long-term job, a career, if you will.

    So, she made her way to the chair to his left and sat down in one of the most proper, ram-rod straight backed examples of propriety he¡¯d ever seen.

    ¡®New girl?¡¯

    ¡®Yup,¡¯ Avi sent back with a mental smirk.

    ¡°Be at ease. Have a snack. Enjoy yourself,¡± M2 said with a warm smile as he motioned to the provided finger food and drinks.

    She looked about to refuse, but then seemed to realize that that would also constitute refusing a reasonable request from a VIP customer, but then did what she was told.

    ¡°Will you not allow me to serve you first?¡± She asked, a plate already in hand, tongs at the ready.

    M2 briefly considered how awkward it would be to pretend to eat what he would be given, then just shrugged when he saw that each morsel of food was already bite sized. Easy enough to just transfer it to storage once it entered his ¡°mouth¡± and pretend to chew it for a few seconds.

    So it was that M2 and Avi accumulated a fair number of snacks for Prime¡¯s later use.

    ¡°Welcome to the second half of today¡¯s auction,¡± the auctioneer said, greeting everyone again. ¡°We shall start off the second half of today with a fine example of a defensive treasure, the¡­¡±

    Joram tuned most of it out, only paying attention to the claimed effects of each item, all artifacts refined/enchanted by various crafters in the region.

    ¡®You know? I think it¡¯ll be worth attending these auctions on the regular to just get an idea of what kind of items people go for.¡¯

    ¡®I agree,¡¯ Avi sent back. ¡®Our repertoire of local enchantments is woefully low, so this will give us some good research materials. Heck, even if we can¡¯t figure out how it¡¯s made, we can always buy it, examine it, then just re-sell it later.¡¯

    M2 nodded at that, then his focus was brought back to the auction as a very small metal box was brought out on a very expensive-looking silk cushion.

    ¡°I would dare to claim that this second-last item up for auction is the most shocking item that this Heaven¡¯s Bounty has had the privilege to sell,¡± she said as she picked up the small metal box and pressed what looked like an authority token to the lid to open it.

    The number of hushed murmurs in the theatre increased suddenly, causing a susurration of astonishment to flow through the space.

    Sure enough, the imperial brown topaz was sitting in the box, glittering at the audience as they took in the sight.

    ¡°This treasure was recently found in an undisclosed ruin. Our auction house had the great fortune to be the one the owner chose to auction this heaven-defying treasure at. From our analysis, this gem has the ability to save the life of the one carrying it from a life-threatening injury. Once attuned, the owner can either let it passively save their life once or use it to save another person¡¯s life.¡±

    She paused there to let her words sink in, and once they did, the reaction of the crowd was explosive.

    ¡°How can such a thing exist?!¡±

    ¡°Are you certain? Your appraisers didn¡¯t make any mistakes?¡±

    ¡°How powerful is the healing effect? A Tier 5 pill? Tier 6?¡±

    ¡°Why isn¡¯t this the last item if it is such an amazing thing?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not getting conned, are we?¡±

    ¡°Esteemed guests,¡± the auctioneer called out to silence the floor. ¡°From what we can tell, the healing effect is equivalent to a Tier 6, high-grade healing pill. The only requirement for its use is to thread a wisp of mental energy into the gem to attune it to you, so that its ability to activate in a life-threatening situation will be automatic.¡±

    The theatre went dead silent.

    ¡°The bidding starts at three hundred, Tier 3, mid-grade Crystals and each bid must be raised by at least fifty Crystals.¡±

    The silence lasted for the span of three heartbeats before the first bid shattered the silence.

    ¡°Four hundred!¡±

 Chapter 026

    ¡°Four-fifty!¡±

    ¡°Five-fifty!¡±

    ¡°Seven hundred!¡±

    M2¡¯s eyes nearly popped out at just how vigorous the bidding was.  The denomination soon slid to Tier 3, high-grade Crystals and kept going until one voice drowned out the rest.

    ¡°I bid five Tier 3 Cards.¡±

    That stopped the bids, often due to someone practically swallowing their tongue when they heard that amount called out.

    M2 was impressed.  A card from each tier was worth one thousand high-grade crystals of the same tier.  The bid was thus for five thousand high-grade Tier 3 Crystals, a sum much greater than most anyone could fork out.  It was on par with the annual tax revenue of an entire small country.  Well, ¡°small¡± was relative here due to the ridiculous size of the planet.  To compare: the small country he referred to would have been the size of South America, with over a billion citizens, probably closer to two billion.

    ¡°We have a bid of five Tier 3 Cards.  Is there anyone else able to bid?¡±  The auctioneer called out, obvious joy at such a ridiculous sum.  After a few moments of absolute silence, she continued.  ¡°Then if there are no further bids, this shall go to booth 2.¡±

    A loud sigh was released when the auctioneer called the winner, and it seemed like half the theatre had been holding their breath, it was so loud.

    Then she masterfully caught the crowd¡¯s attention once again as the last item was brought out on a small cart, its attendant looking like she¡¯d stuck a fork into a wall socket.

    What¡¯s that about?

    ¡°The last item for this month¡¯s auction is something arguably much rarer than the last item,¡± she said, then drew the silk cloth hiding the item away, revealing a single jade scale inside a crystal box, crackling with electricity.

    Both M2 and Avi¡¯s eyes locked onto that familiar scale, now protected inside a crystal box, arrays etched into it to keep the scale from causing untold damage to everything around it.

    ¡®That would be a small scale from the Heavenly Lightning Jade Dragon,¡¯ Avi sent, seeming to be speaking on autopilot.

    ¡®So, that¡¯s what it was called,¡¯ he sent, just as distracted.  His best resistance power hadn¡¯t been able to entirely shrug off the electricity generated by the scales he¡¯d picked up so long ago.  The static field that managed to leak out of the containing arrays was powerful enough to cause the hair on every head within twenty metres to start swaying, the auctioneer and the attendant getting the worst of it.

    It was a small scale, really just a fragment of a larger scale.  Yet the power that radiated from it was still significant.

    M2 noticed the attendant¡¯s eyes had widened as well, Guess this wasn¡¯t a widely publicized item, he thought as he also gauged the reaction of the crowd.  Then general feel was that they, too, were stunned.

    ¡°Our appraisers tell us that this is a fragment of a scale from an ancient lightning dragon.  The uses are varied, from cultivating the body to using it to gain insights into the Law of Lightning to artifact refining and even creating pills.

    ¡°Bidding will start at one hundred mid-grade Tier 3 Crystals and each bid will increase by no less than fifty Crystals,¡± she announced with a grand flourish directed at the scale.

    ¡®They have no idea,'' he sent to Avi, a bit stunned at their lack of knowledge.

    ¡®We could snatch it up for a steal,'' Avi sent, but didn¡¯t seem too interested.

    In truth, neither was he.  It had just provided him with a potent reminder of how weak he was and how he needed to get much stronger than he was currently.  He was glad they¡¯d managed to get the ingredients they needed, though, as that provided the potential to fix his energy pathway issues.  He just hoped that they would be able to figure out how to manipulate his pathways when he examined himself while under the effects of the Nine Revolving Pathways Pill.  Not only would it enable him to progress, but it would also allow him to help others.

    ¡®Nah, we¡¯ve got plenty in storage,¡¯ he sent back with a slight shake of his head.

    It didn¡¯t take long for things to come to a head, then a conclusion.  M2 was surprised at just how much that scale had sold for; a whopping eight hundred sixty high-grade Tier 3 Crystals.  Sure, it wasn¡¯t anywhere near what the [Mend Body] gem had gone for, but it was still a respectable amount, especially given how much had already been spent during the auction.

    Prime: You should tell that auctioneer about the scale.

    M2: I was thinking the same thing.

    M3: Go for it!

    M2 chuckled as he stood up, causing the poor attendant to briefly panic as she scrambled to her feet.

    Must be some pretty strict rules here, he idly thought as he pretended to stretch.

    ¡°Would it be possible to have a word with the auctioneer?¡±

    The poor attendant blinked, then looked over to where the auctioneer stood near the back of the stage, then turned back to M2 with an appraising look in her eye.

    ¡°Miss Layla is very busy, but I can see about setting an appointment,¡± she said hesitantly, not quite looking M2 in the eye.

    My word, how many people want to ¡°talk¡± with Miss Layla for this poor girl to have such a reaction?!

    ¡°That would be appreciated,¡± he said with a smile.  ¡°It isn¡¯t terribly important, but it has to do with that scale that was just sold.¡±

    ¡°Then please follow me to the offices so that we may set an appointment,¡± she replied, seemingly more at ease with his request.

    It wasn¡¯t hard for M2 to focus on the attendant and not stare at Miss Layla down on the stage.  He¡¯d had enough practice exerting his willpower over the years to not be one of those poor fellas whose eyes locked onto the prettiest woman in the room.  Eye contact was key.  He¡¯d learned that as a kid back on Earth.

    Heh, learning wisdom in my youth, he chuckled internally.  A second childhood would do him good for he needed as much wisdom as he could get.

    ¡°I feel terribly rude,¡± he said, smacking his forehead.  ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    The attendant blinked, then blinked again, this time blushing slightly.  ¡°You may call me Aenwyn.¡±

    ¡°Then Aenwyn, please lead the way,¡± he said with his best ¡°dad¡± smile as he motioned for her do as he¡¯d asked.

    She returned the smile, then led them through the inside of the building, passing many people who were leaving, chatting, or going about other business.  As they neared the offices that he and Avi had visited the other day to get registered, they heard a commotion.

    ¡°Anyone who dares look at my woman with lustful eyes shall have them gouged out,¡± came a voice full of¡­ cockiness?  Self-importance?  Conceit?

    M2 didn¡¯t know, nor did he really want to find out, as social confrontations weren¡¯t really his thing.  Unfortunately, Aenwyn continued right on towards the disturbance, so he and Avi had no choice but to follow along.

    By the time they arrived, as small crowd had gathered to watch the spectacle, be they people who thrived on witnessing drama unfold in front of them, were merely stickybeaks, or had some vested interest in what was happening; they had all given the speaker and two others a wide bubble of space with which to do¡­ whatever.

    He was about to tap Aenwyn on the shoulder to see if they could go around when the voice of one of the people in the cleared space rang a bell.

    Well, it really shouldn¡¯t have taken him that long to recognize Miss Layla¡¯s voice, but he was distracted by not wanting to be there, so it took longer than normal.

    ¡°¡­ I¡¯ve been saying: I don¡¯t care what your grandfather has said or claimed to have arranged.  You.  Are.  Not.  My.  Fianc¨¦.¡±  Miss Layla said, snapping each word off for emphasis.

    The offending ¡°Not Fianc¨¦¡± stood there, face going darker as the seconds ticked by.  He looked to be in his early twenties, but that really didn¡¯t mean much when cultivation front-loaded your extra lifespan like it did.  He was, however, rather well dressed in what almost looked like a 19<sup>th</sup> Century business suit from London.  There were, of course, differences here and there but as a whole it very much reminded him of a butler.

    The third person, a young man in what looked like grey and tan kung-fu clothes was looking very scared.

    ¡°I¡¯ll not have you brought to the house straight away so that we can resolve your¡­ willfulness,¡± Silk-Pants said dismissively, or at least tried to.  It more came out sounding like he was trying very hard to hold in a very pressing poop.  ¡°As for this vagrant; remove his eyes, cripple him, then toss him in the gutter where he belongs.¡±

    The indicated man looked like he was going to faint right there, but Miss Layla stepped in front of him, and said:

    ¡°If anyone causes trouble in my Heaven¡¯s Bounty, we¡¯ll see if I don¡¯t have you and your family black-listed for life,¡± she said, ice practically forming from the chill in her words.

    M2 blinked, then realized that he was a psicrystal and that he didn¡¯t actually have any light-sensing organs that needed cleaning or resetting.  No, what he¡¯d seen was correct: frost was indeed beginning to spread out along the floor with Miss Layla as the centre of the phenomenon.

    The few bodyguards that had come with Silk-Pants paused for a moment, looked at each other, then at Silk-Pants for confirmation- which he impatiently gave with a vigorously waved hand- then continued on their way to grab Kung-Fu Clothes.

    ¡®You¡¯re gonna do something, aren¡¯t you?¡¯  Avi sent in a resigned tone.

    ¡®You bet your britches I will!¡¯

    ¡°Miss Layla?  A moment of your time please,¡± M2 called out, successfully distracting everyone present.

    M2 noted Kung-Fu Clothes quickly slip away once everyone¡¯s attention was focussed on M2 as he made his way through the crowd, which was easier than anticipated.  It seemed that when the average height of those around you was at least fifteen centimetres shorter than you, people didn¡¯t want to stand in your way.

    Silk-Pants was giving him a death-glare while his bodyguards were giving him appraising looks.  Miss Layla, however, looked a bit relieved at the interruption, but now also worried that something even more dramatic might occur.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡°Who¡¯s this?  Another would-be suiter that doesn¡¯t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth?¡±  Silk-Pants sneered, trying very hard to retain his air superiority.  Sure, he was taller than average, but Silk-Pants was still much shorter than M2, and half as wide.

    ¡°Miss Layla?  Could we have a word?  There are a few things I wish to discuss regarding the auction,¡± M2 said, simply ignoring the kid with the entitlement issues.

    For her part, Miss Layla looked a bit taken aback by how things had developed, but quickly joined his pace.  ¡°Certainly Mr Kinkade, if you would follow me to the office, we can speak in peace there,¡± she said, taking his lead in ignoring Entitled-Silk-Pants, which he didn¡¯t take well.

    ¡°Who are you to interrupt my conversation with my fianc¨¦e?¡±  He sneered at M2 while motioning to his bodyguards.  ¡°Take this commoner and treat him to the same kindness I bestowed on the other one,¡± he said, now looking around for the First-Offender.

    M2 watched as the realization that the First-Offender had escaped hit him.  It was interesting to see how black lines practically hovered over his face for a moment before he rounded back onto M2.

    ¡°You¡¯re in league with that other cur, aren¡¯t you!¡±

    M2 was stunned.  Never before had he imagined not only seeing the legendary ¡°Stunning Beauty¡± auctioneer, but also running into an almost stereotypical silk-pants trying to use his status to force a woman to marry him.  If that wasn¡¯t enough, the guy was either acting like he¡¯d been taught to act, or was genuinely stupid.

    He looked back to Miss Layla and saw the slightly pained, but very annoyed, expression on her face.

    ¡°Is he actually this stupid?¡±  He asked Miss Layla, using his left thumb to point as Silk-Pants over his shoulder.

    For her part, Miss Layla handled his question with the poise and dignity of one used to interacting with the public, while the crowd burst into laughter, only a few not laughing, but instead taking the opportunity to get out of Dodge.

    Silk-Pants nearly swallowed then choked on his tongue given the interesting sounds coming out of his mouth and the stunning shade of purple his face turned.

    ¡°Kill this commoner!¡±  He finally managed to yell; a trembling finger pointed at M2.

    The bodyguards looked at M2, at each other, back to M2 and shrugged before they began advancing on him slowly, warry of his size.

    They should be more worried about Avi, he thought with a chuckle as Prime and M3 each contributed something of their own to the fight.

    Well, fight might have been an overstatement.

    One moment the bodyguards were advancing on him, the next they and their boss were wrapped up in cocoons of shining silver ectoplasm and falling over.  Prime and M3 then released a mass version of [Ego Whip] that left the group unconscious.

    They really liked that power, as it took a while for someone to fully recover from its effects.  The best part was that Silk-Pants would go from being a domineering little twat to the biggest push-over out there until his Charisma/Ego recovered sufficiently.

    ¡°Shall we?¡±  M2 asked as he turned to Miss Layla, raising his right arm for her to take as though they were going for a stroll.

    Aenwyn, the observers, and Miss Layla all stood stunned, not quite sure what to make of what had just happened.

    ¡°Miss Layla?¡±

    * * * * *

    Layla was on cloud nine after such a successful auction.  Not only had most items gone for good prices, but they¡¯d also increased the fame of Heaven¡¯s Bounty with having such high-profile items showing up at the end.

    Five Tier 3 Cards!  She squealed in her head, doing a mental victory dance at the thought of that mysterious topaz.  Never before had any of their appraisers seen its like, and even Old Man Quithana hadn¡¯t been able to figure it out, and he was already a Tier 3 Alchemist, deeply proficient in Mental Strength.

    Then her high plummeted to the ground, then caught fire as Gavin Merritt stopper her on her way to the offices to complete the necessary paperwork at the end an auction.

    All had been going more-or-less well until Gavin ordered his men to cripple a random cultivator who¡¯d come in hopes of getting lucky enough to win a bid.

    She was about to call in security to have Gavin and his Goons beaten then thrown out when one of the tallest men she¡¯d ever seen stepped out of the crowd, followed by the tallest woman she¡¯d ever seen¡­ and of course Gavin would take it the wrong way.

    ¡°Who are you to interrupt my conversation with my fianc¨¦e?¡±  He sneered at the man while motioning to his goons.  ¡°Take this commoner and treat him to the same kindness I bestowed on the other one,¡± he said, now looking around that sacrificial lamb that had been meant to be used as a show of power.

    ¡°Miss Layla?  Could we have a word?  There are a few things I wish to discuss regarding the auction,¡± the young man said, completely ignoring Gavin.

    Layla nearly laughed out loud when she saw the look on Gavin¡¯s face, but quickly swallowed her mirth as Gavin once again proved just how stupid he was.

    ¡°You¡¯re in league with that other cur, aren¡¯t you!¡±  He practically spat the words out.

    The tall stranger didn¡¯t seem phased by that though.

    ¡°Is he actually this stupid?¡±  He asked, pointing at Gavin with his thumb.

    Layla couldn¡¯t believe her luck today.  Not only had she sold a tremendous number of Crystals worth of items, but she also got to see Gavin being treated like the child he acted like.  However, she couldn¡¯t afford to offend Gavin more than she already had by practically yelling at him, so she plastered her Auctioneer¡¯s Face on and tried not to laugh.

    She watched Gavin¡¯s face turn a dangerous shade of purple before he shouted for his goons to kill the tall man.

    She was about to activate her emergency talisman that would summon the elite guards of Heaven¡¯s Bounty when she saw a look of such profound contempt and derision on Tall Man¡¯s face that her hand came to as stop at her waist before she felt a wave of Mental Energy wash over her like a tidal wave.  When her vision managed to clear after re-wetting her eyeballs by blinking rapidly for a moment, what she saw stunned her.

    Giant white-silver cocoons were now placed where Gavin and his Goons had been standing.

    She vaguely registered that the Tall Man had said something to her, but she couldn¡¯t quite peel her eyes away from the cocoons.  The silvery colour reminded her of the Ethereal Moonweaver Demon Spider whose webs shone a silvery white that resembled moonbeams in the night.

    Was this man actually one of the Monster Tribe?  Had she somehow aroused his interest, causing him to step forward for her like he had?

    ¡°Miss Layla?¡±

    She blinked, snapping out of her thoughts as her self-preservation instincts kicked it.  But more importantly, her years of etiquette training came rushing to the fore, likely saving her life.

    She realized that the Tall Man had held out an arm for her to take, so she ¡°graciously¡± took it with a smile and led the way through the crowd.

    Belatedly, she noticed Aenwyn following along beside the Tall Woman, looking like a child following her mother.  A very colourful mother.

    It took every ounce of her diligent training to not stare at the Tall Woman, as she was quite possibly the most beautiful woman she¡¯d ever seen, not to mention her stunning gem-like hair.

    ¡°Does something like this happen often?¡±  Tall Man asked, his tone curious.

    ¡°I apologize for such an unsightly display,¡± she said, proud of how steady her voice was, but then nearly smacked herself for not having answered the question.  ¡°No, but he has become more¡­ persistent of late, growing bolder with each incident he¡¯s allowed to cause without repercussion,¡± she said, shaking her head.

    Then she nearly tripped, but was caught by Tall Man before she completely lost her balance.  She blushed as she realized that not only had she spoken more than she thought was proper, but also when she realized that she liked holding onto Tall Man¡¯s rock-steady arm.

    ¡°Hmm, yes, need to watch out for wrinkles in the floor,¡± he said as he looked forward once more.

    What?

    She half turned to inspect the golden tiled floor before she realized that, however clumsily, he¡¯d given her a way to excuse her clumsiness.  Her head snapped around again, eyes fixed on the prize.  Though, in this case, the prize was the main office where VIPs would come to conduct their business with Heaven¡¯s Bounty.

    She was very conscious of every step she took, of how he¡¯d lowered his shoulder enough so that she could comfortably hold his arm in hers.  It had a¡­ solid feel to it that didn¡¯t seem to have much to do with his solid muscles.

    Then she was nearly dragged off her feet as she stopped dead, eyes going wide, before Tall Man stopped and rebalanced her with a concerned look on his face.

    It can¡¯t be¡­

    ¡°Is there anything the matter?¡±  He asked kindly, his voice relatively deep, but smooth.

    ¡°I, ah, that is to say: no.  We can discuss things in my office,¡± she managed to get out around her shock.  ¡°Aenwyn?  Would you please arrange to have tea brought to my office?¡±

    Once Aenwyn nodded her consent, Layla turned back to her office and hurried them along.

    She noticed that Tall Man gave Tall Woman a Look, but couldn¡¯t read anything from it.  Which put her on edge a bit more than she already was.

    ¡°Please let anyone who is looking for me know that I¡¯m in a meeting and that I will see them¡­ later,¡± she instructed her secretary, a middle-aged man with slicked back hair and a mousy look to him.

    ¡°Certainly, Miss.¡±

    Once inside, she directed her guests to sit in the comfortable chairs on the other side of the desk where she did most of her paperwork.  They seemed amenable enough, pleasant even, but she couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that they were dragons disguised as sheep, as the saying went.

    What had shocked her to the core was that when she¡¯d taken Tall Man¡¯s arm, she hadn¡¯t felt even a trace of cultivation from him.  It wasn¡¯t unusual for those who focussed on Mental Strength to ignore the cultivation of mana, except they still managed to at least get into Tier 1 so that they weren¡¯t as¡­ fragile.

    And this confused her greatly, as Tall Man was far from fragile.  He was downright intimidating with how tall and muscled he was.  She glanced at Tall Woman, taking in her physique as well as any other details she could pick up.

    It didn¡¯t escape her that they could be using an aura shroud of some kind, but those gave a different feel than what this pair gave off.  With an aura shroud, one¡¯s senses were blocked from inspecting the wearer of such an item.  No, what she¡¯d felt was a complete lack of cultivation from him.

    She even had minor attainments in cultivating Mental Strength, yet she didn¡¯t so much as get a whiff of Mental Strength coming off either of them, notwithstanding the extreme display not five minutes ago.

    ¡°Are you some sort of projection?¡±  She asked at last, noting that their eyebrows raised in near perfect synchronization.

    Tall man grinned then, then said ¡°Yes and no.  Either way, it won¡¯t affect why we wanted to speak with you.¡±

    ¡°Please, do tell,¡± she said, focussing on Tall Man and noticed a very slight twitch of his lips, almost as though he¡¯d suppressed a smile.

    Hmmmmmmmmm¡­

    ¡°It occurs to me that I¡¯ve been rude in not introducing myself,¡± he said, his grin turning rueful.  ¡°I am Kinkade, and this is Asura,¡± he said, first indicating himself then motioning to Tall Woman.

    Layla inclined her head slightly at the introduction, not wanting to appear rude.  She noticed that Tall Woman- Asura- hadn¡¯t bothered to hide her amused smile, though it was directed at Kinkade.

    ¡°On another note, we would like to thank you for your assistance in auctioning our item and look forward to future business dealings,¡± he said as a kind smile replaced the rueful one.  ¡°That said, I feel that I should bring to light that the final item sold today wasn¡¯t as advertised.¡±

    Layla couldn¡¯t believe just how reassured she was by his words.  She briefly suspected some sort of outside influence, like a secret art or technique being used, but when she glanced down at a bracelet she wore, the gemstone that would activate if she was under mental influence hadn¡¯t lit up.

    Then the last part registered.

    ¡°What do you mean,¡± she asked, now fully focussed on Kinkade, causing him to lean back at the sudden change.

    ¡°Well,¡± he said, raising an arm to scratch at the back of his head, now looking over her left shoulder.  ¡°That wasn¡¯t a scale from a lightning dragon.¡±

    Her mind whirled for a moment before she shook her head.  ¡°Our appraisers are some of the best in the region, the empire.  If they couldn¡¯t identify it, what makes you think that you¡¯re better than they are?¡±

    He looked over to Asura, who nodded back.  When he turned back to Layla, she could feel the weight of his gaze.  Yet, it didn¡¯t feel hostile, per se, just¡­ heavy.

    ¡°Because I¡¯ve come across what left it behind once upon a time,¡± he said simply.

    She waited the span of six heartbeats before she could wait no longer.

    ¡°Then, pray tell, what was it?¡±

    ¡°A Heavenly Lightning Jade Dragon.¡±

    * * * * *

    Joram watched as Miss Layla¡¯s brain seemed to break slightly at his words.  He saw a look of incomprehension first, then a dawning realization as she recognized the name, then horror and panic.

    He supposed that the items in storage were much more valuable than even they had thought, given Miss Layla¡¯s reaction.

    ¡®Sooooo,¡¯ he sent to Avi.  ¡®Do you think she¡¯ll need a bit of [Mental Reconstruction]?¡¯

    ¡®We¡¯ll have to see,¡¯ Avi sent, amusement heavy in the tone.  ¡®She seems to be rather flexible in her thinking, so she may be all right with the revelation that they¡¯d sold that scale for probably one-tenth its value.¡±

    He had to give her credit, for as much as her brain seemed to have broken, she recovered in admirable time.

    ¡°Is there any way to prove your claim?¡±  She asked, suddenly becoming more polite than she¡¯d been up to that point.  Which now bordered on¡­ fawning?  He wasn¡¯t used to being treated in such a way, so he had a bit of a hard time interpreting the look.

    Damn, I wish I had Erick¡¯s ability¡­  He paused, then mentally smacked himself.

    ¡®Why haven¡¯t I been using [Read Thoughts]?¡¯

    ¡®Because you view it as somewhat unethical?¡¯

    ¡®True, but just surface thoughts, not going any further¡­¡¯

    ¡®Still not very ethical¡­  That said, this world doesn¡¯t seem to have the same rules or ethics you¡¯re used to.¡¯

    ¡®Yeah, well, I don¡¯t keep to my values for fear of others¡¯ judgement of my actions,¡¯ he sent back in a somewhat mumbled tone, too embarrassed to even say that much to Avi.

    ¡°Did you not wonder why a mere fragment of a scale had such power?  Tell me, have you ever encountered a lightning dragon¡¯s scale, a full one, that had such power?¡±

    Miss Layla looked contemplative for a moment before her expression became more resolved.  She reached out and touched a small metal plate on her desk and a few seconds later her secretary opened the door just enough to poke his head in.

    ¡°You called Miss Layla?¡±

    ¡°Please have every record pertaining to the lightning dragon scale that just sold brought to me, as well as who won the bid.¡±

    ¡°Right away Miss,¡± he said, then disappeared, the door closing silently behind him.

    M2 sat there, trying very hard to not be awkward in the silence that followed.  He really didn¡¯t know what to say, so he kept with the age-old wisdom of: silence is golden.  Which went well with, ¡°It is better to keep one''s mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.¡±

    Yeah, that¡¯s the ticket!

 Chapter 027

    M2 was immensely relieved when the secretary came back. It had been a whole five minutes of Miss Layla sitting there, smiling pleasantly with Avi seeming to have Buddha-level patience. In Avi¡¯s case, he supposed someone who was able to wait around a thousand years for his arrival meant that five minutes was trivial.

    He had newfound respect for Miss Layla¡¯s professional demeanour. She was cool, poised, and didn¡¯t seem to be intimidated by the two strangers sitting across from her who¡¯d claimed to have seen a Heavenly Lightning Jade Dragon and lived to tell the tale.

    Well, that was technically true. It was after the encounter that he¡¯d died because of that Old Fart.

    Anyway, as Miss Layla read through the documents, her brow became increasingly creased until her left eyebrow began to twitch. She looked about to say something when there came another knock at the door.

    ¡°Enter.¡±

    The door opened to admit Aenwyn, who carried a tray with a steaming tea pot with four empty cups on it.

    ¡°I am sorry for the delay,¡± she said meekly as she placed the tray on a small serving table that suddenly appeared beside the desk, presumably summoned with a storage ring or something. M2 didn¡¯t fail to notice the look Miss Layla gave Aenwyn when she noticed the four cups.

    ¡°Please, have a seat. If Miss Layla doesn¡¯t mind, of course,¡± M2 said in an effort to smooth things out for Aenwyn. He¡¯d already established with her his expectations when dealing with the auction house, so he was glad that she¡¯d taken the initiative to add a cup for herself.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Miss Layla said, all smiles. For some reason that gave him a few chills down his holographic spine.

    ¡°Also, the President asked me to deliver your earnings from today¡¯s auction once he learned that you were already meeting with Miss Layla,¡± Aenwyn said, producing a storage ring and handing it to him in a very respectful way; the one where the giver bowed while presenting the time on their upturned palms.

    M2 was very glad that he didn¡¯t have the physiological reactions of his main body, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have been able to keep a blush from turning his face red. So, as cool as he could, he accepted the storage ring and briefly inspected it to see what was inside. He nearly dropped it.

    Not only was the correct change in there from their sale and subsequent purchases, but this particular ring could accommodate up to ten cubic metres of space, significantly better than the one his parents had gotten him.

    Thinking that the ring was just used to transport the small fortune of Tier 3 Cards and Crystals, he began transferring the money into storage.

    ¡°Oh, no, the ring is a gift from the President,¡± Aenwyn said hurriedly once she noticed the subtle fluctuation around the ring that showed that the ring was in use.

    M2 nodded, again glad that he didn¡¯t have a biological body, and handed the ring off to Avi so that she could inspect it.

    ¡®Holy crap!¡¯ She sent as soon as she inspected it.

    ¡®Yup, looks like they took a liking to us.¡¯

    Miss Layla softly cleared her throat, brining their attention back to her.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad that the President finds value in our business dealings,¡± she said, giving a slight nod towards the storage ring. ¡°It seems that I¡¯ve failed to properly greet Sir Kinkade and Miss Asura as esteemed guests of Heaven¡¯s Bounty, please forgive me,¡± she said, almost demurely, as she leaned forward in a sitting bow.

    *Boom*

    M2 mind blew out, as this was about as uncomfortable as he¡¯d ever been. It was one thing for the Clan to treat him well, since he was an important family member. This. This was like going to a department store and having the employees there treat him like royalty. And probably mean it.

    ¡°No need to be polite, we¡¯re all friends here. Please, just call us by name,¡± he said, raising his hands in what he hoped was a placating manner here. Holographic bodies, FTW!!!

    He caught Aenwyn¡¯s faint smile, though from the side facing away from Miss Layla.

    ¡°Then, please do just call me Layla,¡± she said with a smile that would have stunned him before coming to this world. Fortunately, he¡¯d been thoroughly inoculated by Altaea during their time together, so he was able to stay with it.

    ¡°Then, Layla, we may come across other¡­ unusual items from time to time. Would it be acceptable to come to you with any inquiries?¡±

    ¡°Most definitely,¡± Layla replied, still smiling. ¡°Any time you visit us, we¡¯ll be sure to have Aenwyn act as our liaison should we not be immediately available to speak with you.

    ¡°Also, are you already registered as a client of Heaven¡¯s Bounty?¡±

    M2 nodded as he handed over his Bronze VIP Token. Layla took it, a surprised look on her face, then opened a drawer and pulled out a device that looked remarkably like a card reader. He didn¡¯t know why, but he hadn¡¯t actually associated the VIP card with the mundane ID cards from back on Earth. To be fair, he hadn¡¯t had any expectations of coming across anything remotely similar to tech from back home.

    That said, this was more of a magi-tech kind of set up. The card reader looked a bit like a debit pin pad you¡¯d see in a store, buttons and all. Except the buttons weren¡¯t plastic/silicon/whatever they were made of. Instead, they looked like precious gems with their functions etched into them.

    He watched as she slid the VIP token/card into the device, causing it to light up. A few taps later, she pulled the card out and inserted what looked like a clear crystal card, tapped a few buttons, then repeated the process with a second crystal card.

    ¡°These are our Emperor-Class VIP cards. As such valuable members, I will wave the normal fee for them,¡± she said, placing them on the desk in front them. ¡°These will allow you entry to any auction held and allow for the best auction room to be provided. If you visit another city with a Heaven¡¯s Bounty Auction House, that branch will also arrange for the same kind of services you¡¯ll be enjoying here.¡±

    M2 blinked at that. He wasn¡¯t sure what they¡¯d done to warrant such treatment but chalked it up to the healing gem and their knowledge of the Heavenly Lightning Jade Dragon.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± he and Avi said in tandem as they dipped their heads slightly, storing the cards away in their realm storage.

    * * * * *

    Layla sat down again once Kinkade and Asura left, letting out a huge sigh.

    By every outside appearance, well, besides their height and near perfect appearances, indicated that they were mortals who¡¯d never practiced a cultivation technique. But.

    She was certain that, at least Kinkade, had been the one responsible for that ridiculous display of Mental Strength. The sheer amount of energy wasn¡¯t what had surprised her though, as she¡¯d felt much more potent displays in the past. No, it was what had been done with it that had unsettled her so. The amount of control needed to do what he¡¯d done was¡­ impossible.

    Yet, she¡¯d been witness to such a display. She didn¡¯t think that even one of their Alchemists could compare. Now, this wasn¡¯t just baseless supposition and conjecture on her part as she, herself, had minor attainments in the field of Mental Strength. And yet she couldn¡¯t figure it out, which vexed her more than she¡¯d ever admit to anyone.

    Eventually, her office door opened again to admit Aenwyn, who then approached the desk and had a seat when Layla motioned for her to do so.

    ¡°What is your cultivation at now?¡± Layla asked without preamble.

    ¡°I am merely at Tier 1, Rank 5,¡± she replied, bowing her head slightly.

    Layla nodded, then asked ¡°Did you feel any traces of cultivation from them?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any attainments in Mental Strength?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not gifted in that area,¡± she said with a slight shake of her head.

    ¡°What do you make of them? What are your impressions?¡±

    Aenwyn thought about it for a moment before saying, ¡°They¡¯re certainly unusual. They appear to be foreigners given their colouration, and especially their height,¡± she said with a slight disbelieving shake of her head. ¡°I¡¯ve not met anyone so¡­ polite as them, especially ones with VIP access.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°Most guests will either ignore me entirely, which they initially seemed to do, or try to get extra¡­ benefits from me,¡± she said, trying to be polite about it, both knowing exactly what she was talking about. ¡°Yet once they seemed to remember that I was there, they treated me like¡­ family.¡±

    Layla started at that. Yes, she¡¯d gotten the impression that they were polite, even humble, but treating a ¡°servant¡± like family wasn¡¯t unprecedented, but exceedingly rare, to put it lightly.

    ¡°They invited me to sit with them, telling me to eat with them and have tea,¡± she said, still a bit stunned that someone would do so.

    ¡°No leering, or anything?¡± Layla asked, unconsciously sitting forwards in her chair.

    Aenwyn shook her head. ¡°No, if anything, it almost felt like he was treating me like¡­ a younger sister or even his daughter,¡± she finished with a slight blush and an even fainter expression of frustration on her face.

    Layla almost smiled at that. Aenwyn would certainly be considered a beauty no matter where she went, and having someone of the opposite sex, and roughly the same age as her, treat her as Kinkade had might have given a hit to her self-esteem. Yes, no one wanted to be ogled by every customer, nevermind being groped or worse, but there was a part of someone that¡­ appreciated being seen as attractive.

    Layla did smile then, remembering her interactions with Kinkade. She¡¯d been treated almost exactly as how Aenwyn had described it.

    Not that she wanted to be fawned over, but it was nice to do some harmless flirting from time-to-time, especially with someone as attractive as Kinkade.

    ¡°Do you think that it was an act? Like those old relics who pretend to be pure and upright, but have harems with hundreds of women in them?¡±

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    Aenwyn thought about it for a few seconds this time before replying.

    ¡°With those sorts, you usually get subtle hints that they¡¯re like that,¡± she finally said. ¡°A lingering look here, a seemingly innocent or innocuous comment there.¡±

    Layla nodded along, fully aware of the tell-tale signs of a closet pervert. ¡°If anything, I think that he was more¡­ socially awkward than anything,¡± she said, getting a thoughtful nod from Aenwyn.

    ¡°You think that he was too afraid to do or say anything with Asura with him?¡±

    It was Layla¡¯s turn to think a moment, but then said ¡°Maybe. But I didn¡¯t get that impression from them. The one where you know that a pair are a ¡®couple¡¯.¡±

    ¡°More like best friends,¡± Aenwyn said with a nod.

    They both looked each other in they eye, the same thought seeming to occur to them at the same time.

    ¡°Honey trap?¡± They both asked in unison, then burst out laughing.

    After a good laugh, they each picked up an enchanted cup that kept the tea inside it warm and took a sip.

    ¡°Probably wouldn¡¯t work,¡± Layla said with a sigh. ¡°But let¡¯s continue treating them well and keep our more¡­ enthusiastic attendants away whenever they visit.¡±

    Aenwyn nodded with all the wisdom and sagacity of the nineteen-year-old girl that she was.

    * * * * *

    ¡®Light, it¡¯s hard dealing with beautiful women!¡¯ M2 sent to Avi once they¡¯d returned to their rented room.

    Avi shot him an amused look, knowing full-well how awkward he was around beautiful women.

    ¡®What¡¯s the problem? If you like them, say so,¡± Avi sent back, amusement thick in her tone.

    ¡®It¡¯s not that, and you know it. It¡¯s one thing to admire beauty, but quite another to get to know someone. Yes, a person might be nice to look at, but be completely incompatible with you. Best to ¡°friend-zone¡± someone until you get to know them better,¡± he sent, nodding sagely.

    ¡®You¡¯re an idiot,¡¯ she sent with a shake of her head.

    Prime: What?

    M2: What?

    M3: What-the-what?

    ¡®How long did it take you to finally get a girlfriend back on Earth due to this philosophy?¡¯

    ¡®That¡¯s not the point,¡¯ he replied, looking everywhere but at Avi.

    ¡®Uh-huh.¡¯

    ¡®What do you suggest then? Ask out every woman I find attractive? Start up a harem? I¡¯m not so durable, mentally or physically, to handle being rejected constantly, nevermind if they actually agreed to such a ridiculous thing!¡¯

    Avi just shook her head, not quite knowing where to start with that statement. Joram could be incredibly astute, on point, and insightful most of the time, but when it came to women and relationships, he was an idiot.

    ¡®Well, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure something out one of these years.¡¯

    She watched as M2/Joram slumped in defeat, seeming to deflate.

    ¡®Why can¡¯t I just spend my time reading, cultivating, crafting, researching, and all that good stuff?¡¯

    ¡®Because you¡¯re human.¡¯

    - - - - -

    Joram watched as his many cores zipped around his growing Knowledge Star, occasionally adjusting their orbits. Now that the Knowledge Star had grown, it required more maintenance so that the orbits of the cores would remain stable. He still didn¡¯t know what would happen if one of the cores fell into the Knowledge Star, nor did he quite want to know.

    Well, that was a small lie. Of course he wanted to know what would happen, but he didn¡¯t want to potentially blow himself up. Especially since he hadn¡¯t yet been able to figure out what had gone wrong with [Astral Seed]. Sure, he¡¯d come back, but having to wait a thousand years was a little bit more than terribly inconvenient. He liked his family and the life he¡¯d been born into, and so he didn¡¯t want to risk leaving them all behind in the river of time.

    Hmm, time¡­ he mused. He¡¯d done a lot more reading, studying the many levels of cultivation recently. He¡¯d learned that as one went up in the Tiers, it was no longer sufficient to merely build up one¡¯s core. The cultivator would need to learn to detect the various grades of mana as well as learning to draw them in and refine them.

    That also led to learning how to detect the various Laws of the universe. It was very similar to the many stories that he¡¯d read. Learn of the Law of Fire, or the Law of Metal, that sort of thing. Once the cultivator had learned to detect these Laws, they then needed to increase their understanding of said Law. And as their understanding improved, so did their ability to not only feel and see when that law was present, but they also began to be able to influence that Law. Eventually, one would be able to control that Law, even going so far as creating, say, flames of increasing potency. But also being able to insulate oneself from that Law, or even becoming an avatar of that Law.

    Scary stuff!

    That said, there were so many Laws that one could study that it would take thousands of years to even gain a superficial understanding of half the listed, known, Laws out there.

    Well, for normal people anyway.

    So, Time. That was one of the more advanced Laws out there, much like Space, Void, Gravity, Creation, Destruction, and all that. The most basic Laws were ones like the Elemental Laws; air, earth, fire, water. Each one would lead to a more complex Law, like going from earth to metal, or water to ice (which doesn¡¯t include cold, as that was its own Law). Then, based on one¡¯s understanding of various combinations of Laws, you could branch out into others. Like, knowing air, earth, and water would lead to a much easier comprehension of Wood. Or knowing air and fire would lead to an easier comprehension of lightning.

    Then there were more esoteric Laws like Life and Death. What made those Laws? How did one go about studying the concept of Life or Death? It got more complicated as one advanced further along those paths.

    So on and so forth.

    That said, certain Laws were virtually unheard of at lower Tiers of cultivation, as they were somehow tied to the various grades of mana, namely: Base, Earth, Heaven, and Immortal Mana, or Qi. Base Mana covered things like the basic Laws, Earth covered the advanced Laws. Getting into the Laws that tied into the basic structure and foundations of reality itself required one to be able to cultivate Heaven and Immortal Mana/Qi.

    So, at the very least, he¡¯d need to increase his cultivation before he could mess around with the Law of Time.

    Which meant that he needed to fix his cultivation issues, asap.

    ¡­ which led him to his current issues.

    Avi and M2 had done a great job in retrieving the herbs that he needed to refine the Nine Revolving Pathways Pill, but he wasn¡¯t at the level of control and understanding of Alchemy that he needed to be at to successfully refine the pill.

    So, there he was, practically neck-deep in refined pills and stacks of herbs, medicinal plants, and other ingredients that Avi and M2 had retrieved on their daily forays into the outside world.

    With the rare ingredients that they brought back, Joram had tasked M3 to see if it was possible to create cuttings of them. If possible, Joram really wanted to expand the gardens and fields of medicinal herbs, plants, and trees that Avi had meticulously cultivated in his absence.

    Also, if he was able to get those cuttings to grow, then he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about acquiring them again in the future.

    On that note, he¡¯d also read that the richer the environment was in mana, the faster the plant would grow, and would also result in a higher quality ingredient.

    So, he¡¯d spent another day creating more psionic items for Avi and M2 to sell. The proceeds would then go to buying various grades of raw Crystal, which was then ground up and added to a fertilizer mix that Avi had developed.

    He wasn¡¯t sure how long the various herbs would take to fully mature, or if his plans would work, but he hoped it would be soon as he was going through prodigious amounts of herbs as he practiced Alchemy.

    Sure, he could just sell all the pills he made to fund all this, but he was a bit of a¡­ hoarder. Well, not like the ones you¡¯d see on TV where the person¡¯s dwelling was packed so tight with random stuff that they could hardly move about. No, his ¡°hoarding¡± was somewhat more¡­ draconic. But also, practical.

    Who knew if he¡¯d need these many healing, cultivation, and mana condensing pills in the future? What if some terrible- knock on wood- event occurred where he would suddenly need access to thousands of pills? Yes, that was a far-fetched scenario, especially given that he could heal people much faster than a pill could, but his training as a Boy Scout growing up had had a much more profound effect on him than he¡¯d ever thought possible.

    ¡°¡¯Always be prepared¡¯, as they say,¡± he mumbled as he finished refining another batch of mana-condensing pills.

    That was a bit of a misnomer, as they didn¡¯t actually attract mana once ingested, but instead opened your body up in a way that allowed for easier absorption of mana. Or, rather, allowed for a greater absorption rate of mana.

    He motioned with a hand, sending this new batch of pills into a waiting jade bottle. He was getting the hang of making them in his unusual way. Most alchemists used a pill cauldron to assist in refining pills and elixirs, but his method was a bit different.

    Since he was using an augmented version of [Modify Matter], the ingredients would float in front of him as they were broken down into their component parts, the useful ones and the trash ones. It had taken him some time to not only detect the molecules of the beneficial aspects of an ingredient, but to also sense what mana they carried and how to bring that along with the molecules.

    Once he¡¯d figured that out, [Extract]ing everything that he needed, and discarding the rest into separate storage containers, he was able to use the augmented [Modify Matter] to bring everything together right in front of his eyes.

    All told, the process was significantly faster than what Alchemists used today, but also allowed for a much higher grade of pill or elixir to be produced. ¡°Pill Veins¡± and ¡°Pill Clouds¡± were actually a thing.

    From what he¡¯d read, producing a pill with veins meant that the effect of the pill would be upwards of forty percent better than a regular pill, while producing clouds meant that it would be upwards of sixty percent better than a pill with veins in it. Meaning that a pill with clouds would be over twice as effective as a standard pill of that variety.

    Yes, you could make a lot of money selling pills and elixirs, except he wanted to save most of them for an emergency.

    Maybe I should sell all the regular pills, and just keep the ones with veins and clouds¡­?

    M2: Go for it!

    M3: Yeah, inundating the market with psionic items isn¡¯t the best idea, so selling pills is probably the best way to go for earning money most of the time.

    Joram nodded to himself as he waved a hand, gathering the piles and piles of jade bottles filled with regular pills and stacking them off to the side in an area designated ¡°for sale¡±.

    ¡®Grammy?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Joram?¡¯

    ¡®What day is it?¡¯

    There was a pause before the answer came. ¡®It is the morning of the 24<sup>th</sup>. If you intend on attending little Xiora¡¯s birthday gathering, I suggest you return soon.¡¯

    Joram sent his thanks as he silently panicked over what to bring Xiora for her birthday. Sure, it was only her fifth birthday, but he wanted to get her something nice. Not too crazy, as he didn¡¯t want anyone to question where he¡¯d gotten the present, but something more meaningful than a new doll or something.

    He discarded things like a Ring of Sustenance, as he could just provide her with most of the effects of one through the Network, and other items that were unknown in this world. He also discarded ones that would be ¡°too expensive¡± for a five-year-old to have gotten by himself, even if he was the Matriarch-Successor¡¯s son.

    ¡°Gah, I¡¯ve never been good at getting people gifts¡­¡± he complained as he looked about his workshop.

    Can¡¯t do a sculpture as that would blow my cover. Can¡¯t make her clothes as I lack appropriate materials, in this case, something ¡°normal¡±.

    Gems were relatively cheap if they were of the non-mana-infused variety. Yeah, he could explain coming across a nice, mundane, specimen.

    Bah.

    He looked around again, at a loss.

    Then he finally gave up and went with what he knew she¡¯d probably like. He grabbed a chunk of random wood, the used [Fabricate] on it, causing the block to seemingly fall apart, until you noticed that the core of the block remained, now a sculpture of two children standing side-by-side holding hands.

    It was, of course, him and Xiora. He hadn¡¯t put in the level of detail he could have, instead having opted to give just enough that you could identify who they were. He finished up by polishing it with a bit of mineral oil, giving it a nice glow. With that done, he looked about for another chunk of wood, this time to create an appropriate gift box.

    A few minutes later, he was prepared and ready to attend Xiora¡¯s birthday gathering. He stored the gift away in the storage ring his parents had gifted him, then shifted back to his room.

    ¡°Tillia?¡± He called out as he opened his bedroom door, expecting to see her in the living room.

    Nope.

    ¡®Tillia?¡¯ He sent, wondering where she¡¯d gone.

    ¡®Yes?¡¯

    ¡®Would you like to come to Xiora¡¯s birthday gathering with me?¡¯

    He nearly jumped when the door to Tillia¡¯s room opened so fast that it banged in its slot, allowing Tillia to do a sliding entrance, her eyes fixing on him like he was dinner.

    ¡°Yes!¡± She said, scooping him up and rushing them to his bedroom again where he was promptly stripped down to his underclothes then redressed in what she deemed ¡°appropriate¡±.

    It was so fast that he couldn¡¯t even voice his opinion on the chosen outfit before he was once again whisked away.

    ¡®Have you prepared an appropriate gift for Xixi?¡¯

    ¡®Of course!¡¯ He sent, mildly offended at the question before he remembered that he¡¯d missed more than one of her parties¡­

    Tillia looked around as they rounded a corner, spotted a small sitting area where one could admire the view with a friend, then b-lined it there.

    He was surprised at her energy, having carried him all the way there. It had been a long time since she¡¯d done something like that, him having grown and whatnot¡­

    ¡®C¡¯mon, bring it out,¡¯ she sent, making a grasping motion with her free hand.

    ¡®Rude,¡¯ he sent right back, but still summoned the box that contained the little sculpture.

    Tillia¡¯s eyes went wide as they landed on the box, glanced back at him, then placed the box on the table so she could open it one-handed. That done, she lifted the small latch, opened the lid, then slid the covering cloth aside. Not only did her eyes widen again, but she let out a soft gasp of surprise, her grip on him loosening enough that he became nervous that she¡¯d drop him.

    ¡®You made this?¡¯

    ¡®Yup.¡¯

    She continued to stare at the statuette, her fingers not quite touching it as though unsure if she should or not.

    He wasn¡¯t sure what the issue was, as he¡¯d purposely not put in a lot of detail. No eyelashes, no individual hairs. Heck, he hadn¡¯t even done the nails/nailbeds on their hands, never mind the folds and seams in their clothes. It was something that he considered rudimentary, not worth too much attention.

    ¡®This is amazing,¡¯ Tillia sent, awe evident in the tone.

    Well, crap.

 Chapter 028

    ¡®I¡¯m sure that it isn¡¯t all that great,¡¯ he sent, a bit of a grumble in his tone.

    Tillia glanced over at him with a frown.  ¡®It¡¯s good enough that most families in the clan would probably commission its like for their own children.  You know, toys and such,¡¯ she sent, a bit of confusion evident in her tone.

    ¡®Seriously?¡¯

    ¡®My father is a woodworker, and this falls into that category.¡¯

    ¡®Your father¡¯s a woodworker?¡¯

    ¡®I never mentioned?¡¯  She sent, surprise written all over her face.

    ¡®No, you¡¯ve hardly ever mentioned your family to me.¡¯

    ¡®Huh.  Well, my father is a woodworker, and my mother is a fashion designer and seamstress.  I¡¯m the oldest of six.¡¯

    Joram stared at her for a moment, a bit shocked.  Most families in the clan had about two or three children.  Some went to four.  But six was quite the outlier here.  Was it more normal for people outside the clan to have larger families?

    ¡®I think that I¡¯ll get along with your parents quite well,¡¯ he sent with a smile.  Sure, he was no fashion designer, but he could whip together fabric and an outfit with the best of them!  Nevermind carving!

    Tillia blushed then looked away quickly before answering.

    ¡®Yes, I think so too.¡¯

    Joram waited a moment, then went back to the original subject.  ¡®So, is this present no good for today?¡¯

    ¡®Ah, no, it should be fine.  I¡¯m sure little Xiora will love it,¡¯ she sent, regaining her composure as she ¡°spoke¡±.

    With a nod, Joram repacked the statuette and stored it away.  He hopped down from his chair, then grabbed her hand, pulling Tillia to her feet and dragged her down the hall.

    They soon arrived at Xiora¡¯s place.  When they entered, a servant leading them in, he took note that a few other servants were hanging about.  That, in and of itself, wasn¡¯t something that would catch his attention, but it was the fact that they wore livery of different families that piqued his interest.

    Of note, Zanth¡¯s family was represented.  Sure, that shouldn¡¯t have surprised him given that the three of them were growing up and playing together since they were basically the same age.  Though, he thought, it had been a while since he¡¯d had a play date with Xixi and Zanth.

    Most of the others were also from families on the periphery of the clan, those that would be third, fourth, and even fifth cousins.  It wasn¡¯t a milestone birthday, but he was surprised to note just how many people had come to attend Xixi¡¯s birthday.  So much so that he got a bad vibe from it.

    Which made him think.  What, exactly, was it that gave him a bad feeling?  Was it the fact that since his fourth birthday party, where it was revealed that he was a ¡°cripple¡±, that people had started treating him differently than before?  Heck, some people were downright cold to him where they¡¯d previously been almost fawning.  It hadn¡¯t gotten to the point where he was outright ostracised, or even picked on.  But the difference was so obvious that anyone could pick up on it.

    For example, once he and Tillia got out of ¡°earshot¡±, the servants behind them began to whisper to each other, shooting glances his way.  If the servants were gossiping, it usually meant that the family they served had been saying things behind closed doors.

    Ah, the human condition.  Gossip seems to be genetically encoded into humans, he thought as he shook his head.

    Then they entered the small gathering hall where everyone stood chatting with the people around them.  He counted no less than forty attendees, though most here had only sent one parent to accompany their child, most of which were boys.

    And the bad vibe grew¡­

    Joram tried to shrug it off as they made their way to where Xixi was chatting with the newcomers with her parents.  It was a short line, but the conversations between parents were very full of meaning.  Well, hints, and suggestions that Xixi spend more time with their child so that they could get to know each other better, if you know what I mean.  *Wink-wink*

    He nearly kicked those people out of line¡­ but held his temper.  With them being effectively from branch families, their individual cultivation levels weren¡¯t impressive, the highest merely being late 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier, and appearing much older than his own parents.  No, it was the fact that it was ¡°rude¡± for a junior to kick the crap out of a ¡°senior¡± that stopped him¡­ and that it was Xixi¡¯s birthday party.  He didn¡¯t want to upset her.

    For her part, Xixi smiled and chatted with everyone that came to her, her personality being on the friendlier side of things.  Sure, she wasn¡¯t a typical B-Type, or ¡°Popular Sanguin¡±, but neither was she an introvert.  She was the kind of calm girl that enjoyed time alone, but was also at home in social events.  Much better socialized than he was¡­

    That said, every boy that she was introduced to tried to impress her in some way; from bragging to sharing how far along in their cultivation they were.  Which was a bit of a mistake, as Joram knew that Xixi was much farther ahead of them in cultivation.  For her part, she treated every boy like the last: politely.  She didn¡¯t seem to really ¡°click¡± with any of them, which pleased Joram more than he¡¯d care to admit.

    Yes, he¡¯d been weirded out when his mother had first announced his engagement to Xixi back at his second birthday party, but he¡¯d also had a few years to let it sink in, to mull it over, and over, and over again.  He¡¯d spent less time with Xixi over the following years, probably in a subconscious attempt to keep from influencing Xixi in her own decision regarding their engagement.

    Yet she still acted like she always had when they met.  The enthusiastic greetings, the tackle-hugs, even how she would hang on his every word when they spoke.  She enjoyed holding his hand when they would walk somewhere, and would insist on sitting next to him.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if that stemmed from their time together as they grew up, even nursing together.  But from what he knew of ¡°grooming¡± someone, the act of raising someone to be their future spouse, he was pretty sure that he¡¯d more than kept away from that.  He¡¯d never brought up their engagement, nor had he done or said anything beyond normal playing as kids.  Well, he¡¯d spoken to her about cultivation and had given her some tips, that what was completely different, akin to helping someone with their homework.

    Then he began to notice that each person who left the line with their child would soon notice him as they scoped out the ¡°competition¡±, then frown slightly.  Some went so far as to have a look of scorn or disgust on their faces, but quickly hid it away when Tillia looked at them, then hurried off to speak with someone else.

    For their part, the children- ages ranging from a bit younger than him to as old as their early teens- had varied reactions when seeing him in line.  The younger ones didn¡¯t seem to know who he was, and thus treated them like anyone else.  However, the older ones weren¡¯t as socially adroit as their parents.  There were reactions that ranged from cool indifference to outright hostility.  He had no idea why they¡¯d be hostile, save for the fact that maybe their parents had influenced their perception of him.

    Well, any of them who were trying to pair up their child to Xixi were undoubtedly gold-digger and would thus receive no mercy from him, nor would their idiotic children.

    Well, maybe that last bit was unkind, as this society¡¯s norms were for the children to unerringly listen to what their parents told them to do.  That said, he was a bit of a ¡°free-thinker¡±, so he expected people to use the brains they¡¯d been born with instead of just ¡°going with the flow¡± ¡­

    Gah, I really don¡¯t like the ¡°might makes right¡± mentality of this world, he thought with a slight frown.  Sure, the Clear Knowledge Clan was far from normal compared to what the rest of the world was like, as they tended to treat others based on academic accomplishments over those of cultivation.  But, the fundamental mentality of magical strength being equated to superiority was hard to stamp out, especially with clan members bringing back spouses from the outside world to keep new blood flowing in the clan, preventing stagnation and other less pleasant genetic issues.

    Well, he¡¯d just have to keep studying so that he¡¯d get his certifications much faster than his ¡°peers¡±.  He¡¯d also have to figure out a solution to his cultivation quandary so that people would shut up¡­

    Am I grumpy today?  He thought as yet another parent-son duo stepped away so that another pair could present Xixi with their well-wishes and gift.

    Yup, totally grumpy.

    He heaved a mental sigh and checked up on M2 and Avi.

    They were ¡°chilling¡± in his realm with M3.  Sure, they were lounging about, but they were still each working on a project of their own.  Well, Avi was doing her own thing, but M2 and M3 were both working on separate issues with the scanner, typing away at their own laptops.

    Ah, how amazing will games look on those things?  He mused, thinking about their upgraded tech.  Those computers were on par with what would be found in the Mass Effect universe, with modifications from the Star Wars universe.  He¡¯d really have to thank Altaea, when he found her, for leaving Avi with all of those schematics, manuals, and such before leaving.

    Did her leaving have anything to do with her finally gaining the shared memories of her other selves?  Had it revealed a way for her to finally be able to return to Golarion?  Or had she found another one of her selves?  From what he knew, as each Altaea gained strength, they¡¯d be ¡°drawn¡± to each other, eventually merging back into one being.  He imagined that being split into almost two dozen separate beings then scattered across the multiverse wasn¡¯t something most people would want, or survive.

    Joram then wondered what other surprises Altaea had left with Avi before taking off?  Or had she left other things for him to discover as he wandered this world?  Given that she had left the Heavenly Archive behind, and those manuals, he was pretty sure that she had, but was also equally unsure how to go about finding them.

    Now, if he was some protagonist in a wuxia novel, he¡¯d just stumble upon opportunity after opportunity, eventually leading to him becoming the ultimate existence on the planet.

    Welp, things are never so convenient in real life, he though, conveniently forgetting about the Heavenly Archive, mostly due to his theory that Altaea had somehow arranged for him to be born into this family.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    He was then brought out of his musings as the people in front of him stepped away, revealing Xixi in all her beaming glory at the sight of him.

    ¡°Happy birthday, Xixi,¡± he said with a smile as he stepped forward, finding that his mood had managed to improve greatly.

    ¡°Thank you, Joram,¡± she said, pronouncing his name much better than she had in the past, smiling the whole time.

    Tillia gave her greetings to Aloralla and Ailmar as he spoke with Xixi, congratulating them on having such a wonderful child.  As they spoke, Joram again noticed aunt Aloralla absently touching her belly from time to time.

    Yup.

    Through [Touchsight], he also noticed not a few people frown when they saw Xixi smiling with much warmth at him.

    ¡°Here, I made this for you,¡± he said, presenting her with the giftbox.

    Xixi¡¯s eyes went wide in delight, but soon tempered her reaction to what was expected by her parents.

    ¡°Thank you, Joram,¡± she said with such warmth that he blushed slightly.  ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to open it with you later.¡±

    Joram nodded as that, managing to smile around his embarrassment.  He then stepped forward a bit to give her a light hug, receiving a not-so-light one in return, which caused his heart to grow three times as large.

    He then stepped over to aunt Aloralla and uncle Ailmar and gave his greetings with a slight bow, receiving slightly deeper bows in return.

    Then, on a whim, he stepped forward and placed his hand on aunt Aloralla¡¯s belly, causing not a few eyes to widen, not just Auntie¡¯s, and quickly used [Delve].  Sure enough, there was a fetus in there.  Then he paused, eyes going wide.

    ¡°I¡¯m happy for you,¡± he said to his aunt and uncle, whose eyes widened slightly at his words.

    ¡°Such a mischievous one,¡¯ aunt Aloralla said, ruffling his hair.

    He assumed that it was to throw off those watching and listening from her unannounced pregnancy, so he played along by laughing and taking off towards the snack table.

    Tillia stayed behind for a moment to apologise for his behaviour, then hurried after him.

    ¡®What was that about?¡¯  She asked, evidently scandalized with his actions.

    ¡®Aunty is pregnant,¡¯ he sent back with a smile.  ¡®I thought so when I saw her last, but now I¡¯m sure.¡¯

    Not only Tillia, but Avi popped up in her ¡°invisible¡± form, the one he could only see.  Both women looked at Aloralla, head tilted to the side.

    ¡®Another one to teach?¡¯  Avi asked, looking from Joram to Aloralla and back again.

    ¡®Are you sure?  She doesn¡¯t look any different to me,¡¯ she sent, but didn¡¯t sound very doubtful, just unsure.

    ¡®I just [Delve]d her,¡¯ he sent to them both.  ¡®So, yes, I¡¯m sure.¡¯

    With that conversation done, at least in his mind, he went about raiding the scrumptious spread, cherry-picking his favourites before finding an empty table where he could more easily consume his bounty.  Tillia hurried and grabbed a few things, then followed him to the table.  It was, fortunately or unfortunately, one of the furthest tables in the room from where the head table was, all others having already been claimed by those who¡¯d come earlier than they had.

    It was nice to have a bit of quiet but he knew that it wouldn¡¯t last, and sure enough, as he was finishing his first plate, the first of the would-be suiters for Xixi showed up.

    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t this the Matriarch¡¯s favourite great-grandson?¡±  Mook #1 asked, nudging a couple friends.  ¡°Aren¡¯t you Xiora¡¯s fianc¨¦?  Why aren¡¯t you sitting closer?¡±

    Joram glanced at him, sure to actually turn his head instead of just taking note of the kid in his sphere.  What his eyes told him did not differ in any way than his sphere¡­ except the colour.  Anyways, the kid was probably about nine years old and somehow seemed to fit almost every stereotypical category one could attribute to a young silk-pants.  An entitled little shit, to put it another way.  And now he was there to try and embarrass him at Xixi¡¯s party.

    Idiot.

    ¡°Then I¡¯d have to sit closer to you,¡± Joram replied with a shrug, then looked back to his plate.  Sure enough, he¡¯d cleared it of its bounty.

    ¡°Tillia, could you get me a refill please?¡±  He asked, looking to her with big, innocent, eyes.

    Tillia¡¯s eyes narrowed for a moment while Mook #1 processed Joram¡¯s insult, but then stood up and went to the buffet table for him.

    ¡°Who do you think you are to speak to me like that?!¡±  Mook #1 demanded, face turning red as his Lackeys got all puffed up, trying to look intimidating.

    Now, for someone who might have actually been five years old, that might have been an intimidating sight.  But for Joram, well, it was much harder for him to keep from laughing than anything else.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure what to say here.  You¡¯ve already identified me, so there¡¯s no use saying who I am again,¡± he said, raising his palms with his fingers pointed outwards as he shrugged.

    This was obviously not what the kid wanted to hear and thus made him even angrier.

    ¡°You don¡¯t belong here, cripple!  Go home and wait for your parents to get back.  Maybe you¡¯ll get a little sister who¡¯ll be able to take care of you!¡±

    Mook #1 delivered those lines while pointing a finger at him, much too close to his face for the kid¡¯s safety.  Joram had more than a slight aversion to having people sticking their fingers in his face, so he was almost triggered by it, but M3 was on the ball and snapped him out of it before Joram could [Decerebrate] the little snot.

    ¡°Hmmm, so says a kid who probably can¡¯t even read a book,¡± he said as he shook his head, putting on a saddened expression.  He was trying to remind the kid that academics were held in higher esteem in the clan than cultivation, but it didn¡¯t seem to get through to him.

    ¡°Ha!  What can you even read?  You¡¯re only five!¡±  Mook #1 asked, laughing away, his Lackeys following suit.

    ¡°What, did you miss my first birthday party?¡±  Joram asked, but didn¡¯t really expect the kid to remember something from four years ago.

    ¡°Who¡¯d remember something four years ago?¡±  Lackey #1 scoffed.

    Incidentally, each one was named thusly due to their verbal participation in the confrontation.  Mook #1 because he was the ringleader.  Lackey #1 because he was the first of the lackeys to speak.  Yeah, he had an awesome naming sense¡­

    At any rate, these kids weren¡¯t even worth having M3 pay enough attention to, to memorize their names.  So, they all got tagged with those new nicknames.

    ¡°I gather everything is going well here?¡±  Tillia asked as she returned with a filled place in hand.

    ¡°Oh, look, he needs his Nanny to help him,¡± Lackey #2 piped in.

    Joram noticed Tillia¡¯s eyebrow begin to twitch at that comment, so he stepped in.

    ¡°I guess they¡¯re all lacking in brains as well as manners,¡± he said, looking up to Tillia.  ¡°Thank you for getting that for me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Joram,¡± she said with a smile.  ¡°If you need me to take out the trash, I¡¯d be more than happy to do so,¡± she said, now looking at Mook #1 and Lackeys.  Incidentally, there were only three lackeys, so the final one was now tagged with ¡°Lackey #3¡±.

    ¡°Do you know who I am?¡±  Mook #1 asked indignantly.  ¡°No servant is allowed to speak to me that way!¡±  He said all that, trying to stand up taller as he leaned forwards in a classic intimidation move.  Now, if he¡¯d been another nine years older, he might have had a greater effect.  As it was, he only came up to chest height on Tillia, his head not much larger than one of her breasts.

    Yes, that thought actually went through Joram¡¯s mind as he tried not to laugh.  The pipsqueak just didn¡¯t know how far into the deep end he¡¯d jumped.

    ¡°Oh, really?¡±  Tillia asked, oh so sweetly, a dangerous smile on her lips.

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯d better know your place, or I¡¯ll have my servants expel you from the building!¡±

    How does every entitled brat think that they¡¯re the Alpha and Omega?  He thought, shaking his head.

    ¡°Tillia?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Joram?¡±

    ¡°Please take out the trash,¡± he said, a weary sigh escaping his lips.

    Ah, now he wished that he was better with words.  Not for calling the kid trash, but to describe the shade of red the kid turned, and also just how furious/indignant/offended/disbelieving he was.

    Indeed, a picture is worth a thousand words, he sighed, then had M2 memorize the scene so that one day he could use the scene in a webcomic or something¡­  When he eventually returned to his world¡­ or something.

    Joram ignored the squawking of the kids being booted out of the party until the parents decided to get involved as well.

    ¡®Grammy?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Does anyone outside of the direct lineage, or Elders and such, have an Authority Token higher than rank three?¡¯

    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯

    Damn, she¡¯s on point, he thought with a rueful grin.

    ¡®Just getting rid of some trash, but their parents seem to disagree.¡±

    ¡®Please explain,¡¯ Grammy sent, exasperation clear in her tone.

    He did so.

    ¡®And you couldn¡¯t just let it go?¡¯

    ¡®Nah, they were embarrassing the in-laws,¡¯ he sent cheekily.

    The pause following his last statement was so long that he began to worry that the ¡°adults¡± trying to interfere with Tillia¡¯s removal of the trash would actually manage to stop her, but then Grammy spoke up again.

    ¡®You¡¯re token should be sufficient to deal with anyone there,¡¯ she sent in a resigned tone.  ¡®If they still argue the point, then find a way to deal with it that doesn¡¯t involve fatalities.¡¯

    Joram quickly sent his thanks, then hopped off his chair to join the small crowd around Tillia.  She was doing remarkably well given that she was dealing with Tier 2 mages who were flexing their auras in an effort to intimidate her.

    If he could have projected his Tier 3 aura¡­ well, he probably wouldn¡¯t have as that would have revealed his hand too soon.  Bah, he very much disliked being low-key in situations like this.

    ¡°You have not right to remove my son,¡± one man was saying as he tried to loom over Tillia, but wasn¡¯t very successful due to Tillia being the same height as him.  From where Mook #1 was standing, it was probably his dad.  So, Dad¡¯O¡¯Mook #1 it would be.

    ¡°She has every right to do so,¡± Joram said as he stopped beside Tillia.  ¡°Please show them, Tillia,¡± he said, also sending along a quick telepathic message letting her know that he meant the Authority Token she¡¯d received from the Matriarch.

    Tillia smiled one of those ¡°I¡¯m being nice right now, but if you pull anything else I¡¯ll flay you alive¡± smiles at Dad¡¯O¡¯Mook #1 as she presented her Authority Token.

    The man stared at it dumbly for a moment before it clicked, then he recoiled, nose going higher as he tilted his head back.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where you picked that up, child, but you shouldn¡¯t try to use something that doesn¡¯t belong to you,¡± he said haughtily, obviously trying to dismiss the token.

    ¡°And what, pray tell, is the punishment for failing to heed the order of someone holding an authority token?¡±  Joram piped in, his smile as innocuous as he could make it.

    ¡°Not nearly as severe as someone using what isn¡¯t theirs, boy.¡±

    If that man¡¯s nose went any further into the air, he¡¯d likely fall over backwards.  Joram was impressed that he managed to stay upright.  It must have taken a lot of practice in a mirror to get that look down pat.

    He took a moment to remind himself that Grammy wouldn¡¯t be happy with any fatalities¡­  Not that he was likely to kill someone, but the temptation to selectively remove a section of his brain stem was probably the most tempted he¡¯d ever been to use that particular power.

    Well, if he ever saw that Old Fart in the future, he¡¯d likely not give it a second thought, mainly because it was safer to just remove the threat than play with fire.  Also, payback.  Yup.  He wasn¡¯t above a bit of payback.

    With a sigh, he retrieved his own Authority Token from the ring his parents had given him and held it up for all to see.  He was then gratified when Dad¡¯O¡¯Mook #1¡¯s face fell in shock once his brain caught up to what his eyes were seeing.

    ¡°Are you saying that I, also, have something that doesn¡¯t belong to me?¡±  He asked quietly while keeping the smile away from not only his face, but also his voice.

    The crowd went quiet as they, too, saw the purple plaque.  Then came Xixi, and the other boot dropped.

    ¡°Joram, what¡¯s wrong?  Why are you holding Grammy¡¯s gift?¡±  She asked from his side, innocent as could be.

    Now, it wasn¡¯t just Xixi who¡¯d come over to see what the fuss was about, but also Aunt Aloralla and Uncle Ailmar.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Toross?¡±  Aloralla asked as she stepped up beside Xixi, not looking very pleased, but socially adept enough to not immediately begin kicking in heads.

    ¡°These two are trying to claim authority of the clan, using it to bully my son,¡± ¡°Toross¡± said, doing quite a good job a cementing the image of being a stereotypical idiot in Joram¡¯s head as he tried to bluff and bluster his way out of this.

    Aunty looked down at the token he still held in hand, though now dangling at his side, sighed, then looked back to ¡°Toross¡±.  ¡°I¡¯m afraid that, at the very least, Joram¡¯s Token is quite authentic; we were there when the Matriarch presented it to him on his birthday last year.¡±

    The sound of indrawn breath was like a wind going through the hall.  Eyes widened, jaws slackened, and one person actually fainted.  Joram mentally dropped the capability of that person in his head, but then refocussed on what was happening right then.

    One, ¡°Toross¡¯s¡± face drained of all colour while his expression was a sight to behold.  Incredulity, disbelief, anger, a dab of resentment bordering on hatred, and finally a dash of regret made quite the tapestry.

    Two, Mook #1 looked like he¡¯d eaten something significantly more sour than a lemon, as actual pain crept into his expression as he stood by his father.

    Huh, maybe he¡¯s not quite a lost cause, Joram mused as ¡°Toross¡± finally managed to get his throat to work.

    ¡°My apologies,¡± he said, his expression putting the lie to his words.  ¡°We shall withdraw and hope that our words won¡¯t be taken too seriously.¡±

    With that said, he grabbed Mook #1¡¯s hand and strode out of the room.  A few others looked nervous, especially the parents of Lakeys 1-3, but no others left.  Which, quite frankly, surprised Joram, as he thought that they¡¯d be a tighter knit group than what they currently seemed to be.

    ¡°Sorry about that Xixi,¡± Joram said as he turned and gave a slight bow to her.  ¡°How about we all go and have a snack!  I think I¡¯ve still got some treats in my ring.¡±

    Xixi¡¯s eyes went wide with delight, quickly forgetting the encounter in favour of Earth¡¯s most dangerous product: Chocolate.

 Chapter 029

    It wasn¡¯t long after he¡¯d bribed Xixi with his Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge, sparing some for Zanth when he made his way over like a bloodhound scenting a trail (it was uncanny), that the gathering wound down to the part where Xixi got to open her presents in front of everyone.

    Joram sat back, Tillia seated next to him, and watched as the presents were brought up to her one-by-one.  He was a bit glad that his wasn¡¯t the first one to show up, as tradition seemed to dictate that the parents were first, then guests in order of esteem, and finally the ¡°most important¡± people.  Like the Matriarch, or the fianc¨¦.

    Speaking of, Joram caught sight of Grammy slipping in from a side door close to the pile of presents.  He was impressed with her stealth techniques.  She managed to not only slip a present into the pile, but also slipped in to sit on Joram¡¯s other side without anyone noticing.  Sure, he was off to the side so it was easier to miss someone slipping in, but he was also no longer way at the back where most people wouldn¡¯t see them anyway.

    ¡®Good stealth,¡¯ he sent with a grin.

    ¡®I try,¡¯ Grammy sent back with a faint smile.  ¡®I¡¯m glad that I won¡¯t have to preside over any funerals in the near future.¡¯

    Joram just grinned as he watched Xixi open her presents.  They weren¡¯t anything crazy, as most of the attendees were from the outer clan.  Not very well off.  They did, however, make up for it in thoughtfulness.  She received several robes that were cut large enough for her to grow into, a few hair accessories like combs and clips, but also a few natural elixirs.

    Well, medicinal herbs that could be eaten just as they were, not needing to be first refined by an alchemist.  Joram gave the people who gave the useful gifts a better mental evaluation.  Sure, he hadn¡¯t exactly broken the bank with his gift, but it was thoughtful.  Also, he didn¡¯t want to make people wonder where he¡¯d gotten this or that.

    He¡¯d just pass along a few bottles of medicinal pills to her later, out of the limelight.

    The person in charge of bringing the gifts finally found Grammy¡¯s gift and nearly fell over.  She quickly re-checked the remaining gifts, then quickly rearranged the order they¡¯d be presented in.  She also got points for putting him second-to-last.  He¡¯d have to remember to thank her for her courtesy later.

    It was only after the next present was brought over that Tillia finally noticed Grammy sitting with them and nearly swallowed her tongue as she was about to say something to Joram.  He reached over and gave her a pat on the back as he sent, ¡®It¡¯s all good, don¡¯t make a fuss.¡¯

    Tillia merely nodded, took a long draw from her cup of punch, then looked back to Xixi.

    Joram grinned again.  He was sure that if something like this had happened last year, that she really would have needed the Heimlich Maneuver or something.

    Wait, hadn¡¯t they renamed that technique a while ago¡­?  He mused, suddenly distracted, but came back around as his gift was brought up for Xixi to open.

    He noticed not a few eyebrows going up as it was announced that the present was from Joram, but also when they saw the fine wooden case.

    Xixi took her time admiring the simple box.  Yes, he¡¯d done a bit of decorative carving along the edges, but nothing too fancy.  Again, to avoid the questions.

    At length, Xixi opened the lid and slid the cloth aside to reveal the statuette laying inside, and her eyes grew wide.  He also noticed that Aunty and Uncle both softly gasped as they, too, saw the statuette.  With her mother¡¯s encouragement, Xixi held it up for all to see, eliciting a similar reaction from most of the crowd.

    Yes, some of them were on ¡°Team: Not Joram¡± and thus silently scoffed, but most seemed to be impressed with what a five-year-old had given as a gift.

    ¡°Did you make this Joram?¡±  She asked, looking over to where he sat.

    ¡°Just for you,¡± he said with his second-best smile and a thumbs-up.

    That got more than a few reactions, ranging from surprised to disbelieving.  He didn¡¯t really care.  Yes, it was attention, but it wasn¡¯t like it was his best piece which would have definitely caused a stir.

    For her part, Xixi made her way over to him and gave him a Great Big Hug, again thanking him for the gift.

    That managed to pull out his first-best smile as he tenderly held her.

    ¡°Happy birthday,¡± he said, finding that it was harder to speak than he¡¯d expected.  This was significantly harder than it should have been, so he just kept quiet as Xixi finally let go and danced back to her parents, box in one hand, statuette in the other.

    He had to close his eyes then, the sight bringing with it too many memories for him to handle right then.

    Through [Touchsight], he saw the woman bring over Grammy¡¯s gift, a small box suspiciously similar to what he¡¯d received last year.

    Sure enough, the little box contained an Authority Token, Grade 3.  Not a few whispers broke out just then as the rumour mill went into overdrive.  Well, it would as soon as the guests left.  For now, Joram could practically read the speculation on their faces, each one wondering what it meant, and what they¡¯d do about it.

    He shrugged all that away, along with the memories of other sweet girls being overly excited for simple, yet heartfelt, gifts.

    - - - - -

    *1343.04.28*

    Joram had also attended Zanth¡¯s birthday, but it was significantly less eventful than Xixi¡¯s, much to the relief of Aunt Selussa and Uncle Vulen.  Not that he could blame them at all.  He, too, preferred quieter gatherings where entitled people didn¡¯t try to push their weight around.

    That said, he¡¯d gifted Zanth a carved replica of a katana.  He¡¯d noticed that Zanth was quite taken with swords, and he even seemed to be learning techniques related to swords and developing Sword Intent.

    Yes, that was a thing.  Much like the various Laws, Sword Intent was something that could be studied and learned.  So, Joram had found a straight branch of Lightning Willow, treated it, then carved it.  He had a feeling that Zanth would develop an affinity for the Law of Lightning, so he hoped that the bo-ken would serve him well in his practice.  It was a full-sized sword, so it should be useful even when he grew up.

    One last thing that he¡¯d added to the sword besides the alchemical treatment that hardened the wood, was to psionically strengthen it further using [Matter Manipulation], making is harder than steel in the process.

    Zanth had high fived him.

    But in the meantime, Joram had continued producing piles of pills, practicing, refining his technique so that he¡¯d be able to tackle Tier 5 pills soon.

    M2 and Avi had continued their forays into the wider world, but keeping a lower profile than they had at their first auction.  That not only allowed them to go about unmolested, but it also allowed them to go from shop to shop relatively unnoticed, buying up stacks, bundles, and bushels of various ingredients that Joram needed to continue his manic pill refining.

    They also dropped by various auction houses, selling most of the pills Joram produced, thus allowing them to continue their spending spree.

    They¡¯d also found that lode of Sky Nether Jade that Grammy had told him about, then promptly excavated the whole thing.  That had given Joram a bit of a project, but for later.

    M3 was still working on the scanning device, now just fine tuning the sensors.

    Then, as Joram was refining his latest batch of healing pills- Tier 3!-,  and looking forward to his parents arriving any day now, he felt a jolt go through his mind and body, causing even his realm to shake slightly.

    ¡°What was that?¡±  He murmured, putting a hand to his head as he closed his eyes and withdrew to his Knowledge Star.

    ¡®Oh, crap.¡¯

    That was all he could think to say as he watched one of his Cores, one of the black¡¯ish ones, falling closer to his Knowledge Star.

    It must have been on such a gradually declining orbit that he¡¯d somehow missed it during his weekly check-ups.

    *Rumble!*

    Well, guess it doesn¡¯t matter when it started, just that it¡¯s about to get torn apart by the Star¡¯s gravity, he thought as he mustered his psionic might in an effort to push the Core into a stable orbit.

    It felt like he¡¯d walked up to a bus rolling towards him and tried to stop in with an outstretched hand.

    About as efficacious as sneezing at it.

    *Rumble!!*

    Now the shaking of his¡­ inner self and his realm were getting more severe, actually causing him physical pain as the shockwaves being released by his black Core, as it drew closer to the Knowledge Star, hit him.  Things were getting more painful by the second as he tried to figure out what to do.

    He hadn¡¯t read anything remotely similar to what was happening to him, so he didn¡¯t have any wisdom from previous generations to go on.  No, this was all new.  Including the gathering ball of energy being formed by the mana being pulled towards the Knowledge Star.  Which was odd.

    Normally, something being pulled into the gravity well of a larger object just fell into that larger object.  But the mana was just¡­ forming another ball between the two orbs.  Yes, the Knowledge Star was at least one hundred times the size of the Core, but that drawn-out bit of mana was still being¡­ pressed between the two, and that was what was causing the bursts of energy that were causing damage to him.

    In desperation, Joram began pulling mana from his other Cores in an effort to use that energy to help push the falling Core into a stable orbit.  It was much like trying to pull sixty-three dogs into line when all they wanted to do was explore all the things!  He felt like he would be pulled to pieces by the strain.

    Eventually, he managed to draw a thin thread of energy from each of the rest of the Cores and used that to start pushing back on the falling Core.

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    * * * * *

    Avi laid Joram down on his bed in the villa, silently commanding a few droids to get some things for her.  Namely, a cloth and basin of water, one of the finished omni-tools, and the psicrystal of M3.

    M2 had dropped as soon as the first tremor had rocked the realm, cutting their expedition short.  She¡¯d immediately snatched up M2¡¯s psicrystal and shifted to Joram¡¯s realm where she found him unresponsive on the ground, nose bleeding.

    That hadn¡¯t been a welcome sight.  Frightening would have described it better.  Either way, she¡¯d scooped up Joram and had gone to the villa, where she was now waiting for the droids to return.  She wasn¡¯t, however, idle.  As she waited, she manifested [Mend Body] in an effort to keep him from bleeding out, but also to help keep his body in one piece.

    Who knew what ridiculously dangerous thing he was up to?  She just knew that she needed to keep him alive.

    * * * * *

    Why can¡¯t things ever go smoothly with shit like this?  He asked himself as he noticed that even though he¡¯d managed to stabilize the orbit of that Core, he¡¯d managed to cause every other Core to get pulled into degenerating orbits.

    It had been relatively easy to stabilize their orbits when he¡¯d first pulled all of his Cores into orbit with his Knowledge Star, but now that they¡¯d all grown¡­

    Well, they were much harder to nudge back out of the gravity well of his Knowledge Star.  Which was causing that terrible shockwave, now ¡°waves¡±, to increase in frequency and magnitude as the mana pulled from each Core was beginning to coalesce around that first ball of mana that had been drawn away.

    ¡­ Which made him very nervous as he felt just how powerful the energy waves were becoming as the various colours of mana swirled together while being pressured by the gravity of the Star and the Cores.

    If he wasn¡¯t wrong, the pressure on that ball of mana was already many times what had been needed to condense his Cores in the first place.  He could feel the extreme forces being applied to it, and it was now outright scaring him.

    What to do?  I can¡¯t pull more mana from my cores, otherwise they¡¯ll just continue falling into the Star.  So, then, I need mana from the outside, he concluded, then tried to send a message to Avi and realized that his Network was once again down.

    ¡®Well, crap.¡¯

    * * * * *

    Avi felt the Network collapse and knew that it was even worse than she¡¯d feared.

    Shortly after that, she felt the mana in the room suddenly begin to flow towards him.  Looking around, it soon became clear that the draw was getting stronger and stronger, but so was the strain on his body.

    Avi saw faint cracks appearing on his body, even fainter light flowing out from them.  With a thought, she manifested [True Metabolism] on him, giving him outright Regeneration to keep his body from exploding.

    ¡°Bring all the Tier 2 mana crystals!¡±  She shouted out at a passing droid.  It dropped what it was doing, which was dusting, and ran for it.

    ¡°I know you need mana, but anything stronger than Tier 2 and you¡¯ll just kill yourself,¡± she murmured as she stroked his sweat-soaked brow.  ¡°Don¡¯t die on me again.¡±

    * * * * *

    Joram was now questioning every decision he¡¯d ever made.  He¡¯d thought that drawing in mana from outside his body would help alleviate the strain on the orbits of his Cores, but it hadn¡¯t worked.  If anything, the added mana was fueling the growth of the Rainbow Ball between the Cores and the Star¡­ at an alarming rate.

    The Rainbow Ball, as he¡¯d started to referring it, was now half the size of his Star.  Sure, the thought had occurred to him to just stop drawing in more mana, but that had only reduced the repulsion force that the Rainbow Ball seemed to have on the Cores, allowing them to fall closer to the Star.

    So, he was in a bit of a bind.

    On the one hand, he could finally find out what would happen if a Core fell into the Star¡­.  On the other, he¡¯d find out what would happen when the Rainbow Ball grew too large to comfortably share its orbit with the other celestial bodies.

    Then a fluctuation caught his attention, something different.

    The mana he was drawing in wasn¡¯t¡­ pure?  There seemed to be something different about it, something¡­ powerful, and solid.

    After a very brief moment of pondering, as he didn¡¯t have anywhere near the time he would have liked, he came to the conclusion that he was feeling ¡°Earth Mana/Qi¡±.  It fit everything he¡¯d read about it.  But what the heck was he to do with it?

    He had plenty of Base Mana, the Tier 1 stuff, but he was now getting a bit of a surplus of the Earth Mana and was thus getting, well, panicked as the in-flow of mana was actually increasing, ballooning the Rainbow Ball to close the size of the Star.

    * * * * *

    ¡°You, retrieve the adamantium.  You: scale #22, and you: feather #13.  You, get sample #283 of the Sky Nether Jade.¡± she shouted at the gathering droids, all coming together for instruction, but to also begin building barriers and energy shields in case Joram¡­ didn¡¯t make it.

    Avi could feel the crazy amount to mana, and funny enough, psionic energy, building up in Joram at an alarming rate.

    The only thing that she could think to do was to go into Joram¡¯s ¡°Head Space¡± where his little office was located, and manually initiate his assimilation routine.  She hoped that the adamantium would toughen his body enough so that it wouldn¡¯t break apart nearly as fast, while the scale and feather were also meant to increase the toughness of his physical body.

    She also hoped that the scale and feather would increase his body¡¯s ability to hold and assimilate mana, that it would also increase his mana capacity so that it would give him more time to do what he needed to do to get himself out of this mess.  And finally she hoped that if he could assimilate the Sky Nether Jade, his production of psionic energy would be able to keep up to the draw needed to keep him healed.

    That said, if it didn¡¯t work, she¡¯d need to rebuild the villa, and likely most everything in the realm as the resulting explosion would be¡­ epic.

    * * * * *

    He¡¯s somehow managed to push the Cores away from the Binary Stars at the centre of his mind, but was now even more stressed.

    The Rainbow Ball was now a Rainbow Star that dwarfed his Knowledge Star and was now beginning to pull psionic energy from said Star, adding to the chaotic swirl of colours in the Rainbow Star.

    And it was still growing as more and more mana was pulled in.

    On another note, he¡¯d managed to push all of the Earth Mana onto his Cores.  Because, why not?

    If he was going to have to deal with it, he¡¯d may as well make it useful as one of the steps to advance into Tier 4 was to be able to sense Earth Mana and begin adding it to one¡¯s Core.  Each Core now looked like a planet with an atmosphere.  The Earth Mana hadn¡¯t quite been condensed into a liquid, so it floated about on the surface of each Core like clouds.  Well, clouds behaving like Jupiter¡¯s Eternal Storm, that is.  The ¡°solar winds¡± were strong enough that it set each Core¡¯s atmosphere spinning about.

    Cloudy, with a chance of meatballs, he thought with a wry grin.  It was true: if he failed, there¡¯d likely be bits of him blown into the upper atmosphere that would eventually need to come down¡­

    Then he felt a jolt run through him.  Not the kind that came from the increasingly regular pulses from the growing Rainbow Star, but from something else.

    He then felt a¡­ solidness run through him, allowing him to weather the energy pulses better.

    Then another jolt ran through him, but before he could register what had changed, another one came, then another one.

    His eyes widened as he felt the next pulse hit him, then he marvelled at the fact that that latest pulse had felt like a gentle breeze ruffling his clothing.

    What¡¯s going on?

    Then his eyes widened as he noticed his Knowledge Star visibly growing, now fighting with the Rainbow Star to keep its energy to itself.

    The Rainbow Star almost seemed alive as its draw of mana increased, once again ballooning in size, but becoming visibly unstable in the process.  It was all that Joram could do to direct the Earth Mana out towards the Cores.  One good thing about the pulses was that each one helped push the Cores further away from the Binary Stars while also flattening the Earth Mana onto the Cores.

    Well, it was a good run of things.  I hope that this doesn¡¯t mess with my [Astral Seed] too much; I¡¯d like to re-form sometime soon, rather than much later¡­  He thought as he watched the Rainbow Star begin to quake.

    There was one final pulse, the Grand Poobah of Pulses which looked a lot to him like what many graphic artists had rendered to represent a Super Nova.

    The energy wave hit him like, well, a Super Nova, sending him careening away, consciousness lost amongst the turbulence.

    * * * * *

    Avi felt the build-up of energy, an alarming spike that sent out waves of energy so powerful that they disintegrated Joram¡¯s bed and knocked her into the shielding surrounding them both.

    Glad that she didn¡¯t have a meat-bag brain to get rattled, Avi [Teleported] away just in time to see the bubble turn bright white.  She glanced over at the shield-generators and saw their displays indicate an imminent failure to contain the blast.

    Thinking fast, Avi used her omni-tool to disable a section of the shields right at the top, allowing the pent-up energy to blast out, vaporizing everything in its path.

    Yes, vaporizing.  As in, the matter turned into a gaseous state upon contacting the white pillar of destruction that stretched to the sky.  Then, what hadn¡¯t been atomized was promptly combusted, then also blown away.

    She really hoped that the droids would be able to take care of any flaming debris and prevent the realm from going up in smoke.  She had, after all, spent a thousand years making the place into a cozy home for them to stay in.

    Avi shook her head, now looking back to where Joram should have been.  The bubble-shaped shield was still all white, bright as the sun.

    She tried feeling out her connection to Joram, but only found static.

    Well, that¡¯s actually a good sign.  The first time he died, there¡¯d been nothing to even attempt to connect to,¡± she thought, trying desperately to see the silver lining here.

    She was sorely afraid that she had somehow managed to screw Joram over, hard.  She¡¯d felt that his mana-capacity had increased after manually starting the assimilation process with the scale and the feather, then also felt his psionic energy regeneration nearly explode after the Sky Nether Jade had been absorbed.  She¡¯d been intensely grateful that she¡¯d started with the adamantium, as she feared that he¡¯d have exploded then and there had she started with the other materials first.

    After another ten minutes of watching what she imagined the heart of a star looked like, the light began to dim.  One part of her didn¡¯t want to look, but knew that if he hadn¡¯t survived that there¡¯d likely be nothing to see.  The other part of her was desperate to find him alive and¡­ relatively, well.  She had no illusions that he¡¯d be remotely OK, but she still hoped.

    The light finally dissipated completely, but still left the air inside the¡­ fishbowl forcefield hot enough to roast a bull, nevermind the dense smoke swirling around inside as the temperature variance, and vacuum, created quite the sight.  Any other day, or even under any other circumstances, Avi would have admired how the air currents flowed around inside the forcefield, but not today.

    Today, she blasted an empowered [Cleanse] out towards the forcefield.  It was a ¡°spread¡± effect, so the power just flowed up and over the edge of the forcefield and cleaned away the remaining smoke¡­

    Revealing a very naked, and very bald, Joram laying on the ground.  Well, the bottom layer of the forcefield anyways.  She took note of his faintly glowing skin, looking as though it was cooling metal.  She also noted that as she approached the forcefield, her holographic hair started to rise.

    Avi looked down at herself, then gave herself a pat on the back with how well she¡¯d created her ¡°body¡±.  It even reacted appropriately to free-floating electrons.

    Avi then shook her head, a habit gained from Joram, and focussed back on Joram himself.

    As she looked closer, she noticed little arcs of electricity occasionally jumping from one splayed finger to another, sometimes jumping all the way from a hand to a toe.

    ¡°Hmmm, this could complicate things,¡± she mumbled to herself, then looked around again.

    The villa was a write-off.  What hadn¡¯t been instantly destroyed had instead been blown away, pieces now scattered throughout the small realm.

    Avi pulled up a map on her omni-tool which showed the positions of all her droids, then used that data to get an idea of how far-spread the damage was.

    * * * * *

    *1343.05.05*

    ¡°We¡¯re home!¡±  Sulia called out as she threw the door open to their family apartments.

    Ivaryn just shook his head as he followed her in, glad that he didn¡¯t have to actually carry their luggage.

    ¡°Joram!?¡±  Sulia called out as she noticed the renovations that had been made to their place, specifically when Tillia came out of a new door.

    ¡°Hello Madame, Sir,¡± she said politely as she bowed to them.

    Ivaryn noticed a few things then.  One, Tillia was way too polite for anything good to be happening.  Two, her cultivation had increased amazingly.  He could feel that she was now in the early stages of Tier 2, quite the improvement from when they¡¯d last seen each other.  Which caused him to worry when he noticed the bags under her eyes.  Those were hard to get after you¡¯d stepped into Tier 2.

    Lastly, there was no Joram.

    ¡°Tillia, it¡¯s good to see you,¡± Sulia said with a warm smile as she approached her, then gave her a light hug.  ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so formal, you¡¯ve taken care of Joram in out absence.  You¡¯re practically family.¡±

    Tillia blushed slightly at that, bringing colour to her slightly pale face.  Ivaryn wrote it off as Tillia being embarrassed with the compliments and warm greetings, but couldn¡¯t quite shake a growing sense of unease.

    ¡°Where¡¯s that little scamp?¡±  He asked, looking towards Joram¡¯s room with a grin that was a bit forced.  ¡°We¡¯ve been dying to see how he¡¯s grown these past few years.¡±

    Tillia gave them a nervous look and glanced towards the front door.  Ivaryn idly followed her gaze and spotted the Matriarch stepping through the doorway.  It wasn¡¯t unusual for Sulia¡¯s grandmother to come by to check up on her favourite granddaughter, but what was unusual was her expression.  Or lack thereof.

    Well, even that wasn¡¯t unusual given that she normally went about with an unreadable expression.  But when visiting Sulia, especially after she¡¯d given birth to Joram, Tatia had¡­ thawed.

    But as Tatia stepped closer to them, both he and Sulia exchanged a look.  Both knew that something was amiss when Tatia had that mask on.

    ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡±  Sulia asked, taking her grandmother¡¯s hands in hers, now trying very hard to keep it together.

    ¡°It¡¯s Joram,¡± she said, looking Sulia in the eyes.  ¡°He¡¯s had another¡­ incident, and we can¡¯t find him anywhere.¡±

 Chapter 030

    Sulia had hoped that the bad feeling that she¡¯d been struggling with for the past week would prove to be just a figment of her imagination, a symptom of missing her son.

    But as her grandmother spoke, that hope turned to ashes.  She recalled the coded messages she¡¯d received from Grandmother, explaining what had happened two years earlier when her connection to Joram had suddenly been severed.  At that time, they¡¯d at least been reassured that Joram was being taken care of by the Clan, and especially Grandmother.

    This time?

    They couldn¡¯t even find him.

    The only thing they knew for certain was that an extremely powerful wave of energy had flooded the Network before it had once again dropped.  Her grandmother went on to explain that Joram had been using a cultivation room that had recently been built for him, but preferred to cultivate in an extradimensional pocket he could make.

    That nearly blew her mind; the thought that Joram was capable of making an extradimensional space so casually.  But what really hit her was the possibility that something had gone wrong when he¡¯d made that space, and he was somehow lost between dimensions or something.

    ¡°As you know, I am able to sense the Law of Space, yet I haven¡¯t detected anything that would indicate a tearing of the fabric of space had occurred,¡± Grandmother explained calmly.

    Burn calm!  I want my son!  Sulia silently raged, but then was distracted by Ivaryn¡¯s touch.

    ¡°Then we shall trust in your investigation, Tatia,¡± he said, his stress only evident in his calling Grandmother by her first name.

    ¡°He¡¯s a remarkably resourceful child; I¡¯m sure that he¡¯ll surprise us with something equally ridiculous when he shows up again,¡± Grandmother said, a faint smile on her face.  ¡°Let me show you what he had left for the Clan,¡± she said as sat at the family table, a few brown topazes appearing in her hand.

    Sulia knew what Grandmother was trying to do, but went along with it anyway.  No amount of stressing out would help the situation along, so she sat beside her grandmother and leaned over to get a closer look at the beautifully cut gems.

    They were in a cut that she was unfamiliar with, being in the shape of a drop of water, or a tear, but flat on one side.  Grandmother handed her one, then Ivaryn another.  Both looked at the gem, a bit puzzled.  Yes, it was of exquisite quality and clarity, but what made it so special?

    ¡°As you know,¡± Grandmother said, activating her privacy ward that encompassed them at the table.  Sulia was surprised to see that Tillia had also joined them there.  ¡°Joram is¡­ accomplished in Mental Strength, Psionics as he calls it.  Almost half a year ago he presented me with these gems along with instructions on how to use them.¡±

    Sulia listened, her jaw slowly dropping.  She knew that Joram could heal people with mental energy alone, but to be able to make such a life-saving item was on the ridiculous side of far-fetched.

    ¡°In short, he left twenty gems with me to use as I see fit,¡± she explained, waving a hand as she summoned the rest of them from her storage ring to lay on the table in front of her.  ¡°I haven¡¯t given any out yet, mostly because I haven¡¯t thought of an appropriate cover story.  That said, most people can¡¯t detect the ¡®enchantment¡¯ place on it, so I was thinking of giving them out to clan members heading out on dangerous missions.¡±

    Both Sulia and Ivaryn nodded at that, having such a life-saving item would mean that the chances of losing clan members on dangerous missions would drop significantly.  At the same time, if they knew what the gem did, the chance that they would take even more risks knowing that they had such a thing would also go up.  It was, quite frankly, a double-edged sword.

    Sulia took in another breath, exhaled, then a deeper one.  This was all fine and good- amazing even!- but she couldn¡¯t forget that Joram was currently in an unknown state of health, in an unknown location.  Even these gems didn¡¯t have the impact on her that they would have if he¡¯d been there with them.  Heck, even if Joram still had these gems on him, they were likely not enough to have kept him healthy enough to return to them.

    What had happened?  Grandmother had told them of this previous cultivation accident, and that was a fascinating subject for future study, but had he somehow managed to make his situation worse?  Had he made a mistake when trying to create new pathways in his body to accommodate the new location of his Core?  She knew that it was extremely dangerous to attempt to path new energy conduits in the body, even for people well-versed in the subject.  For Joram?

    By his own admission, he was unfamiliar with their methods of cultivation.  So as she saw it, he was all the more likely to have had an accident while he worked on his body.  Was he as proficient in working with the Spirit as he was with the Mind and Body?  Because new energy conduits were as much a spiritual thing as they were a physical thing in the body.  You had to change yourself as you cultivated, as you drew in more and more mana into your body and spirit to accommodate the mana.

    Did he know that?  Was he only changing his body without knowing that that was only half of the equation?

    ¡°Sulia,¡± she heard her grandmother say at the same time that she felt her hand on her arm.  ¡°I know your worried, but there is nothing we can do until he shows up again.  When that time comes, we need to be at our best so that we can help him in any way that he might need.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Grandmother,¡± she said with a faint smile.  ¡°It¡¯s just that Joram is our first¡­.¡±  She trailed off as she finally noticed the dark circles under Tillia¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°How are you keeping up, Tillia?¡±  She asked, going into helpful mode to help distract herself.

    ¡°As well as can be expected, thank you,¡± she said meekly, head bowing.

    Sulia shared a look with Ivaryn, not quite sure what was up with Tillia.  Yes, she¡¯d been responsible for Joram¡¯s safety and general care during their absence, but she couldn¡¯t possibly think that it was her fault.  Maybe she did?  There were some very protective people out there, so maybe Tillia was one of them?

    ¡°I¡¯m just worried about him; don¡¯t mind me too much,¡± Tillia clarified, seeming to stir up a bit more energy to make her tone of voice a bit stronger.  She still sounded wrung-out though.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad that Joram has someone like you to watch over him,¡± Ivaryn said with a reassuring smile.  ¡°I¡¯m sure that he¡¯d have gotten into a lot more trouble if you hadn¡¯t been around.¡±

    Sulia noted the Look her grandmother and Tillia shared before they both burst into¡­ giggles.

    What?

    * * * * *

    After having the site of the old villa cleaned up, Avi set the droids to rebuilding the place, though with a few modifications.  Like built-in forcefield emitters to help mitigate future damage to the building.

    In the meantime, Joram was resting in a newly built lab- er, observation room, uh, convalescence room specially made for his unique situation.  Not only had she needed to account for ridiculous amounts of voltage and amperage coming off him, but also random bursts of heat.  Heat sufficient to melt steel, nevermind incinerating anything nearby.

    As for his situation, she still didn¡¯t really know.  It had been difficult enough to get the room set-up, nevermind making sure that the heat and electricity coming off him didn¡¯t disrupt her ¡°body¡±.  It had taken several layers of protection to just get close to him, let alone pick him up.

    When she¡¯d finally been able to do so, she was struck with how his body felt.  Not in a weird way.  No, it was almost like lifting a block of metal.  His normally elastic skin didn¡¯t so much as dimple under her touch, but was still smooth as a baby¡¯s behind.  Well, he was still what she¡¯d call a baby, physically, but it had still surprised her.

    She had also managed to get a few readings with her omni-tool.  There were¡­ confusing, to say the least.  It was likely because the sensors hadn¡¯t been calibrated, or made, to detect what she needed them to.  So, all she got back was a mass of¡­ mass.  They didn¡¯t have enough data on the new elements of this world for them to calibrate sensors to with any measure of accuracy.  Hence: ¡°mass¡±.  Well, ¡°unknown mass¡±, to be accurate.

    Yes, she was able to get various energy readings from him, including psionic energy emanations, which gave her hope that he wasn¡¯t brain dead.

    She¡¯d checked on his [Astral Seed] to make sure that his soul hadn¡¯t just transferred there due to the trauma he¡¯d gone through, but it had remained dormant this entire time, much to her relief.  She hadn¡¯t gotten to the source of his unusual¡­ rebirth, but currently didn¡¯t have time to do any research on the subject.

    Anyway, back to Joram.

    He was still bald as could be.  No eyebrows.  No eyelashes.  Nothing.  She really hoped that he wouldn¡¯t wind up being a baldy, as she really liked his hair.  Also, he¡¯d be a reflective hazard with any strong light sources present.

    She sighed, emulating the motion with her non-organic body.  Sure, her body wasn¡¯t strictly a hologram, but made of whisps of ectoplasm drawn from the Astral Plane, but she certainly wasn¡¯t an organic being at the moment.

    Then she had a thought.  She had access to Altaea¡¯s genetic data, as well as a wealth of other genetic data, and she did have access to technology far more advanced than what Joram was used to on Earth¡­.

    ¡°New project!¡±  She exclaimed, punching the air above her head with one arm, then wilted.

    She¡¯d feel bad if Joram suddenly needed her, but was too distracted to help him.  After a few minutes of contemplation and planning, she set a few droids to start a few new projects.

    ¡°Multitasking!¡±

    * * * * *

    *1343.05.22*

    Tillia was worn out.  The stress of not knowing if Joram was OK, let alone alive, was really getting to her.  She found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on her cultivation, finding her mind wandering to her young, and troublesome, ward.

    Yes, he was a Reincarnator, but he also seemed to act his physical age more than she thought he would, given what he was.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    Then there were the¡­ visions.

    Well, that might have been too strong a word for what was happening, but it seemed¡­ appropriate to call them that.

    Every now and then when she was looking at someone, she¡¯d see them¡­ older.  That was it.  No visions of future accomplishments, no clues as to anything they¡¯d become or do.  Just, older.  What confused her the most was that it was mostly children.

    In adults, it was mostly seeing them younger versions of themselves, but she¡¯d occasionally catch a glimpse of someone looking older than what they should.

    It was unnerving, to say the least.

    And it wasn¡¯t like she¡¯d see a toddler as an adult, but only a few years older than they currently were.  She¡¯d tried staring into a mirror to see if it happened while she was staring at herself, but nothing ever came of it.

    She¡¯d debated telling the Matriarch about it, but was hesitant because she mostly thought it a symptom of her stress.  Seeing things that weren¡¯t there.  Classic sleep deprivation, right there.  Also, who wanted to distract important people with something as trivial as sleep deprivation induced hallucinations?

    Joram¡¯s parents were due to leave the next day, having already stayed as long as they could.  Her heart went out to them for having to leave once again without knowing what had happened to their only son.  She could only imagine the heartache they were going through.  Her own was bad enough.

    In a sense, she was a bit glad for the space apart with Joram.  Not that she was in any way glad that he¡¯d mysteriously disappeared!  No, but it had allowed her to think without distraction.

    Her issues with seeing¡­ things, hadn¡¯t just started happening after he¡¯d vanished.  It had first happened when she¡¯d awoken on the floor after having passed out.  Seeing an older version of Joram leaning over her had been¡­ shocking.  She¡¯d initially written it off as her mind playing tricks on her after having woken up.  But that hadn¡¯t been the only time it had happened.

    Every now and then when she was watching him do something, that image would come back.  And, unfortunately, it would somehow coincide with Joram looking up at her, giving her one of his weird smiles, usually causing her to get a bit frazzled as the image would also give that same smile, which was definitely more fetching on an older face than a child.

    Was the stress of their situation to blame for it?  After the clan found out about his¡­ disability, things had gotten increasingly more stressful for her, if not for Joram.  He seemed to not care what people said about him, but she couldn¡¯t help but care.

    She knew just how special he was, if not to the full extent.  It was frustrating watching narrowminded people deride, demean, and denounce him.  Where once they¡¯d been practically fawning over him, a good deal of people had now turned their backs on him.

    Tillia was glad that Aloralla and Ailmar were much more understanding than those others.  It might have been due to Aloralla having nursed Joram that their relationship was much better than others¡¯, or it might have been that their children were engaged that did it.  But still, she was glad.

    But what did that mean for Joram¡¯s declaration of Tillia being his woman?  She was long used to children developing a crush on her, so had mostly dismissed it as a childhood crush.  But then those visions kept popping up, reminding her that he was also an adult in a child¡¯s body.  Which meant that the likelihood that his declaration wasn¡¯t just something a child ignorantly declared, was high.

    Well, she¡¯d let time do its thing.  If he still pursued her when he was a grown man, she¡¯d see then.  Now that she was progressing in her cultivation, she¡¯d at least not be an old woman by the time he grew up.  But then, maybe he would forget about his crush if she did wind up looking like an old woman?

    That was something to think about.

    - - - - -

    It was painful to watch as Sulia and Ivaryn prepared to leave the next day.  The Matriarch was, of course, present to send them off.  She suspected that the Matriarch was still feeling guilty over not having been able to find any clues as to Joram¡¯s whereabouts, causing their faint hope that he¡¯d survived to grow even fainter.

    But for some reason, she didn¡¯t feel that Joram was lost to them.  She couldn¡¯t put her thumb on it, it was just a feeling.  Perhaps it was due to the many visions she¡¯d had of Joram as a young adult, but the feeling nevertheless stuck with her.

    Tillia watched as the last of their luggage was stored away in Ivaryn¡¯s storage ring, still amazed at how easy rich people had it when needing to transport things.  Whenever she had taken the children she¡¯d care for out for an outside activity at a park or something, she had needed to stuff a large backpack full of the various necessities they¡¯d need while out and about for a few hours¡¯ time, practically looking like a travelling peddler so weighed down was she.

    Now, whoosh!, all packed!

    She straightened to attention when Sulia came over to speak with her, her nerves now deciding it was time to make themselves known.

    ¡°Thank you again for watching out for Joram all this time,¡± she said, a faint trace of sadness in her eyes.  ¡°Please, feel free to stay here as long as you need.  The place shouldn¡¯t be left empty.¡±  She finished, absently waving a hand at the almost empty apartments.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll return soon,¡± Tillia said with as much confidence as she could muster, plastering on a confident smile while she was at it.

    Both Sulia and Ivaryn gave her a sad smile, but was still filled with warmth.  Sulia leaned in and gave her a hug, Ivaryn joining in to make it a group hug.

    The moment was gone all too soon, then they all left, leaving Tillia to the empty rooms all by lonesome.  She wandered over to Joram¡¯s room and hesitated, hand hovering in front of the door.  Then her hand fell as she turned to her own room and settled down on her meditation mat, eyes closing upon shimmering eyes.

    * * * * *

    Tatia watched as Sulia and Ivaryn stepped onto their ancient teleportation platform and vanished a moment later.  It was a ¡°lost¡± magic, having been left behind by their clan founder.  It was all they could do to maintain its function over the past few thousand years, as the attainments of the clan members in the Law of Space hadn¡¯t been sufficient to create any new platforms.  No, even her attainments only allowed her to maintain or fix what was already there.

    With a sigh so slight that only she knew she¡¯d let one out, Tatia turned back to the clan.  The teleportation area was deep inside the Library, hidden beside the entrance to the Heavenly Archive.  That, too, had been arranged by the Founder.  Well, that was the story anyways.

    Only the Matriarchs of the clan knew that the Heavenly Archive had been left behind by Altaea, the true creator of their clan.  Even after having studied the Archive for over one hundred years, she¡¯d still only touched the surface of the Law of Space, she was sure.  Elsewise, how could she explain her limited understanding of that Law?

    Shaking her head, she made her way to Joram¡¯s cultivation room to once again study the extradimensional space he¡¯d left behind.  She wasn¡¯t quite sure, but she had the impression that it would have soon dissipated if Joram had truly perished.  She knew that Tillia also believed that Joram was still alive, but like her, couldn¡¯t explain why.

    Though, Tatia was sure that Tillia was hiding something, but was also sure that it wasn¡¯t anything pertaining to Joram¡¯s whereabouts or wellbeing as she would have shared anything of the sort.  She was a good child that way.

    But, like her, Tillia seemed to have a hunch, something that continued to lead her to believe that Joram would return to them.  And that was what partially moved Tatia to pursue her own hunch, her intuition.  Yes, it could have been their imagination running wild, but¡­.

    So it was that Tatia sat upon the cultivation mat in Joram¡¯s cultivation room and prepared to cultivate the Law of Space.

    *1343.09.04*

    In a small room beside a small bed surrounded by shimmering walls of force, lay a boy with short purple hair.  On a chair just off to the side, much like how a modern hospital would have been set up, sat a young woman going over a holographic- a true hologram this time- display in front of her.  On her lap was what appeared to be the base of a laptop, but without the top portion, the screen.  Instead, there was a slot where the screen would have been, which so happened to be where the display was projected from.

    Avi ¡°tapped¡± away at the display, occasionally using the keyboard build into the surface of the ¡°laptop¡±.

    ¡°Reconstruction and modification of the villa compete.  Good-good.  Cultivation chambers also complete.  Excellent¡­¡± she murmured to herself as she read then signed off on various progress reports.  She was pleased with the progress.  It had been a bit harder to organize everything that she wanted without Joram, M2, or M3 there to assist.

    But, now she had an experimental growth chamber ready.  Well, a few; you never knew when something unexpected could happen that resulted in catastrophic failure.

    There were two kinds of chambers that she¡¯d prepared.  One was for Joram, one for her.

    The first was an attempt to allow for easier reconstruction of his body should his [Astral Seed] be activated.  It provided a, well, growing tank where the seed would be able to draw in all of the necessary building block for a new body.  She had placed Joram¡¯s [Astral Seed] in that tank, suspended in place with a minor mass effect field.

    It wasn¡¯t just a ¡°tank¡± though.  No, it resembled a bacta tank from the Star Wars universe and could act as a long-term healing or hibernating chamber if it was needed as such.

    The second chamber was similar in design, however differed in a few ways.

    The main difference was that it was built to grow bodies.  Specifically, hers.  Over the last several months, she¡¯d managed to suss out how the cloning tech, that Altaea had left behind in her mind, worked.  It had taken some doing, mostly acquiring the necessary materials, but she¡¯d gotten there.  The other half of the battle had been working with the software needed to run the whole operation.

    One of the major hurtles that she¡¯d run across was the issue of inhabiting the body she¡¯d created.  She was fundamentally tied to Joram, being a part of his being.  Or, rather, depending on his being to survive.  She was a bit like a parasite that way.  Or maybe a flattering way of looking at it would be that she was like unto a branch grafted onto the tree that was Joram.  If she was removed from him, she would likely die.  Which caused no end of issues when trying to develop an organic body that she could use.

    Going with the grafting analogy, she¡¯d worked on creating a ¡°blank¡± brain for her to try and latch onto.  If her guess was correct, she could use [Data Transfer] to copy herself over to the new body, leaving her psicrystal self in storage, in case of an emergency.  Doing so would be somewhat disorienting, and cause a bit of ¡°transfer sickness¡±, but should ultimately get her where she wanted to be.

    The best part was that should her organic body die, her ¡°self¡± would just transfer back to the waiting psicrystal.  Sure, she¡¯d still suffer a bit from the transfer sickness, but it wouldn¡¯t be anywhere near as bad as the first time.

    ¡°Hmm, good plan,¡± she mumbled as her finger continued moving across the holographic keyboard.  ¡°Yes, just need an adjustment here, another one there¡­¡±

    At least her issue was mostly dealt with.  She looked up and Joram¡¯s unconscious form, glad that his hair had finally started growing again after she¡¯d found a way to add a significant amount of fire and electricity resistance to a pair of rings that he now wore.  It did not, however, solve the issue of those two elements leaking out of him constantly.  If it weren¡¯tfor the specially made bed and containment field, she¡¯s have had to keep him in a remote field far from anything remotely useful as everything in his environs would eventually be burned to ash.

    As sure as sure as she was that Joram was in a vegetative state, she wasn¡¯t entirely sure.  Normally, a powerful psion like Joram would still be able to do various things while unconscious.  He even mastered [Unconscious Power] which allowed him to manifest a power even if he¡¯d been rendered unconscious.  The fact that she hadn¡¯t felt any psionic emanations from him this entire time worried her.

    What confused her most was the unknown energy radiating off him, not unlike sitting outside on a sunny day and feeling the sun¡¯s rays on your face.  It was gentle, but had the great potential to harm.  It also scared her.

    So, there were many things that not only confused her about his condition, but also scared her.

    A few hours later, Avi put away her laptop and leaned back in her chair, sliding the lap desk to rest beside her chair.

    Eventually she sighed, saying ¡°I guess I¡¯m just fated to wait for him,¡± then closed her eyes as she tilted her head back to rest on the back of the chair.

    * * * * *

    A small figure dashed across the darkened hallway, keeping to the shadows.  The figure looked this way and that, checking to see if they¡¯d been seen.  After a moment, the figure dashed to a closed door down the hall, slid the door open, then disappeared inside, the door closing without a sound.

    The figure looked around again once inside, noting the lack of lighting, but also the lack of anyone about.

    With a nod, the figure made its way to a door off to the side, a plaque hanging from a nail in the door saying, ¡°Do not Disturb!¡±.  They paused a moment, staring at the bold lettering before shrugging, opening the door, then sliding in.

    This room, too, was in the dark; no one having bothered lighting an oil lamp, or turning on a glow lamp.

    To the shadowy figure¡¯s great disappointment, the room was vacant.

    The figure slowly dragged its feet over to the small bed off to the side, then hopped onto it and laid down.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Joram?¡±  Xixi asked, tears coming to her eyes as she lay there staring up at the ceiling.  It was eventually too much for her to keep it all in, so the tears came harder and hotter, accompanied at first by soft sobs, then more heart-wrenching cries.

    * * * * *

    Tillia watched Xixi from outside the window, having been alerted that someone had opened Joram¡¯s door.  Her disappointment fled as she saw little Xixi crying her heart out on Joram¡¯s bed, letting it all out.

    She was terribly conflicted then, not sure if she should go and comfort the young girl, or just let her cry it out on her own.

    Then the thought came to mind that she¡¯d appreciate someone being there for her, so she slid back into the apartments and made her way to Joram¡¯s door.  She hesitated again as she was about to open the door, but then firmed her resolve and slipped into the room, quiet as a shadow.

    She made her was to the bed where Xixi was still bawling her eyes out, using Joram¡¯s blanket to try and muffle her crying.  As she sat down beside Xixi, she felt her jump in surprise.  Tillia saw her wide and puffy eyes for a moment before she took Xixi into her arms and held her tight, murmuring quiet words of comfort.

    As Xixi continued shedding her tears, she missed the tears silently rolling down Tillia¡¯s face.

 Chapter 031

    *1343.13.14*

    As time tends to do, it passed like the water in a great river. Sometimes turbulent, but mostly calm, but always going forward. It was once again Joram¡¯s birthday, this time his sixth. It wasn¡¯t one of the auspicious birthdays, not being a power of two. Why was it like that? Tillia didn¡¯t know; it had always just been like that.

    She sat at the same table they¡¯d used for all of Joram¡¯s non-auspicious birthdays along with the Matriarch, Aloralla, Ailmar, Xixi, and the twins, Seldana and Elodea. They were comfortably asleep at the moment; one being held by each parent. Selussa and Vulen were also in attendance with Zanth, or Lysanthir. It seemed as though the baby bug- baby fever?- had hit, as Selussa was just barely showing in her fall dress.

    The conversation was¡­ not quite muted, but wasn¡¯t exactly lively. Xixi and Zanth were playing a game of sticks, showing great levels of hand-eye coordination as they nimbly pulled stick after stick out of the pile. Tillia could feel that they were both about ready to break through to the 2<sup>nd</sup> Tier, which amazed her to no end.

    It wasn¡¯t a surprise with Xixi, mostly because after that night of crying they¡¯d spent together, they¡¯d become closer friends, spending more and more time together as they bonded over their loneliness that was slowly turning into grief the longer they spent without word regarding Joram.

    Tillia wasn¡¯t very sure why the Matriarch had called them together to celebrate Joram¡¯s birthday. It seemed a bit¡­ morbid to her. Yet she couldn¡¯t help feeling gratitude towards the Matriarch for keeping the flame of hope lit. It was getting harder and harder for her to keep her own hope alive.

    It could have been because she was so much younger than the Matriarch, who¡¯d spent much longer waiting for various things than the rest of the room combined. Age and wisdom. Whatever the reason, it was good to gather like this.

    She idly played with the brown topaz necklace the Matriarch had given her just a couple months ago. It was one of the most beautiful gems she¡¯d ever seen, not to mention the most expensive one she¡¯d ever owned. She also noticed that Xixi kept the statuette Joram had carved for her close by. Even Zanth had the wooden sword Joram had made him strapped to his back like he was an old merc waiting for his next job, always ready to go.

    She smiled as the servants brought in the light meal, noting all of Joram¡¯s favourites with a bittersweet ache in her heart. It was getting easier to deal with his absence, but some things still managed to twang her heart when she saw them.

    ¡°Thank you all for coming to celebrate today with me,¡± the Matriarch said, catching everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°It has been a difficult year for all of us, but I would like to share that I believe it will soon get better,¡± she said with a mysterious smile.

    ¡°In what way, Matriarch?¡± Aloralla asked as she shifted Elodea in her arms.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mention this to take away from today¡¯s celebration, but only to give context,¡± she said, then paused. ¡°I have been studying the Law of Space and have recently had a breakthrough in my understanding.¡±

    Everyone blinked at her before giving quiet congratulations. They were, nevertheless, still a bit confused as to where this was headed.

    ¡°With that said, there are a few things that I would like to share about Joram,¡± she said, giving each one of the adults in the room a Look. ¡°I trust that what is said here will stay between us here,¡± she said in such a way that everyone gulped before nodding.

    ¡°Everyone here knows that Joram had amazing achievements in his cultivation before he suffered a minor setback,¡± she said, then continued when everyone nodded. ¡°What you don¡¯t know is that Joram had also achieved great success in the field of Mental Strength.¡±

    Jaws dropped at that statement. Aloralla and Ailmar looked shocked, but not quite as shocked at Selussa and Vulen. The kids, however, just shrugged and kept playing their game.

    ¡°One of his¡­ specialties, was manipulating space¡­¡± she let that statement hang in the air for a minute, making sure that everyone present, including Tillia, understood where she was going with this.

    ¡°I suspect that he suffered an accident while cultivating his Mental Strength and might have been drawn into an independent space.

    ¡°I¡¯m sharing this all with you so that you may know that Joram might not necessarily be lost to us,¡± she finished, once again looking each one of them in the eye.

    For her part, Tillia was shell-shocked. She knew that Joram could do many things with his Mental Strength, but to be able to manipulate space was beyond her imagination. Sure, someone like the Matriarch, who¡¯d already lived almost two hundred years and was already a Tier 6 mage....

    She shook her head and looked around. Aloralla was tearing up, what looked like relief and joy warring on her face. Ailmar looked stunned, but tried to keep a stoic expression on his face. Selussa looked like she was about to faint, while Vulen looked like he might be in danger of swallowing his tongue. Tillia took note of that, wondering just what was going through his head.

    The biggest reactions, however, came from Xixi and Zanth, who both shot to their feet before suddenly appearing at the Matriarch¡¯s side, asking a million questions.

    Then it happened again. As she watched, an image seemed to get superimposed on both Xixi and Zanth, each one looking like they were closer to ten years old. It was strange to see, as sometimes she¡¯d see someone just a few years older, other times she¡¯d see them in their twilight years. It was¡­ confusing.

    Some people always seemed to age only so far in her visions, while others would go the whole gambit of their lives. Not all in one vision, no, but over the course of a month or so.

    It was so frustrating! Some people were consistent, while others were as random as could be. Like Xixi and Zanth. One day Xixi would appear to only be few years older, the next day she¡¯d appear to be an old crone, then the following day in the prime of her life. Then there¡¯d be days where she¡¯d only be about ten years old in her visions.

    Shaking her head to clear all that away, Tillia focussed again on the conversations going on around her.

    ¡°You¡¯re serious, aren¡¯t you?¡± Aloralla asked, a painful hope written on her face.

    ¡°I am,¡± the Matriarch said with a reassuring smile. ¡°The reason I was able to increase my comprehension of the Law of Space was because of something left behind by Joram.¡±

    That once again caught everyone¡¯s attention, all eyes once again glued to the Matriarch.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Selussa asked, curiosity winning out.

    The Matriarch gave them a mysterious smile, then said ¡°In his cultivation room, Joram liked to cultivate in a¡­ fold in space so that he wouldn¡¯t be interrupted.¡±

    Jaws dropped again.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that quite an advanced use of the Law of Space?¡± Ailmar asked, now leaning forwards, his academic side now coming to life.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± she replied. ¡°He has the most profound understanding of the Law of Space that I¡¯ve ever seen, especially at his age,¡± she said, giving everyone a significant look. ¡°That is why I will try to find the fold in space where I suspect he¡¯s trapped. He might have a profound understanding of space, but he might not have the raw power needed to get himself out of whatever situation he¡¯s found himself in.¡±

    ¡°So, you think that he¡¯s been trapped all this time?¡± Aloralla asked, a look of shock and concern appearing on her face. ¡°But, wouldn¡¯t he also have issues¡­ with food?¡± She asked, not quite wanting to mention that he might have starved to death in front of her daughter and Zanth.

    Tillia appreciated the discretion, but knew that Joram would be all right with his ¡°sustenance¡± power. She¡¯d wondered if he could do something about that for her, as she found it increasingly bothersome to stop her cultivation for food breaks.

    ¡°He has his ring,¡± the Matriarch said, though she also knew that Joram didn¡¯t really need to eat. ¡°So, I wanted all of you to know that Joram is very likely OK, wherever he is, and that I will be attempting to find him.

    ¡°With that said, I¡¯ll also be needing your Authority Tokens,¡± she said, holding out her hand. With only slightly puzzled looks, everyone handed theirs over. ¡°Here are updated ones for everyone,¡± she said, handing out new tokens to each person there.

    Zanth and Xixi each received a Level 4 Authority Token, while Tillia and the other adults each received a Level 5 Authority Token.

    ¡°I may be away for some time, so those will help you to remain autonomous in what you need to do,¡± she said, looking each of them in the eye. ¡°I know that there are many naysayers out there that are making it difficult for you. Please, ignore them and just concentrate on what you need to, to keep growing.¡±

    ¡°Grammy?¡± Xixi piped up.

    Tillia thought that would illicit a Look from the Matriarch, but the Look just turned out to be a ¡°kind look¡±.

    ¡°Yes, Xixi?¡±

    Xixi smiled at being addressed by the nickname that Joram had given her. ¡°Can I beat up people who say bad things about Joram?¡±

    Tillia wasn¡¯t sure how she¡¯d respond to that question if it had been directed at her. For her part, the Matriarch blinked at little Xixi, then tried very hard not to smile. ¡°Try not to my dear, as that will only encourage other people to try harder,¡± she finally said.

    From Xixi¡¯s confused expression, every adult in the room realized that that had gone over her head.

    ¡°In other words,¡± Aloralla said, ¡°more people will come to bother you the more you beat people up.¡±

    ¡°But what if I beat them all up?¡±

    There was nothing to say about that. Everyone was nonplussed, shocked, dumbfounded, etc., at that simple statement. How could you argue with that? Especially when, even in their clan, people tended to regard strength above most everything else.

    ¡°True,¡± the Matriarch finally said. ¡°But it is better to have a harmonious relationship than a contentious one.¡±

    Xixi gave her Grammy a flat look. ¡°If they want to pick a fight, it¡¯s their own fault if they lose.¡±

    Out of the mouth of babes¡­.

    Tillia was stuck in that comment when her vision blurred around Xixi, revealing a young woman. She must have been close to twenty or so. She was dressed in a modern style, well-fitting leggings with what looked like a tight coat of some sort that buttoned up on her right side, all in a dark charcoal grey. Even her knee-high boots. Her hair was long, but kept back in a high ponytail, falling to the small of her back.

    Her green lock of hair was now a darker green, like a dark emerald, or the leaves of a tree in late summer. The rest of her hair had gone a deep violet colour that bordered on black. It was rather striking.

    Then, before she could see more, the vision vanished, leaving young Xixi staring back at the adults, her jaw set stubbornly.

    ¡°Just try to be gentle, OK?¡± The Matriarch finally said, to which Xixi nodded reluctantly.

    Wow, Joram¡¯s gonna have his hands full with that one¡­ Tilla though, not sure if she should pity him or not. Then she remembered his declaration, so she decided on ¡°not¡±.

    * * * * *

    Tatia checked her storage ring one last time, making sure that she would have everything that she¡¯d need when trying to find Joram.

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    Food & water? Check.

    Healing pills? Check

    The healing gems? Check.

    A few extra pairs of clothes? Check.

    You never knew when you¡¯d need replacements for destroyed attire, and she¡¯d been ¡°caught out¡± one too many times after having suffered a wardrobe malfunction while out training or on a mission to not plan for it these days.

    Tatia sat back on her meditation mat, leaning against the cool stone wall of Joram¡¯s meditation room as she mentally prepared herself. This wouldn¡¯t be an easy thing she was attempting, and even less so would it be anything safe.

    The Law of Space was one of the more deadly Laws to mess around with if you didn¡¯t know what you were doing, and she was going to be effectively poking around in the dark. With a very short stick.

    Then her thoughts turned back to the very¡­ militantly-minded Xixi, wondering if she¡¯d use a stick to beat-up the ones pestering her or if she¡¯d just use her foot.

    Shaking her head, Tatia refocussed on the task at hand; trying to find Joram.

    She closed her eyes and focussed on feeling the Law of Space. It wasn¡¯t an easy thing, far from it. At her level of proficiency, what she felt was akin to an occasional breeze gently caressing her skin. As pleasant as that was, she knew that she shouldn¡¯t normally be feeling such a thing here, in a newly built room, relatively speaking.

    But since it was the room that Joram had used when he vanished, she knew it was caused by Joram. So, she extended her senses to her utmost, feeling for the origins of that gentle breeze. Which was easier said than done. It kept swirling about as her senses touched it, causing it to swirl like smoke in one¡¯s hands.

    She didn¡¯t let that stop her, however. No, she kept on reaching for it, taking her time as she approached, then patiently following it as it wove this way and that, in and out of the fabric of space around it.

    Before she knew it, Tatia was in a sort of trance-like state, allowing her mind to flow with the ebbs and eddies of space. She watched it for so long that she nearly fell over when suddenly there was a change. If she¡¯d not been observing the fluctuations so intently, she¡¯d have missed the ever-so-slight wisp of Mental Strength that appeared, reinforced the space, then faded away again. All so fast that if she hadn¡¯t been paying attention, she¡¯d have missed the space changing.

    Yes, paying attention helped.

    Tatia grabbed onto that feeling, what she¡¯d felt from the Mental Strength, or likely, Psionic Power, and analyzed it as best she could. Sure, she wasn¡¯t an expert in Mental Strength, but she was also no slouch. She knew much of the theory behind its teachings, and even how various ¡°spells¡± were made using Mental Strength. Joram kept calling them ¡°Powers¡±, but that just seemed¡­ weird to her. But, to each their own.

    What she found was¡­ puzzling. From what she knew of how Mental Strength worked, what had just happened shouldn¡¯t have worked out. It was all too¡­ weak.

    Was this what Joram was talking about when he said that their tradition of Mental Strength was inefficient? Were they really just brute-strength¡¯ing it? Forcing things to happen by virtue of sheer strength rather than understanding?

    Then Tatia tsk¡¯d to herself as she lost the feeling of the changed space and the power used to change it.

    So, she relaxed again after popping a nutrition pill into her mouth and swallowing it, and settled in for the long-haul. She would need to experience, witness, that phenomenon occur again, and probably a whole bunch more, before she could truly study what was happening.

    * * * * *

    *1344.03.17*

    Avi stood over Joram¡¯s unconscious form, admiring her handiwork. She knew that the calendar they now followed wasn¡¯t the same one as the one from Earth, so various holidays weren¡¯t actually on the days of the month they appeared on here¡­ but¡­.

    Joram dressed as a leprechaun was just too adorable. She¡¯d long since fixed the issue of his unrestrained heat and electricity, so it was now safe to dress him in normal clothing. Well, ¡°normal¡± clothing.

    Yes, he was dressed almost exactly the same as that cereal box leprechaun, down to the dapper shoes and bowler sporting the four-leaf clover. Just as she was taking pictures- because photoshopping it wasn¡¯t the same- something unexpected happened.

    Under Joram¡¯s bed appeared a¡­ rift, that suddenly grew large enough to swallow Joram up, bed and all.

    It was so fast that Avi couldn¡¯t actually do anything to stop it, so she just grabbed onto the footboard as it fell by her and was dragged through the rift with him.

    * * * * *

    Tatia was sure she had finally traced the psionics back to their source. She wasn¡¯t sure how long it had taken, but she was relieved that she¡¯d finally teased out a greater understanding of the Law of Space as well as psionics. It was truly a more refined version of what they practiced, almost to the point of being a completely different discipline. The only thing in common was really the power fueling each Power.

    She shook her head, refocussing on the trail to Joram, exerting her will. Nothing seemed to happen at first, but then suddenly a tear in the fabric of space opened up in front of her, blowing surprisingly fresh air in her face, then an entire bed.

    As unexpected as a bed being flung at her face was, her reflexes were still better. She threw herself back, effectively laying prone, from where she was sitting cross-legged on her mat, narrowly avoiding the bed as it passed above her face to smack into the far wall and fall to the ground.

    What she didn¡¯t expect was the woman with multi-coloured hair that landed on her, leaving them nose-to-nose.

    ¡°Hi,¡± the woman said, as strained grin on her face.

    For her part, Tatia understood that meeting someone like this would indeed put a strained smile on most people¡¯s faces. But this?

    ¡°Who are you?¡± She asked, her tone going glacial as her senses picked up Joram laying on the strange bed behind them. If this woman was with Joram the entire time, she had much to explain.

    ¡°Oh, no one terribly important,¡± she said, waving the one hand that wasn¡¯t used to keep herself from laying completely prone on her.

    *Stare*

    ¡°I should go,¡± the woman said as she seemed to fade away like morning mist.

    That was the last thing Tatia wanted just then, but found that when she grasped the woman¡¯s arms her hands passed through like she was touching an illusion, or smoke. She felt a brief stirring of space, but was too slow to do anything about it.

    But Tatia was, if nothing else, very good at keeping on task. So, she kipped up and hurried over to Joram, then paused as she saw his attire.

    ¡°What?¡±

    * * * * *

    ¡°Well, that could have gone better,¡± Avi mumbled to herself as she inspected the now messy convalescence room Joram had been convalescing in.

    ¡°Tweet-twoo-Whirrrr,¡± the droid said beside her, having come in to investigate the disturbance.

    ¡°Yeah, well, I didn¡¯t think that anyone could break in here.¡±

    ¡°Zzwoooooo.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± she said, looking around. ¡°I definitely need to reinforce the dimensional boundary if someone can just poke a hole and suck someone out.¡±

    The droid, which looked remarkably like an R2 series Astro-Mech, just waited for her to say more. It was, after all, not programmed for speculative conversation.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll get on that it a bit¡­¡± she mumbled, then went to a desk with stationary on it. A few moments later, she¡¯d penned a good note explaining¡­ not much. At least it was something.

    Avi then concentrated for a moment before tugging Joram back into his realm, catching him as he appeared, but leaving behind the note.

    ¡°Well, she might be a bit mad, but she¡¯ll live. Joram needs proper care, after all.¡±

    * * * * *

    Tatia was ready to chew rocks and spit out diamonds. Probably low-quality ones, and likely finer than sand, nevermind their clarity¡­

    The point was that she was angry. She¡¯d spent a considerable amount of time trying to find and bring Joram home, just to have him snatched away again.

    Dear Matriarch Aneath,

    I am terribly sorry, but Joram still needs to recover and the environment here is best for that. Thank you for your concern and effort in trying to find Joram, but please leave him to me.

    I¡¯m sorry for not sending updates regarding his well-being. To rectify that, I shall send weekly updates.

    - Cheers

    And that was it.

    Tatia didn¡¯t know who that woman was, but she did know that she already didn¡¯t like her.

    She briefly thought about opening another tear in space to make her way there to have a word with that woman, but thought better of it. If she could simply travel across dimensional boundaries like nothing, then Tatia didn¡¯t fancy her chances in a possible altercation with her.

    But who is she? She thought as she chewed on the corner of her lip, deep in thought.

    The more she thought about it, the woman¡¯s appearance was rather unique. She didn¡¯t know of anyone who had hair like that. Her eyes weren¡¯t unusual, especially in the clan where they had quite the variety of green eyes. Though, eyes like that were rare just about everywhere else.

    She was also tall, much taller than even their clan who boasted higher than average heights. She was also quite pale. Yes, she knew people who had very fair skin, but her skin was milky white, with very strange tattoo-like markings on her skin, though they too were pale, yet strangely sparkly. Almost as though minute crystals were used in the tattoo ink.

    She paused then, remembering the fragmented descriptions of the Founder.

    The tattoos matched, but she didn¡¯t have skin like liquid metal. Nor did her hair seem as though it was spun from gemstones, it was just colourful. Then there was the distinct lack of wings.

    Was it just a coincidence that this woman had the same colour hair and tattoos as the founder?

    Tatia re-read the note. It was so¡­ casual. The lack of any sort of etiquette suggested that she was dealing with someone far above her own personal power. It could also mean that the person just didn¡¯t care about her status¡­.

    Tatia felt a headache coming on.

    At least she had found Joram and had even been told that they¡¯d receive weekly updates on his condition.

    It still bugged her. She was not used to losing.

    She especially disliked being told to do anything. She¡¯d spent long enough as the Matriarch of the Clear Knowledge Clan that she was used to being the one giving the orders, not taking them. Again, who was she? What relation did she have with Joram? Was she an acquaintance from this old life? If so, had he lied about being alone?

    What else was that boy hiding from her? Yes, she respected personal boundaries and the right to one¡¯s own secrets. But this was almost too much for her. For someone to be able to just drop in, then out, then teleport Joram away right from under her nose was less than welcome. The only reason she tolerated it was the unknown factor regarding her strength¡­ and maybe that she was also considering the safety of the entire clan. Otherwise, she¡¯d have tried her best to wrest Joram from her grasp.

    Tatia sighed, stored her meditation mat in her storage ring, and left the room. She had a few things to catch up on, not to mention updating the families¡­.

    Maybe she¡¯d retire early, drop the mantle of Matriarch on Sulia, and go back to being a researcher.

    Sounds like a plan, she thought as she went straight to her rooms where most of her paperwork and reports would be waiting for her.

    Remembering the paperwork might have also added weight to her decision for early retirement¡­. Yes, research, study, and writing papers on what she found was one thing but filling out paperwork in triplicate was beyond tedious.

    * * * * *

    ¡°Ivaryn?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sulia?¡±

    Joram would have had a heyday with that exchange right there.

    ¡°Do you think that Joram will be OK?¡±

    Ivaryn paused, looked out the window for a moment while he though.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know,¡± he finally said as he turned back to his lovely and somewhat sleep deprived wife.

    ¡°I think he¡¯ll be all right,¡± she said after a moment, nodding to herself.

    ¡°What makes you think that?¡±

    Sulia shrugged as she struggled to find the words, which was a bit unusual for his normally verbose wife.

    ¡°Just a feeling that I get,¡± she finally said with a shrug. ¡°But I would very much like our next one to know their older brother.¡±

    Ivaryn was nodding along, then paused at the last bit. It wasn¡¯t so much what she¡¯d said, but how she said it. Her tone had changed at the end.

    ¡°Our next one?¡± He gently probed, trying to be casual about the question. To which he only got a twinkling-eyed smile in response.

    * * * * *

    *1344.07.27*

    Research log number¡­ bah, I¡¯m just making this up as I go along.

    It has taken many more months of research and development to make any progress with the construction of my physical body. The fine-tuning needed in the process has been, unsurprisingly, much more involved than I¡¯d anticipated.

    I¡¯ve had minor success with using [Data Transfer] on a Blank, but I¡¯m still having issues with getting the compatibility to one hundred percent.

    That being the case, I¡¯ve worked on a few genetic tweaks here and there, optimizing nerve pathways, and even pre-making certain pathways in preparation for the [Data Transfer]. Having to ¡°re-learn¡± how to do basic things like walking and talking is too time-consuming.

    Then there¡¯re the issues of making the Blank able to use many of the ¡°racial¡± abilities that Altaea had enjoyed, innate abilities if you will. Yes, being able to use spell-like abilities isn¡¯t crucial, but I guess that I inherited both Joram¡¯s and Altaea¡¯s perfectionist tendencies.

    That said, I¡¯m mostly there. I¡¯ve successfully created a High Elan Blank that can be used. I¡¯ve even managed to replicate the psionic structure needed to ¡°assimilate¡± things like Altaea and Joram. I¡¯m now working on successfully isolating the genetic data necessary to reproduce their Outsider side.

    Is that entirely necessary? No. But I feel that it would help keep us all- ha, rather, both of us- on the same playing field. I don¡¯t want to be anything but an equal partner, or at the very least, an asset, to Joram. Because, well, it felt all kinds of terrible to not be able to be there to help him when he needed it the most. No, I shouldn¡¯t dismiss just how valuable having someone for moral support is. But at the same time, moral support doesn¡¯t usually provide much help when an Old Monster like that Old Fart comes along and decides to smash you to paste.

    Anyways.

    I¡¯ve managed to have some scouting droids made and sent out on surveying missions. The best part is that the deep mountainous regions tend to be almost entirely untouched by humans. And seeing as how other sentient races and species out there tend to place material gains as a lesser concern in their lives, I¡¯ve managed to find large deposits, loads, seams, and veins of many valuable ore, minerals, gems, and crystals.

    Yes, most mana crystal veins are claimed universally, as every living thing on the planet use them for cultivation, but I¡¯ve still managed to get some. Which is on a level of importance comparable to essential. The amount of mana crystals needed to keep Joram going on his path is staggering¡­ and I¡¯ve seriously contemplated joining him on his path, using the same cultivation methods as he.

    Which means I¡¯ll need to redouble my efforts in finding unclaimed mana crystal deposits.

    To catch up, though, I¡¯ll first need to get my body up and running at peak efficiency. Which means that I may have to put off incorporating the Planar/Outsider genetic data until a later date where I¡¯ve managed to perfect what I want/need from it.

    So, maybe when Joram wakes up I¡¯ll have a nice surprise waiting for him ^_^

    That said, I may need to adjust how his ability to assimilate things works¡­. But all in due time!

    I¡¯ll end this log with saying that Altaea was entirely too busty. Yes, she had an amazing figure, but I can only attribute her breasts surviving intact through her hundreds of battles to the fact that she wore enchanted full-plate armour all the time. No other explanation for an FF cupped woman¡¯s breasts surviving that much war. Well, she¡¯d later been made of metal, so that also helped¡­.

    So, to keep herself intact without needing to use [True Metabolism] all the time, she¡¯d decided to drop her new body¡¯s cup size down a few notches to the realm of survivability. She kept the height and other proportions but was happy with the overall aesthetic¡­ and the decreased lower back pain. She wasn¡¯t sure if Joram had somehow created Altaea and her world while imagining the story, or he¡¯d just happened to have somehow tapped into her world and saw her many adventures and such, but if he had subconsciously affected her physique, then he had a lot of answering to do regarding Altaea¡¯s lower back pain¡­.

    Like, who would wish those issues on another person? Bah!

    End log.

 Chapter 032

    Chapter 032

    Joram felt wretched.  Almost like back in the day when his sleep apnoea had been exceptionally bad, waking in the morning feeling like the local pro hockey team had decided to rough him up on the ice.

    Except worse, because the feeling extended to his head and not just his body.

    His head was all¡­ shwoosh-y.  Even moving his head with his eyes closed caused his head to spin, not unlike vertigo.  He¡¯d experienced such in the past when he¡¯d been tremendously ill with a very high fever, or after that one blow to the head while working on a construction site¡­.

    That said, it sucked.

    So, he lay as still as he could, taking measured breaths so that he wouldn¡¯t move more than necessary.

    He didn¡¯t know how long he lay there, but eventually his head calmed down, no longer complaining about the most minor of movements.  Heck, even thinking had been sketchy.

    At length, he cracked an eye open, the promptly closed it again as even the ¡°dim¡± illumination of his surroundings had felt like someone stabbed his eye.

    ¡­ After another span of time, he got the courage to try again, this time only opening it enough so separate his eye lids by about one millimetre.  It didn¡¯t hurt near as much this time, which allowed him to slowly focus on, well, focussing his sight.  He didn¡¯t know why, but his [Touchsight] wasn¡¯t working at the moment, which just now occurred to him.  Perhaps the nostalgic feeling of being incredibly unwell had brought him, mentally, back in time causing him to forget things like [Touchsight].  Or that he could just use [Create Object] to make himself a pair of sunglasses¡­.

    But when he tried to reach for his psionic power, another spike of pain went through his head, this time taking him out for the count.

    * * * * *

    Avi opened her eyes wide when she realized that the protocol droid wasn¡¯t just yanking her chain.

    With a not insignificant effort of will, she calmed her nerves and proceeded through the checklist before pushing the button on the inside of the tank that activated the lift under her feet that brought her to a level with the top of the tank.

    By the time the lift stopped, she¡¯d managed to get a hang of her body enough to shakily descend the steps on the rolling ladder that the protocol droid was holding in place.

    ¡°Mistress, please robe yourself before exiting the cloning room,¡± it said, waving a hand towards a series of hooks on the wall that were loaded up with what looked like plush bath robes.

    ¡°No time!¡±  She yelled back as she sped out of the room, hung a left that was assisted by her grabbing the door frame as she ran by, swinging her the ninety degrees needed to avoid running into the wall and to continue her run.

    By the time she arrived in Joram¡¯s room, she was too late.

    He lay there, much how he¡¯d done for the many months he¡¯d laid in bed, but now had a slow trickle of blood coming from his right nostril.

    Suppressing a moment of panic- curse having hormones now!- she made her way to his side and sent a [Delve] into him.  It didn¡¯t take long to find the burst blood vessel, then repair it.  It took much longer for her to get over the fact that she¡¯d been too late to greet him upon waking up.

    She absently accepted the robe from the protocol droid, slipped it on, then sat down in her chair beside his bet.

    And waited.

    * * * * *

    1344.10.09

    Dear Matriarch Aneath,

    I am happy to report that Joram has made progress today.  He was able to regain consciousness, albeit for a short time.  It should then not be long before he is able to be up and about, ready and able to cause trouble once again.

    I will write again soon, detailing his recovery.

    Cheers.

    Tatia Aneath could have smacked that woman.

    It was hard to articulate exactly why she felt that way, but she was sure that most of it stemmed from not being able to be there for Joram¡¯s recovery herself.  The need to rely on a mysterious outsider to take care of one of her own.

    And a rude one at that.

    It had been nearly seven months since she¡¯d met that mysterious woman and, true to her word, she¡¯d sent status updates on Joram every week.

    Not that that had been much comfort to those waiting for him.  Not that Tatia could really explain what was going on to anyone, especially since she, herself, didn¡¯t really know much of anything.

    Week after week, each letter could be reduced to ¡°no change¡±.  Nothing.  She could do nothing but report that Joram was still alive to Tillia, Xixi, Zanth, and their families.  Each took it a different way, from Tillia¡¯s determination that all would be well to Xixi¡¯s na?ve hopefulness all the way to Zanth¡¯s insistence that Joram was too strong to do something as silly as dying.  The parents were another cup of soup though.

    They slowly became numb to the news each week, probably thinking that Joram just might stay unconscious forever.

    Not that Tatia could blame them.  He¡¯d been gone for almost a year and a half now.  It was hard to keep up hope that someone would wake up after so long.

    But now that some hope had been shone into her despair-darkened life, she was loath to share it with anyone else.  What if it had just been a passing thing?  Not a true awakening, but something like when someone speaks in their sleep while dreaming?

    She decided to just keep telling the others that Joram was still ¡°asleep¡±.  It was better than raising their hopes for nothing, only to watch them get crushed if things should take a turn for the worst.

    Tatia sighed, put the letter away, then went back to the paperwork that she really had no desire to do.  At least it gave her something to do though.

    * * * * *

    ????.??.??

    This time Joram lay there, not moving, not thinking more than he dared.  His head ached more than he could properly ignore, and his body felt the same.

    After a few moments of laying there, he felt someone take his hand in theirs, squeezing it tightly.

    Well, he thought it was like that, but he could really only go by how his fingers were mushed together, as the nerve-endings in his skin didn¡¯t seem to be firing properly.  Well, he thought that, but even his brain felt more than a little bit muddled.

    ¡°¡­ ¡­. ¡­¡­ ¡­.. .. ¡­.¡±

    Well, guess the ears aren¡¯t doing so well either, he thought sourly, trying very hard not to grimace because the movement of his hand had jostled him slightly, bringing back a bit of vertigo.  At least that also seemed muted.

    He was having¡­ issues concentrating.  Everything seemed to be hazy.  As though his head was filled with wool, or a view obscured by heavy fog; the big things were there, just not in focus.

    He was about to reach for his Network, but remembered just in time that it might not be a good idea, seeing as how the last time ended.

    Huh, he thought as that thought came back to him.  Had it just been the one time?  He had the impression that it he had woken up more than just once before.  But as he thought about it, the pain in his head increased to the point where he thought he might fall unconscious again, so he turned his thoughts to sugar and spice and everything nice, as it were.

    Joram lay there, still as could be, just going with the motions of his chest as his body drew in a breath then let it out.  In, out.  In, out.  He followed that rhythm for a while, or a long time, he didn¡¯t know.  But, it seemed to help.

    Slowly, he began imagining his lungs expanding and contracting, picturing the blood flowing through his body, following it from his lungs as it went down the arteries, branching further and further until it reached the capillaries, where it then began its way back to the heart and lungs to begin the cycle all over again.

    He didn¡¯t know how many cycles his imagination went through, but he eventually found that his consciousness had begun following the cycle, allowing him to ¡°see¡± the process in disturbing detail.

    When he had that thought, though, he felt his world begin to tremble, the pain coming back.  So, he concentrated on following his circulatory system, cycle after cycle.

    That helped, but also allowed him to notice a few things.

    For one, his body didn¡¯t seem to have the standard veins, vessels, arteries, etc., that he was used to seeing.  He¡¯d spent quite some time scanning his body over and over again with M3 trying to get that scanner working, and was thus quite familiar with how he should ¡°look¡±.

    It wasn¡¯t like his circulatory system had completely changed or anything, but it was¡­ streamlined, if that made sense?  A vein here that had been a bit too close to the surface had ¡°sunk¡±.  There, the capillaries were a bit more evenly spread out.  The lining of all his vessels was¡­ stronger.  It seemed as though his blood pressure could spike without fear of a vessel bursting somewhere along the line.  Not that that would be very healthy, as high blood pressure wasn¡¯t something someone wanted.

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    But as he followed blood on its way to his toes, then back around to his chest, then up to his brain, he realized that he could feel mana infusing every part of him.  Not that that should have surprised him, but during his normal meditations, he didn¡¯t often feel it as clearly as he did now.

    There was also something else, but he couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on it.  He didn¡¯t dwell, though, as that had a tendency to cause his migraine to return with a vengeance.  So, he once again let his mind go with the flow, but this time it took him elsewhere.

    Not that his mind left his body, as he was pretty sure that if he tried to use [Astral Traveller] or something, he¡¯d be shot back into unconsciousness again.  No, this time his mind wandered to Avi.

    He wondered what she¡¯d been up to.  How long had he been like this?  Was he causing her undue worry again?  What would he do to make it up to her?  Nevermind the rest of his family and friends.

    And as he thought of them, his brain went to what he¡¯d make each of them as an ¡°I¡¯m sorry I left for X amount of time, here¡¯s something to help sooth that over¡± gift.  Would Grammy like some medicinal pills?  Or something else?

    What about Xixi?  Nah, she¡¯d just insist on following me around for the foreseeable future, he thought with a grin.  Zanth might want another sword if he¡¯d been gone long enough.  Tillia¡­.  He wasn¡¯t sure.  He had pretty much everything that she needed.  Maybe something for her family?  Yeah, that would work.

    Now, his parents¡­.  Yeah, they¡¯d likely insist that he stay with them until he was married¡­.  Which would be on the sooner side of things if his mother had anything to do with it.

    Hmmmm¡­

    Wonder if I can use my eyes yet¡­?  He thought, then gave a mental shrug and cracked an eye open.

    It must have been night again, seeing as how the room was pretty dim and all.  One thing that he noticed right of the hop was that the light didn¡¯t send massive spikes of pain through his optic nerves all the way to his brain.

    Good start, he thought, trying to see past his eyelashes.  He¡¯d, incidentally, opened his right eye, which gave him a view of what looked like a hospital room¡­.

    What?

    With a supreme effort of will, he kept his eyes from opening all the way, trying to avoid a return of vertigo or anything.  What he wasn¡¯t so successful at was keeping his heartrate down, causing a machine beside his bed to beep a warning¡­ beep, over and over again.

    It sounds like the machines in a modern hospital, he thought, his mind getting increasingly agitated.

    He slowly moved his eye, allowing him to see a bit more of the room.  Tiled floor with what looked like linoleum, a track on the ceiling for the curtains to be drawn to give him some privacy if needed.  A sink, counter, cupboards, another door that led to the bathroom, another leading to what he assumed was the rest of the building.

    Was it really all just a damn coma dream?!  He thought as he tried very hard to not hyperventilate, causing the machine at the side of his bed to start another series of beeps.

    His mind whirled this way and that, not sure what to think.  Had the past ten years or so of his life just been a dream?  Was what he¡¯d gone through just random firings of his brain, random memories and thoughts that had been stitched together to form a pleasant dream for him?

    ¡°¡­am¡­¡±

    That caught his attention, his other eye popping open to see Avi sitting beside his bed, both hand clasped around his left hand.  Then he noticed the other details.

    The cupboards weren¡¯t the standard hospital-type cupboards he was used to seeing back on Earth.  These looked more like what you¡¯d see in a sci-fi flick or show, made of what looked like formed plastic, or plasteel, or something.  The doors had touch panels on the frame instead of the doors having handles.  The health monitoring devices looked like something out of, well, the future.  Lights blinking, displays showing in-depth views of his body, even a holographic display at the top of the thing.

    And an R2 unit in the corner.

    ¡°¡­n ¡­ h¡­ ..?¡±  He noticed Avi¡¯s lips moving, but it was hard to make anything out.  He squinted, focussing on her lips, how her tongue moved.  She seemed to get what he was trying to do, so she said what she¡¯d said again.  This time, he thought he got it.

    He tried mouthing his reply, ¡°No¡±, not even bothering to try out his vocal cords, and not just because he didn¡¯t think they¡¯d be working too good after such a long time, but because he wasn¡¯t sure what the vibrations would do to his head.

    As it was, even that little bit of motion brought a bit of pain with it, but was glad to see that she understood.  So, she then went on to pantomime.  She nodded her head in an exaggerated manner, then did one big blink.  She then shook her head, then did two big blinks.

    Yeah, he got it.

    He blinked once, giving a feeble grin at the same time.

    This was going to take a while.

    * * * * *

    Avi couldn¡¯t express how glad she was that Joram was up and¡­ well, just up.  Well, awake anyway.  He appeared to be in all sorts of pain, seeming to be only half with it.  She was sure that something was wrong because he hadn¡¯t immediately sent her an invitation to his Network.

    Neither was he responding to her attempts at communicating through their normal telepathic channel.  Was it because she was in a biological body of her own?  Was that somehow hampering their connection?

    No, she was almost certain that wasn¡¯t the case.

    Back to Joram.  She¡¯d been prepared since the first time he¡¯d ¡°awoken¡±, making sure that she had writing implements on hand in case there was something wrong.  She wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about her preparations, as she almost felt as though it had jinxed things.  Not that she believed in superstitions or anything, being a V.I. and all, but she¡¯d also gone through copious amounts of media, from books to tv shows to movies.  So, yeah.

    She began writing.

    ¡°Cultivation accident?¡±

    Left eye blink.  Right eye blink.

    Is he having trouble with coordinating his intentional blinking?  Avi thought, but then discarded that thought as she realized that it probably meant: ¡°maybe¡±, or ¡°I don¡¯t know¡±.

    ¡°Can you use any psionic abilities?¡±

    Blink-blink.

    ¡°Can you move?¡±

    Left, right.

    ¡°Is there pain?¡±

    Blink.

    ¡°Everywhere?¡±

    ¡­.

    * * * * *

    After an extensive stint of variable winking, Joram found out that he¡¯d been out of it for about a year and a half.

    That had nearly caused him to exclaim in surprise, but he¡¯d held himself back, managing to only raise his eyebrows in surprise.  Which had caused a whole issue in and of itself.  Migraine, vertigo, etc..  It was, all told, shitty.

    He¡¯d missed birthdays, his parents¡¯ visit, not to mention everyone else.  He also found out about Avi and Grammy meeting and wondered what was in store for him once he made it back.

    He wasn¡¯t sure how long it would take to figure out what had happened to him, not to mention fixing whatever this was that was causing all the issues.  It felt like his blood had been replaced with nitroglycerin, all unstable and exploding in pain whenever disturbed.

    He was starting on a theory, a hypothesis really.  Avi had also told him about the weird energy emanating from him, something incredibly dangerous.  He couldn¡¯t remember exactly what had happened before his convalescence, but he had the feeling that it revolved around his Knowledge Star and his Cores.

    It might take a while to remember, not to mention being able to dive back into himself to see what had happened, or the aftermath of what had happened.  For now, though, even thinking about doing so brough on a migraine, so he¡¯d need to leave it alone for now.

    In the meantime, Avi was furiously working on a program that would allow him to communicate with her with just his eyes and eyelids, something like what Stephen Hawking had used towards the end of his life.  There would be a small camera that would track his eye and eyelid movements as he looked through a HUD in the form of a pair of glasses.

    It was going to be a pain learning the ins and outs of the system, but at least he¡¯d be able to communicate.  Which was more than most others back on Earth could hope for.  Like anyone who found themselves in the situation that he now found himself in, he didn¡¯t realize how much he¡¯d taken his body for granted; nevermind his mind.  Being able to speak freely, to move around at all, was definitely a blessing.  Then there was his mind.

    He almost felt like he¡¯d reverted to being a normal human, like he¡¯d been before meeting Altaea.  He couldn¡¯t regulate his body like he¡¯d done in the past, nor could he access his psionic abilities.  Heck, from what he could tell- which wasn¡¯t much-, he didn¡¯t even have access to the many psionic/magic items he¡¯d absorbed over the years.  [Touchsight] was off, along with probably everything else.

    Which sparked a thought.  He looked over to the side, then the other, but didn¡¯t find an I.V. bag or anything.  He glanced down at his fingers, first one hand then another, but found nothing there.  So, what was keeping him ¡°fed¡±?

    Avi seemed to notice his looking about, divining what that was about.

    ¡°Your skin is still too hard to get a needle in there for an I.V., while you¡¯re aura is too messed up to be sure that a Ring of Sustenance would work, so I¡¯ve just been pumping a highly nutritious fluid through a small tube every day,¡± she said, motioning to the sink where he finally noticed said apparatus.

    Makes sense, he thought with a mental sigh, then his eyes widened.  If he was taking in sustenance, then he¡¯d need to dispel the waste.  His eyes rolled down, trying to see through his bed sheets, wishing for all he was worth that he wasn¡¯t in diapers again.

    ¡°Yup,¡± Avi replied, not bothering to even look at him to read his predictable mind.  ¡°It was messy at first, but I¡¯ve got a system now.¡±

    At least it¡¯s Avi taking care of me¡­ he thought, taking solace where he could.  It would be quite the thing to live down if anyone else had been there, needing to do what she was doing.

    He stopped there.  No, that was wrong.

    There was no shame in needing help, especially when you were literally unable to do it yourself.  Avi had kept him alive.  Had made sure that he¡¯d been fed and- presumably- washed.  She¡¯d made sure that he¡¯d survived.  She¡¯d been there with him the whole time.

    He blinked away a bit of moisture that seemed to have been attracted to his eyeballs.  Need to check on the humidity settings, he thought, not being honest with himself.

    So, to distract himself from a whole flock of emotions that he wasn¡¯t sure how to deal with, he began meditating.

    Not to cultivate, nor to restore his psionic energy, but to just get a feel of himself.  To really start interpreting what his body was telling him.

    The first thing that came through was his sense of touch.  It was incredibly heightened, making even these heavenly sheets feel like one-twenty grade sandpaper.  That said, he was increasingly sure that it was more the fact that the down-like hairs that covered his forearms and shins was what was causing that feeling.  For some reason, as each hair moved slightly, the feedback from his nerves was turned up to eleven, as it were.

    He could also feel that he was almost completely naked under the sheets except for weird diaper Avi had him in.  There was also a faint breeze in the room, likely from an air vent or something seeing as how the window had been closed when he¡¯d looked around the room.

    Next, Joram concentrated on the rhythm of his breathing, how it was moving his chest up and down ever so slightly.  That didn¡¯t seem to cause the sensory overload that everything else did when he moved any other part of his body.  Could it be that his mind had already adapted to those movements?  That was probably the case.  If not, he didn¡¯t see how he¡¯d remained sane throughout this ordeal.

    Well, maybe he could.  It wasn¡¯t anything special for the brain to just filter out sensory inputs while unconscious or sleeping.  Like not waking yourself up when you were snoring.  Annoying to everyone else but yourself.

    Then, as lightly and gently as he could, he tried to sense the energy in his body, metaphorically cracking open an eyelid a hair to see what he could find.

    Even that much gave him a headache, but that was already much better than the splitting migraine that came with a full dive.

    Much like how you could only see vague shapes when you cracked open your eyelids a hair, so, too, was what he got from it.  He could vaguely feel the mana in his body, and even a smidgeon of psionic energy.  The weird thing was the unknown energy that was also there, almost like a fog that covered everything, obscuring everything that he hoped to ¡°see¡±.

    But one thing that was for sure, it was potent.  As soon as his consciousness so much as brushed against that weird energy, he was catapulted out, head spinning.

    It took a while for him to recover after that.  So, while he regained his sense of balance and equilibrium after that extreme bout of vertigo, he concentrated on his hearing.

    It still seemed like his ears were stuffed with cotton, everything was muffled and muted.  Not like when, in the middle of the night, you tried to listen for any sound, an indication of an intruding mosquito or something, but were stymied by that annoying ringing in your ears, tinnitus, if he recalled correctly.  What surprised him, but really shouldn¡¯t have, was that he had not even a smidgeon of tinnitus.  It was just¡­ silent.

    Well, muted, very muted.  He couldn¡¯t even hear his own heartbeat, nevermind his breathing.  Was it because his brain had also filtered out sound to keep it from causing him pain?  Or was there another reason?  Was his hearing actually damaged?  Completely cut off?

    He suppressed a sigh, not wanting to go through another bout of nausea-induced vertigo.

    Then he got to thinking.

    His body was long used to psionic energy.  Same with mana.  So what exactly was this new potent energy that suffused his body?  He remembered that an issue had arisen with his cultivation but was having trouble remembering exactly what it was.

    Well, he had time, and he was particularly good at gnawing on a problem until he cracked it, or a tooth¡­.  Well, he¡¯d get there.

    It just depended on how stubborn he could be¡­.

    Ha!

 Chapter 033

    Chapter 033

    ????.??.??

    Eureka!, Joram exclaimed in his mind.

    He¡¯d just remembered what had happened to cause this whole mess, but was not at a loss for what to do about it.

    He hadn¡¯t gotten anywhere- yet!- with getting his body to be any less sensitive to outside stimulation, so he had no way to call out to Avi in his excitement.  So, he opened his eyes and looked at one of the tiny cameras arrayed around his head.

    The system turned on, the software now tracking his eye movements and blinking patterns.

    ¡°Avi!¡±

    Avi nearly jumped out of her chair, barely managing to catch her ¡°laptop¡± as it slid off her lap.

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    Ah, he¡¯d already forgotten that he couldn¡¯t hear her.

    Then a line of text displayed itself in the air in front of him, causing him to smile ever-so-slightly.  Even that much caused him pain, but he toughed it out as he looked at the holographic keyboard in front of him.

    ¡°I remember what happened now,¡± his simulated voice came out of a small speaker on the side of the bed.  He wasn¡¯t sure if he was happy or miffed that it was his youthful voice instead of his ¡°inner¡± voice that people could hear over the Network, but at least it was something.  ¡°One of my Cores started to fall into my Knowledge Star¡­¡± he explained, taking her through the entire process of how he¡¯d tried to fix the problem, and how it had ultimately ended.

    ¡°Huh,¡± Avi said, leaning back in her chair.  ¡°It¡¯s not like the Becoming One manual, is it?¡±

    ¡°No, that is just converting one energy to another,¡± he said.  ¡°This created a whole new energy that I¡¯m not sure how to deal with.¡±

    ¡°That would explain a few things,¡± Avi said, now typing away on her laptop, then pointed as the display as it showed a 3D graph of some sort of wave.  ¡°This is the new energy signature coming off you.  I had to create a whole new set of sensors to detect it, but it was worth it.  See how if differs from that of Mana and Psionic Power?¡±  She said, pointing to the two new waves now on display.

    Joram really wasn¡¯t as well versed as she was, but he did see how the three differed, but ultimately resembled each other, especially in the overlap.

    ¡°Did Altaea leave any information on this before she left?¡±

    Avi just shook her head.

    ¡°What about in the Archive?  Have you looked to see if we missed anything there?¡±  He asked hopefully.

    ¡°We¡¯d have to see if there are any more layers to the Heavenly Archive that we haven¡¯t discovered yet,¡± Avi said with a frown.  ¡°That said, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll be able to find anything else unless you¡¯re with me, and with your condition, that¡¯ll be difficult.¡±

    ¡°Ah, catch-22,¡± he said, barely stopping himself from shaking his head.

    ¡°Yeah, I could see if I can make some sort of inertial dampener to attach to your bed so that I can move you around without causing you any issues.  But¡­.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he agreed.  It would be an undertaking on the level of getting the omni-tools working properly.  And with only her working on the problem, it would take a while.  ¡°Do what you can.  I¡¯ll continue trying to sort out what¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± she said, not sounding like it was actually good.  ¡°Just.  Be careful, OK?¡±

    ¡°As careful as always,¡± he said, closing his eyes again.  Which, unfortunately, caused him to miss the look of extreme incredulity that blossomed on Avi¡¯s face.

    * * * * *

    Avi had been having more than a few thoughts the past few days, not to mention the ones over the past few months.  The most noteworthy among them were thoughts on how to use [Schism] together with her cloned bodies.

    She was already an able [Fighter/Metacreationist], having chosen to go the path of a gestalt build like Joram, and she¡¯d already incorporated the knowledge necessary to use the [Network], along with a few other [Vitalist] tricks.  But for this, she needed a [Psychic]¡¯s ability to work with the mind.

    Yes, they¡¯d had success with creating the augment necessary to have more than one mind added when using [Schism], but those extra minds were still tied to the original.  Even when using psicrystals of their own.

    Well, that wasn¡¯t quite the problem she needed to work out.  Yes, she could do the same trick with [Schism] and psicrystals that Joram could, but she wanted to go that one step further and create a clone that was directly tied to her mind.  Like having a hive mind, but with her as the queen, as it were.  That way, the brain of the clone would be able to not only handle the extra psychic load, but would also be able to have its own psionic reserve.  One not shared between them, but their own pool.

    The problem with the psicrystal solution was that each Mind had access to only one pool of psionic energy; the Prime¡¯s.

    She was trying to get around this by having real bodies for each additional Mind for her own version of [Schism].

    Was that entering a mire of ambiguous ethics?  Surely.  Did she really care right now?  Nope.

    Each one would be a part of her mind, connected at all times so that each would know exactly what was happening at all times with the others.  Each being part of the whole, but somewhat autonomous.  Somewhat being defined as being able to function in normal society if needed, or even combat, but limited in that they were still all One Being¡­ psychically.

    Heck, they¡¯d all even be able to be connected to her own [Network] since each one would have a physical body and all.  Well, that wasn¡¯t really the limiting factor for a [Network], but it was one when you were working with [Schism] in the ways that she wanted to.

    So it was that Avi was running several experiments in parallel as she typed away, inputting code into her own, unique, compiler.

    Unique in that she was literally able to use it to test out powers that she wanted to make and or modify.  She¡¯d had lots of down time while Joram was unconscious, so she¡¯d taken the months needed at that point to finally get it done.  It would need a few tweaks here and there to make it usable for Joram, as he was his own unique entity, but she was sure that it would be very useful in the future.

    That said, it was still ridiculously complicated.  She was drawing heavily on what Altaea had left with her, which was basically everything she had known about psionics; every class, ability, feat, and skill she¡¯d ever come across.  In a sense, it was an insurance policy to make sure that is she died that all of her knowledge wouldn¡¯t be lost.

    It was still taking a long time.  Altaea hadn¡¯t ever looked into doing something like this, mainly because it had fallen under one of her divine abilities.  The same abilities that she hadn¡¯t left information about.  Probably because of some sort of code the gods had.  Like: don¡¯t reveal the secrets of the Divine before they ascend!

    Some rubbish like that.

    Avi paused to rub her temples as a stress headache started to take hold.

    She glanced over at Joram, noting the instrument panels and their readings that told her that he was meditating, not sleeping.  She hadn¡¯t realized just how scared she¡¯d been this time around, fearful of being left alone for another thousand years.

    Avi took another calming breath, manifesting [Natural Healing] to rid herself of the headache.

    Yes, there were many things that she could do to keep herself busy during that time.  Like keeping an eye on his family.  Building more and more droids.  Setting up a moon base or something.  Maybe a teleport network.  Cultivate the same way that Joram had, so that she could try and help him figure out how to get past this seemingly dead end in his cultivation.

    Well, she¡¯d been ¡°cultivating¡± her psionic side, exactly how Joram had told her how he¡¯d been doing so.  That¡¯s how she had enough psionic energy to keep a few of her own Minds constantly running with [Schism].  But she hadn¡¯t yet started cultivating Mana.  Yes, she had the manuals that Altaea had left behind, but she was a little scared of what might happen when she did start cultivating.

    She wanted to be there for Joram, be his right hand as it were.  For that she needed to at least be on a similar level as he was.  But would she be able to handle sixty-four cores like he had?  Did she want to follow exactly in his footsteps or blaze her own path?

    She was seeing just how hard it was for Joram blazing his own path, having somewhat diverged from what Altaea had left for him.  Well, that was an understatement.

    If she followed in his footsteps, she would have to custom make her new body to allow for the mana channels¡¯ new location, otherwise she¡¯d wind up like Joram.

    Or.

    Since she¡¯d yet to cultivate at all, could she somehow start her core beside her Knowledge Star?  How would that even work?

    So, she pulled Mind 3 off her task of inertial dampeners and set her to work on that particular issue.  Because if she could get that figured out, then all she would have to do- maybe!- would be to somehow update Joram¡¯s [Astral Seed] with some new information¡­.

    That could work¡­.

    * * * * *

    Joram felt a slight chill run down his spine, causing him to nearly lose focus on his task.

    He was getting better and better at avoiding those bits of strange energy in his body as he ¡°looked¡± around.

    He was also getting better at feeling the energy from a distance.  Getting to know it better.  Sure, those graphs were useful, in an academic sort of way for him.  He was much better with the ¡°hands-on¡± learning though.  So, there he was ¡°following¡± a mote of the stuff- from a safe distance- as it travelled from his head down through his body

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    He watched as it exited his head, then just kind of floated around, not being directed anywhere in particular.  But then he saw bits of it break off and fuse into this bit of tissue or that bit over there.  It was as random as he could imagine, until he noticed that it was mostly going into his bones.  And by ¡°mostly¡±, he meant just barely over half of what broke off.

    It struck him that this was likely the cause of his physical ailments.

    His cultivation was effectively out of control because he didn¡¯t have the necessary pathways to circulate this new energy, or even regular old mana.

    Would this new energy even follow the pathways that mana used?  He wondered as he continued to watch.

    Then, as more motes of energy continued to descend from his head, he began formulating a plan.  It felt weird to work on something with only one mind after having gotten used to using three at once for so long.  But he got over it and got to work.

    He and M3 had done a lot of work trying to create a new system, a new set of pathways so that he could get back to cultivating like a semi-normal person.  They¡¯d found limited success, but now that his life likely depended on his success, he was more focussed than ever.

    That said, it was difficult to do as he was so used to using [Autohypnosis] to access memories that he was more than a bit stymied in his efforts.  [Autohypnosis] was a psionic skill, which wasn¡¯t usable at this time due to his situation.  But!  He still had good recall, so he wouldn¡¯t completely have to start over again.

    He didn¡¯t know how much time passed as he worked on creating a mental image of what his pathways would look like.  Then a bout of inspiration hit as he was idly watching the motes of energy float around in his body.

    Well, not-so-idly as it turned out.  He¡¯d been collecting data on how many bits of energy when where, and how frequently.  His skeletal system was the clear winner, then followed by cartilage, tendons, and sinew.  From there, in descending order, were his circulatory system, muscles, organs, then everything else all the way down to his skin then hair.

    He was surprised by the hair but shrugged it off fast enough.  That really didn¡¯t matter too much.  Well, maybe for vanity¡­.

    Joram took a moment to finalize his findings, doing a few last checks on the sums, then opened his eyes a hair.

    ¡°Are you OK,¡± Avi immediately asked, leaning forward in her chair, hands moving her laptop to her side table this time.

    Thus started his blinking session.

    ¡°I think that I¡¯ve found something that might help¡­¡± he started, then began to explain his findings.

    Avi listened, jaw slowly dropping.  Oddly enough, a smile started forming at the same time, and when he finally finished sharing his findings, her smile was fit to crack her head in half.

    ¡°Three days,¡± she said, now shaking her head as a rueful smile replaced the other one.  ¡°Three days is all it took you to get what I was missing,¡± she said, then explained what she¡¯d been working on.

    Joram lay there silently for a while, admiring just how intelligent and resourceful Avi was.  Here was a person who would solve any problem thrown at them, given enough time that is.  That said, he¡¯d been frustrated in his research on the subject for quite some time.  It wasn¡¯t exactly a perfect solution, as they¡¯d need to go over many things, iron out issues, and do many tests.  But it was a start.

    ¡°Well, lets put out heads together¡­.  Wait,¡± he said, his brain finally catching up and processing what Avi had mentioned casually.  ¡°You¡¯ve made a body?¡±

    Avi smirked at him before saying, ¡°Yes.  Yes, I have.¡±

    ¡°Like, a full, physical body?  Not a better [Holographic Projection]?¡±

    *Nod-nod*

    ¡°That¡¯ll,¡± he paused, swallowing a lump in his throat.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I didn¡¯t get to help with that.¡±

    She levelled a Look at him, causing him to be confused.

    ¡°Yeah, and wind up looking like Altaea?¡±  She asked, voice deceptively mild.

    *Blink-blink*

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve had to make a few alterations to the design,¡± she said, motioning to her chest, then her face.

    Now that he was really looking, her face had subtle changes to it.  The lips a slightly different shade, her nose, cheeks, and jawline all slightly altered.  Her hair, though, was still the same.  He looked at her frame and noticed that she was a bit more slight than Altaea, probably from not having the same muscle mass as Altaea due to her not having been trained as a Paladin from youth.

    Then he looked at her chest, specifically the breasts she had pointed out.

    Yup, also changed, he thought, nodding mentally.

    She¡¯d reduced the size of her breasts to a more ¡°normal¡± size, though still on par with the women of the Clear Knowledge Clan.  Yes, the women of his clan were, on average, much bustier than the women back home, but they were also less busty than Altaea.

    Thinking of that, and the Look he¡¯d gotten, he wondered if Avi somehow blamed him for how Altaea looked.  It was true that he¡¯d somehow known about her, had even written stories of her many adventures.  But he was very much uncertain if that had been some sort of connection they¡¯d shared, or if his imagination had somehow contributed to the creation of her world, and thus Altaea.

    He was leaning heavily towards the former explanation, as he was almost certain that he hadn¡¯t the power to create entire universes while he¡¯d been gaming with his friends back home.

    Getting back to Avi, she was, overall, quite the sight.  He was certain that if this world was anything like the many, many, storied he¡¯d read that he¡¯d need to beat people back as they instantly fell in lust at first sight of her, somehow thinking they had every right to claim her or something.

    ¡°You look good,¡± he blinked/said, managing a very, very, slight smile.

    Avi nodded slowly, clearly not expecting that answer.  Which confused him, but he mentally shrugged and dismissed the thought.

    ¡°Anyways, I can guide you through the process of pulling any accumulated mana from your centre to your Knowledge Star.  You may need to have one of your Minds keep it there until you¡¯re able to form a core of your own, though.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still not sure I want to do that yet,¡± she said, shaking her head slightly.  ¡°With the data you¡¯ve provided, I think that I can start on a model for how you can start circulating your mana, or even that new energy, but it¡¯ll still take a while.¡±

    ¡°Well then, while you do that, I¡¯ll continue to meditate.  I think that I¡¯m close to being able to get into my¡­ core region?  Near the Star?  Hmmm,¡± he hmmm¡¯d, thinking.  ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll call it my Star System or something,¡± he finished, trailing off at the end.

    Avi smirked again, ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find a good name for it.¡±

    It was obvious that she wasn¡¯t entirely enamoured with his naming sense.

    ¡°Back to work?¡±

    ¡°Back to work,¡± Avi confirmed with a nod as she retrieved her laptop.

    He tried not to smile, but his face still twitched slightly.  At least the pain was getting better.

    He then withdrew his consciousness back into his body, starting at the mostly empty space where his core should have been.  He wasn¡¯t sure, but felt that the motes and wisps of energy in his body had managed to have a slightly higher density there.  Yes, the energy continued to float around, but now that he¡¯d gone over the data points with Avi, he was noticing the barest of a trend.

    It might have bene his imagination, for he wasn¡¯t immune to flights of fancy.  But, if some of the energy was indeed gathering there, then would he be able to start cultivating ¡°normally¡± again?

    Joram put that thought aside for later, after much more data had been gathered.  For now, well, it was time to try getting back to his Star and Cores to see what, exactly, it looked like now.

    So it was that he directed his mind up towards his head, dodging motes of energy on the way.  It got a bit harder as he approached due to the increasing density of the motes due to the narrower channel that was his neck.  Fortunately, and unfortunately, he¡¯d gotten a bit more used to brushing by those motes of energy and the pain it caused, so his consciousness wasn¡¯t immediately ejected from his body due to the pain of the first few brushes.

    Nope, that happened the seventh time.

    He took a deep, shuddering breath as he gathered himself against the pain.  He blinked an ¡°I¡¯m OK¡± to Avi before heading back in.

    How is it that I¡¯m having such trouble with this energy?  Shouldn¡¯t it be originating from me?  He thought as he once again neared the final approach to his Knowledge Star.  Am I just missing something?

    So, instead of diving head-first into the thick of it again, he sat there and focussed on feeling the motes of energy; trying to actually understand them instead of merely avoiding them and taking notes on their dispersion patterns.

    Psionic energy just felt natural to him, as that was the first kind of energy that he¡¯d ever really felt before; the only kind that he¡¯d used for several years.  Mana, now that felt different.  It felt like pure¡­ possibility to him.  A bit like the thrill of imagining a story, or the potential ready to burst forth when you lit a firecracker¡­ or set off some high explosives.  The potential energy of it.  You knew that something spectacular was about to happen.

    This energy, still had that feeling of limitless potential, but it was tempered with¡­ intent?  It was hard to describe.  A bit like picking up a new book, not knowing what story you¡¯d find between the covers, but knowing that it would be an adventure.  But at the same time, every time he felt a vibe from those energy motes, it felt like it could be a whole other book, another story to explore.  Like, it was all there and all he had to do was take hold of it to see what would unfold.

    He couldn¡¯t quite describe it, as it was something entirely new to him, but at the same time it almost seemed as though he¡¯d known it his whole life.  The intuition that came from a d¨¦j¨¤ vu.  But the intent wrapped up in the limitless potential contained in that energy seemed as though it were a blank slate just begging for a Will to be impressed upon it¡­.

    Then he had a thought that struck him like a bolt of lightning.

    What if I¡¯m being injured by it because of my fear, because I expect it to be dangerous¡­?

    How had his favourite pirate described it?  ¡°A matter of perspective¡±¡­?

    Could he change his perspective on this energy?  Change what he expected of it when he came in contact with it?

    * * * * *

    Avi was once again startled by Joram¡¯s loud, gasping breath, nearly dropping her laptop when she half-rose to check on him before sitting down again.

    That was now the fifth time he¡¯d done that since he¡¯d given his last ¡°I¡¯m OK¡±.  She wasn¡¯t sure what he was doing, but whatever it was he must have been making progress as this episode came a whole sixteen minutes after the last one, which had been eleven minutes after the one before that.  Meaning, he must be making progress on whatever he was working on.

    She glanced out the window, noting the deepening colours of the sky as the day turned to late evening.

    She hadn¡¯t been working on Joram¡¯s cultivation issues long, but she thought that perhaps the answer wasn¡¯t as complicated as they¡¯d both thought it was.

    Sure, the mana gathered in his Cores really didn¡¯t have a way to properly circulate through his body since it was stuck with his Knowledge Star.  But, he also had all that energy in his body, some sort of hybrid between mana and psionic power, floating around his body.  But, what if they were able to get a method down to collect all that energy and create a new Core in his center, dantian, or whatever people called it?

    Could he collect that energy and then use it in his regular cultivation?  Would it even work like mana that way?  Did it really matter what kind of energy one used when cultivating?  Probably.

    But, heck, they were on a completely new path, as far as they knew anyway.  Why not try something ridiculous like that?  Didn¡¯t cultivators use higher and higher grades of mana for their cultivation as they rose through the Tiers?  Would this be all that different?

    Then another thought occurred to her: would he go through all this again when he needed to rank-up?  Would the Earth Qi/Tier 2 Mana cause another disruption?  What about Heaven Qi/Tier 3 Mana?  Would that be even more disastrous?

    Avi brought her head down and her right hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose while closing her eyes tight.

    Would she be able to handle the stress again?  The stress of not knowing what was going on with Joram?  Not knowing if he¡¯d die the next time it happened.  Yes, he still had his [Astral Seed], but for reasons unknown, it had taken a thousand years for him to be reborn.  Would that same problem rear its ugly head again?  Or would the [Astral Seed] fail entirely this time?

    She still wasn¡¯t sure if her inherent ability to use [True Resurrection] would even work here, nor was she willing to test it out on just anyone, especially if that person happened to be important to them.  To Joram?

    He¡¯d already lost his daughters.  He¡¯d then lost Altaea.  What would happen if he lost someone else close to him?  He¡¯d just started a whole new life, had finally started letting people in by sharing more about himself, about his past.  He was normally a rather tight-lipped person about his personal life, his history.  That he¡¯d shared all that with them was not just a milestone, but a major breakthrough.  Even if he didn¡¯t know it himself.

    And as old as she technically was, she was still effectively a child when it came to all things social.  Yes, she was very good a bluffing her way through things, thanks to the many books she¡¯d read and the many tv shows and movies she¡¯d seen in Joram¡¯s collection.  But.

    That was all just fiction.  Sure, there were grains of truth in them.  Like how people interacted and such.  But she also realized that most of it had been idealized, constructed, false.  People usually weren¡¯t exactly like how people wrote them to be.  Especially in movies and tv.

    All that said, all those worries taken into account; she really didn¡¯t want to be alone again for another thousand years if something happened to Joram.  Neither did she want Joram to wake to a world a thousand years in the future, one without his newfound family.

    She jumped again as Joram loudly gasped again.  She checked the clock; found that twenty-three minutes had passed this time.

    Whatever he¡¯s doing, he¡¯s getting better at it, she thought as she straightened her laptop and went back to working.  She didn¡¯t know what he was doing, but she¡¯d be damned if she fell behind on her own projects.

    * * * * *

    ¡°Have you found out where they¡¯re hiding yet?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± another voice spoke, one that sounded like a young woman.  ¡°But we¡¯re close.  We¡¯ve identified two of their agents.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± the first voice replied.  It sounded like an old man, but the tone was still full of vigour.  ¡°Be sure to not be found out.  If we can find their stronghold, the riches they¡¯ve amassed will tip the scales overwhelmingly in our favour.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± the second voice replied.  ¡°For the Sect!¡±

    ¡°For the Sect.¡±

 Chapter 034

    Chapter 034

    Avi watched as the readings on display, using the sensors placed throughout the room, continued to flow across her monitor.  The changing readings were a relief and a mystery.

    On the one hand, it seemed as though the likelihood of Joram randomly exploding had dropped significantly over the past few days.  On the other, well¡­.  The situation seemed to have gone from a rickety cart full of nitroglycerin rolling down a hill to someone priming a nuke for launch.

    Whatever he¡¯d done, it seemed to have worked out well for him.  Yes, the concentrations in his body of that new type of energy were getting to be on the ridiculous side of things, much like how Matriarch Aneath felt like to her.

    Cultivators, no matter which continent they originated from, wound up with vast stores of mana inside of themselves, in their cores.  But also in the very fibre of their beings.  Cultivation changed a person down to their very nature.

    So, if one weren¡¯t used to being around cultivators, then their instincts would scream at them to get away from the incredibly dangerous being.  That said, cultivators of a lower Tier could always sense the disparity between their strength and a higher-Tier cultivator.  Sure, often enough they¡¯d not know exactly what that person¡¯s strength was, but they¡¯d know that they wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against them.

    Well, that is if they were cultivating the same Tier of Mana.  The problem that some ran across was that even if you were cultivating Tier 2 Mana, Earth Qi, you¡¯d not feel anything from someone who cultivated Tier 3 Mana, Heaven Qi.  Yes, their reservoir of lower-grade mana would be much larger than someone of a lower Tier, but that didn¡¯t always tip off the weaker cultivator.

    Avi shook her head, bringing her attention back to the readings.  Since she¡¯d fine-tuned the sensors, she¡¯d been enjoying a higher resolution on her scans.  Which meant that she was able to track how the energy was now flowing through Joram¡¯s body.  From what she saw, it looked as though he was now able to cycle the energy through his body much like how one would circulate mana while cultivating.

    Well, mostly.

    He still seemed to have trouble getting it back to its origin, namely his head.  He seemed to have done well enough with what trickled out of his head, but wasn¡¯t having much success on the final approach.

    Yes, he was nourishing his body incredibly well with the new energy, and it was soaking into his body, being assimilated, almost perfectly.  But.  That final bit of returning the remaining energy to one¡¯s Core was an important step too.  There were many theories about why, but they all agreed that it was important.

    From the Encompass the Universe manual, written by Altaea herself, it just said that full-cycling was important to keeping a ¡°healthy¡± Core, whatever that actually meant.  Perhaps the energy that flowed through one¡¯s energy channels was tempered in some way, adding solidity to the Core.

    Avi shrugged.  This was all new ground that needed to be covered, recorded, examined, and interpreted.  There was a lot of work to do!

    * * * * *

    1344.13.26

    Tillia was¡­ stressed.

    So many things were weighing on her these days.  Yes, she¡¯d finally broken through to Tier 3, a major accomplishment by any standard in the Clan.  They¡¯d even thrown her a party.  But that had only added to the social pressure on her from families trying to worm their way into her good books, nevermind those who went directly to her parents.

    There was also the issue of Joram still missing in action.  Well, she assumed he was still alive.  The Matriarch had only told them that she¡¯d found where he was, but was unable to retrieve him just yet.  But that was also top-secret as they¡¯d been instructed to tell no one.  Which also put pressure on them as they were very much tired of the various rumours and slander floating about the Clan.

    The biggest pressure on her at the moment was the return of Joram¡¯s parents.  It was much less dramatic than their previous return under relatively the same circumstances.

    Tillia had learned that Sulia was expecting when, with the help of Ivaryn, she walked into the apartments they shared and exclaimed how good it was to be home.

    Now, the day following that memorable entrance, Tillia was rearranging Joram¡¯s room to once more include a bassinet.  She took her time, placing his bed by the window, then slid it over a bit more so that the morning sun would shine directly on his head as the first rays of day came over the horizon.

    She then shifted the bassinet a bit so that it wouldn¡¯t get direct sunlight until the second hour after dawn, hopefully giving everyone a bit more time to sleep in in the morning.

    Tillia sighed.  The bassinet wasn¡¯t likely to get much use in the first several months of the child¡¯s life if Sulia and Ivaryn continued with the co-sleeping like they had with Joram.  Well, it didn¡¯t really matter much so long as the room was set up and ready for when it was needed.

    She tinkered a bit with the mana-gathering array disguised as a mobile.  This one was a set of vividly coloured birds in flight, each one exquisitely carved to be as lifelike as possible.  She wasn¡¯t sure if that was a great idea or not, seeing as how some of those birds weren¡¯t exactly friendly to humans, but shrugged it off because by the time the child was old enough to go out and about, she¡¯d have already learned what was safe and what wasn¡¯t.

    When finished, she went and sat at the edge of Joram¡¯s bed, gazing at everything, but not quite seeing it all.  She was too caught up in the past to fully appreciate the present.  According to Healer Reursa and, more importantly, Midwife Ulanan, the baby was due any day now.  The child was turned the right way, was head down, and appeared to be healthy as could be.

    She wondered just how much longer Joram would be away, not wanting him to miss out on his new sibling growing up, not to mention the infant¡¯s arrival.

    Tillia sighed again and was about to get up when she felt a presence behind her suddenly appear.  There was no noise, nothing to let her know that someone had approached.  Her senses were alive with feedback, Tier 3 having enhanced her senses to ridiculous heights.

    She smelled a faint perfume that she couldn¡¯t quite place, but also that electric scent you¡¯d catch just before a very potent thunderstorm.  She heard cloth moving ever-so-slightly as it moved across flesh and other fabrics.  She sensed a¡­ void- perhaps calling it a blank space in the mana worked better?- where she expected to feel the cultivation of another person, telling her that they likely had an aura shroud item or were well-versed in stealth techniques¡­ or had a significantly higher cultivation than she had.

    But if the second were true, then why was she able to smell the other party?  Her instincts were telling her that she would die very quickly should she do something wrong, but the anger that was rising in her chest at the thought of some stranger trespassing here, in Joram¡¯s room, in the soon-to-be nursery, quelled that instinct.

    So, Tillia slowly turned her head so that she could catch a glimpse of who it was that dared to intrude into this sacred place.  Then a bead of sweat rolled down her forehead and managed to get into her eye just as she caught sight of someone in brown robes, their hood up, but not quite managing to hide that the person wore a high ponytail on their hear, or maybe some silly hat?

    What really caught her attention before the sweat blurred the image, stinging her eye, was the smaller figure being laid on the bed.

    The purple hair was a bit darker, his features leaner, not to mention how much taller he seemed.  But it was Joram.

    Tillia cursed out loud as she rubbed the sweat out of her eye, then looked back to the stranger and Joram, but only found Joram laying there, eyes closed.  She rubbed at her eyes again, not quite sure that she wasn¡¯t just having a waking dream.

    But sure enough, it was Joram laying there in what looked like a very plain white robe.  His hair was much shorter than it had been when last she¡¯d seen him, looking almost like a warrior¡¯s close-cropped style.  As she¡¯d noticed before, he was also taller, leaner.

    She looked at him, noticing the changes and wondering at them.  His baby fat was mostly gone, leaving his face looking older than it probably should have.  She wasn¡¯t sure if it was because of malnourishment or growth, though, because he had indeed grown.

    He looked like he should be in his early teens rather than just over seven years old.  She had learned that the Law of Space and the Law of Time were connected, so maybe he had fallen into a place where time flowed faster than here?  Whatever the case, it didn¡¯t look like he¡¯d gotten much exercise while away as she could see his cheekbones a little too well, not to mention how slender his arms and legs looked under his thin white robe.

    She then noticed that that electric smell was still in the air and blinked, finally noticing that her hair was starting to rise on its own.  She looked at her hair, then back at Joram and reached out her hand, wanting to touch him, to see if this was all really just a dream.

    Her hand paused, then quickly withdrew just before touching him.  Not because she was afraid of ending the moment, but because she¡¯d received a stinging static shock before she could touch him.

    She looked down at her stinging finger, noticing that the shock had left a small circled of reddened skin behind, telling her just how powerful that arc of electricity had truly been to burn her 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier body.

    But with that shock also came a sense of just how profound the power inside Joram was.  It was truly frightening if just an errant shock could injure her finger so.  It also came with the impression of¡­ ferocity.  A primal sense that there laid a sleeping beast, one powerful enough to rule all it saw.

    Tillia blinked, then blinked again.  She wasn¡¯t sure where that thought had come from, but was also completely sure that it wasn¡¯t just a flight of fancy.

    She was really starting to trust the ¡°visions¡± she¡¯d been having the past couple of years.  Not that they made much sense, but she was starting to get the feeling that the ones where she saw different people at varying ages was somehow very important.  But at the same time, she was very unsure about what they meant exactly.  Some people always showed as only a bit older than they currently were, others varied between a bit older and looking like they¡¯d grown old and were ready to find peace on their death beds.  Still others seemed to shift between that slightly older look and something much older to positively ancient.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    The fact that the majority of those she¡¯d seen were in the category of ¡°just a bit older¡± worried her immensely.  As time had slowly passed, so too had the gap between what the subject of a ¡°vision¡± looked like and what the ¡°vision¡± showed.  Which meant that whatever caused them to cease aging was rapidly approaching.  And by the sheer number of people whose ¡°future¡± age was rapidly closing on their current age, it very much felt like a disaster was coming.

    A very large disaster.  Catastrophe, even.

    ¡°Hey,¡± someone breathed from her side, causing her to jump a good foot into the air from where she was sitting.

    She quickly looked over and saw that Joram had cracked open his left eyelids to look at her.  His voice was certainly deeper than it had been, but could also just be a symptom of not speaking for a prolonged period of time.

    ¡°Hey, how¡¯re you?¡±  She asked reflexively, then wanted to kick herself.  Of course he wasn¡¯t doing well, otherwise he¡¯d be up and about, nevermind whispering as though he was on his deathbed!

    Tillia saw him grin ever-so-slightly before whispering his reply.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been better.¡±

    Tillia smiled a smile that she hoped was reassuring, warm, and welcoming, but was unsure if it came out that way.  Her belly was full of butterflies, or wasps, she wasn¡¯t quite sure as it was also in the process of tying itself into knots.

    She¡¯d just had another ¡°vision¡± of Joram, this one clearer than the first, and last one, she¡¯d had so long ago of him.  He was still that tall, muscular, devastatingly handsome man she¡¯d seen, but now also had a palpable aura about him.  She couldn¡¯t quite catch the nuances of it before the vision had faded, but it had left an impression, to say the least.

    ¡°We need the seamstress to stop by again,¡± she said lamely, once again taking in his added height.  Or in this case: length, as he was laying down and all.

    His slight smile grew a bit more pronounced, but then disappeared as his eyes closed, scrunching ever-so-slightly as though even that pained him.

    She wanted to say more, but years of taking care of people, nevermind Joram, had taught her that she needed to wait and observe first as it didn¡¯t appear to be life threatening.  So, she watched as the pain faded from his countenance, his body subtly relaxing until he once again peeked at her with his left eye.

    ¡°Still¡­ working¡­ on¡­ getting¡­ better,¡± he whispered slowly, saying one word per breath, making it quite clear that he hadn¡¯t quite recovered from whatever it was that caused the issue.

    Tillia nodded to him, then remembered why she¡¯d been in the room to begin with.  She nearly smacked her forehead in exasperation, but stopped, not sure if the extra noise would bother him.

    ¡°So, your parents are back,¡± she began, then explained the ¡°why¡±, and the other ¡°why¡± related to her being in his bedroom so late at night.  All done in a whisper.

    She was proud of herself when it appeared that his pain levels hadn¡¯t risen, not even when that ghost of a smile appeared on his face again.

    ¡°I¡­ get¡­ to¡­ be¡­ a¡­ big¡­ brother,¡± he got out, eyes twinkling.  ¡°I¡­ need¡­ to¡­ work¡­ harder,¡± he finished, now looking fatigued, his eyelid drooping.

    Her heart nearly overflowed when she heard how happy he was to be a big brother, then nearly broke when he got the second part out.

    As far as she knew, there was no one that she knew that had worked harder on their cultivation than him.  Yes, Xixi and Zanth were making amazing progress.  Heck, even she had nearly surprised the sandals off many clan members with how well she was taking to her efforts in cultivation.  But Joram, well, he still outstripped everyone she knew.

    Yes, he was a Reincarnator.  But he hadn¡¯t been what she¡¯d have called a Mage or Cultivator in his previous life, even with the similarities between them and Mental Strength- er, Psionics.  She wasn¡¯t quite sure what she¡¯d call what he¡¯d chosen to do, but having a weird mix of martial arts and psionics was far from conventional.

    Could one compare it to an expert practicing Mental Strength and Body Refining at the same time?  She wasn¡¯t very accomplished in academics like those closer to the main family line were, but she was pretty sure that that wasn¡¯t something people did.  At all.

    She was taken out of her thoughts when what her eyes were telling her finally got processed in her brain.  Joram had fallen asleep again, his chest slowly rising and falling with his shallow breathing.  Was that normal?

    She had another freak-out moment as she tried to remember how he looked when he slept, not having seen him in almost two years¡­.

    At length, she stood up as slowly as she could so as not to disturb his sleep, then made her way out of his room, closing the door behind her as gently as humanly possible.  When she turned around, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she noticed that she wasn¡¯t alone.

    ¡°How is he?¡±  The Matriarch asked quietly, eliciting nods from Joram¡¯s parents who stood just behind her and to her right.

    Clutching her chest, Tillia motioned for the trio to follow her to the other end of the living room and into the parlour.  It wasn¡¯t very big, nor had it been meant to accommodate many people anyways.  It was a simple room with bay windows on two of the walls that provided a beautiful view of the mountains.  Tillia noticed that some rare snow was falling outside and smiled as she remembered how Joram loved to see snow at least once a year.

    ¡°Please, sit,¡± she said, bringing a comfortable recliner over so that Sulia could rest.  She saw just how tired she was even though she was already in the Fourth Tier.

    Sulia accepted, allowing Ivaryn to help her into a seated position.  Once done, Ivaryn just stood beside the recliner, much to Sulia¡¯s visible annoyance.  The Matriarch also remained standing.

    ¡°So, he¡¯s¡­¡± she said, looking for words to describe what she¡¯d seen.  She noticed that her hesitation spiked their worry and hastened to explain.  ¡°He seems healthy enough, though a bit skinny.  There seems to be an underlying issue that causes him some pain, but he¡¯s sleeping now, so it can¡¯t be all that bad.¡±  She finished in a rush, realizing that she was doing nothing to alleviate their worries.

    ¡°The missive I received said that he should only need quiet and rest to fully recuperate now,¡± Matriarch Aneath said, nodding away.  ¡°I wish we had more information to go by, but his mysterious helper seems to want Joram to explain things instead of just doing it herself,¡± she finished with a slightly bitter tone.

    It was a woman!  Tillia thought, eyes narrowing a bit.  She¡¯d been pretty sure, but one couldn¡¯t make assumptions based on hair length and perfume.

    ¡°Did she say anything else?¡±  Ivaryn asked as he rested his right hand on Sulia¡¯s shoulder, seemingly for comfort.

    ¡°No,¡± she said, shaking her head slightly.  ¡°I only get written missives, nothing more.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Tillia said, raising her hand slightly as though she was still in class.  ¡°Another thing.  I don¡¯t know what¡¯s caused it, but Joram seems¡­ electric.¡±

    Three sets of eyes turned to her, then blinked.  She blushed.

    ¡°I mean, when I tried to touch him, I received a shock,¡± she said, holding out her hand for them to see the still-reddened spot on her finder.  ¡°It was quite strong, so I don¡¯t recommend anyone below Third Tier approach him lest something bad happens to them,¡± she finished, her words growing quieter as she spoke.

    She was very glad when, almost as though it had been practiced, they began looking at each other.  Ivaryn shifting between Sulia and her grandmother, Sulia going from her grandmother to her husband, and finally the Matriarch looking at the younger generation, Tillia included.

    Slowly, a look of disappointment and sadness came over Sulia.  It took her a moment to realize that it was probably because, while pregnant, she wouldn¡¯t be able to go near Joram for fear of affecting the baby.

    How hard it must be for her to finally have her son back, but be unable to touch him, Tillia thought, trying very hard not to start crying for her plight.  As confused as she was, Tilia also felt intense relief knowing that Joram was back and wanted to hug the little-, er, not-so-little guy¡­.  Hmmm¡­.

    Her mind went back to how Joram looked, eyes closed and laying in bed.  He looked like those kids who¡¯d just started their growth spurt.  Not quite as tall as an adult, but much taller than even those kids a year or so younger than them.  Awkward teenage phase.  But he was already well on his way to becoming a grown man, even though he hadn¡¯t yet reached his full height, nor had he filled out¡­ if her ¡°vision¡± was anything to go by anyways.

    ¡°Tillia will continue to care for Joram,¡± Matriarch Aneath suddenly spoke, bringing her back to reality.  ¡°Sulia, you¡¯re due any day now, so it is better to continue resting.  We¡¯ll keep you up to date with how he is,¡± she said, then muttered, ¡°Much better than that woman did.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t sure if the Matriarch had intended to say that last part out loud, but everyone present felt, and heard, the venom and something else in her voice when referring to Joram¡¯s mysterious helper.

    Was it uncertainty?  Trepidation?  Fear?

    Tillia truly didn¡¯t know, but decided that she really didn¡¯t want to know, especially if someone as strong as the Matriarch seemed to, at the very least, have a healthy respect for her.

    * * * * *

    Avi sneezed, then briefly wondered who was talking about her before shrugging and getting back to work.

    She wasn¡¯t quite as good as Joram when it came to arranging atoms into repeating patters, forming molecules, then entire structures from the base building blocks of physical matter.  No, but she was getting there.

    It was tedious beyond belief working on that scale, but orders of magnitude better than having to recreate things dozens of times as what you were trying to make failed time and again.

    What was she working on?  Well!

    She knew that Joram would want a properly working omni-tool when he woke up, and so she¡¯d worked on, and finished, that.  No, she was now using the enhanced sensors that came from that tech tree to help her make a lightsaber.  Yes, Joram¡¯s long sought-after wish was being worked on.  Very, very, slowly.

    She¡¯d been exposed to the¡­ altered canon that came after her beloved universe was purchased by that company.  Specifically, after that director had decided that decades of universe-building by countless contributors wasn¡¯t worth spit and changed just about everything he could about the universe.

    Well, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but close enough.

    Specifically, the claim that a lightsaber needed to have a kyber crystal to work at all.

    Well, that was bull, as the memories that had come to Altaea from her counterpart in that universe could attest to.

    Yes, Force-attuned crystals made them better, but there weren¡¯t strictly required to make one work.  No, a sufficiently hard crystal could do the same, along with having sufficient clarity.  Add a ridiculous power source, the appropriate emitter, focuser, and a few other little bits, then you got yourself a bona fide ¡°laser sword¡±.

    Well, not a ¡°laser¡±, per se.  But a very powerful, limited, beam weapon that could cut through most anything she knew.

    And that was before she would integrate sonic technology from yet another Altaea in the multiverse¡­.

    Avi smiled as she worked on the very fine circuitry.  She had a few experiments going, and she believed that she would soon find an appropriate focussing crystal for the first prototype she¡¯d soon make.  Sky Nether Jade was a good candidate, but needed some treatment to reduce inclusions and increase clarity.  She was also working on the various mana crystals, but the likelihood of them being stable enough to handle the kind of temperature and energy flow needed was slim.

    Last on the experimentations list was a small shard of the Heavenly Lightning Jade Dragon scale, carved then facetted to the needed specifications.  Well, that one wasn¡¯t doing anything except waiting for one of its siblings to finish treatment.  Again, she was working on increasing clarity.  It was much harder with something that had come from a living being, ostensibly being organic in nature.  But looking at it, she wasn¡¯t too sure at all.

    The structure looked like a grown crystal, not a bit of grown keratin or chiton.  This had initially confused her, but then she just wrote it off as magic messing with the ¡°laws of physics¡± and such.  Nevermind that they were in an entirely new universe, so who was to say what was possible or impossible?

    Which led her to what she was currently doing.

    Atoms seemed to have a tendency to either absorb mana or reject it.  Some even seemed to effectively be ¡°transparent¡± to mana, which was even weirder.  Which threw some of the knowledge that had been sent to Altaea out the window.

    Some stuff, like the Force, didn¡¯t even exist in this universe, or at least this part of the universe they found themselves in.  Which made things awkward when trying to replicate tech from other universes.  Hence why they¡¯d had so many issues trying to get something as ¡°simple¡± as an omni-tool working.

    Well, it would work out.  She had the patience of a Grand Master, and literal legions of droids to help with production, never mind the ones building more server farms¡­.

    Avi smiled again, this time in satisfaction of a job well done.  She had only read stories of Gally, another of Joram¡¯s ¡°made-up¡± characters, but found that she had a lot in common with her.  Sure, she was no ¡°mad scientist¡±- er, sufficiently motivated scientist, but she really did enjoy making stuff.  Perhaps it was a side-effect of having been created in part from Joram¡¯s personality, but it was what it was.  She loved research, crafting, and expansion.

    With that last thought in mind, she made a mental note to check up on the one server that was working on an improved [Genesis].  If she could speed up the expansion of the realm, it would surely make things easier when it came time to build the various specialized factories she would need for her future projects.

    She really liked the idea of a space station the size of a moon after all.

    ¡°Wait, if the moons here are roughly the size of Saturn, it¡¯ll take quite a while to get something built¡­¡±  Avi murmured to herself as she began drawing up rough blueprints and calculating how many droids she¡¯d need.

    * * * * *

    ¡°How many of our people are in position?¡±

    ¡°Almost half.¡±

    ¡°How much longer before the rest arrive?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard moving through these kingdoms without attracting too much attention¡­¡±

    ¡°How long?¡±

    ¡°As little as a year.  As much as two more.¡±

    The first person sighed.  It was boring waiting for the mission to start, but there wasn¡¯t much they could do when they had direct orders from the heads of the coalition of sects.

    ¡°Want to go on another hunt to pass the time?¡±  The second person asked, sounding hopeful.

    ¡°¡­ Sure.¡±

 Chapter 035

    *1344.13.27*

    This sucks, Joram thought as he lay in bed.

    He still couldn¡¯t get up.  He really wanted to be up and about.  Especially so he could go see his newly arrived parents.  Or maybe since he had arrived after them, he should phrase that differently¡­?

    Meh.

    Either way, he was stuck in bed.  Sure, he¡¯d made progress with his energy circulation over the past day, but he was still a long way off from being able to move about.

    One thing that he¡¯d been able to do, however, was access his normal psionic energy.  Sure, it wasn¡¯t as powerful as the new stuff that flowed through his body.  Fusion energy?  Nah, that was way too generic, and over-used.

    Hmmm¡­

    He shrugged mentally, then got back on track.

    It was still very hard to do anything with his psionic energy, yet he¡¯d still managed to perform a few basic exercises he¡¯d learned from Altaea way back in the day.  From there, he¡¯d done a few simple things like basic telekinesis, a bit of energy manipulation in the form of making a candle¡¯s flame dance about, and even some metacreation, which was his specialty.  He¡¯d not used it much since he¡¯d been reborn, mainly due to it being a bit too¡­ noticeable.  Keeping a low profile with [Astral Construct]s wandering about wasn¡¯t very effective.

    That said, he¡¯d been experimenting again with the various forms of [Astral Construct] he could make, and had decided on a weird version that somewhat resembled a cross between Professor X¡¯s flying wheel chair from that 90s cartoon and a super car.  It was sleek and all that, but more importantly, he¡¯d managed to change its colour from that silvery-white that told you that it was made of ectoplasm, to a more natural colour.  In this case, a matt charcoal grey with a very subtle pattern of lines reminiscent of Tron light lines.  Sure, they didn¡¯t glow, but he¡¯d always like that kind of line pattern.

    Anyway, the advantage of having an [Astral Construct] being his transportation was that he could have it in his Network.  Well, that didn¡¯t quite matter as much as being able to give it mental commands anyway due to the nature of the power used to create it.

    Now, normally it would be terribly inefficient to use an [Astral Construct] as transportation, but he¡¯d long since mastered the ability to stabilize its structure and allow them to stay around more or less indefinitely.  Which meant that long-term transport for his less than cooperative body was viable.

    Well, one that wouldn¡¯t take a lot of work, anyway.

    Back on topic, he was glad that he¡¯d be able to go out and about soon.  Well, not too much, as he¡¯d have to answer many long and pointed questions regarding his interesting ¡°artifact¡±.  Magic items were common, but specialized things like his ¡°wheelchair¡± weren¡¯t something commonly seen, or if he was being honest, seen at all.

    So, he¡¯d be confined to quarters, more or less.  Until he could walk again.

    He almost shook his head then, trying to rid himself of that circular line of thought, but remembered not to just in time to avoid giving himself a migraine.

    Using a bit of telekinesis, he rang the bell that sat by his door.  Normally, it would be sitting next to his bed, but his earlier practicing had left it there when he was done.  That, and it was better to have the bell closer to the door so that it could be more easily heard.

    Tillia came in a few moments later, casting a glance at the bell that wasn¡¯t where she¡¯d left it.

    She paused as she received his invitation to his Network, then a smile burst out on her face as she accepted the invitation.

    ¡®This¡¯ll make things easier,¡¯ he sent with a faint smile.

    Tillia was beside herself with joy as he explained a few things for her; namely his limitations and estimated time of recovery.  It didn¡¯t take too long, as he also wanted her to spread the word to his parents, Grammy, and Xixi.

    ¡®That said, I¡¯m not sure I want people to know I¡¯m back again just yet.  My weakness and all,¡¯ he sent, the barest hint of a wry grin on his face.

    ¡®Xixi¡¯s and Zanth¡¯s parents also know that you¡¯ve been missing,¡¯ Tillia explained.  ¡®We didn¡¯t say anything to the rest of the clan, but rumours still spread when you¡¯ve been missing for so long after everything that¡¯s happened.¡¯

    Joram sent a mental nod her way, thinking.  ¡®Well, just bring the people I mentioned so that I can once again add them to my Network.  Especially my mother as she¡¯d almost due.¡¯

    Tillia nodded, then left on her task.

    As he waited, Joram let out a sigh.  He could, of course, just fly wherever he needed to go, no need to worry about a weird sci-fi flying ¡°wheelchair¡± thingy.  It was just another excuse.  As much as he¡¯d like to say that he was a resilient person, unflappable, steady of heart and purpose, etc., well¡­ he wasn¡¯t.

    He¡¯d had incredible anxiety before coming to this world and he was at least 98% sure that Altaea was the reason why he¡¯d been able to rid himself of said anxiety.

    Or, rather, she¡¯d healed his mind.  Either way, he¡¯d not felt those heart-wrenching, chest tearing, lung crushing feelings in a very long time.  But they¡¯d managed to sneak back.

    He wasn¡¯t too sure when it happened, but he now felt that familiar gnawing at his insides as he thought about heading back out into the clan proper.  Needing to meet other people, or just passing them by and hearing the murmurs.  He wasn¡¯t going to lie; he really didn¡¯t want to have to deal with that garbage.  He¡¯d just spent almost two years recovering from a stupid mistake and he very much wanted to avoid narrow-minded people for the time being.

    Hence the flying chair excuse.

    ¡°Joram?¡±

    He looked up and saw him mother poking her head into the room, his father¡¯s resting on hers like some characters from a Saturday morning cartoon.

    He couldn¡¯t help himself; he grinned.  Then winced in pain.

    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself!¡±  His mother exclaimed, sliding the door open the rest of the way.

    His father slid in front of her so fast that he almost missed the movement, mostly catching it through [Touchsight].  It seems that his father hadn¡¯t been slacking off during his time away, as it felt as though he were somewhere in the mid 4<sup>th</sup> Tier.  For that matter, his mother wasn¡¯t far behind in her cultivation, not seeming too much weaker than his father.  That again, it could also be due to her pregnancy that she seemed weaker than her husband.

    He sent them both invitations to his Network, then watched their eyes widen slightly in surprise, both developing smiles as they accepted the invitation.

    ¡®You don¡¯t need to worry, mother,¡¯ he sent, sounding more like himself through the link, including his father in the conversation/chat room.  ¡®I may be a little weakened right now, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be surprised when you see how much I¡¯ve grown.¡¯

    His mother and father exchanged a Look when they received that last part, then looked at him again.  Which reminded him how much he¡¯d actually grown physically.

    ¡®Just concentrate on your recovery my boy,¡¯ his father sent with a smile.

    Now, he was no Erick when it came to reading people- far from it!- but he did manage to catch the bit of worry that had crept into his expression.

    ¡®Yes, don¡¯t worry about us, we¡¯ll be more than OK!¡¯  His mother sent with a smile of her own, not managing to hide her worry as well as his father, but then enthusiastically changed the subject.  ¡®Are you excited to become a big brother?¡¯

    They spent the next half hour talking about that and other little things of little consequence or importance.

    It was nice.

    He¡¯d missed chatting with his parents, being able to talk to them whenever he needed to, or just plain wanted to.  Sure, he¡¯d been unconscious for most of the time his Network had been down, but a part of his mind must have kept track or something, because he found that he¡¯d really missed them when he woke up.

    Their time, however, was cut short when Grammy appeared in his doorway and softly knocked on the frame to not just ask for permission to enter, but to let them know that she¡¯d arrived.

    Joram smiled as his parents jumped a bit, probably due to being so caught up in the conversation.  He¡¯d noticed her arrival through Touchsight, so it wasn¡¯t a shock for him when she knocked.

    He immediately sent her an invitation, then smiled a faint smile when it was accepted as soon as it was sent.

    ¡®I see that you¡¯re at least awake now,¡¯ Grammy sent, sounding very¡­ formal?  If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, she sounded¡­ miffed?  Was that right?

    ¡®Working on it,¡¯ he sent back as lightly as he could, trying to make it sound jovial.

    The following conversation was both grueling and awkward.  Greuling in that when Grammy found something she wanted answers to, she was worse than a lock-jawed Pitbull.  Awkward in the sense that he had to explain Avi and his relationship to her¡­ and why he¡¯d kept her a secret from not only her, but from his parents too.

    As he wasn¡¯t the most diplomatic person on the planet, nevermind in the room, he was left with a disappointed look from everyone present, especially from Grammy as she left to ¡°catch up on work¡±.

    ¡°Joram,¡¯ his father sent, obvious disappointment in his tone, and something else he couldn¡¯t quite put his thumb on.  ¡®Have we not shown that you can trust us?¡¯

    Joram glanced down, not meeting his parents¡¯ eyes, still not quite able to move about without more pain than he wanted to deal with.  ¡®No, you have¡­¡¯ he trailed off.  He¡¯d never been good at confrontation of any sort, and this was much closer to home than most he¡¯d ever had to deal with.

    ¡®Joram, let me come and speak for myself,¡¯ Avi pipes in suddenly.

    Joram gives his mental consent, then purposely looks over to where Avi would appear.  His parents picked up on his look and followed his gaze, only starting slightly when Avi appears.

    ¡®Hello Mrs and Mr Aneath,¡¯ Avi sends as she appears at the foot of his bed.  He was very glad that she had changed from her Daisy Dukes and tank top into something akin to a Jedi¡¯s get-up, though a bit more Luke than Obi-wan in that she had gone for an outfit in shades of charcoal grey to black.  That said, she even had one of the prototype lightsabers at her hip, balanced with what looked like an M-11 from ME3, except the barrel looked more like a Desert Eagle¡¯s.

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    He eyed that up, wondering just how effective that would be in a world of crazy magic and body cultivators.  He¡¯d have to see what kind of damage a standard shield spell could take from one of those, then go from there¡­.

    Back to the here and now, Joram noticed a Look pass between his mother and father.  Again, he was no Erick, but he could swear that there was a hint of approval that passed between the two.

    ¡®Thank you for taking care of Joram,¡¯ his mother sent, inclining her head to Avi.

    ¡®I¡¯m used to it,¡¯ she sent, amusement thick in her tone.  ¡®That said, Joram didn¡¯t mention me at my request,¡¯ she finished, leaving it at that.

    Everyone blinked at her, though Joram¡¯s was much slower than his parents¡¯.

    His mother and father exchanged Looks, then nodded.  He could swear that they had their own rudimentary Network with how much they seemed to communicate with those Looks.

    The questions flowed after that, ranging from how long they¡¯ve known each other to why they couldn¡¯t feel any cultivation from her.  If he didn¡¯t know any better, he was sure that they were probing how ¡°close¡± they were with each other, possibly testing the waters to see how safe his and Xixi¡¯s engagement was.

    After a good hour of grilling, Avi made an excuse and shifted back to his realm, though she didn¡¯t say that was what she was doing; she just disappeared, leaving Joram to shrug under his parents¡¯ questioning Looks.

    ¡®Seriously, why didn¡¯t you ask her that when she arrived?¡¯ he groused, then immediately regretted it when another set of Looks was thrown his way.

    Seriously, I¡¯m recovering here!, he thought, not quite able to resist the Mental Effects of those Looks, causing him to squirm where he lay, which caused him to nearly black out due to the negative feedback his body sent to his brain.

    Seeing Joram¡¯s immense pain, his parents relented just before his mother¡¯s face went blank, her hand going to her belly.  He almost missed it but didn¡¯t say anything as they made their way out, followed by Tillia.

    He felt really bad then, realizing that he¡¯d forgotten about her during the whole Q&A session.  To be fair, she was getting very good at not being seen, almost to the point where he suspected that she was practicing a stealth technique of some sort.  He felt that she had become stronger than before but with how messed up his cultivation was, and the fact that he still couldn¡¯t properly sense people through mana, he wasn¡¯t sure.  But it felt like she was on a whole new level from when he¡¯d last spent time with her.

    Maybe an Iron-Man type suit to get around¡­ he mused as he lay there staring up at the ceiling.  Sure, it would get around the issue of mobility and it had already been ¡°done¡± before here.  Magical knights in armour, or even magical puppets.  The only problem was that he¡¯d have to be inside the thing, being jostled around as he went flying about.

    Maybe something bigger?  Something that I can lay in bed and direct it with my mind¡­?

    Lost in thought, he missed the small figure longingly gazing at him as it peeked past the edge of his door.

    * * * * *

    ¡°You should go in,¡± Tillia said, watching Xixi as she made her way to the door leading out of the apartments.

    For her part, Xixi jumped a bit, spinning around to look at Tillia with wide eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m Tier 3 now,¡± Tillia said with a dainty snort, ¡°it¡¯s much harder to sneak past me now.¡±

    Xixi blushed but stood firm.  Tillia smiles as she takes note of just how grown-up Xixi is now.  Well, for a seven-year-old she was fairly tall, but that wasn¡¯t what she meant.  Her emotional maturity seems to have grown significantly in the past year.  Where she would have been eager to apologise before, now she held her head high, back straight, not a hint of shame on her face for having snuck into her and the Aneath¡¯s home.

    As she was about to say something, Tillia¡¯s vision blurred slightly, causing Xixi¡¯s image to distort to the point where there were three of her standing there.  The one on Tillia¡¯s left looked to be collared and shackled, looking as though she were ten years older.  The one in the middle the same as a moment before, while the one on the right had a bloody gash across her neck, crimson fanning down her front as she fell to her knees, eyes going glassy.

    The vision fades, but unfortunately so does her vision.  As everything goes black, Tillia has the idle thought that it wasn¡¯t very dignified to start throwing up as she fell down.

    * * * * *

    ¡°She¡¯ll be all right,¡± Healer Reursa said, turning on the stool at the side of the couch in the common room of the apartment.

    Matriarch Aneath nodded, standing beside Tillia¡¯s head, frowning in thought.

    She¡¯d come back as soon as she¡¯d received the message from Ivaryn that Tillia had collapsed while having some sort of episode.  Fortunately, Ivaryn had also dashed out to get Healer Reursa, saving everyone involved some time.

    What struck Tatia as odd was that Joram hadn¡¯t immediately healed Tillia up from where he lay in his bedroom.  From everything that she knew of the Network, it should have been as easy as breathing for him to deal with something like this.

    ¡°Thank you Marowz,¡± she said as she indicated for him to get up.  ¡°We¡¯ll be sure to call if there is anything else.¡±

    Marowz Reursa blinked at her using his first name but didn¡¯t put up a fuss when he was ushered out of the room, the door closing on his slightly confuzzled face.

    Tatia then activated her privacy ward when she was close enough to where Ivaryn and Xixi were standing by the couch, Sulia resting in an armchair by foot of said couch, designated as such due to Tillia¡¯s feet being on that end.

    ¡°OK, what happened?¡±  She asked Xiora, fixing her with a Look, but not an unkind one.

    Xixi fidgeted for a moment before answering.  ¡°I had come to see Joram, but sort of¡­¡± she made a hand gesture that was commonly interpreted as meaning ¡°chickened out¡±.  ¡°I was leaving when Tillia encouraged me to go in and see him¡­¡± she trailed off, looking over at Joram¡¯s closed door.  ¡°Then she got a funny look on her face for a moment before she started having a seizure.¡±

    Tatia exchanged looks with Sulia and Ivaryn, noting a general lack of understanding from him, but what looked like understanding from Sulia.

    ¡°Thank you Xixi,¡± Tatia said, trying to give a reassuring smile.  ¡°You really should go in and speak with him.¡±

    Xiora gulped, eyes shifting between her, Joram¡¯s door, and the door leading out of the apartments.  Soon enough, though, she started making her way to Joram¡¯s door.  Once out of the area of the privacy ward, Tatia once again spoke up.

    ¡°Tillia might be a Seer,¡± she said without preamble.

    Sulia and Ivaryn exchanged looks, surprise evident on their faces.  Which really shouldn¡¯t be a surprise to anyone in the know about Seers.

    Seers were a very rare branch of the more common Diviner.  Not that Diviners were common, far from it.  No, they were very rare; to the point that if one was found, they were nurtured heavily by whichever group managed to snag them up, usually the rulers of a country, kingdom, or empire.  Depending on who got a hold of the Diviner, their treatment would be anywhere between being treated like an extension of the royalty/rulers, to effectively being a collared slave on a very short leash.

    Out of the few hundred known Diviners on the Waeryn Continent, there were currently no Seers counted amongst their number.  Nor had there been for almost a thousand years.

    Yes, Seers were rare.

    They were also very hard to train and keep alive.  Most of their abilities came from an innate affinity to the Laws of Time and Chaos.  Both of which were exceedingly dangerous to cultivate by themselves, nevermind at the same time.  If one side had an imbalance, the other would negatively affect the Seer.  Anything from random aging and or growing younger, for her or anything/anyone around her, to random acts of entropy that could quite literally take any form as the Chaos in her went out of control.

    That said, it was then fortunate that they had the single most extensive collection of information on the continent, if not the whole world.

    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±  Sulia finally asked after shaking her head a bit.

    ¡°Over the past few years, she has come to me for guidance and counselling,¡± Tatia started, mentally pulling the stool Marowz had left behind over so that she could sit down next to Tillia.  ¡°She was initially scared that she might be suffering from some sort of mental illness due to her seeing ¡®visions¡¯ around people she interacted with, or even just saw walking by.¡±

    Tatia smiles slightly as she watched Xiora finally gather enough courage to knock on Joram¡¯s door, then go inside, back straight as a rod.

    Sulia and Ivaryn shared another look, but quickly turned back to her once she began speaking again.

    ¡°At first I thought that she was overly stressed due to having lost Joram, then was over working herself on her cultivation,¡± she said, noting Sulia¡¯s nodding and Ivaryn¡¯s wry grin.

    ¡°Suffice it to say, I made sure that she was regularly checked and evaluated to be sure that she wasn¡¯t experiencing any sort of mana-induced issues with her cultivation,¡± she said shaking her head.

    ¡°No, she was, and is, perfectly healthy.  No issues in her foundations.  No undue stress in her life.  But the visions have continued this whole time.  This,¡± she said, her hand waving at the prone Tillia, ¡°is entirely new.  I don¡¯t know what caused it, but I do hope that we can keep her alive long enough for her to get a handle on her innate Talents.¡±

    She paused there, letting things sink in for them.  It was a lot to take in.  A lot to digest.  More to accept.

    Seers had a mixed reputation amongst the scholars of the world.  Some had been leashed and collared right away, while others had grown in seclusion, only coming out when the time was right, as it were.  Those last ones were the ones that had shaken the continent they were on, great upheavals coming about in their wake.  Wherever those last ones went, borders changed, fortunes rose and fell, as did nations, kingdoms, and entire empires.

    Looking at Tillia, one couldn¡¯t imagine her being someone who would change the world around her by just being, but as the old saying went: ¡°never judge a book by its cover¡±.

    Sulia reached down and touched her belly as she gazed at her nanny laying unconscious on the couch.  Tillia could practically read on her face what was going through her head.  If Tillia was indeed a Seer, then she wouldn¡¯t be able to stay around the apartments.  She would have to go somewhere that wouldn¡¯t be destroyed, or people hurt, if her Talents went out of control.

    ¡°We¡¯ll get her set up with what she needs to get through this,¡± Tatia said as she looks over at Tillia.  ¡°You just concentrate on giving birth, adding another wonderful child to the family.¡±

    Sulia smiled at that, not quite wiping away the worried look she had on her face.

    * * * * *

    Joram looked over when he heard a knock at the door, wondering who would be knocking so softly.  Going over the list of possible suspects, he quickly narrowed it down to Xixi, as the list was undeniably short due to him having only invited his immediate family over to see him.

    After a moment the door slid open, revealing a very shy-looking Xixi standing there.  Even though it hurt, he couldn¡¯t help but crack a small smile at the sight of her as he sent an invitation to the Network again.

    Once she¡¯d accepted it and was inside the room, door sliding closed behind her, he sent: ¡®It¡¯s good to see you again,¡¯ with as much warmth as he could.

    For her part, Xixi just stared for a bit.  Long enough for him to become a bit self-conscious.  He wasn¡¯t exactly dressed to impress, merely being in the special hospital gown that Avi had made for him to reduce the tactile discomfort he now felt.

    Then he was taking in all the changes in his childhood friend.  It was the time for growth spurts, her turning seven years old tomorrow.  She¡¯d grown a good foot since he¡¯d seen her last, pulling her into a slightly gangly girl.  Her chubby cheeks were almost gone, now appearing ¡°normal¡±, though she still had that self confidence she¡¯d always had.

    She looks much more mature now, he mused, noticing how she stood and especially the look in her eyes.  Too old by far.

    ¡®It¡¯s good to see you too,¡¯ she sent, sounding much more unsure of herself than she physically projected, which threw him for a bit of a loop.

    Then he got it.

    He¡¯d been missing for almost two years.  Him, her best friend.  The one she would chat with over the Network any time she needed to speak with someone her ¡°own age¡±.  The person that had helped her with her cultivation.  The person who¡¯d always been there for her.

    Then his first disappearance happened, and she¡¯d taken a shock, but had seemed to rebound well enough, going back to the happy-go-lucky girl she¡¯d always been.  But his next disappearance had been much longer, so long in fact that most people probably thought he was dead or shipped away due to being a ¡°cripple¡± or something.

    Two years of not seeing someone was a very long time to anyone.  But especially to a five-year-old.

    He paused then, memories of his past life flooding to the fore.  Memories of his daughters and how broken up they were with the divorce, but especially because they couldn¡¯t see him whenever they wanted because they¡¯d both been ¡°Daddy¡¯s Girls¡±.  And in fact, hadn¡¯t been able to see him for a good stretch at the beginning of the whole mess.

    Then he looked at Xixi and saw the hurt buried there, the apprehension of not knowing why he¡¯d been gone.  Not knowing if she was still important to him.

    His heart nearly broke then, many of those memories flooding back, but especially those emotions associated with not being there for them, and now her.  Not being able to listen to her, help her through things, or to just be there; a presence that she could rely on.

    He couldn¡¯t imagine what she¡¯d been through these past two years, especially after all those people had started pestering Aloralla and Ailmar about cancelling her engagement to him and instead going with one of their offspring.  It had been bad when he¡¯d still been around, so he could only imagine they¡¯d all upped their game when it was evident that he wasn¡¯t around.

    He looked into her clear green eyes seeing the uncertainty there, the questions waiting to burst out of her, the fear of what might be said.

    The longer it took him to say anything, the more her fa?ade crumbled until her eyebrows were scrunched together, bottom lip quivering, and unshed tears making her eyes sparkle.

    He couldn¡¯t really move, so he concentrated his psionic energy and telekinetically lifted her up and brought her closer, her eyes nearly popping out of her head in surprise.

    ¡®I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯ve been gone so long,¡¯ he sent with every ounce of sincerity he could scoop out of his heart.  ¡®I¡¯ve missed you.  Let¡¯s catch up.¡¯

    With that said, he let her down beside him on the bed, suppressing the pain that shot through him as the mattress shifted slightly under her weight, keeping his faint smile in place.

    When the words registered Xixi finally broke down, bawling her eyes out as she leaned over and draped herself across his chest, tears falling hot and fast.

    Not that he noticed, for he¡¯d already been sent to the land of unconsciousness when she landed on his chest.

 Update on scheduling and life

    OK, so, minimum word count... go!

    For those who''ve been paying attention, you''ll have noticed that I''ve fallen into a 2:1 schedule, 2 weeks on- 1 week off.

    I know that this may not be the best schedule for some who really want to see what happens next, so this next part may hurt a bit.

    I''m starting full-time college tomorrow (and have been prepping these past couple of weeks) and will continue to work on the side.  Part-time work, but still work.  Which means even less time for writing, especially since I''ve been having my children over for full weekends since late spring.  I love my children dearly, so writing has necessarily gone on the backburner while they''re over.

    I''ve also been dealing with depression here, having tried a few different things to get by.  Unfortunately, that also meant that I burned through my backlog as well, so the last chapter (35) that was posted was literally my last completed chapter at the time.  Still working on 36, as I don''t want to release absolute rubbish just to release something "on time".

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    Yes, I''m still very much growing as a writer and author so I am very glad that those who''ve written any sort of comments or reviews have been generous in their praise.  I''ll continue in striving to become an even better writer, it may just take time ^_^;;

    For all that, I''m trying to get out there that I''ll need a bit more time for releases.  I don''t want to take off a prolonged period of time to get a bit of a backlog going, but neither do I want to flounder for respectable content, as I feel I''ve been doing lately.

    That all said, I hope to get another chapter out next week.  I''ll see what kind of torture this full-time and a half schedule will be on my psyche and play it by ear for future releases.  If I really do need to take some down-time, I''ll try to give a bit better notice on that!

    Thanks for your understanding!

 Chapter 036

    Chapter 036

    Avi wiped a tear away as she watched Xiora¡¯s dam burst. She didn¡¯t know why she was reacting to that, but then dismissed it as yet another ¡°meat bag¡± issue to sort out later.

    She then set the scrying orb to record what was said so that she could later fill Joram in on what was said. She was tempted to just let him muddle through explaining why he didn¡¯t remember what she¡¯d said while opening her heart to him, but threw him a metaphorical bone as, in this case, he hadn¡¯t willingly ¡°checked out¡±.

    Avi looked over at another set of monitors and grinned. That project was coming along nicely.

    She continued going over information on the wall of monitors she had set up, finding it easier to just look at them instead of having a setup where she would need to flip through tabs or something equally tedious. Some projects were taking longer than she would have liked, while others were practically flying off the line. For those, she set work crews to start construction on new facilities to specifically produce the parts she would need. So on and so forth.

    Another glance, another set of readings. She was getting very close, she felt, to completing the new [Genesis]. When that finished, well, she would up her game. It would allow for greater expansions of the Realm, greater control over what was created, and greater control over the Realm itself, and what happened/was allowed to happen inside it. Especially who was allowed to enter it.

    ¡°No more uninvited guests,¡± she murmurs and then snorts a very cute snort, not even realizing the effect it would have on roughly half the population of the planet.

    * * * * *

    Joram woke with a surprising lack of pain. True, it still hurt, but it wasn¡¯t near as bad as it had been the first few times he¡¯d been knocked out due to sensory overload.

    Not that that was of much comfort as he¡¯d rate his current headache as a migraine. One where, before coming to this world, he¡¯d likely be laid-up for the next day or two. Now? Almost routine.

    The other thing he noticed was that he was once again alone. Xiora must have taken off after having her moment. He didn¡¯t blame her, nor did he blame her for KO¡¯ing him as she didn¡¯t know the extent of his injuries and all. Or would it be more accurate to call it a ¡°condition¡±?

    He shrugged mentally before closing his eyes again and slipping into his mind.

    His office was as it had always been; bookish with heavy geek elements to it. Models of this character or that, replicas of various swords and other weapons from some of his favourite media. It wasn¡¯t a fancy room, but it was comfortable.

    He sat behind his desk then reached out and turned on his ¡°computer¡±. It was one of the newer models they had made. This one just required him to press a button on the keyboard for it to turn on and bring up the holographic display embedded in his desktop. It was a nice upgrade, albeit a purely mental one. It made his multi-tasking that much easier when you had layers upon layers of screens that could be displayed and brought to the fore with a thought.

    Looking at his ¡°desktop¡±, he chose the [Schism] power and then ran the ¡°program¡±, or power.

    Another screen immediately popped up, displaying the name of the second mind, M2 in this case. He watched, and felt, as M2 loaded up his psicrystal with his personality, then loaded it up with [Holographic Image] and all its augments. Several programs/powers later and it was all done.

    Joram smiled as the connection held stable, then proceeded to activate his third mind, M3.

    At a rather unexpected note from M2, he now wanted to be referred to as Kinkade.

    Mental note: M2 is now Kinkade¡­

    After that, things went rather predictably; nice and smooth. M3 made the same preparations, though decided to go with the more outsider side for how he looked. Sure, he hadn¡¯t come up with a name for himself, which was altogether odd for Joram- not that M3 didn¡¯t have a name selected, but that M2 preferred to be called Kinkade.

    After a brief bit of thought on that, Joram decided that that wasn¡¯t entirely odd seeing as how M2 was just another Him, another Self. That being said, Joram was pretty sure that he¡¯d get annoyed being called something so generic after a while, so it made sense; especially when Joram considered that each mind was using a modified psicrystal as its anchor. Meaning: each one would have a slightly different personality from the original. Well, a more¡­ reduced, condensed, refined¡­ Bah, he wasn¡¯t good with words right now. Suffice it so say, each additional Mind that came from [Schism] and was anchored in a psicrystal would have a particular flair to them that was unique to that Mind.

    Joram shook the image of his head, clearing away the distractions.

    M3 hadn¡¯t said anything about a name yet, so he¡¯d leave that for another day; and he even got a mental nod from M3 once that thought had passed through his head.

    This was getting weird.

    Kinkade: Yup!

    M3: You¡¯re telling me!

    Joram face-palmed, finally realizing just how bad he was to have around when he was apparently bored¡­.

    With another shake of the head, he started up the sub-process researching [Schism]. He paused for a moment, briefly wondering how much of a headache having yet another Mind going would be, but then just shrugged it off. He- they!- were ultimately introverts and generally quiet by nature. Sure, he was generally hard on himself and having a few extra Minds around to play off each other might not be the best idea but in the end, he knew himself best. And he wouldn¡¯t take things too far. Well, too-too far, anyway.

    With that done, he looked over to where Avi was now sitting in a comfy chair on the other side of his desk.

    ¡°Fancy meeting you here,¡± he said with a grin.

    Avi rolled her eyes, but didn¡¯t lose her smile. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re able to get here again,¡± she said, making a show of looking around.

    ¡°Me too,¡± he chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m sure that I¡¯m way behind in my share of the projects and would very much like to get back to work again.¡±

    Avi gave him a disbelieving look before sitting a bit straighter in her chair.

    ¡°Well, the omni-tool is fully functional and stable. I¡¯ve also been working on a few other things¡­¡± she explained, then went into greater detail.

    Joram¡¯s jaw slowly dropped as he heard just how much infrastructure she¡¯d added to his realm. If they were back on Earth, he was fairly sure that he could take over a not-so-small country with the number of droids that she¡¯d built, never mind how many more were rolling off the assembly lines every hour.

    He was very pleased that she hadn¡¯t been idle these past two years, far from it. She let him in on her research to improve upon [Genesis], and he was even more thrilled. After a bit of discussion, M3 was assigned to that project. If they could improve his ¡°Mind Space¡±, as his buddies had called it way back when, then things would change!

    What things? Well, not too many in his everyday life, but having the realm expand at a ridiculous rate would be of fantastic use when considering how much more room he needed for the various projects on the table, not to mention expanding the growing area needed to keep up production of Avi¡¯s Booze Empire and his endless need of medicinal herbs for alchemy.

    Yes, he¡¯d need to get back to practicing his alchemy, but he also really wanted to practice his smithing/ artifact refining/whatever you wanted to call it. At heart, he was a crafter, through and through. He loved making things, loved experimenting and seeing what went with what.

    ¡°Avi?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Joram¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll need you to set a server cluster to work on [Schism],¡± he said, nodding to himself.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get one built up and going in a few days,¡± Avi replied with her own nod. They both knew just how important extra heads were with what they were doing, so it was no surprise that she¡¯d agreed so readily.

    ¡°That said, I¡¯ll need you and Kinkade to head back out to the auction houses to sell more of the [Mend Body] gems.¡±

    Avi nodded again. ¡°I would have kept up production of them, but I wasn¡¯t sure when you¡¯d be back up and running again,¡± she said with a wink, which confused him slightly. Then she spoke again and it all became clear. ¡°I¡¯m sure that Miss Layla would be happy to have you there as well.¡±

    ¡°Har. Har.¡± Joram said with not only a deadpan look, but also a perfectly flat voice. ¡°I¡¯m sure you just got distracted by your projects.¡±

    Avi nodded, not a sliver of shame to be found. ¡°I¡¯m glad that I did. I¡¯m pretty close to completing one particular project that I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll love,¡± she said, then held up a hand when he was about to ask what it was. ¡°Nope, it¡¯ll be a surprise. And don¡¯t think that you can sneak in and steal a peek, I¡¯ve already dropped your permissions to get into that particular facility and its systems.¡±

    Joram pouted.

    ¡°Well, anything else I should know?¡±

    The next while was spent with Avi going over a few more projects, some mundane, like building increasingly better facilities to build increasingly more complicated components that were needed for their other projects, which gave him pause.

    ¡°Avi?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Joram?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just make a ¡®replicator¡¯?¡±

    He was treated to the wonderful sight of her jaw dropping as she realized that she had made things somewhat more complicated than they had needed to be. Then is slowly closed as more thoughts flew through her head.

    ¡°Well,¡± she started, clearing her throat before continuing. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing: you¡¯re better with atomic restructuring and [Fabricate]ing than I am, not to mention [Delve]ing.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Joram paused, then face-palmed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I really didn¡¯t think of that.¡±

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Avi waved it off. ¡°Don¡¯t be. But with you back, I¡¯ll be using that keen mind of yours as much as I can!¡±

    Joram gave a weak grin in response, then sent a message to Kinkade (redundantly) letting him know what he¡¯d be doing for the foreseeable future.

    - - - - -

    He was interrupted in his meeting with Avi by a pulse of emotions and sensations from his mother.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Avi asked, now sitting on the edge of her chair.

    ¡°I think mom is labour.¡±

    ¡°Want me there?¡±

    Joram thought for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°If I¡¯m not reading it wrong, I don¡¯t think Grammy likes you very much, so better to avoid any potential disturbances during labour.¡±

    Avi nodded, then spoke the question they were both thinking.

    ¡°Are you going to help?¡±

    Again, that made him think for a moment before he shook his head. ¡°No, but I do want to see if I can add the baby to the Network.¡±

    ¡°Before or after birth?¡±

    Joram shrugged. He was reasonably sure that he could add the baby to his Network through his connection to his mother, much like how he¡¯d added her to the Network without needing to send an invite to her. That said, that just might have been the precursor to the ability to force someone into the Network, but that also came with limitations to their membership in the Network.

    ¡°Well, maybe get an eye in there so that I can add the baby once it¡¯s born¡­¡± he finally said, drawing it out as though tasting the idea.

    ¡°I¡¯ll drop M3 in a corner so that you can keep an eye on things,¡± Avi said, standing up. Why she bothered, he really didn¡¯t know, probably just habit. ¡°While Kinkade is working on the replicator, I won¡¯t worry about heading out for auction houses. I really am pretty busy with the other projects.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s OK,¡± he said, nodding along. ¡°I, too, would really like to have a replicator up and running- preferably dozens of them. I¡¯ll also work out a way for them to connect with a central database so that each one doesn¡¯t need to be programmed separately.¡±

    ¡°Good call,¡± she said, then stopped when she noticed another Look on Joram¡¯s face.

    ¡°Yup, labour,¡± he said, nodding to himself. ¡°I¡¯ll keep tabs on her vitals from here. If you could please drop Kinkade over there, that would also reassure me,¡± he said with a slightly worried look.

    He didn¡¯t know why he was so anxious. He¡¯d had two daughters back on Earth, had been there for both their births, and yet hadn¡¯t been this on edge for either of them. Maybe it was a subconscious thing where he realized that his mother wasn¡¯t in a modern hospital with the convenience of modern medical technology to help should anything go wrong during labour?

    That thought gave him pause, as it was a rather illogical though. But that¡¯s what fears were, weren¡¯t they? Illogical thoughts that refused to go away. He had every ability to help and heal not only his mother should anything go wrong in labour, but could also help the baby. Tied umbilical cord? Easy. Baby turned the wrong way? Simple. Hemorrhaging? Barely a thought needed.

    Upon further reflection, it could have been residual psychological trauma from his own rebirth affecting his thoughts. He was, after all, pretty sure that Sulia¡¯s original fetus had perished in the attack on his parents; his arrival not only ¡°saving the day¡± but allowing him to inhabit the empty vessel in her womb.

    That made him pause for a moment, considering. Was it really a coincidence that his soul happened to find refuge there, or had something put him there? Had it been planned by someone? Altaea? If so, where was she?

    He shook his head again, not really wanting to go through that mental box of tangled yarn again. Que sera, sera.

    He was, thankfully, brought out of his ruminations by another part of his mind that was M3. The visual feed was a bit weird at first, then he realized that M3 must be perched on the ceiling and looking down.

    OK, nothing to worry about at the moment, he thought with relief before focussing on his connection to his mother.

    Her heartrate had risen again, likely due to another contraction. He ignored that, focussing further on her body, searching for the ball of life that was his new sibling.

    And there they were. Well, ¡°they¡± being the gender neutral way to describe the baby. He still wasn¡¯t sure if it was female or male, but he¡¯d found the baby. A soft invitation, a warming thought of six, and the baby was in the Network.

    Joram smiled as he then [Delved] his sibling, smiling at her good health. Yes, her. He would have a little sister!

    Joram coughed into his closed hand, bringing himself back from the verge of a full-on Tangent. Yes, capital ¡°T¡± and all.

    He refused on their well-being, keeping an eye on their vitals and stress levels. He didn¡¯t want to interfere with the birthing process, knowing full-well how important it actually was to the proper development of the baby and mother. Yes, both. The necessary release of endorphins during the birthing process integral to the mother and child bonding, nevermind the other physical benefits.

    So it was that he spent the next half-day monitoring their progress while in his ¡°office¡±.

    It was a rather¡­ unique experience. He was invested in the whole thing because it was his mother and his soon-to-be sister. As mentioned before, he¡¯d been there for the birth of each of his daughters. So, on the one side, he was as nervous as could be. While on the other, well, he was calmer. He knew, deep down, that he could handle anything that came up, complication-wise. But, again, those fears lingered.

    All that said, he was in a weird¡­ fugue. Part of his mind was on the research he was conducting, while another- not a [Schism] or anything- was focussed on the links to his mother and sister.

    Soon enough, though, a pair of signals shot through the Network that pulled him out of his almost-trance. From what he was getting, his sister was on her way out to the wider world.

    He, metaphorically, bit his nails as the seconds ticked by, turning into minutes. Not many, though. Sooner than he¡¯d expected, his sister was out and taking her first breaths while his mother was beginning to relax.

    Things went quickly after that. His sister was towelled-off, his mother¡¯s after birth was cleaned up, a minor healing pill administered by Shael Ulanan began the slow reparation of the after effects of a vaginal birth. Though, this pill seemed to focus on first stopping the bleeding then on healing the soft tissues involved.

    Joram shook his head again, not wanting to focus on that, but on his new sister.

    She was healthy and breathing; warming up now that she was well insulated between his mother¡¯s chest and a very soft towel.

    He knew that they were in good hands, which only meant that it still took a titanic effort of willpower to keep himself from pulsing some healing through the Network to help speed up their recovery.

    ¡®Avi?¡¯ He sent, taking the path of wisdom and distracting himself.

    ¡®Yes, Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Can you send me a list of any projects you¡¯re working on?¡¯ He asked, then paused as he got the distinct impression of¡­ unwillingness.

    ¡®Yeeeees¡­¡¯ She sent, drawing out the word longer than it needed to be.

    ¡®Are you up to something?¡¯

    ¡®Why would you ask that?¡¯

    He let her stew for a few minutes. ¡®Didn¡¯t you mention that you had a few projects on the go?¡¯

    ¡®I don¡¯t recall,¡¯ she sent back airily, then continued. ¡®But if you¡¯d like to help me work on a more efficient [Genesis], that would speed things along.¡¯

    Joram gave his mental consent for her to send along the work done so far, then directed her to link up with his omni-tool so that he could check in on her stuff as their progress diverged. Who knew when one or the other would have a brilliant idea that would slingshot the others¡¯ work along?

    Joram immersed himself quickly in the work. Avi, or maybe the program that Avi had set to working on [Genesis], had gone for improved efficiency. More bang for your buck, as it were.

    He now wondered if that would be the best path forward for them. With the new energy he now had access to, he was sure that efficiency of power would no longer be the bottleneck they would need to worry about. Sure, it was always good to keep efficiency in mind, especially in this world where you could find yourself in a fight for your life at any time when you were out and about.

    That said, if he could push more power through, then he could accelerate the growth of a new pocket/horizon realm.

    Then another thought occurred to him. If he had more power, would he be able to program in the ability to synthesize, or create, heavier elements in his realm? Currently, only common materials could be created. Nothing so fancy as gold or silver, though copper was available, though sparsely found. Even iron was only available in limited quantities.

    He then began running the numbers, so to speak. It was beyond difficult, as he hadn¡¯t quite gotten a firm grasp, or even a tenuous one, on what this new energy was capable of, but he was still able to get a rough idea of what kind of power he¡¯d need. It was a bit ridiculous, even if he¡¯d erred on the side of pessimism.

    If the power only took about eleven units of power to activate its base function, then this would take a good thirty-seven points, if not more, to get going. That said, that would have been standard psionic units. He wasn¡¯t quite sure how the new power stacked up to psionic power, but he was guessing that it was at least four times more potent. Again, he lowballed it, but that was still impressive.

    With those preliminary calculations done, he then put himself to the next, arguably, more difficult task.

    The base power was set to create a demi-plane. Key word: plane. It grew, more or less, how flat-earthers imagined the world to be. Looking at the base structure of the power, he realized that maybe he¡¯d need to make a whole new power, and not just augment the current one.

    So, his goal was a spherical demi-plane. He¡¯d need to think of something else to call it, as ¡°plane¡± would no longer be an accurate description of what it created.

    Getting back on track, the started working on the models needed to start a spherical creation. Something as taken for granted as gravity was going to be an issue. In the previous power, gravity was more or less laced throughout the demi-plane¡¯s foundation. Quite literally the foundation; the bedrock of the ¡°world¡±.

    He laughed then as the memory of him playing Minecraft and getting to bedrock replayed through his head. It was a very apt simile.

    For this, though, he¡¯d need to make an adapting algorithm to make sure that gravity was doing what it should. As the world grew, the demi-plane would need to create less and less of its own gravity due to more mass being added to the creation. As more mass was added, it would generate more and more of its own gravity.

    That said, he made allowance for the default gravity to be set as an adjustable modifier; visions of King Kai¡¯s little ball floating around his head¡­.

    Back on track, he was sure to keep much of the original power¡¯s¡­ programming to be sure that he didn¡¯t forget something like the appropriate oxygen ratio to have in the atmosphere¡­.

    Joram rubbed his temples, more out of habit than expecting it to do anything in his head-space. Soul-space? Astral body? Meh.

    Then he got to wondering what might happen to a demi-plane already in existence if this new power was used on it.

    Images of a shattering plate filled his mind.

    He shook his head, then got to work.

    He would have to make it so that anything already in the demi-plane wouldn¡¯t be hurt by the use of the new power. Many thoughts on that flew through his mind, from letting it break and having the new mass fill in the breaks and solidify the whole thing, to breaking up the original plane into hexagons and slowly, methodically, adjusting the angle they all connected as more mass was added to the underside of the plane, eventually having them form up together not unlike the patched on a soccer ball.

    Wait, weren¡¯t those a mix of pentagons and hexagons¡­?

    Suffice it to say, he would need to set up a terminal to run the models for the best conversion process.

    Then another thought occurred to him.

    ¡®Avi? How many subterranean structures do we have now?¡¯

    There was another pause, more hesitation coming across their link. ¡®About *cough*ninety*cough*two*cough*.¡¯

    Joram blinked, parsed that last sending, then laughed out loud.

    ¡®Why so hesitant? You¡¯re not a rogue AI bent on world conquest, are you?¡¯ He sent jokingly.

    ¡®No¡­.¡¯

    Joram nearly fell out of the astral projection of his comfy chair. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ He sent, absolute seriousness flooding across the Network.

    After a small pause, Avi elaborated.

    ¡®Well, I¡¯ve got a bunch of small factories set up to make many of the electronic components that we need,¡¯ she sent, the continued when she felt the mental nudge from Joram to keep going. ¡®I¡¯ve also got droid factories, a few dozen server farms going, and another few things on the go.¡¯

    ¡®¡­ Like?¡¯

    ¡®Well, you see,¡¯ she sent hesitantly, ¡®I¡¯ve kind of got a lot of the technology that Altaea left behind understood, and I was thinking that having a remote base where we could sometimes go and have a good view would be nice.¡¯

    Scenario after scenario flew through his head, scene after scene of what she could possibly mean. He¡¯d written Altaea into many of his favourite fictional/science-fictional/fantasy stories he¡¯d read over the decades, from Mass Effect to Star Wars, the Who-verse, Star Trek (every iteration he¡¯d seen, but not Discovery, as he¡¯d been waiting to get more than one season to start watching it), to The Wheel of Time, Dragon Ball, and even the MCU and DCEU.

    There was more than enough there to have thousands of combinations of various technologies that could very well end in the world being blown to smithereens.

    Then he calmed himself. Then calmed himself more.

    If she¡¯d gone rogue, she would not likely have told him any of this. As a matter of a fact, she¡¯d not have gone to such extreme lengths to help him recover, as she could very well have just done all those things while having stabilized him into a coma. With him out of the picture she¡¯d have free reign to do what she wanted to.

    So, another line of thought was necessary.

    She was not only based off Altaea, who was still borderline Dangerously Curious*, but also based off his own psyche, having been born of his original psicrystal. The fact that she gained near legendary levels of patience was such an anomaly that he couldn¡¯t even calculate how miniscule the chances of her developing that trait was. That said, he, himself, had a very active imagination. He¡¯d always wondered what it would be like to explore those worlds he¡¯d read about growing up and throughout his adult life.

    So, it should have been no surprise that she¡¯d gone and started making all those things, exploring the knowledge left to her by Altaea.

    He then had another thought, and hoped that it was just something that fluttered into his train of thought. Because if it wasn¡¯t, then things would get almost infinitely more complicated.

    The thought?

    Had Altaea included any genetic information along with the ludicrous amounts of technological information?

    *See the Pathfinder Trait: Dangerously Curious

    https://www.d20pfsrd.com/traits/magic-traits/dangerously-curious/</a>

    Side note: they changed the flavour text. It used to be more along the lines of: ¡°I see the big, shiny, red button. I must press this button¡± (while inside of a deadly dungeon).

 Chapter 037

    Chapter 037

    Joram mentally face-palmed.

    ¡®Well, are you able to raise them above ground level and stabilize them?  I¡¯m working on a subroutine that would allow an already existing demi-plane to be converted to the new spherical model,¡¯ he asked after pulling his thoughts back on track.

    ¡®I could manage that, but it¡¯ll take a couple of weeks or so.¡¯

    ¡®Thanks,¡¯ he sent.  ¡®I¡¯m still working on figuring out how powerful this new energy is, but I think that I¡¯ll be able to get things working a bit sooner than that.¡¯

    ¡®Well, while you wait then, why don¡¯t you do more work on augmenting [Schism]?  We both know that more helpers will be ridiculously helpful,¡¯ she sent, strong emotions flowing through with the thoughts.  He wasn¡¯t quite sure, but he suspected that there was much eagerness behind her excitement.  Yes, they were similar, but still different emotions.

    He knew that she was running [Schism] as well and wondered what else she was up to.

    ¡®Well, I¡¯ll get working on finishing up the projects you¡¯ve shared with me first,¡¯ he sent, suddenly eager to dive back into work.  The more he thought of the myriad technologies that awaited his attention, the less he could sit still.

    Which would have sucked if he¡¯d not been in his mental office.  His physical fidgeting probably would have had terrible consequences.

    ¡®OK, but make sure to come out every now and then to see how everyone is doing, OK?¡¯

    He sent back his mental assurances before getting back to work.

    ¡°That¡¯s no moon,¡± he mumbled to himself, not able to keep in his slightly maniacal giggles.  That was probably the ¡°base¡± she was referring to¡­.

    * * * * *

    Avi felt a chill run down her spine, then cursed the weirdness of having a flesh and blood body.

    It was so distracting!

    She turned back to her latest project and smiled.  If she could find the right concentrations of Space and Time Laws in which to bathe this sample in, she just might be able to achieve what T.L. Altaea had managed to accomplish.

    Then, if Joram¡¯s work on the new [Genesis] worked out, then they just might be able to get themselves to Earth.

    Smile.

    * * * * *

    Sulia looked down at Joram as he lay, presumably sleeping, on his bed.  She¡¯d not heard, or felt, anything from him since before going into labour and wondered how he was doing.

    She adjusted her daughter¡¯s position after she detached from eating and covered herself while cradling her daughter in her other arm.

    She was actually smaller than Joram had been, but when she thought about it, that didn¡¯t really surprise her that much.  He¡¯d shared with them how he was able to use a strange ability called [Sustenance], so there had been abundant nutrients for both his growth and her continued well-being.

    Which had completely thrown off how she thought of the last few months of pregnancy.  On one hand, she wanted to punt Joram across the yard because of what he¡¯d done.  She¡¯d gone into this pregnancy thinking that it would be the same as her last one.  More the fool, she.

    At any rate, she was glad that her daughter was in her arms, sleeping peacefully now that her bottomless pit-like stomach was temporarily filled.  That was another eye-opener.  Sure, Joram had suckled enough that they hadn¡¯t been worried that he wasn¡¯t eating enough, but she now realized that he had actually been a ¡°light¡± eater.

    Sulia shook her head, ridding herself of those concerns as she recalled Joram¡¯s current plight.

    After her grandmother and Joram himself had explained what had gone wrong, she was all at once proud of his pathing a new way in cultivation and wanting to face-palm.  Leave it to Joram to do something no one else in recorded history had done.

    Maybe it was unique to how Joram cultivated his Mental Strength- psionics-, but it did provide an interesting avenue to study.  Also, some advantages from what she could see.

    Sure, his Core seemed to be now located in his Knowledge Sea, or whatever he called it, but that also provided a measure of safety.  No longer could someone break his cultivation by attacking him physically.  It was a common thing to do to another cultivator one wished to humiliate, or for someone in authority to pass judgment on someone, to destroy a person¡¯s cultivation.  It would be something to study in the future, for sure.

    She looked down at her daughter again and wondered if she would also be talented in Mental Strength.  She wasn¡¯t sure if Joram¡¯s soul had influenced how his body had turned out, or if his body had already been primed to use Mental Strength.  Yes, their family line had a stronger chance than most to develop that Talent, but it was still closer to one in a thousand chance that someone would develop the Talent.

    Then she thought about Xixi, little Xiora, and frowned.  No one had thought that she¡¯d be talented in Mental Strength, but it seemed that she did have the potential to learn.  As far as she knew, Xixi was more focused on her magical cultivation than training her Mental Strength, so maybe she¡¯d need to speak with Aloralla and get caught up on the gossip, as it were.

    * * * * *

    1345.01.27

    Joram opened his eyes.  Well, he tried anyway.  Why the try?

    Well, it seemed as though having one¡¯s eyes closed for about a month would result in a build-up of sleep that would glue them together.

    Mental note: make sure to have a [Cleanse] run every day while working in the ¡°office¡±.

    So, he did just that.

    Opening his eyes ever-so-slowly, Joram was well pleased.  No shooting pain like having needles stabbed into his eyes.  Good start, that.

    He opened his eyes a bit more, but closed them again, having forgotten that he needed to let his eyes adjust to normal light after having them closed for so long.

    Taking his time, Joram decided to check his connections to see if he¡¯d missed anything important.

    After a brief moment of panic at that thought, namely the thought of waiting messages and how his Network had gone down a few times before, he breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing it was still there.  Sure, he¡¯d checked in on his family briefly after his sister was born, but he¡¯d been¡­ well.  He¡¯d forgotten to check up on them in the past month or so.

    With blushing cheeks, Joram mentally confirmed their health and well-being while opening his eyes just a bit more.  Open a bit, close a bit.  Rinse and repeat until his eyes acclimatized to the ambient light.

    After a few minutes of doing that, his eyes were fully adjusted now.  And still no pain!

    He then took a slow, deep, breath and let it out just as slowly as he gauged how his nerves reacted to the movement.

    A bit uncomfortable, but that was probably from not moving much in the past month.  Good progress right there.

    He looked down at himself, once again realizing how much he¡¯d grown in the past couple of years.  With a thought, his wardrobe opened up and the clothing hanging in it shifted this way and that so that he could get a better idea of whether or not he¡¯d need to [Fabricate]-up a new set of clothing for himself.  He was then glad that someone had taken the time to get him some new clothes made and delivered.

    He then checked on where Tillia was, and frowned.  From what he could tell, she was a few kilometres away from the main clan estates/compound/village/whatever-you-wanted-to-call-it.  What was up with that?

    Joram put hat out of his mind, instead focussing on moving his long-disused body.

    As he thought about moving his finger, he wondered just how stiff he would be.  Yes, he was being psionically sustained, which generally kept his body from deteriorating from lack of use, but he had to wonder.  It had been quite a while since he¡¯d been able to move without pain, so he was also a bit leery.

    With a mental shrug, Joram moved his finger.

    It moved.

    No pain.

    Joram heaved a sigh of relief, then another as that action hadn¡¯t caused him any mind-shattering pain.  Things were looking up!

    He then went through his mental checklist, moving each part of his body, making sure that everything was hunky-dory.  Yes, he¡¯d even thought that thought.  Sometimes one just needed to throw in one of the classics.

    With a smile on his face, Joram slid out of bed and stood there for a moment, appreciating the sensations his body was feeding him.  From how the floorboards felt under his feet to the air coming in from the window that gently traced over his skin.

    Yup, skin.  For some reason, his robe was missing.  He looked around briefly, then shrugged.  If clothing was missing, then he just had to get some on!

    A few minutes later, and after much prodding at his body- it was still weird to see how much he¡¯d grown!- he was dressed and ready to head out and see his little sister in person!

    He stopped at the door and glanced down at his last height measurement there.  That¡¯s when it really hit home.

    He¡¯d been gone from home for so long.  If he was gauging it right, he was now a good one hundred sixty-eight centimetres tall now¡­ give or take.  He quickly did the mental math and came up with about five feet, six inches tall or so.  For his age, he was a giant!  How many seven-year-olds were that tall?  Then he looked at his scrawny limbs and sighed.  He¡¯d need to do a lot of muscle-work to look like anything other than a beanpole.

    With a physical shake of his head, he stepped to his door and left his room.

    - - - - -

    ¡°Yes, Grammy, I¡¯m well enough to be up and about¡­¡±

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°No, Grammy, I haven¡¯t fixed my cultivation issue yet¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I do have an idea of how to mitigate it somewhat, but I think that I¡¯ll need some expensive natural treasures¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can provide some more healing artifacts¡­¡±

    Joram heaved a mental sigh as he sat across from Grammy.  He¡¯d bene answering questions for a good hour now and was getting a bit tired of it.  He¡¯d just wanted to catch up a bit with what had transpired during his convalescence, but had instead been the one answering her burning questions.

    ¡°But, why adamantium?¡±  Grammy asked, leaning forward, a keen look in her eye.

    ¡°Well, due to my particular¡­ constitution, I¡¯ve found that I can use it for body tempering,¡± Joram said, not quite wanting to, but found it hard to resist her questioning.  He knew where this was going and wasn¡¯t looking forward to getting there.

    ¡°So, when that sample disappeared from Careth¡¯s forge, that was you?¡±

    ¡°Well, I did try to compensate him¡­¡±

    He got the Look.

    ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s long in the past now,¡± he coughed.  ¡°Now, I just need some help getting more samples; the more the better.¡±

    ¡°I am having a hard time grasping your Tier,¡± Grammy said, a slight crease forming between her eyebrows as she stared at him.  ¡°What is your current cultivation at?¡±

    ¡°Uh, well, based on what each Tier represents, I¡¯d guess that I¡¯m late Fourth Tier or so,¡± he said with a shrug, but secretly hoping that what he¡¯d just said wouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    Grammy stared at him for what felt like an hour, but was only three and a half minutes or so.  Internal clocks, for the win!

    Eventually, she spoke.

    ¡°How is that possible?¡±

    Yup, complications now arising, he thought as he shifted in his chair.

    ¡°Well, ah¡­¡± he started, but faltered.

    ¡°Spit it out,¡± Grammy said, seeming to have sensed something.

    ¡°Well, I kind of made my way to the Archives¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know.  You¡¯ve been going there with your parents since you were an infant.¡±

    ¡°Well, I kind of made my way into the Archive,¡± he said, emphasizing ¡®the¡¯ in the hopes that she¡¯d catch on.

    From the look on her face, and the temperature noticeably dropping in the room, he guessed that he was spot on.

    ¡°And how, pray tell, did you manage that?¡±

    There was a sort of edge to her voice that told him that he was on very thin ice, and if he didn¡¯t tread carefully, he¡¯d drown.

    ¡°Well, we kind of noticed a few oddities about the clan¡­¡± he started, then went into what he and Avi had noticed about the clan¡¯s bloodline and what he¡¯d learnt in passing.  ¡°Long story short, I found that the Archive was created by Altaea and so we searched it more thoroughly in hopes of finding any clues that we could of her,¡± he finished, silently cursing this body¡¯s sweat glands.

    She stared at him for another six minutes, fifty-three seconds before responding.

    ¡°And so you thought that it would be OK to venture into the most secure, best kept secret, of the Clan and then remove its contents for your own use?¡±

    Well, when you put it like that¡­

    *Cough*

    ¡®Joram,¡¯ Grammy began through the Network¡¯s telepathy.  ¡®I know that you have a profound connection with Altaea, whom I now solidly suspect was, or is, the founder of our Clan.  But.  I am disappointed that you felt the need to hide this from me.¡¯

    After a moment of profound guilt, he sent.

    ¡®Well, to be fair, this was all done before the cat was out of the bag.  Before I knew that I could implicitly trust everyone here.¡¯

    Another silence.

    ¡®Joram?  Is there anything else you¡¯d like to share?¡¯

    He thought about that for a moment, not quite sure how she¡¯d take the news of Avi working on a space station the size of a moon¡­  Then he just shook his head, firming his resolve to once again trust someone.

    ¡®Well, there are a few things I¡¯d like to share¡­¡± he started.

    He then went into details about his searching through the Heavenly Archive and how, when he came across the teleportation platforms, he knew of a surety that it had been Altaea who¡¯d made the Heavenly Archive.  Then how they¡¯d found the manuals she¡¯d left behind for him, and now that led to his accident with his cultivation.

    From there, he went into how he¡¯d messed up Encompass the Universe and how that led him to where he was now, with a whole new energy that he was trying to manage, then properly harness.  He also let her know that he had the subsequent manuals for when he needed to break through to Tiers 8 and 9.

    Next, he told her about the Adamantium Body Technique and how it worked.  Then of the Neutron Star Body Technique (he was suddenly very glad that there was a sort of universal translator with the Network, as he was pretty sure that ¡°Neutron Star¡± wasn¡¯t covered in her/his new language) that would follow after he stepped into the peak of Tier 7, as that was what would allow him to step into Tier 8.  Or, rather, he needed to start it before Tier 8, otherwise it wouldn¡¯t quite work so well.

    To wrap it up, he told her about his personal Realm and how it was part of his soul, a part of him.  He told her of how he¡¯d taken hundreds of samples of various flora as he wandered the mountains before getting killed that that Old Fart and how Avi had cultivated them in his absence, and had developed quite the vineyard and accompanying brewery/distillery/winery.

    He confessed that he¡¯d never really been one for alcohol in any form, as he didn¡¯t like the taste, and was interrupted for the first time.

    ¡°You must bring me there,¡± Grammy said out loud, shocking him slightly.

    ¡°Um, yeah, I can take you there,¡± he said, still slightly taken aback by her intensity.

    Is Grammy a closet boozer?

    So it was that Joram took Grammy¡¯s hand in his- with a sudden realization that he was now as tall as her, and that her hand felt tiny in his- standing in front of the villa Avi had constructed in his absence.

    ¡°The architecture is strange.  Is it from your original home?¡±  Asked Grammy as she studied the sprawling villa.

    ¡°Yes, its design is based off a region of Earth, my original home, called the Mediterranean.  They¡¯re well known for¡­¡± he explained how Avi had likely chosen the theme of the villa, then a bit of how that region was well known for their wineries and relaxing lifestyles.  Or had been in times past.  He¡¯d never actually visited the region in his past life and came to the conclusion that he really wanted to visit should they make their way back to Earth at some point.

    During his little history/geography lesson, Avi showed up, dressing in what looked like a Jedi outfit, though sans lightsaber, and took over the tour.

    After seeing the various features like indoor fountains, courtyards, and waterfalls, they made their way to the sub-levels where the brewing, distilling, and vinting occurred.  Grammy soaked it up like a sponge.

    ¡°And you say that you use the various medicinal herbs, berries, grains, and fruits?  Not just standard varieties of them?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Grammy waited for a few seconds, seemingly hoping that Avi would expound on that, but then gave up.

    ¡°Have you managed to keep their unique qualities throughout the process?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Joram could swear that Avi was doing it on purpose when he noticed a vein on Grammy¡¯s head begin to throb.

    Then Avi seemed to take pity on Grammy and continued on.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head down another level where we can sample some of the products.¡±

    Grammy seemed to forgive Avi a great deal then as her eyes lit up at the suggestion.

    Several hours later, Joram was helping Grammy recline in a comfy chair.  She¡¯d been most impressed with Avi¡¯s skill.  Had praised her most eloquently the further into the samples she¡¯d gotten into.

    ¡°Avi?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Joram?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing by Grammy¡¯s reactions to the various boozes she tried that you could probably sell them for quite a bit in the outside world, eh?¡±

    Avi smirked at him.  ¡°Well, I¡¯ve gone out from time to time while you were under the weather,¡± she said that last part with a slight frown, ¡°and sampled what the country had to offer.  And I must say, I¡¯d rank my operations here at the top.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±  Joram asked, focussing in on Avi now that Grammy was settled and snoozing.

    ¡°Well, Altaea did teach you alchemy as well as the general skill for brewing.  She was really good at it and taught you very well.  Or, rather, I guess she added it to that Crystal Mind she gave you¡­¡±

    Joram facepalmed, remembering the Crystal Mind Altaea had given him so long ago that he¡¯d never used.  In his defense, brewing had never been at the top of the list of things he wanted to get into.  Sure, back on Earth he¡¯d briefly thought about making his own alcohol as a hobby.  One that would have seen it being given away to friends and family or something.  But now he was even more curious.

    He mentally went through his storage space, found the Crystal Mind, then brought it to his hand.  He looked at the small, unassuming, crystal in his hand.  Well, he guessed that it looked like a very clear diamond cut into what he would have called a thousand-sided-die about one centimetre across.

    Hmm, well, maybe it wasn¡¯t very ¡°unassuming¡± after all.  A diamond that size would go for millions back on Earth.

    Avi gave him a look that told him that he needed to get on with it, so he did.

    He ¡°absorbed¡± it.  Or as he preferred to call it: integrated.

    Joram stood there for a minute going over the thousands upon thousands of ¡°pages¡± of information that came with the Crystal Mind.  It wasn¡¯t like a dam bursting, flooding his mind with too much information.  No, it was more like having a very well indexed document appear in his mind.  One with which he could go to a section and read it over if he needed to.  But at the same time, he intuitively felt that he knew everything contained in the Crystal Mind already.

    It was much better organized than the Crystal Minds he¡¯d made in the past.

    ¡°Ah, I see what you mean¡­¡± he said, trailing off again as he began to realize the ridiculous synergy between what he was going through and Alchemy.  Heck, some of what was in there was definitely alchemy, just a different way of doing things.

    ¡°I think I need to go and practice alchemy now,¡± he said, wandering off.

    ¡°What should I do with ¡®Grammy¡¯?¡±  Avi yelled after him.

    ¡®Just put her in her bed or something,¡¯ he sent back, not wanting to yell.

    * * * * *

    ¡°Joram!¡±

    *Kaboom!*

    *Cough-cough*

    ¡°Ah, sorry,¡± Avi said from the door to his lab, a slightly rueful look on her face.

    ¡°What is it?¡±  Joram asked, wiping his face off.  He wasn¡¯t pleased at all with the interruption, but was holding back his ire because he knew that Avi wouldn¡¯t interrupt him when he was working unless it was something important.

    ¡°Gram and Gramps are back.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    ¡°Grammy also got some more adamantium for you.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±

    ¡°Your mom said that if you don¡¯t show up soon, that she¡¯d shine your backside.¡±

    ¡°On my way!¡±

    - - - - -

    1345.03.11

    Gran just stared at him, mouth slightly agape.  Gramps, however, seemed to take his height in stride, probably because he was still nearly a head taller than Joram.

    ¡°So, yeah, I grew a bit¡­¡± he said, raising his right harm to scratch at the back of his head in embarrassment.

    Which seemed to snap Gran out of it, as she proceeded to snap at him.

    ¡°Stop that!  Do you have fleas?¡±

    Guess she defaults to ¡°critical¡±, he thought as he dropped his arm back to his side.

    ¡°I¡¯m told that you were unconscious for most of the time I was away.  Please explain,¡± she said now taking a seat in the small parlour they all met in.

    It wasn¡¯t just Gran and Gramps.  His parents were along for the visit, nominally so that Gran could see her latest grandchild, a granddaughter at that!  Grammy was also present, sipping on a small glass of- what he assumed to be- wine.  From the smell, he was pretty sure that Avi had gifted her at least one bottle of her stash.

    And so, yet again, he explained what had happened, though he only gave the Coles Notes version, as he was pretty sure Grammy didn¡¯t want him to fess up to Gran about going into the Heavenly Archive without permission.

    He glossed a bit over Avi¡¯s treatments, of how she had forcefully activated his assimilation protocol and how he was now part dragon, part phoenix and had the corresponding elemental immunities to each.

    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that to further improve in your Tiers, you¡¯ll need astronomical sums of money and resources,¡± Gran concluded, causing Joram to just stare at her.

    With all that, she¡¯s thinking about money?

    He saw the reactions of his parents through [Touchsight] and almost laughed out loud.  They had surely taken something else from what he¡¯d said.

    ¡°Yes, well, I do have the means to continue my advancement,¡± he said, clearing his throat.

    Gran looked at him for a bit, then snapped her fingers.  ¡°You¡¯re the source of the healing artifacts, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Damn, she¡¯s sharp.

    His parents, though, weren¡¯t distracted.

    ¡°So, you basically have access to many times more mana than a normal mage at your level?¡±  His mother asked at the same time as his father asked.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re a body cultivator too?¡±

    They both looked at each other, then turned back to Joram.

    ¡°Um, yes to both?¡±

    He saw Grammy smiling from her chair, safely on the opposite side of the table from him, sipping her wine.  He was pretty sure that she was taking it easy now that she knew just how potent the stuff was.

    Seriously, is Grammy an alcoholic?!

    Hey, when you¡¯re done, I think I¡¯ve got the new augments to [Schism] ready to go, Kinkade piped in suddenly.

    Joram sent along his thanks to Kinkade, well, himself, and turned back to his family.

    ¡°So,¡± he began.  ¡°Were you successful in your mission this time around?¡±  He asked his grandparents in an effort to change the subject.

    ¡°You know that we can¡¯t talk about that,¡± Gran chided him, still a bit distracted by his several revelations.

    ¡°Well, it was good to see you, but I need to get back to my studies.  I was fairly certain that I was on the verge of a breakthrough in my Alchemy studies.¡±

    That, once again, threw people for a loop.  Well, except for Grammy, who just smiled.

    It was considered a bit rude to leave before getting permission from his elders, but he was getting people¡¯d-out.  Too much interaction in too short a period of time.

    Then another thought occurred to him as he made his way back to his apartments.

    ¡®Grammy?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Why is Tillia staying so far away now?¡¯

    ¡®Ah, that¡¯s a discussion for later,¡¯ she sent, calmness and assurance flowing through the link.  ¡®She is quite well, but needs to be in seclusion for her studies.¡¯

    ¡®OK, well, at least I can talk to her when needed,¡¯ he sent back then dropped the line when he felt positive feedback from that statement.

    He was pretty sure that he was on the cusps of a breakthrough in his Alchemy, about to break into the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier of concoctions and pills!

    * * * * *

    ¡°I sensed something unusual from that young woman they recently moved to the neighbouring peak.¡±

    ¡°Well, out with it!¡±

    *Cough*

    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure, but even though I am only in the Mystic Realm and can¡¯t quite feel the Laws associated with the Immortal Realm, I am fairly sure that I vaguely felt the Laws of Time and Chaos.¡±

    There was a long pause before the first person spoke again.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°As I said, I¡¯m only in the Mystic Realm, but I am sensitive to the higher Laws.  I would say that I am at least sixty percent sure.¡±

    Another pause.

    ¡°Do you know what this means?¡±

    ¡°I have an inkling.¡±

    ¡°Send word back to the Sect.  Not only have we verified the spies¡¯ headquarters, but we may even be able to return with an even bigger prize...¡±

    The first person waited with bated breath.

    ¡°Finally, another Seer.  Make preparations.  We need to secure that child at all costs.  The stronghold of the spies is of secondary concern now.¡±

    ¡°For the Sect!¡±  The first person said firmly, hand going to their chest in a sort of salute.

    ¡°Yes, for the Sect.¡±  The one who seemed to be in charge replied, then turned again to the mountain where Tillia now resided.

 Chapter 038

    1345.04.14

    Joram smiled as he held his little sister as she tried to snuggle into his chest, looking for a meal. He was sorely tempted to give her a spot of [Sustenance], but knew that his mother would get angry with him for that. It was a very important time, breastfeeding, and disrupting that for any reason was tantamount to a heinous crime in her book.

    She was only a few months old, but was getting stronger by the day. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she started crawling soon, especially given the constant feedback through the Network that he was getting from her.

    Frustration, determination, fright, more determination, and a strong desire to keep up. Well, stay with her favourite people. He was glad that he¡¯d made it on that list, as had Xixi.

    Speaking of Xixi. He nodded to her then passed over his little sister when she indicated that he was ready. She only blushed a bit when the baby tried to latch on to her through her blouse, but resolutely repositioned her so that she was no longer in a feeding position.

    Joram smiled at that. He¡¯d missed the birth of Xixi¡¯s twin sisters, who were just a few months older than his own sister. Which had caused a lot of gossip and contention. It seemed that with Xixi¡¯s reputation for being a genius in the clan, there were high hopes for her new sisters. And, at that point, with his mother only having had one boy, there was talk of re-evaluating who would become the next Matriarch of the Clan.

    Which really didn¡¯t make much sense to him. Bloodlines were important in selecting the next Matriarch. Talent was also important, and optimally someone with both would be chosen. Technically, Xixi didn¡¯t have any direct blood relation to the main line, so their arguments didn¡¯t make much sense to him.

    Could it be that they wanted Xixi to take over once they were married? But what about his own mother? Also, he now had a little sister who¡¯d one day continue the Aneath line, likely to produce an heir of her own that might one day become the Matriarch of the Clan.

    Bringing himself back to reality, he once again smiled seeing how good Xixi was with children. Would they really get married one day? He really like her. Liked how she was kind and caring with those close to her, yet firm and unrelenting with those who crossed her. He was still laughing hearing the stories of her beating up her various would-be suitors after they had bad-mouthed him.

    He also liked that special smile that she saved just for him.

    Which also threw his mind into disarray. He wasn¡¯t into kids. Not in the least. He had decided to keep at arm¡¯s length, so to speak, and not say anything about their engagement. Well, not say anything that would encourage it. He was very aware of the concept of ¡°grooming¡±, and was thoroughly weirded out by it. So, he did his best to not encourage things. Keeping everything on the level of ¡°friend¡±. He wanted her to make all of her own choices in life, including who she¡¯d be with.

    That said, kids will be kids and Xixi was definitely a strong-willed kid who wanted what she wanted. He just wasn¡¯t sure if that was because of what had been arranged, or rather, developed from what had been arranged by the adults, or if they were genuine feelings on her part.

    Bah!!

    Anyway, at least Gran and Gramps weren¡¯t doing their crazy training routine with him this time around. He¡¯d been, blessedly, left alone by them thus far. Sure, it had only been about a month since they returned, but it still left him more paranoid with each day that passed with nothing happening with them, training-wise.

    Well, that left more time for him to work on things on his end.

    He felt that he was very close with both the new [Genesis] and the new augment for [Schism]. It would be a huge help when he was able to get a third mind up and running, one that would be more-or-less dedicated to helping him in his everyday life instead of being set to a research topic.

    And with [Genesis], well, having a more¡­ real, realm would be fantastic. The benefits of having a realm that could provide elements heavier than iron would be profound. Sure, there were trace elements above iron to be found, but literally just enough to support most flora out there.

    Then there was the other side of [Genesis] that most people never thought of: [Anti-Genesis]. It was the alternate manifestation of that power that, well, basically annihilated things instead of creating them. Now, because he was a crafter at heart, he really didn¡¯t like the idea of annihilating an entire area; it was so¡­ wasteful!

    But he supposed that whoever had created the power so long ago had thought that it was a valid option, perhaps wanting a way to erase a created space that was no longer needed¡­ or something.

    He shrugged, his mind returning to the moment as his little sister began to fuss more, drawing the attention of their mother.

    ¡°Play time¡¯s over,¡± his mother stated, scooping up her daughter as she spoke. ¡°Go, have some fun outside. The weather¡¯s been lovely lately.¡±

    They both nodded then made their way outside. It really was a lovely spring day. Again, winters here were short and mild¡­ compared to what he¡¯d originally grown up with. He¡¯d probably compare it to what he¡¯d experienced in Paris, or maybe lower-mainland B.C.; though, sunnier.

    He was especially glad that the summers never got terribly hot either. Back on Earth, he would have called this place a paradise. Not too hot in the summer, almost no snow in the winter to shovel, but enough to be happy at seeing it fall every now and then. The only thing he would have complained about was an internet connection, and that would have been easy given the number of satellites being thrown up into orbit to provide wireless service to those in remote regions.

    Well, can¡¯t have it all¡­. Unless I ¡°invent¡± the internet here¡­

    Joram laughed at that thought as he and Xixi settled down under a flowering tree to enjoy the blossoms.

    ¡®Joram?¡¯

    He blinked, not being used to Xixi using the Network to speak with him when they were alone.

    ¡®Yes, Xixi?¡¯

    ¡®Do you miss big sis Tillia?¡¯ She sent, trying to play it cool by turning away to look at the blossoms, but still watching him from the corner of her eye.

    It¡¯s a trap!! Oh, admiral Akbar¡­.

    ¡®Would you miss someone who¡¯s bene with you for as long as you could remember?¡¯ He asked instead of answering her question.

    Ah, Socrates. So helpful!

    Xixi furrowed her brow in thought for a few moments before looking at him directly.

    ¡®Is it just that?¡¯

    Joram shrugged, not quite sure how exactly he felt about Tillia. He was pretty sure that it had been his developing hormones that had been messing with him at the time, and to save face he¡¯d just gone with it after that. But now? Well, his body was that of an early teenager now. He¡¯d even discovered peach fuzz¡­.

    He wasn¡¯t looking forward to even more hormone-induced confusion.

    ¡®Probably,¡¯ he replied. ¡®I just know that I like her, and miss her when she¡¯s not around.¡¯

    Xixi sat for a moment, internalizing his response.

    He was again struck by how mature she was. Every other seven-year-old he¡¯d met had been this impulsive bundle of energy that needed to get things done! That, or they just wanted to do that they wanted to do and ignored everyone else.

    ¡®I like big sis Tillia too,¡¯ she finally sent over as she turned to look up at him. Even seated, he was a good head taller than she was. ¡®When she¡¯s done training in seclusion, we can all go explore the food vendors.¡¯

    Joram smiled at that. For all Xixi looked like a young lady, prim and proper, she was a foodie. With how many calories she burned with training, you¡¯d never have guessed just how much she¡¯d pack in given the chance.

    ¡®Sounds like a plan!¡¯ He sent back with a smile, for he, too, was a bit of a foodie!

    * * * * *

    Tillia pouted.

    It was boring on her lonely peak. Sure, she could speak with Joram- or even anyone else in the Network- whenever she wished, but not having human contact more than sucked.

    She was a people person! She¡¯d been around people her whole life. First her parents and cousins, then all her siblings that had followed. Then her babysitting business, then finally taking care of Joram. Now, due to her stupid affinity for the Laws of Time and Chaos, she was stuck on a mountain all by herself!

    She didn¡¯t even get to talk with the person making her supply deliveries! There were under orders to drop the food in a ¡°safe spot¡± and not speak with her! Drop off a spatial ring filled with supplies, transfer the supplies into her spatial ring, leave the empty ring in the box for pick-up next week. Rinse and repeat.

    ¡°Gah!¡± She gah¡¯d, not able to keep her frustration from overflowing.

    Wake up. Exercise. Eat. Study. Meditate. Eat. Exercise. Meditate. Sleep.

    Rinse and repeat!

    Tillia took a few calming breaths. Then a few dozen more.

    She didn¡¯t know what would happen to her after she managed to get her affinities under control. From what she had read, she was honing her ability as a ¡°Seer¡±. She hadn¡¯t known what that was when she was dumped on the mountain, a newly constructed villa welcoming her arrival. She was quite frankly amazed at how fast it had been built and more than suspected that it hadn¡¯t been built naturally.

    That aside, at least it was comfortable. Running water, hot water! An area for her morning routine that was on a Cleanse cycle. Even the kitchen wanted for nothing. A truly wonderful place to live¡­.

    ¡°All alone!!¡± She screamed at the ceiling.

    More calming breaths followed.

    It had only been a few months, but she was going stir crazy. She felt that she was making great progress in her studies, and was now at Rank 3 of Tier 3. Phenomenal progress by Clan standards. She would have been hailed as a genius if she hadn¡¯t been stuck on the mountain, all alone¡­.

    Joram had assured her, a few times, that she would be done before they knew it. But she had her reservations. She¡¯d read through the training manuals and related tomes on her affinities and knew that they were things that only those who¡¯d reached Tier 7 should be messing with. Sure, ¡°special constitution¡± this, ¡°innate ability¡± that. ¡°You¡¯re one in a trillion!¡±

    ¡°Bah!!¡±

    She¡¯d prefer being with her family and the Aneaths. She missed taking care of Joram; spending time with Xixi and Zanth. Sure, they were all part of the Network, but that wasn¡¯t the same as spending time with them.

    Tillia sighed and looked out the window. It was a fantastic view, beautiful to the point where she would have loved setting up her home here in the future, under different circumstances. But in the here and now, it just felt lonely.

    She looked down at the ring Joram had given her, admiring the yellow topaz set in a band of metal she wasn¡¯t quite familiar with. She¡¯d seen the gems when Joram had explained how he was able to make one-time healing artifacts; life-saving treasures in this world. But hers was special.

    He had told her that it wasn¡¯t just a one-time use item. No, it would be able to save her life three times! Per day!!

    Not only that, but it would also act as a beacon to find her should she again be dropped from his Network. And best of all? He¡¯d made it specifically for her! It wouldn¡¯t work for anyone but her, a sort of insurance against theft, as Joram had put it.

    She almost squealed in glee before catching herself. She wasn¡¯t a young girl anymore. She was a grown adult. Nor was she excited that Joram had gifted her a ring. Not at all.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Then a feeling fell over her, like a rush of goosebumps all over her body.

    *KABOOM!!!*

    Tillia fell over, knocked down by the shockwave that leveled her veranda.

    She looked around, ears ringing as dust swirled around her, debris falling everywhere. Everything seemed to be swimming this way and that as she felt a trickle of something run down the left side of her face. She noticed that the ring Joram had given her was warm on her finger and suspected that whatever had caused the explosion had probably been lethal.

    ¡°You fool! How can a mere Human Realm practitioner survive such a blast?!¡± Someone with a strange accent yelled from outside.

    ¡°Look, she¡¯s fine!¡± Another person yelled back. ¡°Hurry up and get her! The others should be dealing with the main compound as we speak.¡±

    Tillia felt a wave of dread fall over her at those words.

    Not only were they much more powerful than her, but she hadn¡¯t studied any combat spells! All she had was her affinities to rely on, and if the Matriarch was to be believed, they should be fairly dangerous. Right?

    The two men landed on the ground a good ten yards away from her, giving her a few moments to try, well, anything.

    ¡°See? She¡¯s fine,¡± the second person said, motioning dismissively to her.

    ¡°Fine? There¡¯s so much blood that I¡¯m not sure she¡¯ll live through the blood loss!¡± The first yelled at the younger man, looking like he wanted nothing more than to smack him upside the head.

    The younger of the two squinted at Tillia, then laughed at the older man. ¡°She isn¡¯t bleeding anymore. She must have taken a medicinal pill. She¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Idiot,¡± the first one replied with a sneer. ¡°What medicinal pill works for fast? She must be further along in her studies to be able to reverse those kinds of wounds.¡±

    Tillia looked down at herself, then blushed furiously as she covered her exposed skin. She hadn¡¯t realized it before now, but her robes had been completely shredded in the attack, leaving her only a modicum of modesty. Not nearly enough to cover herself from the lecherous gaze of her younger attacker.

    Not time like the present, she thought as she concentrated for all she was worth on her affinity with the Law of Chaos. She struggled to get into the proper mindset, still reeling from being thrown by the explosion and seeing her attackers. From what she could feel, they were at least a Tier above her, probably more.

    She closed her eyes, going into her Core where the whisps of Chaos and Time were now circling said Core. She reached for the Chaos, not caring too much about the myriad warning associated with doing just that before she was ready. This was life and death and she sure a Hells wasn¡¯t going to be on the losing side of this encounter.

    ¡°¡­¡± Came the voices, but she ignored them, trying to get the Chaos to stay within her grasping hands.

    Then her world was rocked again, everything spinning about crazily before another impact jarred her back to reality. She felt the ring go warm again, a soothing feeling rushing through her again.

    ¡°I told you to stop if you want to live,¡± the younger man said with what he probably thought of as a reasonable look on his face, but wound up looking like a condescending sneer.

    This time the older man did smack the younger man up-side the head. ¡°Our orders were to bring her in alive, not half-dead, you fool.¡±

    ¡°Look at her! She¡¯s already healing! What can we do to her that would last?¡± He yelled back at the older man, rage now flooding his visage.

    ¡°And what happens when she runs out of Qi, hey?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine wi-¡° he was cut off again, this time by a third party.

    ¡°Bare Knuckle!¡±

    The young man¡¯s head exploded right there, sending pieces of brain, bone, skin, and hair flying out in an arc of bloody gore to land across her ruined house.

    Tillia eyes went as round as the older man¡¯s eyes did as they beheld what happened. Tillia¡¯s heart, however, began beating faster for another reason.

    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late,¡± Joram said looking at the remaining intruder, a look of such coldness on his face that it nearly stopped her furiously beating heart.

    ¡°You¡¯ll die for killing my junior,¡± the older man said, his voice also going cold. He now held what looked like a talisman in his hand that suddenly shone brightly, causing a pillar of light to shoot up into the sky.

    ¡°[Decerebrate],¡± Joram said as he made a clutching motion towards the man¡¯s head, who them promptly fell over as his eyes went blank.

    Joram then looked up into the air where a dozen more people showed up, all standing on thin air.

    ¡®Time to leave,¡¯ he sent to her, a sense of urgency flowing through the connection.

    Before she could process what was going on, more light erupted around her, then everything went black.

    * * * * *

    *A few minutes earlier,*

    ¡°Here, take this,¡± Joram said as he handed Xixi a ring.

    Xixi¡¯s eyes went round as she looked at her new ring. It was made of palladium, one of Joram¡¯s favourite metals, and inset with a sapphire of a blue so deep that it was more indigo than blue. This ring, as opposed to the one he¡¯d given Tillia also had the benefit of being able to anchor a psicrystal for him. One could call it a pseudo-psicrystal. It was keyed to him, and could act in a few minor ways.

    The main benefit was that it would act as physical contact for him, for the benefit of his spells and powers. Now, that wouldn¡¯t normally be needed with her being part of his Network, but with how often that seemed to go down, he really wanted to be sure that she was safe should it go down again.

    He¡¯d also given something similar to his parents, as they tended to go off on missions for years at a time. He hadn¡¯t gotten around to making more of them yet, as they were a bit resource-intensive to make. That said, from what Grammy had said, he had time to make more for Gran and Gramps before they were to head off again.

    He also wanted to make some for Xixi¡¯s family, as well as Zanth¡¯s, but he¡¯d get there.

    And like the universe had heard him, and then decided that he was too arrogant, he felt a rush of pain and confusion from Tillia.

    He immediately pinged her status, getting her physical condition in a fraction of a second. She¡¯d been hurt, but the ring had healed her. Which worried him tremendously, as it was only set to activate should she be put in critical condition.

    ¡°Xixi, I need to go,¡± he said, looking towards the mountain where Tillia resided, now seeing a plume of smoke and debris.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She asked urgently, but before he could answer, an explosion rocked the area, knocking them prone.

    Joram shook his head, then pinged this Network to get the status of everyone there.

    Gran and Gramps were a bit injured, and angry. His parents were worried, his father angry, but otherwise uninjured. Zanth seemed to be OK as well, but confused and scared. His sister was definitely scared and stressed.

    Joram got up, then helped Xixi to her feet at he sent messages to Avi and Grammy.

    ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯ He sent to Grammy as he took Xixi¡¯s hand in his and rand towards the main building.

    ¡®We¡¯re under attack, I¡¯ll get back to you,¡¯ she sent back, then closed the line. He supposed that she wanted to concentrate on what she was about.

    He looked around again as they approached the Main Hall and saw figures rushing towards the Clan Home from outside, more explosions ringing out.

    Then he got another spike of pain from Tillia and all bets were off.

    ¡°Stay here a minute while I take care of something,¡± he told Xixi as he shifted her to his Realm, her eyes going wide briefly before she disappeared.

    He [Teleport]ed over to where Tillia was, taking in the destruction laid out before him in the blink of an eye. Then he saw the pitiful condition Tillia was in and lost it.

    The first oddly dressed person was his target as he dropped from his improper [Teleport]. He¡¯d appeared a good four metres above ground, but wasn¡¯t worried about such a small distance. What he did instead was concentrate his Ki- from his training with Altaea- into his fist and yelled out.

    ¡°Bare Knuckle!¡±

    The results were spectacular. He hadn¡¯t expected the punch to the back of the asshole¡¯s head to result in an explosion, but he supposed that it had something to do with using the Adamantium Body Technique. Either way, it got rid of one attacker.

    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late,¡± he said, turning to the other attacker, directing his words at Tillia.

    ¡°You¡¯ll die for killing my junior,¡± the older guys said, producing a talisman that then shone brilliantly, creating a pillar of light that reached up to the sky.

    ¡°[Decerebrate],¡± he said, reaching out a hand towards the guy for dramatic effect.

    As the man fell, another dozen or so people appeared in the air above them in a ring about eighty feet across.

    ¡®Time to leave,¡¯ he sent to Tillia, but was too late. Light connected each of the people in the air, then a beam of that light- directed Qi, he supposed- hit him in the chest, causing his world to go white.

    * * * * *

    Avi was a little bit more than a little bit pissed-off.

    One: she¡¯d been interrupted in the middle of an important proof of concept, resulting in a failure that would take another week to set up again. Two: people were attacking the Clear Knowledge Clan and killing indiscriminately.

    It was only a minute or so before she lost contact with Joram, Kinkade, and M3, which worried her greatly.

    She was reasonably sure that Kinkade and M3 had managed to get to their little sister before vanishing. She was relying heavily on her [Schism]s as well. Her own A2 and A3 were working overtime trying to find Xixi¡¯s and Zanth¡¯s families, while she was headed to see if she could help the Matriarch in any way.

    It was a bit disorienting getting so much intense feedback from her [Schism]s. She didn¡¯t know how Joram handled it so well, but suspected that it had something to do with how well he was able to compartmentalize things.

    Either way, it was a bit hard to concentrate on what she needed to do. She felt the cultivation levels of her attackers and wanted nothing to do with them, as she hadn¡¯t gotten past Tier 1 yet, or even started in on the Adamantium Body Technique.

    Another explosion, this time from her left, but too close. She was sent sprawling, but managed to roll to reduce the damage taken from the short flight.

    A young man came through the hole in the wall, a of ennui and disinterest on his face. That changed quickly as he spotted Avi getting up. Lust immediately replaced the ennui as he approached.

    ¡°I thought that his backwater wouldn¡¯t have anything of worth, but you¡¯ll make a good attendant even if your cultivation is lacking,¡± he said, crouching in front of her. He took her jaw in his hand to turn her face this way and that to get a better look at her.

    She gave a weak smile, laying her left hand on his shoulder as her right one came up to her right cheek.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯ll be plenty of time to get to know each other,¡± he said, smiling at her in what he probably thought was a reassuring way, but came of as lustful excitement.

    Avi placed her right hand above his heart, smiling for all she was worth. It was worth it to see the gratification on his face before she made a fist and activated her omni-tool.

    Shock replaced his disgusting look as a searing blade of silicone-carbide shot through his chest, heart, and out his back.

    As he slumped over, Avi stored his corpse away in the Realm, hoping to find something useful on it later. For now, she needed to hurry.

    * * * * *

    Tatia was beyond furious, bordering on incandescent rage. Over the millennia their Clan has existed, they¡¯d not suffered one attack from an outside force. Sure, there had been minor squabbles over territory, but nothing like this.

    She wasn¡¯t sure which faction these invaders belonged to, but she was almost certain that they belonged to the Zhizun Zhanshi continent, one of their many sects or maybe a large clan.

    She tried to activate the Clan¡¯s protection array, but found that there had already been too much damage to it.

    ¡°Damage control, now.¡± She murmured out loud, her ¡°ninja¡±- a Joram liked to call them- attendants stirring at that.

    ¡°Go, take as many people to the Archive as you can and secure it,¡± she ordered. To their credit, none stayed longer than a heartbeat before vanishing, off to do their given task.

    She, however, needed to find the leaders in charge of the attack and end them.

    * * * * *

    Marowz Reursa ran for his life.

    Things were going to hell, and he wasn¡¯t going to stay around to see what happened. He was only a guest of the clan, a mere Healer, not a barbaric fighter. He had felt so much at home with Clan Clear Knowledge over the years, a clan focussed on learning over the martial path, that he¡¯d almost forgotten his most cardinal rule. Him over anyone else.

    Over the years after the Heir¡¯s son was born, that annoying Joram, he¡¯d come back to his senses. He¡¯d forgotten that this was only tenure, a job. As an accomplished Healer, he could get work anywhere, and with significant benefits to boot!

    Yes, things had started to turn sour for him after Joram was born. He had been sure that Joram was more than he seemed, sure that he was a legendary Reincarnator. He¡¯d tried getting closer to the boy, to see if he could glean any information from him, but was stymied at every turn. It didn¡¯t help that the boy seemed to have taken a dislike to him.

    Another explosion rocked the clan-hold and he had to pause to regain his balance.

    He continued on after he took moment to slide on a ring.

    He¡¯d cautiously followed Joram around once he¡¯d been old enough to wander about on his own. It had been difficult, as the boy seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to anyone close by. But it had paid off.

    One day, he¡¯d followed Joram to a stairwell of the Archive where he seemed to just walk through a wall.

    Later, much later, to make sure that Joram was long gone, he¡¯d approached the wall Joram had vanished into, but couldn¡¯t find anything.

    It had taken him another year to discover that there was some sort of complex array built into the wall, and another year of research to discover that it functioned as a portal. To where, he had no idea. But he knew, knew!, that it was important. He¡¯d spent those two years spying on that corner and had discovered that only a few people knew of its existence, namely the Matriarch, her daughter Bezia, and her daughter Sulia. Now, they didn¡¯t go in there frequently. No, he could count on one hand how many times anyone had gone in there up to this point.

    But, again, he knew that whatever was in there was important. Possibly more important than an Empire¡¯s vaults.

    Then he was contacted.

    He had been out getting more supplies in Brightside when a stranger approached him.

    He didn¡¯t know who they were, but they seemed to know that something was strange with this little clan. They knew things, things that he wasn¡¯t sure how they knew. But the person, an older woman who sold barbequed meat on skewers, had given him an offer that he couldn¡¯t refuse.

    Well, if he refused he¡¯d be killed, so that wasn¡¯t much of a consideration.

    No, the sweetener to the deal was that they¡¯d allow him to take any knowledge related to his profession from the Archives that he could carry.

    Now, he wasn¡¯t so foolish to think that he¡¯d be able to go free after this, but what was freedom when he could study knowledge that had been squirreled away from the rest of the world? He could continue to practice his Healing Arts wherever he found himself.

    All he would have to do was be their informant. Go to town, get a snack from her stall, leave a coded jade slip with her, and be on his way.

    What he hadn¡¯t anticipated was the unbridled carnage that descended upon the Clan.

    He passed by a number of corpses on his way, trying not to see the faces of the people he¡¯d known for, in some cases, decades. He¡¯d help birth that boy¡­.

    Marowz raised his hand to show a cultivator as he ran past, receiving a sneer in response, but nothing else.

    He was almost to the Archives when one of the Clan Protectors decapitated one of the invaders who was approaching him.

    ¡°Run faster!¡± The person yelled, a man if the voice was to go by. Then the Protector vanished, presumably off to kill more invaders.

    He gulped. If anyone had seen how he passed by the invaders, he¡¯d likely have lost his head already.

    He stopped at the doors to the Archive, stunned at the sight. There were bodies everywhere, from the invaders to citizens to the Protectors. The fighting was dying down again, the Protectors winning the fight and shepherding more people inside.

    ¡°Hurry!¡± A woman called to him, waving frantically as she looked past him.

    A feeling of dread crept down his spine as he looked over his shoulder. There, only a few hundred feet away down the main thoroughfare, was another group of the invaders.

    He ran.

    * * * * *

    ¡°And you¡¯re sure everyone was sufficiently instructed regarding taking any good seeds alive?¡± The man asked, giving his long beard a tug of annoyance.

    ¡°Yes, elder,¡± the person beside him said obsequiously.

    The man was a bootlicker, someone who always flattered those above him.

    ¡°If our gains aren¡¯t sufficient, and I find that you were lax in your duties, you¡¯ll join the Qing Zhishi Clan in death.¡±

    The other man began to sweat, but gave his assurances that their forces had indeed been sufficiently instructed.

    He then felt a presence appear behind him and immediately dove. Which saved his life.

    Not so much the toady, though.

    He stood up again and beheld the stunning beauty that happened to be the Matriarch of Clan Qing Zhishi.

    Then they fought.

 Chapter 039

    Tatia couldn¡¯t believe how strong her opponent was.

    She was at the peak of the 6<sup>th</sup> Tier, yet the old man in front of her didn¡¯t seem to be having much difficulty dealing with her attacks, even when she used the Law of Space.

    She was starting to get the sinking feeling that this man might have already stepped into the 7<sup>th</sup> Tier, what they called the Immortal Realm.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you surrender?  I¡¯m sure that I could provide a warm place for you to stay if you come willingly.¡±  The perverted old man asked, earning her scorn and disdain.

    ¡°Are all cultivators so full of noxious gas?¡±  She asked, narrowly dodging a powerful wave of fire, leaving behind the distinct smell of brimstone in its wake.

    ¡°If you tell me where the treasure is, I can make things easier for you,¡± he replied, obviously ignoring her provocation.

    ¡°In your wet dreams,¡± she spat to the side as she prepared another spell.

    He just smiled at her.

    She really wanted to wipe his face across a mile¡¯s worth of pumice stone.

    * * * * *

    Aloralla crouched in the nursery, holding her daughters close as more and more explosions rocked the building.  Her daughters were wailing away, hot tears flowing down their cheeks.  She couldn¡¯t do anything to comfort them at the moment, but he was skilled enough to be able to use a [Silence] spell on each of them.  It wasn¡¯t easy doing so, as she felt that she was doing them a great injustice in not hearing their heartfelt wails of terror.

    ¡°Shhh, shhh, shhh,¡± she repeated as she watched Ailmar guard the door.  He wasn¡¯t a fighter, not like what most of the Aneath clan married.  No, he was a scholar, a bookworm.  Someone who was a perfect example of the scholarly clan she¡¯d married into.  Yet there he stood, halberd in hand guarding the door.

    They both knew the emergency procedures of the clan through and through, yet they¡¯d been too far away from the Archive when the attack started, nevermind their route there being cut off.  The closest teleport platform was also a ways away.  No hope there.

    Their only hope resided in the clan Protectors.  If one or more of them came to their rescue, she was sure that they¡¯d be able to make it safely to the Archive.

    Another explosion rocked the building, causing the bookshelf in the corner to fall with a crash.  There was yelling in the hallway, slowly getting closer.  She wasn¡¯t sure if that was a good thing or not, as it could mean that those defending the clan were getting closer to saving them, or falling back in retreat.

    Then the wall diagonally across from her, to the right of the door, suddenly exploded inward, a figure flying through the air to smash against the far wall, then slump to the ground.

    Her eyes wide, she inspected the form of one of the Protectors.  They weren¡¯t in great shape, having lost their right arm and part of their right leg.

    She froze.  She wasn¡¯t made for this.  She had ignored the attention of many young men in favour of Ailmar, the only scholarly suitor she¡¯d had.  Why?  Because she hated war.  She wanted to live a long life with her family, raising her future children, then helping to raise their children in turn.

    Now, her dreams were crumbling as she watched the lifeblood drain out of the Protector.  Through the hole in the wall a young woman stepped through.  She wore an odd outfit, one she belatedly recognized as being typical of those from the Zhizun Zhanshi continent.  Then her aura hit her.

    Aloralla saw Ailmar blanch, but then gathered his resolve.  She wanted to scream at him to stop, to run, but her throat closed on her.

    This person was at least at the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier; they were not her opponent.

    Brave, foolish, Ailmar released a spell, [Lion¡¯s Rush], his halberd glowing as he flashed over to the black-haired woman.

    She didn¡¯t see how it happened, but suddenly Ailmar¡¯s body was flashing past where the black-haired woman stood, slightly off from where she¡¯d been originally.  Only, Ailmar¡¯s head was in her hands.

    This time she did shriek.  In denial, in despair, in rage.  Her daughters continued their silent wailing as the black-haired woman approached them, tossing Ailmar¡¯s head aside like so much trash.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be rewarded or punished for bringing back babies, but orders are orders,¡± she drawled in a weird accent as she sauntered over.  ¡°No need for extra baggage though,¡± the woman said, raising her hand above her head.

    Aloralla spit in her face, then everything went black.

    * * * * *

    Avi was too late.  Just as she entered the room, she saw Aloralla¡¯s head hit the floor.

    She choked back her scream, once again cursing having a biological body that reacted so viscerally to the scene in front of her.

    Before the woman could turn, Avi manifested [Disintegration], hitting the woman square in the back of the head.  She couldn¡¯t smile as the woman turned to dust in front of her, but she had at least avenged Xixi¡¯s family.

    As she turned to go, she noticed movement behind the murderer¡¯s falling clothing.

    ¡°The twins,¡± she whispered to herself, then rushed over to where they lay, covered in their mother¡¯s blood.

    With a thought, [Cleanse] flashed across the room, taking with it all the blood and dust from the fight.  The bodies, however, remained as she hadn¡¯t augmented it to remove them as well.  She gathered up the silently wailing babies in her arms, then looked down at Joram¡¯s favourite auntie and uncle.

    She transferred their remains into storage, the stasis section before reaching out with her mind and retrieving the murderer¡¯s storage ring.  Maybe it would have something useful in it.

    Avi looked down at the babes again, only a couple months older than Joram¡¯s little sister.  With another thought, she put them to sleep, allowing them to rest.  She didn¡¯t have much time, so she transferred them to the villa, then sent house droids instructions from her omni-tool to make them comfortable.

    Now, she had some killing to do.

    * * * * *

    Selsusa stood as close as she could with Vulen and not be in his way.

    She was worried almost sick for Lysanthir, not knowing if he was alive or dead.  She and Vulen, along with the baby, were in their apartments.  It was supposed to be a relaxing day spent visiting with Sulia and family after lunch.  Now, it was hell.

    More explosions rattled the windows, a few cracking with the violence of the blast.  She had already used [Silence] to prevent others from hearing them in their rooms, but wasn¡¯t very hopeful that they¡¯d be passed by by their attackers.

    Protocol dictated that they make their way to the Archive for shelter in the event of an attack, but this one had been so sudden that they¡¯d had no time to get there.  Or even leave their rooms.

    She was glad that she¡¯d married a warrior, keeping to tradition.  She hadn¡¯t been as studious as she could have been in her youth, instead going for many non-combat electives while growing up. That meant that she was excellent at bookkeeping and things related to that.  She was great with the upkeep of books and documents of all kinds, the preservation arrays came easy to her.

    Now, now she wished that she¡¯d been a bit more¡­ boyish, in her youth. More like Sulia.

    She sighed.  Never had she thought that the Clan would come under attack, that she might die a violent death.  She looked down at her newborn babe. Finally, a girl.  Would her daughter live to see her first dawn?

    There was another explosion, this time closer.  With the [Silence] array keeping her ignorant of the goings-on around her, her baby was resting peacefully.  She wondered, briefly, if it would be better if she should be the one to put her child to rest and not some viscous marauder.

    She slapped herself, literally.  The sting in her cheek brought her back to her senses.  She would fight to her last breath.

    She looked down at the yellow topaz that the Matriarch had gifted to her, wondering if it would be best used to keep Vulen fighting longer, or if she should give it to her daughter, to potentially save her from¡­

    *KABOOM!*

    She nearly fell out of her bed as the far wall got blown in.  She hurriedly looked over to where Vulen had stood, but only found the hole in the wall.

    That decided her.

    She wasn¡¯t as gifted as other people, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve.

    She ripped the topaz from the mount it had been in and placed it upon her daughter¡¯s forehead as she prepared her spell.

    She stole a glance at the hole in the wall and found an old man standing there, his foot on Vulen¡¯s unmoving form.  They locked gazes from across the room for what felt like minutes, but should have been only a few heartbeats.

    She quickly turned back to her daughter and released her spell.  She watched as the topaz fused to her daughter¡¯s forehead, attaching to the still-soft bone.  As the characters for ¡°Nozomi¡± appeared on the topaz, she felt a sharper pain in her breast.

    She looked down and saw the tip of a sword poking out her chest.

    Her last thoughts, the last thing she saw was her daughter, still miraculously sleeping.

    * * * * *

    Avi was having such a bad day that she considered calling in her droid army.  But ultimately decided that they weren¡¯t up to the task yet and would instead add unneeded chaos to the mix.

    She was worried about Joram though, as she wasn¡¯t able to get a response from him on the Network.  Given that Kinkade and M3 were missing from the Network, she was pretty sure that at the very least he¡¯d been knocked unconscious.

    The sighed as she looked up at the sky, ashes and cinders floating up in the wind, carried to places unknown.

    If Leaving Earth by Clint Mansell were playing in the background, it would have been the perfect score for what she was seeing.

    She summoned forth her Mindblade, a massive psionic construct that was very similar to Cloud¡¯s Buster Sword in shape, though it had its differences, like the holes drilled into the body of the blade in a zig-zagging patter, to the slightly sturdier back to the sword and even the chain attached to its hilt whose other end was strapped to her right arm/wrist.

    All told, the blade was two metres long with a hilt that was a good seventy centimetres long.  A3 reported that she hadn¡¯t found any other survivors, so Avi had her transfer her psicrystal back to storage and had A3 take up residence in her head like she was originally meant to.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Avi walked around the corner, having already sensed the intruders with [Touchsight].  The three of them look over to her, turning away from the corpses they¡¯d just made.

    ¡°Hey, fellas,¡± Avi called over sweetly.  ¡°Wanna play with me?¡±

    That gave them pause, until they sensed her cultivation level, then they laughed.

    ¡°Sure, we¡¯ve got time for a beauty like you,¡± the first dead man walking said, practically drooling as he looked up to her from a few feet away.

    A3: [Iron Body]

    Avi: [Blade Rush Frenzy]

    Avi continued down the hall as their heads fell from their bodies, blood spraying the destroyed hall they¡¯d been standing in, letting her Mindblade vanish as she stored three more bodies away into the stasis storage space.  She also did the same for the victims.  They¡¯d need a proper funeral after this.

    She looked up at the sky again, lamenting how long it was taking.  There just wasn¡¯t enough time to kill everyone who needed killing.

    Maybe she¡¯d try the prototype for the Cerberus Harrier she¡¯d been working on next?  She¡¯d gotten the cooling issue resolved, so this whole disaster would make a good field test, especially since she¡¯d also made the thing completely silent.  She guessed that the game devs has put in the sounds because it just made the game that much more impactful that way.

    Meh, this was war, no need to give the enemy any warning.  No mercy, no quarter.

    They¡¯d come to annihilate the Clan so they should, logically, be prepared in turn to die.

    Only made sense.

    Cerberus Harrier in hand, she flicked off the safety and made her way to the next set of invaders.

    * * * * *

    ¡°Report,¡± the old man demanded through his communication jade as he watched Tatia breathing hard.

    She really wanted to wipe that look off his face, but knew that that wasn¡¯t possible.  She¡¯d tried everything she could think of to take him down, but had failed at every turn.

    ¡°Eleven teams aren¡¯t reporting in.  There must be more resistance than we thought there¡¯d be,¡± a woman¡¯s voice came from the communication jade.

    ¡°Has the primary objective been accomplished?¡±

    ¡°Affirmative.  They reported only two casualties.¡±

    ¡°Is the target already that powerful?¡±  He asked, surprise evident on his face.

    ¡°No,¡± the voice paused a moment before continuing.  ¡°The report states that the initial team was ambushed by an extremely dangerous melee combatant, but was taken out by the Sun¡¯s Ray formation.¡±

    Tatia¡¯s heart nearly stopped.  Given the smoke rising from where Tillia¡¯s residence was a few miles away, she guessed who their target had been.  Worse, she also guessed who the combatant probably was and her heart ached.  She knew that Joram was gifted in the use of Space.  She also knew that Tillia was a member of Joram¡¯s Network.

    But then she took a moment to check their mental connection and found that she was still a part of the Network.

    She heaved a sigh of relief.

    ¡°What has you so comfortable that would let you sigh in such a way?¡±  The old man asked her, once again fully paying attention to her.

    ¡°Oh, I may not make it out of this alive, but neither will you,¡± she said with a bloody smile.

    ¡°And what makes you believe that you can kill me?¡±  He asked, genuine curiosity plain on his face.

    ¡°Because you¡¯ve angered the person who¡¯ll become the strongest in the world.  They¡¯ll wipe your precious Sects from the face of the world,¡± she said, still smiling that bloody smile.

    The old man laughed then, right from the belly.  ¡°Ah, you must have lost too much blood.  We¡¯ve come for what we wanted and attained it.  The only thing left to do is to burn everything to the ground.  Including your precious ¡®Archive¡¯,¡± he said, his own amusement hardly fading as he finished talking.

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry.  Doom will stalk you and yours,¡± Tatia said, getting to her feet again.  ¡°I can¡¯t say that it was nice meeting you.  But we should say goodbye.¡±

    ¡°Ah, the stubbornness of youth,¡± he said with a sigh as his hands formed several hand seals.

    * * * * *

    Marowz couldn¡¯t believe his luck.

    He¡¯d managed to get into the Archive with the last group to arrive.  The doors had been sealed behind them, cutting off their attackers.  He was surprised at how many people had made it.  It was a good surprise, as he hadn¡¯t known that those evil cultivators would kill everyone they saw.

    Looking around, he noticed only three Protectors.  They didn¡¯t look best pleased, though it was hard to tell just by seeing their eyes, the rest of their faces covered in black cloth.  They¡¯d always unnerved him whenever they showed up.  Now, however, he was reconsidering what he¡¯d done.  He knew that the invaders would spare his life because of the ring he wore, the ring of a traitor as he now thought of it.

    He shrugged uncomfortably, remembering the bodies, the blood everywhere.

    *Boom!*

    Marowz jumped and spun when he hit the ground to stare at the great doors, terrified.  Cries of dismay and fear echoed out as another bang resounded across the entry, the foyer of the Archive.

    ¡°Everyone, follow me!¡±  One of the protectors shouted, then turned and broke into a slow jog.

    Why is he going so slow?!  He thought to himself as he followed, then realized that there were more than a few children trying to keep up.  He briefly felt a moment of shame, but that emotion fled when another boom was followed by cracking sounds less than a minute later.

    They arrived at the stairs down to the next level, the same ones he¡¯d spied on for years.  His heart beat faster, this time in anticipation.

    ¡°Everyone, form a line here,¡± the Protector pointed to the side.  ¡°We¡¯ll get everyone to safety, so please line up!¡±  He finished as the other two Protectors helped get everyone into a semblance of a line.

    ¡°What are we doing here?¡±  Marowz asked as he strode to the front of the line, which so happened to be where the mysterious portal was found on the wall.  Well, what would become a portal when it was activated.  Right now, it looked like nothing more than another section of wall.

    ¡°Getting everyone to safety,¡± the man replied coldly.  ¡°Now get back in line, you¡¯ll get your turn.¡±

    ¡°Now see here, I¡¯m Healer Reursa, a guest elder of the Clan.  I will go in first to make sure things are safe for everyone else,¡± he blustered, trying very hard to sound like he wasn¡¯t desperate to finally see the other side of the portal.

    ¡°Get.  Back.  In.  Line.¡±  The Protector said, enunciating each word very clearly, and very crisply.

    He was about to protest further when he felt his arm being taken in a vice-like grip.  He looked over and saw the cold eyes of another Protector, this one distinctly less warm than the one he¡¯d been talking to.

    As he was dragged away, the first Protector removed something from an inner pocket and placed it on the wall.  A portal opened up to gasps of surprise from all those present, followed by another unwelcome noise.

    *KABOOM!*

    They felt the entire Archive shudder, the sounds of crashing stone and metal accompanying the tremors.

    ¡°Move!¡±  Protector One yelled, waving people forward.

    Just as the line was starting to move, there were cries of dismay and pain from the back of the line, just up and around the corner from where they were.

    Then the people really started to run.

    Marowz didn¡¯t wait and began to run with the rest of the crowd, then tripped as he felt a blow to his back, the sound of an explosion coming almost at the same time.

    The explosion was loud enough to burst his eardrums, making everything surreal.  He could see people wailing, clutching a person to their chests, others holding broken limbs.  He saw rubble falling, bouncing on the once immaculately polished stone floor.  It was all silent.

    Then he looked up and saw the invaders making their way down the stairs, killing any adult they came across.  It was odd, they also picked up any children they found¡­ living anyway.

    He looked back to where the portal was and saw Protector One standing beside where the portal had been, a purple jade token in his hand.

    He turned back to the invaders and saw their lips moving just as he began to smell smoke.  He looked back at Protector One and saw that the purple jade token was raised in front of him, almost like he¡¯d use it as a shield.

    That almost made Marowz laugh out loud.  What did that fool think he was doing?

    Marowz watched as the last of the adults were killed, the children dragged away.  One of the cultivators turned to him, an evil look in his eye as he spoke.  He couldn¡¯t understand what was being said, but he knew that they were going to kill him.  So, he raised the hand with the ring he¡¯d been given and pointed at said right with his other hand.

    The cultivator stopped and looked towards the one who seemed to be in charge.  The man shook his head, turning back to Protector One, leaving the cultivator who¡¯d been approaching Marowz with a disappointed look.

    Marowz quickly turned back to Protector One and noticed the death glare directed at him.

    ¡°I must get that jade!¡±  He exclaimed, or thought he had.  He couldn¡¯t hear himself, but he could still feel his vocal cords working.

    He must have been understood, because the next moment Protector One bit his cheek and spit blood onto the jade token, causing it to glow brightly, and increase in brightness until Marowz had to look away.

    Which allowed him to see the look of panic that sprung up on the leader¡¯s face.  He shouted something and began to run.

    Marowz also thought that that might be a good idea, but before he could make his body move, everything went white.

    * * * * *

    Tatia could hardly breath.  It wasn¡¯t that she was lacking air, or was out of energy from fighting so hard.  Well, that was part of it.  No, it was due to her lungs filling with blood.

    She stared hatred at the old man with every fiber of her being.  She couldn¡¯t make out what he was saying, probably some asinine monologue.

    She wanted to wipe the blood from her face that was itching her so, but couldn¡¯t; she didn¡¯t have any arms left.

    His last attack had been devastating.  It seemed as though he was proficient in the Law of Metal, as he¡¯d summoned forth a score of blades that rained down on her, severing her arms and piercing her chest.

    She was getting cold, too cold.  She knew what that meant and cursed her weakness.  She should have paid more attention to improving her Tiers instead of pandering to petty elders and short-sighted people.

    Now, because she¡¯d been too weak, her clan was burning to the ground, her people dying.  At this point, she wasn¡¯t even sure if Joram was still alive as she could no longer feel their connection.

    And for some reason, that saddened her more than anything else.  She had been sure that Joram would be the shining star of their clan, someone to shine more brightly than any who had come before, or who would come after.

    She tried to activate the topaz Joram had given her, but then realized that she¡¯d already done that ages ago.  She even tried to contact that wretched Avi through the Network, but still couldn¡¯t feel the connection.  She tried to pull on the might of her core, but only found a shattered mess.  Her cultivation, her core was destroyed.

    Tatia noticed the quiet then.  She slowly blinked and looked over at the old man.  He¡¯d finished his monologue and was now staring at her.  Expectantly?

    She tried to spit at him, but found that her mouth wasn¡¯t working as it should.

    It was so cold.  At least she could go to sleep to avoid looking at that bastard.

    She closed her eyes.

    * * * * *

    Avi let a stream of tungsten carbide projectiles cut the cultivators in half.

    She was well pleased with the Harrier.  She¡¯d cut down those bastards in record time with it, none expecting that her weird ¡°toy¡± was capable of such a thing.

    She was distracting herself again.  This time because she was at Joram¡¯s home.  Their door had been broken down already, and these last few cultivators had been on their way in.  It was too quiet in there.

    Slowly, much slower than she expected to be moving, she crept up to the door.

    Her heart was pounding, sweat soaking her robes.

    She peeked in, then jumped back as a lightning bolt flew by her head.

    ¡°Damn it, can¡¯t believe I missed.¡±

    Avi¡¯s ears perked up at the sound of that voice.

    ¡°Sulia?  It¡¯s me, Avi,¡± she said, waving a hand in front of the open door.

    ¡°Who?¡±  The tired sounding voice asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m Joram¡¯s friend,¡± she said, peeking past the doorframe again, ready to jump back in case Sulia was trying to bait her.

    ¡°Oh, you.  Grandmother didn¡¯t like you much,¡± Sulia said, sounding a bit punch drunk.

    Avi¡¯s eyes widened as she took in the room.  There had to be a good dozen cultivators laying dead on the ground.  It was hard to count given that many were missing limbs and other, larger, parts of their bodies.  Then her beath caught.

    Ivaryn lay across Sulia¡¯s lap, missing his right arm with a good dozen arrows protruding from his chest and legs.  He wasn¡¯t breathing.

    Sulia was stroking his hair with her right hand as she stared blankly at Avi, an arrow through her upper left chest, not far from her heart.

    ¡°How¡¯s Joram doing?¡±  She asked, looking past Avi through the broken doorway.

    ¡°We need to get your wounds treated,¡± Avi said, storing the Harrier away as she quickly made her way through the carnage to where Sulia sat with her back to the wall.

    ¡°No, you need to make sure that Zaleria is OK.  I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Sulia said, still stroking Ivaryn¡¯s hair.  ¡°You know?  It¡¯s considered bad luck to name your child before they turn two.  But you know what?  I think it¡¯ll be OK, just this one time,¡± she said, laughing weakly, then coughed up some blood.

    Avi didn¡¯t hesitate to reach out and, figuratively, slap Sulia with a [Regeneration] as she pulled the arrow from her bosom, causing a nasty spurt of blood to follow the arrow out.

    Sulia blinked at her, then said ¡°Ouch,¡± before falling over, unconscious.

    After a quick scan with her omni-tool, she got up and made her way to Sulia¡¯s room.  She opened the door and looked inside, unconsciously holding her breath.

    * * * * *

    Tillia woke slowly, her head throbbing.  The first thing she registered was the headache, but the next thing she noticed was the wind.  It was colder than it should be, which then woke her up further.

    She opened her eyes, then slammed them shut again as a most nauseating and dizzying view was registered.

    She lay there for a few minutes, trying to process what was going on.

    She¡¯d been attacked, but Joram had shown up to rescue her, then¡­

    She racked her brain trying to pull up the details.

    Joram had killed one of her attackers with a single punch, then dropped the other one with a gesture.

    Then their backup came.

    Her hands tried to come up to cover her face, but didn¡¯t move.  She wrenched back and forth for a bit in fury, but eventually stopped, her wrists bleeding, her face pushed up against the thick net she was in.

    She opened her eyes and looked down at her hands and saw that they were shackled.  The metal of the shackles was darker than night, weird symbols engraved into them.  She looked at her hands and saw that her spatial ring was missing, but oddly the ring Joram had given her was still there.

    That thought brought her mind back to Joram, and what had happened after the reinforcements showed up.

    They used some sort of cooperative technique that had blasted Joram away, only leaving a smoking crater behind.

    Her stomach clenched, wanting to revolt.  With a supreme effort of will, she calmed her stomach.  To distract from her memories, she looked around.

    She was in some sort of camp, hanging in a net that dangled from a large pole.  There were lines of tents, all neatly organized.  A few campfires were already lit even though it wasn¡¯t yet night, nor was it particularly cold.  Then she noticed the cages.

    They were crude things made of rough lumber.  They were also filled with people, people she recognized.  Though they were all children under the age of about fourteen all the way to toddlers, from what she could see.

    What is going on here?  She thought as she looked around again, this time taking in any details that she could.

    There were crates of supplies stacked around, almost carelessly.  People walked around, showing off this or that to whoever they ran across.

    Her blood nearly boiled as she recognized the very same painting that had been the focus of Joram¡¯s first birthday party being shown to a small group of cultivators, a prize brought out by the conquerors.

    These were the people who¡¯d attacked the Clan and then, evidently, had sacked it.

    She looked back to the people in the cages, taking in the details.  Soot here, some blood there.  Torn clothing, disheveled attire.  The faraway, blank looks of those in shock.

    Then a sudden, terrible, realization slowly crept up on her.

    She was looking at the survivors of the Clear Knowledge Clan.

    End of Book 1

 Interlude - Altaea - 01

    Altaea ¨C 01

    This world is too weird, Altaea thought as she watched Joram train. He was getting close, close enough to be on his own without dying right away anyway.

    As much as she liked the life they¡¯d made for themselves here, she had an itch in the back of her mind, constantly reminding her of what she¡¯d lost, of what parts of her were missing.

    It was very hard to put into words, as even saying that parts of her were missing was incorrect. It was more that she was¡­ lesser? If what Joram had said was true about her Being having been somehow split apart after she¡¯d been captured by Asmodeus, then that might explain how she was feeling.

    She hadn¡¯t been this weak in almost a thousand years, not since before the Test of the Star Stone where she¡¯d grasped divinity through sheer grit and willpower. And a lot of hard work. And that elixir that Gally had made for her ¡°just in case¡±¡­. Well, there were more than a few things that contributed to her success in the Test.

    But now- again, just as Joram said it would happen!- she had been experiencing dreams of her ¡°other¡± selves; thoughts, feelings, and knowledge flowing through those transient dreams. Things that she would have never thought possible without magic. Vast constructs flying through ¡°space¡±, the void between planes- er, planets. But they could travel impossibly fast.

    Then there were the warriors that put anything Altaea had known to shame, able to literally crack planets with their mighty blows as their mighty, golden, forms shrugged off the resulting explosions.

    Then there were the Time Lords she¡¯d witnessed¡­ well, not quite ¡°witnessed¡±. Not only had another one of her selves appeared in the same realm that Shepard would be born in, but it also seemed to be a realm/universe where Time Lords also existed. Quite frankly, it was such a mishmash of things that she¡¯d thought were separate, but were somehow linked together, that she was having trouble accepting that it was real.

    Then Joram had reluctantly taken out his mostly finished stories, and even the just-started ones.

    The¡­ accuracy of those stories was more than a little bit terrifying for her.

    Her biggest question was: how? How did he know all that he knew? She, better than anyone else, knew just how mortal and frail he¡¯d been before she¡¯d transformed him into a High Elan. Heck, he¡¯d been fighting a losing battle with his own immune system and had been at the early stages of what they called colon cancer. From what she now knew of various diseases (thanks to the crazy number of textbooks he used to collect), he had had only a year or so left of life before her arrival. He hadn¡¯t even known.

    Nor would she ever tell him. It wasn¡¯t important anymore now that his body would never suffer such an ailment again, or even any ailment for that matter.

    ¡°Well done, Joram!¡± She called out as Joram finished Obstacle Course Version 1 for the first time.

    The smile that he gave her was probably the brightest smile she¡¯d seen in a century.

    - - - - -

    One good thing that remained of who she¡¯d been was the simple attribute of not needing to sleep anymore.

    Altaea sat up in an armchair, reading on a tablet as Joram slept in his room. Well, meditated to psionically rejuvenate his body and replenish his psionic reserves.

    Tomay-to, tomah-to.

    She was going over the story where her other self had landed in a galaxy far, far away in the far distant past, according to the vast majority of writings based on that galaxy anyway.

    It was eerie.

    The ¡°dreams¡± were coming more frequently now, and if what Joram said was true, then that meant that at least one of her other selves had managed to find another one of her selves and¡­ reunited. Literally.

    From what Joram told her, once two of the separated Altaeas came into contact with each other, they would reintegrate into one being, their memories, experiences, and abilities, merging once again.

    At the earliest stages, they¡¯d begin to share memories of their experiences, then knowledge gained.

    The second part was scarier than the first part, for the knowledge of new technologies was, at times, overwhelming. She¡¯d begun creating Crystal Minds of what was coming through for fear of losing any of that valuable knowledge.

    She wasn¡¯t sure if it would happen any time soon, but eventually each of the remaining Altaeas would be able to access the personal realm that each of them had, that was part of their very being.

    Altaea shook her head, wondering just how her life had become a story in another universe. Or had she been created by the collective imagination of Joram¡¯s old gaming group?

    She nearly laughed then, but stopped herself as she was loath to interrupt Joram¡¯s rest.

    Standing up, Altaea placed the tablet on the table where their laptops were located, then went outside.

    The cool mountain air was a welcome change to the recycled air in their weird apartment. She would have recycled the entire structure and remade something more comfortable for themselves if it weren¡¯t for Joram¡¯s lingering attachment to the place. To where his daughters had visited with him before their passing.

    No, it had only been a year since they¡¯d met. She wouldn¡¯t push.

    Well, not that, anyway.

    Smirk.

    She really was impressed with how well he¡¯d adapted to his physical, and mental, changes. Most newly created elans took years to adjust. It was usually quite the traumatic experience given the body dysmorphia, not to mention the way their brains changed in their basic functions.

    Joram would have been considered a treasure back home, she thought as she stared out at the two moons in the sky. Not only had he done well with the Change, but he¡¯d taken to his training with a vigour that surprised her even now. If she hadn¡¯t known better, she¡¯d have said that was a masochistic with he threw himself into his training over and over again.

    But they were seeing amazing results because of it.

    Altaea had only ever seen progress like his in times of war where people were thrown into one terrible situation after another; crucibles that would either remake the person into something stronger, or burn away those that couldn¡¯t handle it. Or weren¡¯t ready for the horrors they¡¯d face¡­.

    Looking over at the obstacle course, version 2, she smiled. He¡¯d soon be finishing this one and she was looking forward to his reaction upon seeing version 3.

    Then her smile faded as she recalled why she was so urgently training Joram.

    This world was¡­ wrong. She felt the imbalances in it, how even the moons looked all too lonely up in the vast sky.

    The memories from her other selves, especially from Lady Altaea, stirred understanding in her here, but it was vastly incomplete. What did the vagaries to time have to do with anything here? Time hadn¡¯t been one of her godly domains, so she was still doing her best to understand the flow of information and memories from Lady Altaea.

    She¡¯d learned long ago that there were no coincidences, there was only the Force¡­.

    Altaea blinked, then was taken in a vision.

    The sky was dark and filled with smoked and heavy clouds. It seemed as though she was once again flying through the sky, her destination a smoking volcano of such ominous appearance that she nearly quailed to go near. But her flight inexorably brought her closer.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    The caldera was a jagged thing of black rock, reflecting the lava pushing its was further and further, almost reaching the caldera where a tiny figure stood, shrouded in black.

    Altaea couldn¡¯t take her eyes of the figure, its robes whipping back and forth in the wind, yet the hood of their cloak never seemed to slip, always covering the figure¡¯s face.

    Then, slowly, as though they had all the time in the world, that person reached to their belt and retrieved two shining hilts, one now held in each hand. The feeling of dread now grew so strong that Altaea wished that she still had her divine protection against fear, for that was exactly what she was now feeling as she stared at that person.

    As an understanding began to bud in her mind.

    Then, as though the figure could tell what she was thinking, or maybe the winds, the hood of the figure¡¯s cloak fell back in a gust of wind, revealing Altaea staring back at her. Though, instead of her usual sapphire blue eyes she was instead staring at shining, golden, eyes that were filled with such hate, malice, and rage that it took Altaea¡¯s breath away as though she were hit in the gut.

    Altaea stumbled then, falling to her knees as the vision ended, leaving her shakings in the cool mountain air.

    ¡°What the fu-¡°

    - - - - -

    Altaea smiled at Joram as he completed the third obstacle course, shattering records that he knew nothing about. She was incredibly impressed with his growth, in skill, ability, emotionally, and physically.

    She¡¯d watched many movies with Joram in the past year and a half, and always loved watching the one with that Arnold guy. With how well she read body language, it was a treat watching his films. That tangent aside, Joram was very much resembling Arnold in his youth. Sure, Joram was much cuter, and his muscles weren¡¯t just there because he knew how to press iron, but¡­.

    Where had she been going with that?

    Meh.

    Joram¡¯s training was fantastic. Another year or two would see him complete his training and become the second gestalt High Elan that she knew of. Herself being the first that is.

    But then she was reminded of her own training, and of her own projects. She very nearly frowned.

    Then Joram was there, chatting up a storm, so she set her [Schism] to responding to him while she worked through other problems.

    She was getting close to completing her virtual intelligence, something to help them after they set out to explore the world. She was also working on a library to contain the staggering amount of knowledge that was now flowing through the almost constant connection she had with the other Altaeas.

    Maybe there¡¯s a way to improve [Schism] so that I can get extra minds to help with all this¡­? She mused, then got back on topic.

    There had, apparently, been enough Altaeas rejoining that she now had shared access to their personal realm again, though it was still a bit odd. It was like two bubbles touching, though one was staggeringly larger than the other, hers. That said, she could now sense what was in that other realm, and she¡¯d found some interesting things.

    Not to deprive her other self of (possibly) needed resources, she¡¯d tried copying them, but had only managed a partial success. Sure, the ezo hadn¡¯t been too hard to duplicate, but she hadn¡¯t had any luck with the bit of coral that was so infused with Time Principles that it veritably shone like the sun.

    She didn¡¯t need all of it, but she hadn¡¯t quite figured out how to get a small piece off yet. She was sure that if she was able to integrate a small fragment of that coral that she¡¯d be able to get a better understanding of the world she and Joram found themselves in. That maybe she¡¯d be able to finally get to the bottom of why the world felt so wrong.

    Coming back to the conversation with Joram, she was pleased that he¡¯d suggested a celebratory pizza and Coke.

    Yes, there wasn¡¯t anywhere to go out and buy more soda in this world, but it wasn¡¯t too hard to duplicate the molecular structure and make more with an augmented [Modify Matter]. From there, they¡¯d also done some work to recreate some of the ingredients that he¡¯d been missing, and voila! Pizza and Coke!

    Now, she knew that neither of them needed to actually eat anything, but it was nice to indulge from time-to-time.

    It also helped that pizza was practically a divine food.

    - - - - -

    Altaea smiled as she finally got a shard of coral off the larger piece in Lady Altaea¡¯s realm.

    She then checked where Joram was through her Network and found that he was in the smithy. With a quick check of her recent memories- [Schism] was so damn useful- she recalled that Joram had only just gone in. Meaning that she would have the better part of the day to herself.

    She made her way to her favourite chair, walking instead of either flying or just teleporting there. It seemed more appropriate for what was to come, to actually walk.

    Having sat down, Altaea summoned the shard of coral and stared at it for a moment before shrugging and absorbing it.

    She¡¯d done the same for various magical substances and items over the years, each one had been a different experience. And this one didn¡¯t change that trend. Though it did blow all the rest of them out of the water.

    She had, in her youth, experimented with many¡­ mind expanding substances when she was trying to unlock her psionic potential¡­ and for other reasons. That said, this was one of the trippiest experiences that she¡¯d ever had, including fights where she had fought with monsters specialized in mental attacks.

    Time went from being what one could call the normal flow, to goings slower than molasses in winter. She watched as what looked like a bee, though much more aggressive-looking with all those spiny protrusions on it, flew by. Well, that was an exaggeration. It almost looked like it was floating in place, its wings frozen in place. After what seemed like an Age, she noticed that the wings had moved a fraction of a millimetre.

    Altaea closed her eyes.

    Or tried to. Her eyelids moved even slower than the bee¡¯s wings had, making glacial movement seem like a high-speed chase in comparison.

    Once her eyes were closed though, Altaea then focussed on sensing anything unusual around her, anything that she could latch on to.

    It took another Age or three for a memory to spring into her head, then a particular¡­ flavour of mana made itself known to her. After that, her world veritably exploded with understanding.

    Altaea opened her eyes again, this time taking the normal time to do so, but when she perceived her environment she found that everything was still in that slowed, almost paused, state. But that wasn¡¯t all.

    It seemed as though she was seeing everything through, what Joram would call, a ¡°filter¡±. The new mana that she sensed- or maybe that wasn¡¯t the right classification for it- was everywhere, interacting, emanating from, and working upon everything that she could sense.

    Then another memory made itself known, and her jaw nearly dropped.

    Joram had many of what people called ¡°light novels¡±, mostly of the wuxia, xianxia, and isekai persuasions. In those, many people described various Laws of their universe. From fire to water, wood and metal. Things like sword intent, arrays, and formations.

    What she was seeing, what she was experiencing, was the Law of Time; she was sure of it. And, much like the various spells and powers that dealt with time, she was currently the subject of this particular manifestation of the Law of Time.

    With not an inconsiderable amount of trial and error, Altaea eventually managed to change her flow of time to more closely match that of ¡°regular¡± time, if that were indeed a thing.

    The ¡°bee¡± buzzed past on its way to a patch of flowers Joram was tending. But before it could go too far, Altaea stretched out her¡­ intent? Yeah, that worked. She stretched out her intent and ¡°caught¡± the bee mid-air where it ¡°stopped¡± as though caught in an invisible spiderweb.

    She then spent the next while studying how the Law of Time moved and flowed around the insect, noticing that the external flows of Time were now hardly touching the thing, though the Time flowing out from it remained the same.

    Did that mean that the bee was still aging while being ¡°frozen¡± in time?

    More testing required!

    - - - - -

    Altaea was pleased with the progress that both she and Joram had made over the last two years. Well, not quite two years, but very close.

    He¡¯d managed to finish his monastic training as well as his psionic training. Well, ¡°finish¡± was a bit much. He was at a place where any improvements would have to come from himself, fortuitous encounters, or inspiration, as he was now firmly in the area of ¡°I¡¯ve finished what they¡¯ve taught me in school, now I just need to experience life to further my understanding of the world!¡±.

    He was also ready for the last step in his transformation to become like her: his personal realm.

    It was hard needing to leave, especially after seeing how much love and effort he put into that statuette of the two of them, but she could no longer wait. There was a¡­ pull. Something was calling to her. And something told her that it would be catastrophic to ignore that pull.

    So, she needed to leave.

    But before that, she needed to make sure that Joram had the help that he needed to survive out there without her to keep an eye on him.

    So, she pocketed- stored away- the statuette and looked at Jeeves. He was remarkably well-made, with a sound underlying structure. He¡¯d need to be a wee bit bigger though¡­.

    Altaea got to work, adding archive after archive to the psicrystal, all meant to be released at various points in Joram¡¯s development and progress. In went everything that she¡¯d learned from her Other Self that used the Force, while more went in that came from that weird universe that had both Time Lords and Mass Effect in it. Then there was the Asgardian Library that yet Another Self had managed to get a hold of before that ¡°planet¡± blew up.

    So on and so forth.

    Was this a lot? Absolutely.

    Was it necessary? Not really, but she was more than a little nervous about what called to her and what the outcome might entail.

    And so, she dumped everything that she knew into the libraries being build into Jeeves. Well, it was being a bit over-written at the moment, so ¡°Jeeves¡± was sent back to Joram¡¯s psyche so that he wouldn¡¯t lose that part of himself.

    And that was how the Altaea V.I. was imprinted onto Joram¡¯s psicrystal along with everything that every Altaea out there knew and had learned in their time apart. It was, quite frankly, a staggering amount of knowledge, schematics, blueprints, and anything else she could put in there.

    Because¡­.

    Well, because she had high hopes that Joram, with everything that she was able to leave with him, would one day be able to follow her home.

    She didn¡¯t know what the future would hold, nor did she really want to know, but she¡¯d hedge her bets as best she could in the hopes of seeing Joram again one day. That included leaving anything else along her way that she hoped he would be able to find.

    Altaea shook her head, not wanting to have those sorts of expectations, but instead just hoping. Hoping that he would really follow after her. Hoping that he¡¯d survive this very violent world. Hoping that his heart wouldn¡¯t change too much over however-long it would take him to find her.

    Deep breath in, long exhale.

    Altaea closed her eyes, refocussing her thoughts on what she still needed to accomplish.

    Joram needed his personal realm made and stabilized. He needed some resources to make sure that he¡¯d have enough to get by with. And he needed that guide/companion/teacher/mentor/friend that she hoped Altaea V.I. would be for him.

    She looked down at the crystal in her hand and smiled.

    This was the best that she could do for him.

    It would have to do.

 Start of Book 2 - Chapter 040

    Book 02

    Chapter 040

    Joram woke up with a start. He quickly looked around, then groaned in pain.

    He¡¯d managed to get to the point where he could be out and about, and even do some light exercise. This, this has been anything but.

    He pushed off the largest boulders first, careful to not start another rockslide as he worked. From what he could tell, whatever they¡¯d hit him with had been strong, strong enough to blast him across the valley and part way into a cliff face. As he stood up, he pulled an outfit from his storage, used [Cleanse], and got dressed again.

    In the distance he could see that he was too late, never mind the fact that the sun was already behind the mountains off to his left, er, west. From what he could see, the Clan Home was burnt to the ground, as was Brightside.

    He took a deep breath, fearful of what he¡¯d find when he checked his Network. Would they still be alive? Or would they all be gone? Or some gone while others remained?

    He took stock of his physical condition first, for it he was in no condition to fight, then who could he help?

    After a moment he gave a weak grin. The Adamantium Body Technique really lived up to its name; there wasn¡¯t a scratch on him. But there were more than a few bruises. With another thought, [Mend Body] flowed through his system, immediately healing what little damage there was. He took another breath and manifested [Schism], getting his war potential back up to its maximum.

    He was stalling, putting off what he needed to do next.

    He took another, longer breath this time and tore off the band-aid, as it were, and checked his Network.

    What he found was both a relief and a shock.

    His mother was still there, but not his father. He took solace that his little sister was also still there, though.

    Xixi was there, for he had made sure to get her to safety at least. Lysanthir was also there. But not Gran and Gramps.

    Neither was Grammy.

    He felt a lump forming in his throat and had to sit down again. He looked again at the distant Clan Home, a tear rolling down his cheek. Then another, then many more.

    ¡®Joram?! Are you OK?¡¯ Avi¡¯s voice came through the Network straight into his mind.

    ¡®Ah, yeah. I just¡­¡¯ he paused then started up again. ¡®What¡¯s the situation?¡¯

    ¡®Well, it¡¯s over now¡­¡¯ Avi sent, then proceeded to recount what she¡¯d done for the past twelve hours or so.

    She started at the beginning, of how she¡¯d immediately used [Schism] to maximize her efficiency in her search and rescue efforts. It was a tragic tale of being too late most of the time, not getting there quite fast enough.

    She blamed herself for not getting to Aloralla fast enough to save her life, but Joram took heart in the fact that Avi had managed to at least save Xixi¡¯s sisters.

    All this time, Avi had been going around retrieving the bodies of the deceased. She hadn¡¯t been able to find a census, so it was hard to get the actual numbers of the deceased, to know just how bad things were.

    Aside from the twins, Avi had managed to save his mother and sister, confirming that his father hadn¡¯t made it.

    He took a moment to grieve that, and the others Avi confirmed deceased. For as strong as he was, he was still too weak. He thought that he¡¯d been amazing, progressing so fast even with his setbacks.

    She confirmed that Gran and Gramps had died, though they¡¯d left eight times their number in dead behind.

    Grammy, though, had been found in critical condition, her cultivation shattered, and body broken. Avi reported that someone strong enough to be able to take out Tatia Aneath was still vulnerable to projectiles going 1/10<sup>th</sup> the speed of light, protective shields or not.

    Joram grinned at that. Well, at least Grammy wouldn¡¯t have to stew over that too much. He didn¡¯t know how to go about healing someone¡¯s cultivation, but that suddenly became a priority.

    ¡®The Library is gone,¡¯ she continued. ¡®They demolished it before leaving. I haven¡¯t been able to get in there to¡­ inspect the damage.¡¯

    He paused, taking that in. He knew, deep down, that the lives of everyone who¡¯d lived here were much more important than books, encyclopedias, textbooks, manuals, records, and whatnot. At the same time, it built a fury in him. A slow-burning thing that would see those responsible perish for their sacrilege.

    He¡¯d studied history, to an extent, and every time that records showed the burning of libraries, the accumulated knowledge of a society or even an entire civilization, it hurt. It hurt that people could be so ignorant, so¡­ evil as to destroy what countless others had fought to preserve over the years, decades, or centuries. That that same crime was repeated in this world hit him just as hard as losing most of his family.

    Again, he knew that he was skirting the issue he wanted broached, to know what had happened¡­

    ¡®I couldn¡¯t find Tillia,¡¯ Avi volunteered, probably knowing that he¡¯d been avoiding the issue. ¡®I found a half-melted, half-blown-out crater, lots of blood, but no Tillia.¡¯

    He thought for a moment before replying.

    ¡®The blood was likely from the first person I killed,¡¯ he sent, going over the short fight in his head. ¡®I [Decerebrate]d a second attacker, but not before he used a talisman to call for help. They used some sort of array to hit me with some sort of super-condensed fire beam.¡¯

    ¡®That would explain the hole,¡¯ Avi murmured.

    ¡®And why it didn¡¯t do much to me,¡¯ he finished, then [Teleport]ed back to Tillia¡¯s house. Or what was left of it.

    Aside from scattered debris from several explosions, the remainder of the home was ashes and heaps of burnt-out wreckage.

    Except for his brief visit to try and save Tillia, he¡¯d not had a chance to visit her. Nor had he really been allowed to, per se. Not like that would have stopped him.

    No, his own tendency for procrastination had been the root cause. He¡¯d thought that he¡¯d gotten over that long ago, but evidently not. He sighed, looked around again and then started walking back to the ruins of his home.

    - - - - -

    He passed through Brightside, pausing from time to time to inspect this or that.

    Megami¡¯s shop/smithy had been looted, the place trashed. He took a few minutes to nudge through this and that in the old forge, picking up anything that seemed useful. In one case, he transferred an entire forge to his Realm as it still seemed worth keeping. Enchanted materials and all that.

    A few pieces of ore that were missed and added to the pile, then the slag heap out back that hadn¡¯t been taken care of yet. He did a quick [Delve] to see if there were any hidden compartments that he¡¯d missed, and was pleasantly surprised to find that he had indeed missed something.

    Megami, it seems, had been quite cautious. There was a hidden door in the floor, concealed by a small yet amazingly efficient enchantment/array. He took a moment to commit it to memory before unceremoniously breaking it so that he could get to the hidden room-

    And ducked as a hammer was thrown at his head with such force that it blew out the wall behind him, and the several behind that one.

    ¡°You won¡¯t take me without a fight!¡± Megami yelled from where she stood at the base of the short stairway.

    Joram peeked over the ledge, eyes wide. If that hammer had hit him, it likely would have done some serious harm.

    ¡°Umm, miss Megami?¡± Joram started, ready to jump back should another hammer make its way towards him. ¡°They¡¯re all gone now; it¡¯s safe.¡±

    ¡°Who¡­ are you?¡± Megami asked squinting up at him, suddenly reminding him of Hadvar with how she asked her question.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s me, Joram,¡± he said, suddenly very aware of how different he now looked, especially since he wasn¡¯t wearing the traditional clan attire. Well, or anything resembling clan attire that is.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Joram supposed to be, like, eight years old?¡± She asked him dubiously. ¡°And isn¡¯t he a cripple?¡±

    Joram¡¯s eyebrow twitched.

    ¡°I had a bit of a growth spurt after an accident with my cultivation got ironed out,¡± he said, trying very hard to ignore the ¡°cripple¡± comment.

    Megami eyed him a bit longer before obviously discounting him as a threat to her, then another thought occurred to her.

    ¡°Wait. How did you break the array? That thing should keep out anyone below tier 5!¡±

    ¡°Ah, well, I¡¯m just good with arrays,¡± he said with a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of his head with his left hand. ¡°Anyways, the survivors are all gathering up the hill, by the remains of the Clan Home. If you want to come, feel free to do so,¡± he finished with a wave of his hand.

    He¡¯d been eager to meet her a few years ago, but with everything that had happened, well, he was a bit over it. Sure, she was a pretty fox beast-kin (the kind that really only had the ears and tail that was so popular in manga back home), but she was kind of rude.

    Now, it was probably the stress of the current situation, but he was a firm believer in ¡°don¡¯t let the shit you¡¯re going through affect how you treat others¡± kind of person.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡°Ah, sorry,¡± Megami said, making a quick motion to her surroundings, the basement. ¡°Could you help me gather a few things? Most of my most valuable stuff is kept down here, you see,¡± she finished, not quite looking him in the eye.

    Maybe she has a bit of self awareness after all¡­? He thought, deciding that he would indeed help her.

    ¡°Sure, just let me know what to grab.¡±

    Going down the steep flight of stairs, he was impressed with just how much room Megami had down there. The room had to be at least a hundred square metres with shelves, bins, and crates taking up most of the available floor space. There was a small area off to the side that looked like a sleeping/food prep area, but it was so small that it reminded him of cramped university dorm rooms.

    Peeking into a bin here and there, Joram realized that Megami hadn¡¯t been kidding when she had said that the most valuable stuff was down here.

    There were completed pieces ranging from garden tools to armour to weapons.

    There was also a considerable stockpile of crafting resources ranging from organic (beast parts) to inorganic. It was quite the collection for a ¡°small town¡± blacksmith.

    ¡°Do you know anything of smithing?¡± Megami asked from beside him.

    He looked over and realized that even though he wasn¡¯t full-grown yet, that he was the same height as her.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve worked on a few things. Mostly mundane though,¡± he said, taking in her auburn colouring, though her hair was a bit redder than brown.

    Megami¡¯s eyes widened slightly at his claim, but he didn¡¯t say anything else, so she spoke.

    ¡°I¡¯ll mark the most important things to bring out, as I don¡¯t think that we¡¯ll be able to take most of this away.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Joram said, waving a hand theatrically in front of the bin that he was inspecting, causing it to vanish.

    Megami¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of her face, then muttered something about rich kids that he chose to ignore. ¡°Well, let me know if you¡¯re running low on space so that I can be sure to get everything important.¡±

    He just nodded and went about storing everything away in his realm, not bothering to take anything out of their containers to ¡°save space¡± like most people did. However, this confused him somewhat, as having things stacked in crates was a great way to save space, not to mention how it kept everything organized.

    Megami¡¯s jaw dropped, then continued to lower until it was nearly touching her chest as he cleared out the room.

    ¡°Just how rich is your clan?!¡± She finally exclaimed after snapping her mouth closed and wiping away the drool.

    ¡°I¡¯d say we¡¯re destitute,¡± he replied with a deadpan expression, which sobered her up quickly.

    ¡°I, ah¡­¡± she started. ¡°I haven¡¯t been up yet¡­.¡± She finished in almost a whisper, ears drooping, tail sagging.

    She was the picture of a beloved family pet that had been scolded. And thinking about that, it threw him for a bit of a loop. In no universe was it OK for anyone to view another sapient species as a pet, or lesser, or any of that crap. But the conditioning from Earth regarding pets, namely the ones with fluffy ears and tails that begged to be played with because they were so cute and fluffy¡­ well. To say the least: he was having a hard time not scooping her up and cuddling away the sadness in her.

    *Ahem*

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he said, finishing up in the basement, having already stored away even the living space and all that it contained. ¡°Let¡¯s just head out and meet-up with everyone else.

    Megami nodded, standing a little taller, her ears lifting just a bit higher as she nodded. So, he led the way upstairs and through the wreckage of Brightside as he watched Megami¡¯s head swing back and forth as she took in the devastation and utter silence. There were no kids running through the streets, no vendors hawking their wares, no people stopped to gossip in the streets. Slowly, her ears and tail once again drooped down and she began to walk a bit closer to him, seemingly fearful of something happening.

    As they made their way back up the wide mountain road to the remains of the Clan Home a rock fell, causing a clatter in the deathly-silence that enveloped their small part of the world, causing Megami to jump and grab his arm.

    He was surprised at just how strong her grip was for such a slight frame, but really shouldn¡¯t have been considering that she was an accomplished blacksmith and all. Through the touch, though, he could feel that she was only just into the Third Tier (well, 4<sup>th</sup>, if you consider the ¡°Body Tempering¡± realm to be the First Tier like the Cultivators do), while her Mental Strength was well into the mid Fourth Tier, which greatly surprised him. Until, once again, he remembered that anyone in the non-mundane crafting fields would need to be proficient in Mental Strength to be considered passable.

    Well, anyone who practiced Alchemy anyways.

    Which led to more questions than he had energy to ask.

    With that thought, he made a few mental notes to follow-up with those questions at a later time, when things weren¡¯t so¡­ up in the air.

    That didn¡¯t stop Megami though, as she turned to him with a shocked look on her face.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your cultivation?! How is your arm so hard when I can¡¯t sense any cultivation from you?¡± She asked, her words coming so fast that it was getting hard to understand her. ¡°Wait, I can sense Mental Strength from you¡­¡± she trailed off, her eyes going unfocussed for a moment while she, presumedly, checked his Mental Strength. ¡°How¡¯re you so strong?!¡±

    As she spoke, her grip on his arm kept tightening to the point that if he hadn¡¯t practiced the Adamantium Body Technique, he was sure that she¡¯d have snapped it right off.

    ¡°If I weren¡¯t, I¡¯d have lost my arm by now,¡± he said, not unkindly. To which she replied with a blush that was nearly as dark as her hair. ¡°Like I said, I¡¯ve been cultivating. I just happened to have a¡­ fortuitous¡­ incident that allowed me to progress so well,¡± he said by way of explanation, but also not explaining anything at all.

    Megami seemed determined to show him what a fish out of water looked like, as her mouth opened and closed several times without a sound escaping from it. Eventually, she regained enough composure to squeak out her next question.

    ¡°Any way for me to replicate the same incident?¡±

    Joram laughed, then began walking again. Megami hurried to catch up, still blushing furiously.

    ¡°No, there¡¯s not chance of that,¡± he said when she caught up. ¡°But I can see about getting you some more training.¡±

    The questions didn¡¯t stop there but continued until they reached the plateau-like area the Clan Home had rested upon, the sight widening Megami¡¯s eyes and closing her mouth.

    Avi had shared a few images while they¡¯d conversed, but seeing the desolation in person was like getting punched in the stomach.

    Where majestic buildings had once stood for thousands of years, there was now just ruins, rubble, and ash. Everywhere he looked he could see nothing except desolation. Even the side of the mountain where the Library had been was now collapsed, the remains of an avalanche covering where the modest doors had once been.

    The only person in sight was Avi, standing there in what looked like Jedi robes. The ensemble was complete with what looked like a mithril handled lightsaber dangling from her hip. Though, the- what looked like a- Cerberus Harrier slung over her shoulder threw off the image a bit.

    Megami¡¯s grip on his arm tightened once again when she noticed Avi standing there, evidently not sure if she was a friend or foe.

    After brief introductions, Avi opened a portal to Joram¡¯s realm/soulspace.

    ¡°If you¡¯d follow me miss Megami, I¡¯ll show you were you can stay,¡± she said with a smile that made him think that she would be the most professional hotel clerk he¡¯d ever meet.

    Megami reluctantly followed Avi through the portal. It winked out a moment later as Avi sent him a message.

    ¡®I¡¯ll take care of everyone here. You should have a look to see what you can find, and salvage, of the Library.¡¯

    Joram sent along a mental nod as he made his way over to where the entryway to the Library was buried. It looked as though the mountain had partially collapsed, likely filling the insides of the Library with thousands, if not millions, of tonnes of rock.

    He¡¯d much rather check no his mother and the rest of his family than work on excavating and salvaging what was left of the Library, but he knew himself. He¡¯d likely break down the moment he saw his mother. Just the thought of it nearly broke him, more than a few tears coming to his eyes as his jaw clenched and bottom lip trembled.

    He¡¯d not spent nearly as much time with his parents as he would have liked, and that sting, that pain, nearly dropped him right there. No more would he have a chance to get to know his father. Get to learn more of his quirks, likes, dislikes, or hear of the many amazing things he¡¯d experienced and witnessed.

    No more would he sit with this father, chatting about this or that. Learning. Just spending time with him.

    Joram balled a fist and brought it down like a hammer on his thigh to bring himself out of that downward spiral. It worked, but the impact was such that the shockwave created by the impact disintegrated his clothing, once again leaving him naked.

    Joram blushed furiously before summoning another set of clothing from his realm to cloth himself. He was very glad that he¡¯d practiced getting dressed that way; having the clothes appear directly on him instead of having to manually get dressed.

    He took a few breaths, then a few more to settle himself, then got to work.

    Since I really don¡¯t know how to properly use the new psijic energy, I¡¯ll just go with what I know!

    ¡°[Modify Matter, Superior],¡± he quietly spoke, energy flowing out of him in waves. It had been a Psionic Power that he¡¯d worked on with Altaea, a much improved version of a much lower-level power that he¡¯d always thought of as one of the best Powers ever. Sure, there were many others that could do damage or other wondrous things, but as a crafter at heart, that Power had resonated in his soul. It was probably why he¡¯d decided to be a [Shaper/Monk] instead of another combination.

    The psionic energy flowed out of him and into the mountain, but left him with a sudden realization.

    If what he was feeling was at all accurate, then his ¡°Manifester Level¡± had vastly increased.

    Did it have anything to do with how he¡¯d been using the cultivation methods of Mental Strength?

    Then he remembered that even though practitioners of Mental Strength could have ridiculous power output, they had very little finesse with that power.

    But with how Altaea had taught him, how she had painstakingly ingrained the teachings of meticulousness and efficiency. Using the least amount of power for maximum output and effect.

    Heck, as practice for that Altaea had even made him take the [Matter Agitation] Power and streamline its efficiency to the point where he¡¯d made it a talent, the equivalent of a magical cantrip. It was a power that could start off warming the target, but would increase the agitation of its molecules, effectively raising the heat of the target, until it would get so hot that it could melt softer metals. Now, melting something like lead would take almost twenty seconds or so, but that was still crazy.

    That said, with those teachings, he¡¯d worked with Altaea and created [Modify Matter, Superior], which meant that he could affect a ridiculous amount of materials at one time. Which meant that the landslide in front of him began to¡­ flow into another shape.

    To an outside observer, it looked like hundreds of feet of stone had suddenly liquified and began flowing into a new shape. In this case, something that looked like a giant torii. It stood at least one hundred feet tall, each of its supporting pillars a good twelve feet in diameter, its majestic ¡°roof¡± turning up slightly at the ends and wide enough to keep many people dry in the rain.

    Joram stopped the Power and regarded his handiwork for a moment before more stone collapsed behind the torii. He squatted down, then activated [Delve] to its limit, giving him the entire structural layout of the mountain before him in moments.

    He frowned, then passed off [Delve] to Kinkade. He then activated [Modify Matter, Superior] once again, but this time augmenting it to its limit. With the knowledge of the layout of the mountain, the Library, and the many structural weaknesses now found in the mountain, he got to work.

    It took him almost an hour, and left him drenched in the sweat of exhaustion, but he¡¯d managed to not only excavate the entirety of the Library, but had also repaired the damage done to its structure.

    Joram lay there, under the massive torii, taking in deep breaths as he enjoyed the cool stone under his back and the view of the setting sun.

    He was also procrastinating because he¡¯d found things that disturbed him.

    Of the hundreds of remains that he¡¯d found, there were dozens that didn¡¯t fit the genetic profile of the town. He¡¯d separated the remains as best he could, but most could barely fill a thimble. After separating them, he¡¯d encased each in a small bit of jade, the same kind he¡¯d used to preserve natural treasures like fruit and herbs and such.

    He didn¡¯t know who most of them were, but he had identified Healer Reursa amongst the remains of what he called the ¡°strangers¡±. Probably the invaders. He¡¯d run the numbers later, probably pawning that off onto one of Altaea¡¯s super-computers or something. He wasn¡¯t an expert in forensics, so it would probably take a while to get any results.

    At any rate, he was done for now, and somewhat pleased, even with everything that had happened and what he¡¯d found.

    The sections closest to what he¡¯d now call ¡°Ground Zero¡± had been hit the worst. Records there were nothing but carbon scoring on the walls that had then been blasted to bits.

    But the further into the Library he looked, more and more documents, records, etc., had survived. That was probably what had taken him the longest to fix up. It was hard remaking shelving and such while making sure to not damage those records further than they had been.

    It wasn¡¯t like he and Avi hadn¡¯t made copies of most of it, but it felt like it would be the height of disrespect to damage those records that had been loved by countless generations of his family any further than they had already been.

    He sighed, looking up at the underside of the roof that was a good forty feet from front to back and almost one hundred feet wide.

    It was a bit showy.

    He grinned.

    He¡¯d have to remove any cultivation, alchemy, or crafting techniques that were considered ¡°secret¡± by various powers out there, but keeping the genealogies, histories, and general education sections intact shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Not to mention the conventional side of the Library that contained various poetry and fictional writings that the Clan had considered important enough to preserve.

    Yes, the Library would undergo a change, that was certain.

    The Clan would also undergo a great change of philosophy.

    ¡°Hmmm, a new Prime Directive. Primus Directive? Nah, the Latin sounds too¡­ lame? Yeah, lame. I¡¯ll just call it Prime Directive. I wonder what Grammy with think of it?¡±

 Chapter 041

    Chapter 041

    Joram: Hmm, I should probably get you back into a psicrystal, eh Kinkade?

    Kinkade: That would be appreciated.

    Joram nodded, then concentrated to speed up the formation of a psicrystal.  Normally, it would take about a day for one to reform, but these were more¡­ pseudo psicrystals than anything.

    A few minutes later, he¡¯d created Kinkade¡¯s psicrystal.  It would take him a few hours to re-enchant his psicrystal just the way he liked it, so Joram just shifted him back to his realm, though into the lab that he¡¯d been using for his research.

    No need to scare anyone after all.

    With that done, he stood up and made his way through the now huge doors that matched the epic-looking torii in front of the Library.  No more would this place be kept a secret, forever suffering from anonymity.

    No, he¡¯d make this the go-to place for Waeryn Continent to learn of history, browse an unparalleled selection of literature.  Work on genealogy.

    Yes, it would take a while, and it would take him recreating the teleportation network that had been lost with the Clan Home.  But he would build it up again.  He would make this place glorious!

    *Grumble-grrrrr-squeeee*

    With a blushing face, Joram touched his stomach and realized that a good deal of his ¡°inherent¡± abilities were ¡°turned off¡±.

    He closed his eyes and quickly turned them back on again.  Even if [Sustenance] was running, he could still eat food.  And food sounded like just what he needed right then.

    Though, before he left, he stopped at the landing where the portal had been and sighed.  He¡¯d not been able to restore that particular portal.

    He¡¯d get to it after dinner.

    * * * * *

    Even with her ¡°helpers¡±, Avi was having a time of it.

    The people that she¡¯d managed to rescue were all in shock, but almost everyone was showing it in different ways.

    Some sat, staring at a wall, or their teacup, or at the ceiling.  It didn¡¯t matter where their eyes were directed, they all had the same vacant look of a person who¡¯s world had shattered.

    Others took to mundane chores and to helping serve others¡­ not unlike the various droids who¡¯d normally be doing those tasks.  She¡¯d had to hide them away for fear of causing a stir.  No way to know if someone would react poorly to a ¡°golem¡± that they couldn¡¯t sense magic from.

    And then there were the few who thought their conversations and planning was ¡°quiet enough¡± to not be overheard.

    She¡¯d had to erect a privacy barrier, this one designed to negate sound, to keep them from disturbing the other survivors.  Their talk of rebuilding and then gathering enough power to take revenge wasn¡¯t going to help anyone right now.  On the contrary, it would likely cause much harm.  People needed to heal, not plan out revenge.

    Sure, that was how some people coped, but it wasn¡¯t for everyone.

    Avi looked around the food court in the Villa, not quite sure how to start.  Yes, Altaea had left her many memories, but most of them revolved around knowledge of technology, magic, and psionics.  There was very little that involved people management.

    Well, if popular culture was correct, then starting with food had been a good choice.  Then accommodations for everyone.

    She really needed to find some sort of war/grief counsellors to help these people through this tragedy.

    Avi watched as Sulia mechanically brought Zaleria to her exposed breast to suckle, not even trying to cover herself up.  What was more shocking was that no one batted an eyelash, or even noticed.

    As for right now, she had people packed into whatever space she could find, many rooms with eight people crammed into them.  She had her production facilities running at capacity producing textiles that would then be made into sheets, blankets, mattresses, and anything else they might need.  Probably a lot of clothing, as those present only had what they were wearing.

    Then she sensed Joram¡¯s arrival and heaved a sigh of relief as he walked through the patio door attached to the food court.  Well, it was really more of a large cafeteria given that there wasn¡¯t a variety of restaurants available.

    Avi shrugged the thought away as she approached Joram as he in turn made his way to his mother, having spotted her almost immediately upon entering.

    Sulia looked up in confusion for a moment before her eyes registered Joram¡¯s approach.  Avi guessed that he¡¯d sent her an invitation to the Network, then got confirmation as she sensed Sulia¡¯s presence appear.

    She couldn¡¯t hear what was said, but she also felt Zaleria¡¯s presence in the Network a moment later.

    Joram hugged Sulia after a moment of staring into her glassy eyes, then helped her to her feet while Zaleria continued to suckle.  He then produced what looked like a plaid covering done in light tans and earth tones and draped it over Sulia¡¯s shoulder, and over Zaleria, before taking her free hand and leading her back outside.

    Avi itched to be there for Joram, but knew that Sulia needed the time with her son.

    ¡°Excuse me, miss¡­?¡±  Someone interrupted her thoughts from behind.

    She turned and saw an older woman.  Well, someone who looked like she was in her mid thirties.  Avi then placed her, realizing that it was Annalee, accompanied by Thuridan, Tillia¡¯s parents.

    ¡°Just call me Avi,¡± she replied, a smile replacing her previous expression.

    ¡°Miss Avi,¡± Annalee started, looked to her husband, then continued after getting the briefest of nods.  ¡°We were wondering if we could help with anything¡­?¡±

    Avi continued to smile as she noticed several other people paying attention to their conversation, especially when she realized that most were interested in also helping.

    With one last glance towards the patio door Joram had slipped out of, she turned and began to develop her people management skills.

    * * * * *

    ¡°Are you OK?¡±  His mother asked, still sounding a million miles away.

    Joram took in her appearance, noting a hole in her blowse near her heart.  She¡¯d taken off the small blanket once they¡¯d seated themselves at the edge of the gardens under the shade of a flowering tree with petals similar to cherry blossoms, except these were a pale yellow with vibrant blue streaks running down their length.

    He knew shock when he saw it as he¡¯d seen it in the mirror every day for almost a year after his daughters¡¯ passing.  This wouldn¡¯t be easy, nor would it be fast.  For either of them.

    ¡°As well as can be expected,¡± he said, reaching out a hand to take hers.

    She just blinked as she looked down at his hand, now larger than hers as she held a now sleeping Zaleria with her other arm.

    Sulia looked up and stared at the vast orchards, fields, and gardens laid out before them.  Slowly, ever so slowly, a spark of life could be seen in her eyes.  Slowly growing and shrinking, but suddenly blazed brightly and tears began to flow.

    Joram quickly used [Create Object], shaping it into a crib with a comfortable mattress and linens.  He then took Zaleria as Sulia covered her face with both hands and began to weep, then sob, then outright cry.

    He quickly used [Sleep] through the Network to make sure that Zaleria wouldn¡¯t wake, placed her gently into the crib, and embraced his crying mother.

    He probably could have said exactly how long he held his mourning mother, but he too lost himself not long into the hug as his own emotions caught up with him.

    The Realm was long dark by the time they separated, their tears and mucus having finally run dry.  Sulia gazed up at the night sky, devoid of any moons, but filled with the stars Joram had grown up with.  Well, not real stars, but still points of light in the otherwise dark sky.

    ¡°We¡¯re not on Dovaynia, are we?¡±  She finally asked as she looked at him.

    ¡°No, we¡¯re in my personal Realm,¡± he replied simply.

    Sulia snorted a laugh then.  ¡°Said so casually,¡± she said, shaking her head.  ¡°From anyone else, I¡¯d call them a braggart or a liar.¡±

    Joram let out his old chuckle/grunt, then turned red as his voice broke while doing that, causing Sulia to also laugh.

    *aHEm*

    ¡°Well, it was the safest place for everyone, so I figured that it wouldn¡¯t matter if the cat came out of the bag, as it were.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t hesitate to share this place,¡± she said with a soft smile.

    ¡°Well, it was actually Avi that started bringing people here first,¡± he said, embarrassed.  ¡°I was a bit¡­ unconscious at the time.¡±

    Sulia smiled a sad smile.  ¡°She¡¯s a good¡­ helper?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she is,¡± he said, ignoring the question.  ¡°There¡¯s still a lot to do, and I¡¯m told that Avi has already retrieved¡­ who she could.¡±  He had to stop then to swallow a rather large lump in his throat.

    ¡°Ah,¡± was all his mother said to that.

    ¡°Yeah.  Well, there¡¯s plenty of time to take care of all that,¡± he started, wishing that his voice was more stable.  ¡°Let¡¯s get everyone resettled first, though.  I¡¯ll be busy in the next couple of days, but please talk to me when you need,¡± he said, once again taking her hand while staring intently into her eyes, trying to get through to her the utmost sincerity of his words.

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    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Joram, I will,¡± she said with a smile and a squeeze of his hand.  ¡°We¡¯ll need to take stock of who is left¡­ and what we have, then go from there.¡±

    ¡°Rest assured, mum, I¡¯ll get things sorted.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will,¡± she said, then pinched his cheek.  Or tried to but couldn¡¯t quite get a grip on his unnaturally tough skin.  ¡°Let us adults take care of getting everyone set up and sorted.¡±

    ¡°You realize that I¡¯m actually older than you, right?¡±  He asked, a deadpan expression on his face.

    Which got him a not-so-gentle flick right between the eyes, then she started sucking on her now bruised finger.

    ¡°You¡¯re still my son, Reincarnator or not,¡± she said in her stern mother voice.  Then her tone softened as she spoke, ¡°You should organize what children there are¡­.  I¡¯m told that the invaders took away most of the children with them.¡±

    That sobered Joram¡¯s mood quite handily while also reminding him of Tillia.

    ¡°I think they also took Tillia,¡± he said seriously, then recounted what had happened.

    Sulia paled at that, making Joram¡¯s stomach sink further towards his feet.

    ¡°Do you know what that means?¡±

    ¡°That they¡¯ll try to use her for nefarious purposes?¡±

    His mother gave him a blank look, but nodded slightly.  ¡°That too.  But more importantly, it means that there was, or is, a traitor in the clan that leaked that information.¡±

    It was Joram¡¯s turn to turn pale, but not in fright or dread.  But in fury.

    Sulia again flicked him right between the eyes, once again wincing.

    ¡°None of that now,¡± she said sternly.  ¡°Do you know if anyone can communicate with anyone else outside of your realm?¡±

    Joram took a few breaths before replying.  ¡°I haven¡¯t ever tried.  The only communications that go in or out of here are through my Network.  Are trans-dimensional communications a thing?¡±

    ¡°Not that I know of,¡± Sulia said, shaking her head.  ¡°So, this really is another dimension.¡±

    ¡°Sort of?¡±  He said, looking for an easy way to explain it.  ¡°It is part of my soul, but also exists in the Astral Plane.  You see, the Astral Plane is kind of the glue that binds all realities, dimensions, and realms together.  Everything is connected through the Astral Plane, and nourished by it.¡±

    Sulia blinked at him.  ¡°Huh.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, we should be safe enough here.  It took Grammy, someone gifted in their understanding of the Law of Space, to peek into here.  And since then, we¡¯ve strengthened the realm further so not just anyone can poke a hole in the side and hop in.¡±

    Sulia took that all in for a moment before responding.  ¡°Is your realm able to support the Clan members here?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± he hmm¡¯d.  ¡°I¡¯ll have to make some adjustments, not to mention finishing my work on [Genesis]¡­.  Not right now, no.  Well, yes.  ¡®No¡¯ for anyone wanting to cultivate, but ¡®yes¡¯ to support everyone here.¡±

    Him mother just raised an eyebrow at him.

    ¡°Well, when I finish my work on [Genesis], I¡¯ll be able to incorporate a few things that should make my Realm more that suitable for cultivation.  As-is, this place is really a glorified garden, only able to support the growth of the various plants here.¡±

    At the mention of plants, Sulia¡¯s eyes lit up once again.

    ¡°So, I noticed more than a few rare medicinal herbs here!¡±

    - - - - -

    By the time he¡¯d managed to satiate his mother¡¯s curiosity regarding his rather unusual collection of magical plants, the sky was starting to brighten and Zaleria was waking for another meal.

    He dropped his mother off to get a bite to eat, then shifted back to the mountainside (after stopping and picking up a few things from the lab) that had hosted the Clan for thousands of years.  He looked down to the valley below, taking note of the massive trees that made up a forest that spanned hundreds of kilometres in each direction.

    He looked over to where he¡¯d been shot into a cliff a few miles, er, many kilometres away and shook his head.  It wasn¡¯t exactly ¡°across¡± the valley.  More just the next mountain over on the edge of the valley.

    This world really was ridiculously huge to the point that it looked flat, even to his ridiculously overpowered eyes.

    Well, at least a few hundred trees taken wouldn¡¯t put a noticeable dent in the forest.

    He looked down at his arms and wondered how hard it would be to install the omni-tools.  With a shrug, he slipped on the glove they¡¯d used for the prototypes and inserted the omni-tool into it.  After [Fabricate]¡¯ing a second glove, he inserted the second omni-tool into it and rubbed his hands together in anticipation as he [Teleport]ed down to the edge of the forest.

    Then frowned.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure these omni-blades won¡¯t make it all the way through you,¡± he muttered to the tree in front of him that would put most Redwoods from his world to shame.

    The thing was over sixty feet in diameter.  And it was one of the ¡°small¡± ones at the edge of the forest.  If one of those fell, it would cause an earthquake.

    After much deliberation, Joram finally nodded to himself as he sat on his heels facing the tree.  He reached out an arm, then pointed a finger at the tree.

    ¡°[Sever],¡± he said, activating a Power that wasn¡¯t quite intended for logging, but worked just fine with enough psionic power pumped through it.

    Visually, nothing much happened except a microscopic line appearing at the base of the tree.  Joram smiled, placed his hand fully on the tree, then shifted it to an empty section of his Realm.

    * 5 hours later *

    ¡°Well, thanks for the help,¡± Avi said, patting Joram on the shoulder.

    Joram could only nod, so drained was he.  Not only had he used up much of his psionic reserves last evening, but he¡¯d done so again this morning.

    But it had been worth it.

    ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll enjoy it?¡±  He asked, staring up at the new building on their¡­ farm?  Acreage?  Shrug.

    ¡°It certainly is fancy enough,¡± Avi replied, admiring the structure.

    ¡°You can send the droids and stuff in to do the wiring and finish the plumbing,¡± Joram said through a yawn.  ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve got some for that.¡±

    ¡°I will, and I do, but you¡¯ll have to close everything up once they¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but time enough for a nap in between.¡±

    Avi nodded, then [Teleport]ed Joram to his room in the Villa.

    *1345.04.15*

    ¡®I¡¯ve arranged for a tree farm, so don¡¯t worry about resources like that in the future,¡¯ Avi sent to him the next day as they sat in one of the gardens sipping some sort of fruity tea/juice/thingy that was wonderfully cool.

    ¡®Well, M3 has made good progress with [Genesis], so I¡¯ll be busy for the next bit.¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯ll only call if it¡¯s important.¡¯

    Joram sent a mental nod and retreated into his mind.

    The next several hours proved fruitful.  Not that he managed to complete the new [Genesis], but he made great progress, in his opinion.  It was his understanding of space and gravity that wasn¡¯t quite there that was holding him up a bit.  Maybe a few more insights would allow for progress.

    Maybe Avi has some more information that Altaea left with her that could help¡­

    With a mental shrug, he went on to review the progress with [Schism] and was pleasantly surprised at how well the simulations went.  A few more tweaks, then he was sure to get an M4 up and going.  Which would be awesome!  Kinkade could be out and about with Asura (Avi¡¯s A2, according to his rather unimaginative naming system) making them money elsewhere, or even picking up valuable resources and such.

    More mental nodding occurred before he slipped further into himself to observe his cultivation.

    It was still hard moving about without some discomfort, but it was indeed getting better at a noticeable rate.  And with the orbits of his Cores and Stars stabilized, he was pretty sure that his cultivation would finally be able to stabilize enough so that he could get properly used to the psijic energy in his body.

    The other problem that he¡¯d been putting off was this: he¡¯d likely have to make alterations to every spell and power that he knew to accommodate such¡­ exotic energy.  The best comparison he could come up with was trying to run DC current through a phone.  Or maybe run a gasoline engine on diesel¡­?

    Bah.

    Then there were all of his Metacreation Powers to think of.  They were very sensitive Powers that took a lot of fine-tuning to get working properly.  It wasn¡¯t like mana, where it could easily be transformed into something.  Mana¡­ wanted to be something, if that made sense.  Psionic energy was very¡­ there.

    Bah.

    How to explain?  It took what you knew and did that.  It was very good at following instructions.  Almost like a coding language for the Universe¡­.

    Bah.

    Anyway, having the two energies fused as they were gave untold possibilities for how it could be used.  And from what he could feel of the potency of the energy, it was on a whole other level.  He¡¯d need to pay attention to it as he cultivated and go from there.  Well, maybe the newly formed M4 would be on observation duty for the next¡­ while.  After he finished with his latest iteration of [Schism], that is.

    Joram came out of his mind and looked around.  He was still in the garden, though it looked to be early evening.  His gaze stopped on the building he¡¯d made yesterday and grinned.  It looked like an old Japanese castle.  He was very proud of that, as it had taken quite a while to get the layout just how he wanted it.

    Sure, it wasn¡¯t quite the same architecture style that the region was used to, but it wasn¡¯t that far off either.  Its roof tiles were even modular so that he could later convert them to disguised solar panels, taking a page out of old Elon¡¯s book.  Fortunately, however, the efficiency would be significantly higher and the storage batteries downright superior to anything Earth could have produced in the next couple hundred years.

    Or maybe not.  There was a large push for energy storage capacity and longevity in the years before he¡¯d¡­ left.  Anyways, storage cells were some of the tech that Altaea had left Avi, so they didn¡¯t need to worry all that much about setting up power plants or anything¡­.

    On that thought, Joram realized that Avi had already likely done just that.  He had a decent sense of his Realm, so he could feel that she had more facilities made than she was willing to admit to.

    Had she gone a bit manic during his convalescence?

    Probably.

    Would he chew her out for finding coping mechanisms that weren¡¯t likely to be a problem?

    Nope.

    On the contrary, he was ridiculously excited to see all the toys-

    *Cough*

    The many things she was able to accomplish in his absence.  Which reminded him of the work he¡¯d need to do to make a replicator for her.  Well, the first of likely many replicators, anyways.

    So, off he went to his workspace, finding Kinkade up and about.  He was getting very good with the design of his [Holographic Projection].  So, he took a few minutes to admire the work, then face-palmed.

    Joram: Kinkade?

    Kinkade: Yes, Joram?

    Joram: Just how good are you getting at keeping your thoughts to yourself?

    Kinkade gave him the side-eye, not quite sure he liked where this was going.

    Kinkade: I¡¯m still you, you know.

    Joram: Yeah, but the whole point of the revised [Schism] was that we¡¯d all know the same things but able to work on multiple things at once.

    Kinkade: Yeah, but I didn¡¯t want to distract you with anything while you were busy.

    Joram: Did I just get a dissociative identity disorder?

    Kinkade balled up a paper and threw it at him.

    Kinkade: Seriously?!  We¡¯re the same being!  Same person!  Me and M3 don¡¯t even count towards the occupancy limit of the Network!

    Joram: Well, I¡¯m pretty sure psicrystals don¡¯t either, but they¡¯re pretty unique entities¡­.

    Kinkade: Are you having a midlife crisis or something?

    It was Joram¡¯s turn to give Kinkade a weird look.

    Joram: Oh my word.  I¡¯m going through the damned teenaged existential crisis phase!!

    Kinkade nodded sagely to that.

    Kinkade: Just let me know if there¡¯s an emo phase coming.  I¡¯ll definitely double-down on the thought-blocking then.

    Joram stood there in a daze, jaw slack.

    *The next day*

    ¡°So, he¡¯s been like this since yesterday?¡±  Sulia asked as she also glanced around her son¡¯s¡­ unusual workspace.

    Avi merely nodded as she, too, stared at Joram.  It was weird seeing him on his feet while in a vegetative state, but it could well have just been M3 pulling his weight in the background.

    Sulia shook her head.  ¡°Should we get him to the infirmary?¡±  She wanted to spend more time at her grandmother¡¯s side, but didn¡¯t want to leave Joram in such a state.

    ¡°From what Kinkade reported, Joram seemed to have realized something¡­ profound, then went into that state.¡±

    Sulia gave Avi another Look, but wound up just shaking her head.  ¡°Well, if there was no physical trauma, then I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll come out of it,¡± she said, trying to sound casual.  ¡°Unless this was another accident with his cultivation?¡±

    Avi immediately shook her head.  ¡°No,¡± she said, then hesitated before continuing.  ¡°He seemed to have realized that his body¡¯s development had reached a certain stage.¡±

    Sulia spotted the peach fuzz on Joram¡¯s face, then laughed.  ¡°Is he concerned about puberty?¡±

    Avi laughed a bit with her, then sighed.  ¡°No.  From what Kinkade told me, he seemed to have realized that he¡¯d reached the part off teenage development where one begins to question their mind, reality, and their place in the universe.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ puberty.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Sulia sighed, then sighed again.  This was the part of Joram¡¯s life that she¡¯d hoped that Ivaryn would have taken care of.  Sure, she¡¯d read a few books on the psychological growth of children, but she was in no way an expert on boys.  Or their weirdness during puberty.

    ¡°Wait,¡± she said, remembering something.  ¡°Shouldn¡¯t all those questions already be answered for him?  Wasn¡¯t he in his forties before he¡­ passed?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t underestimate the hormones rushing through a teenager,¡± Avi replied, squinting at Joram.  ¡°Heck, for a seven-and-a-half year-old boy, his physiology is rather advanced.¡±

    ¡°He looks like he could be twice that age¡­¡± Sulia said morosely, her mind now running through all the things she would miss out on as he grew.  One of the things she was going to miss was easy cuddles with her little boy.

    Then her eyes began to well up with tears, then overflow as she realized that she wouldn¡¯t have the chance to have another little boy.  Or another child at all.

    Ivaryn was dead.

    Her eyes popped open at she felt someone embrace her and was surprised to see that it was Joram, his head held high as his left hand went to the back of her head and guided it to rest on his shoulder even though he was still a bit shorter than her.

    And that broke the floodgates.

 Chapter 042

    It took him a while to gather his composure after that.

    Then, when he thought they were good, his mother chastised him for not having gone to see Grammy yet.  That hit home just how fleeting life was.  His father had¡­ died.  So had most of his extended family, if what they said was true¡­.  And he really didn¡¯t have any grounds to dismiss their claims.

    A dozen projects suddenly came to his mind that he could be working on instead of heading to the infirmary.  Heck, even going to the Heavenly Archive to make sure that it hadn¡¯t taken any damage from its portal being destroyed was super important.

    But not more important than family.

    And that¡¯s how he found himself standing by Grammy¡¯s bed, staring down at her broken form.  He was very glad that Avi had dressed all her wounds, covering up what was missing.  It was odd to see a breathing tube in this universe.  Surreal to hear the soft beeping of the medical equipment.  Seeing the artificial glow coming from the various electronics.

    He was proud of how much Avi had been able to recreate and reproduce in the short years she¡¯d been working on it all.  Sure, it wasn¡¯t state-of-the-art equipment, but stuff that reminded him a bit of the 50s back home, mashed up with futuristic tech.  Like the holographic display above a desk in the corner showing the internal damage Grammy had suffered.

    He pulled his gaze away from the disturbing display and looked once again on his great-grandmother¡¯s comatose form.

    She looked so young.  Well, from the parts he could see that the bandages didn¡¯t cover.  She really could pass as his mother¡¯s older sister.

    Joram reached over and pulled a chair over and sat in it, kneed up against the bed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Grammy,¡± he said, pausing to let the lump in his throat pass.  ¡°I wasn¡¯t strong enough to protect everyone.¡±

    *Beep¡­ beep¡­ beep¡­*

    There really wasn¡¯t much he could say that wouldn¡¯t sound¡­ asinine.  Stupid.  Prideful.  Self-centred.  Egotistical.  Like the entirety of the event was his fault.  He felt that he should have known something like this would happen, and that he could have had the Clan prepared and ready to fight off the attack.

    But that was just self indulgence.  Self pity.  Regret twisted into something venomous that would eat the heart out of whomever it seeped into, hollowing them out until only a husk remained.

    Was he mad at himself for not focussing exclusively on his cultivation over the course of his life?  Only a little.

    He knew that the universe threw all sorts of shit around and that eventually some of it would hit him and those he loved.  There wasn¡¯t a damn thing you could do about it except get back up and wash yourself off.

    Sure, he was going to be on such a self-improvement kick that every training montage ever would pale in comparison to it.  But.  That was all he could do to prepare for any shit storms that might still be coming their way.

    He shifted his chair over a bit so that he¡¯d be closer to her head, then leaned forward, placing both hands upon her head, then closed his eyes.

    He sent his consciousness into her body, getting a more thorough understanding of what she¡¯d been through than any of the machines would possibly tell him.

    He felt how her meridians were basically shattered, how those energy channels were effectively broken highways that nothing would ever go down again.

    Joram could tell that Avi had done well in stabilizing her condition.  He could still feel the residue of psionic healing in her system, clearly showing him that the gem he¡¯d given her had done its work.  But hadn¡¯t been enough.

    He could even feel faint traces of a foreign energy in her system, likely from her attacker.  But what got him was her Knowledge Sea.

    It was shattered.

    It felt like someone had taken one of those ten thousand piece jigsaw puzzles, that someone had put so much effort into assembling, and thrown it on the floor.  Some of the parts were only a few pieces large, while others contained parts large enough that one might be able to start guessing at what that part of the image had held.

    He sent a [Delve] into her body then and sighed in relief as it appeared as though the physical structure of her brain was still intact.  Sure, there had been some hemorrhaging, but that had been healed up.  He then went back to paying attention to her Knowledge Sea, observing how the pieces¡­ activated.  Like how sometimes a broken display would flash a clearer picture, but then go back to showing random coloured lines, or even nothing at all.

    Then a thought occurred to him, so he set M3 to paying attention to which parts of Grammy¡¯s brain were activating while he paid attention to the fragments in her Knowledge Sea.

    It felt¡­ pointless at first.  He was very glad that [Delve] could be held so long as a power that had a duration of Concentration, because he was there for what felt like hours.

    At length, he opened his eyes again and removed his hands from Grammy¡¯s head.  He wanted to believe that there was a correlation between the fragments of her Knowledge Sea firing and her synapses firing, but he hadn¡¯t found any discernible pattern.  Yet.

    He nearly jumped when he noticed his mother laying in a recliner on the other side of the bed, his sister asleep on her chest.

    He got up and pulled the blanket up a bit higher on Grammy before doing the same for his mother and little sister, then [Teleport]ed back to his workshop.

    This time he did jump when he saw that he wasn¡¯t alone.  Avi stood there, telepathically conversing with Kinkade over a tablet that she held.  Which made him frown.  Because¡­ stuff.

    Joram: OK, open ¡®er up!

    Kinkade looked over at Joram and nodded, allowing everything in his ¡°mind¡± to flow into Joram.

    Kinkade: Didn¡¯t want to distract you.

    Joram just nodded, now caught up on what he¡¯d been up to.  Which wasn¡¯t much until Avi had dropped by to compare notes.

    ¡°So, what do you think?¡±  She asked, tossing the tablet¡¯s display over to his omni-tool where the program was caught then displayed above his forearm.

    ¡°I think that I¡¯ll have some time before you¡¯re ready with all of your installations,¡± he said in a dry tone as he looked over what was needed to get all of her subterranean factories, warehouses, and such ready for when [Genesis] would be completed.

    ¡°True.  I¡¯d appreciate about a year to have everything ready to where I¡¯d like it to be,¡± she said, looking tired.  ¡°But at the same time the important infrastructure should be ready to go in about half that time.¡±

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯ll not only take a while to get [Genesis] up and going, but I¡¯d also like to keep as much of our fields, orchards, and gardens from being destroyed as we can.¡±

    Avi nodded to that, looking relieved.  Which bothered him a bit, as he wasn¡¯t the kind of person who¡¯d wreck someone else¡¯s hard work just to do something that he wanted to do.

    ¡°You¡¯ve made this realm what it is today, Avi.  I wouldn¡¯t ruin that.¡±

    Avi paused a moment before speaking.  ¡°I know Joram, but I too want to get things ready as soon as possible.  Plants can regrow, but people¡­¡±

    Joram ran a hand over his face, then motioned for Avi to join him on a couch in the corner of his workshop.  Kinkade was already back working on the replicator designs.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he started as Avi practically floated down as she sat beside him.  ¡°Well, if I do this right, then things shouldn¡¯t be messed up too much here.  As ridiculous as this might sound: I¡¯m glad that the realm hadn¡¯t gotten any larger than this already.¡±

    It seemed that Avi agreed that that sounded ridiculous because one exquisitely arched eyebrow rose up.

    ¡°Yes, I know that it is massive compared to the ones you¡¯d find on Golarion.  But.  When this new [Genesis] gets finished, it won¡¯t take long to get a realm up to this size.  Like, maybe a couple of years.¡±

    Avi gave him a skeptical look, but waited for him to finish.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a claim and a half.  But I¡¯m also running tests on the new¡­ psijic energy and I think that it¡¯ll be what I need to get the power needed for [Genesis].¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve felt how¡­ puissant psijic energy is¡­.  But it¡¯s also very hard to control, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I think that I¡¯m getting a handle on it.  A bit more time, and I think that I may be able to get a cultivation method up and running for it.¡±

    Avi¡¯s eyebrow went up again.  ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not easy by any metric,¡± he said, leaning forward to place his forearms across his knees.  ¡°But once I get that next iteration of [Schism] completed, I¡¯ll be able to focus on my cultivation almost exclusively.¡±

    The conversation then went into more depth regarding his progress with [Schism] and what progress she¡¯d made on it.  Notes were compared, insights shared, and confidence boosted.

    Then Avi brought him back down to earth again.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that Tatia will be able to recover, Joram.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been thinking about that too,¡± he said, now rubbing a hand through his purple hair.  ¡°I think that she¡¯ll need a new body.¡±

    Avi was already nodding.

    ¡°I¡¯ve made some good progress with the cloning tanks, and I think that I can get her a decent body grown.¡±

    ¡°But?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯d have to start her cultivation all over again.¡±

    ¡°¡­  That¡¯s not unexpected.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Avi said, letting out a breath.  ¡°But, it will give me someone to cultivate with.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    That snapped Joram¡¯s head around so fast that he heard his neck pop.

    ¡°You want to start cultivating?¡±  He asked, a twinkle sparking in his eye.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure what cultivation method Tatia will choose this time around, but I was wanting to follow in your footsteps with cultivating Encompass the Universe and the Adamantium Body Technique,¡± she said with a grin.

    Joram¡¯s jaw dropped.

    ¡°You realize that I still haven¡¯t quite figured out what happened and all the circumstances around that, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but we¡¯ve got most of it, so I¡¯m confident that I can at least follow in your footsteps.¡±

    ¡°How many times did I almost die due to those ¡®incidents¡¯?¡±  He asked, his tone flatter than a twin-block caliper set.

    *Cough*

    ¡°Yeah, I thought so,¡± he said, trying his best to stare a hole through her head.

    ¡°Yes, but we need people, strong people.  People who won¡¯t die if their body blows up.¡±

    Joram¡¯s jaw dropped.

    ¡°Just what are you planning, exactly?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    - - - - -

    Joram couldn¡¯t believe how¡­ audacious, how ambitious Avi¡¯s plan was.  He wasn¡¯t even sure it would be possible.

    Cultivation changed a person on a fundamental level.  Depending on who you spoke with, it not only changed ones¡¯ physical body, but it also changed your soul.

    Now, he was no expert on the soul.  Not at all.  About the only thing that he¡¯d believed about the soul before coming to this world were two things.  One: that it existed.  Two: that it was immortal.  Those were the things he¡¯d been taught and had grown to believe.  Well, there was a third one as well.  And that was that it could continue to grow and develop after leaving the mortal coil.

    How did those beliefs translate to his new reality?

    Hell if I know, he thought as he pondered.

    Altaea had come from a world where magic was very much a thing.  So were gods and divine magic.  A high priest/cleric of a religion could actually converse with their deity should said deity decide to grace them with their presence.  They could even converse with the souls of the departed.

    It was a thing.

    But here, in this universe?  He didn¡¯t know.  But what he did know was that there seemed to be fundamental differences in how souls were taken care of here.

    Case in point: [Astral Seed].  He should have taken no more than ten days to reform his body and revive.  But was that due to how the universe worked here or some outside interference?  He suspected the latter given how he was reborn into a clan that Altaea herself had founded twenty millennia ago, into a family that would be able to nurture and care for him.

    And so: back to souls.  He had put off trying to shift into any of his other forms, not wanting to risk some adverse effect to his current cultivation and development.  But after his conversation with Avi, he realized just how silly he¡¯d been.

    Each of his forms, from his retained, original, human form all the way to his outsider form were¡­ him.  Not disguises.  Not some borrowed thing.  All were facets of him.  Exactly how Altaea had her other forms.  Exactly how he¡¯d requested Altaea make him.  She¡¯d made him to be like her.

    Which meant that he also, in his outsider form, had access to the very same natural spellcasting that she had.  The very same spells she¡¯d naturally had access to.  And, just as she¡¯d eventually learned to do, she¡¯d also given him the same ability: the ability to use his mana or psionic pool to fuel his natural spells.

    Which meant that if he could get his head out of his ass, he¡¯d be able to use [True Resurrection] just like Altaea could.

    But would it work here?

    That was what paralyzed him.  That simple question that most people would ask, then promptly test.  But that was the very question that froze his heart solid.

    Did he dare to hope?  Could he open his heart to such a monumental risk of failure?

    Those thoughts started his heart racing, his blood pressure soaring.  He didn¡¯t realize it, but sweat started to bead on his forehead as his thoughts became a tangled thornbush.

    But Avi noticed.  So, she reached out and brought Joram into an embrace, cradling him into her bosom until she felt his heart calm and his breathing steady.

    She very much suspected that his thoughts had turned to the future.  To the distant possibility of returning to Earth and what having access to [True Resurrection] might mean for his daughters.

    ¡°Joram?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you want to try?¡±

    His breath hitched before resuming.  ¡°¡­ could we try someone I don¡¯t know?¡±  He asked, very quietly.

    That made sense.  To try on someone you knew, getting your hopes up, then failing would be a blow that could very well derail his heart for a very long time, possibly creating what cultivators called a ¡°heart demon¡±.  A deep-rooted fear that would prevent any meaningful progress in the persons¡¯ future efforts at cultivation.

    But if he tried on someone he didn¡¯t know, like one of the invaders, then failure wouldn¡¯t really matter all that much.  Sure, it would mean that he couldn¡¯t bring back his loved one, but at the same time, he wouldn¡¯t have failed to bring back a loved one.

    ¡°Yes, I think that I have someone suitable for that,¡± she said, remembering one of the weaker people she¡¯d killed just a few days ago.

    Well, ¡°weaker¡± still meant that they were Tier 4, or what they¡¯d call ¡°Earth Realm¡±.  Why there wasn¡¯t just one way to refer to the levels of cultivation still annoyed her.  Sure, different philosophies and all that junk.  But!

    ¡°I¡¯ll set up a containment area,¡± she said as she finally released Joram.

    He looked a bit embarrassed, turning his head slightly so that he could surreptitiously wipe away a tear.

    ¡°Well, if this works, then I¡¯m sure that we¡¯ll be able to get your crazy plan going,¡± he said gruffly.  Or tried to as his voice cracked slightly, causing a blush to flood his cheeks.

    ¡°Fucking puberty,¡± he said, vanishing from sight a moment later.

    Avi just laughed.  Not just because of his antics, but because that was the first time she¡¯d heard him use the ¡°F-Bomb¡±, as he called it.

    - - - - -

    Joram was now standing in what looked like a sci-fi version of a jail cell.  Well, in the hallway of a jail.

    It very much reminded him of a mishmash of a Star Fleet and Star Wars jail cell.  Both featured an energy shield in-lieu of a door.  Though, the bunk bolted to the wall was very much of the latter¡¯s theme.

    But the design aspects of the cell were very much background to the corpse laying in the middle of the floor.

    It looked like it had been a young woman in life, with raven black hair and black eyes that probably would have sparkled in life, but were now slightly clouded and glassy in death.

    Her death wound was very much evident, though.  He was pretty sure that the scorched hole through her heart had been caused by an omni-blade, for no lightsaber would leave a cauterized wound in that shape.

    He stopped staring at the grisly wound and turned to regard Avi.

    He hadn¡¯t had much time to appreciate, really appreciate, just how much work she¡¯d put into not only the tech she¡¯d recreated, but in her body.  Her honest-to-goodness flesh and blood body.  She still stood about 7 inches taller than him, with the same crazy beautiful hair that Altaea had.  Less busty than Altaea, but that was probably for the best.  Even he didn¡¯t understand how she¡¯d been able to function as well she had.  Sure, it was nice eye candy, but wildly impractical and, in a lesser being, would have likely caused crippling back issues as she aged.

    He mentally shook those thoughts out of this head as he noticed Avi¡¯s eyes narrowing slightly as she noticed where his attention had been focussed.

    He was reasonably sure, as he hadn¡¯t gotten the courage to ask her if he could [Delve] her yet, that she was an almost perfect clone of Altaea, which meant that she had the same abilities that Altaea did.  Or, rather, that she had the same potential as Altaea.

    One weird quirk about their shared physiology seemed to be that their potential was only unlocked as they strengthened their body through training, meditation, and improving their psionic abilities.  Which, weirdly, improved their nascent magical abilities too.

    All that said, he was very curious if she would develop talents and abilities that differed from Altaea¡¯s.  He knew that genetics were very important in a person¡¯s development, but also knew that even if you perfectly cloned a person that you¡¯d still get a different personality as the clone developed.  And if he was right, especially for their highly adaptable race, then Avi would definitely develop different abilities than Altaea.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡±  Avi asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

    ¡°Just be bit nervous,¡± he said, finishing with his weird grunt/chuckle that ended with his voice cracking again.  ¡°I¡¯m very much looking forward to the next phase of the Adamantium Body Technique,¡± he said, grumbling.

    Avi threw him a bone.  ¡°Just concentrate on activating that innate spell, focussing on the person you want to return.  In this case, that person,¡± she said with a slight frown.

    ¡°I got it,¡± he mumbled as he looked down at the corpse, then stepped forward.

    With the molten silicone carbide had come a heat so intense that it had burnt away a good deal of cloth on the woman¡¯s torso, exposing her breasts to the world.  If this worked, he was fairly sure that she¡¯d appreciate being cover up, so he took the thin blanket from the bunk on the wall and draped it over her, leaving only her head exposed.

    Did an enemy who¡¯d travelled halfway across their staggeringly titanic world just to end his clan deserve such considerations?  He was sure that many people would resoundingly shout ¡°No!¡± to that question.  They would probably insist upon subjecting her to many other indignities much more egregious than an exposed breast.

    Did his heart race at the thought of exacting vengeance upon her once he¡¯d revived her?  Did his hackles rise at the thought of having to have anything to do with her?  She represented a concept so foreign, so repulsive and vile to him that he was considering leaving this experiment to die in its planning phase.

    To answer.  Yes.  Yes, people were still people.  People still deserved dignity.  He didn¡¯t have to interact with those people.  He didn¡¯t have to even like them.  But he did respect that people had different¡­ educations.  Different opinions on what was right and wrong.  And if those people came to exercise their views on him in a less than friendly manner, he¡¯d reply in his own way.

    But he wouldn¡¯t stoop so low as to treat someone else as less than human because their opinions and values varied from his.  He¡¯d kill enemies, especially anyone coming to kill him or his own.  He¡¯d stop innocents from being oppressed if it was in his power.

    But could he bring himself to bring back a killer?  That same kind of person who¡¯d travel just to eradicate a scholarly clan?  To kill indiscriminately?

    He shook his head, ridding himself of his ruminations.  They weren¡¯t helping here, but instead causing harm.

    ¡°I can do this once I¡¯ve gotten strong enough, you know,¡± Avi said from behind, her voice gentle.

    Joram didn¡¯t turn around as he nodded, still staring down at the woman¡¯s face.  She still looked surprised.  But what really got him was the hint on sadness there.

    ¡°Just be ready to get the containment field up,¡± he said, shifting to his outsider form.

    One moment he was a gangly teenager, then next he was taller than Avi with an Olympian build.  His hair was once again short, dark brown at the roots then transitioning to a deep, fiery red at the tips.  His complexion paled slightly, but also grew more¡­ healthy, vibrant.

    He looked down at his hands as he flexed them, appreciating his old form.

    ¡°I¡¯d almost forgotten how handsome you were,¡± Avi said teasingly from beside him.

    Joram turned and smiled at her.  ¡°Now don¡¯t do teasing my like Altaea, I¡¯m not sure I can handle it yet.¡±

    Avi just smiled at him, placing a hand on his shoulder.  Not a flirty touch, but a firm pressure of reassurance and solidarity.  ¡°Just stating fact, my man.¡±

    Joram heaved a mental sigh, turning his attention to his magical nature.

    When Altaea had taken that elixir from Dr Gally, she¡¯d changed in deep and profound ways.  One of those changes the elixir had brought about was a change to her race.  Not only had Dr Gally managed to create an elixir that give Altaea the traits and abilities of Positive Energy and Negative Energy Elemental, but she¡¯d managed to combine each of those with planars.  Positive Energy Elemental had been combined with Celestial heritage.  While the Negative Energy Elemental had been combined with Demonic heritage, specifically a succubus.

    What had come out of that had been an addition to the forms Altaea could take.  It was nothing their universe had ever seen before, and likely what had caused Asmodeus to have such a deep-rooted hatred for Altaea.

    She¡¯d received the best of both worlds.  The positive energy elemental had complimented the celestial heritage such that everything about it had been empowered and improved.  The same had happened with the other side.  And when somehow combined they¡¯d, against almost all odds, managed to make a ridiculously powerful end product.

    From what he knew, she¡¯d almost died because of how violent the changes to her nature and being had been.  But in the end the, what they had called, spell-like abilities she¡¯d gained from the transformation- not to mention the legion of other abilities she¡¯d gained- had been empowered and upgraded significantly.

    Well, at least he thought so.  Any of the good or evil aligned spells had either been replaced with something else entirely, or they had been changed to something neutrally aligned.  Heck, even the law/chaos themes had been removed.

    The capstone ability she¡¯d gained, though, had been [True Resurrection] instead of the standard [Resurrection] that half-celestials received.  Probably due to the fusing of the positive energy elemental.

    Now, there were other cool things in there but that was the important part.

    So, Joram activated [True Resurrection] and felt the magic well up from within him.  It was probably not as potent as what Altaea could produce seeing as how she hadn¡¯t quite been able to replicate elemental side of herself yet, but it was still potent.

    The seconds ticked by as he focussed on the corpse in front of him, feeling how the spell-like ability formed itself and started taking effect.

    He knelt and had M3 activate [Delve] so that he could try to follow what was happening in her body.

    Suffice it to say, he failed to follow.  It was so complex, so profound, that all he could follow was the revitalization of her tissues.  Now, that wasn¡¯t very hard, as Avi had dropped her into his stasis storage area moments after her demise, so she was very ¡°fresh¡±.

    No, that part seemed to be ¡°easy¡±.  What he then sensed was the rush of energy that flooded her body, how her blood began pumping just before he felt her lungs suddenly gasp for air.  Then he felt himself being pulled out of the cell, his connection to her with [Delve] snapping as his hand came away from her body.

    As he got to his feet, Avi¡¯s hand still on his shoulder, the woman sat up, eyes wide.

 Chapter 043

    Bai Lian sat up with a great gasp, eyes darting here and here, her hand coming up to her chest, feeling at the remembered wound through her heart.  Her gaze fell to her chest.

    Nothing but smooth skin met her touch, her eyes unable to tell that there¡¯d ever been a wound there.  If not for the burnt away cloth on her chest she would have thought it a dream.  Well, that and the fact that she was in a cell of some sort.

    Her hand remained on her chest as she took in the two, incredibly gorgeous, people standing on the other side of what she took to be a barrier of some sort.

    The woman had such odd hair that her eyes were first drawn to her.  It started off as a deep sapphire blue, but then transitioned to an intense amethyst/violet in the middle before again transitioning, but this time to a deep, fiery ruby red.  She wore it loose, letting it fall below her waist.  Somehow, every strand of hair seemed to be in exactly the right place, even though it seemed that the woman had just thrown her hair back over her shoulders.  Her eyes were even a spectacular emerald green, almost gem-like, but seeming to be as vibrant as summer leaves.

    Feeling a little disturbed at the odd feeling in her chest as she gazed at the woman, Bai Lian shifted her eyes over to the man.

    He must have been a body cultivator given his impressive stature and chiselled appearance.  His hair was a more realistic colour, though still odd with it fading from a very dark brown to the same red as the woman¡¯s hair at the tips.

    His eyes were also that same green as the woman¡¯s, but his regard was much colder than hers, but still elicited that strange feeling in her chest, causing her to once again feel very uncomfortable.

    She looked down at herself again, but couldn¡¯t help but compare her physique to theirs.  She was by no means a slouch when it came to sparring, and had even been praised for her dedication to improving her martial arts.  But she somehow felt¡­ inferior to that man.  As though he were the pinnacle to what every martial artist should strive for.

    Which was absurd.

    She felt heat rise up to her cheeks as both that thought and the realization that her chest was exposed to them came to her like a lightning bolt.  She quickly reached down to grasp the blanket in her lap and fumbled with it for a few seconds before her hands responded like they should have.

    They felt¡­ clumsy.  Slow to react.  As though she were wearing heavy mittens or something.  Then she frowned.  She then began to circulate her Qi, then blanched.

    ¡°I¡¯m Human Realm?¡±

    * * * * *

    Joram watched as she woke, looked around wide-eyed, studied them as her eyes managed to grow wider, panicked, exclaimed about being Human Realm, then fainted dead away.  All in about thirteen seconds.

    ¡°Huh.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t expect that,¡± Avi commented, a slightly amused expression on her face.

    Joram shifted back to his Aneath self as he looked at the prone woman, now once again uncovered.  He reached over and deactivated the containment field before using a bit of [Telekinesis] to once again pull up the blanket.

    Avi slapped the panel to reactivate the containment field, giving Joram an annoyed look.

    ¡°What if she was playing possum?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d have [Decerebrate]d her,¡± he said with a shrug.

    Avi sighed, not having anything to say to that.

    ¡°So, what now?  Proof of concept was successful.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s that¡­¡± he said, chewing is lower lip.

    Avi patiently waited as Joram sorted his thoughts.  She knew that he had a soft spot for women, however illogical that was.  That¡¯s why she¡¯d chosen that corpse.  It didn¡¯t hurt that she¡¯d been pretty in life.

    Why?

    Well, knowing Joram¡¯s past, while on this world and before, she felt that he¡¯d restrain his baser desires for revenge a bit more than with a man.  He was still a bit chivalrous in the way he thought.  Which wasn¡¯t bad, endearing even, but it did tend to make him go easier on women than men.  Which she kind of needed right now.

    Looking at Joram, she guessed that he¡¯d finally come to the conclusion that because the test was successful, they now had someone to keep prisoner.  And question.  Maybe get important answers from.

    It also appeared that he really didn¡¯t like those conclusions based on the growing frown on his face.

    ¡°We can get answers from her,¡± he finally said, now turning to Avi, looking up at her with his serious, teenaged, face.

    Avi made sure to keep her expression neutral as she spoke.

    ¡°That occurred to me too,¡± she said, nodding slightly.

    ¡°That¡¯s why you wanted to use one of these¡­ people, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Avi just nodded as she watched his micro expressions.  He¡¯d still not gotten very good at hiding his thoughts from her.  After another long pause, he continued.

    ¡°That¡¯s why you chose a woman, right?¡±  He asked, his expression now turning to that of weariness.

    ¡°You¡¯re kind of soft, you know?¡±

    ¡°Ha, yeah.  I guess I am,¡± he said, running a hand through his hair.  ¡°I can force her into the Network, but I¡¯ll leave the questioning to you.¡±

    Avi nodded, expecting that.  For as smart and creative as he could be, he was still very predictable¡­ to her.  ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±

    Joram only nodded before focussing on the unconscious woman, dragging her into the Network, then shifted away.

    - - - - -

    He didn¡¯t like it.

    He could feel the woman¡¯s consciousness in the Network.  He would feel her swinging emotions.  He could tell that she was terrified and confused.  He was too, a little bit.

    Avi had claimed that the woman had been in the Earth Realm when she¡¯d encountered her.  But from what Joram had felt, and from what the woman herself had said, she was now in the Human Realm, or Tier 3.

    He wondered if that had anything to do with the limitations of this world, or something else.  Was it a side effect of dying?  Was his [True Resurrection] not powerful enough?  Had her foundation somehow been damaged when she¡¯d died?  Or was it a combination of many factors, including ones he didn¡¯t know about or even think of?

    Joram got up and paced around his little workshop while Kinkade ignored him at one of the terminals.

    He stopped in front of one of the prototypes for a replicator and inspected it.  He really didn¡¯t need to, but he wanted something else to think about for a while.

    It looked like a very large 3D printer, though without the printing arms.  It was made of both metal and a transparent material similar to transparent aluminum, though made using titanium instead.  He was proud of what he called Tetra-2, even if the name wasn¡¯t exactly inspired.  It boasted the tactile strength of a titanium-gold alloy, while still being able to distort slightly and return to neutral instead of shattering like glass if something hit it hard enough.

    It still weighed a lot though.

    He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts focussed on the task at hand, but failed as they wandered over to things sci-fi.

    Which brought him to the transporters that Altaea had left in the Archive.  Maybe they would provide him with some inspiration.

    He let that thought through to Kinkade, who nodded absently, before using [Planeshift] to head to the Archive.

    Then he blinked as a sword stopped millimetres away from decapitating him.

    Eyes wide, he looked up into a pair of green eyes above a black cloth covering the person¡¯s lower face.  One of the clan ninjas.

    ¡°Young master!¡±  The person exclaimed, a man if the voice was anything to go by.  ¡°How did you get here?  I thought the portal was destroyed!¡±

    Joram looked around with his [Touchsense], taking in the hundreds of people in the area.  They all looked half-starved and severely dehydrated.  More than a few still sporting wounds they¡¯d presumably taken during the raid.

    ¡®Avi!¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Joram?¡¯  Came the return thought laced with concern.

    ¡®There are survivors in the Heavenly Archive!¡¯

    ¡®I think you¡¯ll need another building made,¡¯ she sent wryly, though not unkindly.

    ¡®I¡¯ll start bringing them over,¡¯ he sent, turning his attention back to his surroundings.

    He couldn¡¯t help it, he hugged the ninja who in turn went a bit stiff before patting him on the back in the way that someone might if unexpectedly hugged by a very important person.

    Joram caught himself before any water could leak out of his eyes and stepped back.

    ¡°Get everyone together, I¡¯ll bring you someplace safe,¡± he said, still scanning through the faces of those present.

    The ninja took him by the elbow and led him to an unused section by the transporter before speaking again.

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation outside?¡±

    Joram paused, not for a lump in his throat, but to try to find a way to break the news of the Clan¡¯s destruction the best way he could.

    It seemed as though this particular ninja was well-versed in Joram Expressions because he saw the man¡¯s eyes tighten.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Joram said, keeping his head from dropping.  ¡°There aren¡¯t many survivors, but I¡¯ve got a safe place for everyone.¡±

    The Clan Protector stared at him for a few seconds before nodding.  ¡°I¡¯ll gather everyone together.  Here?  At the entrance?¡±  He asked.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Joram thought about it as Kinkade made preparations in the Realm with Avi and Asura.  He nodded.

    ¡°Get them into groups of twenty or so and I¡¯ll transport them out,¡± he said, then pointed.  ¡°Over there by the entrance will work.¡±

    As the man sped off, Joram saw another two ninjas approach the first.  After a few words, they too sped off and began organizing people.

    So, Joram made his way to the entrance of the Heavenly Archive and examined the enchantment for the portal that no longer had its twin in the Library.  Knowing that he needed to help the people who could barely move, he had M3 create an [Astral Construct] to inhabit so that Joram could work on altering the portal stone so that it would instead lead to his Realm.

    With that done, Joram went about manifesting an augmented version of [Sustenance] as well as [Cleanse Body], a power that was designed to repair attribute damage like wasting muscle, on the people worst hit by dehydration and starvation, but mostly dehydration as starvation wasn¡¯t quite an issue only a few days after their escape.

    As he was working, he noticed Zanth running towards him, tears streaming down his face.

    ¡°I¡¯m so glad your safe!¡±  He exclaimed, latching onto Joram as he barely turned in time to prevent being bowled over onto his patient.

    He returned the hug very carefully, consciously suppressing his strength so that he didn¡¯t crush his cousin.

    ¡°Yeah, I was lucky,¡± he said as Zanth finally let him go.

    ¡°Is¡­¡± he stopped, cleared his throat, then continued as tears formed in his eyes.  ¡°Is there anyone else?¡±

    Joram stopped, swallowed, then looked up to the ceiling.  ¡°Not many,¡± he said, not wanting to look his lifelong friend in the eyes.

    It took another few minutes for Joram to convince Zanth to just wait until he brought them out, and especially while he tended to those that needed it.

    The people who had any sort of cultivation were doing much better than the normal folk, as their bodies were able to- even marginally- sustain themselves better than those normal folk.  And there were a lot of normal folk.

    It seemed that the invaders had first targeted anyone with a cultivation base before anyone else.  It made sense.  Get rid of any possible threats before getting rid of the rest.

    He recognized many people from Brightside.  Over there was the nice lady who always gave him an extra little bit of meat when he ordered food from her stall.  There was one of the tailors, a nice man in his middle years that didn¡¯t smile much, but always had a kind word for you.  And here he was, healing one of the kids that always looked like they wanted to talk, but had always been kept back by their father, probably wanting to avoid annoying the ¡°young lord¡± or something silly.

    And so Joram worked while the Clan Protectors ushered people into groups, Zanth following along like a lost puppy, and M3 in his [Astral Construct] shaped like a very small Joram as he worked on the portal.

    Joram was soon done healing what he could without getting them the rest they needed to recover.  [Sustenance] was great and provided the body the nutrients and hydration it needed to function optimally, but the psychological need to manually consume food and water also needed to be addressed for people not used to the Power.

    So, he made his way over to the inactive portal and began his own studies on it, following another line of inquiry that M3 hadn¡¯t gone down yet.  Soon, he noticed Kinkade preparing a platform in the Realm exactly like the one in front of him, then smacked his forehead, causing Zanth to look at him funny.

    ¡°I just need another, identical, platform,¡± he explained unhelpfully to Zanth.

    He then [Delve]d the platform, taking in every physical detail of it while M3 used [Analyze] to investigate the enchantment/array.

    People began approaching in their groups, some exactly twenty strong, others less.  He didn¡¯t know exactly how many people there were, nor did he have enough mental processes left free to count, but he supposed that any group with less than twenty was fine.  He¡¯d originally thought that he¡¯d need to personally transport everyone here, but the portal would wind up being easier in the long run.

    Back to work.

    * * * * *

    Sulia appreciated Avi¡¯s¡­ candor.

    She¡¯d spent long enough being useless.  Now it was time to work.

    With Zaleria passed off to one of the older kids to watch after, she got to work organizing other survivors.  She didn¡¯t know how, but Joram had found more people hiding in the Heavenly Archive and was going to bring them here.

    She hadn¡¯t even realized that he knew that the Archive existed, let alone could access it.  She had very mixed feelings about that, as it meant that he had once again been keeping secrets from them.

    Now, she wasn¡¯t ignorant of the fact that keeping it a secret from him might be considered hypocritical to some.  But slowly teaching clan members until they were ready for larger, more important things, was important.  Nevermind that only a select few were allowed to know of its existence.  Security was of paramount importance after all.

    ¡°Get what blankets you can and follow me,¡± she told a group of men and women who were still looking a bit lost.  She recognized Annalee in that group and smiled at her, glad to get a smile in return.  Most people were still getting their bearings after first being brought here, then being told they¡¯d soon move into a huge building that popped up over night.

    Some looked surprised at her orders, but they responded to her practiced voice of authority, grabbing what they could out of the supply tent they were in.

    Soon enough she had them following her and had others off fetching what cots and cushions they could find.  She knew that Avi would have more made to replace them for the people who now found themselves bed-less, so she didn¡¯t dwell on it.

    As she approached the area where Avi said people would arrive, she noticed a man with red hair similar to Avi¡¯s red¡­ part¡­ of her hair crouching over a large, circular, slab of dark green jade.  His arm was extended, fingertips barely touching the jade, his eyes closed.

    She vaguely felt mental energy coming off him, but was too weak in the field to understand any of what he was doing.  It was probably important though, so she directed her conscripted workers to get things arranged in an orderly manner.

    Soon enough over a hundred cots with blankets had been set up in neat rows of ten with wide enough spacing that you could walk the rows three abreast.

    Next came the tables and chairs.  They were of a very unusual design that allowed the metal legs to be folded up underneath them for easy storage, while the tops were of a material she¡¯d never come across before.  Which really didn¡¯t matter as much as the very large pots of food arrived along with empty pots and heaps of ingredients for yet more meals.

    Then the man stood, stepped back, and her eyes grew wide as people began to appear.  Some looked no worse for wear, wrinkled clothing the only indication of their travails.  Others looked like they were on death¡¯s door.

    People rushed forwards to help them clear the platform, taking people to where seemed the most appropriate for their individual needs.

    Sulia recognized just about everyone that came through, most hailing from Brightside.  There were so many people without cultivation that needed the most care.  There were a few injuries, but it seemed as though they were at least stable.

    Avi arrived with a bag of brown topazes that she tasked a few people with handing out.  Sulia recognized them as the healing gems that Joram had made and shown to the family and her jaw dropped.  She had no idea that he¡¯d made so many, and was briefly furious that he hadn¡¯t handed out more of them to the Clan members before she remembered the necessity of secrecy.

    And it was good that they¡¯d kept a lid on it, apparently.  For if whoever had betrayed the clan had known about who¡¯d produced those gems, then Joram might have also been taken away with Tillia.

    Though, that also provoked thoughts of its own.

    Before she could go down that rabbit hole, Xiora¡¯s voice caught her attention.

    She looked up in time to see Xixi tackle-hug both Joram and Lysanthir, tears streaming down her face as she alternated between babbling to Lysanthir and scolding Joram.  The sight was so funny that she nearly laughed out loud before she remembered that Joram hadn¡¯t only avoided visiting his great-grandmother, but Xixi as well.  She resolved to give Joram another scolding for not firming up and seeing his fianc¨¦.

    * * * * *

    Joram was exhausted.

    He¡¯d just spent not an inconsiderable amount of concentration and psionic energy recreating, and rewriting, the portal platform that had been used to get to and from the Heavenly Archive.

    It hadn¡¯t taken him long to realize that a small portal wasn¡¯t as efficient as he would have liked, so he¡¯d needed to adjust things so that it would instead just send whoever was standing on the platform to its twin.  Once activated, of course.

    Portals were a bit inefficient as they needed power to keep the portal open and working.  Either way, it was done, and he needed a nap that wouldn¡¯t likely come for a while.

    He tried very hard to pay attention to what Xixi was saying, but found it difficult to concentrate on her voice.  Zanth seemed more understanding of Joram¡¯s exhaustion, having witnessed the entire process firsthand.

    * * * * *

    It took a bit of convincing and distraction, but Zanth managed to get Xixi off Joram and took a seat at one of the tables set up with a delicious spread of food.  He was a bit disappointed that most of it was various forms of soups, stews, and breads, but any food at this point still called to him.

    After what seemed like a never-ending flow of words from Xixi, he finally got in a word edgewise.

    ¡°Have you seen my parents?¡±  He asked, his patience fraying at the edges.  He¡¯d wanted to ask Joram, but he had recognized just how important the work he¡¯d been doing was.  So, he¡¯d held his tongue and waited.

    It had been very hard.

    Xixi¡¯s eyes watered up as the question registered, then her head dropped, her chin resting on her chest.

    Zanth¡¯s own heart froze up as the fear he¡¯d been keeping suppressed welled up inside.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go over there,¡± he heard Aunt Sulia say from behind him, then felt a hand on his shoulder.

    He stiffened up, not just from nearly pooping his pants in surprise, but because of how she¡¯d said what she¡¯d said.

    Slowly, he got to his feet, Xixi holding his right hand while Aunt Sulia took his left hand and led them to a pretty garden with a tree full of orange blossoms.

    The table wasn¡¯t any design that he recognized, but something that he nevertheless found pretty.  It looked like some of the wrought iron work he¡¯d seen in Brightside, but had a flower/leaf/vine design that left tiny gaps in the surface of the round tabletop.  It was help up by a single leg in the centre, supported by what looked like four feet coming out of the bottom of the leg that reminded him of four cat paws.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The chairs were of the same design, though he was happy to note that they had soft cushions on them, held in place by little ties that attached to the backs of the chairs.

    ¡°Zanth.¡±

    He looked up at Aunt Sulia and just about went back to studying the furniture when he saw her expression.  It was the expression adults used when they needed to break some bad news to children.

    ¡°Yes, Auntie?¡±  He replied, trying very hard to be brave as he looked into her eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.  Your family didn¡¯t make it,¡± she said, her hands clasped around his left hand.

    He¡¯d been expecting something like that, but it still felt like a huge gong went off in his head, causing his vision to blur.

    * * * * *

    Joram was regretting adding Zanth back into the Network so soon.  The raw emotions coming off Zanth in waves was¡­ hard to deal with.

    He looked up into the sky, admiring the sunset colours through the glass ceiling of the atrium.  It was a nice and quiet spot where he could relax after the mess he¡¯d found himself in.

    He was glad that so many people had made it into the Heavenly Archive, he really was.  But the emotional strain that came with helping the survivors was hard.  As much as he¡¯d changed since coming to this world, then being remade, then being reborn, he was still an introvert by nature.

    So many emotionally charged events happening one after the other was more than hard for him.  Quite frankly, he sucked at this sort of thing.  His first instinct was to lock himself away and bury himself in a project or something.

    He really didn¡¯t know what to say to Zanth to comfort him.  Nor how he could help Xixi.  Sure, he could just use [Psychic Chirurgery] on them, either accelerating their psychological healing process or outright erasing the damage.

    But that wasn¡¯t a proper solution.  Nor would he even consider something like that unless it was the last option in a dire situation.

    No, he¡¯d let his mother do what she did best: love her family.

    He still felt cowardly though, because she was also hurting from her own recent losses.

    *Sigh*

    Joram: Hey, Kinkade.

    Kinkade: Yeah?

    Joram: I¡¯ll need you to step in for me for a while.

    Kinkade: You know, I¡¯m still you.

    M3: We¡¯re all still the same person.

    Joram: Yeah, true.  *Pause*  I¡¯m going to head off into seclusion to try and get my cultivation properly ironed out.  M3, please keep working on [Schism].  [Genesis] is a secondary priority.

    M3: Gotcha, Boss!!

    *Face-palm*

    Am I really that bad?

    Kinkade & M3: Yes!

    Joram: Be sure to get a setting made for my likeness in your psicrystal Kinkade.

    Kinkade: No worries.  Just concentrate on getting us fixed up.

    Joram nodded to himself, then opened a line to Avi.

    ¡®I¡¯m heading off into seclusion to try and break through to Tier 5.  Try not to blow anything up.¡¯

    ¡®Are you keeping [Schism] going?¡¯

    ¡®Yeah, can¡¯t leave everyone high and dry now, can I?¡¯

    ¡®Heh, true.  I¡¯ll make sure to keep Kinkade up to speed on what¡¯s happening.  Good luck.¡¯

    Joram sent his thanks as he [Planeshift]ed over to the Heavenly Archive.

    He looked down at the altered pedestal and sighed.  He¡¯d need to find it an appropriate power source at some point.  As is, he didn¡¯t worry about it.  He needed to be in seclusion as he worked on his cultivation, so having the portal stone, now a planeshifting stone, unpowered suited him just fine.

    Looking around, he saw that the Archive was already erasing the traces of its recent guests.  The dirt was already gone, and even scraps of cloth and other debris were slowly disintegrating.

    He then made his way over to the transporter pad, activating the control panel as he went by.

    Soon, he found himself in the 9<sup>th</sup> section of the Archive, the furthest they¡¯d gotten to.  It was a cozy place, with only a couple dozen bookshelves and a few places to sit on comfy couches, in plush recliners, or even on meditation mats.  He looked down at the activation console and sighed.

    The 10<sup>th</sup> area was still locked to him.

    Well, seeing as how the different areas in the Archive represented the Tiers of cultivation, he supposed that the 10<sup>th</sup> area might be a bit dangerous for him.  Maybe once he reached Tier 9 he¡¯d be able to gain access.  For now, he shrugged, putting it out of his mind.  Then focussed on the door on the far side of the room.

    This was the first area that had a separate door attached to it.  Or, rather, the first obvious one.  He wasn¡¯t going to put it past Altaea to have created many hidden doors and passages throughout the Heavenly Archive.  It was something he¡¯d do, after all.

    After making his way over, he placed a hand on the panel on the door where the handle should have been.

    Nothing happened.

    Was it keyed to something like an actual key?  Or maybe his cultivation level?

    He shrugged, letting the issue slip from his mind.  He really didn¡¯t need distractions while he cultivated.

    Sitting down in one of the recliners, he looked around one last time before closing his eyes.

 Chapter 044

    *1345.04.27*

    Avi grinned as she regarded her opponents.  They¡¯d severely overestimated themselves, thinking that because she was Joram¡¯s ¡°friend¡± she¡¯d go easy on them.

    Hah, na?ve children, she thought as she retrieved two water balloons from her storage rings and threw them in one swift motion.

    *Ka-splash!* x2

    ¡°No fair, Avi!  That¡¯s cheating!¡±  Xixi yelled out, echoed by the also dripping Zanth.

    ¡°Hey, if two kids whose cultivation is higher than mine can¡¯t keep up¡­  What can I say?¡±  She said smugly as the two kids glumly accepted towels from a droid.

    Both kids gave her the evil eye, though Xixi¡¯s at least looked only half serious.

    Avi worried a bit about Zanth.  He¡¯d taken it especially hard when Sulia had broken the news to him.  She was trying her best to help distract the few remaining children, only 37 of the almost 400 survivors of the attack.

    She didn¡¯t now what else to do.  Most of her references to keeping kids occupied originated from the thousands of movies and tv shows Joram had collected over the years.  Now, she wasn¡¯t entirely ignorant of the fact that most of those shows weren¡¯t meant to be any sort of moral or intellectual guide for raising children.  But there had been a few good ideas.  Like the water balloon fight.

    ¡°How are you so good, Avi?¡±  Zanth grumbled as he dried his hair, not bothering to change out of his swimming trunks.

    Avi reached up and tightened her pony tail, sporting her own bathing suit in the form of a bikini top and Daisy-Dukes.

    ¡°It¡¯s all about knowing where not to be,¡± she said sagely, crossing her arms and nodding.

    Xixi and Zanth exchanged incredulous looks, then burst out laughing.

    Success!

    - - - - -

    ¡°We¡¯re just¡­¡± Sulia began, but was cut off by Avi.

    ¡°Bored?¡±

    Sulia blushed slightly.  It didn¡¯t seem that she was used to being cut off like that.  Or maybe she didn¡¯t want to be seen as ungrateful¡­?

    Avi shrugged.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine.  I was stuck here for a thousand years waiting for Joram to revive.  I can appreciate needing a hobby,¡± she said casually, causing Sulia¡¯s mouth to open in surprise.

    ¡°You don¡¯t look a day over seventeen,¡± she said very tactfully as she smiled.

    ¡°Meh, this body is less than a year old,¡± she said with a shrug, this time causing Sulia¡¯s jaw to drop.  Avi smirked.  ¡°Since you¡¯re Joram¡¯s mom, and I¡¯ve seen that you¡¯re a good person, I figured you should know more about me.¡±

    Sulia nodded a bit mechanically.  Avi was tempted to read her surface thoughts, but ultimately decided that making up her own interpretations of Sulia¡¯s expressions would be much more fun.

    ¡°You see, I¡¯m a product of both Joram and Altaea,¡± she started, then stopped when it looked like Sulia had swallowed a lemon.

    Man, that was easier than I thought.

    ¡°You could think of me as a child of their minds,¡± she said to clarify, not wanting Joram to come back to find out that he was now an orphan because his mother¡¯s heart had stopped due to shock.  ¡°Anyway, I was normally constrained to a small crystalline form, but decided that I needed an organic body to better help Joram,¡± she finished, nodding.

    Sulia just stared at Avi, eyes studying her form for a few more seconds before she reached a hand over the small patio table they shared in one of the gardens, and poked Avi in the chest.

    ¡°I can¡¯t find any difference,¡± she said absently, still poking Avi here and there.

    ¡°Well, I am a real¡­ woman,¡± she finished, realizing that the original quote didn¡¯t quite fit her situation.  ¡°About the only difference between me and you is that I haven¡¯t started cultivating yet.¡±

    ¡°Ah, but I can sense Mental Strength coming from you,¡± Sulia said, a bit puzzled.

    ¡°That¡¯s natural,¡± she said, causing Sulia to blush a bit when she realized that she¡¯d poked Avi in the breast.  ¡°Well, that too.  But I was referring to my psionic ability,¡± she said with another smirk.

    ¡°Aside from the hair, you¡¯d fit right into the clan,¡± she murmured, still studying Avi¡¯s body.  It wasn¡¯t hard seeing as how Avi was still in her Daisy Dukes and bikini top.

    ¡°Well, from what I can tell, Altaea founded your clan.  I¡¯m pretty sure that she used some of her genetic code when she made the first High Elan of your line.¡±

    Sulia blinked, then blinked again.  ¡°She what?¡±

    Avi took a moment to silently chastise herself.  It seemed as though this wasn¡¯t common knowledge.  Or, at least, knowledge their clan remembered.

    ¡°Ah, well,¡± she started, staring awkwardly up at the purple blossoms on the branches above her.  ¡°Shortly after we first arrived here, Joram was fascinated by the Library and had me exploring it.  I happened to notice you using a portal and started studying it when I realized that it was keyed to something.¡±

    ¡°I thought I felt someone watching me in there,¡± Sulia murmured, her brow creasing slightly.

    ¡°Well,¡± Avi continued with a grin.  ¡°It took a little while, but I managed to make a duplicate of the key.¡±  She paused again for Sulia¡¯s shock to wear off.  ¡°Anyway, what we found while exploring the Heavenly Archive led us to believe that Altaea had built it, leaving a few things behind for Joram to find.¡±

    ¡°Wait.  How did you come to that conclusion?¡±  Sulia asked, now genuinely curious.

    ¡°Well, the biggest giveaway was the transporter system.¡±

    ¡°I know that teleportation arrays are exceedingly rare in the world these days, but that really don¡¯t explain much.¡±

    ¡°It was the physical design of them,¡± Avi explained.  ¡°The design came from Joram¡¯s world.  But that alone could have been a coincidence, albeit a ridiculously farfetched one.  We also found a few manuals that partially contained a substance unique to Joram¡¯s world, while the other components were a type of plant that Joram had made.  It was a bit of a giveaway.¡±

    ¡°Joram made a plant?¡±  Sulia asked numbly, a bit fixated on that point.

    ¡°It was while Altaea was training Joram,¡± Avi said by way of an almost useless explanation.  ¡°Anyway, those many clues got me thinking.  If Altaea had made the Heavenly Archive, had she left it to be discovered by just anyone?  Or had she left it as a legacy?

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t hard to start analysing the genetic makeup of your clan,¡± she said, then realized that Sulia didn¡¯t know what genes were.  ¡°Genes are the basic building blocks of living beings.  Each person has a unique genetic code, but families share basic traits.  Like how you know someone is related by taking and comparing blood samples,¡± she said, going for an explanation that Sulia would understand.  The Clear Knowledge Clan had, after all, used blood samples for important lineages in their genealogy department.

    Seeing that Sulia caught on, Avi continued.

    ¡°I found that the main line of the family still had the genetic markers of High Elans in their line, likely due to marriage practices set up by the founders of the Clan,¡± Avi finished, then waited for Sulia to finish processing what she¡¯d been told.

    ¡°What¡¯s a High Elan?¡±

    Avi nodded, glad that Sulia was keeping on point.

    ¡°They¡¯re a psionically created psionic being,¡± she started, then continued the explanation.  ¡°In Altaea¡¯s original world, there was a psionic race called Elans.  They weren¡¯t a natural race.  I¡¯m not sure how the first Elans came into being, but they could only continue as a race by using their psionic abilities to alter other humanoids, changing them into new Elans.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Sulia raised a hand.  ¡°Did they forcibly change people?¡±  She asked, taken aback by that part of the history lesson.

    Avi shrugged.  ¡°I don¡¯t know.  I just know that by the time Altaea was converted into an Elan it wasn¡¯t by choice, exactly.  You see, she and her friends had stumbled upon an ancient ruin of the Elans.  She¡¯d been separated from her party when she found one of their conversion chambers.  This one designed to function autonomously.  There were a few other factors, but in the end she became the only living Elan on their world, effectively bringing back the Elan race from extinction.

    ¡°Fast forward to after they saved the world,¡± Avi said, skipping ahead much to Sulia¡¯s regret.  ¡°Altaea made sure that any new Elans she created were all volunteers and knew exactly what they¡¯d wind up being.

    ¡°Fast forward some more time.  Altaea was then a unique being of gestalt nature.  She remembered how hard it was giving up the ability to naturally give birth to a child.  So, she studied long and hard, working through countless hypotheses before getting to solid theories that eventually bore fruit.

    ¡°Not long before she¡­ left her world, she managed to complete her research and became her first test subject,¡± she stopped, seeing Sulia¡¯s aghast expression.

    ¡°Altaea wasn¡¯t willing to subject anyone to an experiment like that.  She was nice that way,¡± Avi said with a smile.  ¡°Anyway, it was successful.  She managed to take out, what she suspected to be an intentionally limiting factor for Elans, along with a few other minor changes.  She called the new race High Elan.  Well, race is a bit of an exaggeration seeing as how she was the only one at the time.

    ¡°But then she met Joram, and then the High Elan race became two.¡±

    ¡°There are so many questions I¡¯d like answered,¡± Sulia said vehemently.  ¡°But the first would be: did Joram become a High Elan willingly?¡±

    Avi snorted.  ¡°Even I¡¯m not sure what connection he and Altaea had, or have, but I do know that he was the one who asked to be¡­ converted.  Much to Altaea¡¯s shock, from what I gather.¡±

    ¡°So, what are the traits of a High Elan?¡±  Sulia asked, now very curious.

    ¡°Well for one, they¡¯re naturally psionic.  And quite powerfully so at that,¡± she said, amused at Sulia¡¯s rapt expression.  ¡°For another, they can sexually reproduce.  That was one thing that Altaea wanted for her people.  It was hard, some decades, to get many volunteers, even in her kingdom.

    ¡°You see, one of the racial traits of Elans is that they¡¯re naturally very long lived.  Well, technically, they don¡¯t have an upper limit to their lifespan, and they do age up to a point, but much more slowly than the other races.  Most, when they felt they¡¯d lived long enough, just chose to pass away.¡±

    Sulia blinked, her mouth opening and closing for a minute before she could properly organize her thoughts.

    ¡°Are you telling me that they were effectively a race of immortals?¡±

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°Yup,¡± Avi replied simply, causing more surprise for Sulia.

    ¡°Do you know just how much you could study?!  How much research and progress you could make?¡±  Sulia was practically vibrating in her chair with her excitement.

    Did Altaea somehow incorporate a learning mania into their genetic code?  Or is this just a cultural thing?  Avi pondered.  Either way, Joram wound up in the perfect place.

    ¡°Yes, but for a person that came from a race that wouldn¡¯t normally live longer than a few hundred years, at best, the weight of centuries was heavy.  You tend to watch the other races, your friends, grow old and die, along with their children and their children¡¯s children.  Not everyone had the mental fortitude to live that long.¡±

    Sulia nodded, suddenly more serious.  ¡°But wouldn¡¯t cultivation help mitigate that problem?¡±  She asked, now genuinely curious as to why people wouldn¡¯t surround themselves with other long-lived people.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s another thing.  Cultivation doesn¡¯t exist on Altaea¡¯s home world,¡± Avi explained.  ¡°Both Altaea and Joram came from worlds where cultivation as you know it, doesn¡¯t exist.  Heck, as far as Joram knew, magic didn¡¯t even exist in his world.¡±

    Sulia¡¯s jaw was getting quite the workout.

    ¡°Anyways, back to High Elans,¡± she said, bringing the conversation back on topic.  ¡°As I mentioned, High Elans are able to reproduce sexually.  Another big change to their physiology Altaea made was that they are now able to control their bodies to an amazing extent.

    ¡°For example, they can control their hair growth, and even its colour.  Another is how they ¡®age¡¯.  They can choose how old they look.¡±

    Avi stopped there, recognizing the glassy look in Sulia¡¯s eyes.

    Once Sulia came back from her mental tangents, Avi continued.  ¡°Yes, a High Elan can look like a child one day, then a toothless elder the next.  And they still have no upper limit to their lifespan.¡±

    ¡°Altaea truly created a race of immortals, didn¡¯t she?¡±  Sulia asked, her tone sliding to that of reverence.

    ¡°Well, as far as I know, there¡¯s possibly only two High Elans in existence, so that shouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s you and Altaea,¡± Sulia said in confusion.  ¡°How would there be more?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure Altaea is still alive, you see,¡± she said, then continued when a very confused look appeared on Sulia¡¯s face.  ¡°Then there¡¯s me, of course.  But there¡¯s also Joram.  Yes, yes, I know that doesn¡¯t make sense, given what you know.  And no, I haven¡¯t made Joram into a High Elan behind your back.

    ¡°When Altaea made Joram, he requested that she make him into a being just like her.  Now, she couldn¡¯t do anything about his Base Form, him being human and all while Altaea had started off as an Aasimar, a distant descendent of a mortal and an angel.

    ¡°Anyway, the process to make someone like her is a bit long and very, very, specific.  It took a lot of training on Joram¡¯s part, but eventually he met the conditions to become a gestalt being like Altaea.¡±

    ¡°But what does that have to do with Joram also being a High Elan right now?¡±  Sulia asked, evidently wanting Avi to get to the crux of it.

    ¡°Well, to put it simply: Joram also has other forms he can shift into.  When he was reborn into your family, it only added another form to his being.¡±

    This time it took Sulia several minutes to organize her thoughts and ask the most relevant question to her.

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Being a gestalt being, his forms are tied to his soul.  They¡¯re, effectively, expressions of his soul.  If you somehow had the ability to see souls, you wouldn¡¯t be able to differentiate his physical self from his spiritual self.  They¡¯re one and the same, just like Altaea.  Heck, just like most Planars from Altaea¡¯s home.¡±

    ¡°But if that¡¯s so, how was he able to be reborn as my son?¡±

    ¡°Another good question,¡± Avi said, nodding appreciatively.  ¡°I don¡¯t know.  We¡¯re still investigating the how and why of what happened to Joram after that practitioner killed him.¡±

    Sulia took another moment to process things, so Avi poured them a glass of iced tea.  There were a number of medicinal herbs that they¡¯d collected, while Joram explored after leaving that mountain, that made for a wonderful tea once dried.  Never mind the various fruits and berries they¡¯d also brought to the Realm.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that Altaea made a High Elan in the distant past and they somehow became the founder of our clan?¡±

    Avi was really starting to like her.

    ¡°Basically, yes.¡±

    ¡°So, all that is how you came to the conclusion that Altaea created the Heavenly Archive for Joram?¡±

    ¡°More or less.¡±

    Another pause.  ¡°Is that why Mental Strength is more common in the Aneath line?¡±  She asked, now looking more closely at Avi.

    ¡°Probably,¡± Avi said with a shrug.  ¡°Your line is diluted enough to be considered normal humans though.¡±

    ¡°So, I¡¯m not somehow related to Joram other than being his mother?¡±

    Avi nearly snorted out her tea through her nose.

    ¡°No.¡±

    Sulia seemed to relax then.  But Avi continued.

    ¡°Well, maybe in the sense that you might have a common ancestor that¡¯s twenty-thousand years in the past.  Heck, even I took a bit of genetic data from Altaea, making up the difference with Joram¡¯s.¡±

    It was Sulia¡¯s turn to almost spray tea out of her nose.

    ¡°So-so-so-so¡­ you¡¯re Joram¡¯s daughter?¡±  She stuttered out, a drop of tea coming out of her nose.

    Avi sighed a bit.  ¡°No more than you¡¯re Altaea¡¯s daughter,¡± she said, shaking her head.  ¡°There are genetic traits that every person shares.  Like the ones that give you your basic human shape.  Two eyes on the front of your head, the same opposable thumbs as other humans.  That sort of thing.¡±

    Sulia slumped back into her chair, relief evident on her face.

    ¡°I still have a long way to go to catch up with Joram, though,¡± she said wistfully.  ¡°I plan on becoming like Altaea as well one day so that I can be a better help to him.¡±

    Sulia sat up again, focussing on Avi.  ¡°Aren¡¯t you already an amazing friend?¡±

    She smiled at that, for some reason glad that Joram¡¯s mother saw that.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever want to be more for those close to you?¡±  She asked, not quite rhetorically.

    Sulia sobered at that, then nodded.  ¡°Always.  If I¡¯d been stronger, had a better magical foundation¡­¡± she stopped there, eyes tearing up.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Avi said, placing a hand on Sulia¡¯s shoulder, giving her a light squeeze.  ¡°It was hard waiting a thousand years for Joram to return, being powerless to help.  The only thing I could do was keep the [Astral Seed] safe and build up his Realm.¡±

    Sulia looked around, following Avi¡¯s hand as she gestured to their surroundings.

    Sulia took a moment to compose herself before speaking again.

    ¡°This is a pocket realm, isn¡¯t it?¡±  She asked, then continued when Avi nodded.  ¡°Did you find this place when you were exploring.  You know, before Joram died?¡±

    Avi smiled lightly at that.  ¡°No, this Realm is a part of Joram.  Part of what made, or makes, Altaea unique is that she had the ability, amongst others, to take people or objects into what she and her friends initially called her ¡®mind space¡¯.  In reality, it was a minor realm that had formed in her¡­ Knowledge Sea, but was later separated and attached to her being, her soul.¡±

    Sulia¡¯s jaw, once again, dropped.

    ¡°She can do that?¡±

    ¡°As can Joram,¡± she said with a soft smile.  ¡°Because I¡¯m, in a sense, a part of him, I can use the same psionic powers that he can.  That¡¯s how I helped this Realm grow and develop.¡±

    ¡°Wait, back up,¡± Sulia held up her had.  ¡°You¡¯re part of Joram?¡±

    Avi wanted to laugh at Sulia¡¯s expression, but held back.

    ¡°Are you familiar with how some powerful cultivators will leave what they call a ¡®wisp of consciousness¡¯ in an item?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s usually to forge an artifact that is intelligent, or to leave behind a legacy after their death¡­¡±

    Avi waited, watching as Sulia picked up on what she was hinting at, then process it.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a bit like what Altaea had done with me,¡± she said, taking a sip of iced tea.  ¡°You see, Joram is able to make what¡¯s called a psicrystal, a crystalized shard of his personality that¡¯s usually used as a helper for most psions.  Kind of like having a familiar.

    ¡°Before Altaea left him, she¡¯d been working on making an assistant to help Joram on his journeys without her,¡± she paused, remembering just how hard Joram had taken Altaea¡¯s sudden, and unannounced, departure.  ¡°She didn¡¯t quite have the resources to put together what she¡¯d originally intended, so she improvised.  She took his psicrystal and merged the culmination of all her work together, resulting in, well, me.¡±

    Sulia was at a loss for words, Avi could tell.  The biggest giveaway was Sulia doing an impression of a fish out of water.

    It was several minutes before she was able to say anything.

    ¡°So, you really are his child.¡±

    Avi face-palmed, then sighed.

    She¡¯s a bit fixated, isn¡¯t she?

    ¡°If you want to stretch it that far¡­?  Sure?¡±

    Faster than Avi could see, Sulia was up and hugging Avi tightly to her bosom.

    ¡°I have a granddaughter!¡±  Sulia gushed, causing Avi to want to join Joram in seclusion.

    * * * * *

    Kinkade watched as Sulia embraced Avi and smirked, then sighed.  He was going to be in for it.  The fact that Sulia, his mother, was so fixated on Joram having a child throughout their conversation should have raised more than a few red flags for Avi.

    Well, live and learn.

    He continued on, heading to the mundane gardens to gather a few things he needed for his research.  Creating a replicator wasn¡¯t nearly as easy as one would think, even if they thought it was impossibly complicated.

    Now, he wasn¡¯t sure if he was going about it the right way, even if there was a ¡°right¡± way.  But it was the way he was choosing to go, so he shrugged.

    He¡¯d been creating a Crystal Library of every ingredient and dish that he could find, copying over the information from [Delve] one by one.  It was a somewhat tedious task, but he thought it would be worth it.

    The project was going to be a huge power sink though.  He wasn¡¯t quite sure how he could streamline the efficiency of the process so that it would require less energy to function.  As is, it took a level 9 Power to work, which was something that anyone from Altaea¡¯s world would boggle at, for they had cheap magic items that could produce set kinds of food.  Heck, they even had divine spells to do that.

    But here?  He was pretty sure that there weren¡¯t any gods lazing about, just waiting for someone to pray for their daily allotment of divine spells.

    So, he had to go with what he knew.  Sure, he could go with cheaper options that had the item vanish after a day or so, but that would turn out poorly not only for the poor soul consuming the replicated food, but for any item that used a part they¡¯d replicated for its use.

    Hence his quandary.

    He needed something permanent.  He had played with the idea of installing several cognizance crystals, a type of psionic battery, to power the unit, but then it could only be used so many times per day.  Never mind the cost of creating said cognizance crystals.

    The most abundant resource available to him was mana.  Which meant that he needed to somehow reverse engineer the [True Creation] Power then remake it as a spell.

    Well, it wasn¡¯t like he had much else to do.

    Like making sure everyone was all right, even with Asura going about helping where she could.

    Well, maybe not.  He just really wasn¡¯t looking forward to diving into magical theory as he much preferred psionics and tech.

    Oooh, maybe he¡¯d work in ¡°magitech¡±.  He was already good at ¡°enchanting¡±, creating psionic items.  So how hard would it be to shift that over to making magical items?

    Kinkade grinned, then started chuckling, then laughing.

    * * * * *

    Asura looked over to where Kinkade was laughing maniacally at his desk and sighed.  She was pretty sure that it was a portent of weird things to come.

    She left the lab then, not wanting to get involved in whatever might come of that.

    Instead, she smiled as she ran into Xixi as she and Zanth were helping care for her sisters while being supervised by Annalee and Thuridan, Tillia¡¯s parents.

    Asura was glad that Zanth was managing to adjust so well, even going as far as helping with the other kids, even if he really wanted to just head off and practice with his sword.  No euphemism intended.

    Through her connection to Joram in the Network, she could tell that they were chatting telepathically with each other as they played with the toddlers.  As much as she was tempted to listen in on their conversation, she knew that it was a breach of privacy that Joram wouldn¡¯t condone.

    So, she continued on into the small hospital Avi had made a while back, then headed into an elevator.  From there she descended a few levels and got off.  She passed through a few rooms, mostly empty save for the last room that contained a desk with several monitors on it, all but one showing empty cells.

    The one cell with an occupant showed a young woman with raven black hair dressed in a simple shirt and pants.  No shoes, no socks.  The cell was kept at a comfortable temperature, even if she hadn¡¯t been a cultivator.

    Asura observed Bai Lian for a time, noting that she¡¯d eaten the meal that had been delivered to her.

    She¡¯d made progress over the last week and a half, which had greatly surprised her.  They¡¯d assumed that it would be hard to get any information out of a disciple of one of the Sects.  They¡¯d been a bit wrong.

    ¡­¡­

    ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me that there were more than a few people in your raiding party that didn¡¯t know they were on a mission to wipe out a peaceful clan?¡±

    Bai Lian nodded.  ¡°We were led to believe that you were a force that stole teachings from all across the world, and that you were planning on dominating the world using those stolen techniques.¡±

    Asura pinched the bridge of her nose even though she as just a hologram.

    ¡°Do you know who the mole in the clan was?¡±  Asura asked, not quite able to stick with her previous line of questioning.  The answers had been too¡­ na?ve.

    ¡°No, but they were probably higher up in your organization.  Though, we did have a spy posing as a food vendor in the town.¡±

    ¡°Ah, what did they sell?¡±  Asura asked as casually as she could.

    ¡°Meat skewers, I think?¡±  Bai Lian replied with a shrug.  ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, they probably left with everyone else¡­¡± she said, then deflated as she once again realized that she¡¯d been left for dead.

    ¡°And why did you participate in the ¡®mission¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Because I needed real-world experience.  I hadn¡¯t ever left the sect before.  I just studied and practiced.  My master saw that I was stagnating, so she recommended me to the expedition.  And because I am- er, was, one of the best in my year, they agreed.¡±

    ¡°¡­ And you had no problem with the idea of killing a clan?¡±

    Bai Lian raised a hand, lifting her index finger as though wanting to make a point.

    ¡°¡¯An evil organization of thieves bent on world domination¡¯,¡± she corrected.  ¡°We, or at least I was led to believe that our cause was righteous.¡±

    Typical brainwashing, she thought as she kept those thoughts from touching her face.

    ¡°Sects often go out to annihilate clans?¡±

    Bai Lian shook her head at that.  ¡°No, that¡¯s a very rare occurrence.  Only when a power would threaten the peace of all do the Sects do such a thing.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    Asura was having a hard time disliking Bai Lian.  She was just too¡­ na?ve to hate.  Once Asura had explained a bit of the Clan¡¯s history, and their philosophy, it had shaken Bai Lian¡¯s beliefs.  A bit of logic, like pointing out how if they were a clan bent on world domination, why weren¡¯t they more powerful?  Why didn¡¯t they have layers upon layers of defensive arrays that would have kept their attack force out?

    Why weren¡¯t there more body cultivators?  Any techniques or martial arts that could have easily repelled any invading force?

    It had been easy reading Bai Lian, especially being in the Network.  All those emotions and even stray thoughts that came from her helped immensely.

    But even though Asura was starting to like Bai Lian, that didn¡¯t negate the fact that she¡¯d participated in the attack.  She claimed, and Asura was inclined to believe her, that she hadn¡¯t killed anyone, merely disabled them.  And when she had seen that most of the people they were attacking were woefully weak compared to them, well, it had planted the seeds of doubt in her heart.

    Heck, even Bai Lian¡¯s description of the argument she¡¯d started with the other two disciples she¡¯d been with had been in line with what little Avi had observed before wiping out their party.

    At length, Asura decided that this was above her paygrade and turned around to leave.  She¡¯d let Joram deal with it when he finally returned from his seclusion.

    For now, she¡¯d get back to work on her orbital station.

 Chapter 045

    *1345.10.19*

    Kinkade was happy.

    Sure, he¡¯d been worked to the proverbial bone over the last six months, but there was a lot to show for it.

    The second ¡°castle¡± had been completed only a week or so after he¡¯d brought over the rest of the refugees from the Heavenly Archive. He was happy that those poor souls not only had a roof over their heads and food in their bellies, but also had access to indoor plumbing in each room, electricity, and even access to their (limited) internet!

    Not that they knew about that last one, of course. But it was there!

    It had taken them a little while to get used to ¡°modern¡± amenities like a fridge, stove, and lights. Well, it wasn¡¯t like they hadn¡¯t had access to the magical equivalents of those things before. It had just taken a little while for them to get used to the subtle differences in how they all operated.

    A villager waved as she walked by, smiling for all she was worth. He waved back, putting on his second-best smile.

    They were treating him¡­ oddly.

    It had somehow gotten out that he was an avatar/clone of Joram¡¯s. The lady who¡¯d walked by? She had been one of the street vendors in Brightside, specializing in making the ice cream that he¡¯d shared with Tatia. The news of ice cream, of course, had exploded through not only the Clan Home, but also Brightside. That lady¡­ um¡­

    He paused, trying to remember the woman¡¯s name, but soon gave up.

    The point was that she¡¯d been the one to somehow win the right to be the exclusive seller of ice cream in Brightside. And every time he¡¯d visited town, she¡¯d given him a free bowl of the stuff. A very nice lady.

    The other point he¡¯d been getting to was that they were almost treating him like their leader or something.

    Which was very odd to him seeing as how the Clear Knowledge Clan had been a matriarchal one. Had they lost all faith in their leaders? He didn¡¯t know of a single Elder that had survived the slaughter. Even Grammy had all but died while fighting.

    Sure, they seemed to look up to Sulia because she¡¯d, amongst all of the direct line, survived. But they didn¡¯t seem to defer to her like they would have to Grammy or even one of the Elders. Not that she seemed to mind, though, because she seemed OK spending as much time with Zaleria as she could and only helped out if there was something big going on.

    He shook his head. That would be Joram¡¯s problem¡­. Well, his too, because they were one and the same. But he wouldn¡¯t be the active mind working on it, and that¡¯s all that mattered to him!

    Well, at least he could still head out with Asura. And they often did so! They were in constant need of resources, like seeds for the crops that had been planted, various medicinal herbs, and other rare resources that they couldn¡¯t produce here yet¡­ or had stockpiled in the past.

    So, he and Asura had visited several auction houses over the past months, each time causing a commotion when the healing gems were shown.

    He kept precious memories of those times close to his heart. The number of times a stunning beauty had shown her ¡°O¡± face when she realized what they would be selling hadn¡¯t been few. He¡¯d even made a crystal mind to keep the memories in, arranging it so that it looked like one of those memory reels that you¡¯d get shown by Google or Facebook or something.

    Yeah, times were good¡­.

    Except his progress with the damned replicators!! He thought as he looked up to the sky while grabbing his hair as though he was trying to pull it out.

    A moment later he calmed, taking a simulated breath. It was nice being a psicrystal and not having to worry about an organic body. Like, he didn¡¯t even need to tidy his ¡°hair¡± after that, because it was just a [Holographic Image] and would reset to its default state. Nor did he have to wait for his heart to calm down.

    Nor did he actually loose it, but had instead done the whole pose for the fun of it.

    He was still frustrated though.

    Keeping the replicators powered aside, working on the library that the replicator needed to function properly was hard!

    He could go the way of having the person working the replicator decide on every little variable for the produced item, which was insanely complicated to do! Or he could go the way of the vending machine and just have someone pick from a list, and voila! Done!

    But the side of him that he was growing to suspect was a little bit more than just a little bit OCD demanded that he make something with the versatility that you¡¯d find on a modern Starfleet ship!

    Heck, they¡¯d¡­.

    Wait a second.

    Didn¡¯t those ships have stores of matter set aside for the replicators to use?

    His jaw dropped.

    The power needed to run a replicator suddenly took a nosedive as he realized that he didn¡¯t have to create something from nothing!

    ¡°Are you OK?¡± Asura asked as he was doing the Victory Dance.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to use [True Creation]!¡± He practically crowed in delight.

    ¡°Yeah, just use [Modify Matter] with a stock of basic molecules on hand,¡± she said with a nod. ¡°Oh, and [Recycle] would come in handy to deal with any leftovers and the created dishes.¡±

    He looked over at her and pouted.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome!¡±

    * * * * *

    Avi smirked as she caught the conversation Asura was having with Kinkade.

    She knew that Joram sometimes had a tendency to overcomplicate things he was working on, but this took the cake.

    Sure, a replicator that didn¡¯t need a matter supply would be a fantastic end game result, but something that could just pump out part after part was really what they needed in the here-and-now. It was very hard to make a prototype, and even harder to mass produce a working model.

    Yes, she had many factories working around the clock, but she really wanted to advance the tech they could mass produce. The omni-tools were technically handcrafted items, not something she could just push a button to order and have delivered to her door.

    Now, once the replicators were up and running, she¡¯d be able to produce the parts she needed on demand! Heck, once the replicator was fine tuned enough, she¡¯d be able to mass produce finished products!

    Avi shivered at the possibilities, a weird grin on her face.

    She knew what Asura and A3 were up to, and she was very excited to see the results in the coming years.

    For now, though, she needed to concentrate.

    With that thought in mind, she repositioned on her meditation mat that cushioned her bottom from the slab of sky nether jade she¡¯d brought in just for this, and closed her eyes. She needed to focus on developing her psionic abilities as efficiently as possible. It had already been six months since Joram had gone into seclusion and she wanted to be ready to start her magical cultivation as soon as he came out.

    For that, she needed to make sure that her psionic reserves were as developed as they could be. After reading through the Encompass the Universe manual, she realized that she wouldn¡¯t be nearly as powerful as she needed to be to pull off the same stunt that Joram had unless she massively expanded her psionic reserves.

    So, there she was, working on her Knowledge Sea in the same way that Joram had described how he¡¯d done it.

    It was hard, but rewarding.

    The exercises and techniques that she had from Altaea were amazing for developing a surgical finesse when using psionic powers. While the cultivation methods for Mental Strength focussed on just that: strength. The more you had to throw at a problem, the better! More power!

    Ah, how a certain Toolman would have loved it here.

    Avi refocussed on her task, slowly expanding the shores of her Knowledge Sea while simultaneously condensing her power at the centre of her ¡°island¡±, creating that bastion of mental fortitude needed for a person to be a truly great psion.

    * * * * *

    Megami was bored.

    Her bushy tail drooped as she sat on her stool, face on her anvil.

    She¡¯d been excited to learn that she¡¯d get to stay in one of those highly sought after secret realms¡­. But now she realized that aside from the relatively high levels of ambient mana, there were almost no minerals to play with.

    Sure, that Avi lady threw her a bone every now and then by giving her projects to work on¡­. But they were so mundane! Literally!

    She yearned to work on some magical metal, to create and artifact that would be more useful than a door stop. Yes, she¡¯d even made door stops. And coat hooks, pots and pans, cutlery, back scratchers, and even nail clippers.

    Yes, she was impressed that Joram and that Avi lady had apparently stockpiled enough raw materials to have enough sitting around to build a town. Which they had. But her talents were being wasted!!

    Megami sighed again from her place on the anvil, her ears drooping.

    ¡°Am I interrupting?¡± Someone asked from behind, causing her to leap to her feet in surprise, her tail poofing out. When she turned, she beheld Asura¡¯s stunning figure. For all she and Avi looked almost exactly alike, Asura¡¯s hair was just that strange fiery red that almost looked like spun ruby.

    ¡°No!¡± She replied instantly, hiding her tail behind her back, trying her best to calm its twitching.

    ¡°Good,¡± Asura said with a smile that would likely scare lesser beings. For Megami, she was used to seeing a lot of teeth when her kin smiled.

    ¡°I was hoping that you could help me with a project,¡± she said, leaning against one of the counters, producing an ingot of metal and laying down on the counter. The counter creaked under its weight, instantly perking Megami¡¯s interest.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± She asked, eyes going round. She was familiar with most metals available to blacksmiths of her level, and had even worked with the coveted adamantium. Yet this metal was almost black, its surface seeming to not just reflect light like any metal would, but also refract it.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been¡­ exploring you see, and came across an interesting ore in my travels,¡± Asura said by way of explanation. ¡°I managed to [Extract] and shape it into this form, but it is difficult to work with. I was hoping that you could help me work out its properties.¡±

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Megami couldn¡¯t tear her eyes away from the dark metal as she approached Asura, but still managed to mumble a reply.

    ¡°I would be honoured to help you with this,¡± she said, reaching out her hand, almost touching the ingot that was only about three inches wide by six long and two tall. But she stopped, not quite sure why. ¡°This is probably the best thing that has happened to me,¡± she mumbled, still staring at the alien metal.

    ¡°Maybe a close second to Joram bringing you here?¡± Asura teasingly asked, a mischievous smirk on her face that Megami completely missed.

    ¡°I am now,¡± Megami replied absently. ¡°I¡¯m so thrilled that I¡¯d happily bear him a few children.¡±

    Asura blinked at that, then noticed the flush in Megami¡¯s cheeks.

    She might be an even bigger crafting maniac than Joram, she thought with a wry grin as she took in Megami¡¯s figure.

    And she might give a grown-up Xixi a run for her money¡­

    * * * * *

    *1345.13.24*

    Xixi was sad.

    It was now her eighth birthday, one of the few celebrated by more than just her immediate family. Or had been. There weren¡¯t very many people left in the Clan to celebrate with her. Not only the adults, but even most of the children her age were gone.

    Even then, she wouldn¡¯t have minded if Joram had been there with her.

    She felt the poignant pangs of loneliness as she sat at a table with Aunt Sulia, Zanth, Avi and Kinkade, Annalee and Thuridan, as well as her toddling sisters and Zaleria.

    Even though she now knew that Kinkade was really one of Joram¡¯s avatars, something that would have been a mind-blowing revelation any other time, it wasn¡¯t the same. He wasn¡¯t like Joram, and not just in appearance. Sure, he was very handsome but to her, he still wore the visage of a stranger. He just didn¡¯t have the same way about him that Joram had.

    Kinkade had let her know that Joram was in seclusion, trying to break through to the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier, and that she could speak with him, Kinkade, Avi, or Asura any time she needed.

    It still wasn¡¯t the same.

    She¡¯d been hoping that Joram would come back in time for her birthday, but knew in her heart that he¡¯d be gone for another long stretch of time. Knowing that still hadn¡¯t helped keep the hurt away.

    ¡°Joram wanted you to have this,¡± Kinkade said, presenting her with a small ornately decorated box that wound up being heavier than she thought.

    ¡°Thank you, Kinkade,¡± she said softly, opening the latch on the box.

    Inside was a bit of fabric that matched her hair colour, wrapped around something. Her heart suddenly ached as she had a premonition as to what it was.

    At the edges of her sight, she could see the adults growing nervous, the smile on Kinkade¡¯s face starting to slip, as they saw her expression.

    Sulia placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and whispered something in her ear that she didn¡¯t hear, so focussed was she on the cloth wrapping.

    Slowly, as if in a dream, she reached out, carefully taking the wrapped object out of the box. Her hands shook slightly as she gently unwrapped the object layer by layer until the statuette was fully uncovered and everyone gasped. Well, not Kinkade, probably having known what it was in advance.

    In her hands was a sculpture made of some sort of marble who¡¯s veins of cobalt blues slowly shifted about. There were three figures all attached at the base, two taller than the third by a wide margin.

    It was her parents standing with her in the middle. Her mother stood on her left, her father on her right, each holding one of her hands while the other arm of each parent held one of her sisters. Not only had everyone¡¯s features been captured in exquisite detail, but Joram had somehow managed to incorporate other types of stone and even gems into the eight-inch-tall sculpture.

    From their hair to their eyes, each was made of a different stone that matched their real-life colour. As she looked closer, she could even see individual eyelashes on each of their eyelids. Then one last detail caught her attention that brought tears to her eyes.

    On her left hand, the one her mother was holding, there was a sliver of gold on her ring finger.

    * * * * *

    This was one of the more depressing gatherings that she¡¯d ever attended.

    Sulia understood though. Even though it had been nine months since the attack, everyone was still hurting. She¡¯d hoped that Joram would have taken time to speak with Xixi before heading off, but he hadn¡¯t. That had disappointed her more than a little bit, especially because of how close they¡¯d been.

    And now?

    She was about to go find Joram, secluded training or not, and give him the thrashing of several lifetimes as she held a bawling child in her arms. But stopped when she, too, noticed what had set Xixi off.

    The golden band glinted in the light as Xixi held the sculpture tight to her chest, showing her that Joram had indeed been thinking of her in his own way.

    She was still going to smack the boy.

    Sulia looked down at the sculpture, at the detail so fine that she feared Xixi¡¯s strength might just crush the delicate work, but was more than surprised that it withstood the child¡¯s bear hugs.

    She looked over to Avi, Asura, and Kinkade and saw that they all looked embarrassed, especially Kinkade. She had an inkling that Joram hadn¡¯t had the time to make this before hiding himself away, so he¡¯d had Kinkade make it in his stead.

    Which gave her pause. If she understood Kinkade¡¯s nature properly after having had it explained to her, then Kinkade was more than just and independently acting avatar of Joram, but actually him. Just¡­ a part of him.

    Sulia shook her head, then looked to where Zanth was gazing longingly at Xixi¡¯s sculpture and knew that he was probably wishing for one of his own. She was surprised that Joram hadn¡¯t given one to him on his birthday. Though, seeing as how his birthday had arrived exactly one week after the attack, she could understand. Just a little, though.

    Seldanna and Elodea soon started to fuss, finally unable to take the emotions they were picking up on from their sister, soon followed by Zaleria. Zanth and Avi quickly picked up a twin each, leaving Asura to comfort Zaleria.

    It was amusing to see that the twins calmed down best as they felt human contact, though their being over two years old now likely helped. Zaleria, though, was having none of it.

    Sulia smiled a crooked smile. She was still amazed at how real Asura and Kinkade looked, but knew that it wasn¡¯t a perfect illusion. Or, um, ¡°hologram¡±. It could fool adults, but little ones, infants to toddlers, somehow seemed to know that it was unnatural.

    The crying of the little ones seemed to pull Xixi back to the present though. She sat up straight, wiping at her eyes, an embarrassed look on her face.

    Her arms now free, Sulia took pity on her daughter and took Zaleria into her arms. Who immediately wanted comfort in the way of food. So she obliged, slipping Zaleria into her feeding position and let her suckle.

    Elodea saw this and eyed Avi¡¯s chest, seeming to wonder if those assets held the coveted milk that Sulia had been providing her and Seldanna on and off these past months.

    For her part, Avi just shrugged and obliged the girl.

    Sulia was about to say something along the lines of ¡°You shouldn¡¯t tease her like that,¡± but stopped, jaw going slack as she heard not the sound of a babe sucking, not getting anything. No, she heard the sound of swallowing.

    ¡°How?¡± She asked, agog.

    Avi looked over to Zanth and Xixi, then shrugged. ¡°Do you remember our conversation about my¡­ origin?¡± She asked, not quite comfortable spilling the beans in front of Xixi and Zanth.

    It took her a few seconds to run through the conversation in her head, the one they¡¯d had many months ago where she¡¯d shared about High Elans.

    Then it clicked.

    ¡°Perfect control,¡± she murmured, eyes going wide.

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    Then she blushed, not in embarrassment or anything so silly. No, she got a bit angry.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you helped before?¡± She asked as sweetly as she could, trying not to scare anyone. Trying not to start an argument at Xixi¡¯s and Zaleria¡¯s birthday party.

    ¡°I¡¯m not around enough,¡± Avi replied simply, trading off with Zanth to give Seldanna a turn. ¡°They¡¯re mostly weaned though, so just a bit won¡¯t hurt.¡±

    Never before had she even a sliver of desire to become a High Elan, but as she watched Avi begin breastfeeding Seldanna on her other breast, she did.

    There were so many factors involved in breast feeding, from diet to sleep to one¡¯s emotional state. So many things affected milk production and how long one could produce. She knew that she would likely be able to produce for a while longer, but also knew that her production wasn¡¯t what it used to be.

    Grief had almost dried her supply. But if she were a High Elan, she wouldn¡¯t have had to worry about that. But now? Now, even though she was beyond unlikely to remarry or even have another child, she wanted it.

    She looked over to Avi, catching her eye. They regarded each other for a time before Avi nodded, finally speaking to her over the Network.

    ¡®Are you sure?¡¯

    ¡®No, but I want it,¡¯ she sent back simply.

    ¡®Should we wait for Joram?¡¯ She asked, sounding hesitant.

    ¡®No,¡¯ she sent, then thought a bit more. ¡®We can do it once Zaleria has been weaned. I don¡¯t want to affect her in any way.¡¯

    Avi nodded seeming to understand, if what Sulia felt from Avi over the Network was any indication.

    Then Avi, Asura, and Kinkade¡¯s heads whipped to face the door of the parlour that resembled the one they¡¯d used for their family¡¯s birthday parties over the years, though this one¡¯s view was of sprawling gardens of medicinal herbs and flowering trees.

    There stood Joram, a wry grin on his face.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯m a bit late,¡± he said with a nervous chuckle, one that sounded like a man¡¯s laugh now.

    Sulia regarded her son and the changes she saw in him. He¡¯d grown again, now standing as tall as most women in the Clan, though lean as could be. But with how wide his shoulders were, she was sure that he¡¯d later fill out.

    ¡°Hi guys, sorry I¡¯m late,¡± he said when the room remained quiet.

    Avi was just smiling with Seldanna still latched on. Asura and Kinkade were¡­ serene. Zanth, though. Zanth looked both angry and happy at the same time.

    Sulia wasn¡¯t sure what to make of that, but suspected that the boy had felt abandoned by his best friend in his greatest time of need. She couldn¡¯t blame him; to some extent she felt the same.

    Annalee and Thuridan, however, seemed a bit strained. It struck her that Joram might not have spoken to them since before the attack. Again, she resolved to give Joram a good talking to.

    Xixi, however, didn¡¯t seem to care about any of that. At a good foot shorter than Joram, she still ran and tackle-hugged her favourite person, new tears now streaming down her face, snot smearing on his shirt.

    Well, if that¡¯s the least he gets away with, he¡¯s the luckiest person I¡¯ve ever met, she thought as she watched Joram¡¯s face.

    It was hard, though. He was looking more and more like his father as he grew, and seeing that face now was more than a little bit hard after the decision she¡¯d just made.

    Then something occurred to her.

    ¡°Joram, did you succeed in breaking through?¡± She asked, unable to feel his cultivation.

    ¡°Ah, about that,¡± he said, picking up Xixi and holding her in the crook of one arm, much to the terror and delight of the girl. ¡°I think I finally managed to figure out how to cultivate with my¡­ unique physiology,¡± he ended with an embarrassed grin.

    From their expressions, Avi and Asura hadn¡¯t know the news beforehand. Which made sense if Joram was wanting to surprise them all. But Kinkade¡¯s surprise more than puzzled her. Weren¡¯t they the same person?

    Avi slipped a reluctant Seldanna off and covered herself before heading over to Joram and giving him a hug on the side that Xixi wasn¡¯t taking up.

    ¡°You have no idea how happy that makes me,¡± she said with one of her dazzling smiles, managing to actually stun Zanth.

    That action, though, caused Tillia¡¯s parents to grow frosty.

    Joram just smiled back weakly, then turned to his mother.

    ¡®Good luck,¡¯ he sent with a slightly sad, but knowing, smile.

    She blushed then, realizing that her son, being the originator of the Network, could ¡°listen in¡± on any conversation he wanted to. She was about to tear a strip off the boy when he sent something else.

    ¡®I wasn¡¯t listening in, mom. Avi just shared because I¡¯ll need to look after Zaleria while you¡¯re¡­ busy.¡¯

    She gave Avi a Look, but also realized that she hadn¡¯t asked Avi to keep it from Joram; she¡¯d just told her that she didn¡¯t want to wait for Joram.

    ¡®But what about Zaleria?¡¯ She sent back, still worried about affecting her daughter negatively with what she planned.

    ¡®Don¡¯t worry about it,¡¯ he sent, still smiling. ¡®The only thing you¡¯ll need to worry about is training up your cultivation again.¡¯

    Her jaw dropped as she turned back to Avi who in turn nodded to her.

    Sulia absently lifted Zaleria, covering herself, and brought her up to rest on her shoulder as she thought things through again.

    One of the major reasons why she wanted to go through the change was to get stronger. Strong enough to protect her family and loved ones. But if she needed to restart her cultivation afterwards, what was the point?

    She continued to think about it as the little party continued, Joram sitting between Xixi who had reluctantly agreed to sit on a chair instead of on Joram, and Zanth. They chatted away as the others presented their gifts to Xixi, then to Zaleria. Nothing compared to the sculpture Xixi had received, but that was blessedly on the side of normal that Sulia wanted after Xixi¡¯s earlier reaction.

    It was hard to keep focussed on the matters at hand, though. As much as she wanted to upbraid Joram for not visiting Tillia¡¯s parents and to also smooth things over with them, she was distracted, still thinking about her decision as the gathering finally dispersed. She was still thinking about it as she tucked Zaleria into her crib for the night.

    She wondered if she¡¯d take the same path in her cultivation as she¡¯d already taken. It would be easier, for sure. But knowing that Joram had access to the Heavenly Archive and its many hidden cultivation techniques, she wondered.

    Wondered if they would not only suit her, but if she could even practice most of then. She¡¯d only had access to the first two levels of the Archive, and most of what was there were so amazing that they¡¯d blown her mind.

    Then she realized that she hadn¡¯t been deciding if she still wanted to become a High Elan, but what she¡¯d be doing after she became one.

    Her resolution firmed; she sent Avi a message.

    ¡®I¡¯m ready.¡¯

 Chapter 046

    *The next day*

    The wind blew over the fields, causing a few women to hold down their wide-brimmed hats to keep them from flying away. The men working along the women in the fields took a moment to enjoy the cool breeze before bending back to working up the soil with their hoes, bringing air down into the soil.

    It was easy work, as for some reason there weren¡¯t any of the usual pests to contend with. For whatever reason, they were glad. It made it so that they didn¡¯t have to worry about cleaning the produce of any insects that would ruin the produce when it was placed in storage.

    Joram watched, happy that his Realm could be used in such a way. He hadn¡¯t ever really planned on having people settling in his Realm, but found that it had made him surprisingly happy. Yes, the sting of losing his home was still there, but seeing the people working and even looking happy helped reduce that sting.

    He looked over to the horizon where Avi had planted vast orchards and vineyards to supply her winemaking hobby. He was still stunned at just how much wine she¡¯d made¡­ and still had stored.

    He was more than considering taking a crate or two to an auction house and seeing what they¡¯d get for a bottle. Grammy had loved them, stating that they were of the best quality. He could also sense that most were magical in nature, Avi having used various medicinal plants and fruits in their making. He was also sure that they would also affect the imbiber with other effects, but wasn¡¯t sure what they¡¯d be.

    He could just sample them to find out, but he¡¯d never understood how people could like the stuff. He¡¯d blamed it on his being a ¡°super taster¡± back on Earth. Even now, though, he still disliked the taste of any alcohol he¡¯d come across.

    Not that he¡¯d been able to sneak any in the Clan Home. No, he¡¯d tried some of the stuff Avi had made, the non-magical stuff. She¡¯d laughed at his expressions as he¡¯d tried a dozen different vintages, brews, or spirits.

    He sighed, knowing that he was thinking of things inconsequential instead of worrying about his mother.

    He looked down at Zaleria as she played with one of those wooden cut-out shape puzzles made for toddlers on the balcony beside him. He smiled again, remembering his daughters playing with the very same toy when they were little.

    He¡¯d gone into his storage area after seeing Xixi to bed the night before. It had been years since he¡¯d gone through the contents of his old apartment. Probably due to the painful memories that resurfaced every time he saw their old toys and such.

    Joram shook his head again, ridding himself of those melancholy thoughts. As much as he would always miss his daughters, he knew they were in a better place. He also had other people to care for here, so that helped.

    He looked at his little sister again, happy that she was so happy. Then stared into the distance again as his mind went back to this mother.

    He was very glad that Avi could perform the ritual needed to transform his mother into a High Elan, because he wasn¡¯t sure that he could. Not that he lacked the knowledge, no. He had been given that by Altaea herself. What he was certain he couldn¡¯t do was be the one to take his mother apart, rewrite her genetic code, peeling away her various organs that would become useless in her new form. Taking her skin off to do it all.

    Nope. Just nope.

    He was very sure that Avi would wind up being the one to do that for anyone else he knew that might want to join the ranks of High Elans. He looked at his sister again then clapped his cheek with both hands, causing Zaleria to look up at him in confusion.

    ¡°Just being silly,¡± he said with a smile.

    Zaleria gave the toddler equivalent to a shrug, which for Zaleria was a funny wiggle of her eyebrows, and went back to her puzzle.

    He sighed, trying very hard to keep his thoughts occupied while making sure Zaleria didn¡¯t try to squeeze through the balcony¡¯s railing or something.

    Then his mind when back to the issues with [True Resurrection], wondering if his hypothesis was correct. He really didn¡¯t want to experiment on people. That was kind of a Thing after all.

    No. It wasn¡¯t quite human experimentation in the classic sense of the concept. It was more that he was trying to figure out the limitations to his spell-like ability than anything else. Yes, the one returned might come back at a lower Tier than they¡¯d been in life, but cultivators could always just start cultivating again to offset that¡­ quirk.

    He ¡°hmm¡¯d¡± a lot as he thought about it, occasionally taking a break from thinking about it to play with Zaleria and to give her a snack.

    Joram was proud of how well his sister was behaving and playing. He was pretty sure that she was going to be another prodigy of the Clan given how sharp she was. Which set him to thinking about Xixi and Zanth again.

    Their individual cultivations were unheard of for their age. Both were at the peak of Tier 1, ready to break through to Tier 2 at any time. He realized that his Realm wasn¡¯t an ideal place for just anyone to cultivate due to the limitation of the ambient mana. Sure, it was pretty high, but he realized that the types of mana available here were linked to his cultivation level.

    Right now, he was at the peak of Tier 4 which allowed his Realm to have both regular Type 1 mana as well as Type 2 mana, also known as Earth Qi to those of the Zhizun Zhanshi continent.

    Something he¡¯d come to learn was that as someone cultivated, they naturally came into contact with the various types of mana. Which wound up being important to their future efforts in cultivation. They¡¯d gain an almost instinctual recognition of the other types of mana that was needed to make breaking through higher Tiers much easier for them.

    For Joram, well, he was kicking himself a bit.

    When he¡¯d cultivated in his realm before, he had relied of Crystals to accelerate and fuel his cultivation, effectively giving himself a handicap. That was part of the reason why he hadn¡¯t broken through to the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier yet.

    What allowed someone to progress through the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier was the ability to take the Type 2 mana that they were now able to sense and draw in and fuse it with their own mana. No, he¡¯d become rather good at that actually. The mana would then go from being kind of gaseous to a heavy mist.

    No, what was hindering him was the major bottleneck that everyone struggled with when trying to get to Tier 5: sensing and influencing Type 3 mana, Heaven Qi.

    He¡¯d needed to exit seclusion after having figured out an appropriate way to cultivate with his new physique and seek out some Tier 3 Crystals.

    He knew that it was a bit of a cheat as most people didn¡¯t have access to that kind of wealth, but¡­. He didn¡¯t actually care what other people thought when it came to that sort of thing. If he had the resources to do things that others couldn¡¯t, well, he¡¯d take advantage of them as it was the height of foolishness to not use what you had at hand to become stronger.

    He withdrew a few T3 Cards from his storage ring and admired their deep, deep, sapphire colour. They looked just like one would think of then thinking of a standard playing card shaped sapphire. Well, people probably never imagined gemstones in such a shape. But there they were, each 2 millimetres thick and gorgeous as could be.

    It struck him then that he was now holding more wealth in one hand than most clans made in one year. Now, he could get five T3 Cards, each worth one thousand High Grade Crystals of the same Tier, just by selling one of his brown topaz healing stones at auction.

    ¡°Tah!¡± Zaleria suddenly shouted at him from his side.

    He looked over, startled at the insistence in her voice. She was actually standing beside him on tip-toes, holding the railing for balance as she reached up with her other hand, trying to reach high enough to get one of the Cards.

    ¡°These aren¡¯t toys, Zaleria,¡± she gently chided her.

    Then he learned something very important about his adorable little sister. When she got mad her glare was strong enough to bore through stone.

    Too bad for her that his skin was stronger than steel.

    ¡°No means no, Zaleria,¡± he said, resisting the urge to give her anything and everything that she desired.

    ¡°Meanie!¡± She shouted, then walked over to the toys she¡¯d been playing with and gave a stuffed bunny a mighty kick that sent it skittering¡­ a few feet across the floor.

    Ah, will I have the legendary ¡°Super cute but terrifyingly violent when angry¡± little sister? He mused, watching as her wrath quickly bled away as she picked up a princess doll and started chatting with it, now thoroughly ignoring her older brother.

    Joram smiled again as he watched his sister play, but also organizing his thoughts on how he¡¯d fumbled his way through his own efforts in cultivation.

    He went through the first parts of Encompass the Universe making mental annotations to it. He hoped that his experiences would be sufficient for Avi as she tried to follow the path he¡¯d taken with his cultivation. He was aware that a good deal of his survival was due to luck more than anything he¡¯d done.

    He was also sure that he wouldn¡¯t have survived his ordeals if he hadn¡¯t started cultivating the Adamantium Body Technique. Which meant that Avi would have to also take the same steps he had. Or, rather, have done to her what Avi had done to him that would enable her to absorb various things and integrate their properties into her very being.

    She¡¯d shared the process with him before taking Sulia away, letting him familiarize himself with it long before he¡¯d need to implement the technique for her. From what he¡¯d read, she would have to get to the same stage as he had before Altaea had ¡°upgraded¡± him. Which meant that she¡¯d need to learn [Genesis] and make it her own realm.

    Joram sighed.

    He really wanted her to be able to use the version he was working on. He was sure that it would provide her significant benefits as she grew in power. He wasn¡¯t ignorant to the fact that it would still take a very long time to grow her own Realm. No, it would take a while, even with the accelerated growth the realm would have in the new version.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    But it should allow other grades of mana to enter each of their Realms before her cultivation would normally allow for it. As was currently the issue for him.

    He looked over to where his sister played, then wondered what his father would think of all this.

    Would he have been supportive of his mother¡¯s decision? Would he have objected? Would she have even considered it had the attack not happened? What would Zaleria think when she learned of it? Would she be horrified by it, or would she want to also become a High Elan just like her mommy?

    He wasn¡¯t sure, but knew that he wouldn¡¯t even consider such a request before she was an ¡°adult¡±.

    ¡°Why are things so complicated here?¡± He asked himself as he bowed his head.

    ¡°Too much rules,¡± Zaleria shared her words of wisdom.

    He couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°You¡¯re right, in a way,¡± he told her. ¡°But sometimes rules make things simpler.¡±

    She just gave him the most dubious of looks before turning back to her doll play.

    He started fidgeting with the Cards, flipping them this way and that over his knuckles, watching how the light played over them. It reminded him of Xixi¡¯s and Zanth¡¯s need to get out and cultivate. He¡¯d need to set up an area where they¡¯d be safe as they did so. It was best to be somewhere natural, even if it meant using a cave.

    By the time Avi contacted him, he¡¯d already planned out where he¡¯d build a secure cultivation cave for the clan and had sent Kinkade to start work on it.

    ¡®Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Avi?¡¯

    ¡®We¡¯re done,¡¯ she sent happily. ¡®I¡¯ll let her rest for a while even though it went a bit smoother than anticipated.¡¯

    ¡®Oh?¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯m not sure if it was due to her being a distant descendant of another High Elan, her level of cultivation, or her iron will. Could be a combination of all those things. Whatever contributed to it, though, I¡¯m glad for it.¡¯

    ¡®Me too,¡¯ he sent, very glad things had gone smoothly.

    ¡®That said,¡¯ Avi continued. ¡®I¡¯m not sure why, but your mother was able to stay at the peak of Body Tempering.¡¯

    Joram fumbled the Cards and had to grab them with [Telekinesis] before they fell to the ground ten stories down.

    ¡®What now?!¡¯

    ¡®Again, not sure why it happened, but as I worked on and modified each part of her body, mana would enter and temper it.¡¯

    ¡®Huh,¡¯ he sent, not quite sure of things. Was it good news? Certainly. Was he confused beyond all measure? Yep.

    ¡®Maybe make sure that she doesn¡¯t consolidate before she¡¯s able to read through Encompass the Universe,¡¯ he sent, still disturbed. ¡®I¡¯m adding my own notes to it in hopes that it¡¯ll help you with your own efforts. And hers too, I guess.¡¯

    ¡®Are you sure that you want your mother to try cultivating that?¡¯ Avi asked dubiously.

    ¡®No, I¡¯m not,¡¯ he sent flatly. ¡®But I don¡¯t want any doors closed to her before she even has a chance to decide for herself.¡¯

    ¡®Gotcha, boss!¡¯ She sent back cheekily. ¡®Do you think your notes will be ready soon? I¡¯d like to start as soon as possible.¡¯

    ¡®About that,¡¯ he sent, then proceeded to explain his reasoning behind him wanting her to wait until the new [Genesis] was done.

    ¡®Good reasons, all,¡¯ she sent back reasonably, then continued. ¡®It won¡¯t really affect my development to use the one Altaea left for me, then upgrade to the new one you¡¯re making later.¡¯

    He thought about that for a minute before answering.

    ¡®My mind is a bit muddled, isn¡¯t it?¡¯

    A minute later, Avi appeared beside him, laying a hand on his shoulder. He noticed that she was wearing the Daisy-Dukes she enjoyed- him too!-, along with a bikini top that showed her exemplary bosom-

    *Click*

    Joram blinked away the afterimages from the flash and looked at Avi, confused.

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°I took your picture.¡±

    ¡°Obviously. But why?¡±

    Instead of answering, she held up her hand, her omni-tool coming to life to show him an image.

    He blinked, then blushed as he turned away.

    ¡°Still think you¡¯re muddled?¡± She asked, placing her hands on her hips theatrically, drawing attention to her waist and causing her assets to jiggle just so.

    Instead of answering, he placed his hands on the wrought iron railing, bent down, and placed his forehead on it.

    ¡°It¡¯s really bad,¡± he said, almost like a question.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep this one for the slideshow at your wedding,¡± Avi said, a shit-eating grin on her face.

    ¡°How is it possible for my face to look like one of those,¡± he paused, shooting a glance at Zaleria before continuing over the Network.

    ¡®How do I look like one of those damned perverts in a mature harem anime?!¡¯

    ¡®All boys go through that phase?¡¯ She asked more than stated, still smiling like the cat who¡¯d gotten into the cream.

    ¡®I¡¯m going back into seclusion until this passes,¡¯ he sent, standing up and nodding to himself. ¡®Yes, that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯ll do!¡¯

    Before he could [Planeshift] away, Avi grabbed his arm, then spun him to face her. Which was impressive given her lack of cultivation.

    ¡®You¡¯ve got better things to do than hiding away to sulk,¡¯ she snapped at him.

    He was so shocked he just stood there, jaw dropping open as she continued.

    ¡®I realize that puberty is incredibly inconvenient, but it¡¯s something you need to deal with. Your family needs you. Xixi needs you. Zanth needs you. Tatia needs you. Tillia still needs you, along with everyone else who was taken away that day!

    ¡®Hells! The rest of your clan and the residents of Brightside need you! Do you think you¡¯re the only one to have lost people? Everyone lost someone that day. Others lost everything but their very lives.

    ¡®It¡¯s time to grow up, Joram. Your body may only be eight years old, but you¡¯re well over fifty.

    ¡®You¡¯ve gone through my training and survived. You¡¯ve become like me, now act like it.

    ¡®Firm up.¡¯

    In that moment Avi looked so much like Altaea that he was stunned into paralysis. He could do nothing, not even breath. His mind locked up, unable to do anything except focus on her.

    He didn¡¯t know how long he stayed in that state of paralysis, but he was snapped out of it by a pair of hands cupping his cheeks. His eyes came back into focus, showing Avi standing in front of him, cupping his face in her soft hands.

    ¡®Get to work,¡¯ she sent, then he felt himself shifting into his High Elan form, suddenly taller and much broader than before.

    He blinked in confusion.

    ¡®I¡¯m still part of you, you know,¡¯ she sent with a wink, then started in surprise as Kinkade piped in.

    ¡®Let¡¯s go.¡¯ Then Kinkade shifted him away.

    * * * * *

    Avi stood there for a while, staring at where Joram had been until Zaleria got her attention by tugging on her shorts, nearly pulling them loose.

    ¡°What is it?¡± She asked, looking down at Joram¡¯s little sister.

    ¡°Where Jo?¡±

    ¡°He had some work to do,¡± she said, crouching down so that she could speak with Zaleria at eye level.

    For her part, Zaleria just pouted, bottom lip starting to quiver.

    ¡°Would you like to play?¡± Avi asked, already knowing the answer.

    ¡°Dress up!¡± Zaleria shouted, jumping in excitement.

    * * * * *

    The world felt¡­ muted, bland.

    She lifted her hand and felt as though she had been long ill, having lost all her strength. She opened her eyes, but everything seemed as though their colours had faded, like a painting left in the sun.

    Sulia clenched her hand, shocked at how it trembled. She let it drop to her side, suddenly glad that she was on a soft bed.

    She looked down at herself, but could only see the contours of her body through the thick sheet that covered her. Then was glad it was there because, for the first time in years, she felt a bit cool.

    She raised her hand again, this time to study it. There was nothing that she could compare it to, for she had never gotten an injury that had scarred her hand. But it¡­ looked the same?

    Was that right? She had vague memories of pain that, when remembered, nearly stopped her breathing. But the next moment, she was breathing again just fine.

    But there was something else. She¡¯d only ever had very minor success in cultivating Mental Strength, as in: could sense it when it was around and that was about it.

    But now? She felt the energy in her body, naturally welling up within her.

    She was about to sit up when someone suddenly appeared right in front of her, as though he¡¯d used a teleportation array, causing her to nearly jump out of bed in fright, not knowing if she needed to fight or flee, her eyes darting around looking for the door.

    When her eyes returned to the man, she saw that it was Joram. She blinked.

    ¡°Ah, sorry about that,¡± he said, scratching the back of his head while looking very embarrassed. ¡°Avi told me that you were done, so I thought that I¡¯d come and check on you. See how you¡¯re doing.¡±

    Sulia sat up, holding the sheet in place with one hand as she beckoned him forward with the other. Which proved helpful as she got a sudden bout of dizziness once she was upright, but Joram¡¯s hand enveloped hers, holding her steady.

    ¡°Thank you, Joram,¡± she said once the dizziness passed. ¡°I feel weak,¡± she said, an apologetic expression on her face.

    But Joram just smiled at her, his eyes looking deeply into hers.

    ¡°How do you feel otherwise?¡±

    She paused before answering.

    ¡°Like I¡¯m a teenager again,¡± she said with a soft smile. ¡°Not like I¡¯m young, but because of how weak I feel,¡± she explained, hoping that he would get it.

    Joram grinned at her, getting a far away look in his eyes for a moment. When he looked at her again, she felt his invitation to his Network again and immediately accepted it.

    ¡°Funny story?¡± He asked, looking rueful. At her nod, he continued. ¡°Shortly after my own transformation, I was meditating and accidentally¡­ stopped my heart for a few seconds.¡±

    Her eyes went wide, jaw opening to say something, but her brain decided that laughter was what came out.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said, stifling her giggles. ¡°How did you manage that?¡± She finally managed to ask as she avoided looking at a blushing Joram.

    He cleared his throat before answering. ¡°I started meditating as Altaea was off doing something. I just went through the meditations I¡¯d taught myself growing up so that I could fall asleep easier at night¡­. Those visualizations wound up being much more effective as a High Elan,¡± he finished, his gaze finally returning to her.

    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that I should have some sort of instruction manual so that I don¡¯t accidentally kill myself,¡± she summarized, her tone flat as week-old soda.

    Joram did his weird grunt/chuckle that seemed to release some tension.

    ¡°Yeah, you could say that,¡± he said, smiling as a small crystal appeared in his hand. ¡°This is a Crystal Mind. It stores knowledge inside of it that, with a trickle of psionic energy, you can gain access as though you¡¯ve always known it.¡± He then handed her the small quartz-like crystal.

    She took it in her hand, admiring how clear it was while it seemed to catch the light in unusual ways.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to teach me how to do that,¡± she said with a smile that she hoped would take away any sting that the words might have.

    Joram smiled at her, then did just that.

    * * * * *

    Avi grinned as she picked up her latest protype, inspecting what looked like nothing more than a pair of reading glasses.

    They were rather common looking, with rectangular lenses held by a thin titanium frame. Even the arms of the glasses seemed rather normal, if slightly thicker than usual.

    Well, that was to be expected, as they contained pretty much all of the circuitry and the power source for the lenses.

    From what she¡¯d gathered, these glasses were what Joram had been waiting for in his world for over a decade. Fully functional augmented reality glasses that could provide a heads¡¯ up display for anything you¡¯d need! Combined with jaw-conduction sound, it became a wonderful way to watch movies on the go! Well, that and it would make working, diagnostics, phone calls, and whatnot much more private, especially with cultivators having super-human hearing.

    She¡¯d also linked it to her omni-tool to reduce just how much needed to be packed into the glasses themselves. The wireless connection was fast enough that it might as well have been a wired one. She was proud of that part.

    She turned them on with a simple touch of the finger to the side of the frame and watched the brief boot sequence. Once done, a simple HUD that contained a tiny icon showing a successful connection with the omni-tool, the charge in percentage form, and the date were displayed in the top right corner of her field of view.

    Avi then sent a video to the display then took the glasses off and looked at them from the other side. Sure enough, she couldn¡¯t see anything. She smiled. Doing more work on the go, without people asking annoying questions like: ¡°What the heck is that?¡±, and ¡°What spells are you using to do that?¡±.

    Yes, she was very much looking forward to how much more efficiently her time would be spent!

    Then she sighed, remembering just how much she had on her plate. As soon as she figured out how to properly activate [Genesis], her time would vanish like mist under the summer sun.

    Well, she wanted to get strong. Wanted to help and support Joram as best she could. And for that she needed to be able to go where he did, did what he did, without being a liability to him or anyone else. Which meant joining him on his path of cultivation.

    She twitched as a Crystal Mind appeared on the desk in front of her, shifted there by Joram. Even though she could also just shift anything from one place to another in the Realm, she sometimes forgot that Joram could do it too. A side effect from chilling there for a thousand years, she supposed.

    ¡®Hey, just finished my annotated version of Encompass the Universe. Hope it helps!¡¯

    ¡®Thanks. I¡¯ll read through it,¡¯ she sent back, waving a hand over it as she willed it into her storage ring.

    Ave placed the AR glasses into a small case and put them on a shelf labelled ¡°Get Joram to [Delve] this¡±. It was getting a bit full, so she¡¯d likely have to expand it to a full bookshelf soon. She shrugged, then took a look at A3¡¯s progress with her own basic version of [Genesis] and smiled as she played with her purple bracelet.

    Soon.

 Chapter 047

    *1346.01.07*

    Avi stood up and stretched, enjoying the sensation so much that her muscles vibrated in pleasure.

    OK, so maybe she was really starting to like having an organic body. Sure, there were inconveniences like stubbing one¡¯s toe, or having to brush your hair, but it was a net positive in her books.

    For one, she really enjoyed messing with Joram and his hormone-filled teenaged body. She was sure that he¡¯d get back at her one day, though. But in the meantime, she was having a blast.

    With a thought, she changed from her meditation clothes- a very comfortable set of silver silk robes- into her favoured Daisy-Dukes and tank top. She reserved the bikini top for water fights and messing with Joram.

    Once changed, she made her way over to the vineyard, checking on the ripeness of the various vined fruits. She really didn¡¯t need to when her many farming droids could do the same, but she found she enjoyed it after having spent almost a thousand years doing it.

    She turned towards the fields that the refugees were using to grow food and shook her head. She¡¯d offered to let them use her droids- referred to as golems for their sake- to help them with the workload, but they¡¯d refused. Albeit politely. As much as having something to do helped a person get over trauma, she was sure that they could have done something a bit more¡­ interesting. She would have said ¡°productive¡±, but what they were doing was the very essence of that word.

    No, she¡¯d hoped that they¡¯d pick up crafting or a trade or something. They¡¯d need people to produce their own products, to keep themselves self-sufficient while Joram worked on reconnecting their old teleportation network. Or Kinkade. Or someone.

    She was loath to pull Asura off her work, though. She felt that, ultimately, getting her project up and running would be a great boon for Joram¡¯s clan and family.

    Avi shrugged and moved on, needing to keep moving. She had more energy than she knew what to do with, so she jogged to Joram¡¯s workshop, waving to the early risers as she went.

    She didn¡¯t bother knocking, but just walked right in when she got there. She was then treated to the sight of Joram laying face down on his desk that was now a mess of various books, scrolls, and jade slips.

    ¡°Teleportation arrays are hard,¡± he mumbled into his desk.

    Avi smiled and decided to humour him.

    ¡°How so? You rewrote the portal for the Heavenly Archive easily enough,¡± she said, her voice only hinting at the amusement she felt.

    Joram sat up and gave her a half-hearted glare.

    ¡°That¡¯s because it was based on the enchanting principles that Altaea had taught me. Probably as another clue that she¡¯d made the place,¡± he said, finishing that thought in a thoughtful tone. ¡°Anyways, the teleportation network that the Clan used are array based, fundamentally different than enchanting.¡±

    ¡°OK?¡±

    ¡°Think of the difference between programming in visual basic and C#. They both use the same hardware, in this case mana, but go about it differently.¡±

    ¡°So, you learn another language. Not too hard given your increased memory and raw processing power,¡± she stated with a smile.

    ¡°Not true,¡± he said with a frown. ¡°There¡¯s a reason why ¡®Array Masters¡¯ spend centuries learning their craft, but most failing to reach the peak of that craft. It is complex.¡±

    ¡°Any worse than figuring out how to mesh Relativity and String Theory?¡±

    Joram just gave her a flat look.

    ¡°OK, OK. I was just teasing anyway because you looked like you could use a pick me up,¡± she said, smiling the whole time.

    Joram blushed a bit, turned away, and cleared his throat.

    ¡°On another note. Kinkade is just finishing up the first replicator prototype. He managed to figure out how to set up a central database that any replicator can connect to and retrieve any requested pattern.¡±

    ¡°Ooh, nice! I have a whole bookcase full of stuff I need him to [Delve] after you finish helping me,¡± she said, as she placed a hand on her chest, a coy smile slowly spreading across her face.

    Joram¡¯s face burst into flames faster than he could turn away to hide the sight. Avi burst into laughter, tears streaming down her face.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even need the bikini top this time!¡± She managed to wheeze out, earning her another glare.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m busy. For the rest of the decade,¡± he said, not quite able to hide the pout in his voice.

    Avi reigned in her laughter as she approached Joram, then draped an arm around his shoulders.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said, trying to make her tone as sincere as possible. ¡°Between how fun it is to get a reaction from you,¡± which earned her another glare, ¡°and my own adjusting to having a biological physiology, it is hard to resist getting those reactions from you.¡±

    Joram peered at her from the corner of his eye before replying blandly.

    ¡°So what I¡¯m taking away from what you just said is that you¡¯re going through your own hormonal adjustments and need a way to vent.¡±

    Avi¡¯s mirth suddenly dried up, her eyes widening slightly, which Joram spotted.

    A sly grin started to spread across his face, setting off her Spidey-senses. But before she could fully withdraw her arm, Joram caught it gently then used his other arm to scoop her up into a princess carry. Now, the shoe was on the other foot; her face lighting up like Rudolf¡¯s nose.

    ¡°Come, let me help you with your frustrations,¡± he said, doing his best Antonio Banderas impersonation. And given just how talented he was at impersonating accents and voices, it was spot-on.

    * * * * *

    It was Joram¡¯s turn to laugh until he cried.

    Seeing Avi¡¯s face as she thought he was taking her over to his bed was priceless. The look on her face when he dropped her into a tub of ice water that Kinkade had obligingly shifted into place for him was even better.

    Even the sight of her sitting on a chair, a towel wrapped around her for warmth, her hair still plastered to her face, was great.

    ¡°Ah, the time-honoured tradition of cold water to cool someone down,¡± he finally said as his laughter settled down.

    ¡°Touch¨¦,¡± Avi said, teeth still chattering a bit.

    ¡°I hope that helps with your uncontrolled desires,¡± he said, still smiling.

    Avi¡¯s frosty glare could have coated everything in the room in a layer of ice.

    ¡°Yes, that should do.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± he said, rubbing his hands together. ¡°Now, what did you need help with?¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ve got [Genesis] right.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re ready?¡± He asked, getting excited.

    ¡°Yeah, just need to try it out. I just wanted you there to make sure everything goes smoothly,¡± she said, grabbing another towel to dry her hair with.

    ¡°Yeah, I can do that,¡± he said, thinking for a second. ¡°We¡¯ll head over to the new cultivation caves attached to the Library.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± she said as she waved her hand, summoning a slab of purple jade with a meditation mat on it.

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of Sky Nether Jade,¡± he said, his eyebrow twitching. ¡°Got any more?¡±

    ¡°You know you can check the storage area, right?¡±

    He supposed that was true, and he also supposed that her snippy attitude should have been expected after her unexpected ice bath.

    Avi waved her hand again, this time storing the slab of jade into her storage ring. Joram waited for her to stand up again before he placed a hand on her shoulder, shifting them to the cultivation caves he¡¯d finished making last week.

    Well, ¡°cave¡± was a bit misleading in this case. Sure, the cultivation rooms were indeed deep inside of the mountain, but the similarity ended there.

    He looked up at the high ceiling of the cavern he¡¯d excavated, then around at the score of buildings found in the several hundred metre cavern. He¡¯d been tempted to fall back on his old Minecraft ways and just go with a squarish design, but had shaken that urge off as a circular cavern was more aesthetically pleasing to him. Especially when the world wasn¡¯t made up of 1m^3 blocks.

    This time he¡¯d done an ancient Greek theme. The largest building resembled the Parthenon, though without an alter. Instead of where it would normally be, a small stand was found there, where someone could share their insights into cultivation with anyone who might want to gather there to learn. The surrounding buildings, arrayed in a horseshoe with the Parthenon at the bottom of the ¡°U¡± shape, were of slightly more practical design.

    Each building actually had walls with four rooms each, with a common room in the middle for anyone wanting to entertain. The only other building that wasn¡¯t for cultivation was a mess hall. It was as it sounded, a large eating area with a decent sized kitchen attached to it.

    The only incongruency to the theme was the lighting. He hadn¡¯t wanted to bother with enchantments or actual fire, so he¡¯d just wired the place for electric lighting, though he¡¯d been clever about keeping the bulbs as hidden as he could. Incidentally, the kitchen in the mess hall had all modern amenities in it. For power, well, he¡¯d just placed some water turbines in the waterfall at the back of the cavern that also provided whoever would stay here with water.

    He hadn¡¯t bothered with plumbing though. People could cast [Cleanse] when they needed to.

    Avi nodded appreciatively as he led them to the Parthenon-like building. She studied the friezes and various sculptures that decorated the structure. She paused in front of one, a funny look on her face.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°Is that¡­ Goku?¡± She asked, pointing to a little boy fishing with¡­ his tail.

    ¡°Haha, you caught me,¡± he said, grinning for all he was worth. ¡°I figured that it was a bit thematically appropriate.¡±

    ¡°Anime is appropriate?¡± She asked dryly.

    ¡±Why not?¡± He asked with a shrug. ¡°It¡¯s the theme that¡¯s important. They¡¯re all martial artists, great warriors, sages, or cultivators,¡± he said, showing her many famous images that might have gotten him in trouble for copyright infringement back on Earth. Not all were from anime, though. She spotted many characters from his most beloved video games, as well as others from movies, and a few she suspected came from what he imagined certain characters in his favourite books to look like.

    All told, she imagined that it was the single largest monument crated by an otaku.

    ¡°Joram?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Avi?¡±

    ¡°I love you,¡± she said, not a trace of sarcasm or irony to be found in her voice.

    Joram looked over at her, noted her moist eyes, then nodded.

    She gets it.

    *A few minutes later*

    Joram used [Modify Matter] to elongate Avi¡¯s Sky Nether Jade to make it more comfortable to lay on. After a few adjustments, it formed to her body perfectly, providing the support one needed for their neck, back, and legs while resting prone for a prolonged period of time.

    It also maximized the surface area for Avi, allowing for more contact. Meaning, the effects of the Sky Nether Jade were more pronounced.

    They were in a secret chamber he¡¯d installed under the far end of his faux-Parthenon. He had thought it might come in handy when someone was ready to make a particularly difficult breakthrough in their cultivation, or if they needed to create more High Elans. It had felt weird having his mother go through the transformation in his Realm.

    ¡°You¡¯re sure you¡¯re good?¡± Avi asked for the third time, suddenly nervous.

    Joram just smiled at her and guided her down onto the bed of purple jade.

    ¡°Now, just close your eyes, the rest is up to me,¡± told her, a nostalgic expression showing on his face.

    ¡±Now, you¡¯re sure you¡¯ll have enough psionic energy to finish this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that my psionic reserves are larger than even Altaea¡¯s were when she did this for me,¡± he said calmly. ¡°I even brought the Dust Crystals along to be sure I follow the procedure exactly how she laid it out for us.¡±

    With that said, Joram placed the Dust Crystals around the jade bed, following the pattern laid out in the instructions. It was rather simple, actually.

    Avi nodded, giving him the big kitty-cat eyes as she lay there, now garbed in her silver robes.

    Joram: M3? I¡¯ll have to put you on hold for a while. Kinkade? I¡¯ll need you to keep an eye on things while I work.

    Kinkade & M3: OK.

    Joram smiled. As different as their personalities were, they were still all the same person, just different facets of the same gem, as it were.

    ¡°Now, close your eyes. Focus on inviting me into your Knowledge Sea, or your equivalent of my office space,¡± he said with a smile, which also produced a smile on Avi¡¯s face.

    Soon after she closed her eyes, Joram felt the invitation come, then allowed his consciousness to flow into her own. Then blinked at the similarity between her space and his old workshop.

    The layout was the same, but the contents a bit different. Instead of workbenches with their various tools on the walls and racks nearby, there were workstations, replete with computers, monitors, printers, 3D printers, a CNC machine, and a pinball table.

    He couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    He looked over to the room on the left and found that it contained shelving from floor to ceiling filled with digital media, from tv shows to movies to video games to music. It was packed. The room across from him, larger than even the main workspace, seemed to contain books, comics, and manga. Then he looked to his right and saw that it was an art studio combined with a music room.

    That surprised him. Not that it should have really, because Altaea had loved music and creating art as much as he loved crafting.

    And there, standing in the middle of the central room was Avi, looking nervous as could be. He understood that; he really did. For inviting someone to this place was to lay one¡¯s soul bare to the guest. The core of who you were was in there for everyone to see, even the parts you wanted to hide.

    Like a certain series involving a Grey billionaire sitting on the shelf over there.

    He didn¡¯t know when, or how or why, he¡¯d picked up that series¡¯ epub, but evidently he had.

    Avi noticed where his eyes had gone and turned red a second later before Joram just waved it off.

    ¡°Everyone likes their own thing,¡± he said, a paragon of magnanimity.

    Avi took that bone and ran with it.

    ¡°So, I¡¯ll, ah, just sit here and chill,¡± she said, taking a seat at one of the desks.

    ¡°Well, if you could please manifest [Genesis], we¡¯ll get started,¡± he said, expanding his senses as Avi nodded.

    Then there it was. He watched as the psionic matrix formed and started drawing what it needed from the Astral Plane.

    That was when he reached out with his senses, took hold of the Dust Crystals, and began to work.

    It wasn¡¯t easy by any stretch of the imagination. He first needed to slow the progress of [Genesis]¡¯s matrix, supplying his own power to keep it stable.

    The nest part was what he considered the trickiest part: touching her soul. Now, he was reasonably sure that Avi did indeed have a soul as she¡¯d told him that she¡¯d been made with a part of Altaea herself. So, that checked out.

    It was the: ¡°You¡¯ll feel it once you find it¡± that really got him in the instructions. He wasn¡¯t sure if Avi had read through them herself or not, but if she had¡­. Well, maybe he wasn¡¯t very talented in that field¡­.

    He quickly discarded those thoughts and concentrated on ¡°feeling¡± for that familiar presence.

    *3 days later*

    Joram was exhausted. He¡¯d long since cosey¡¯d up to Avi on the jade bed, hoping to keep up his psionic reserves. He¡¯d also hoped that proximity might help him sense her soul, but that was an apparent dead end.

    On the other hand, it was an extremely effective distraction.

    So, the next thing he discovered was that if he manifested [Schism] again, it actually helped. The efficiency of thought-to-power point ratio had gone up. It took less psionic power to keep [Schism] going than it took for him to hold [Genesis] steady himself while distracted by searching for Avi¡¯s soul.

    He sighed.

    The rest of what needed to be done had long been queued up and ready to deploy once he found her soul. That had actually been easier.

    Joram turned his head and stared at Avi¡¯s face, mere inches away from his. It was amazing how different someone looked when they slept. Well, not that she was actually sleeping, but in a deep meditative state that she couldn¡¯t come out of until he finished up here.

    He reached out and moved a hair out of her face, knowing that it would have driven him to distraction if that hair had been tickling him.

    Then he blinked and just about kicked himself, remembering what Avi had told him: ¡°I¡¯m still part of you, you know¡±.

    Joram closed his eyes then, retreating to his little ¡°office¡±. Once there, he looked around. He didn¡¯t know what he was searching for though. His gaze stopped on the chair Avi usually claimed while they visited there. So, he reached out his senses and examined it.

    It was a chair. No traces of anything except his own mind.

    He looked around some more, again uncertain. Had it just been a silly thought? But she had been so certain that he, in turn, was certain there was something there.

    He sat down at his desk and absently booted up his laptop. Which really just amounted to it turning on because it wasn¡¯t a real computer, but a mental construct representing his innate abilities. He glanced over the icons on his desktop, but didn¡¯t see anything helpful. So, he then opened ¡°My Computer¡±, clicked on the ¡°C¡± drive, then started opening up various directories.

    It didn¡¯t take him long to find a folder called ¡°Altaea Virtual Intelligence: A.V.I.¡± under his ¡°Psicrystal¡± directory. Which, according to how Avi had explained her existence, made all sorts of sense.

    He was about to click into the folder when a stray thought stopped him.

    Would this amount to an invasion of privacy for Avi more profound than him rummaging around her Mind-Space workshop? Just him seeing that she had that edgy series on her bookshelf had embarrassed her incredibly. Would poking around this folder be even more intimate?

    He sat there, his resolve wavering back and forth for a long time before he finally lifted his hand off the mouse and just sat there staring at the screen. This was exactly what he¡¯d been looking for.

    Joram then focussed on the folder, using every fiber of his being to feel for his connection to her very soul.

    Then he had it.

    It was such a marvelous experience that he almost lost his connection to her as his concentration wavered. But he firmed up, fixing his attention on her.

    He didn¡¯t know why, but he wasn¡¯t surprised to see that her soul looked exactly like her, just a bit translucent. And it glowed slightly. Huh. She was even wearing the same clothes that her physical body was wearing.

    From there, he took hold of her by the hands and guided her¡­ to her body. Not that it wasn¡¯t already there, but he somehow pulled her closer to the¡­ surface? He was terrible at explaining this.

    Suffice it to say, he managed to get her soul where he needed it to be to get started. Then he activated the queue of powers he¡¯d set up.

    He watched with his new ¡°Spirit Vision¡± (better name pending*) as her spirit and physical body began to merge. He had no words to describe it beyond that woefully inadequate word: merge. But that¡¯s what they did. And as her body and soul merged, he also released [Genesis] to complete its sequence.

    It was fascinating watching her become gestalt while also sensing a small world being born in her soul.

    And he felt like he¡¯d been put through a press, so drained was he.

    But he smiled. It was done. All that remained was for her being to finish stabilizing and her world to solidify.

    He opened his eyes, looking for any outward physical manifestation of her changes, but couldn¡¯t find any at that moment. Did she, too, have to have some sort of epiphany that unlocked her planar side like he¡¯d needed? Or was that something she just needed to activate manually? Maybe he needed to do it?

    He was pondering those questions and the mechanics of everything they¡¯d just done when he noticed Avi¡¯s eyes flutter, then open.

    She stared up at the ceiling for a while, her forehead slightly wrinkled as she thought. It took a few minutes, but then she seemed to realize that he¡¯d joined her on the jade bed and turned her head to regard him.

    Their noses were practically touching as they lay there, starting into one another¡¯s eyes for a few minutes.

    He was loath to break the moment, but knew that they had work to do, so he finally spoke.

    ¡°How does it feel?¡± He asked, genuinely curious to know. It had taken him a while to fully adjust to that fundamental change to his being.

    ¡°I like the cuddles,¡± she said, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

    He reached his hand up and flicked her in the forehead, causing her to wince in pain.

    ¡°Please be serious,¡± he said, turning away to hide his burning face and to separate himself from her before she realized what those words had done to him physically.

    She didn¡¯t say anything else, just smiled as she got up and stored the jade bed away into her own Realm once he¡¯d also stood up.

    ¡°Back to work,¡± he said, taking her hand without looking her in the eye and shifted them back to his Realm.

    * * * * *

    Sulia was bored. There was only so much meditation one could do before they needed to be up and about.

    Joram and Avi had left last week, saying something about needing to help with Avi¡¯s ¡°next evolution¡± or something ridiculous like that.

    What she really worried about, though, was that he was off exploring his new teenaged body with Avi¡¯s distinctly mature body.

    It wasn¡¯t odd for a cultivator to choose a much younger partner. Man or woman.

    She knew that they¡¯d known each other for much longer than Joram had been in the clan- a thousand years!-, but she still thought of him as her little boy, only eight years old, never mind how he looked.

    Sulia sighed, trying to let all that out with the air in her lungs. It wouldn¡¯t do her any good to worry about it. Joram would be how he¡¯d be. She just hoped that he wouldn¡¯t fool around and hurt Xixi in the process.

    Which brought her back to the present.

    In her musings, she¡¯d made her way to one of the common rooms in the first castle Joram had built for the Clan¡¯s refugees. There she found little Xixi playing with her sisters Elodea and Seldanna, as well as Zaleria, with Zanth helping out, Tillia¡¯s parent supervising the whole thing. She smiled as she watched them play.

    She wondered how long she¡¯d have to wait once they were all grown up to see their children. Joram and Xixi were still engaged, and if she was reading things right, Xixi still very much wanted to be with Joram. She didn¡¯t know where Zanth would land, but was resigned to him likely finding someone outside of their community. It was surprisingly hard to find like-minded people in a world that valued strength over most else.

    Sure, the Waeryn Continent was more disposed to academic learning, but they still weaponized it. Who knew more spells, who could cast higher tier spells, and what not. There was also the divide between distinguished family lines and ¡°commoners¡± which also bothered her. Even in the Clear Knowledge Clan there¡¯d been some of that in the form of favouritism for those more closely related to the matriarchal line.

    She shrugged. They now had the chance to really change things in the clan. How they operated, how they thought, their core philosophies; everything.

    With that nice thought in mind, she made her way to her family.

    * * * * *

    Joram¡¯s light-hearted feeling drained away as he sat beside his great-grandmother listening to the quiet beeps of the life support system she was attached to.

    He could now sense her soul, and was relieved. Even if her body and mind were in tatters, her soul was OK. He didn¡¯t know if that was a constant throughout the multiverse, souls being... resilient? He wasn¡¯t experienced enough to even think of them as immortal, but he liked to think that.

    He hadn¡¯t noticed it at the time, but he had somehow advanced enough in his cultivation while helping Avi that he was about to breakthrough the bottleneck of the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier and ascend to the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier at any time. He¡¯d wanted to see Grammy before he broke through, eager to see if his ¡°Spirit Vision¡± (better name still pending!*) would give him any new insights into her condition.

    He was glad that he¡¯d come. He now knew that he wanted to use [True Resurrection] on her because [Astral Seed] would just replicate her body as it was at the time the Power was manifested. Maybe a new revision of that Power was in order.

    He shook his head as he stood up and looked down on the woman he¡¯d looked up to for most of his life. He bent over, kissed her on the forehead, then shifted back to the chamber under the faux-Parthenon¡­. Otaku-non?

    Bah, I¡¯m terrible with names, he thought as he deposited his own slab of Sky Nether Jade and shaped it to be more comfortable as he sat cross-legged on it and closed his eyes.

 Chapter 048

    Bai Lian was ridiculously bored.

    She knew full-well that she was a prisoner, and one that was effectively waiting her date of execution for participating in the annihilation of the Clear Knowledge Clan.

    But at least give her a book!

    She sighed, looking up at the ceiling and wondering what kind of array was used in the construction of the cell.  It was so thorough that it only let in enough mana for her to sustain herself, but nowhere near enough for her to cultivate to pass the time faster.

    She¡¯d tried meditating for the first few days, but that soon grew old when she couldn¡¯t also cultivate while doing it.  So, she¡¯d given up on that line of thought and instead chose to start exercising.  Her master had long told her that she needed to at least spend some time on conditioning her physical body instead of constantly having her nose in a book, sparring time notwithstanding.

    Bai Lian hadn¡¯t bothered, for she had been at the top of her generation, not needing to do something as pedestrian as ¡°working out¡±.  She could dominate most over her opponents through the sheer strength of her cultivation.  A little more muscle wouldn¡¯t change anything if the fight came to a physical confrontation.

    Now?

    She was so bored that she no longer cared.

    So, there she was, stripped down to her undergarments as she did push-ups, sweat dripping off her nose.  She¡¯d been working out for so long that her body had developed noticeable tone to go with her feminine curves.  She wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d continue to the point where she¡¯d seen some of her senior sisters get to, looking more like a musclebound man than a woman.

    It ultimately didn¡¯t matter though, given she wasn¡¯t likely to leave her prison alive.

    For all that her gaolers hadn¡¯t provided her any entertainment, they had at least provided her with some clothing.  Not only that, she found that the cell was made with an array that cast [Cleanse] every hour or so, so she hadn¡¯t needed to worry about getting¡­ smelly.

    As for her current state of undress, well, the only person who¡¯d visited her was Asura.  Even the meals were delivered by an odd golem.

    Which was why it was all the more shocking when she heard someone clear their throat as her arms came to full extension.

    Standing on the other side of the barrier was a young man more handsome than almost anyone else she¡¯d ever met, but those thoughts were doused in icy water when she saw his purple hair and emerald green eyes.

    His cold stare sent shivers down her spine, causing her flesh to pebble up.  As he continued to stare at her, she became increasingly aware of her state of undress, and the fact that her arms were starting to wobble.

    She saw his eyes shift to where she¡¯d left her clothing before turning away slightly.

    Bai Lian jumped to her feet faster than she¡¯d ever moved before, getting dressed like a cyclone.  She was just buttoning the odd pants when he turned around again to regard her with his cold stare.

    She didn¡¯t know what it took for someone to get a look like that so young, but then silently reprimanded herself as her mind caught up to the random thoughts spinning through her head.  Of course he¡¯d look like that; they¡¯d destroyed his home and clan.

    It was then that her body moved again.  She dropped to her knees and adopted the sitting posture of someone about to be beheaded, eyes staring at the smooth floor, a trickle of sweat running down the side of her face.

    As the silence extended into a sort of deathly silence in her mind, she wondered what her fate would be.  Asura had been pleasant enough, especially when Bai Lian had been so cooperative and willing to answer what questions she could.  But thinking back to the woman, she had the same emerald green eyes as the young man in front of her.

    Was she another member of his clan, but a more distant relation?  Did they even have branch families?

    Just as her legs were starting to get to the point where she was feeling pins and needles from the lack of circulation, the young man spoke.

    ¡°Would you like to go for a walk?¡±  He asked casually.

    However, his tone was lost on her as her mind stalled out.

    - - - - -

    Bai Lian was flabbergasted now, which might have been an upgrade to how she¡¯d felt not twenty minutes ago.

    At the same time, she was a bit terrified to be walking next to the young man who¡¯d led her out of her cell.

    Even though her cultivation had somehow dropped to the Human Realm, she could still vaguely sense Heavenly Qi.  And she sensed it coming from him.  Unless he was somehow much older than he looked, he¡¯d made significant strides in his cultivation that would put any genius of her Sect to shame.

    He looked to be about sixteen years old, in that phase where young men were still growing.  As was evident by how lanky he was even though his shoulders were so wide.  He even had some short stubble on his face, which given the chance, would likely become quite the distinguished beard in time.

    What am I thinking?!  She thought furiously as she kept her face still.

    She looked about with renewed interest, working hard to distract herself from her wandering thoughts.

    They¡¯d passed by two strange castle-like buildings much taller than she was used to seeing in such a small settlement.  She didn¡¯t know where this was, but suspected that it was a ¡°small world¡± given the lack of a sun even though it was bright enough to be noon outside.

    She watched as people went about their business, spoke with others, or just sat playing Go under one of the many flowering trees.  People, in turn, also noticed her walking with the young man.  Most looks were only mildly curious, but she started noticing more than a few women with a gleam in their eye following her every move.

    That got her sweating even though she was sure that her cultivation was higher than theirs, if they even had a cultivation that is.  That shocked her a bit.  There were so many mortals present that it almost seemed as though this were some sort of farming community run by a sub-sect.  But that wasn¡¯t the case here.

    No Sect would allow so many mortals to occupy a small world, even if they were farming medicinal herbs, of which she almost exclusively saw amongst all the vegetation in sight.

    Then there was the occasional head topped with purple hair of one shade or another.  This was obviously either a remote sub-clan or where some of the main clan had escaped to.  She was inclined to think it was the latter, though, given her earlier reasoning.

    Her thoughts returned to her surroundings as her guide turned and led her to what looked like a small warehouse where he just waved a hand and the door opened for him.  Another chill ran down her spine.

    She hadn¡¯t felt any Qi expenditure with that action.

    It seemed that the intelligence had been correct, their clan must have had a higher than normal number of people proficient in Mental Strength than elsewhere.  That was the only thing she could think of because she had absolutely no talent in that area.

    Which humbled her further.

    She¡¯d thought herself a genius in her Sect, had been practically pampered by her master.  But this young man, probably no more than a few years younger than her, outshone her in every way she could think of.

    Then her heart stopped as she stepped through the door and saw the rows upon rows of cloth covered mounds.  Human sized mounds.

    The young man stood to the side watching her reaction, but she only distantly registered that.  Her focus was on the numbers in front of her.  There must have been a hundred¡­.  No, there were one hundred forty-two to be exact.  A number she checked and rechecked more times than she was able to keep track of in her fugue state.

    Then she jerked violently when she felt a hand on her shoulder, her hands reflexively coming up to defend herself, but only found the young man¡¯s cold look.  Though, it now seemed to have a faint trace of sadness in it.

    ¡°Go,¡± he said, his voice now deep with suppressed emotion.  ¡°Find those who you would consider good people.¡±

    She blinked at him, turned to the rows of bodies, then blanched.  She had no desire to go see the dead, to have to look upon the corpses of people she had known.

    It was like playing a morbid game of chance.  Would you find someone you knew and cared about, or a stranger?  Would she even recognize them?  She knew just how violent the struggles between practitioners could get.  Bodies were sometimes a luxury to collect so that the family could perform the proper funeral rights.

    These mounds, though, all seemed to contain at least the majority of a corpse. She shuddered again, this time hard enough that her knees nearly gave out.

    ¡°Did you have family with you?¡±  The young man asked, his tone unchanged.

    Bail Lian just shook her head, eyes fixed on the ground under her feet.

    The young man stayed silent for a time before speaking again.

    ¡°Then why is it so hard?  Are they not merely acquaintances?¡±

    ¡°How can it be easy to see such death?¡±  She snapped back before she could stop herself, eyes going wide.

    The young man just looked at her, pity now showing in his eyes.

    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t,¡± he said, then gave her a gentle, but firm, push towards the rows of bodies.  ¡°Go find anyone you would consider a good person.¡±

    That he emphasized ¡°good¡± didn¡¯t escaper her notice even as her heart rate skyrocketed.  Slowly, with steps smaller than that of a toddler; short, shuffling, and hesitant.  Her eyes grew wider as she approached the first covered body, the cloth a natural tan colour.  It was also much finer than you¡¯d ever find in even most mid-sized clans, especially when put to such a use.

    Her eyes scanned the contours of the body, noticing that the shoulders seemed a bit broad, likely indicating that it was a man.  She looked down, now stunned that she was close enough to easily touch the body with her toes.  Her breathing became shallow as sweat beaded all over her body.

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    Slowly, inch by inch, she crouched down, shaking.  She reached out her hand, not even noticing how it wavered as her focus fixed on where the head was under the cloth.  Her hand got there, then recoiled as her fingers brushed the too-smooth cloth.

    Bai Lian took a steadying breath, closed her eyes, then pulled the sheet back to expose the face of the cadaver.

    It took her a few seconds to get up the nerve to open her eyes, but when she did, she looked down at someone who would have been a stranger before they¡¯d all been gathered for their mission.

    She couldn¡¯t remember his name, but did remember that he¡¯d been one of the more boastful members of the younger generation that had come.  But she really didn¡¯t know him one way or another.

    She glanced over her shoulder at the young man, noticing that he hadn¡¯t moved from his spot.  His eyes now looked more tired than anything else, though.  So, she shook her head, giving a little shrug before quickly flicking the sheet back over the man¡¯s face.

    Looking back, the man finally moved, but only to nod towards the next cadaver in line.

    Bai Lian gulped, now thankful that she¡¯d been taken out for this task before lunch had been arrived.  Otherwise, she¡¯d have likely lost what she¡¯d eaten at the thought of going through the rest of the waiting bodies.

    She still might lose it though.

    * * * * *

    Joram watched as the young woman slowly made her way through the rows of the dead.  This wasn¡¯t his finest moment, not by a long shot.  If anything, he wondered if someone from Earth would consider this cruel treatment for a prisoner of war.  Or, well, anyone really.

    He shrugged.

    They needed information, more than Bai Lian was able to provide.  Avi had gone through the many storage devices these people had carried, but hadn¡¯t found anything particularly enlightening.  Sure, they¡¯d gotten a fair bit of pocket change from them, along with a slew of cultivation resources and medicinal pills.  Some manuals and such for cultivation, but nothing extraordinary.

    Well, the Tier 7 cultivator had had quite the fortune on him.  Not any interesting reading materials though, just some low-key porn and erotic novels.  He¡¯d skimmed through the novels, but found that the writing was sub-par, so hadn¡¯t considered adding it to the Library.  Only superior literary works would be stored there after all.

    Back to the task at hand.  Bai Lian had taken upwards of five minutes per corpse to get up the nerve to examine them.  As she progressed though, she seemed to either become desensitized to the task, or had managed to get a firmer resolve.  Either way, it had still taken almost three hours instead of the half hour or so that he¡¯d originally thought it would take.

    The fact that she¡¯d only indicated two bodies amongst the one hundred forty-two present was a bit telling.  Now, there could have been a multitude of reasons behind that ranging from those people just being hardened warriors to outright assholes to her not knowing them well enough to make that judgement call.

    Still, the two she¡¯d indicated were in good enough condition to identify.  There were a few that had her dry heaving, taking a good quarter hour to stop shaking.

    The two, however, looked to be fairly young.  Well, cultivation messed with apparent age quite thoroughly, so he could have been looking at people who were a hundred years old for all he knew.  Well, he¡¯d find out when he [Delve]¡¯d the bodies.

    Bai Lian made her way back to Joram¡¯s side, face calm, but pale.  He noticed that she was a few inches shorter than him, with a slight frame, but still had an eye-catching figure.  She was also shaking ever-so-slightly.

    He took a deep breath, causing her to flinch then steel her resolve, then exhaled.

    Joram put his hand on her head, causing her to flinch again.  But then, when her eyes found his again, he noticed the resolve in them, almost making her black eyes sparkle.

    ¡°That must have been hard,¡± he said, then turned away as he withdrew his hand.  ¡°Come, let¡¯s walk.¡±

    He paused at the door leading out so that she had time to wipe away the tears that had fallen silently down her cheeks.

    * * * * *

    The view would have been stunning save for the fact that it also included the ruins of a large clan and town.

    Bai Lian sat at a small table one could find at any outdoor restaurant, a steaming pot of tea on the table between them.  Each held a cup of the cooling liquid in their hands as they watched the sun slowly set.

    The colours were fantastic.  Soft pastels deepening to darker and darker hues that faded to the deep midnight blue of the early night sky.

    She appreciated the light shawl the young man had given her, for it seemed as though it had snowed a bit recently, patches of snow still visible where the sun hadn¡¯t been able to reach it.

    When the young man finally spoke, it was so surprising that she almost spilled her tea.

    ¡°My name is Joram Aneath,¡± he finally introduced himself, causing her eyes to go wide.  ¡°I am the great grandson of Tatia Aneath, grandson of Bezia Aneath, son of Sulia Aneath.  One of three left of the Aneath main family.¡±

    Bai Lian tried to swallow, but found that her throat was now too dry.  She couldn¡¯t even remember that she held a teacup in her hands.

    ¡°Tell me,¡± he said, gaze still on the stunning sunset.  ¡°What should I do about the Sects?  What do you think the punishment for attacking our knowledge-loving clan should be?¡±

    Bai Lian¡¯s mind froze, refusing to do anything except fixate on the thought of death.

    ¡°What would be the wisdom governing such actions on the Zhizun Zhanshi Continent?¡±  He asked, finally turning his gaze to her, then pointedly looked at the teacup in her hands.

    She finally remembered the tea, then took a long swallow to rehydrate her parched throat before answering.

    ¡°They would swear vengeance, killing to the fourth generation and enslaving the rest,¡± she said, her voice trembling.

    ¡°What do you think I should do?¡±  He asked softly as his eyes seemed to pierce her soul, causing her to start shaking again.

    She really didn¡¯t want to answer with anything other than ¡°mercy¡±, but she couldn¡¯t get the words out.  Part of the planning for the attack had been to get the numbers of their fighting forces, strategic assets, all the normal stuff you¡¯d prepare before attacking a foreign power one assumed to be formidable.

    There had been almost six thousand people living in his clan and the town before they¡¯d attacked, a relatively small number for a supposedly powerful force working towards world domination.

    She realized just how ridiculous that notion was now that she had time to really think about it.  Gone were the seniors who constantly spoke about their righteous mission, constantly riling up the younger generation with thoughts of glory, honour, and reclaimed riches.  Of how they¡¯d bring back the stolen knowledge to the Sects, heralding a new age of cultivation.

    Now, it all tasted like ashes to Bai Lian.  The propaganda, for she now realized that it was exactly that, was no longer effective.  Many of the younger generation that had made up their force now lay dead under sheets in a warehouse.  She¡¯d seen some of the older generation there, and even their leader had fallen.

    But it was the disciples who¡¯d suffered the greatest losses.  Her peers.  Even a few of her friends.  Or people she¡¯d previously thought of as friends until Joram had asked her to find the ¡°good¡± people amongst the fallen.

    It finally struck her as she remembered a detail of her morbid task.  Not a single body had shown even the slightest bit of decay, most looking as though they¡¯d just passed out.  They almost looked alive, which had almost been worse when she saw those faces.

    One had been a senior brother of hers who¡¯d looked after her before her master had taken her under her wing.  He¡¯d been relatively selfless, not pressing his seniority to get¡­ intimate recompense from her.  No, he¡¯d been a bit of a foodie, instead cashing in the many favours she owed him for free meals from her.

    The other was a woman she knew more by reputation before meeting her in person.  She was known as one of the top beauties of her sect, the Sky Lotus Sect, before their meeting.  Mo Yu was also known to have a good temperament, kind and gentle.  Aside from being a beauty, it was the reason why she¡¯d been ranked as one of the most desirable women of their region.  The so-called ¡°Goddess Ranking¡±.

    She almost laughed at that thought before remembering why she¡¯d been thinking about those two people.  Then swallowing hard again.

    ¡°Death,¡± she croaked more than spoke, embarrassment unable to get her attention.

    Joram Aneath nodded as though he expected the answer then turned to the sunset again.

    ¡°And what do you think their response to that would be?¡±

    Then she caught on, then clung to that thought for dear life.

    ¡°It would bring endless war.  No side giving up until the other was annihilated,¡± she replied, shivering again as she imagined sects strewn with corpses as far as the eye could see, so many cities aflame that the smoke blocked out the sun over entire countries.  Only the scavengers could be seen moving amongst the dead.

    ¡°Is that what I should do?¡±  He asked, varying the wording of his earlier question.

    She shook her head, not trusting her voice then.  She, selfishly, didn¡¯t ever want to witness such a sight.

    ¡°Then how should I answer my ancestors when they ask me what I did to avenge their clan?¡±  His voice softened then, sending shivers through her body so strongly that her tea spilled over onto her hands.

    He waited for a few minutes before speaking again, still softly, but lacking the aspect that had nearly caused her to wet herself.

    ¡°I will find my people and bring them home,¡± he stated, now starting up at the stars above. ¡°I will find the people responsible for the attack.  I will find those people who approved the attack, those whose lust for power, their greed, or just plain stupidity, led them to decide that their wants were more important than the lives of my family and friends, and remove them from this world.¡±

    Even though the words were calm, she felt that they were said with such conviction that the world would pass before any of those words were made into a lie.

    She couldn¡¯t help but admire him then.  This young man, whose cultivation was in a realm higher than hers had been before whatever had happened to her.  This young man who also seemed to be gifted in Mental Strength.  Whose foundation was so profound that she couldn¡¯t get a proper grasp of how deep it went.

    It was then that she silently vowed to do everything she could to make up for the wrongs she¡¯d done to him and his.  She would follow him to the grave.

    * * * * *

    Joram watched Bai Lian through his sphere or perception as his face was turned to the sky.  But what told him the most about this woman wasn¡¯t her expressions practically writing her thoughts across her face, but what he felt from her through the Network.

    His last statement, of all that he¡¯d said to her, had had the most profound effect on her.  He felt such shame, determination, and hope coming from her that he wondered if he¡¯d just created his first groupie.  If the sparkling of her eyes was any indication, then he was probably right.

    He motioned for her to continue drinking her tea, then continued to sip at his own as the night grew darker around them.

    ¡®Avi?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Could you arrange for the two marked bodies to be transferred to the prisons?¡¯  He asked, not wanting to do it himself.  He was a bit done at the moment.

    ¡®Sure,¡¯ she sent back, knowing full-well that he was passing off the minor effort to her.  ¡®Have you decided to start, then?¡¯

    ¡®Yeah.  If [True Resurrection] works how I think it works here, then I¡¯ll get to my kin after those two,¡¯ he sent, referring to the two corpses he felt get shifted to the prison.

    ¡®Are you going to let Sulia know what you¡¯re planning?¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯ll let her know once I¡¯m certain of how things work,¡¯ he sent back, not looking forward to that conversation in his near future.

    ¡®How¡¯s the talk going with Bai Lian?¡¯  She asked, changing the subject.  He welcomed it.

    ¡®I think that it went so well because she was a relatively good person to start.¡¯

    ¡®I also got that feeling when ¡°interrogating¡± her,¡¯ Avi sent back with a mental nod.

    ¡®Well, I think she¡¯ll be a helper from here on out,¡¯ he sent along with a brief summary of his observations during his conversations with Bai Lian.

    ¡®Does that mean that we¡¯ll be heading out to get Tillia soon?¡¯

    Joram grinned at Avi¡¯s eager tone.

    ¡®Yes, but I think there¡¯ll need to be some planning before we head off.  We also need to gather more information about the sects involved, as well as strengthen ourselves before throwing ourselves into the proverbial grinder.¡¯

    ¡®True,¡¯ Avi drawled.  ¡®Does that mean you¡¯ll bring others with you?¡¯

    Joram thought about that, realizing that he¡¯d been speaking like he¡¯d have people along for the ride.  He didn¡¯t want to bring Xixi or Zanth with him, as they were much too young.  Nor did he want to bring his mother, as she not only needed to be there for Zaleria, Elodea, and Seldanna, but she also needed to bring her cultivation back up to where it had been, and even higher.

    There were the three ninjas that had been guarding the refugees in the Heavenly Archive, but his people still needed protectors, so they weren¡¯t even a consideration.

    There was also Grammy to consider.  Though if he was right about how [True Resurrection] worked here, then she¡¯d also need to regain her strength.  Especially if she also chose to follow her granddaughter in becoming a High Elan as well.

    Which got him thinking.  She had already had minor attainments in her cultivation of Mental Strength, so maybe she¡¯d do well as a High Elan, able to draw out more benefits of the race.

    Then another though struck him, one that he wasn¡¯t very proud of.

    When Altaea had first been changed into an Elan, her creators had installed a kind of kill switch that would prevent Altaea from going against their directives, even if they¡¯d been dead for many centuries.  The thought that made him slightly ashamed involved Bai Lian and the two she¡¯d pointed out.

    If he really wanted to be sure that Bai Lian wouldn¡¯t someday betray him, then converting her into an Elan with that same kill switch incorporated into her making might work.  If he did that, then he could wind up having legions of Elans at his beck and call, ready to do what was needed to achieve his goals.

    But there were a few things wrong with that line of thought.  One of the top ones was that each and every new Elan would need to start their cultivation over again, taking up precious time in doing so.

    The next point revolved around his own personal ethics.

    He would not make a race of slaves.

    So, as tempting as the thought of having legions of Elans following his every order was, it really wasn¡¯t.

    Maybe in time he would put the offer out there for anyone he thought would want it, but he would never likely force it on someone.  Especially the kill switch.

    The thought of other Elans out there didn¡¯t really bother him.  They couldn¡¯t make more of themselves, nor could they procreate.  Sure, they¡¯d live until they were either killed or committed suicide.  Potentially causing issues for later generations if the person turned bad¡­.

    OK, maybe having demi-immortals running around wasn¡¯t the best idea, especially if he hadn¡¯t thoroughly vetted them beforehand.

    ¡®Well, I guess I¡¯ll head to the prison first and see if there¡¯s anyone that would be willing to join us.¡¯

 Chapter 049

    Joram watched Bai Lian step into her cell and make her way over to her wall-mounted bed and sit on the edge of it before he touched the activation panel. The force field sprang to life as she calmly watched him.

    ¡°What was their cultivation?¡±

    Bai Lian blinked at him in confusion, making him realize that he¡¯d forgotten to specify who he meant.

    ¡°The two you pointed out earlier.¡±

    Reminded of her time going through the dead, Bai Lian¡¯s complexion blanched as her eyes dropped to stare at her feet.

    ¡°They were both in the Heaven Realm,¡± she said softly.

    He just nodded before walking off. It took him only a few seconds to get to the next cell, this one containing the male Bai Lian had pointed out. He was no longer covered by a sheet, though he was laying on one.

    The man looked to be the same age as Bai Lian, though his complexion was darker, as though he spent lots of time outside. And with how fit the man looked, he suspected that he¡¯d also trained his body. He was tall, taller than Joram was at the moment, but relatively lean.

    And he wasn¡¯t afraid to admit it: the man was also relatively handsome. His brow was strong, his jaw square, and he even had a nose that was just the right size for his face. Not that he was comparing anything. Nope. His own nose was perfect in this life.

    *Cough*

    Joram stepped into the cell and knelt beside the body. He was still a bit unsure of himself, as speaking with the ¡°enemy¡± hadn¡¯t quite gone how he had thought it would.

    In his previous life, he¡¯d been a great proponent of forgiveness to those who truly regretted their actions and worked to turn over a new leaf, as it were. That didn¡¯t mean that you should immediately trust that person again. No, trust needed to be built up again, if it could.

    He even chose to forgive the unrepentant, as he thought of them. The ones who either didn¡¯t care about what they¡¯d done, deliberately or unintentionally, or had actively done terrible things to him and others. Now, with people like that, it was best to cut off all contact with them even if he managed to forgive them.

    It wasn¡¯t because he¡¯d been Christian, but that had certainly informed how he viewed the world. No, it was because he realized that not forgiving someone, also known as holding a grudge, was like willingly taking poison. Every time you thought of that grudge, of the things that had happened to you or whatever, it would poison you. You¡¯d eventually be changed by it, becoming more jaded, less willing to trust or give the benefit of the doubt. It hardened you. It also ate away at you.

    It eroded you, if you let it stay. Fears became anxiety, sometimes crippling in its presence in your life. Other times it became PTSD, almost always preventing the person from living a normal life.

    He¡¯d seen it more than a few times over his decades on Earth. And it saddened him.

    So, he¡¯d worked at letting those grudges go; at forgiving those who¡¯d wronged him. It hadn¡¯t been easy, nor had he gotten all the way there by the time he¡¯d been pulled into this new world.

    Which meant that he was having a very hard time dealing with his feelings surrounding the ones responsible for such heartache and grief. He was having a hard time reconciling his original thoughts of Bai Lian being a heartless monster who¡¯d participated in the wanton slaughter of almost everyone he knew in the world, and the one he¡¯d gained of her after spending some time with her.

    He¡¯d spent most of his life on Earth sharing with people the value of being able to view any situation, thought, or belief from multiple angles. Of having the ability to view something from the other side. Being broadminded, if you will.

    But right now, his heart wanted to ignore the other side of things and lash out at the people who¡¯d hurt him and his family. Screw being broadminded. Screw understanding the one who¡¯d hurt him. Let them all burn!

    All that had been going through is head as he¡¯d escorted Bai Lian throughout the day. Had still been going through his head as he¡¯d watched her inspect her dead comrades. But his hate had started to falter. His nature had started to impose itself more and more as the hours dragged on.

    Until they¡¯d been sitting on the side of the mountain just above the entrance to the Library. When Bai Lian answered honestly, taking responsibility for what she¡¯d done, ready to accept what was to come, a memory had pushed its way forward.

    It was a stupid memory, nothing really to do with what was going on. He¡¯d gotten his first speeding ticket after only having his driver¡¯s license for about eight months. His mother had gone with him to help pay the ticket and had wanted to speak with a magistrate.

    He¡¯d been a bit intimidated at being in the presence of a magistrate at the time and had been in awe of her when his mother had tried to take charge of the conversation as the magistrate read over the violation. She¡¯d looked his mother in the eye and had spoken.

    Magistrate: ¡°Is this your ticket?¡±

    Mother: ¡°No.¡±

    Magistrate: ¡°Then why are you talking?¡±

    His mother had spluttered for a moment before stepping aside. The magistrate then looked at him and spoke.

    Magistrate: ¡°What do you have to say for yourself?¡±

    Joram: ¡°I was speeding. I deserved it,¡± he¡¯d said with a shrug.

    His simple reply had shocked the magistrate and his mother both. So impressed with him was the magistrate that she¡¯d reduced the fine to the minimum and had waved the demerits that would have appeared on his record.

    The look in Bai Lian¡¯s eyes had shown him that she had understood, then accepted her culpability and what came with it. It wasn¡¯t the bluster of someone pretending to accept what they¡¯d done, putting on a brave face before their punishment arrived. Not something fake, but something that had come from her heart, from her willingness to accept the consequences of what she¡¯d done; the desire to atone for her actions.

    It had engendered a seed of respect for her in his heart that refused to be ignored from there-on out.

    Well, not that much time had passed since they¡¯d spoken at sunset. He didn¡¯t know if his subconscious had been working in overtime processing things as he¡¯d walked with Bai Lian back to the cells, or what. But it didn¡¯t matter now as he stood over someone Bai Lian had thought of as ¡°good¡±.

    Why had he asked her to do that?

    Well, it had been a purely selfish request there. Since he¡¯d decided to bring back other invaders, he wanted to try to avoid anyone that might wind up being¡­ rude. Toxic. Verbally abusive. He¡¯d been on the fence about Bai Lian and had realized that if he¡¯d had to deal with a ¡°not nice¡± person, then he really might have tipped over to the side of ¡°annihilate them all¡±.

    ¡°This sucks,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°I should just let Grammy take care of all this.¡± He said, his base desire to avoid conflict rearing its ugly head.

    Not that avoiding conflict in and of itself was a bad thing¡­ if done for the right reasons, that is. Nah, this was just a sliver of PTSD that hadn¡¯t quite been worked through yet.

    No, he¡¯d do what needed to be done for the sake of his clan and family who¡¯d died or been taken.

    It was then that he shifted into his planar form. Next, he had M3 manifest [Delve] on the body, the tip of his shoe touching the foot of the corpse, as he reached out his hand and held it above the body and said firmly, ¡°[True Resurrection].¡±

    He once again paid as much attention to the process as he could. Joram felt as the energy within him flowed out of him in the form of that innate spell, felt as it took the inanimate organic material in the shape of a human and revivified it. But what really caught his attention was what he perceived with his spiritual senses.

    He saw the man¡¯s soul come into view as though it had always been there, but had been out of focus. His soul sank into the now vital body, causing the man to gasp a great breath as his eyes popped open, looking around wildly.

    Joram took that instant to step back, shift back to his Aneath form, and activate the force field. He¡¯d already taken note that the man¡¯s cultivation was now in the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier, one realm lower than what Bai Lian had reported.

    It took the man a few seconds to process things before he sat up, feeling at his chest where a hole in his kung-fu-like shirt should have let him touch his death wound.

    It seemed that Avi had really enjoyed using her omni-blade to take people out.

    The man¡¯s eyes locked onto Joram, taking him in, then they widened as he seemed to recognize him or something.

    ¡°Sit tight, someone will be with you later,¡± Joram said, then stepped into the hallway.

    The cells weren¡¯t like the prison cells you¡¯d see on TV or something. Each cell had its own small room attached to it which in turn had a door that led to the hallway. This allowed for a bit of privacy when the need to interrogate someone arose. Or if you just wanted to keep people separate.

    It looked as though the man was about to say something as the door closed, but didn¡¯t manage to say anything before it did. Joram stepped into the other room as he shifted back into his planar form and looked at the young woman¡¯s body of the floor.

    She, too, had been taken out by Avi¡¯s omni-blade through the heart, leaving her chest exposed due to the burned away cloth of her robe.

    He looked at her face as he crouched down, pulling up the corner of the sheet she¡¯d been placed upon and covered her up.

    The young woman was pretty, he had to admit. He didn¡¯t know if that beauty had hidden a rotten heart, or if she had indeed been a good person before she¡¯d died. She was slender like Bai Lian, but managed to be curvier, and had a face that looked as though someone had drawn the perfect visage and placed it on a person.

    Weird way to think of it, but that¡¯s just how ¡°perfect¡± her face was, framed by her midnight black hair. He couldn¡¯t see what colour her eyes were, but he suspected they¡¯d also dazzle once opened.

    He sighed. How would she react to being revived? The man had been relatively calm which had made this, his next attempt, easier.

    Joram brought his hands up to his face, clapping his cheeks to focus his mind better.

    He wasn¡¯t even sure he could use [True Resurrection] again today, as he was reasonably sure that he should only be able to cast it once per day. He felt as though his innate magic was mostly drained for the day, but wondered if Altaea¡¯s technique of using psionic energy to fuel her spell-like abilities would work for this.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    He shrugged, then closed his eyes, bringing his focus to his Knowledge Sea. Well, it was more of a solar system now than anything else.

    Focus!

    His innate magical power wasn¡¯t represented here, but he still spent a few minutes watching the orbits of his Cores around his Knowledge Star- Psionic Star?- and the Psijic Star. With the method he¡¯d worked out to circulate mana through his body again, the Cores were once again slowly growing.

    It was always relaxing to watch those many cores of different colours as they went through their orbits. Even watching the two Stars slowly rotate around each other was a sight to behold. Their light would slowly undulate and shimmer, giving him the impression of liquid light contained in a glass orb.

    He observed that there was a small, but steady stream of energy leaving the Psionic Star and making its way to the Psijic Star, slowly feeding it. The same was true for the multitude of Cores as they passed close enough to the Psijic Star.

    He had already noticed that some of the mana that he circulated through his body and to the Cores also went to the Psijic Star, though it took the form of an accretion disc around it. It was actually rather pretty to see, as the mana from cultivating, the mana from the other Cores, and the psionic power coming from the Psionic Star all entered the same accretion disc, giving it a stunning swirl of colours.

    As he stared at the Psijic Star the urge to use that energy to fuel [True Resurrection] grew until it became action.

    Eyes still closed, he reached to the part of him that held that spell, activated it, but then manually pulled psijic energy over to supply the energy-hungry spell.

    Joram felt as the spell seemed to shudder as the psijic energy flowed through its matrix while also drawing the rest of his latent planar magic, combining it all in one glorious mess.

    His eyes popped open as he felt the spell leave him, then enter the corpse of the woman in front of him.

    To say that the visual effects of the spell had changed would have been both an understatement and quite obvious.

    Normally, if there was a corpse to use, it would glow and then be restored to perfect condition. And that was about it.

    Now?

    The body still glowed, but the increase in brightness didn¡¯t end there. Her body lit up like the sun as it began to float off the ground, lifting up so that she was in a standing position. Then came the heat.

    It wasn¡¯t noticeable at first, especially due to his immunity to fire, but then he noticed her clothes begin to smoke. It became especially obvious when her clothes burst into flame, incinerating in seconds, also lighting the sheet on the ground on fire, then the bed on the wall. Then finally his own clothes.

    He really wished that his immunity to fire also extended to his clothing, but he supposed the universe just didn¡¯t work that way.

    After only about ten seconds, the woman lowered until her feet touched the ground, leaving her standing with her eyes closed, her luminescence dimming until it was gone. He took that opportunity to shift back to his Aneath form, wanting to see her reaction when she realized who he was. Then she sucked in a great breath- causing him to strain to keep his eyes on her eyes- and opened her eyes.

    He didn¡¯t know when he¡¯d stood up, but noticed it now that he was looking slightly down into her violet eyes from only a foot away.

    She blinked, then blinked again, then looked down. Then back up.

    Joram got a chill down his spine as her eyes remained as serene as a deep pool in winter. This was normally when someone would, justifiably, freak out.

    Just as he was about to say something, a spark appeared in her eyes as he felt a spike in her mana circulation. Up came her hand, crackling with lightning.

    * * * * *

    Avi fell out of her chair; she was laughing so hard.

    You couldn¡¯t have scripted that better! She¡¯d been curious when Joram had requested both bodies at the same time, so she¡¯d put the feeds for the two cells up on one of her displays.

    The first resurrection went about as textbook standard as it could be. As had the person¡¯s reaction to being brought back from the dead. Confused, disoriented. But he¡¯d taken it well enough and had sat upon his bunk to meditate.

    Which really said a lot about his character.

    Then Joram had gone to the next cell. She was pretty sure that he¡¯d try again, likely remembering how Altaea could fuel her spell-like abilities with her psionic reserve. It took a bit of practice, but seeing as how both power sources came from the same person, it would work with a bit of tweaking. Easy enough.

    But then her sensors went off the charts as Joram activated the spell, throwing her expectations out the window. If she had had to guess about what he¡¯d done, she¡¯d have said that he had experimented with using that new Psijic energy. And she¡¯d have been right.

    What was entirely unexpected were the results. Never before had she seen (well, none of Altaea¡¯s memories contained) such a phenomenon when [True Resurrection] was used by a non-deity.

    The flames were an especially good touch, adding much to the visual effects. And the aftereffects!

    She was about to send Joram a wolf-whistle over the Network when the woman¡¯s eyes opened. Her reaction would be the stuff of legends.

    That she managed to send Joram flying with an openhanded slap was impressive, especially given that Joram had cultivated the Adamantium Body Technique. Well, maybe that didn¡¯t really matter as much given that Joram¡¯s mass hadn¡¯t really changed much.

    But she was very glad that she¡¯d forced his body to integrate the Heavenly Lightning Jade Dragon scale, otherwise that much current flowing through his brain might have fried it to a crisp.

    She at least had the presence of mind to activate the forcefield, preventing the woman from following up on her initial attack. Avi was also glad that the cameras were always recording what happened. She definitely wouldn¡¯t let Joram live this one down for some time.

    A droid brought her a bowl of buttery popcorn.

    This is so much better than working on reports, she thought as she chomped down on the popcorn.

    * * * * *

    Never before had Mo Yu been so humiliated in her twenty years of life!

    Her hand still stung from the blow she¡¯d given the pervert when she¡¯d come to. She was honestly shocked that he¡¯d survived the blow unscathed, even if it had felt like she¡¯d struck solid metal instead of someone¡¯s cheek.

    To her immense surprise, she found herself cursing the boy out. Never before had she used such language. Not that she thought she was too good to cuss, but because she instead preferred to use her words cleverly. With finesse and dignity.

    She had been raised in the Sky Lotus Sect, trained from youth to use her mind effectively. To sharpen her wit and expand her vocabulary so that she could accurately convey what she thought, or what she needed. She loved participating in discussions and debates, using a soft voice and kind tone to keep things civil. She¡¯d seen far too many ¡°discussions¡± turn into yelling matches because a person couldn¡¯t control their temper.

    Which she had thought she¡¯d mastered long ago.

    Apparently not, she thought as her mouth continued to spew forth scathing insults, condemnation, and accusations of deviancy and perversion until he left the room moments later.

    She didn¡¯t know why she was reacting so¡­ viscerally to the situation. It wasn¡¯t like she hadn¡¯t found boys trying to peep while she and her fellow female disciples were bathing. She¡¯d been naked in front of her other female disciples as they changed, readying themselves for various activities, and had even suffered under the hands of a senior disciple when the woman had started going on about how it wasn¡¯t fair that some women got all the ¡°charms¡±, all the while emphasizing her points while groping her chest.

    Yes, she¡¯d been through much.

    But the young man in front of her had somehow angered her to the core. It took her a few minutes to realize, at least in part, what it was.

    It was his eyes.

    She would have expected a young man¡¯s eyes to be shining with lust at the sight of her standing there naked, just a foot away, close enough to embrace. She had also expected a physical reaction from him down there, just as she¡¯d heard other female disciples gossip about.

    But there hadn¡¯t been a reaction, and that had sparked a¡­ an indignation in her that she hadn¡¯t realized could be triggered. Every story she¡¯d heard regarding intimate interactions between men and women from her fellow disciples had included just how lustful men, especially young men, were.

    So, did that mean that the ¡°young¡± man in front of her was actually some ancient old pervert?

    And as soon as that thought had crossed her mind, she had felt her mana circulating through her meridians, converting into lightning-attributed mana. Then her body moved on its own, lashing out at the perceived threat.

    She looked up as the outside door opened once more, admitting the ¡°young¡± man. She noticed three things then. The first was that he was now clothed in a simple shirt and pants combination, all in a light tan colour. The second was that he was studiously looking anywhere but at her. The third, and most welcome, was that he was carrying an extra set of clothing.

    He walked over to the side of her cell, at the corner where the barrier met the wall, placed the clothing in a small tray, then opened a little door and slid the tray in, closing the little door again once done.

    She looked at the wall beside the barrier on her side, and finally noticed a matching door there. She approached, hand and arm covering her nakedness, but didn¡¯t manage to catch him peeking. Mo Yu then opened the little door on her side and quickly retrieved the clothing.

    It took her a few seconds to go over what she¡¯d been given. She was confused at how small the panties were, and the odd design for what she took to be a chest wrap. It was a weird thing that took her another minute before guessing at how to wear it.

    For as weird as the design was, it was surprisingly comfortable once on. The wide straps that were attached to the cups of smooth material that held her breasts were soft and padded enough to make the weight of her breasts feel less¡­ heavy. Even the strap on the back was wide enough to distribute any pressure that was there in a comfortable way.

    The blouse-like shirt and pants provide were plain as could be, but the fabric was soft and comfortable to wear.

    She looked again at the ¡°young¡± man as he stood with his back to her while she dressed. Her clothes matched his in colour and fabric, though the designs of their respective outfits were obviously made for a man and a woman. But she couldn¡¯t help but think they matched.

    Which sent first a chill down her spine, then a flush of anger up to her cheeks, causing them to colour.

    It was then that the ¡°young¡± man turned around and regarded her, this time with slight embarrassment.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t how I saw things going,¡± he said, still not quite looking at her, which, for some reason, annoyed her more.

    Which, in turn, confused her enough that she remained silent, not sure what she should say. Should she give him another tongue-lashing? Make acidic comments about his moral character? Point out how she was a captive, and he therefore did not need to pretend to be polite?

    ¡°Ah, I suck at this,¡± she heard him quietly murmur to himself as he looked at the ceiling before turning to look her in the eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re here because you participated in the attack that destroyed my family, my home, and Brightside. You¡¯ll answer any questions you¡¯re asked,¡± he said, his piercing green eyes now causing a different shiver to run up her spine.

    She took in his appearance again, and the minor detail that his hair was purple finally registered in her head.

    He was from the Clear Knowledge Clan, and he¡¯d somehow not only managed to survive, but had captured her as well. She looked around her cell again, taking in the ashes before she felt a pulse of Qi go through the room that removed all traces of ash that had covered everything along with the scorch marks.

    She extended her sense to the barrier, but found no traces of an array. It also stopped her divine senses quite thoroughly, making her unable to sense anything outside of her cell.

    Her gaze returned to the ¡°young¡± man again, likely of the Aneath line. When he saw that her attention was back on him, he nodded.

    ¡°Get comfortable, you¡¯ll be here for a while,¡± he said, then turned and left the room.

    Mo Yu blinked then looked around, noting the unusually smooth, stone-like floor, what looked like a privy behind a low wall that came up to her waist, and the slab of metal sticking out of the wall that was about the right size to hold a bed.

    ¡°And how, pray tell, am I supposed to do that?¡± She yelled at the door, stomping her bare foot on the ground, causing her to wince.

    * * * * *

    *Thud*

    *Thud*

    *Thud*

    Avi watched as Joram, sitting at his desk, banged his head on it repeatedly. She was about to point out that his desk wouldn¡¯t survive much more of that when he finally stopped, placed a hand on the desk and manifested [Reconstruction] on it.

    He looked over at her with slightly dead eyes that also managed to remind her of a sad puppy.

    ¡°That could have gone better,¡± she said, successfully keeping the mirth she felt out of her voice.

    He just blinked at her; his stare unchanging.

    ¡°It could also have gone a lot worse,¡± she said, pointing out the obvious.

    ¡°I had to invent probably the most shameful magic item to ever be created in the history of this world just to go back in and speak with her,¡± he said, his voice going from flat to indignant at the end.

    Avi quirked an eyebrow at that, now very curious.

    ¡°I was going to call it a ¡®Codpiece of Holding¡¯, but remembered that they were worn on the outside of a man¡¯s clothing. So, I named it the ¡®Jockstrap of Holding¡¯,¡± he said, a bitter tone entering his voice at the explanation.

    Avi couldn¡¯t help but burst out laughing. She laughed so hard that tears started rolling down her cheeks. It took a full six and a half minutes for the laughter to subside enough for Joram to continue without needing to raise his voice.

    ¡°So,¡± he began, his voice once again flat, but with icy undertones. ¡°I did a bit of quick research, because I never had this sort of¡­ problem before.¡±

    ¡°Could the Aneath clan just be more¡­ vital than your old body?¡± She asked, trying very hard to be professional.

    ¡°No,¡± he said flatly. ¡°My libido was considered high back on Earth. This seems¡­ different. So, the research,¡± he said, vaguely motioning to a few Crystal Minds on his desk with his right hand.

    ¡°It seems as though people with draconic heritage are¡­ much more vital than most other races out there,¡± he said, trying very hard to keep a straight face. ¡°On a related note, those with phoenix bloodlines are usually more prone to more intense emotions and feelings.¡±

    Avi blinked as the pieces fell into place.

    ¡°Are you saying that puberty will be especially hard for you?¡± She asked lightly, not quite looking him in the eye.

    ¡°I am saying that, the way things are going, it is going to take a supreme- nay- Divine levels of willpower to not singlehandedly revive the Aneath line.¡±

 Chapter 050

    Avi slipped her AR Glasses on and took a look at Joram. From the magic emanating from his crotch, she suspected that he was still waring his Jockstrap of Holding. She then tapped at her omni-tool, bringing up the scanning functions, then did a full sweep of Joram¡¯s body, taking note of the readings as she went.

    She wasn¡¯t familiar with the intricacies of draconic or phoenix physiologies or how they changed or behaved during puberty, but she did detect higher levels of libido in his system, along with a few other things that seemed to be affecting the area of his brain responsible for arousal.

    Joram was starting at her, an accusatory look painted on his face.

    She cleared her throat before speaking.

    ¡°Well, it does seem as though you¡¯re quite¡­ healthy,¡± she said, looking him straight in the eye.

    ¡°When did you make those glasses?¡± He asked, changing the subject suddenly, much to her relief.

    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re one of the things I wanted you to [Delve] so that I could make more,¡± she said, waving it off.

    ¡°Hand¡¯em over.¡±

    Avi did just that, careful not to let their hands touch. If he was indeed as¡­ primed as she thought he was, she¡¯d very much need to take precautions.

    It only took him a minute to [Delve] the glasses then fabricate his own using the drawers and drawers of pure chemical elements in his workshop.

    She smiled as she took in the change in design, remembering his taste in glasses. He¡¯d always loved the Clark Kent style and had gotten them when he¡¯d eventually started needing reading glasses back on Earth. Though, with his new body, he looked much nerdier than he had before.

    With that done, the conversation, thankfully, went in another direction.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to leave soon,¡± he said, now looking at a map of the known world.

    It was filled in very well, especially since people had been exploring this world for tens of thousands of years, even before that cataclysm stuck roughly twenty-thousand years ago.

    Their continent, the Waeryn Continent, took up almost a quarter of the map, while the Zhizun Zhanshi continent took up a slightly larger portion of the map. The rest was covered by oceans and the occasional island here and there spread out between the two super-continents.

    If you were to look at the world, from the side, it would look a bit like a sandwich. The left of the world would be covered by one super-massive continent, then you had a massive ocean, then the other super-massive continent on the other side. It was odd for anyone who studied tectonic activity and continental movement. But the positions of the continents hadn¡¯t significantly shifted in written history.

    About the only thing that had significantly changed the surface of the planet had been the cataclysm that had resulted in dozens of moons being destroyed and falling to the surface of the planet, nearly wiping out all life.

    Anyway, at least the maps were reliable for the areas more heavily settle by sapient species. That said, for any other ruling power out there, their maps might have been much less accurate than the ones found in the Library that she and Joram had copied over.

    You see, the various countries, kingdoms, and empires out there tended to keep the exact details of their countries hidden from those outside of it. Something about keeping military and strategic secrets. Which hadn¡¯t prevented the clan¡¯s agents from getting their hands on that information anyway and sending it back to be recorded.

    Which resulted in the most accurate map on the planet.

    Joram pointed to a section of mountains on the Waeryn Continent that was closer to the eastern side of the landmass.

    ¡°We¡¯re here. Over there,¡± he said, pointing to an island off a peninsula on the eastern coast, ¡°is where the Grand Waeryn Academy is located. This is where I plan on staying while gathering more information about the sects, clans, and powers of the Zhizun Zhanshi continent.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re planning on going to school?¡± She asked, a bit taken aback by the news.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he said, pushing his glasses up his nose while nodding. ¡°There are a few reasons for that. Namely, creating contacts. If I can get enough influential people to support my vision for how the Clan will operate in the future, then I¡¯ll worry less about leaving everyone behind.¡±

    ¡°You want powerful backers to help deter anyone from taking advantage of us,¡± she said nodding.

    ¡°Yes. While that is one of the reasons, the other is that the Academy is located near a major port, dealing with cross-continental trade. They also accept students from across the ocean.¡±

    ¡°Are you planning on using them to get a way in?¡±

    ¡°If I can build up good enough relations with those students, then it will be easier to move around once I head over there. From what I gather, people need passports to travel from country to country, much like here. But there, you need to be supported by a large clan, sect, academy, or school to get a passport.¡±

    ¡°Have you thought about trying to enroll in one of the institutions there?¡± Avi asked carefully, not sure how he¡¯d react to the question.

    Joram just nodded. ¡°I was thinking of spending a couple of years in the Grand Waeryn Academy, then applying as a transfer student to one of the institutions there. It would be the easiest way to get that passport. Hence why I would need to try to befriend the foreign students.¡±

    ¡°I think you left something out there.¡±

    He thought for a second before realizing that he¡¯d missed a portion of his explanation. ¡°Right. It¡¯s easier to become an exchange student if you¡¯re endorsed or sponsored by another student.¡±

    Makes sense, she thought as she nodded.

    ¡°So, when are you thinking of leaving?¡± She asked, prepared to adjust her plans.

    ¡°Well,¡± he started, looking a bit hesitant. ¡°I want to get going soon, as the school year will be starting in a couple of weeks¡­¡±

    ¡°And how, pray tell, do you plan on travelling that far so quickly?¡±

    He just gave her a bland look.

    ¡°Mass effect fields.¡±

    Avi looked at him, jaw dropping.

    ¡°Are you planning on cultivating eezo?¡±

    It was his turn to blink at her for a moment before a huge smile came to his face.

    ¡°I always wanted to be a biotic,¡± he said, grinning for all he was worth.

    She face-palmed.

    ¡°Any idea how that would interact with the Adamantium Body Technique?¡±

    ¡°Nope! But I can guess,¡± he said, still grinning. ¡°And it might actually help when it comes time to start cultivating the Neutron Star Technique after I finish with the Adamantium Body Technique,¡± he said, now nodding.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to be able to convince you not to try, am I?¡±

    ¡°Time to make some eezo!¡±

    * * * * *

    Joram was banging his head on his desk again.

    Sure, he had the exact scientific data for eezo, its molecular composition and all that. Because eezo wasn¡¯t actually a chemical element, but a compound. But it was another matter entirely to make the stuff in quantities greater than a gram¡­ and keep it stable.

    Even though he was banging his head, he was also going through the file Altaea had left him on the material. From how to find it all the way to how its unique properties when harnessed.

    What he was currently focussing on was the refinement and storage process.

    It was much more complicated than he¡¯d realized.

    Pure eezo didn¡¯t seem to be very stable- if more than a gram was collected- in this universe and required special treatment, otherwise it would catastrophically destabilize. Which was the root cause of the head banging.

    M3: I think I¡¯ve found out why it is reacting the way it is.

    Joram: Do tell.

    M3: I am reasonably sure that it is reacting to the mana in the atmosphere.

    Joram blinked at that. He wasn¡¯t sure if mana was present in the universe Altaea had found herself in, what he called MEU2: Mass Effect Universe 2. Mostly because it seemed to be a combination of the ME Universe and the Who-verse.

    Joram: That¡¯s going to make it tough.

    M3: Indeed. Though we can try using an array to create an anti-magic field. That might work.

    Kinkade: Sounds reasonable. I can get started on laying down the array.

    Joram: Let¡¯s do this!

    *Two hours later*

    ¡°You know, we can make this into a long-term project. No need to rush things,¡± Avi said as she patted his shoulder.

    ¡°We¡¯ll do that then,¡± he said, voice muffled because he was once again laying face-down on his desk.

    ¡°So, your travel arrangements?¡± She gently prompted.

    ¡°Just build a jet or something,¡± he said listlessly, all enthusiasm drained out of him.

    ¡°That¡¯s a bit¡­ conspicuous,¡± she hedged.

    ¡°It¡¯s not hard to add [Silence] spells to the engines,¡± he said, waving away her protest. ¡°Heck, you could even add an illusion to make it look like something else. A flying chariot? Carriage? Santa¡¯s sleigh?¡±

    He really just wanted to go and play with alchemy. He¡¯d been very close to breaking through to the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier of alchemy before everything had gone to shit, so he was a bit eager to get back to it, even though it had already been nine months since the attack.

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get something made,¡± Avi said, her voice resigned. Then changed the subject. ¡°Do you want me to start interrogating the new prisoners?¡±

    Joram felt his face redden as he remembered his encounter with the female practitioner.

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re better at it than I am,¡± he mumbled before standing up and heading off to his alchemy lab.

    * * * * *

    Ren Wentian was bored. Aside from the strange man who¡¯d left after telling him to ¡°sit tight¡±, he¡¯d been alone since yesterday. Well, at least he thought it had been a day. The lights in his cell had dimmed for long enough for him to correlate that with nighttime.

    Although he hadn¡¯t been the least bit tired.

    As a matter of fact, he still felt as energized as when he¡¯d woken up, albeit weaker. Which confused him greatly.

    He could tell that he¡¯d dropped down to the Earth Realm, but couldn¡¯t determine why. From what he could sense, he didn¡¯t have any damage to his body or meridians. His core was likewise undamaged, throwing that idea out the window.

    He was just¡­ weaker. But full of energy, as though he¡¯d slept for an entire week or something.

    He was also hungry.

    He looked down at his stomach, now covered by a new shirt he¡¯d found waiting for him on his bunk. He¡¯d been certain that it hadn¡¯t been there when he¡¯d first inspected his small cell, but hadn¡¯t let that bother him. So he¡¯d changed, not really caring about what he wore as much as wanting to look less like a ragged beggar.

    Nor did his clothing issues compare to his confinement. The last thing that he remembered before arriving here was his battle with the thieving clan. He and his teammates had just cleared a hall when they came across a woman with weird hair colour. Then nothing.

    He tried to remember if he¡¯d sensed her cultivation, but he just came up with a blank. She must have been in the Mystic Realm to have defeated them so fast.

    He nodded at that. That made the most sense.

    But why capture him? Did they think that he would talk? Reveal secrets of his Diamond Jade Lotus Sect?

    Ren Wentian was still pondering that when the door opened up and a woman with fantastically red hair walked in with a tray of food.

    He squinted at her a bit as he stood up, trying to place her, but dismissed the thought. He¡¯d have remembered hair like that.

    She didn¡¯t say anything as she placed the tray into some sort of cubby just on the other side of the barrier keeping him in his cell.

    ¡°If you¡¯re hungry, just open that little cupboard and have a bite to eat,¡± the woman said in an accent that told him she was from the Waeryn Continent. He almost didn¡¯t register that because her melodious voice distracted him.

    He nodded his thanks to her, then opened the small cupboard and retrieved the tray of food. He wasn¡¯t worried that it was poisoned for two reasons.

    One, they could have done anything to him while he was unconscious. Two, he was highly resistant to poison from training the technique his Sect was named after: the Diamond Jade Lotus Body Tempering Technique. It was a mouthful to say, and even harder to train, but it was one of the better body refining techniques on the continent.

    He stepped back to his bed and sat at the edge, then dug into his food.

    Ren Wentian didn¡¯t recognize it, as the preparation wasn¡¯t what he was used to. But it was good and moderately filling.

    The young woman outside his cell merely pulled up a chair and waited while he ate, calmly retrieving a book from her storage ring to read.

    Once he¡¯d finished and downed the cup of tea that came with the meal, the woman stored her book away and leaned forward.

    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you¡¯d answer a few questions on my mind,¡± she said with a smile that would have enchanted a lesser man.

    As it was, he was still dazzled.

    * * * * *

    *1346.01.21*

    Avi was impressive as ever.

    Not only had she gotten the two new prisoners to talk, but she¡¯d even managed to get more information out of them than Bai Lian. Likely due to the others being a bit more socially inclined that Bai Lian.

    Joram now knew that their little coalition was simply called the Tri-Lotus Coalition, a set of three sects under one of the super-powers of their homeland. There was the Sky Lotus Sect that specialized in air and lightning cultivation techniques and martial arts. The young woman, Mo Yu, hailed from there.

    Then there was the Diamond Jade Lotus Sect that specialized in body tempering and earth-based martial arts. Both Bai Lian and the guy, Ren Wentian, hailed from there.

    The third sect of that coalition was the Ephemeral Ice Lotus Sect. Either they were full of rotten apples or Avi just hadn¡¯t killed any of them. Either way, the sect wasn¡¯t represented amongst the three prisoners.

    All three sects were subordinate to the Heavenly Fire Lotus Clan, a clan large enough to rule an area the size of a country.

    From what Mo Yu and Ren Wentian had gleaned during their travels, their mission had come down from the very top, probably even from someone in the Heavenly Fire Lotus Clan.

    Which meant that he would have to investigate a major power, not just some upstart sects. He sighed, thinking of just how social he was going to have to be in the near future. Maybe he could somehow get the Three Lotuses (as he was starting to call the prisoners) to do some of the talking for him. Smooth things out for him. Lay the groundwork. All that stuff.

    He really didn¡¯t like having to be social. Altaea¡¯s lessons on etiquette and diplomacy hadn¡¯t been his favourite lessons from her. In fact, had it not been Altaea personally teaching him those things, he was sure that he¡¯d have found a way to completely avoid them.

    Joram shook his head as he watched the trio as they walked with Asura through one of the medicinal gardens. He spotted Mo Yu as she stopped to inspect some of the plants and wondered if she knew anything about them.

    Then he shrugged. It wasn¡¯t likely that she¡¯d appreciate his presence any time soon, given how she¡¯d reacted to him and all. But he was curious. He hadn¡¯t ever really had the time to sit down with another alchemist to discuss the art. Maybe he¡¯d ask Avi if Mo Yu was an alchemist, then go from there.

    On that note, he¡¯d finally managed to step into the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier of alchemy. He still didn¡¯t feel that he was very good at refining 5<sup>th</sup> level pills and elixirs and such, but he still managed to succeed about half the time. He didn¡¯t know when he¡¯d get the chance to practice his alchemy in the future, but hoped that he would have the time to take a class or two at the Academy.

    He stood up and just leaned over the balcony to keep Asura¡¯s group in sight when he got a call.

    ¡®Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Xixi?¡¯

    ¡®Are you leaving?¡¯ She asked, her thoughts managing to tremble.

    ¡®What makes you think that?¡¯ He asked, deflecting the question.

    ¡®Mother-in-law,¡¯ he nearly choked at that, ¡®said that you have to leave again,¡¯ she sent, now very emotional.

    He closed his eyes and silently cursed his mother. Then sighed. That his mother would tell Xixi shouldn¡¯t have been a surprise, but something to be expected.

    ¡®Yes, I need to find Tillia and the others that were taken,¡¯ he sent back and got a flood of emotions in return.

    There was of course sadness in there, but regret, hurt, and loss also greatly contributed to the flood of emotions. Then came determination.

    ¡®I¡¯m coming with you,¡¯ she sent in the way that children could say something with absolute confidence.

    He smiled, then. ¡®I would love to have you, but you won¡¯t be old enough to enroll in the Academy.¡¯

    ¡®We¡¯re the same age!¡¯ She rightly protested.

    ¡®Yes, but I look like I¡¯m old enough to enroll, and my cultivation is high enough as well.¡¯

    A flood of stubbornness and frustration smacked him in the face, so he compromised with his best friend.

    ¡®But that doesn¡¯t mean that I won¡¯t be able to come see you.¡¯

    ¡®How? You¡¯ll be so far away!¡¯ She demanded, reminding him that she didn¡¯t know the true nature of the realm she was living in.

    ¡®I can come to this small world at any time, from anywhere in the world, Xixi. Besides, we¡¯re still connected through the Network. We can talk whenever you want!¡¯

    A serious Pout came through, almost making him laugh when the image of a chibi Xixi pouting formed in his mind.

    ¡®But the Network stops working all the time!¡¯

    That hit him in the gut. He couldn¡¯t deny that her connection to the Network over the years had been less than stable.

    ¡®Well, I can always come back and add you back to the Network if that happens; because I am able to come back whenever I need,¡¯ he reemphasised the last point, which got him feelings of grudging acceptance in return.

    The conversation then turned more lighthearted before Xixi was off to help with her sisters again.

    He was quiet for a time after that, thinking of what the future held for them all, but then was once again interrupted.

    M3: Hey, I think I¡¯ve got it this time.

    Joram perked up as he became aware of M3¡¯s progress. It took him a bit to go through, reading through line after line of ¡°code¡±. But at length he finished, then smiled.

    ¡®Avi? I¡¯m going to run a test on the new augment to [Schism] now. Don¡¯t be alarmed if the Network goes down or something,¡¯ he sent quickly before shifting to his workshop, setting his omni-tool to scan him and record the findings.

    Once done, he dismissed his current [Schism] before manifesting it again, this time with the new augment option added in. He felt him mind copying itself again, getting a ¡°thanks¡± from both Kinkade and M3, then a ¡°hello¡± from the new mind. So, M4.

    He grinned and set M3 and M4 to work on the new [Genesis] while Kinkade just got back to what he was doing.

    Then he settled down and observed how much of a draw the extra mind was having on his psionic reserves. It only took him an hour to determine that at his current rate of replenishment, he was now running at a net deficit. He should have enough psionic power to easily get through the day, but he didn¡¯t like the idea of potentially being low should an emergency arise.

    After a bit of thinking, he decided that some new jewellery was in order.

    He shifted a small block of Sky Nether Jade into his workshop and got to work.

    * * * * *

    Asura couldn¡¯t believe that she was witnessing this particular argument.

    It had started when she had mentioned that Joram, the one Ren Wentian and Mo Yu had met upon awakening, was going to speak with them later that day.

    Bai Lian had gotten a grin on her face, looking excited.

    ¡°It will be good to see the young master,¡± she¡¯d said, causing the other two¡¯s heads whip around to stare at her.

    ¡°What?¡± She asked, turning a bit red at the scrutiny.

    Before Ren Wentian could say anything, Mo Yu¡¯s mouth started going.

    ¡°¡¯Young Master¡¯? How could you betray the Sects for that perverted, no good, womanizing brat?!¡±

    Which had led to Bai Lian becoming defensive.

    ¡°He¡¯s no such thing! He¡¯s been a perfect gentleman. Not only has he treated us well as prisoners, but he hasn¡¯t laid a single finger on me!¡±

    Mo Yu looked like she¡¯d bitten a lemon at that point, unable to deny that he hadn¡¯t touched her. But rallied when the image of Joram standing in front of her naked reared its head in her mind. Her face turned red as she spoke.

    ¡°Bust because he didn¡¯t do anything to you, doesn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t to anything to me!¡± She said, turning even more red as her verbal slip registered in her brain.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Bai Lian asked suspiciously. ¡°I won¡¯t stand for anyone slandering the young master,¡± she said, standing up straight.

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s all take a moment to breath,¡± Ren Wentian said, trying to calm the situation. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just go over our encounters with this Joram. Sit down, share step by step what each of us experienced.¡±

    Both young women looked at him with such intensity that he stepped back, raising his hands in defeat.

    ¡°That sounds like a perfect idea,¡± Asura said, a sly smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯ve got just the space for it.¡±

    Asura then brought the trio to one of the testing facilities, entering one of the smaller reinforced rooms. Within minutes they were all settled on comfortable chairs around a table, all brought in by some helpful droids. A few others came to bring in some stationary, snacks, and a projector.

    She smiled at the looks Wentian and Mo Yu gave the droids while Bai Lian acted as if this was all a normal occurrence for her. Which, really, it basically was. She¡¯d been brought back and had been chilling in the prison for months longer than the other two had been. Heck, today was the first day that Asura had let them out together, shocking the two newbies when they discovered that they were in a small world.

    She motioned for Wentian to start first as she set up the projector and made sure that it was properly linked to her omni-tool. It wasn¡¯t a long story, and even a bit boring.

    Mo Yu looked like she had expected as much while Bai Lian just nodded along.

    ¡°I woke up to Avi and a redheaded body cultivator looking at me,¡± Bai Lian reported.

    Mo Yu looked sceptical, but Ren Wentian nodded; completely believing his junior sister. Asura also nodded along, which only managed to irk Mo Yu further.

    ¡°Well, I woke up to that pervert standing in front me, completely naked,¡± she said, going red at the memory.

    The other two stared at her, mouths falling open. Bai Lian recovered first, rallying so that she could defend Joram.

    ¡°Surely there¡¯s more to the story than that!¡±

    Mo Yu coloured further as she turned her head away from those at the table.

    ¡°Nothing more needs to be explained. There¡¯s no excuse for such behaviour,¡± she said archly, still intent on counting the tiles on the wall.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure that I can shed a bit of light on things,¡± Asura said, a mischievous glint in her eye.

    Everyone turned to her and finally looked at the projector, now turned on. Asura pointed at the wall behind her where the first of three videos she¡¯d queued up was paused, ready to go.

    Bai Lian blushed a bit at seeing her chest exposed for all to see, then the mortal wound in her chest registered, causing all colour to leave her face. Ren Wentian didn¡¯t fare much better, nor did Mo Yu as her hand went unconsciously to her own chest.

    Asura started the videos Avi had edited so that Joram always appeared in his Aneath form, and then watched the trio¡¯s reactions.

    Bai Lian remained white as a ghost as they watched her short video. Ren Wentian started looking a little green during his video, but then got a disbelieving set to his jaw.

    By the time Mo Yu¡¯s video came, she looked like she wanted to run. As she watched her own resurrection her eyes grew wider and wider, her mouth following suit, until she almost looked like a caricature you could have a street artist sketch for you.

    Asura could tell when Mo Yu realized the full extent of what Joram had done for her, and likely how tolerant and merciful he¡¯d been after what she¡¯d done to him.

    What Asura didn¡¯t mention was how close Joram had been to snapping in a different way. Either way, she was had gotten off lucky. And, well, so had he.

    ¡°Any questions?¡± Asura asked once the videos ended.

    - Author''s Note:

    I''m still hearing of other sites ripping stories from Royal Road here, so I''ll add in this note, which''ll be copied in the "post-chapter author note" just below (if you''re on RR and reading this there). That said, if you''re reading this anywhere other than Royal Road, my Patreon Page, or my Discord Server, then it''s been stolen and you should report it!

    People/Sites stealing the original works of hardworking authors creates ridiculous legal issues when the author wants to take their work to the next step: publishing. So, again, please report stolen/ripped works whenever you come across them to the original author (if possible).

    Thanks for reading this!

    Once again, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

    Slightly on that note, I''ve got the Discord Server up and going. You can join in on the (limited) fun here: https://discord.gg/Buskp5gQ</a>

    I''m also still working to get the Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/Deadric</a>) working how I want it, so any advanced chapters will show up on Discord for subscribers until I get things sorted. Those chapters will show up at about the same time as the ones posted here on Royal Road.

    Have a great week!

 Chapter 051

    It took another four minutes for the first question to come, even though she could see questions practically bursting out of them.

    ¡°Just who are you people?¡±  Ren Wentian asked, looking grave.

    That was a fair question, given what they¡¯d just seen, and how it had been shown to them.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no way to answer that simply.  So, next question?¡±

    Ren Wentian looked like he wanted to say something, to force the issue, but he stopped himself.  Instead, he took a few breaths as he closed his eyes.

    ¡°How is that possible?¡±  This time it was Bai Lian who asked, still looking like a ghost had walked over her grave.

    ¡°Well, how to put it?¡±  Asura mused, then decided to obfuscate the truth with the truth.  ¡°Joram was fortunate enough to receive an inheritance from a supreme being, granting him abilities not seen in I don¡¯t know how long.¡±

    That sobered the trio up further.  If their homeland was anything like the wuxia/xianxia/manga/manhwa/manhua that she¡¯d read, then finding the legacy of an ancient, supreme, cultivator was the dream of every boy and girl over there.

    She watched their reactions, finding Bai Lian¡¯s especially entertaining.  If she was reading her expressions correctly, then Bai Lian¡¯s devotion to Joram might have gone up to the level of worship.

    On the other hand, Ren Wentian looked skeptical.  Asura wondered if of the three, he was actually the most analytical.

    As for Mo Yu, her head had once again dropped in shame, an expression of such self recrimination on her face that Asura worried that she might do something foolish.

    ¡°Either way, it¡¯s up to you if you choose to believe me or not,¡± she said with a shrug.  ¡°That said, it doesn¡¯t really matter what you believe.  The truth will always be what it is, regardless of who is there to interpret it.¡±

    ¡°Then, if he is so powerful, why did our realms drop,¡± Ren Wentian asked, motioning to Bai Lian.

    ¡°It seems that there are limitations to the technique related to the user¡¯s cultivation base,¡± Asura said, pretty sure it was true.

    ¡°Then,¡± Wentian started, obviously searching for the right words as he spoke, then started again.  ¡°I know that junior sister¡¯s cultivation was at the Earth Realm before¡­ all this happened.  Her cultivation dropped a full Realm.  I was at the Heaven Realm before, but am now at the Earth Realm, also a full realm lower.  So why didn¡¯t Mo Yu¡¯s realm drop?  Was it because of that weird fire?¡±

    Asura nodded along, appreciating the line of questioning and the thought that went into it.

    It must have been very confusing for them as they tried to understand everything.  Even the concept of resurrection was likely only a mythical tale to them.

    ¡°Well, to answer; Joram was only at the Earth Realm when he tried the ¡®technique¡¯ for the first time with Bai Lian,¡± she explained, causing a look of both joy and horror to pass across Bai Lian¡¯s face.

    ¡°When he tried it on you Ren Wentian, he¡¯d already advanced to the Heaven Realm.  I¡¯m not sure how he modified the technique for you, Mo Yu, but it was indeed interesting to observe,¡± she winked at Mo Yu as she looked up at the mention of her name, then turned scarlet when she saw the wink.

    ¡°Anyway.  You¡¯re all here because Joram wanted questions answered.  He still wants questions answered.  He probably also has other things in mind that he wants from you all, but we¡¯ll have to wait for him to let us know what they are,¡± she said, looking each of them in the eye as she spoke.

    Of the three, Bai Lian radiated willingness to do anything and everything Joram might ask of her.  Ren Wentian¡¯s expression once again turned guarded, while Mo Yu still seemed to be beating herself up mentally.

    ¡°For now, I¡¯ll take you back to your cells so that you can think things over,¡± she said and stood up.

    Surprisingly, it was Mo Yu who spoke up next as she got to her feet.

    ¡°Will the scrying devices in our cells still be recording everything?¡±  She asked in a whisper, her face once again scarlet.

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    * * * * *

    Sulia smiled as she held Zaleria as she suckled.  She had managed to finally augment her [Sustenance] ability for the first time.  Normally, her body sustained itself on the Mental, er, Psionic Power it produced, but didn¡¯t produce excess.  Excess one needed to produce breast milk.  Which she was now producing at will.

    She¡¯d been going through the meditation exercises given to her by Joram, making great strides in understanding her new body and how it worked.

    She longed to start cultivating, but had been warned off by both Avi and Joram.  They¡¯d explained the reasoning behind their warnings¡­ but it was hard.  She¡¯d decided to become a High Elan because she wanted power.  Power to protect her family and loved ones.  And power to annihilate her enemies.

    But she wasn¡¯t getting any more powerful while she wasn¡¯t cultivating.

    Sulia looked down when she felt Zaleria¡¯s mouth release her breast, the child now in a milk coma.  That brought another smile to her face that vanished again too soon.

    She made her way over to Zaleria¡¯s crib and gently laid her down for her nap.

    As she made her way to the balcony of their new apartment, she recalled something else Avi had mentioned.  That it was better to cultivate outside of the pocket realm they now lived in.  She tsk¡¯d as she realized that she couldn¡¯t leave the pocket realm without Joram¡¯s or Avi¡¯s help.

    So, she retrieved the small crystal that Joram had given her from her storage ring and examined it.  He¡¯d called it a Crystal Mind, then explained to her how it worked.  It was a marvelous thing.

    If their clan had had access to the method used to create Crystal Minds, then their work would have likely leapt forward by leaps and bounds.  No more would they have had to smuggle out books and documents.  They could have just copied the information into a Crystal Mind and disguised it as a piece of jewellery.

    Nor would they have been limited to only a few books or documents if the capacity in one Crystal Mind was as vast as Joram claimed it to be.

    She sighed wistfully, looking up at the afternoon sky.  All of that no longer really mattered.  There was no more clan, no more grand mission given by their clan progenitors.  There was just survival now.

    So, she did what would give her better odds of survival.  She connected the Crystal Mind to hers and began to study.

    * * * * *

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Grammy.  I haven¡¯t visited as much as I should have,¡± he said, sitting next to her.  ¡°I¡¯ve managed to empower [True Resurrection] to the point that the person¡¯s cultivation doesn¡¯t drop.  But you¡¯re still stronger than me,¡± he said quietly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to hate me for bringing you back weaker than you were,¡± he said, continuing to speak quietly as he placed a hand on her forehead, listening to the quiet beeping in the background.

    He stayed like that for a while before taking a deep breath, then shifting his sight so that he was able to see her soul.

    He was again astonished at how stunningly beautiful souls were.  At how, even though her body was a broken mess, her soul remained the perfect reflection of who she was.  All of her limbs were present, yet none of the other disfiguring wounds could be seen.  Just Grammy as he remembered her.

    He could use [True Resurrection] on her, augmenting the spell with psijic energy.  But, he admitted to himself, he wasn¡¯t hesitating because of her cultivation.  No, he was hesitating because for the spell to work Grammy had to first die.

    After contemplating it for a while, he finally wound up shaking his head.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let mom decide,¡± he said, then stood up to go.  ¡°I¡¯ll get stronger.¡±

    It was time to get going.

    - - - - -

    Joram looked at the vehicle Avi had built him so that he could get to the Academy on time for registration.

    He very much appreciated the design.  He loved that she¡¯d used pantone 2955C, his favourite one.  He leaned left, then right, gauging the dimensions of the vehicle.  He even reached out and opened a panel on the left side and found the old rotary handset waiting for him to use.

    Then he sighed.

    Having someone show up, out of nowhere, in an old blue box that was obviously bigger on the inside would be a bit too attention grabbing.  Especially for him, given his personality.

    Joram placed a hand on the door as he nodded.

    ¡°One day.  One day,¡± he said quietly, but with great conviction.

    He turned to see Avi standing off to the side and smiling for all she was worth.  If she¡¯d have been one of the Doctor¡¯s companions, he was sure that they¡¯d have taken all of space and time by storm.

    ¡°Got anything less attention grabbing?¡±  He asked, a sardonic grin on his face.

    Avi pushed another button, causing the floor to open and another platform to rise up, bringing its cargo into view.

    ¡°What¡¯s with you and phone booths today?¡±  He asked, looking at a generic phone booth you¡¯d have found anywhere in the United States in the early 90s.  Though, this one had an antenna on it.

    ¡°I was going for a theme,¡± she said with a wink.

    ¡°Anything more practical?¡±

    ¡°How about that?¡±  She asked as another, larger, platform came up carrying a floating silvery-chrome ship reminiscent of a shell.  He much preferred its second form though.

    ¡°Really?  Are you saying that I¡¯ll need time travel to get to school on time?¡±

    Avi started laughing, knowing full-well just how anal Joram was about being punctual.

    ¡°No, but I couldn¡¯t help it.  These are all classics!¡±

    ¡°Indeed, they are.  But not very thematically appropriate.¡±

    ¡°Well, there goes the Falcon, Enterprise, Defiant, and pretty much any other cool-looing ship,¡± Avi pouted, then perked up.  ¡°How about a Runabout?¡±

    She wilted again when she saw Joram¡¯s flat stare.

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re not going to ask for something clich¨¦ like a flying sword or anything¡­¡± she said, now giving Joram a scowl.

    ¡°No.  Why not something simple like a flying disc or something?  Just put some force walls to keep the wind out, some inertial dampening, wind resistance.  You know, simple.¡±

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    Avi now practiced her flat stare on him.

    ¡°Do you need room for passengers?¡±

    ¡°Sure?  Probably, yeah,¡± he said, quickly deciding that it would indeed be helpful to have passenger room.  Or ¡°trunk¡± space.

    ¡°You¡¯re getting a Runabout,¡± Avi said, waving away his protests.  ¡°It isn¡¯t hard to get it up and going, sans-weapons of course.  That said, we can even install one of the replicators to make it as authentic an experience as we can.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have one ready, do you?¡±  He asked, knowing full-well that that was the case.

    ¡°Stop asking questions you know the answer to,¡± she said, flicking him in the forehead.

    ¡°Need me to shape anything?¡±  He asked, resigned.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she immediately replied.  ¡°I¡¯ll also need you to whip up some Tetra-3 and 4 for the frame, hull, and viewports.  I¡¯ll also need some circuitry made¡­¡± she said and kept talking.

    Joram set M3 to listening while he started manifesting [True Creation].  They¡¯d need a lot of materials that they were currently lacking, namely titanium.

    As draining as [True Creation] could be, it was always exciting to use.  Drawing ectoplasm directly from the Astral Plane, then converting that raw stuff of creation into the elements he needed, was challenging.  He loved it.

    He¡¯d been bored for so many years on Earth, going from job to job.  As soon as he became not just proficient in his role, but good, he would inevitably get bored.  Then he¡¯d need to find something else.

    But being a Shaper, a Metacreationist, was absolutely awesome.  Ever wonder how something was made?  Study until you could [Delve] it!  Oh, don¡¯t have the right sized/shaped screwdriver?  [Ectoplasmic Creation, Major] solved that problem!  Needed an extra hand to help you?  [Astral Construct]!  Raining?  Just a normal [Ectoplasmic Creation] would do!  Something broke?  [Reconstruction]!

    Need a place for yourself that no one could intrude on when you¡¯ve been social¡¯d out?  [Dimensional Shelter].  Want a more permanent retreat?  [Genesis].

    Then there were the many quality-of-life powers!

    Joram sighed a happy sigh.  He¡¯d missed this.  Just taking his time bringing his imagination into the real world.  Taking raw materials and manipulating their structures to create something, anything.  In this case, the titanium alloys he called Tetra-3 and 4, then shaping that alloy to fit his needs.  Well, Avi¡¯s plans to be precise.

    Make the frame of the vehicle.  Make some panels and panes of Tetra-4 for the viewports.  Lots of screws and clips.  Soooo much optic cable!

    The requested circuitry and other electronics, panels, displays, holographic projectors, and even the seats were fun to make!

    Sure, it took him a few days, all the while Avi nagged at him to see this person or that that.  He just had Kinkade take care of those appointments.

    Right now, he was in the zone!

    * * * * *

    Why does Joram get all the fun?  Kinkade silently groused as he sat at a table with the Three Lotuses.  He wasn¡¯t even in his preferred holographic body.  No.  He had to cover for the prime.  Joram.

    ¡°Why?¡±  Ren Wentian asked, folding his arms across his chest.

    Kinkade kinda wanted to smack him.  Sure, he was bigger than Kinkade in his current form, but to so obviously try to show off in some sort of macho display of manliness¡­ or whatever people called it.  It was just stupid.

    Well, maybe Kinkade could understand his displeasure.

    ¡°Because I need attendants at the Academy who can point out to me who I need to¡­ schmooze,¡± he finally got out with a shudder.

    The Three Lotuses just gave him a blank look.  Probably because of the foreign word thrown in there.

    ¡°To get close to.  To make an asset of.  To flatter until they start liking me.¡±

    ¡°You mean, socialize with?¡±  Bai Lian asked, wincing at his explanation.

    Kinkade nodded.

    ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re more of a shut-in, then,¡± Bai Lian said with a nod, an understanding smile on her face.

    Kinkade¡¯s eyebrow twitched.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t most cultivators technically shut-ins?¡±  He asked blandly.

    When the trio looked like they wanted to argue that point he just raised an eyebrow at them.  Mo Yu at least had the grace to close her mouth when the realization that he was right managed to sink in.

    Kinkade ¡°cleared¡± his throat, then continued.

    ¡°We should be ready to go in a day or two.  In the meantime, I¡¯ll make sure that you all get what you need for the journey and your stay at the Academy.¡±

    Of the three of them, Bail Lian looked the happiest.  She¡¯d perked up when she¡¯d been told that instead of a prisoner she¡¯d now be Joram¡¯s servant.  She¡¯d only gotten happier as Kinkade had described their duties.  Mo Yu, surprisingly, was the next happiest.  Well, that might have been an over exaggeration.  She more seemed¡­ content.  Not happy, not particularly displeased with what her new life would hold.  Just, content.

    Ren Wentian just looked sour.

    Kinkade guessed that it was because he¡¯d be serving a ¡°junior¡±.  Never mind the fact that said junior¡¯s cultivation was higher than his right now, even though none of them could get a handle on Joram¡¯s cultivation¡­ mostly because it was Kinkade in disguise.  But the main reason was that because of Joram¡¯s unique physiology, unless the person interacting with him was very gifted in psionics, they wouldn¡¯t be able to feel his cultivation level.

    That said, Kinkade didn¡¯t worry too much about Wentian.  He¡¯d seemed genuinely interested when Kinkade had told him that he would be in charge of meals if the Academy didn¡¯t provide them as part of the package.  Prime had figured that since Ren Wentian was a foodie, that he could be the most likely to accept the position.

    So, Bai Lian would more or less act as his page/gofer, Ren Wentian would be his cook/butler, and Mo Yu would act as his assistant/manager/face person.  The three would cover pretty much everything that Joram might need¡­ or just want to delegate instead of bothering with the minutiae of campus living.

    ¡°All right,¡± Kinkade said, changing the subject to something each of them would find important.  ¡°Let¡¯s discuss your cultivation.  Bai Lian, you¡¯re the lowest Tier here, so you¡¯ll need to work the hardest to catch up with the other two.¡±

    Bai Lian nodded.  She seemed annoyed at his statement at first, but she soon had a look of fierce determination replace it.

    ¡°Ren Wentian.  Your cultivation should also be a priority, but not as high a one as for Bai Lian.  You¡¯ll have a lot of free time when you¡¯re not cooking, and honestly, that won¡¯t be that often.  Keeping things organized won¡¯t even take that much of your time,¡± he said, Ren Wentian giving a slight nod to that.

    ¡°Mo Yu,¡± he said, turning to regard the first person he¡¯d consider on the same level as Avi when it came to appearance.  ¡°Your cultivation wasn¡¯t affected like the others¡¯ was, so you¡¯ll just cultivate as you normally would have in the past; no need to push yourself,¡± he paused slightly as she nodded at that.  ¡°That said, of you three, you¡¯ll have the most responsibility.  Bookkeeping and keeping a schedule for me will be your main focus.  Again, I don¡¯t expect to need much done in those departments, so your main responsibility going forward will be becoming my personal assistant.¡±

    Mo Yu, it seemed, had gathered that from his previous outline and just nodded.  What he didn¡¯t get from her face, he got from the Network.  Determination was at the fore, but a bit of panic and unease also made themselves known.

    ¡°Now, it might not look like it,¡± he said, deciding to put out there what was already common knowledge in the clan, and would also likely come out when he registered at the Academy.  ¡°But I am only eight years old,¡± he paused as each of the three had their own unique reaction to that statement.

    Bai Lian¡¯s jaw dropped and was currently bobbing up and down as she tried to say something.  Ren Wentian¡¯s eyes widened, but then seemed to think of something that visibly calmed him down.  Mo Yu, on the other hand, fainted dead away.

    Bail Lian snapped out of her stupor and managed to catch Mo Yu before she fell out of her chair, but still seemed shellshocked at the revelation.

    Kinkade sent a pulse of healing through the Network to Mo Yu, reviving her.  It also seemed to heal whatever mental trauma had occurred because she managed to sit up again, thanking Bai Lian for her care before returning her gaze to Kinkade.

    ¡°Yes, I know that what I said is unbelievable to anyone looking at me.  But, my premature growth is related to the body cultivation technique I practice.¡±

    ¡°Which one do you cultivate?¡±  Ren Wentian asked, leaning forward, his eyes bright with interest.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a secret,¡± he replied, giving Wentian a cheeky grin.  ¡°I¡¯m not ever going to share what cultivation techniques I¡¯ve used or am using.  I will, however, need to know what each of yours is so that I can best help you as you make progress in your cultivation.  That includes reading the manuals for each.¡±

    That statement was also received with mixed reactions.  Again, Bai Lian was the most accepting, nodding the whole time.  Wentian folded his arms across his chest again, looking stubborn.  Mo Yu was the only one to speak.

    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be something normally allowed,¡± she said, then shrugged.  ¡°But given that our storage rings were confiscated, we don¡¯t have much of a choice in the matter anyway.¡±

    Kinkade nodded at that, happy that one of the three wasn¡¯t afraid to point that out.  ¡°On that note, your storage rings will be returned to you, after each of you has sworn a Heart Oath of service to me.¡±

    He felt as though the results of everything he said had them on a yo-yo.  He¡¯d say something as they calmed, then they¡¯d all react.  Rinse and repeat.

    ¡°I, Qin Bai Lian, swear by the Heavens that I will be loyal and true to you, Joram Aneath, until the day I find my eternal rest,¡± Bai Lian immediately swore as she slipped out of her chair and knelt before him.

    This time it wasn¡¯t just their turn to react, but his as well.  Kinkade had not expected Bai Lian¡¯s reaction, more expecting that he¡¯d need to persuade, cajole, or push for them to swear a Heart Oath.

    A Heart Oath wasn¡¯t something to be lightly entered.  The wording didn¡¯t matter as much as how one circulated their mana, or Qi, while making the oath.  It would, like the ones he¡¯d read about in cultivation novels, bind the oath maker to what they¡¯d said.  If that person broke that oath, their cultivation would be immediately destroyed, likely killing the oath breaker in the process.  Even if they lived, they would no longer be able to cultivate in the future.

    ¡°Why go so far?¡±  Ren Wentian asked, directing the question to Bai Lian.  ¡°Yes, we¡¯re prisoners, but we can still live our lives with dignity, even if that means we¡¯ll lose our lives for what we¡¯ve done.¡±

    Bai Lian looked over to Wentian as she took her seat again, a slight frown on her face.  ¡°This is my way to atone for my actions.  Feel free to do what you need to so that you can live with yourself,¡± she said cooly, surprising both Kinkade and Wentian.

    Mo Yu stared at Kinkade while Ren Wentian could only hang his head.

    ¡°You can remain here the rest of your days,¡± Kinkade said, directing his words more at Wentian than Mo Yu.  ¡°You¡¯ll remain prisoners.¡±

    Mo Yu shook her head.  ¡°My life ended when I came here.  My life was given back to me, by you,¡± she said as she slipped from her chair and knelt before him.  ¡°I, Li Mo Yu, swear by the Heavens that I will be loyal, true, and faithful to you, Joram Aneath, forevermore,¡± she said, altering the wording slightly, but in significant and profound ways.

    Both Bai Lian and Wentian¡¯s eyes went wide, their faces red.  For that oath sounded like nothing less than a marriage vow.  Once the shock of those words wore off enough, Bai Lian jumped to her feet, finger pointing at Mo Yu.

    ¡°Even if you,¡± she blushed again furiously, ¡°you swear that, I¡¯m still the first!  I won¡¯t lose to you!¡±

    Once the words registered to her forebrain, Bai Lian turned scarlet, then her brain promptly shut down for a reboot, causing her to crumple to the floor in a heap.  Everyone was too stunned to even react to that.

    The silence in the room stretched out as each person processed the things that had been said.

    Mo Yu had the grace to look embarrassed with all that had been said, a faint blush colouring her cheeks as she looked to the side to avoid eye contact with anyone else.

    Wentian just looked lost.

    Kinkade could relate.  He hadn¡¯t expected Mo Yu to go that far with her oath, nor did she, he suspected.  Or maybe she hadn¡¯t thought out how it would sound to those present when said out loud?  Either way, what was said, was said and done.  Though, he idly wondered if that counted as him getting married.

    ¡°So, ah, what do you say, Ren Wentian?¡±  Kinkade finally asked, turning his attention to the man.

    ¡°I, Ren Wentian, swear by the Heavens to be loyal and true to you, Joram Aneath, until the day I die,¡± he said, also changing the wording from what Bai Lian had sworn.

    It didn¡¯t escape his notice that the wording of Wentian¡¯s oath made it so that it would end when he died.  So, even if Joram brought him back again, the oath would no longer be binding as it would have been fulfilled upon his death.

    Mo Yu gave Wentian a look as she, too, noticed the change in wording and what it meant.

    Kinkade just nodded, as that didn¡¯t really matter much to him.  So long as they wouldn¡¯t betray him or work against him in any way, then he was fine with what they¡¯d sworn.

    ¡°Well, with that done, here are your storage rings,¡± he said, fishing them out of an inner pocket in his robes and placing them on the table.  He glanced down at the still unconscious Bai Lian then nodded to Mo Yu.  ¡°Could you take her to her room to rest?  I¡¯ve arranged other rooms for you all.  Just follow this to find them,¡± he said, handing Wentian a slip of paper with instructions and their addresses on it.

    Wentian nodded, handed the paper to Mo Yu before she could pick up Bai Lian, then scooped up Bai Lian in her stead.

    He shouldn¡¯t have been surprised at that, given that they¡¯d known each other before coming here.  But he was pleased that the man cared enough for his junior sister to care for her.  Now, it might have also been his pride coming out, not wanting to make a woman perform such a task.  Who knew?

    Kinkade shrugged as they left, the door closing behind them, leaving him alone in the small meeting room he¡¯d used for the gathering.  He looked out the window as he switched back to his normal form, wondering if Joram would let him and Asura go on their outings again any time soon.

    Sure, he appreciated how important working on the replicators had been, and still was, but he found that the sliver of personality that Joram had used to create him had a bit more of an extroverted side to it.  The augments to [Schism] that they¡¯d developed and were using took principles from creating a psicrystal to make it work.  Thus, their slightly different personalities and quirks.

    Yeah, he was practically itching to get out into the wider world again.  He also knew that it was very important for them, his family, and the other refugees, that he and Asura go out and make Crystals.  He also wanted to go out exploring more; to find precious resources for them to use.

    He was half-tempted to head to the cloning building and have a body made for himself so that things would be easier while he was out and about.  It wouldn¡¯t be like Avi¡¯s body where she was effectively her own person, autonomous while still being connected to Joram at the level of their souls.

    He, Kinkade, wasn¡¯t his own being; he was a psionic construct that would disappear once [Schism] ended.  That didn¡¯t bother him, as he was effectively just a supe¡¯d-up multi-tasking process.  He was still Joram.  Just another facet of him.

    No, the body would just allow for slightly different uses, like actually tasting what he ¡°ate¡±.  It would effectively just be a remotely controlled vehicle, able to be used and discarded as needed.  Though, issues might arise should the body fall into the wrong hands¡­.

    Hmm, further contemplation needed, he thought as he shifted back to the lab.

    The one thing he would miss about the Realm when travelling was the ease with which he was able to get around.  Since the Realm was part of Joram, and thus him, he could just choose where he wanted to be and not have to expend any more energy on that shift than thinking about it.  [Teleport] cost psionic power to use, and thus reduced available resources in case of an emergency, and [Teleport, Greater] cost even more.

    Heck, he could even use [Interplanetary Teleport], but that was just overkill.  He wouldn¡¯t need something like that unless he travelled to another star system.

    Kinkade shook his head, once gain he was procrastinating his work on the replicators in favour of letting his mind wander.

    Now that he¡¯d finally gotten the basic models made, he could once again work on the more advanced models.  At least he and Joram still shared the love of making things!

 Chapter 052

    *1346.01.26*

    ¡°You¡¯re cutting it pretty close here,¡± Joram said, standing beside Avi, fretting.

    ¡°So you¡¯ve said¡­¡± she paused for emphasis, ¡°a few dozen times.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re sure you¡¯ve got navigation up and running properly?¡±

    ¡°Joram,¡± Avi said, turning from her work to regard the anxious young man.  ¡°I¡¯ll still be sending software updates as I continue to work on the Runabout.  Heck, I¡¯ll even need to make firmware updates as I get other things finished.  But for now, it¡¯ll get you to the Academy before registration closes for the year.¡±

    Joram nodded, knowing all that already.  He just¡­ hated being late.  Especially when it came to something like this that would set him back a whole year if he missed the window of opportunity.

    To distract himself, he walked over to inspect their work so far.

    The Runabout was really only that in name, as none of the actual tech used in Star Trek was used in its construction.  Well, maybe the replicator came close, but only in function, not design.

    The biggest difference between what the original Runabout would have contained and this one was the engine tech used.  This version contained a hyperdrive instead of a warpdrive.  He¡¯d asked Avi about it and it seemed as though Altaea hadn¡¯t spent much time in the Trek-verse compared to her time in the other universe.

    Which made a bit of sense in a weird way.  He¡¯d only ever gotten the plotline, along with the outline, of that story completed before, well, all this happened.

    So said, he was nevertheless impressed by how fast they¡¯d gotten everything made and running.  It had taken longer to create and store the gas needed to fuel the engine, though.  The blue-green gas was, however, much easier to produce than the insanely volatile metal that was used in more modern engines.

    Either way they now had a working engine.  That also required some insane computing power to make sure they didn¡¯t accidentally smear their atoms across the face of the planet.

    Well, they wouldn¡¯t be using it to go that fast for a while.  Nor would they be hitting hyperspace while anywhere near the gravity well of Dovaynia.  Maybe after he¡¯d rescued Tillia and all the others who¡¯d been taken he and Avi could start exploring their solar system.

    In the meantime, he¡¯d just have to settle for hypersonic speeds.  He could live with that.

    So, Joram went over to inspect the enchantments he¡¯d made for the runabout.  Instead of doing something silly like enchanting various plates on the hull, he¡¯d instead gone for creating a core for it.

    The core was a metal sphere covered in runes.  Well, it was sixteen metal spheres covered in runes nested in each other like those Russian nesting dolls.  Each sphere was responsible for only one enchantment, making it easier to fix should anything go wrong.  Was that easier than enchanting hull-plating?  Because hull plating took damage, especially if they were attacked.  Meaning that it would be easy to destroy their enchantments if someone wanted to.

    With this setup, the enchantments would be protected inside the ship.  And should one be overloaded, like the windscreen effect they¡¯d need to avoid damage from a bird, it was easily reparable.  Especially because he¡¯d nested them in order of what would mostly likely be damaged first to what wasn¡¯t likely to be damaged.

    The best part was that they came apart by unscrewing their two hemispheres from each other.  A liberal smattering of high-powered magnets made sure they all hovered in place inside each other.  He was rather pleased with the whole thing.

    Of course, once Avi and Asura managed to advance the level of tech they had available, his little metal ball would become obsolete.  Well, until his artifact refining got to another level that is.  He was sure that if he attained a high enough level in his cultivation, both magical and psionic, that he¡¯d be able to craft magical items that would rival that of any high technology that had shown up in pop-culture over the years!

    Joram chuckled as he finished his inspection of the core, then turned to the rest of the vessel.

    It was larger than a standard Starfleet shuttle, and much more comfortable.  Which, really, was a given because it was designed after the Runabouts that had shown up in DS9.  Since he wasn¡¯t a fan of leather seating, he¡¯d opted to go for cloth seating instead of what had been shown in those shows.

    The back of the unit had the bunks, enough for eight people to sleep comfortably, if not privately.  There were also two separate ¡°showers¡± that were really just [Cleanse]¡¯ing stalls.  No need to store that much water after all.

    From the dormitory you would find yourself facing the backside of the wall that separated the sleeping accommodations from a small kitchenette.  It really only had a preservation/refrigeration ¡°cupboard¡± that was placed at chest to head height on that wall, having been made wide instead of tall like the refrigerators on Earth.

    The replicator sat under those ¡°cupboards¡±, right in the centre.  With the supply of raw elements found in the space under the counter, one could have the replicator produce the dinnerware and cutlery you¡¯d need to serve and eat the food.  It also acted as a heating unit, much a like a microwave, but less weird.

    From the kitchenette you then arrived at a small eating area with a table that could fit six around it, with seating that was attached to the deck.  Once past the table, you¡¯d arrive at the open concept cockpit.

    It had two very comfortable looking seats, also attached to the deck, placed in front of the control panels for the ship.  Which, at this point, mostly consisted of a few buttons that controlled things like lighting, headlights, and other such mundane things.  The various dials and gauges were replaced with either 8k screens or holographic displays.

    Which, again, showed minimal information because the whole thing was a work in progress.  Eventually they¡¯d have displays for a sensor suite, shield levels, and weapon controls.

    Joram caught himself before he had a nerdgasm and looked around, satisfied.  He¡¯d even taken the time to psionically reinforce the outer hull and viewports with [Matter Manipulation], a power that permanently increased the strength of the molecular bonds in an item.  He wasn¡¯t sure how it would stand up to being attacked by cultivators, but he was reasonably sure that it should stand up well if they accidentally crashed or ran into something.

    Deciding not to distract Avi any further, he shifted back to his workshop to check on a few things.

    Once there, though, he wound up slumping into a chair.  He knew that he was putting off doing a few things, like spending more time with his family before heading out, but it didn¡¯t really matter.  When they thought of heading off to the coast, they imagined leaving their family behind for many months, or even years, at a time.  But for him, it really just meant exploring a bit before returning to his Realm where they all stayed.

    He thought his mother might have gotten over that mental hurdle before anyone else had.  She might have also been more used to being away from him than the rest, though.

    He sighed, then realized that he was very much in the habit of sighing and silently chided himself.

    Then, after consciously not shaking his head, he turned his focus back to his application.

    He¡¯d found a recent copy of the Academy¡¯s application form and had filled it out as best he could.  However, the section for his current cultivation had been left blank.  He was fairly certain that he didn¡¯t want to draw attention to his unique situation.  Instead, he¡¯d filled out the part that asked about Mental Strength, marking that he was in the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier already, and that he was applying as a ¡°crafting student¡±, as they called those who weren¡¯t there to study various cultivation techniques.

    He knew that his given age and his 5<sup>th</sup> Tier in Mental Strength would have him stand out like a neon light in the night, but the entrance exams would more than likely wind up revealing any lies that he put on paper.  He wondered if, even with the attention he¡¯d get, he¡¯d manage to have a relatively smooth stay at the Academy.

    Doesn¡¯t really matter, so long as I can learn everything I can before heading out to rescue everyone, he thought as he stored the application away in his storage ring.  He then turned to the neatly arranged piles of supplies he was expected to have with him when he started school.

    He went through each stack, making sure he hadn¡¯t forgotten anything, storing them away in his ring once they¡¯d been double checked.

    He¡¯d also given the Trio (now his favoured way of referring to the Three Lotuses) permission to go out and buy what they thought they¡¯d need from the small market that had been set up by the refugees, as well as the funds to do so.

    Which still threw him off, even if he was glad that the monetary system of the outside world still being used.  They¡¯d need to eventually settle back on Aneath lands and would require capital to get trade back up and running again.  They weren¡¯t that far from one of the major cities in Ashworth, their little province in the Orchid Country.  But they were still almost a thousand miles away.

    They were considered the ¡°boonies¡±, a backwater that wasn¡¯t of much interest to their country, let alone the province they resided in.  Heck, even the tax collectors barely showed up for the meager gains the trip got them.

    Anway, the refugees would need to rebuild.  They needed to buy building resources not readily available to them.  Well, not really construction materials so much as reagents need for arrays and such.  They¡¯d also need to buy seeds for more varied crops along with medicinal herbs and reagents for alchemy and artifact refining.

    Rebuilding after the complete destruction of any and all infrastructure was long, hard, and complicated work.  He realized that he or Avi would have to leave one of their minds behind to help with building plans and blueprints if they didn¡¯t want to hire architects and engineers to do it for them.

    Well, he really didn¡¯t want that.  There would need to be some secrecy to how some things were built, as well as their various forms of protection.

    Ah, back on track you wandering brain!  He thought as he tapped the side of his head with a knuckle.

    Thinking of the Trio again, he hoped that they wouldn¡¯t cause him any issues in the future.  Sure, those oaths were very powerful, but he knew human nature and its ability to reason its way out of, or around, just about anything.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    * * * * *

    Mo Yu looked at the clothing offered in the small shop.  It wasn¡¯t a large place, far from what she had been used to frequenting before coming to the Waeryn Continent.

    Yet, the quality of the wares was higher than she had expected.  Not only were the various fabrics high quality, so much so that she¡¯d expect to find their like in any major city back home, but the designs were also current and trendy, while also having a selection of more traditional garb.

    She made her way to the trendy section, her interest piqued.  Her usual style was to dress in traditional robes and dresses, which very much resembled each other in form, if not so much in function.

    These clothes were so different!  There was a selection of pants that were either loose and relaxing to wear, or ones that seemed like they would fit like a second skin.  There were also things called ¡°shorts¡±, ranging from knee length to scandalously short!  They wouldn¡¯t even cover as much as normal undergarments would!

    While her face cooled down after imagining herself showing them off to Joram, Mo Yu turned to examine undergarments.

    What she found both reassured her and caused her face to turn even redder than before.

    She found a section filled with undergarments that she was used to.  Traditional cloth wraps for her chest that had a wonderful range of colours available while the selection of fabrics was fantastic.  Anything from a cloth that was as soft as silk but had almost no give to it, all the way to something equally soft yet had such spring to it what she spent several minutes just playing with it.

    There were even wraps that came in sets with panties that matched.  She nodded at that, appreciating that whoever made them had certainly known the heart of a woman; likely a woman themselves.

    Her eyes then turned to the ¡°modern¡± section.  There, she found many ¡°bras¡± that were of similar design to the one she¡¯d been given in her cell.

    But the variety stunned her.  She looked back at the ¡°traditional¡± section and felt that she¡¯d been cheated all of her life.  Sure, the traditional stuff was¡­ practical and all that.  But the modern stuff just seemed to call to her.

    She went from rack to rack, comparing the designs and fabric.  She admired how they were made, for they seemed to truly take into account proper body mechanics.  Just looking at any of the straps told her that whoever had made them knew their stuff.  As the ¡°cup¡± size increased on the bra, so too did the width of the shoulder strap as well as the strap at the back.

    This allowed for better weight distribution, making things exponentially more comfortable for the wearer.

    So, when she got to another section that wasn¡¯t as clearly labelled, she became confused.

    Had these been designed by someone else?

    She picked one up and examined the thin shoulder straps.  The one on the back wasn¡¯t terrible, but the thin shoulder straps would be a pain to wear throughout the day.  Mo Yu then examined the cups and found that the fabric was almost sheer.  Then her gaze turned to the accompanying panties and her face went red again.

    When she realized what this section was meant for, she fled so fast that air turbulence she left in her wake nearly sent everything flying.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±  Bai Lian asked from where she was still examining different shirts.

    Mo Yu still wasn¡¯t quite comfortable around Bai Lian.  That she¡¯d so fully thrown herself into Joram¡¯s camp still didn¡¯t sit well with her.  Yes, she, Mo Yu, had sworn an oath to Joram that still made her blush to think about¡­.  It was hard to describe.

    The shame she¡¯d felt after the misunderstanding she¡¯d had about Joram¡¯s intentions had been cleared up had been profound.  She thoroughly regretted her loss of control and for thinking the worst of someone without having any of the facts.

    Sure, in that situation her reaction was all but expected; normal, even.  But that¡¯s not who she was or wanted to be.

    She loved debates and discussions because it allowed her to be deliberate, thoughtful.  She could plan things out, think about the topic of the debate and look at every angle she could conceive.  She wanted to be someone who didn¡¯t allow their emotions to control them, to control a person¡¯s reactions and how they treated others.

    That is why she found her reaction and actions towards Joram so¡­ repulsive and shameful.  She¡¯d let her baser side take control.

    ¡°Hello¡­¡±

    Mo Yu¡¯s attention snapped back to the present, leaving those thoughts for later.

    ¡°Ah, yes.  I was a bit shocked by some of the¡­ undergarments¡¯ designs,¡± she said, motioning vaguely to the offending section.

    Bai Lian blinked, then grinned.  ¡°Ah, you¡¯re a bit shy.  That¡¯s OK.  I¡¯ll go have a look too!¡± She said, grinning all the while.

    Mo Yu wasn¡¯t sure if she was as brazen as she acted, or if she was just trying to outdo her in some way.

    Either way, she waited as Bai Lian headed over to the undergarment section and began inspecting the selections available.

    At first, Bai Lian seemed disappointed as she went through the traditional section, shooting Mo Yu a look that clearly showed her confusion.  Mo Yu just waved her on, indicating that she continue.

    It was interesting watching Bai Lian as she went through the modern section.  She genuinely seemed to love the practical designs there, gushing over this set and that.  It was when she reached the¡­ impractical section that Mo Yu started to smile.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Bai Lian to turn red, steam practically rising from her head before she, too, beat a hasty retreat.

    Mo Yu waited as Bai Lian calmed down beside her before saying something.

    ¡°So, what do you think?¡±  She asked, genuinely curious.  She had thought of teasing the poor girl, but had ultimately decided that it would have been in bad taste to do so.

    ¡°What is wrong with the person who designed those?¡±  She asked, eyes wide as she took hold of Mo Yu¡¯s arm in both of hers.

    She just shook her head at that.  ¡°Let us find more practical attire,¡± she said, pulling Bail Liam along.

    * * * * *

    Ren Wentian had a much easier time of it.

    He¡¯d gone into the clothing store for men, spent about fifteen minutes looking through things, then was out again five minutes later with his purchases.  His tastes were simple, and the selections and arrangements of the clothing had made the experience straightforward and pain free.

    What had caught his attention after getting his clothing and footwear had been the smithy.

    He was more used to hand-to-hand combat, but wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with various weapons.

    The quality of the weapons on display had intrigued him.  They weren¡¯t anything that he couldn¡¯t find in his sect.  No, it was the fact that they were on par with what he¡¯d find in his sect, while being found in this small town.

    Wentian entered the shop, looking around.  He was a bit surprised to find that the shop also contained many mundane items like nails, brackets, hammers, hoes, and the like.  Something you¡¯d find in any smithy in a small town¡­ which really shouldn¡¯t have surprised him when the thought about it.

    He was inspecting a halberd, admiring the wide and shallow ax blade on one side when he felt a presence approach.

    He turned and saw a fox beastkin woman approach, her face smudged with soot or something similar.  His eyes widened as he took in her details.  From her darker reddish hair and fur to her amazing blue eyes to her stunning figure, she was possibly the most beautiful fox beastkin he¡¯d ever met.

    She stopped in front of him, glancing at the halberd before looking back up at him, then spoke.

    ¡°Hi, what do you need?¡±  She asked bluntly, her tone impatient.

    Wentian blinked at that.

    ¡°I was just, ah, looking around,¡± he stammered out.  ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving with Joram Aneath soon, so I was looking for anything that might be useful.¡±

    The woman looked him in the eye for a moment before sighing.

    ¡°When will that brat find time to meet with me,¡± she sighed again, then shook her fist at the ceiling.  ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting almost a year already!¡±  She shouted at said ceiling.

    Wentian stepped back, not quite sure what to think.  Well, one thought came to mind.  How is that kid so lucky with women!?

    * * * * *

    Bai Lian was now much happier than she¡¯d been since she¡¯d been revived.

    Not only was she and the others allowed to wander about freely, but they¡¯d even been given a budget to restock what they¡¯d lost!

    She and Mo Yu had just finished buying their clothing, having selected a wide variety of styles just in case they were needed in the future.

    She was still a bit flustered by some of the designs available for undergarments, but had managed to convince Mo Yu to buy a couple of the less scandalous pairs with her.  She was sure that they¡¯d look incredibly sexy in them, but wasn¡¯t sure how she¡¯d go about showing them off with Mo Yu.

    Bai Lian shot a glance at Mo Yu.  She would be a worthy rival¡­.

    Her brain nearly rebooted again as that thought fully registered.  She didn¡¯t know why she was thinking that way, especially after Joram had revealed his true age to them.  She wasn¡¯t into kids!!

    But then again, his physical body was that of a young man, someone around her age.  Then there was the fact that he didn¡¯t act like any child she¡¯d ever met before.  There was an intensity, a maturity to him that belied his claim to childhood.

    ¡°Are you OK?¡±  Mo Yu asked her, a concerned look on her face.

    How are you not freaking out with me?!

    ¡°Just coming to grips with our new situation in life,¡± she replied faintly.

    ¡°Ah, understandable,¡± Mo Yu said with a sympathetic look and a nod.  ¡°How about we get something from the food court?¡±

    Bai Lian understood what Mo Yu was doing and appreciated it.  Food could fix many things after all.

    So it was that they found themselves trying to decide which little restaurant in the food court they¡¯d try first.

    Bai Lian really wanted to try one place that offered these interesting sandwiches made with a long and narrow loaf of bread.  You could pick and choose what you wanted to go inside, from the vegetables to the meat to a variety of sauces.

    Mo Yu wanted to try another place that offered a variety of dishes that smelled quite spicy.  They had several large pots of something stew-like, but in colours ranging from a creamy orange to a deeper red that made the eyes water, but also made the mouth water.  From what they¡¯d observed, the thick stews were served on a bed of rice with the option of having a selection of stir-fried veggies on the side.

    They ultimately decided to divide and conquer.  She went for the sandwich that was a foot long while Mo Yu brought back a large bowl containing fried veggies with the creamy-orange stew on rice.  She even brought an extra spoon and fork for her.

    Bai Lian cut her sandwich in half and passed it over to Mo Yu who had sat down beside her.

    They looked at each other, then nodded.

    Bai Lian didn¡¯t know if Mo Yu enjoyed the sandwich as much as she did, but by the surprised expression on her face, she was well pleased by it.

    And why wouldn¡¯t they be?  The bread was light and fluffy on the inside while the crust had just the right amount of toughness to it.  The vegetables and meat she¡¯d chosen were both fresh and perfectly seasoned, while the sauce, something called ¡°bar-b-que-¡°, complimented everything just so with a perfect blend of sweetness, smoky, and a bit spicy.

    Once done, their attention turned to the stew dish with rice.

    They each took a spoon, nodded to the other, and took a scoop.

    The temperature had cooled a bit by the time they tried it, but that didn¡¯t seem to affect how their mouths reacted to the new experience.

    The stew was creamy, buttery, and mildly spicy with an array of other spices that flooded her mouth with happiness.  The meat practically melted in her mouth, the chunks of potato and other veggies she wasn¡¯t familiar with added to the symphony of flavours and textures.  It went perfectly with the long grain rice that seemed to soak up the flavour of the strew.

    In mere moments, the dish was consumed to the last grain of rice.

    Bai Lian looked at Mo Yu, who returned her gaze with a serious expression on her perfect face.

    ¡°I have no regrets swearing service to the young master,¡± Mo Yu said, a light shining in her eyes.

    ¡°Welcome home,¡± Bai Lain replied with a smile, causing Mo Yu to blink.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± she said, her eyes closing as her chin dipped down so that she could dab at her mouth with a napkin.  ¡°Let¡¯s get some of that dessert.¡±

    * * * * *

    Joram felt a chill run down his spine and looked over his shoulder.  Sure enough, his field of perception wasn¡¯t wrong; he was still alone in Avi¡¯s workshop.

    He shrugged, picked up the next item Avi had set aside for him to [Delve], and did just that.

    He was excited that she¡¯d thought of adding his Switch to the pile.  He kinda missed playing some of those games.  That said, he was sure that they could also build something a bit more¡­ robust.  There¡¯d been rumours for years before his departure claiming that a ¡°Pro¡± version was in the works and would be released.  Heck, if time flowed at the same rate on Earth as it did here, then they¡¯d likely have gone onto making systems that he couldn¡¯t even imagine.

    He made a mental note to have M3 or M4 work on a more robust handheld console.  Maybe something that worked with the omni-tools?  Yeah, that¡¯d be fun.  Or maybe something that linked to use the AR Glasses that Avi had made?

    ¡°Yooooo-sh!  Let¡¯s get things started!¡±  He yelled up at the ceiling, getting fired up.

    * * * * *

    Avi smiled as she heard Joram¡¯s excited roar.  He¡¯d been much too gloomy this past year, so his enthusiasm gladdened her heart.

    Avi leaned back as she slid the panel back in place, then tapped it on the corners to engage the clips.  It was as good as it was going to get before Joram needed to leave.

    Well, not that she wouldn¡¯t get a chance to work on it after he arrived at the Academy.  When not in use, Joram would be storing it away here in the Realm, giving her ample opportunities to continue her work on its upgrades.

    She stood up from the decking, then sat in the pilot¡¯s chair and leaned back.

    ¡°Tomorrow, huh?¡±  She murmured, looking out the windshield to where Joram was [Delve]¡¯ing for all he was worth.

    She smiled again, this time mischievously, as she retrieved a stack of papers from her storage ring and reviewed what was written there.

 Chapter 053

    *1346.01.27*

    He sat across a small caf¨¦-like table, under what was probably his favourite blossoming cherry-like tree, from two people he already thought of as his parents-in-law. He could clearly see where Tillia had gotten her looks from.

    Annalee Salorys might have been a distant cousin to his mother, but she still bore a strong semblance to the main Aneath line. She was relatively tall, standing just a hair shorter than he did. She had also aged very gracefully, though she looked to be only about thirty years old or so. He knew that she and Thuridan, her husband, hadn¡¯t really started cultivating in earnest until after Tilla had taken her role as his nanny. That said, if Tillia aged as gracefully as her mother, keeping a fabulous figure after having born six children, then he¡¯d consider himself either ridiculously blessed, or improbably lucky.

    Thuridan Salorys also bore a strong semblance to the Aneath line, an even more distant cousin to his mother. He would stand a couple of inches taller than Joram if they stood. Though, he was more slender than Joram, even now.

    They both had purple streaking their otherwise black hair, while their eyes were respectively a blue-green hazel and a green-gold hazel. He noticed that they were also two of the most fashionable people in the small village that had been thrown together in the past year.

    Annalee had opened up two separate clothing stores that were surprisingly successful, while Thuridan¡¯s woodworking skills had availed him well in the construction efforts and the need for furniture. As much as Joram and his minds had helped, he hadn¡¯t really done much beyond building the two castles. Furniture was still needed, as well as smaller buildings for various shops and such that provided the refugees with a sense of stability and normalcy.

    Aaaaand he was distracting himself from the very serious conversation going on.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve been a coward,¡± Joram said, bowing his head low to the couple.

    They exchanged a look, one he wasn¡¯t willing to read into before Annalee spoke.

    ¡°It was indeed¡­ disappointing that you haven¡¯t sought us out yet,¡± she began carefully. ¡°But we do understand that you¡¯ve been beyond busy helping us all, let alone working on your cultivation.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help but blink in surprise as he looked down at the table. Slowly, he raised his head, peeking up at the serious couple as they held each others¡¯ hand. He opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped by Thuridan¡¯s raised hand.

    ¡°We understand,¡± he said, a serious expression forming on his face. ¡°We understand all that. But we also hope that you won¡¯t do anything foolish. We¡¯ve heard enough people talking about how they planned to seek revenge on those who attacked us. Even if they cultivated for a century, I¡¯m sure that it still wouldn¡¯t be enough.

    ¡°We know that our daughter wasn¡¯t amongst the dead that Avi found and brought here,¡± he said, having difficulty when speaking of the dead. ¡°We also heard that those people took many children with them when they left, so there is a hope that Tillia is still among the living.

    ¡°While her fate is unknown to us, we still pray for her safety. Hers, and yours. We know how much you mean to her and even how much you care for her,¡± he said, causing a lump to form in Joram¡¯s throat and a slight blush to colour his cheeks. ¡°But we don¡¯t want you to think that you need to go off and rescue her. She wouldn¡¯t want you to rush off and get yourself killed trying to save her.

    ¡°We think that she would approve of your seeking strength first. You need to get stronger to first rescue her, then to protect her,¡± Thuridan said, surprising Joram greatly.

    He looked over to Annalee and saw the same conviction in her bright eyes that he saw in Thuridan¡¯s. He took a deep breath, then another as his chest felt as though tight bands were constricting it.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± he gave his heartfelt thanks. ¡°I know that I¡¯m still lacking, but I will bring her home.¡±

    Now it was their turn to take deep breaths, their eyes going misty.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Annalee said, her free hand coming up to rest over her heart. ¡°Tillia always spoke so highly of you. Of how talented you were, of how you were able to pick up just about anything and quickly advance in it until you shocked those around you. Even though we¡¯re now both in the second Tier, we can¡¯t even sense what your cultivation is. We know that you¡¯ll soon be strong enough to fulfill your promise. So, please, learn what you need to so that you can save our daughter.¡±

    Joram¡¯s throat closed up, not allowing him to speak, allowing Thuridan to do so instead.

    ¡°If it isn¡¯t rude to ask, what is your current cultivation?¡± He asked, likely trying to build a time estimate based on what Joram would share.

    ¡°Ah,¡± he said, voice cracking slightly. ¡°I just stepped into the fifth Tier.¡±

    Both parents just stared at him, jaws going a bit slack. It took them a minute to process that, Annalee looking a bit wistful with a small smile on her face, Thuridan looking hopeful.

    ¡°Tillia always sang your praises,¡± Annalee said, that small smile never leaving her face.

    Thuridan folded his arms across his chest and nodded a couple of times.

    ¡°When the Matriarch told us why Tillia had to go into seclusion, we finally understood why she¡¯d recently been so¡­ distracted when speaking about you,¡± he finished, obviously searching for the right word at the end, but not seeming happy with it.

    ¡°Oh, just be honest, dear. She was downright twitterpated at times,¡± she said with a glowing, and mischievous, smile. ¡°She¡¯d shared with us that she¡¯d have odd¡­ visions of people. Sometimes the person she saw was only a bit older than they were currently, while others were much older. And I¡¯m fairly certain that she saw you when you were¡­ more mature,¡± she finished, taking in his ridiculous growth and height for his age.

    Joram blushed at that. He knew that he now looked to be sixteen or seventeen years old, even though he had only turned 8 last month. Which, really, still made him look much younger than he felt. Sure, his body was ¡°young¡±, but did that matter much when it had matured, and his mental age was much higher? Ah, philosophy.

    He then realized that he was looking at the table again, likely due to his embarrassment. Yes, his mental age was older, but he¡¯d never been good with compliments. Take that and add in his annoying teenage hormones, and it was enough to make him want to flee.

    ¡°So,¡± Thuridan said, clearing his throat before he continued. ¡°What we¡¯re trying to say is: please take care of our daughter.¡±

    Then he and Annalee stood up and bowed to him from the waist, causing more blood to rush up into his cheeks in embarrassment. Not only were they his seniors, but they were also Tillia¡¯s parents. Parents who obviously not only approved of him, but also planned to leave their daughter in his ¡°care¡±.

    Translating what they said and applying the cultural aspects of what they¡¯d just said¡­. Was Tillia now his ¡°second¡± wife?

    * * * * *

    Avi was, once again laughing so hard that she had tears streaming down her face as she was doubled over.

    What Joram had just shared with her was too good. Not only was he still engaged with Xixi, but the way Mo Yu had worded her oath to him had made it sound like she¡¯d made a wedding vow. Now, Tillia¡¯s parents had expressly left her future care to Joram, effectively marrying her off to him.

    Sure, there hadn¡¯t been any ceremonies yet, but she could see them coming in the future. The only question was if Joram would accept polygamy or not. Since it was more or less taboo back on Earth, she wasn¡¯t sure if he would. But considering the practice was the norm here, she wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d capitulate.

    Or would ¡°assimilate¡± be a better word for accepting the world¡¯s norms? She wondered as she sat up again, looking at a very uncomfortable-looking Joram.

    ¡°That¡¯s not funny,¡± he pouted at her.

    ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s a good thing that your vitality has increased greatly,¡± she said with a wink, causing his entire face to turn scarlet, some colour even spreading down his neck.

    ¡°So,¡± he said, changing the subject. ¡°I¡¯m ready to go now,¡± he said, then began striding over to the completed runabout.

    Avi nodded, then called out to him. ¡°One quick farewell party, and you¡¯re off.¡±

    That made him pause, then turn to look at her.

    ¡°If the Soyokaze,¡± he said, motioning to the runabout, obviously naming it just then, ¡°is as fast as you say, then I¡¯ll be back tonight. No need for a party or anything.¡±

    Avi sighed, knowing that he¡¯d say something like that. ¡°Then we¡¯ll just have to change it to an acceptance party for when you pass all the entrance exams,¡± she said with a smirk.

    Joram really looked like he wanted to argue with that, but also seemed to know that he¡¯d lose said argument.

    ¡°Let the Trio know that I¡¯m leaving in half an hour,¡± he said, turning back around.

    Avi watched him disappear into the Soyokaze then appear in the cockpit, looking around at everything before opening the instruction manual.

    She smiled as she recalled an Earth stereotype that men never read the instruction manual. Well, Joram was indeed a unique individual.

    Avi: Hey, Asura? Could you gather the Trio and bring them here? Joram¡¯s ready to head out in the next half hour.

    Asura: Yeah, no worries. They¡¯re all done with their shopping and are just chilling in the food court.

    Avi nodded at that. The foods that Joram had introduced to the Clan and Brightside had very quickly been integrated into their culinary repertoire. Heck, many of the foods were so quick and easy to make that they¡¯d easily been accepted as valid ¡°fast food¡± here, the stuff that streetside restaurants and food carts sold to passersby.

    Avi brought up another display on her desk, checking on the status of the cloning tanks.

    Kinkade had come to her asking about a body that his psicrystal could use, which had got her thinking that maybe Asura would also like one. A short conversation after that saw two new bodies being grown in the tanks. They were human though, as she didn¡¯t want to risk losing a High Elan body anywhere. That said, they still looked exactly like Kinkade¡¯s and Asura¡¯s holographic bodies.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    She supposed those bodies wouldn¡¯t be considered ¡°mundane¡±, as she¡¯d still given them a resilience equivalent to a Tier 1 body cultivator.

    Well, if anyone wanted to cause trouble for them, they still had their psionics to fall back on. Which, really, was still quite the ace up the sleeve. Especially since anyone as powerful as them were taken very seriously because someone at their level of Mental Strength was usually a very well-respected crafter of one kind or another.

    Also, those who cultivated mana generally sucked at resisting the effects of psionics/Mental Strength. So, there was that.

    Soon enough, Asura walked into the hangar-like workshop with the Trio following closely behind.

    Avi noticed that each of them had ditched their ¡°prison¡± attire and were now sporting new duds.

    Bai Lian was wearing what looked like a cross between a karate gi and a kimono. It was quite the look that allowed for full freedom of movement while also accentuating her now athletic build. She supposed that not giving the young woman anything to read while chilling in prison had pushed her to find other ways to pass the months of solitude.

    Ren Wentian, though, was dressed very similarly to what he¡¯d been in when he¡¯d died: a more-or-less traditional kung-fu like shirt, pants, and slippers combo.

    While Bai Lian had gone for a somewhat practical, while fashionable, look, Mo Yu had just gone all-out fashionable. With her long midnight black hair held up with a jade hair comb, her slender neck was left in full view by the wide neck of her kimono/robe. While a traditional kimono had wider sleeves and needed to be tied at the waist, and thus kind of hung down to hide the rest of the person, this was much more fitted. The neck of the outfit was wide, leaving much of her clavicles exposed, though it only had a shallow dip, covering most of her chest. The sleeves were much better fitted, almost like a long-sleeved shirt, though it loosened a bit after the elbow.

    The torso was rather well fitted, forming well to her. As the fabric left her waist, it continued to fit her form and only widened again after the hips, splitting at the thighs, leaving a front and back ¡°flap¡± that went down to her ankles. Avi spotted what looked like this world¡¯s equivalent to short bicycle shorts underneath, giving her an odd sense of relief at the thought of an errant gust of wind not being able to lay everything bare for the young woman.

    As flattering as the outfit was on Mo Yu, Avi was glad that she wasn¡¯t some sort of exhibitionist. She was fairly sure that that sort of outfit would get lots of looks, even with the added skin-tight shorts. Heck, probably because of the skin-tight shorts.

    She watched as the Trio bowed to her before lining up by the Soyokaze at Asura¡¯s direction. So, she got up and joined them, not wanting to miss anything interesting.

    Avi couldn¡¯t help but smirk at their intensely interested gazes as they beheld the shuttle. She could feel their curiosity through the Network practically bubbling over before Joram stepped out and began speaking to them.

    ¡°Good to see you all,¡± he said, looking them each in the eye. ¡°I hear that you¡¯ve all gathered what you need for the journey, so let¡¯s get going,¡± he said, then motioned for them to enter the Soyokaze.

    Avi, along with the Trio, was a bit disappointed with the lack of a speech, or even an explanation. Or, really, anything else.

    ¡°Is this your, ah, flying artifact?¡± Ren Wentian asked, not quite sure how to describe what he was looking at.

    ¡°Yeah, I named it the Soyokaze. It¡¯ll get us to the Grand Waeryn Academy,¡± he said, again motioning for everyone to get in.

    The Trio exchanged a look before Bai Lian took the lead and stepped inside, followed by Mo Yu then Wentian. Avi stepped in after Joram and closed the door/hatch.

    Which made Joram give her an odd look.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help them settle since you said that you wanted to get going right away,¡± Avi said, then went about showing the Trio where they could sit, how to buckle into the seats that could be unfolded from the walls, then showed them the bunks.

    To say that everyone was impressed would have been an understatement. They varied between gawking and shock at the various amenities and facilities until she finally had them take their seats for takeoff.

    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll help you shift the Soyokaze back to the prime, then I¡¯ll be off,¡± she told Joram with a smile.

    Again, he just gave her an odd look before nodding and turning back to the controls.

    Instead of just [Planeshift]ing everyone out of the Realm then retrieving the Soyokaze afterwards meant that Avi now needed to [Planeshift] everyone out at the same time, along with the Soyokaze. A bit of a pain in the ass, but not beyond her.

    After a handful of seconds of concentration, they all found themselves looking out at the valley where Joram¡¯s clan once stood.

    She saw Joram nod to himself before activating the propulsion systems, causing a slight shudder to go through the ship.

    Avi heard the Trio quietly murmur to each other as she slipped into the co-pilot¡¯s chair beside Joram. She ignored the Trio as they crowded in behind them to stare out of the fore viewport, the windshield.

    Joram just used the controls to gain altitude before slowly maneuvering the Soyokaze to face east while Avi busied herself playing with the limited sensors she¡¯d managed to create and install. They seemed to be functioning well given that she was able to see the various data collected scrolling down the displays.

    She took notes as the Soyokaze gained velocity, making sure that her omni-tool was connected to the main computer. Some of the readings from the sensors were a bit¡­ janky, to say the least. But at least most of what came through was clear enough to know what was going on around them, and especially in front of them.

    * * * * *

    He was currently working on his poker face. Joram really didn¡¯t want to lose face, as it were, should the Trio manage to see that he was having a nerdgasm.

    Having not only the opportunity, but the ability, to pilot a runabout was the dream of uncounted masses back on Earth. How many people had pictured themselves piloting a ship like this? Or even just riding on one?

    He was going to have to make sure that Avi came through with constructing the various ships she¡¯d claimed to have ready for this little trip. Being able to pilot the Falcon or a Defiant-class ship was another dream of his, and more millions of fans on Earth.

    Yes, she¡¯d really need to increase the number of production facilities she had up and going, but he very much suspected, practically knew, that she was doing that anyway. Especially since she¡¯d let slip the comment about an orbital station and all.

    As he flew them east, Joram wondered if there were other planets in their star system, particularly if there were any asteroid belts available. Because, if there were, it would make gathering resources for Avi¡¯s projects that much easier for them.

    He was still bringing up their velocity, Mach 42 at the moment, when something caught his eye.

    Out at about eleven o¡¯clock was a series of dots on the horizon that quickly grew in size. At first, he through that they were a flock of beasts or something, but soon realized that they were definitely not.

    What he beheld was another popular trope when someone found themselves on another world, be it in a sci-fi setting or a magical one. Those were flying mountains.

    Yes, mountains. Each mass of stone was covered in flora, giving them varying colour until the snow-line where each turned white. It was quite the sight, as those mountains weren¡¯t just hovering a bit above the ground, but were instead dozens of kilometres above the planet.

    Nor were there just a few.

    ¡°Avi, can you get a reading on how many of them are there?¡± He asked, not needing to specify what he meant as everyone was currently taking in the amazing sight.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get it tagged for future study,¡± she said, typing away on her holographic keyboard, her eyes also taking in the sight.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t seen something like this before?¡± Bai Lian asked curiously from behind him.

    He shook his head as he answered. ¡°No, haven¡¯t had an opportunity to really travel,¡± he said dryly.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Bai Lian said, sounding embarrassed at her oversight. ¡°Well, it is said that before the Great Cataclysm these flying mountain chains didn¡¯t exist. Most agree that they formed from one of the moons that fell to Dovaynia during that time. If I recall correctly, that particular moon¡¯s affinity was for the Law of Gravity,¡± she said, managing to sound like a professor giving a lecture. Which also managed to bring a grin to his face.

    ¡°I¡¯ve read that there used to be dozens of moons orbiting Dovaynia,¡± he said, maneuvering them around the outer edge of the chain, not wanting to test Avi¡¯s atmospheric shields quite yet. ¡°But I haven¡¯t gotten to read up much on history,¡± he explained.

    Had the Library contained all that information? Yup. He just hadn¡¯t gotten around to reading through the thousands of history books as he¡¯d mainly focused on the various crafting books that contained techniques, instructions, and recipes along with the various ones on magic. A handful of years- even with how fast he could churn through books- was still nowhere near enough time to have read through everything that the Library had contained, never mind what was in the Heavenly Archive.

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± he heard Wentian say. ¡°There are many classes that take years to go through the various topics in history.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s just so much to learn,¡± Bai Lian seemed to agree with Wentian¡¯s statement. ¡°Ah, to be able to take your time going through it all would be fantastic,¡± she said wistfully, catching Joram¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Asura mentioned that you were a bit of a bookworm,¡± he said, keeping an eye on a few flying beasts he spotted further into the chain. They must have been massive given how small they looked even from a few dozen kilometres away.

    There was a slight pause before Bai Lian answered, sounding a bit embarrassed. ¡°Yes, well, I really enjoyed learning about history¡­¡± she said, then paused slightly before continuing. ¡°¡­ and reading in general. I enjoy poetry as well as a good adventure story, especially ones based on true stories.¡±

    Joram could very much understand that; being considered a bibliophile himself. As much as he didn¡¯t want to get too close to the Trio, to keep them at an emotional distance for what they¡¯d participated in, he found that he was liking Bai Lian more and more as he learned more about her.

    Which got him wondering about the other two as they began to leave the mountain chain behind, still picking up speed. Was Wentian just your average body cultivator who loved to eat? Was Mo Yu a ¡°cool beauty¡±, or a tsundere? Which, if true, would raise many questions in his mind about her¡­ or his ego.

    The point was that he, intellectually, knew that everyone was their own person. A collection of the experiences they¡¯d gone through that shaped them. Each person had their own wants and desires; experiencing emotions as just about everyone else did. What were their goals and dreams? Did Bai Lian cultivate just for the extended lifespan just so that she could read more books? Did Wentian cultivate body refinement because of an experience in his past? Was Mo Yu¡¯s true personality hiding behind her pretty face?

    Sure, he could just rifle through their memories and find out. They were originally his enemies after all. But would he have actually done so? He knew that Avi could also rummage through peoples¡¯ memories given that she could use any Power that he could, but from what she¡¯d shared, she hadn¡¯t.

    Which begged the question: why?

    Joram sighed as he levelled them out at Mach 65, which should get them to the Academy in a few hours. He was sure to monitor the integrity of their atmospheric shields as well as how well the inertial dampeners were holding up.

    Heh, that¡¯d be embarrassing. The inertial dampeners failing would result in some chunky salsa, he thought with a wry grin. It was a good thing that he was still in the habit of creating an [Astral Seed] every day, even with how the power seemed to function here.

    He wondered if he¡¯d ever get the Soyokaze into the range of impulse speed. Sure, it¡¯d only be a tiny fraction of that speed if he was in atmosphere. But if he had the time, he¡¯d love to take it off planet and have some fun.

    Getting back to the conversation, Joram reviewed what had been said and smiled. Of the Trio, Bai Lian was definitely the bookworm while Mo Yu came in second. Surprisingly, Wentian wasn¡¯t far behind Mo Yu, though he tended to focus on cookbooks and various encyclopedias on flora and fauna from around the world.

    Joram continued to smile as he realized that Wentian likely read those encyclopedias for culinary research. Which, to be fair, was completely valid.

    Mo Yu also liked all the same reading materials that the other two liked, making her somewhat of an all-rounder when it came to her interests. But what really amused him was when Bai Lian managed to pull out of her that she also liked the occasional romance story. That was also when he noticed Avi paying a bit more attention, which also amused him greatly.

    ¡°But really,¡± Mo Yu was saying, trying to defend herself as Wentian teased her a bit. ¡°There are many stories centred on the developing relationship between two people that do not focus on the carnal side of relations; the pureness of the interactions, how they get to know one another even as misunderstandings occur and are surmounted and clarified, then understood, are the true romance stories. All others that focus on the carnal side of things are just smut,¡± she finished, crossing her arms in front of herself defensively.

    Joram noticed the corner of Avi¡¯s eye twitch slightly, reminding him of what he¡¯d seen in her Mindspace. What also interested him was Bai Lian¡¯s almost imperceptible nod to what Mo Yu had said. Wentian just shrugged, obviously not interested in those genres.

    ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re a romantic then,¡± Avi said casually/not-so-casually, managing to pierce Mo Yu through the heart.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that,¡± she muttered, turning away from Avi as she blushed slightly.

    Joram was then shown that Wentian did indeed have a measure of tact when he changed the subject.

    ¡°So, any idea what classes you¡¯ll take, Joram?¡±

    ¡°Something focussed on Mental Strength, probably,¡± he replied with a shrug, noticing that the normal mountain chain that they¡¯d started in was coming to an end, which meant that they were getting to about the halfway point. ¡°My cultivation is a bit¡­ odd, so I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll really be able to help me much with it.¡±

    ¡°I did notice that your cultivation is¡­ a bit unusual,¡± Bai Lian said with a mix of confusion and concern, which surprised him a bit.

    ¡°Yeah, I can barely feel any Qi from you at all even though you say you¡¯re at the Heaven Realm already,¡± Wentian piped in bluntly.

    He noticed Mo Yu nodding to that.

    ¡°What you feel is probably from the body refining technique I use,¡± he said with another shrug. ¡°Doesn¡¯t really matter though, as I¡¯ll mostly be focussed on crafting while there.¡±

    Which got their attention.

    ¡°If I may ask, which crafting trade do you practice?¡± Mo Yu asked, intensely curious.

    ¡°Ah, I dabble with arrays, artifact refining, smithing, and alchemy,¡± he said, not really caring if they knew. Namely because they¡¯d find out anyways.

    Which, somewhat predictably, surprised and or shocked the Trio.

 Chapter 054

    Chapter 054

    The Trio practically exploded after hearing that, all three speaking at the same time.

    ¡°Are you just trying different trades to see what you¡¯ll like?¡± Bai Lian asked, her tone concerned.

    ¡°No one gets anywhere dividing their focus too much. You should just choose one and go with it,¡± Wentian piped in, his tone making him sound like an authority on the subject.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to experience all trades as they all have some minor overlap, but being focussed on one is indeed best,¡± Mo Yu said kindly.

    Joram noticed Avi¡¯s amused smile as she continued to work the sensor suite.

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he said casually. ¡°I¡¯m already decent with alchemy, enchanting, and smithing. I really only need to work on arrays, as they¡¯re kind of weird.¡±

    That got the Trio exchanging looks with each other. Heck, their questions, concerns, doubts, and curiosity were so strong that he clearly felt it across the Network, never mind seeing it on their faces through his perception.

    What really caught his attention was what he was feeling from Mo Yu over the Network. She was definitely curious and a bit doubtful, but a thread of¡­ certainty, determination was growing in her. He didn¡¯t know what that was about, but was soon enlightened as she spoke.

    ¡°Joram? Are you a Reincarnator?¡± She asked softly, but with quiet determination, as though speaking the works might bring punishment down on her head for asking.

    Joram almost froze, but managed to keep his hands moving over the controls. Avi, though, suddenly gave off waves of murderous intent through the Network. It was so strong that he suspected Mo Yu¡¯s now pale face was due to that.

    ¡°Ah, well, that¡¯s a thing,¡± he said, at the same time as he told Avi to cool it through the Network. ¡°Are Reincarnators very common over on Zhizun Zhanshi?¡±

    Mo Yu¡¯s expression became a bit doubtful, a bit confused, but the curiosity was still there.

    ¡°No, they¡¯re very rare,¡± she said. ¡°But the phenomenon is well-documented. For some reason, when a soul is reincarnated, they sometimes retain memories from their past life. Some retain more than others. While sometimes a very powerful cultivator from the past is reincarnated while retaining everything but their cultivation from their previous life.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty much what I¡¯ve read on the subject,¡± Joram said with a nod, adjusting their heading slightly as he did.

    Mo Yu, Bai Lian, and Wentian watched him carefully, trying to spot any clues.

    ¡°Well,¡± Mo Yu started again, clearing her throat slightly. ¡°Most Reincarnators are revealed because of how they act. From birth, they usually have a very strong personality. They¡¯re usually too mature for their age, learning things much faster than their peers. Their cultivation speed is also usually much faster than those around them, while they also show extraordinary talent in other things. Are able to do what hasn¡¯t been seen in a very long time. Sometimes using techniques long thought lost to the world¡­¡±

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Joram said with another nod, causing an exasperated expression to blossom on Mo Yu¡¯s face.

    ¡°So, are you a Reincarnator or not?¡± She finally asked, releasing her breath all at once.

    ¡°What does it matter?¡± He asked, genuinely curious, causing her to look flabbergasted. ¡°You know that I come from a clan that has been collecting knowledge from all across the world for millennia. What¡¯s to say that I didn¡¯t just study ancient tomes this whole time?¡±

    Mo Yu closed her mouth, still looking like she was seeing the most confusing, puzzling, and frustrating thing in the world when she looked at him.

    It was Wentian who came to her aid, motioning to everything around them as he did.

    ¡°One: by your own admission, you¡¯re eight. Two: everything,¡± he said bluntly, which made Joram laugh out loud.

    ¡°I was wondering when you guys would finally get the nerve to ask,¡± he said once his laughter had subsided. ¡°I don¡¯t really care if you guys know or not, but you can¡¯t go sharing that information, or anything else, with anyone else.¡±

    They nodded at that, probably knowing that it would cause problems for not only him, but for themselves as well.

    ¡°That said, I¡¯m still debating what I¡¯ll share with the Academy. I¡¯m leaning a bit more towards fudging my age on the application, though. As for how my Mental Strength, I¡¯m pretty sure I won¡¯t be able to hide that from them given that they¡¯ll need to test me and all,¡± he said musingly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll keep it to ourselves!¡± Bai Lian declared, giving a Look to the other two, who just nodded at that.

    ¡°Good,¡± he said with another nod. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if you¡¯re disappointed that none of you will be able to attend classes, but I¡¯ll make an effort to bring any study materials you might need for your cultivation.¡±

    That got a round of sincere thanks from the Trio, who then started discussing their various wants and needs for their future growth. Which also happened to include various cultivation resources that they¡¯d need. Which also raised a few questions of their own.

    ¡°So, which Laws are you familiar with?¡± Bai Lian asked him as they finished talking about themselves.

    ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± he hedged, not quite sure how to explain. ¡°I really haven¡¯t had the time to delve into the various Elemental Laws yet,¡± he said, a bit embarrassed.

    By the time someone reached the 2<sup>nd</sup> Tier, they were generally expected to have started cultivating/studying one Elemental Law or another. At that level, there were really only the Basic Laws they¡¯d be able to cultivate, like air, earth, fire, or water. There were a few others, like acid, poison, and rock, amongst others, but they tended to be a bit harder to grasp.

    Well, the various Laws were actually tied to each Tier of Mana. Once you could sense Tier 2 Mana, or Earth Qi, you¡¯d then have a chance of sensing and thus studying higher, or Advanced Laws like ice, lightning, metal, and wood. Those were usually found through a combination of ones¡¯ understanding of Basic Laws.

    For example, if you were proficient with the Laws of earth and stone, you could start on the path of cultivating the Law of Metal. An understanding of Air and Fire could lead to an understanding of Lightning. Or, if you¡¯re understanding of Air was profound enough, you could directly transition to Lightning.

    The ability to sense and understand the various Laws was a topic of much debate over the millennia. Some claimed that you would need to understand a lower Law before you could understand a higher Law. Others claimed that your innate affinity for a Law was what mattered, and things would develop from there. Still others claimed that just learning about a higher Law would allow for a person to cultivate that Law should their understanding of it reach a certain threshold.

    That some people had affinities for various Laws was indeed true. In fact, most people had an affinity for one Law or another. It was rarer to find someone with an affinity for two Laws, and rarer still for a person to have an affinity for even more than that.

    That said, he¡¯d never really thought about what affinity, or affinities, he might have. He¡¯d always been drawn to metal, stone, and woodworking hobbies back on Earth, but wasn¡¯t sure if that really had anything to do with elemental affinities here.

    Well, the reaction he got from the Trio was another sight to behold. Their blank looks turned into astonishment and disbelief before their mouths opens and words flowed forth like a tsunami.

    ¡°How is that possible?¡±

    ¡°You surely have a strong affinity for the Law of Life!¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re not proficient in the Law of Mind, I¡¯ll eat my hat.¡±

    So on, and so forth.

    It took a good ten minutes for them to calm down enough for him to get in a word edgewise.

    ¡°So!¡± He said to get their attention. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll have plenty of time to study up any Laws that seem interesting. And if any of them coincide to a Law any of your is studying, I won¡¯t hesitate to come to you for advice,¡± he said, projecting confidence all the while.

    Bai Lian nodded, happy that she could be of assistance. Wentian¡¯s body language took on a stubborn edge to it, wile Mo Yu just shrugged, playing it cool.

    ¡°So, since Bai Lian has studied Earth and Water, you can help me with those,¡± he said, making the young woman smile. ¡°Wentian can help me with Fire and Stone, while Mo Yu can help me with Air. I¡¯ll likely get manuals on any of the other Basic Laws I can get, though, as they¡¯re all kind of interesting.¡±

    The Trio exchanged looks before Wentian spoke up.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t recommend that,¡± he said, rolling his shoulders. ¡°Each Law takes a long time to understand and then more time to sense. Adding to that is that it gets harder to study ¡®opposing¡¯ Laws like Earth and Air, or Fire and Water. Dividing your attention, never mind studying opposing Laws, will just cripple your growth.¡±

    Joram nodded along with that as he changed their heading to avoid a flock of what looked like giant parakeets.

    ¡°We¡¯ll just play it by ear then,¡± he said, much to Wentian¡¯s visible frustration. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ve read that you can buy specifically attuned Mana Crystals that contain a Law that¡¯ll help a person understand that Law better.¡±

    They nodded and this time it was Mo Yu who spoke.

    ¡°Yes, Law Crystals are available¡­ if you have enough capital to purchase them. They¡¯re famously expensive to acquire and almost exclusively appear at auction.¡±

    ¡°Yes, even Basic Law Crystals well for tens of high-grade Qi Crystals,¡± Bai Lian agreed. ¡°I¡¯ve also heard of High Law Crystals selling for many Heaven Cards before.¡±

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    ¡°Do any Peak Law Crystals ever show up in auction?¡± He asked, not quite sure that he wanted to hear the answer.

    ¡°I¡¯ve only ever heard of people making personal trades for those before,¡± Mo Yu said, shaking her head.

    He sighed. Of the Peak Laws he was interested in¡­. What was he saying. He was interested in them all. He just wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d ever get to the point where he would be able to come across those elemental phenomena any time soon. Soon being defined as: sometime in the next century or six.

    Joram¡¯s attention was drawn away from the conversation as he noticed more and more villages, towns, and cities as they flew over.

    ¡°Avi, could you check the navigation computer to see if we¡¯re still on course,¡± he asked. He had been basically just flying in the rough direction of the Academy this whole time and didn¡¯t want to have to backtrack at all should he miss the mark.

    Avi nodded as she typed away, comparing what the sensors were picking up and the placement of various settlements recorded on the maps she¡¯d imputed into the database. She replied a few minutes later.

    ¡°Adjust 1.693 degrees north,¡± she said, then went back to doing her thing.

    Joram did just that, then got back to his conversation with the Trio.

    ¡°So, if I manage to get my hands on some higher ranked Law Crystals, I¡¯d be able to make a fortune?¡±

    Again, the Trio exchanged looks before one of them spoke up.

    ¡°If you¡¯re short on funds, sure?¡± Wentian said with another shrug. ¡°But if it was me, I¡¯d keep any that I could personally use and trade the others for favours with anyone I know.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why only Basic and Advanced Law Crystals really show up in auction houses,¡± Mo Yu said, taking up the thought. ¡°Once you get to High Law Crystals, they¡¯re rare enough that you would just want to trade what you have with someone who has what you need.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± he said. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just have to keep an eye out for anything interesting.¡±

    With that said, the conversation slowly died off and the Trio took to appreciating the scenery as it practically blurred past them. It was much easier to see something the further away it was from them, even at their cruising altitude.

    With nothing directly ahead of them, he turned to the holographic emitter array that would be used to disguise the runabout. Maybe one day the design of the runabout wouldn¡¯t cause a commotion. But for now, he looked through the very small list of available disguises. Which boiled down to two; he didn¡¯t count invisibility as a ¡°disguise¡±.

    One was a gigantic scintillating lotus, large enough for ten people to stand on comfortably. He was pretty sure that Avi had thrown that in there because of the Trio. The second, much more mundane one, looked like a carriage. A carriage that was as long as a tour bus and almost twice as wide. Which roughly matched how large the runabout was.

    With his choice made, he waited until they were between settlements with no one around before engaging the holographic array. There wasn¡¯t much to say about the effect on the inside, from their point of view. The only thing they saw from the inside was a very faint outline of the image.

    The flight continued smoothly, the ground blurring by, until he started noticing an increase in air traffic below them. Which, really, was still out of the way. But as the minutes passed by, the number of airborne beings increased, as did their altitude the faster they flew. It got to the point where he had to not only decrease their velocity, but also increase their altitude a bit.

    After a few more minutes, he spotted the ocean on the vast horizon. It first appeared as a mirage where land met sky, then quickly turned into a dazzling strip of blue. He then adjusted their heading slightly towards the, quite frankly, titanic peninsula jutting out into the ocean.

    What really made the landmass especially eye-catching was that almost all of it was covered in civilization. Sure, there new hundreds of places that looked like parks set aside for leisure, play, nature, or personal use, but for the most part the peninsula was covered in various buildings ranging from houses to apartments to estates, businesses, and what he supposed were government buildings of one sort or another.

    He was impressed with how orderly it all was. The streets, from north to south, east to west, were formed into a precise grid, only interrupted by larger lots that contained the aforementioned parks as well as larger estates and buildings.

    Joram slowed their flight further as air traffic increased as well as to better study the Mega-City the size of most countries on Earth¡­ probably larger than most, actually given the readings from the sensors.

    The peninsula the city was on was roughly eight-thousand kilometres long and five thousand wide, the long side jutting out into the ocean. If Dovaynia hadn¡¯t been as large as it was, the peninsula would have just been the pointy end of a continent back on Earth. As it was, the coastline extending north and south of it was relatively smooth. Yes, it had its bays and such as the coastline went on like a wobbly line, but nothing protruding even a fraction as far into the ocean as this peninsula did.

    Which, really, made it quite easy to find the place.

    Looking at the city, the layout seemed to be quite straightforward. The northern coast contained the vast majority of the docks and warehouses needed to store the cargo going this way or that. The southern cost seemed to primarily be reserved for the larger estates, enjoying somewhat calmer waters than the north cost.

    There was also a massive river that emptied into the ocean where the southern side of the peninsula connected to the coast, creating an incredibly vast delta filled with what looked like a mixture of farmlands and swamps.

    Further, past the eastern tip of the peninsula, he could see a few more islands, the largest probably twice the size of France, while the four others were significantly smaller.

    The largest island, though, was quite the sight. It had the tallest buildings he could see, some several kilometres tall. They all seemed to be concentrated on the western side of the island, closer to the mainland, leaving the rest of it untouched wildlands. Well, it was forested anyway. It was probably also well-maintained.

    Anyway, that left the centre of the peninsula with what looked to be a mixture of businesses of varying sorts, residential areas, and green spaces. The west coast appeared to contain the largest number of official-looking buildings separated by more green space.

    That relieved him. If that much space had only been taken up by buildings and roads, it would likely have smelled like a garbage dump. Even then, there were probably areas of the city that spelled like that. Looking down at the many rivers streaking their way across the peninsula, he wondered what their waste-removal system was like. It surely had to be well-designed if, what looked like, several hundred million people lived there. If it wasn¡¯t, he was sure that various diseases and plagues would have wipe the place out long ago.

    ¡°Take her down over there,¡± Avi said, placing a mark on an open section by the western docks. He was again impressed with how well Avi had integrated the systems together and wondered how she¡¯d managed to do it all.

    ¡°Aye-aye,¡± he said with a grin as he corrected their heading, watching the marker move across the viewport to stay where it was supposed to.

    The Trio scooted in close, eager to admire the view. He couldn¡¯t blame them; it was quite the sight, putting to shame anything he¡¯d seen on Earth, though the architecture was just as diverse.

    The traffic grew more dense as he got closer to the designated landing spot until he was going at a veritable snail¡¯s pace. Given how far they¡¯d flown east, it was already getting onto evening.

    Once they were closer to the front of the line that would bring them to where he could land the runabout, he finally spotted the small building used for student registration to the Academy.

    ¡°All right, be sure you don¡¯t forget anything,¡± Joram said once they¡¯d parked, which got him a few confused looks as he stood up and stretched.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get going,¡± he said, then led the way out the sliding hatch/door.

    Once he was out, he noticed not a few curious gazes directed at him and the ¡°carriage¡±, but didn¡¯t pay much attention to them. There was still a line-up coming out of the registration building, which annoyed him almost as much as it worried him. If he wasn¡¯t wrong, today was the last day to register before he¡¯d need to wait another year to apply.

    ¡®I¡¯ll get in line if you could sort out the runabout,¡¯ he sent Avi, quickly moving to secure his place. Which was prudent, as there were still people arriving.

    ¡®Got it,¡¯ she sent as he sensed the runabout being [Planeshift]ed. ¡®I¡¯ll also pass out aura shrouds for the Trio.¡¯

    ¡®OK?¡¯

    ¡®Better to have people guessing than thinking they can push you around,¡¯ she sent by way of explanation.

    ¡®Ah, good call.¡¯

    With how quickly that all happened, the four soon joined Joram in line, much to the displeasure of a few who¡¯d formed up behind him in that short time. He was surprised to see that at least fifty people had joined their line by then. Much to his relief, though, the line was moving at a reasonable pace.

    What also alarmed him was the number of people exiting a door on the north side of the building, looking dejected as some met with people who¡¯d been waiting around. If he wasn¡¯t wrong, then those were likely people who¡¯s applications had been rejected. His heartrate rose further as he realized that only about one in a hundred or so didn¡¯t leave the building after entering.

    Or, rather, for every one hundred people that entered in front of him, about ninety-nine others left the building. Now, he wasn¡¯t totally sure if the ratio was correct or not, but it still made him very nervous.

    ¡®Relax,¡¯ Avi sent him along with reassuring feelings. ¡®I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll get in just fine!¡¯

    On one level, he knew intellectually that he was almost guaranteed to be accepted. But on another, baser level, he still doubted himself, even after all this time. Yes, he¡¯d gone through changes to his being that went soul-deep. He¡¯d reshaped how he thought. He¡¯d gone through Altaea¡¯s hellish training that involved both physical training for his body as well as mental training for his mind and heart.

    But the seeds sown in ones¡¯ formative years were the hardest to uproot once they¡¯d taken hold.

    His insecurities were still there, albeit significantly smaller than they¡¯d been back on Earth. Insecurities like thinking he wasn¡¯t good enough, or that he didn¡¯t have enough information to act.

    Taking a deep breath as he had M4 take over his motor functions, he let it out and centred himself.

    He wasn¡¯t who he¡¯d been when he¡¯d first arrived on this world. He had been trained and approved by Altaea herself. He¡¯d learned and done things no one on Earth knew or had done. He¡¯d survived an encounter with that Old Fart. He¡¯d been reborn into a loving family, brought up to know his own self-worth. He¡¯d been accepted for who he was, regardless of his origins.

    He had family and friends who loved and supported him.

    He could do this!

    Coming back to himself, he realized that they were nearly at the front of the line, only four groups ahead of him when he finally heard what an attendant was saying to those at the front.

    ¡°Anyone not taking the test, please exit through there before the aspirant sees their interviewer,¡± she said politely, motioning to their left.

    Joram looked forward again, taking note of the staff waiting for the next person they¡¯d interview. They stood in front of a series of desks arrayed in a grid. He noticed that there seemed to be small arrays set up that blocked sound and also made the details of those at the desks blurry, likely to prevent anyone from hearing sensitive information. Which, really, was a nice touch.

    He turned and nodded to Avi and the Trio before shuffling forward to the front of the line, the previous four groups having already dispersed.

    ¡®You¡¯ll do great,¡¯ Avi sent with another blast of warmth. ¡®I¡¯ll see you later.¡¯

    ¡®Thanks,¡¯ he sent back with gratitude.

    The attendant waved him towards another attendant who then guided him to one of the tables where an interviewer, a young man who looked to be in his early twenties in what looked like a uniform, waited for them.

    Joram lengthened his stride, now focussing on the man as he approached. The uniform, shockingly, resembled a school uniform that you¡¯d find back on Earth in a private school, or in east Asia. He had a jacket with three buttons on it that was buttoned up on only the top two button. His shirt was white and collared and sported tied that had indigo stripes on a turquoise background. He was even wearing slacks and black leather shoes.

    He wasn¡¯t sure who¡¯d chosen that colour pattern for the tie, but was almost certain they¡¯d been colour blind.

    ¡°Application,¡± the man said, holding out a bored hand.

    Joram quickly retrieved it from his storage ring and handed it to the interviewer.

    The man¡¯s eyebrow twitched as his fingers brushed Joram¡¯s when he took the paperwork before motioning him to sit at the empty desk as he stepped around it and took his own seat.

    He didn¡¯t feel anything as he passed through the ward but he did notice that the ambient volume dropped significantly.

    Once seated, his interviewer quickly went through the application before once again regarding him.

    ¡°Are you wearing an aura shroud, or have you truly not reached Tier 1 yet?¡± He asked, looking impatient. Possibly annoyed?

    ¡°No, I¡¯m mainly focussed on Mental Strength, using body cultivation to keep up with things,¡± Joram said, trying hard to not actually lie. All of what he¡¯d said was actually true; he did indeed primarily focus on Mental Strength, using body cultivation to make sure he was less squishy; less likely to be one-shot in the future by some entitled douchebag.

    ¡°I see,¡± he said, picking up a pen and making notes on a separate sheet of paper. ¡°You¡¯re applying as a crafter, so we¡¯ll need to test your Mental Strength to be sure that it matches what it written in your application,¡± he said, not quite hiding the disbelief in his tone. ¡°I¡¯ll need to take the application fee before we go any further. How would you like to pay?¡±

    ¡°Have the rates changed in the couple of years?¡± He asked, unsure because the Clan hadn¡¯t updated that file before its destruction.

    ¡°The application fee remains at ten Mid-Grage Tier 1 Crystals,¡± he replied, now looking at Joram with a bit more scrutiny, taking in his apparel.

    Joram retrieved and placed a single High-Grade Tier 1 Crystal on the desk with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± he said, continuing to smile.

    The man nodded, sliding the coin into a drawer in the desk. ¡°Please, follow me,¡± he said as he stood, then began walking towards one of two corridors at the back of the room.

 Chapter 055

    The corridor the interviewer led him to was, comparatively, empty.  The other one had a constant, if sparse, line of people heading to it, while he was alone with his interviewer.

    They only walked a short while before the man topped at the second door, labelled with a small plaque ¡°Testing Room 2¡±, and knocked.

    A woman, who looked a few years older than his interviewer, opened the door and greeted them.

    ¡°Please, come in,¡± she said, bringing them into the relatively small room.

    It was roughly eight by ten metres with a ceiling that was surprisingly high at about five metres.  There were two desks near the door and a large stone sitting on a marble pedestal in the middle of the room.  One of the desks was occupied by a short and stout man with an epic beard.

    Now, he knew that various species existed on Dovaynia, many matching those from popular culture and fantasy back on Earth.  Heck, he¡¯d even met a couple, like Megami the fox beastkin.  But meeting one in person was still awesome.

    If he had to guess, the awesomely bearded dwarf wouldn¡¯t stand higher than five feet.  Even then, the guy was broader than Joram, with slightly broader features than an average human would have.  His hands were surprisingly large for his height, his fingers thick and strong, his booted feet looking similarly sturdy.  That said, he looked like he could pick up a car.  Then throw it at you.

    ¡°Hello, I am Lisette, one of you assessors,¡± she greeted Joram with a smile, her eyes also smiling behind her round glasses.  ¡°This is Warabec Onyxhand, your other assessor,¡± she said, motioning to the seated dwarf who responded by grunting as he turned to regard Joram.

    ¡°Please give us a moment to go over your information before we get to the assessment,¡± she said, then stepped over to Warabec so that he too could read the notes.

    A moment later the dwarf snorted, managing to move his braided moustache with the air from nose.  He looked over at Joram, brows drawing down slightly before turning back to the notes.

    A minute later, Lisette stood straight again then took her seat as the second desk, motioning to Joram¡¯s interviewer.

    ¡°Hugh, could you please take Joram to the testing stone?¡±

    Hugh nodded, motioning for Joram to follow.

    ¡°You¡¯ll need to place your hand here,¡± Hugh said, indicating a flat, round spot on the front of the tall stone.  ¡°Just concentrate on pushing in all your Mental Strength.  The stone will display your results above,¡± he said, motioning vaguely at the top of the stone, three feet above where Joram¡¯s hand would be placed.

    ¡°Sounds simple enough,¡± Joram said, placing his hand on the cool stone as Hugh stepped to the side.

    Since he¡¯d probably break the stone if he used psijic energy, he wisely reached for his psionic power, then focussed it through his hand and into the stone, making sure to hold back.  He wasn¡¯t sure what this stone was graded for, but since his reserves were¡­ vast, he didn¡¯t want to risk breaking it and having to pay for it.

    * * * * *

    Lisette usually enjoyed coming out for registration week, as it allowed her to see and meet new people.  She was a people-person.  She also liked meeting new talents and making their acquaintance, something that has been both useless and useful in the past.

    This time, however, she¡¯d been assigned to test Mental Strength with old Warabec.

    She didn¡¯t have anything against the dwarf.  He was a very talented artifact refiner.  He worked hard, studied hard, and that was about it.  He didn¡¯t talk.

    Which made this week especially hard for her.  Applicants with the talent for Mental Strength were practically non-existent to the number of successful academic applicants.  She¡¯d met two, TWO!, in the last week!  And there were only two testing rooms!

    When a knock finally came, it woke her from a half-sleep she¡¯d slipped into, jarring her awake.  Warabek just looked at her as he stored his book away, obviously wanting her to answer the door.  It didn¡¯t matter, though, because she was already halfway to it as she quickly checked for drool and straightened her blazer.

    ¡°Please, come in,¡± she said, bringing Hugh and the applicant into the room.

    She¡¯d known Hugh for several years now, mostly meeting at the yearly registration week.  He was an average guy, of average height and looks, with slightly above average grades.  But a nice enough fellow, all told.

    The applicant, though, had her professionalism kick into overdrive to keep a natural smile on her face.

    He was a bit taller than her, though he looked to be still young enough to have room for future growth.  His hair was an amazing purple that almost matched lavender blossoms while his eyes were a vibrant green that reminder her of leaves in late spring.

    Before her mind could get any more distracted, she introduced herself as she took the application and note from Hugh.

    ¡°Hello, I am Lisette, one of you assessors,¡± she said, directing it to the young man.  ¡°This is Warabec Onyxhand, your other assessor,¡± she said, motioning to the dwarf of few words who responded by grunting as he turned to look at the young man.

    ¡°Please give us a moment to go over your information before we get to the assessment,¡± she said, then stepped over to Warabec.

    She leaned over so that he could read along, slowly going through Joram¡¯s information.

    She was shocked to see that he was only fifteen years old but was mollified when she saw that he also practiced body cultivation.  Which would explain his robust physique.

    They skipped ahead to the page that contained his Mental Strength and crafting experience.  She noticed Warabec¡¯s eyes widen as he read Joram¡¯s level of Mental Strength, feeling her eyes do the same as shock jolted them wide.

    Then Warabec snorted and turned to regard Joram for a moment after reading what he¡¯d written there.

    She couldn¡¯t blame him.  Not only did he claim to be a 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier Alchemist, but also a 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier Artifact Refiner.  Well, given that Joram claimed to be in the 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier Mentalist, a practitioner of Mental Strength already, that really shouldn¡¯t have surprised her.  If you were going to claim that at such a young age, may as well go for broke.

    She looked at Warabec and got a slight nod before standing and making her way to her chair at her own desk.

    ¡°Hugh, could you please take Joram to the testing stone?¡±  She asked, keeping her tone casual.

    It was rare that someone would try to claim that their ability was higher than it was, but it did happen sometimes.  Though, it was usually for an older applicant, hoping to sneak their way into the Academy in an effort to finally advance their skills.  So it was a bit surprising to see what looked like a promising and upright young man do so.

    ¡°You¡¯ll need to place your hand here,¡± Hugh told Joram as they stopped in front of the Testing Stone, indicating where he should place his hand.  ¡°Just concentrate on pushing in all your Mental Strength.  The stone will display your results above,¡± he said, motioning at the top of the stone three feet above the activation plate.

    ¡°Sounds simple enough,¡± Joram said, placing his hand on the activation plate as Hugh stepped to the side so that they could clearly see the results of the test.  The Testing Stone was turned slightly so the assessors could also watch the applicant¡¯s face, enabling them to spot any signs of stress or overexertion.

    Lisette glanced over at Warabec, getting a slight shrug.  It seemed that he wasn¡¯t expecting much either.

    The testing stone had a relatively simple design.  Once Mental Strength was pushed into the activation place, it would measure the force it was pushed through with, giving an accurate reading of the person¡¯s Tier.  The number that was displayed would then appear above the stone, rotating for all to see.  The size of the number would give an idea of how far along the person was in that Tier.  At the same time that the number was displayed, that number would then fill with colour to give an indication how much Mental Strength was pushed into the Testing Stone, giving a relatively accurate estimate of the person¡¯s reserves of Mental Strength.

    The number would start of white, indicating a very low capacity.  It would then change to red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, then violet, each colour indicating a different level of that person¡¯s capacity.

    She and Warabec watched, and felt, as Joram pushed his energy into the activation place, causing a number to flicker into view above it.

    It started off as a small ¡°1¡±, which wasn¡¯t too surprising since he¡¯d claimed to be 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier.  It would have been too far a stretch to get away with otherwise.  What shocked her was that the number went from white to violet almost instantly as the digit grew to its maximum size, then morphed into a small ¡°2¡±.

    The colour didn¡¯t change, but the digit soon reached its maximum size again and morphed into a ¡°3¡±.  That, too, quickly grew in size until it abruptly stopped just before it could once again reach its maximum size.

    Eyes wide, she looked over to Warabec and saw that he was also astonished, his eyes a bit wider than usual as his moustache seemed to rise just a little bit at its tips.  She quickly turned back to look at Joram and noticed that he seemed to be sweating a bit as he looked at the number floating above the Testing Stone.

    Hugh looked like he¡¯d been smacked by a fish that had stood up from a chopping block.

    ¡°So, how¡¯d it go?¡±  Joram asked, scratching the back of his head, looking nervous as could be.

    It had been a very long time since an applicant had astonished her so.  There were many people who applied every year, from children taking their first steps in studying mana all the way to old fossils wanting to try to get that last bit they needed to make a breakthrough to the next Tier that would extend their lives.  She¡¯d also seen many people gifted in Mental Strength come to either learn how it use it or to refine their existing skills.

    Of the latter students, those wishing to study Mental Strength were generally a good decade older than those wishing to study mana, as that talent usually didn¡¯t appear until near adulthood.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    That Joram appeared to still be in his mid-teens and had actually reached the 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier before coming here, not to mention his ludicrous reserves, was a once-in-a-lifetime-or-nine kind of event.  She was no expert, as she wasn¡¯t particularly talented with Mental Strength and thus hadn¡¯t really studied the history around it, but she was certain that Joram was beyond abnormal.

    ¡°Um, hello?¡±  She heard Joram pipe up, snapping her out of her thoughts.  ¡°Did I pass?¡±

    Lisette took a moment to calm herself before speaking.

    ¡°Yes, please follow Hugh.  He¡¯ll take you to where you need to go next,¡± she said, managing to sound only faintly out of breath.

    Hugh snapped out of his own stupor then.  ¡°Yes, please follow me.¡±

    As they were about to pass by, Joram stopped and smiled at them.

    ¡°It was nice meeting you,¡± he said with a quick bow before hurrying after a stiffly walking Hugh.

    She managed a nod which she heard a soft grunt from Warabec.  The door closed, leaving them in silence.

    The silence stretched out as Lisette slowly turned to regard the old dwarf.  They stared at each other as the dark violet 3 above the Testing Stone slowly faded away.  Another indication of Joram¡¯s abnormality.

    ¡°He¡¯s a monster,¡± Warabec drawled out, his deep voice sounding like gravel grinding together.  ¡°I¡¯ve got dibs.¡±

    Lisette¡¯s jaw dropped as she stared at the Tier 4 Artifact Refiner in shock.

    ¡°Wh-, No!¡±  She spluttered out, her brain finally catching up to what he¡¯d just said.  ¡°The Alchemy Department will fight tooth, nail, fang, and claw for him!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to see them try,¡± he grated out, a small smile touching the corners of his mouth.  ¡°Who do you thing makes their cauldrons and pill furnaces?¡±

    There really wasn¡¯t anything to say to that.

    * * * * *

    Joram was pretty sure that he¡¯d screwed up.

    When the ¡°1¡± that had appeared above the rock had gone from white to blue in the blink of an eye, he quickly choked back how much psionic power he was pushing into the stone.  He was just in time for the stone to stabilize at a dark violet as he watched the number grow in size, then morph to the next one in sequence.

    When it reached 3, he started to ease the pressure with which he pushed his psionic energy, managing to stop the growth of the number before it could max out.

    He was so nervous that he was sweating.

    If this rock worked like the ones he¡¯d read about, then violet was as high an evaluation as these things would go before breaking.  He didn¡¯t want, or need, to make a ridiculous display here that attracted too much attention.  His goal was to study for a few years, growing as much as possible in that time while avoiding getting head-hunted and tied down.

    Joram glanced over at Hugh and knew that he¡¯d botched it.

    The man¡¯s mouth was hanging slack as he looked up at the number displayed above.  He then glanced over to Lisette and Warabec and found their states to be similar.  Well, Warabec¡¯s face hadn¡¯t changed that much, but he had that faraway look in his eyes of someone who¡¯s mind was elsewhere.

    ¡°So, how¡¯d it go?¡±  He asked, trying hard to keep his voice steady.  He was very pleased when it didn¡¯t crack on him.

    After a minute of waiting, and his stomach sinking further towards his boots, he spoke again.

    ¡°Um, hello?  Did I pass?¡±  He asked, still proud that his voice didn¡¯t crack.

    That finally seemed to get through to wherever their minds had gone, because Lisette¡¯s mouth closed as she took a breath while Warabec¡¯s focus came back.

    ¡°Yes, please follow Hugh.  He¡¯ll take you to where you need to go next,¡± she said, sounding as though she had a hard time getting a full breath.

    Hugh snapped out of his own stupor then.  ¡°Yes, please follow me,¡± he said, then strode towards the door, collecting Joram¡¯s application as he passed Lisette and opened the door.

    He reprimanded himself again for nearly botching it as he followed Hugh to the door.  Before he followed Hugh out, though, Joram stopped and smiled at his assessors.

    ¡°It was nice meeting you,¡± he said with a quick bow before following a robotic Hugh out the door and into the hall.

    Hugh didn¡¯t say anything as he led Joram further into the building, slowly regaining a more natural posture as they went.

    Joram wasn¡¯t terribly surprised to note that there were only two examination rooms for Mental Strength.  As the hallway turned to the left, he realized that the lion¡¯s share of space was taken up by magical examination rooms.  Their lone hallway finally met up with the other one in a small reception-like room with a few more desks.

    As he suspected, only a few applicants stayed in this room while almost everyone else exited through a door on the north wall opposite to where he and Hugh had exited their hallway.

    Hugh didn¡¯t waste any time as he strode to a desk, sat down, and motioned for Joram to do the same.  Having done so, Hugh then activated the privacy ward before he continued.

    ¡°Thank you for your application,¡± he said, nodding.  ¡°The Grand Waeryn Academy gladly accepts your enrolment.  The fee for a first-year, Tier 3 crafter is ten High-Grade Tier 2 Crystals.  This includes a set of uniforms, room, board, and a courseload consisting of up to five classes per term for your first year.  Basic supplies for your chosen Trade will be provided, but any rare materials must be purchased or acquired by yourself.

    ¡°If you would like non-standard accommodations, you have the option of upgrading for an additional fee.  Study materials, such as textbooks, are also an additional fee.¡±

    ¡°Ah, does that mean that I can only study one Trade for what I paid?¡±  He asked, a slight sinking feeling forming in his stomach.

    ¡°Although I would not recommend dividing your studies, you can certainly do so.  For each additional Trade you wish to study, an additional fee of seven High-Grade Tier 2 Crystals is required.¡±

    The sinking feeling turned into a pit.

    ¡°And, ah, how much would it be to get an upgrade that would accommodate three servants?¡±

    Hugh blinked at him, then retrieved a small book from one of the drawers in his desk.  After flipping through it for a second, he stopped and looked up at Joram.

    ¡°Anywhere from an additional ten High-Grade Tier 2 Crystals to an additional eighty-seven,¡± he said, his poker face doing itself proud.

    Joram just about choked, but kept his cool.

    He certainly had enough money to pay for that given how well his [Mend Body] topazes had sold.  But he was also helping fund the reconstruction of his Clan.  He very much wanted to make sure that everything was built with high-end construction materials.  He didn¡¯t want anything to fall apart a few decades after it was all built.

    That said, he would likely have to send M3 or M4 to help with construction and materials gathering while he studied here.

    His thoughts turned back to the present as he noticed Hugh giving him an expectant look.

    ¡°Say,¡± he said, a thought occurring to him.  ¡°Does the Academy deal with a particular bank?  Is it possible to arrange for automatic withdrawals?¡±

    Hugh nodded.  ¡°Yes, that is indeed possible.  The Academy also has its own bank that you can deposit funds into.  You¡¯ll get more of an explanation of it during orientation, though.¡±

    ¡°Ah, then are you able to make a deposit here, or do we have to go to the Academy first?¡±

    ¡°We have a teller stationed here for just such an occasion,¡± Hugh replied, motioning to a clerk standing behind a chest-high desk with what looked like force screens in place of windows.

    ¡°Get much trouble?¡±  Joram asked, quirking an eyebrow at the sight.

    ¡°It never hurts to be careful,¡± Hugh replied cheerily.  ¡°So, would you like to look through the available spaces for rent?¡±  He asked, sliding the book across the table so that Joram could see.

    Every listing came with a pleasant-looking courtyard, complete with a pond and gazebo.  Some looked fancier than others, the buildings sporting different architectural themes.  Some seemed to be in higher demand based on their style.  But mostly the increased costs revolved around the mana gathering arrays listed.

    The two listings that would cost a total of ninety Crystals had high-end arrays that would help anyone cultivating there immensely.  He knew that the Trio would need all the help they could get in their cultivation, especially Bai Lian and Wentian, as they both needed to regain their previous Realms.

    It would also make things more comfortable for him as he also continued to cultivate mana.

    After a few minutes he came to a decision, choosing the residence that had the Chinese theme he was used to having grown up in his Clan.

    ¡°Good choice,¡± Hugh said with a nod.  ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it immediately if you could make your way to the clerk, who¡¯ll set up an account for you.  Once you¡¯re done, please return and we¡¯ll complete the registration process.¡±

    Joram nodded, stood up, then made his way over to the clerk.

    She looked to be about middle-aged with a kindly countenance.  He noticed that she was also much shorter than him as he realized that she was standing on a small stand to be able to speak with him at eye level.

    ¡°Hello, how may I assist you today?¡±  She asked with a smile that would make anyone think of a welcoming mother as she served food to her family.

    Joram blinked at that weird thought, then shrugged.

    ¡°I would like to open an account, please,¡± he said, giving her his second best smile, causing the clerk to blink a few times before continuing.

    ¡°Then, please provide¡­¡±

    * * * * *

    Macey kept on smiling as the young man, Joram, made his way back to Hugh to finish his registration.  Once the privacy screen went back up, she let her smile slip back down to her standard pleasant expression.

    It wasn¡¯t unusual to have a rich young kid come in and create an account with the Academy¡¯s Heavenly Trove, their bank.  Nor was it unusual for them to make arrangements to pay for tuition and an upgraded residence.

    What was unusual was Joram¡¯s reaction.

    She was used to making men blush and gush over her, making it easy to slip in some extra services for additional fees, thus making the bank more money, and getting her a few more commissions.  No, Joram had just looked at her like they were speaking with their granny.  As though her active illusion spell hadn¡¯t affected him in the least.

    On the contrary, she was the one put on the back foot.  Between his reaction and his dazzling smile, she had nearly forgotten how old she was.  With her imagination whirling in overtime, she¡¯d missed out on selling the additional packages, and thus the extra commissions.

    What especially intrigued her was that she felt no magical cultivation from him at all, but instead a profound depth to his Mental Strength.

    She wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with Mentalists; she was one herself.  She was intimately familiar with their ins and outs.  How strong they tended to be at each Tier, how deep their wells went, as it were.

    This Joram is going to be someone worth watching, she thought with another smile.

    * * * * *

    Hugh watched as Joram left through the Eastern Door to meet up with his servants.  He¡¯d made sure to send a message to one of the attendants in the main lobby to gather up Joram¡¯s entourage to have them meet Joram.

    He tapped his desk, thinking.

    He was fairly sure that Joram was as young as he claimed, perhaps as much as a couple years younger, but it was hard to tell with Body Cultivators as that cultivation method messed with such estimates.

    No, either way, Joram was a prodigy.  But the question was whether or not he was a natural prodigy or a Reincarnator.

    If he was the former, then the boy had a lot to learn yet.  If he was the latter, then he wondered what old things might be brought back into the public eye.

    He wasn¡¯t familiar with Mental Strength, so he wasn¡¯t going to try to make any guesses regarding that.  But he was quite familiar with Lisette, and her reaction to Joram¡¯s testing was more than telling.  He¡¯d never seen her as shocked as she¡¯d been after seeing Joram¡¯s results in all the years he¡¯d managed to work with her during Registration Week.

    He sighed, the thought that Lisette wasn¡¯t interested in him once again running through his mind.  Just as he got up another interviewer came out of the Mentalist assessment hall followed by a stunning youth.

    All thoughts of Lisette immediately fled his mind as a strong wind would clear away the morning fog.  Not only had another Mentalist been accepted, judging by the excited look on Jin¡¯s face, but a new entry into the Goddess Ranking as well.

    * * * * *

    Joram saw the Trio waiting for him once he was out the back door, accompanied by a young man dressed in the same style uniform as the attendants from the lobby.  Avi had already let him know that¡¯d she¡¯d gone off to do her own thing, so he wasn¡¯t surprised at her absence.

    ¡°If you would follow me, I¡¯ll take you to where you can stay the night,¡± he said, all professionalism, then turned back to the city and led the way to a small high-rise.

    After passing through the well-made, if a bit gaudy, doors they were greeted by an employee (?) who then directed them to the front desk.  Joram was shockingly reminded of a modern hotel in how everything was laid out.  They even used various artifacts, what he would have called ¡°Wondrous Items¡±, that could have passed for a tablet back on Earth.

    Well, in function if not so much in form.  They looked to be made of a thick sheet of some sort of crystal with a thin metal backing that wrapped around the edges to the front where it joined seamlessly to create an entirely smooth surface.  Aside from that physical similarity, the ¡°display¡± wasn¡¯t as high resolution as tablets back home, but was just as vibrant without the need for a backlight.

    As he was introduced to the receptionist, a young woman with a pleasant smile, Joram watched as she quickly inputted his information, using his newly acquired student card to complete the process.

    The student ID card reminded him of the VIP card he¡¯d received from the Heaven¡¯s Bounty Auction House.  The difference between the two was that his student card looked to be made from a clear crystal that had white metal border.  Well, that and they¡¯d somehow etched his face inside the crystal portion of his card.

    The receptionist looked up at Joram once she finished registering them, then nodded to their escort.

    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll take it from here,¡± she said, turning to Joram and company.  ¡°You¡¯ll be in one of then penthouse suites, room 1402 on the fourteenth floor.  Breakfast will be at dawn, so please come on time.  After that, someone will bring all students to the port for transport to the Academy,¡± she said, laying it out clearly and concisely in a pleasant and professional manner.  ¡°On behalf of the Grand Waeryn Academy, we hope you enjoy your stay.¡±

 Chapter 056

    Joram reflected that the room provided to them had been rather nice. It did have three rooms, two for servants and one for him, with a good sized communal space and an awesome bathroom that reminded him of Japanese hot springs you¡¯d constantly see in anime or manga.

    Which, incidentally, had gotten his blood pumping due to the many- inappropriate!- associations formed with them due to pop-culture.

    It¡¯d taken a bit of meditation to remove those thoughts from his head, especially with all the teasing Avi had given him since he¡¯d discovered the root cause of his¡­ youthful vitality.

    He wondered, as he picked at breakfast with the Trio, what other effects would pop up as he grew. Normally those with draconic or phoenix heritage would start showing said heritage later in puberty. Often showing an increased affinity for whichever Elemental Law came with that heritage. Like, phoenixes would be very good at creating and manipulating fire and any elemental variation to that.

    They¡¯d also take on some of the personality traits their heritage was known for. Take dragons. They were very often known for their tendency to hoard loot, or their pride, or their amazing tempers, or their¡­ ability/want/desire to mate with just about any other species out there.

    Which, understandably, made him more than a bit nervous.

    He¡¯d already been inclined to hoard loot. Because, really, who didn¡¯t ever dream of having a huge pile of treasure that they could play with? That said, there was also the fact that he¡¯d had a strong¡­ vitality back on Earth. Now, he knew that most of that was biology, but biology also affected one¡¯s mind. He also knew that he was in a new body, one that he had no benchmarks for before gaining his new heritages.

    Heck, if what he¡¯d read was at all accurate, even phoenixes were known to have a strong vitality. They weren¡¯t just gifted when it came to the Law of Fire, but also naturally gifted when it came to the Law of Life. And from what he understood regarding the various Laws, part of what made up a Law was the conceptual side.

    For example, people associated a quick temper with Fire, adaptability with Water, flightiness with Air, or great fertility with Life.

    So, in a nutshell, he was figuratively- and likely, literally- screwed.

    Based on his Elemental Affinities he¡¯d received from assimilating the blood, scale, and feather of the Heavenly Lightning Jade Dragon and a phoenix who could hold its own against that peak existence, he now had affinities for Fire, Lightning, Jade, and Life. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure if there wasn¡¯t something else in there, as research on those beings was understandably scarce. But he was reasonably sure about those four.

    Now that he thought about it more, the Adamantium Body Technique gave a person an affinity for Fire, Lightning, and Metal. Which, really, just laid the foundation for what he¡¯d gained from the dragon and phoenix. Did that mean he¡¯d have an even greater affinity for those elements¡­?

    Joram noticed everyone getting up, so he did the same, following them out into the early dawn streets. He continued to ponder as he followed along behind Wentian.

    He¡¯d learned that there were an almost innumerable number of Laws out there, and that Mentalists- what the Academy called psions- usually had an affinity for the Law of Mind, along with a Law that corresponded to what they were good at. Which meant that he probably also had an affinity for the Law of Creation given that, not only was he a Metacreationist (Shaper), but Altaea had told him at one point that he was shockingly good at it.

    If one considered that there were many associated Laws connected to Creation, that opened up the possibility that he¡¯d have an easier time learning many other Laws. Because if you had a natural affinity for, say, a Peak Law like Life, then as research found, that person would have an easier time learning lower Laws related to it, or rather, lower Laws that led to the understanding of the higher Law.

    If he were to follow the chain of understanding laid out by scholars over the millennia, then you¡¯d get to Life from understanding the following Laws, from Basic to High. Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Wood, and Light. Now, there were others in there, but those were the very basics of what led to Life.

    Thinking about it, he had an Affinity for at least one Peak Law. Life. If he was right about the Law of Creation, that made two. Then, if Mentalists really did have a greater chance of having an affinity for the Law of Mind, then that could give him a third Peak Law¡­. And thinking about it more, that was probably the Law that he was more naturally attuned to being a Psionic Being.

    Joram snapped out of his musings as his group stopped on the docks in front of what an earthling would call a cruise ship. Now, it was made of white painted wood, but the size compared. There weren¡¯t even any masts to be seen.

    ¡°Please line up here,¡± a person in the same uniform as the attendants, interviewers, and assessors said as he motioned to a long set of stairs leaving up to the ship. ¡°Please have your student identification card ready for when you reach the head of the line. Once aboard, please follow the instructions of the staff,¡± she finished, sounding remarkably like a flight-attendant. Which, really, came down to sounding both friendly and professional if you thought about it.

    He looked at the Trio and noticed their lack of enthusiasm compared to those around him. The other students were murmuring excitedly to one another, commenting about how amazing the ship was, speculating at what it would look like inside, what entertainment could be found, and what the food would be like.

    Compared to the other students, the Trio looked bore. They¡¯d likely taken a ship like this to get from their homeland to his, and given the distances involved they¡¯d probably spent months aboard.

    As for him, to say that he wasn¡¯t interested wouldn¡¯t have been strictly true. He¡¯d never been on a cruise ship before, only a ferry once. He was curious about its construction though, so if he got the chance he¡¯d try to give it a good [Delve] to see what it was all about. He was especially interested in the propulsion system given its lack of sails. Which, really, made sense.

    A ship that large would have required titanic sails and masts to catch enough wind to move the thing. Even then, it would need strong winds to get it moving, let alone getting it up to speed.

    He passed his student card to a staff member once he got to the front of the line, then was surprised when Bai Lian produced a similar card and handed it over, followed by Wentian and Mo Yu. Their cards had the same design as his, except the metal that bordered their cards was a burnished copper instead of white. They hadn¡¯t had any such thing in their storage rings, which meant they must have received their own cards at some point. Likely while waiting for him.

    He gave a ¡°thank you¡± to the staff member when they handed back his card, then started up the long flight of stairs behind the other students.

    Soon enough, he was inside, appreciating the d¨¦cor. It wasn¡¯t over the top like the Heaven¡¯s Bounty Auction House that was practically plated in gold. No, this was more tasteful along the lines of ¡°rich, but not obscenely so¡±.

    The walls were a nice white with a warm tone to them, with carved trim along the ceiling and deck. The deck itself was made from a dark wood that reminded him of mahogany due to its fine grains and warm colouring. There were paintings on the walls, spread out, giving him a sense of space rather than making the hallway feel cramped by trying to fit in as much as you could.

    There were even small recesses at regular intervals that contained stands that either held a small piece or art or a vase of flowers. Most of the art consisted of sculptures made of stone, but there were also many other mediums represented, from wood to ceramics to metal.

    He stopped again, this time to listen to another staff member explain the basic layout of the ship.

    They¡¯d entered the ship at its midway point, leaving them able to get to anywhere they¡¯d like with relative ease.

    The cabins were located on the mid-decks of the ship while the other facilities they¡¯d be using were on the upper decks. The ship was equipped with several conference-style rooms that could accommodate a thousand people each, ballrooms, dining rooms, and even sparring rooms. Above deck, you could find various activities to pass the time, from using the swimming pool to shuffleboard to outside bars and caf¨¦s that surrounded a small stage where various forms of entertainment could be performed.

    ¡°If you wish to reserve your cabin assignments, please proceed to the reception desks to your right. If you¡¯d like to explore before doing so, please feel free,¡± a man said, pointing one way then the other, wrapping up his explanation.

    Joram noticed that another group was forming up near the entryway already and supposed that the man would have to give his spiel a few more times.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get our rooms sorted out first,¡± Joram said, getting nods from the Trio.

    With how efficient their system was, the line Joram found himself in was quickly processed.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that my student card is my key?¡± He asked, more impressed that surprised. Though, there certainly was surprise in there.

    ¡°Yes,¡± the receptionist replied with a professional smile. ¡°The student card provided by the Academy is multi-purpose device. As you know, they serve as identification. But they are also designed to be accept other enchantments that will act as a key or a pass for various areas and arrays. This also makes it easier to both keep track of who has access to an area, but also our ability to revoke that access should it be needed. As a side benefit,¡± she said, leaning forward a bit to whisper conspiratorially, ¡°we don¡¯t have to worry about anyone losing a room key, or having to track them down to get it back.¡±

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Joram laughed at that, appreciating the practicality behind the design and through process behind the student cards.

    ¡°Thanks, I appreciate your help,¡± he said, giving her his second-best smile, leaving her a bit flustered as he went to explore a bit as the Trio followed, looking amused.

    From the explanation they¡¯d received, it would take about a day to sail to the Academy so they would have some time to relax and enjoy the scenery. He was also impressed that it would only take them a day to get there, as there was a good eight-hundred kilometres separating the Academy from the mainland. Which also got his blood boiling to get a look at the propulsion system the ship used.

    Once above decks, he turned to the Trio and spoke.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure what any of you want to do, but I¡¯m going to go study the ship.¡±

    The three practitioners exchanged looks, then shrugs.

    ¡°I¡¯ll head to the sparring rooms,¡± Wentian said to no one¡¯s surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to see if they have a library,¡± Bai Lian said, a bit shy.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind taking in the scenery,¡± Mo Yu said as she retrieved a wide-rimmed sun hat and put it on.

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± he said, nodding. ¡°Do you want to meet up for or wait for dinner?¡±

    ¡°Dinner.¡±

    ¡°Lunch.¡±

    ¡°Dinner.¡±

    He was a bit startled that Bai Lian had opted for dinner. He was under the impression that she was loyal to the point of being over-protective of him. Or maybe it was just her determination to make amends that gave off a zealous vibe. Either way, he supposed that her bibliophilic nature won out.

    No, it was Mo Yu who¡¯d suggested lunch. Which threw him off more than a bit. As far as he could tell, she didn¡¯t have the best impression of him. So, why she¡¯d choose to spend more time with him was a bit of a mystery to him. Sure, she¡¯d made that weird vow and all, but without rummaging about in her mind, he didn¡¯t really know what she¡¯d intended with it.

    Wentian just shrugged and wandered off, leaving Joram to exchange questioning looks with the two women.

    ¡°I can do lunch too,¡± Bai Lian said with a shrug. ¡°It¡¯s always nice to experience new cuisine.¡±

    Mo Yu nodded along with that with a bit more enthusiasm than he expected.

    ¡°No worries. Then let¡¯s meet up here at lunch and choose a place to eat,¡± he said, getting agreement from the pair before turning around and making his way down into the bowels of the ship.

    * * * * *

    Mo Yu looked around as the young master hurried off, followed by Bai Lian. The deck was large and spacious, providing ample space for people to wander about or mingle, but was currently practically deserted. There were people slowly trickling up, though, so she supposed it wouldn¡¯t take long before crowds started to form.

    She turned her head to the left as she considered the best spot. The ship was currently pointed west, inland. Which meant that if she didn¡¯t want the sun to be in her eyes, she¡¯d have to start by facing the morning sun.

    Which left her with about half of her current options.

    Since she¡¯d just had breakfast, she wasn¡¯t particularly drawn to the caf¨¦s. Which meant either the open-air lounges or poolside seating. She looked around a bit more until she noticed some change rooms off to the side of the pool, which decided her.

    She¡¯d purchased a selection of outfits on her shopping trip with Bai Lian and was surprisingly eager to try some of them out. She¡¯d spent most of her life in Sky Lotus Sect, wearing the same attire as the rest of the Sect. It had been nice to finally wear a different outfit after she¡¯d been promoted to the inner sect, then again when she¡¯d worked her way to being a Core Disciple.

    Aside from small variations a disciple was allowed to indulge in, the uniforms were effectively the same. Being allowed to choose what she could wear day to day was almost daunting considering the choices one could make. But she was more than happy to make them!

    So, she made her way into a changing room, a relatively small stall designed for one person at a time that nevertheless had a mirror to allow a person to check their attire. It was a nice touch, in her opinion. Especially because she was so inexperienced.

    She had picked up two bathing suits while shopping, assured by the attendant helping her that they were in fashion and very flattering. The first, and the one she found least revealing, was a one-piece. She¡¯d tried on other designs that revealed a scandalous amount of skin, the top dipping down low enough that she feared she would fall out of it if she bent over while the bottom part had such a high cut to it that it went up to her waist.

    No, those had been summarily discarded. She¡¯d instead gone for one that had a more square-cut bottom to it, almost looking like skin-tight shorts, albeit ones that just covered her buttocks. The top part was cut just a few inches below her collar bones, allowing for an appropriate amount of modesty, while straps went over her shoulders to blend into the back, leaving her shoulders exposed. It also left her back open down to her mid-back, but she didn¡¯t mind that so much because it would allow her to feel the wind.

    The second bathing suit was a two-piece affair. She had outright refused to try on any of the ones that covered even less than her undergarments would. Instead, she¡¯d gone for something she found both cute and modest, considering that it was still a two-piece.

    The top had ribbons to support her chest that you would tie behind your neck. The chest strap was similarly designed, though with thicker material for comfort. The chest had individual cups for support, but also had a cute band of cloth that draped over the breasts and hung down to just bellow them. It did show more cleavage than her one-piece did, but also only revealed about as much as most woman did in their everyday attire.

    The bottom had the same theme, allowing her modesty while still feeling like she was still wearing what they called a ¡°bikini¡± bottom, something dangerously more revealing than most undergarments she¡¯d seen until recently.

    Mo Yu held up both swimsuits, comparing them in the mirror, imagining which would look best. She was about to go with the two-piece when a thought occurred to her. Did she really want to attract that much attention on her first day? Or, rather, the young master¡¯s first day?

    She wasn¡¯t sure how much the culture changed here compared to her homeland, but she suspected that basic human nature was relatively universal. She¡¯d had to endure countless confessions and declarations of love- or what she¡¯d have called ¡°lust¡±- over the years, not to mention one idiot or another declaring that she was his ¡°woman¡±. She¡¯d also witnessed the infighting resulting from those many declarations and didn¡¯t want that for Joram.

    So, she went with the one-piece, once again admiring both the materials it was made with as well as the colours. It was a deep violet that she thought went well with her eyes, with a pale ivory or cream coloured trim.

    She then retrieved the ¡°wrap¡± that went with it, a long piece of cloth cut just so, so that when wrapped around the waist it would fall to just above her ankles like a skirt, though one what was a bit longer on one side than the other. She especially like the small tassels on its edge. She then slid into a pair of sandals the attendant had called ¡°flip-flops¡± and was done.

    Once she was ready, she slipped the sun hat onto her head again and stepped out of the changing room and blinked. She hadn¡¯t thought that she¡¯d taken very long in changing, but maybe she¡¯d been wrong.

    The deck was now filled with students, both old and young. She looked around, seeing gatherings of people ranging from pairs to ones containing a score of people. The lounging area was the most populated, followed by the caf¨¦s then the poolside where many people had already changed and were enjoying themselves in the water or in the sun.

    She made her way over to the pool and chose a reclined chair with an umbrella beside it. It was a good spot as it was both currently facing the sun, something most people had avoided, and had no one close to it. Once the umbrella was sorted, she sat down and closed her eyes.

    Mo Yu had thought about buying some of those ¡°sunglasses¡± that had been on display, but hadn¡¯t bothered because bright light didn¡¯t really bother people who cultivated the Law of Lightning.

    It wasn¡¯t long after she reclined that she felt a slight shudder run through the ship, indicating that they were about to leave port. She smiled, her eyes still closed, as she recalled the soothing motion of the ship she¡¯d taken with the task force to get here. She really didn¡¯t understand why some of them had claimed that it was absolute torture to be on a ship at sea.

    The motion was smooth and rhythmic. As she¡¯d meditated on that first ship, she¡¯d found that it had been alarmingly easy to fall asleep if she didn¡¯t pay enough attention; the motion was so calming.

    As she lay there, she listened to the goings-on around her, interested in hearing any news, or just plain knowing what people talked about here. Even though she¡¯d stayed in Joram¡¯s Small World and interacted with its residents, she hadn¡¯t really spoken casually with any of them. It was either shopping or buying meals.

    What she heard wasn¡¯t very surprising. Most were speculating about their studies or what life would be like at the Academy. A few spoke about the latest trends in fashion or cuisine, while others spoke about their family businesses and things related to that.

    Then the inevitable happened.

    ¡°Excuse me, miss? My name is Garros Arabanise, and his is Salion, Isamar, and Rodellin. Do you mind if we join you?¡± She heard a young man nicely ask from her left.

    She opened one eye to see who was addressing her and beheld a group of four youth, barely considered young men. Their leader looked to be in his mid to late teens, tall and slender. His long and flowing green hair was swept back by a band, his hair falling to his bare shoulders. He was wearing a pair of swim trunks that hung from his hips and went just past mid-thigh.

    His friends were similarly attired, though their swim trunks varied in design. She looked at their eyes and found that heat she was so familiar with and heaved an inward sigh.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she said, then closed her eye again.

    The answer seemed to confuse them, or at least give them pause, for it took a moment for the young man to respond.

    ¡°¡¯Yes¡¯, we can join you? Or ¡®yes¡¯ you mind?¡± Garros asked. Even though his tone was polite, she detected a thread of annoyance in it.

    Did another silk-pants show up? She thought, resigned to being pestered yet again, now falling back into her old habits. She defaulted to ¡°polite, yet cool¡± in these situations.

    ¡°Though you are allowed to sit anywhere you please, I do not wish for company,¡± she said, not bothering to open her eyes or even turn her head towards them.

    She could feel his Qi swirl at her response, likely due to lack of training and discipline on his part. With that sense of his Qi also came a sense of annoyance.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll take our seats,¡± Garros said, still polite.

    She felt the air movement as Garros waved to his friends after he finished speaking, then heard chairs being moved and placed nearby. They were closer than the other chairs had been, but not quite close enough that someone would automatically think that they were together.

    They were soon talking about this and that, but she noticed that the conversation was centred around their clans- houses-, the businesses they owned, and their influence in this circle or that.

    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re going to order some drinks. Would you like one?¡± Garros suddenly asked from her side.

    ¡°No, thank you,¡± she replied, not turning her head to speak.

    She again felt Garros wave to one of his friends, sending him off to get their order, their conversation starting up again right away.

    A few minutes later, she sensed the boy return, a server following behind. It only took a few seconds for what sounded like a small table to be set up and the tray deposited on it.

    ¡°Ah, Salion, you got too many drinks,¡± Garros said with a laugh. ¡°Miss? We would hate to see this drink go to waste, so would you be kind enough to take it off our hands?¡± He asked, smooth as could be.

    She didn¡¯t know where this little whelp who¡¯d only just stepped into the Qi Gathering realm got his courage, but she really wished he¡¯d leave her alone.

    Keeping her thoughts off her face, and out of her tone, she again declined as politely as she could.

    ¡°I appreciate the kindness, but no thank you.¡±

    She again felt his Qi stir, once again allowing her to sense his emotions; this time heavily tainted by frustration.

    ¡°Ah, no worries, no worries,¡± he said, managing to keep his tone polite. ¡°Ah, we didn¡¯t get your name, miss. Would you please grace us with it?¡± He asked after a short pause, as though he¡¯d just realized that he didn¡¯t know her name.

    Does this guy just not get it? She thought, then something else occurred to her. If I give him my real name, it might increase his interest in me as a ¡°foreign beauty¡± or something ridiculous like that. Hmmm¡­. Molly? Morgana? Monica? Mona?... Ah, Moyra!

    ¡°You may call me Moyra,¡± she said, still not opening her eyes or turning their way.

    She could feel the ship now coming about to face east, the sun slowly sliding behind her umbrella.

    ¡°Ah, what a lovely name,¡± Garros remarked to the agreement of his cohorts. ¡°So, Miss Moyra, what fields of study are you interested in?¡±

 Chapter 057

    Ooh, this is nice, Joram thought as he [Delve]d the ship from his cabin.  He hadn¡¯t wanted to risk sneaking into the propulsion room or having someone stumble onto him as he concentrated.

    The structure of the ship was, what he guessed to be, rather standard.  He¡¯d watched a few of those ¡°how it¡¯s built¡± shows that had featured mega structures back on Earth, so he wasn¡¯t totally unfamiliar with the general design structures of large vehicles and vessels and such.

    He was surprised, however, that this ship also used giant propellers to get its thrust.  It was just that they, in turn, were moved by what he¡¯d consider a magitech engine.

    It was a fantastic design that was wonderfully put together.  The alloys used in the construction were also fascinating, so he took his time to memorize its structure and composition with Autohypnosis, one of the skills Altaea had taught him, as well as one of his favourite.

    Once done, he leaned back onto his bunk until he fell over and lay there, sprawling.  He then idly checked the Network, making sure that everyone was healthy.

    Xixi and Zanth seemed to be having fun, while his mother and Zaleria were doing something relaxing.  Grammy¡­ was still stable.

    Avi seemed to be focussed on something, while Bail Lian certainly was.  Probably deep into a book already.  Wentian gave off a mixture of vibes that reminded him of the thrill of a sparring session.  Lastly, Mo Yu seemed relaxed, almost sleepy.

    Well, what else to do?  He wondered, looking up at the deck head.  He retrieved a pair of AR glasses, put them on, then powered them up.  A moment later it was linked to his omni-tool, giving him the time: 0932.

    Welp, that went faster than expected, he thought as he realized that it hadn¡¯t taken all that long to [Delve] the ship.

    Joram discarded the thought of joining Wentian in the sparring room as soon as it came.  He didn¡¯t want to bring attention to himself like that, especially since he¡¯d enrolled as a crafter.

    Joining Bai Lian in the library was tempting, but he wasn¡¯t quite in the mood to read a novel or some poetry or something.  He wasn¡¯t certain, but the likelihood of him finding a book on crafting in there was almost infinitesimal.

    Which either left him wandering the ship, possibly getting into unwanted social situations where people wanted to talk with him, or joining Mo Yu up on deck and seeing if anything interesting was happening.  Heck, he could probably pump her for more information about the Laws she was familiar with.

    He nodded to himself as that thought came to him.  He was indeed behind the curve when it came to studying the various Laws, so getting someone who¡¯d studied them to tutor him was a solid idea.

    Joram then concentrated a bit more on Mo Yu, getting a better idea of where she was in relation to him, and found that she was likely still above deck.  Remembering the layout of the recreation area, he decided to change his attire.

    Off went his standard shirt and pants combo, and on went a white tank-top and a pair of dark grey cargo-style shorts followed by a pair slip-on sandals.  Even though he no longer had the toe gap that made wearing flip-flops such a pain, he still didn¡¯t particularly like them.  So, sandals it was!

    Just before he left his spacious cabin, he felt a surge of annoyance coming from Mo Yu, soon followed distinctly by the words ¡°silk pants¡±.

    He paused, wondering where that had come from before recalling that it referred to a spoiled rich kid.  Was someone bothering her?  He shrugged, opening the door and heading out.  It wasn¡¯t like Mo Yu was a child, unable to deal with her own problems.

    He paused every now and then to admire the various works of art on his way, taking mental notes on the techniques he could discern.  If he wasn¡¯t wrong, the cost of the artwork in his hallway alone could probably feed a small city for a month.

    Joram shook his head as he continued on his way again, then paused when another thought followed by more annoyance came through from Mo Yu.

    ¡®Moyra!¡¯

    That made him blink.  Had she just made a frenemy?  He wasn¡¯t sure how that could happen so soon after they¡¯d boarded, but supposed that anything could happen.

    He continued admiring the art, pausing to smell some orange flowers whose petals looked like flames.  There were nice enough that he gave them a quick [Delve], making a mental note to add it to the old catalogue of flora he¡¯d started to make way back when.

    But then it became hard to concentrate as Mo Yu¡¯s annoyance continued to grow until it felt as though someone had turned on a heat lamp in front of his face.  So, he picked up his pace, getting a bad feeling about it, especially when feelings of frustration, annoyance, disgust, then shame started coming through in waves.

    * * * * *

    She was having a terrible time of it.

    It seemed that Garros had gotten a boost of confidence after she¡¯d given him her ¡°name¡±.  He and his posse hadn¡¯t stopped asking her questions since.  What made it worse, was that they¡¯d continued ordering drinks and draining them, giving them more and more liquid courage.

    ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t we get out of the sun?  I¡¯ve got a spacious room that would be great for some quiet conversation,¡± Garros said, his cheeks reddening slightly, giving away what he really meant by ¡°conversation¡±.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m quite enjoying the fresh air, thank you,¡± she said, keeping her voice pleasant through a supreme effort of will.

    ¡°Aww, come on.  We¡¯re both first-years, we should get to know each other before starting classes together,¡± Garros replied smoothly, though his impatience was starting to slip through.

    ¡°I¡¯m fairly certain that won¡¯t be necessary.  I¡¯m confident that we won¡¯t share any classes,¡± she said, still not looking at the boy.

    Garros scooted his chair over so that he could lean in closer to her before he spoke again.

    ¡°Ah, but didn¡¯t you say that you were interested in arrays?  I¡¯m sure we¡¯d at least meet there, even if you¡¯ll only be taking it for the theory aspect,¡± he said, his tone managing to be assuring and condescending at the same time.

    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±  She asked coldly, no longer able to keep her feelings back all the way.

    Garros looked over to his friends who just shrugged and shook their heads before turning back to her.

    ¡°Array classes are only about theory until you reach Tier 2,¡± he said, a smirk in his voice.  ¡°I¡¯m certain that you¡¯ll reach Tier 2 before graduating, but seeing as how you haven¡¯t even reached Teir 1, I doubt you¡¯ll get much from those classes.¡±

    Mo Yu took a long and deep breath, resisting the urge to slap the kid into tomorrow.

    ¡°So, why don¡¯t I take the time to give you personal lessons, eh?¡±  He asked, making it sound as though he was some sort of saint condescending to teach a street urchin.

    I guess that answers my question, she thought, remembering her earlier musings on human nature.  It seemed as though men everywhere thought that they were entitled to claim any pretty face they saw.

    ¡°No need,¡± she said, smiling at the boy as she finally turned her head and opened her eyes to look at Garros.  He was much too close for comfort, leaning over as he was.  She didn¡¯t fail to notice where his eyes were glued.  ¡°I¡¯m sure that my young master will be able to tutor me sufficiently well.¡±

    Which, honestly, was probably true if what Joram had told them was true.

    As soon as she mentioned a young master, Garros¡¯s face took on a cold look, his sneer becoming more pronounced.

    ¡°What?  A mere servant dares to lead me on, then talk back to me?¡±  He demanded, his voice growing louder at the end, drawing the attention of the surrounding students who began to murmur.

    Mo Yu just about blasted him into a thousand pieces then, but reined in her temper when she recalled that she needed to keep a low profile and not cause a scene or any issues for Joram.

    She wasn¡¯t sure how powerful Garros¡¯s family was, or how much trouble they might bring should she scatter his remains, so she chose to endure.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how you interpret it where you come from, but from where I come from, when someone politely refuses you dozens of times, it in no way constitutes leading someone on.¡±  She replied coldly as she stood up so that he wouldn¡¯t be able to continue to leer down at her.

    ¡°What, a mundane servant wants to argue with a noble?  A Mage, even?¡±  He demanded, trying to stand as tall as he could, just managing to equal her height, which surprised her a bit because she had been considered tall back home.  Then she remembered that the people of the Waeryn continent were, on average, taller than the people back home.

    She almost ground her teeth when it registered that ¡°mundane¡± referred to non-cultivators, what people called ¡°mortals¡± back home.  Usually referencing someone who had no talent for cultivation, a grave insult to be sure.

    Instead of engaging further with the drunk, she turned to walk away, but came to a stop, startled, as she felt Garros grab her shoulder.

    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?  We¡¯re not done here,¡± he said, now outright hostile.

    She sent a small prayer of forgiveness to Joram and her ancestors for not being able to keep her word as she prepared to relieve Garros of the burdens of life.  She turned, her Qi gathering so that she could use it, but then stopped as she saw Joram striding up to them from behind Garros and his lackeys.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Mo Yu didn¡¯t know what had caused Joram to appear early, nor did she know what had caused his anger to swell to the point where she could feel murderous intent radiating off him like waves of cold air being blown off a glacier, but seeing it stopped her cold.

    Had he somehow felt her own murderous intent?  Felt her own preparations to destroy Garros?

    She began to sweat as she thought of Joram¡¯s anger.  At how she¡¯d participated in the destruction of his home and family.  Was he thinking of that time?  Thinking of how she¡¯d been there and how she was going to kill someone now?

    ¡°Oh?  Seems like you have some self-awareness after all,¡± Garros said, sounding pleased beyond measure with his ¡°success¡±.  ¡°Then you can come with me and make up for your failings,¡± he said, grabbing her left shoulder and giving her a tug.

    Ancestors, I¡¯ll be joining you shortly, she thought as she saw the fury now plastered on Joram¡¯s face, as wave after wave of murderous intent blew off him in waves.  She closed her eyes.

    ¡°Say, has it gotten colder?¡± Rodellin asked from behind Garros, getting murmurs of agreement from Salion and Isamar.

    Mo Yu felt the air shift as the onlookers started to step back from the confrontation just as Joram walked past Garros¡¯s shivering gang.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Garros said as she began to feel him tug at her shoulder, but stopped.  ¡°Who¡¯re you?¡±  He asked, his head turning to look at Joram who¡¯s hand was now gripping his wrist.

    ¡°I believe the young woman said ¡®no¡¯,¡± he replied in a cheery tone that very much wasn¡¯t cheery at all.

    ¡°Get lost, mundane.  This doesn¡¯t involve you,¡± Garros sneered, then jerked as he tried to pull her away.

    ¡°Ah, but if you insist on harassing my good servant any more, I¡¯ll have to get impolite,¡± Joram replied in that same cheery-not-cheery tone.

    Mo Yu took a breath and opened her eye a crack, daring to peek at Joram¡¯s expression, then turned white.

    She¡¯s spoken with Bai Lian about her interactions with Joram, trying to get more information on the Aneath Clan¡¯s strongest survivor.  Bai Lian had mostly focussed on how nice and forgiving the young master was.  She¡¯d expounded on his broad-mindedness, of how she¡¯d been taken by how farsighted his vision was.

    It had taken a few more conversations for her to finally get Bai Lian to speak of how terrified she¡¯d been of Joram at first.  Of how he¡¯d made her go through all the dead, finally picking out Mo Yu and Wentian- for which Mo Yu had profusely thanked her for.

    It had been the conversation Bai Lian had had with Joram on a mountainside afterwards that had brought it home to Bai Lian.  The conversation about vengeance and slaughter.  Bai Lian had not only feared for her newly returned life, but the lives of her family members, her sect members, and their families as the realization came to her that Joram was capable of wiping out them all.  At less than eight years old, he¡¯d already reached the Earth Realm and the equivalent realm in Mental Strength.  What, then, would he be able to do in another ten years?  Twenty?

    And that was before they¡¯d suspected him of being a Reincarnator.  How much faster then would he grow?  What ancient secrets did he bring back with him into this life?  He was now in the Heaven Realm, and probably just as strong in Mental Strength.  Not to mention that he also cultivated a body tempering technique.

    So, coming back to the moment, she saw Joram¡¯s face and couldn¡¯t help but quake.

    ¡°What, you¡¯ll cry on me when I have you beaten?¡±  Garros said, derision heavy in his tone.

    ¡°Ah, it seems that you misunderstand something,¡± Joram said, his jaw barely moving.  ¡°I¡¯m giving you the opportunity to leave.¡±

    Joram then lifted Garros¡¯ hand off her shoulder and flicked it back to him, causing his own forearm to smack him in the face.

    It was then that Garros¡¯ friends snapped out of it and tried to loom and look threatening.  For his part, Garros¡¯ face turned red, now contorted by rage.

    Clueing in a bit, Mo Yu stepped back and away from her reclining chair, not wanting to get in Joram¡¯s way.  Her body flooded with relief as she realized that he hadn¡¯t been angry with her, but was instead angry for her.

    ¡°I warned you!¡±  Garros yelled as he gathered his Qi into his hand before striking Joram in the face, just on the left side of his nose just under a pair of glasses he was wearing with his right fist, the sound of bone breaking clearly heard.

    There were cries of astonishment, surprise, and fright as Garros lashed out, those close enough to the fight able to feel that Garros had used Qi to empower this strike.

    For his part, Joram¡¯s head didn¡¯t move in the slightest.

    Garros stared, an uncomprehending look in his face, for a moment before the shock wore off and he began howling in pain as he staggered back.  His good friends took one look at Garros, then at Joram¡¯s unblemished face, then took off like an antelope from a pack of lions.

    Mo Yu couldn¡¯t help but crack a small smile at the sight.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Joram said, holding out a hand for her to take.

    She looked at his hand and realized that it would completely engulf her own if she took it, then lifted her head again to look him in the eye.

    Then smiled and took his hand.

    * * * * *

    He was glad that nothing had happened to Mo Yu.

    The sight of the legendary ¡°womanizing silk-pants¡± had stunned him at first, as a living clich¨¦ tended to do to some.

    He¡¯d been worried at first that he might have to fight the kid, but then felt that the kid had only just stepped into the 2<sup>nd</sup> Tier.  Which, really, shouldn¡¯t have been unexpected.  Most of the first-year students were coming here in their youth, to learn and grow.  Sure, some had already stepped onto the path of true cultivation, like the idiot in front of him, and that gave them an edge over other students.

    An edge that the kid seemed to be eager to exploit.

    Once he¡¯d heard the kid insulting Mo Yu, treating her like he was inherently superior and because of that she needed to obey him¡­ well, he¡¯d lost his temper a bit.

    ¡°Are you all right?¡±  He asked Mo Yu as he led her by the hand back into the ship.

    He was just glad the kid was weak-sauce.

    ¡°Thank you for your help,¡± she replied meekly, her head down.

    He slowed his pace a bit, urging her forward so that she was walking beside him instead of behind.  He looked at her face, the picture of meekness.  He looked at her closer as he came to a stop, looking for any other clues to support what he was sensing from her.

    Aside from her having difficulty meeting his eyes, she seemed OK, so he shrugged.

    ¡°You know,¡± he started, then cleared his throat.  He¡¯d always had a hard time keeping his voice level after a confrontation of any sort.  ¡°You don¡¯t have to put up with that.  If you run across someone like that in the future, well, just don¡¯t kill ¡®em.  Or cripple ¡®em¡­¡± he said, finishing off lamely.

    Mo Yu looked up again, this time meeting his eyes and blushed slightly.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to cause any problems for you,¡± she said quietly.  ¡°I heard them talking about how influential their noble families were,¡± she said, looking away again.

    Joram sighed.  What kind of crap clich¨¦d encounter was that?  He thought, shaking his head.

    ¡°I realize that this world is governed by the strong,¡± he said, scornful at the idea that might makes right.  ¡°But you¡¯re plenty strong enough to defend yourself.  Don¡¯t worry about anything coming my way.  You just take care of yourself.¡±

    He finished, not quite able to keep looking her in the eye after saying that.  Especially when more colour spread across her cheeks.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go find something to do,¡± he said as he turned back to the hallway, then realized that he was still holding her hand as he started walking.

    * * * * *

    Avi was chowing down excitedly as she watched the action go down through Joram¡¯s AR glasses, watching on her own pair.  She wasn¡¯t sure why he¡¯d kept them linked to the omni-tool network, but she was glad that he had.  She¡¯d been notified then his glasses had connected, and had idly took a look at what was going on.

    It had been boring at first, as all he¡¯d really done was nerd out over some, albeit nice, artwork.  She¡¯d sent his video feed to the upper corner of her own glasses so that she could continue her own reading.

    After seeing the magitech that the Academy used, she¡¯d rushed back and had thrown together her own tablet, copying the aesthetic design, but using technology instead of layered enchantments.  It was actually pretty easy, as all she really needed to do was stick an omni-tool into the base of the metal backing that held the diamond plate in place and calibrate the holographic emitter to only display over the diamond.

    The end result gave her a rather robust ¡°tablet¡± that looked almost exactly like the ones she¡¯d seen.

    Anyway, the point was that she was reading at a small table, enjoying the fresh air when the shit hit the fan.

    As quick as she could, she¡¯d brought up Joram¡¯s feed and watched the show while bringing snacks out of her storage ring.

    She was leaning back, a smile on her face after witnessing the ¡°fight¡±, taking a sip of tea when the second incident nearly had her spraying her tea over the table and out her nose.

    The one-two combo of Joram¡¯s declaration that he¡¯d take care of any fallout for Mo Yu and him realizing that he was still holding her hand had been too much for her.

    ¡°Are you all right, miss?¡±  Someone asked in concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m good, just went down the wrong way,¡± she said, waving it away.  The person nodded, an understanding look on their face.

    I¡¯m an AI who built their own body, and even I get it!  How can he be so dense!?

    * * * * *

    She sat in her small cell, staring at the young kids all around.

    She was alone in hers, a measure of ¡°luxury¡± they¡¯d given her.  She would have preferred to be with he children, able to comfort and hold them instead of watching their mostly vacant looks.

    Tillia reached out a hand and stopped her cup from falling over as another wave rocked the ship they were in.

    They¡¯d been at sea for months now, giving her plenty of time to know when to catch her cup before it could fall and break.  They weren¡¯t happy if they had to give her a new one.

    She looked down at her hands, still bound by those shackles she¡¯d woken up with last year.  It made some things difficult, other impossible to do.  Her only hope when she looked down at her hands was the silvery glint of light reflecting off the ring Joram had given her before¡­.

    Tillia raised her head, trying to see anything out of the small round window across the hall from her between two cages.  She supposed that their captors didn¡¯t want to risk anyone escaping, however slim that possibility might be.

    With her magical cultivation sealed by the black shackles, it made meditation to pass time incredibly boring.  When cultivating in the past, she would often be shocked at how much time had passed when she came out of her meditations.  Now, about the only thing she could do with her mana was cycle it in her Core.  Which, honestly, got boring very quickly.

    Which had pushed her to instead explore other ways to keep herself occupied.  She couldn¡¯t sing any more, as one of the higher-ups amongst her captors had gotten sick of it and had subsequently sealed her voice.  That person, Fu Jian, had been put on her ¡°to-kill¡± list.  After the other children had been beaten for crying because Tillia couldn¡¯t sing to them to calm their hearts, Fu Jian had been put at the top of her kill list.

    So, she¡¯d done the only thing she could think of and began to meditate, focussing on that small spark of Mental Strength that she had.  She remembered conversations with Joram about Mental Strength, Psionics, and how he¡¯d explained things to her.  Like building your inner world to contain your Knowledge Sea.

    Which, really, was more visualizing your latent Mental Strength in such a way that you could first fortify yourself, then strengthen yourself, then grow.

    He¡¯d claimed that the traditional way of first expanding, then filling in that space was a bit backwards, as that led to strength without the ability to wield it properly.  Or, how had he put it?  ¡°Inefficient to the point of being unable to move a spoon without using a tornado.¡±

    Her mental avatar smiled at the memory, glad for something to smile about.

    Tillia focussed again, using part of her will to rotate her Mental Strength, while the other part of her mind focussed on trying to compress that power as best she could.  What Joram had described wasn¡¯t that helpful, as he hadn¡¯t actually been teaching her how to cultivate her Mental Strength, just using her as a sounding board.

    But some things had stuck, others had even become the foundation on which she now built her power.

    If Joram couldn¡¯t find her, or had the power to save her, then she¡¯d do it herself.  She didn¡¯t know how long it would take, especially given how insanely difficult her progress was.  But she¡¯d do it.  She would not only escape, but she would save the other children and bring them home.

    She loved Joram dearly and respected his ability like no other, but she didn¡¯t know if he had even survived the attack on the Clan.  She feared that she was the only adult left.

    So, she would do it.

    She would grow until she could tear down those sects responsible for this hell down to the bedrock, leaving no foundation from which they could ever rebuild.

    So it was that Tillia smiled without knowing as she dug through her memories to the sensation she¡¯d had whenever a vision had appeared in her eyes.  Not the part where she looked at a person, but at the underlying¡­ feeling.  That strange, almost unknowable something that came with it, that tantalized her with what she intuitively knew it could give.

    And as she focussed on that, she kept churning her Mental Strength, compressing it again and again.  Refining it, purifying it, tempering it.

    She would do what needed to be done.

 Chapter 058

    The rest of the morning passed uneventfully for Joram and Mo Yu after heading to the library after the kerfuffle, though Mo Yu made a quick pit stop to get changed into casualwear.

    He¡¯d decided to head there and meet Bai Lian early so she wouldn¡¯t head to the recreation area where they¡¯d planned on meeting for lunch.  There was no way of knowing if that prat would be waiting up there with reinforcements or something stupid like that.

    Bai Lian had welcomed the company¡­ for the full two minutes it had taken for her to forget about them after re-immersing herself in a book whose cover she tried to hide from them.  He couldn¡¯t help but smile at that shy pert of her.

    For her part, Mo Yu had found a book on finances, of all things, to read.  She must have been keen on the subject, because the only thing he could feel from her on the Network was an intense focus.  Which led him to skimming through his own book: A Concise History of the Grand Waeryn Academy.

    For a concise book, it boasted almost a thousand pages.  Which wasn¡¯t too bad, honestly, as the Academy was almost eighteen-thousand years old already.

    When it came time for lunch, they chose to instead go to one of the banquet halls that served complimentary meals for the passengers.

    It was a tasty enough meal, though he thought it was a bit too focussed on sea food.  Well, he couldn¡¯t blame them seeing as how that was likely the source of the bulk of their protein.  He just didn¡¯t like the taste of anything with a shell.  Meh.

    The rest of the day flew by from there and soon they met up with Wentian, who couldn¡¯t stop smiling.  Upon questioning, he shared that he¡¯d found some terrific sparring partners with whom he then exchanged contact information.

    Joram didn¡¯t feel like sharing what had happened that morning with that ¡°nobleman¡±, and neither did Mo Yu, so they left it out, content to just enjoy the lounge-like music playing in the background before retiring to his cabin.

    ¡°So, good day,¡± Joram said, rubbing his hands together, coming to a decision.  ¡°So, there¡¯s something else I¡¯d like to tell you all about.¡±

    He looked at each of them in turn from where he sat at the edge of his bed.  Bai Lian had retrieved a meditation pillow from her storage ring and was sitting on the floor next to him.  Wentian had claimed the chair at the desk, while Mo Yu sat at the far end of the bed from him, hands folded on her lap.

    ¡°So, have any of you have noticed something¡­ unusual in your Knowledge Sea?¡±  He asked, regarding each of them in turn.

    Bai Lian just shook her head and shrugged.  Wentian frowned, but also shook his head.  Mo Yu seemed to ponder the longest, but ultimately shook her head in denial.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a bit surprising, but also fair,¡± he said, getting slightly concerned looks from Mo Yu and Wentian.  Bai Lian just continued to smile as she looked up to him.  ¡°Well, as you already know, I¡¯m a very powerful practitioner of Mental Strength, what the Academy calls a Mentalist.

    ¡°One of my abilities involves creating a sort of¡­ network of minds,¡± he said, trying to find an explanation that would make the most sense for them.  ¡°It allows whoever is connected to it to enjoy several benefits.  One is the ability to speak telepathically with anyone else in the Network.¡±

    Mo Yu frowned slightly, a slight crease forming between her eyebrows.

    ¡°You mean like voice transmission?¡±  She asked.

    ¡°Speaking directly to the mind?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then, yes, that,¡± he said, nodding as the Trio got varying expressions of understanding on their faces.  ¡°Well, a bit better because anyone in the Network can communicate with anyone else, over any distance,¡± he said, their eyes widening.

    ¡°So, that¡¯s the first benefit.  The most of the others revolve around me being able to know if you¡¯re alive and healthy.  The rest revolve around my ability to help you in one way or another,¡± he finished, leaving it vague on purpose.  Telling them that he could affect them with any Power he wanted to at any time might freak them out more then a little bit.

    As it was, the Trio looked dumbfounded, though Bai Lian seemed to recover first, feeling of complete faith in him rolling into him from her connection in the Network.

    ¡°So, what kind of help are we talking about here?¡±  Wentian asked, his curiosity winning out over the caution Joram felt from him.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m able to do a lot of things that centre on fortifying you guys in battle in different ways.  Providing improved tactical coordination.  Shielding you from certain attacks.  Hea-COUGH-ng you,¡± he finished, still a bit reluctant to let that one out of the back.

    Mo Yu gave him a weird look.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Wentian asked, leaning forward.

    ¡°H-*cough-cough-cough*- you.¡±

    Now all three were looking at him funny.

    ¡°Young master,¡± Bai Lian started, unsure of how to ask.  ¡°Do you have some sort of Restriction placed on you that prevents you from speaking about it?¡±  She asked, concern for him evident on her face and through the Network.

    Joram blushed under their intense scrutiny before he built up enough nerve to fully share with someone who wasn¡¯t related to him.

    ¡°Well, you could say that one of the things I know how to do is¡­ healing.¡±

    ¡°Like when you brought us back to life?¡±  Wentian asked, his brow now also furrowed.

    ¡°That¡¯s a bit different,¡± Joram said with a half-hearted shrug.  ¡°What I¡¯m talking about is using Mental Strength, my Psionic Powers, to heal wounds almost instantly.¡±

    ¡°So, like how you brought us back to life?¡±  Wentian asked, a bit confused, though Mo Yu¡¯s eyes were slowly widening.

    ¡°No, not like that.  You don¡¯t need to be dead for those Powers to work on you,¡± he said, seeing the understanding finally taking hold, Mo Yu¡¯s eyes now bright.

    ¡°Think of a healing pill.  It will help your body mend over a period of time.  What I can do is equivalent of taking all the healing a pill can do, but doing that in a matter of seconds.¡±

    Of the three, Wentian looked the most skeptical, but was still willing to believe.  Mo Yu¡¯s eyes shone with excitement and something else he couldn¡¯t identify, even through the Network.

    Bai Lian, on the other hand, looked like she was face-to-face with her idol, putting the light in Mo Yu¡¯s eyes to shame.  What he felt from her was a mixture of so many emotions that he could only identify the strongest: conviction.

    ¡°So, if I were to get hurt, you could heal me from anywhere?¡±  Wentian asked, looking impressed, but reserved.

    In response, Joram retrieved one of the knives he¡¯d made before being reborn and tossed it to Wentian, who caught it by the handle.  It was the product of one of his earliest forays into enchanting, being the equivalent of a +1 dagger if he were to use gaming terms.

    Wentian examined the blade, nodding appreciatively as he tested the edge by shaving the back of his thumbnail with it.

    Wentian raised an eyebrow, then shrugged as Joram waved him, then took the blade and slid it across his forearm, effortlessly opening up his skin, showing the muscle underneath before blood welled up to fill the gap, then drip onto the deck.

    It wasn¡¯t just Mo Yu and Bai Lian who¡¯s eyes nearly popped out, but Wentian¡¯s as well.

    ¡°What the hell?!¡±  He yelled in astonishment as he dropped the dagger, which imbedded itself into the deck point first, and clapped a hand over the wound in an effort to stem the flow.

    Joram quickly sent an augmented [Mend Body] through the Network, causing Wentian¡¯s flesh to knit together almost instantly while restoring a measure of his lost blood.  The next thing Joram did was manifest [Cleanse] to rid the cabin of its new colour.

    Wentian stopped panicking as he felt his skin knit back together under his hand, Bai Lian and Mo Yu still fussing over him until the [Cleanse] made the shed blood vanish.

    ¡°So, that,¡± Joram said dryly.  ¡°I thought you were a body cultivator.  So, how did you cut yourself so badly?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that it was an artifact,¡± he replied in an accusatory tone.

    Joram gave him a weird look.  ¡°How could you not know?¡±

    Bai Lian bent down and retrieved the dagger and sheath that had also fallen to the floor before inspecting the blade.  Mo Yu leaned in close trying to inspect it.  Bai Lian looked at her, then shifted to the side and placed it on the desk where they could both have a good look at it, which got her a nod of thanks from Mo Yu.

    Wentian, after double-checking his arm and flexing his hand a few times, joined them in their inspection of the dagger.

    After a few minutes of inspecting it, quietly murmuring to each other as they did, they all turned to Joram with matching expressions; all of them serious.

    ¡°Is this a Relic?¡±  Mo Yu asked, holding up the re-sheathed dagger in her left hand.

    ¡°A what-now?¡±  He asked, not quite sure why they¡¯d emphasized the last word like that.  He¡¯d studied this world¡¯s methods for artifact refining, creating magic arms and armour and basically any enchanted item one could use.  He¡¯d found it rather sloppy, but was confident that he could easily make something of Tier 3 or lower if he had the recipe.

    The Trio again exchanged looks at his response, this time it was Bai Lian who spoke.

    ¡°Joram, the aura that this dagger gives off is so¡­ tight, that it is hard to notice it at first,¡± she said, trying to explain her reasoning, the other two nodding along.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°So, just because its enchantments is¡­ tidy?  That make it a Relic?¡±  He asked, just to make sure he was clear on what she was saying.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly it,¡± Bai Lian said, nodding as she got more and more excited.  ¡°The techniques used to create weapons like this, or anything else, really, have been lost since before the founding of the Grand Waeryn Academy.

    ¡°That was one of the major reasons for the Academy¡¯s founding, and subsequent success.  Scholars the world over despaired at the loss of knowledge that came because of the Great Cataclysm and the centuries of war and the struggle for survival after that,¡± she explained, her eyes practically glowing with the passion she felt on the subject.

    Mo Yu had been starting at the dagger during Bai Lian¡¯s impassioned explanation, then looked at Joram sharply when she finished.

    ¡°Did you make this?¡±  She asked, her eyes firmly connecting to his for the first time that day.

    ¡°No¡­?¡±  He said, trying hard to not shift on his bed while under their intense scrutiny.  He got the distinct impression that not a single one of them believed him.

    ¡°Joram- young master,¡± Mo Yu said, pausing a moment as though wanting him to realize what she¡¯d just called him.  ¡°Young master, you cannot use this technique at the Academy.  Ever,¡± she said with pleading eyes.

    He broke eye contact with her a few moments later to see what the other two thought.  Bai Lian was nodding furiously, her ponytail flying around like the tail of an overexcited golden retriever.  Or maybe ¡°chocolate lab¡± would be a better simile due to her black hair¡­.  Wentian also nodded, though just once, and very slowly as though to contrast Bai Lian¡¯s reaction and thus put more weight into his response.

    ¡°So,¡± he started, looking them each in the eye.  ¡°How much would that dagger sell for at auction?¡±

    - - - - -

    A short time later found Joram alone in his room laying on his back, once again staring up at the deck head.  He¡¯d taken the time to explain to the Trio how to communicate through the Network before sending them off to bed after some practice.

    The lights were now off in his room, though there was enough light for him to see anyways given his cultivation and level of body refinement.  Which reminded him, he¡¯d need to assimilate another ingot of adamantium again to keep progressing.

    Then his thoughts turned back to the Trio and their professed concern for him.

    He was reasonably sure that Bai Lian was at least genuine given everything he both knew about her and what he¡¯d seen for himself.

    Even Mo Yu seemed genuine¡­ and scarily intelligent.  Of the three, she was definitely the sharpest.  Which left Wentian.

    He wasn¡¯t sure yet if the man¡¯s demeanor and actions were just how he was, or if he was holding a grudge and planning something while acting in Joram¡¯s best interests to stay alive.

    Joram sighed.  He really hated this.  He was arguably less than great with social situations and dealing with people.  He was arguably terrible at intrigue.  Subtle manipulation, coercion, and deception weren¡¯t in his practiced skillsets.  Sure, he could lie with a blank face, but anyone that really knew him could see through it easily enough.

    Now that he had to hide his true skills while at the Academy, he was looking forward to classes less and less.  It grew exponentially harder for him to keep his mouth shut when he saw someone doing something inefficiently, day after day, week after week, month after month.  He wasn¡¯t sure if he could pull it off.

    ¡®Hey, what¡¯s wrong with you tonight?¡¯  Avi sent, bringing him out of his thoughts.

    ¡®Ah, the Trio brought up a valid concern,¡¯ he sent, then proceeded to share what they¡¯d told him.

    ¡®Ah, your inability to cope with inefficiency,¡¯ she sent back with a mental nod.  ¡®Well, look at it in one of two ways.  One: you could slowly improve on the techniques they teach you, working your way through the curriculum, all the while being praised for your amazing genius,¡¯ she sent with more than a little sarcasm.

    ¡®Option two?¡¯  He sent back flatly.

    ¡®Or, you could just take what they teach you as a challenge.  Learn a whole new way of doing things.  Sure, it¡¯s inefficient as all heck, but.  If you¡¯re able to learn all of what they have to teach you, maybe that¡¯ll lead to a greater understanding of artifact refining in general.  Who knows?  Maybe there¡¯s a pearl of wisdom in there that¡¯ll push forward your own enchanting,¡¯ Avi encouragingly sent along with the mental image of her smile.

    ¡®Hmm,¡¯ he mentally hmm¡¯d.  ¡®I¡¯ll give it a try.  Heck, you won¡¯t even hear me complain about how sloppy their anchoring of arrays is in their items!¡¯

    Avi just sent an image of her face-palming.

    ¡®Thanks Avi, I appreciate the pep-talk,¡¯ he sent with a smile of his own.  ¡®I¡¯ll work on cultivating then.  Have a good night!¡¯

    After receiving her wishes for his own night¡¯s passing, he closed his eyes and brought his consciousness to his Star System.

    Well, that¡¯s probably what he¡¯d wind up calling it, as that¡¯s really what it looked like these days.

    He shrugged off his thoughts on what he¡¯d name things and instead focussed on his Cores.  The breakthrough to the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier had changed them from balls of liquid T1 Mana surrounded by heavy mists of T2 Mana to a fusion of T1 Mana and T2 mana that once again resembled a mist.

    Or, rather, he broke through to the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier because he¡¯d finally managed to fuse the accumulated mana in each of his cores.

    That had been a hellishly tedious process.

    Now, as he absorbed Tier 1, Tier 2, as well as Tier 3 mana, he needed to process each of his cores separately.  Taking the T1M (Tier 1 Mana) and the T2M and fusing them together while also condensing the T3 mana into a misty state as well.

    It probably wouldn¡¯t have been so bad if he¡¯d only had one or two cores, but he still had sixty-three regular cores he needed to work with, as well as his Knowledge Star and his Psijic Star.  As soon as M3 and M4 were done with the new [Genesis], he¡¯d get one of them to help him keep up with the insane workload that was cultivation.

    He didn¡¯t bother pulling in any more mana, as he was a bit nervous of people noticing, so he just focussed on refining his cores one by one, adjusting their orbits as needed when their ¡°mass¡± condensed.

    He was so caught up in his work that he nearly threw a core out of orbit when Kinkade contacted him.

    Kinkade: Hey, there¡¯s someone knocking at your door.

    Joram: Oh, thanks.

    He opened his eyes and only then realized that dawn had come a few hours ago.

    *Bang-bang-bang*

    He got up, activated his [Cleanse] ring to take care of any night-time funk that might have accumulated, then went over and opened the door.

    He blinked up at a stone-faced man in the same style uniform as he¡¯d seen on employees/students of the Academy, though his suit was black, along with his tie.

    What¡¯s up with that?  He thought idly as the man looked him up and down.  He noticed that the man was solidly in the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier, and they way his skin didn¡¯t quite move the same way as others¡¯ would, he suspected that he was also a body cultivator.

    ¡°Are you Joram Aneath?¡±  He asked, his voice was stony as his face.

    ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± Joram replied casually even though he now suspected where this guy came from.

    ¡°You are under arrest for assaulting a lord of the realm and causing grievous bodily injury,¡± he said, motioning for Joram to raise his hands.

    Joram gave the man a flat look that conveyed in no uncertain terms what he thought of the man¡¯s intelligence.  Which, incidentally, didn¡¯t earn him any favours.

    The enforcement officer stepped forward faster than Joram thought he would, showing just how skilled he was, grabbed his arms and pulled them behind his back.  He finished off his movements by cuffing Joram¡¯s wrists together behind his back.

    The cuffs must have been an artifact, because as soon as they were secured in place, he felt a sort of wall form around his Knowledge Star, preventing any of his psionic power from leaving it.  He must have done his homework then, as that couldn¡¯t have been a coincidence.

    He checked the Network, afraid of how badly his mother would freak out if it suddenly went down again without explanation, and heaved a sigh of relief when he found it unaffected.

    He tested the Network out as the enforcement officer dragged him down the hall by one arm, sending Avi a message.

    ¡®Hey, another clich¨¦d situation has popped up.  I¡¯ll let you know if there¡¯s anything that I need help with.¡¯

    ¡®OK.¡¯

    Well, that answered the question of whether or not he could still get responses.

    Joram just kept walking, keeping his breathing even as the enforcement officer led him to the brig.

    After being unceremoniously shoved through the door, he noticed that the Trio were also in attendance; also cuffed, though they at least had their hands in front of them.  They must have been more polite than he¡¯d been.

    ¡°So, what now?¡±  He asked the enforcement office as he was pushed down into a chair on the other side of a desk, one that the officer soon sat at.

    ¡°How do you plead?¡±  He asked, voice as stony as ever.

    ¡°Guilty of being punched in the face?¡±  He asked, trying very hard not to sound sarcastic.

    The man raised and eyebrow as he lifted a clipboard tacked with papers.

    ¡°Witnesses corroborate that you attacked the young lord when he was having a conversation with that young lady over there,¡± he said, nodding towards Mo Yu.  ¡°¡¯In a fit of jealous rage, you then took the young lord¡¯s hand and broke it in several places before fleeing the scene¡¯,¡± he read from the second page down.  Joram noticed that the first page was a ¡°Report of Injuries Sustained¡±, listing no fewer than six broken bones in the hand and wrist.

    ¡°He punched me in the face really hard?¡±  Joram said, adopting a look of confusion.

    The enforcement officer just stared at him.

    ¡°Really, we were out in public, dozens of people watched the spectacle of that kid harassing my servant,¡± he said, exasperated.  ¡°How have none of them come forward with a statement?¡±

    ¡°Four lords of the realm have testified against you, there is no need for further witnesses,¡± he said, earning Joram¡¯s eternal disdain.

    ¡°Oh, then if four horny teenagers say so, then it¡¯s obviously true,¡± Joram said, sarcasm dripping from the words.

    The enforcement officer¡¯s face managed to get even stonier, somehow.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what,¡± Joram said before the man could speak.  ¡°Let¡¯s do an empirical test, shall we?¡±

    Even thought the man looked like he was about to chew rocks, he nodded for Joram to continue, earning him back a sliver of respect.

    ¡°He claims that I broke his hand, even though he called me a ¡®Mundane¡¯, meaning I haven¡¯t managed to pass into Tier 1 yet,¡± he said, but the officer shook his head at that.

    ¡°His report claims that you¡¯re at least Tier 3 and a body cultivator at that.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve read my application and assessment, I presume?¡±

    The man nodded, not seeming happy about it.

    ¡°Putting that aside,¡± Joram said, waving his cuffed hands behind his back.  ¡°Why don¡¯t we get the young lord to come in and prove that he didn¡¯t break his hand on my face when he attacked me?¡±

    ¡°The victim has no such obligation,¡± the stony man said.

    ¡°Ah, no need to prove anything, I see,¡± Joram said, shaking his head.  ¡°So, what, I just have to accept that a bunch of silk-pants can accuse me of whatever they want and that they¡¯ll get their way?¡±

    ¡°If no other evidence is provided, then that is exactly what will happen,¡± the stoney man said with a shake of his head.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?  No appealing the decision?  No challenging him in an honour duel or anything?¡±  Joram asked, all but done with this nonsense.

    ¡°Hmm, yes, there is the option for an honour duel,¡± he said, and for the first time since he¡¯d met the man, Joram was sure that the corner of the man¡¯s mouth twitched in a way that might have been a smile that died before it could mature.  ¡°Once we reach land, an honour duel may be issued to your accuser.  The accuser may then choose to fight you or designate a proxy in case he isn¡¯t able to fight for himself.¡±

    ¡°Ah, convenient,¡± he muttered to himself.

    ¡°At the discretion of the challenged, they may designate it a fight to the death.¡±

    ¡°Marvelous.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you see it that way,¡± the enforcement officer said, his voice still flat.

    - - - - -

    A few hours later found Joram and the Trio escorted off the cruise ship, watched by all the new students.  He even spotted many of those that had watched as Mo Yu had been abused by that little shit, their faces turning away as they noticed his stare.

    He was sure to keep note of them, as he didn¡¯t think that anyone willing to see an innocent person charged and convicted for something he didn¡¯t do, and do nothing about it, weren¡¯t people he was willing to associate with in the future.

    As he walked, he noticed a large stone platform off to the side, many students seated in the bleachers arranged around it.

    He also spotted a few people who looked like they were in charge.  For one, they were much older than most other people there, for another, their attire was closer to robes than a suit.  They were also standing by the platform, on a separate raised stand meant for only a dozen or so people.

    What caught his interest were the ones not dressed in the fancy robe-suits.

    He saw Lisette and Warabec each speaking with a robed person, gesturing to where he was being escorted to the platform.

    Joram supposed that that would be the location of the ¡°honour¡± duel.  It wasn¡¯t a particularly large platform, and only thirty or so metres across.  But what did catch his eye were the array pillars placed evenly around the stage.

    Yeah, it was a stage.  That fit better.  After all, that would be where people directed their attention seeking entertainment.

    The enforcement officer pulled Joram to a stop as they reached the stage.  With nothing else to do, Joram looked around a bit more, seeing hundreds of students in almost identical garb, except for the ties.  He guessed that the colour of the tie indicated the year of the student or something like that.

    Across from him, on the other side of the stage, Joram spied the silk-pants mewling at an older man who looked like he could have been his father.  To the side of him stood another man, also amazingly stone-faced.  Joram turned to the enforcement officer and compared profiles for half a second before things properly fell into place for him.

    Well, he¡¯d suspected that the enforcement officer was crooked, bought off by the little lord¡¯s family.  Now, seeing the man¡¯s veritable twin standing with the little shit, he was certain.

    ¡°So, let¡¯s get on with this,¡± he said, raising his voice to carry.

 Chapter 059

    The crowd went silent after hearing Joram¡¯s question. The important-looking people on the stand across from him looked over, one of them stepping forward.

    ¡°Then let us proceed,¡± the old man said, his voice reminding Joram of the late Richard Harris. ¡°Because the¡­ incident occurred in the waters of the Avilium Kingdom, the charged shall be tried according to their laws,¡± he said to a surprisingly quiet crowd.

    ¡°Do you still stand by your declaration of innocence?¡± He asked Joram, his voice carried by what Joram assumed to be sound magic.

    ¡°Yes, I still assert that he broke his hand on my face when he suddenly attacked me,¡± Joram replied, much to the amusement of the crowd, but less so for those plotting against him.

    The enforcement officer gave his cuffs a jerk, while the malicious lordling¡¯s face turned scarlet and his father¡¯s face went cold.

    ¡°I see,¡± the old man said, then cleared his throat before continuing. ¡°Then we shall proceed with the honour duel requested by the accused,¡± he said, causing gasps to ring out amongst the audience.

    ¡°The accuser, due to injuries sustained, has chosen to defend his claim with a proxy,¡± the old man said, motioning towards stone face¡¯s twin. ¡°He has also set the terms of the duel. It will be a fight to the death.¡±

    That got even more of a reaction from the audience, some yelling in excitement, others in shock or dismay.

    After the audience had settle with great encouragement from the MC, he continued.

    ¡°Please step onto the platform. Once there, you may select a weapon from those on display to fight with. Thirty seconds after both parties have retrieved or declined their weapon, the duel shall commence.¡±

    Joram looked over to Stoneface 1 and lifted his cuffed wrists. The man regarded him for a moment before removing the cuffs, thus freeing his Knowledge Star. He swirled the power around its star, feeling refreshed before turning to the Trio.

    For as ridiculous a situation as he found himself in, they didn¡¯t seem too phased at all. If anything, they looked eager as they nodded to him, sending words of encouragement through the Network. Which brought the first genuine smile to his face that day.

    ¡°Get on,¡± Stoneface 1 said, giving Joram a shove towards the stage.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said, giving the jerk his third-best smile before taking the four stairs up to the stage, noticing that Stoneface 2 was already there, browsing a rack of assorted weaponry.

    Joram looked to his left and found a weapon rack of his own. But after few moments of inspecting the weapons, he gave up, shaking his head.

    ¡°Are you declining a weapon?¡± The old man asked, noticing his reaction.

    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re all crap,¡± he said, causing the audience to explode in mixed reactions.

    Not only them, but Stoneface 2 actually smirked. While the old man Warabec had been speaking to turned and stared at Joram. Warabec just covered his face with one big hand. Lisette looked shocked, but also a bit delighted at his word, as did the old mas she¡¯d been speaking with.

    ¡°Then please prepare, the duel shall commence in thirty seconds. Start the timer,¡± he said, nodding towards a student sitting in a booth near him.

    The array columns suddenly came to life with a soft hum and a brief shimmer in the air that soon smoothed out. If his guess was right, then they¡¯d erected a force field around the stage. Then a large timer appeared twenty feet above the MC, counting down from thirty.

    Joram took the time to get a feel for his opponent, but found that he couldn¡¯t sense the man¡¯s cultivation; likely due to an aura mask. Which, ironically, didn¡¯t matter too much to him. Based on Stoneface 2 looking like Stoneface 1¡¯s twin, he was reasonably sure that they should have a similar level of cultivation. Perhaps higher, given that he was working directly for the little shit¡¯s family.

    He then took a moment to have Kinkade, M3, and M4 help him buff. [Force Screen], [Inertial Armour], and [Biofeedback] went up, all fully augmented while he chose to forego a visible manifestation of those powers.

    He briefly considered creating an [Astral Construct], but decided against it. He instead primed another Power and waited for the show to get started.

    As soon as the timer reached zero, Stoneface 2 shot forward as though launched from a ballista, covering the distance between them in seconds, two-handed sword raised to cleave him in twain.

    Joram let out his breath, then released the Power, letting it manifest.

    * * * * *

    Lisette hadn¡¯t believed her ears.

    ¡°Say again,¡± she¡¯d said, looking at Warabec in confusion.

    ¡°The boy was arrested and will fight in the ring to the death,¡± he¡¯d grated out again.

    The conversation played out again and again in her head as she watched Joram examine the weapons, then decline them because they were all ¡°crap¡±.

    Her eyes widened in shock, then turned quickly to see Warabec¡¯s and Professor Wysaric¡¯s reactions. As expected, both old men were giving Joram a look that could boil water.

    After the dean announced the countdown, she grew even more tense.

    How could such a ridiculous thing happen to the most promising student the Academy has seen in who knew how long? Even though Joram had listed that he also had attainments in body cultivation, she was beyond worried.

    Body cultivation could only take a person so far in a fight. Magical cultivation was key, and she knew that Joram was lacking in that respect.

    The she gasped as Lord Arabanise¡¯s man dashed forward so fast that she could hardly keep track of him.

    Then blinked a few times to clear her eyes, giving them a good rub while she was at it.

    The spectators had gone dead-quiet for exactly the same reason she had.

    Joram stood where he¡¯d been standing the entire time, looking bored, while Lord Arabanise¡¯s man lay sprawled on the ground in front of time, face down on the stage.

    She couldn¡¯t find any words as Joram bent down and picked up the great sword in one hand, then planted the tip into the stone floor.

    ¡°To the death, right?¡± He called out to the dean, who nodded back.

    Young Lord Arabanise started shouting something, but cut off as Joram raised the sword in one hand and brought it down with such force that the blade, after having gone through the prone man¡¯s neck, shattered on the ground, sending shards of metal as far as the safety fields at the edge of the arena.

    Joram neatly sidestepped the fountain of blood that came from the corpse, never taking his eyes off his accuser as he spoke.

    ¡°Are we done here?¡±

    It took a moment for the dean to speak, but when he did, his voice was steady.

    ¡°The trial by honour duel is concluded. The accused will be cleared of all charges,¡± he said, giving Joram a nod before continuing. ¡°Now that that has been taken care of, I would ask that the new students please follow your seniors for orientation.¡±

    Lisette sat down on her seat, taking a deep, shuddering breath. She didn¡¯t know if that had been one of the most terrifying things she¡¯d ever seen, or the most amazing.

    * * * * *

    Bai Lian watched as her young master did something and ended the fight. She still couldn¡¯t sense the man¡¯s cultivation, but based on his speed, she would have guessed he was somewhere in the Earth Realm.

    It wouldn¡¯t have mattered though, as the young master was already in the Heaven Realm, a qualitative level higher than his opponent. Not to mention his amazing attainments in Mental Strength, or what he referred to as ¡°psionics¡±.

    Even she, coming from a background that was more martially focussed than those around her, was surprised at his strength when he shattered that great sword on the ground as he decapitated his challenger, ending the fight.

    She¡¯d seen Ren Wentian and others in the Heaven Realm who practiced body cultivation fight, so she had a decent data pool to go on when she said that the strength he showed was higher than normal for his Realm.

    She watched as he stood, back straight and head held high, as he asked for ruling. He was the picture of a heroic young master, shoulder length hair blowing back in the breeze, dignified in his victory.

    Bai Lian felt as though she¡¯d been energized, as though every fiber of her being was affirming her decision to follow that young man and support him in any way she could. Even her Qi was reacting in her dantian, growing denser and denser under the influence of that great and wondrous feeling.

    So great was it that she felt her dantian change, suddenly shrinking so fast that it briefly left a void in the place it had been moments before.

    * * * * *

    Joram turn away from the head stand and began to walk away when he felt unusual fluctuations coming from Bai Lian.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    He saw both Mo Yu and Wentian staring at her, looks of surprise on their faces, confirming for him that Bai Lian was going to made a breakthrough, even shackled as she was. Which was many levels of dangerous for her.

    As he sped to her, he noticed that her gaze seemed a bit glassy, as though she were a million miles away, making him think that she¡¯d had an epiphany of some sort, which meant that she wasn¡¯t likely going to be able to stop what was happening.

    Stoneface 1 just stood there, ignoring what was happening to Bai Lian even though he should have removed the sealing shackles once he¡¯d won the fight, another indication that the man was either corrupt or malicious, or both.

    He ignored the sorry excuse for an enforcement officer as he sped to Bai Lian, focussing the energy in his body that he¡¯d trained up as he practiced martial arts under Altaea, what her world had called Ki, which was different from mana.

    Joram arrived before Bai Lian, hands raised. Stoneface 1 seemed to want to do something, but wasn¡¯t fast enough to stop Joram as his hands came down, chopping straight through the shackles as though they were paper, sending the fragments clinking to the ground all around them.

    He quickly retried a Tier 2 Card from his storage, lifted her shirt up past her navel, and pressed it against her abdomen, just below her navel where one¡¯s core would normally be.

    Joram turned his head to give Stoneface 1 a warning glare as he approached, but was saved from needing to act when he heard the old man speak again.

    ¡°Release Mr Aneath¡¯s people at once,¡± he said in a commanding tone, allowing nothing but obedience.

    Joram could see Stoneface 1¡¯s jaw clench, the muscles rippling under his skin as a flash of frustration clearly passed over his face. But he obeyed, first going to Wentian, then to Mo Yu.

    Joram looked back to the old man and gave him a nod of appreciation, getting a kindly smile in return.

    The audience was once again in an uproar at what had just happened in the last ten seconds. He heard comments about how it was impossible to destroy restraining cuffs like that, to comments on how he moved, all the way to how rich he must be to be able to pull out a Tier 2 Card like that. The majority of the conversations, however, revolved around Bai Lian herself.

    They were in shock and awe at her being able to not only break through to the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier while attending the fight, but being able to do so while suppressed like that was unprecedented. He also caught some hate from instant fans of hers for being audacious enough to expose her like that in public and even going as far as placing his hands on her ¡°pure body¡±.

    After a minute of listening to that, and with no signs of Bai Lian¡¯s epiphany ending any time soon, he sent the other two a message.

    ¡®Wentian, come and carry Bai Lian. Mo Yu, could you please keep the Card in place while Wentian carries her?¡¯

    They immediately did as requested, Mo Yu¡¯s hand replacing his to keep the Card in place as Wentian lifted Bai Lian in a princess carry that also got him some ire from the audience.

    ¡°Now, please follow your seniors to the auditorium where orientation can finally take place,¡± the old man announced, instantly quieting the audience.

    Joram watched as the first years gathered up again, forming lines behind the designated guides. Stoneface 1 gave Joram one last look before leaving, heading towards Lord Arabanise and his son.

    He put them out of mind for now as he followed his line. Funny enough, no one else joined his line after he¡¯d gotten there, instead spreading out to the ones around him. That suited him well enough, though, as he was a bit overloaded with all the attention that had been on him.

    Quietly following along and then finding a seat helped him relax again, especially when he got a full five seats¡¯ worth of space around him as people continued to keep their distance. Though, not far enough for him to not hear their whispered conversations.

    There were two lines of conversation that were gone over regarding him and his group. The first revolved around varying speculation about how long it would take for the Arabanise family to arrange an ¡°accident¡± for him while also agreeing to keep their distance from him lest they get caught up in the drama and become collateral damage.

    The other revolved around how awesome it was that the Arabanise family had been brought down a few pegs, and how amazing ¡°Mr Aneath¡± was. The last part of the was also divided between two major points. The first, how amazing his abilities were and all that. The second revolved around how lucky he was to have two stunning beauties at his side.

    From the way Mo Yu looked ahead with a blank expression as she held the Card in place for Bai Lian, he was pretty sure she¡¯d heard those conversations too. And from how Wentian¡¯s head was bowed, his eyes staring into the distance, Joram guessed that the man felt a bit like a background character.

    ¡°On behalf of the Grand Waeryn Academy, I extend our gratitude and thanks for your enrolment,¡± a woman said from up front, standing on a stage behind a podium. She looked to be in her late twenties, garbed in the same robe-like clothing as the old man had been wearing.

    ¡°First, please retrieve your student cards and hold them in your hands,¡± she said, demonstrating by holding up a card with a black border.

    Joram retrieved his hard, then placed a hand on Bai Lian¡¯s storage ring and retrieved her card for her.

    A few seconds later, the speaker continued.

    ¡°A map of the campus has now been added to your cards. This will allow you to find your way to your individual residences, as well as the various buildings, classrooms, shops, labs, and facilities you¡¯ll need to find in the course of your studies.¡±

    She paused again, this time to allow everyone to play around with their maps for a minute or so.

    ¡°Speaking of studies. Classes begin in one week¡¯s time. Please take your time to familiarize yourselves with the campus, register for with the faculty or trade you wish to join, and acquire the supplies needed for the classes you register for.

    ¡°As you may have noticed, there is also a dress code in place that is mandatory for all students. You¡¯ll need to visit one of the clothing stores to pick up a uniform. You may want to pick up a spare or two to avoid being caught without one should you suffer a wardrobe malfunction,¡± she said, the audience quietly chuckling at the last part.

    ¡°Now, the Academy is aware that things can become costly during your time living on campus. There are various jobs throughout the Academy that students may work at to earn some crystals to ease their financial situations, or to purchase extra supplies.

    ¡°There is also a Quest Board that provides tasks for extra pay. Not everyone can take those requests, though. Anyone wanting to take a quest must first pass a qualification exam. If passed, you¡¯ll then be allowed to start taking quests. If you don¡¯t pass, you cannot take a quest. But you may take the qualification exam again, but after waiting a period of one month.

    ¡°Anyone found taking a quest without the requisite qualifications will be punished by the Enforcement Department. Please follow the rules of the Academy that you¡¯ll also now find in your student cards,¡± she said, once again raising her card to demonstrate.

    From there, she went on to explain the various departments and their primary functions as well as the sub-departments each contained.

    He was impressed with how much funding the Arrays Department had, but then realized that they were likely responsible for a good deal, if not all, of the magitech he¡¯d been seeing around.

    The Arrays Department was divided into three main sub-departments. The first was the Utility Department that focused on learning how to make arrays that revolved around quality of life improvements.

    The next was the Practical Department which, upon filtering through what was said, he¡¯d nickname the War Department. They focussed on combat arrays and spells and such.

    The last major sub-department was called the Guardian Department. Predictably, the focussed on defensive arrays and wards and such.

    She went on about the various other departments that were more academically focussed than magically focussed like business, history, political sciences, and tactics. He was surprised that they¡¯d go there considering the Academy was supposed to be a neutral entity and all.

    The speaker didn¡¯t say much about the refining departments, though, which annoyed him. He suspected that even though they were probably the most well-respected graduates, they were also the fewest in number, thus making them relatively small departments. Though, when he thought about it, their budgets were likely the highest in the Academy.

    After about an hour of the speaker explaining things they were dismissed with an invitation to head over to the cafeteria assigned to first years.

    Joram checked on Bai Lian again and found that she was still out of it and the Card was getting very pale in colour, indicating that its energy was about to be spent. He retrieved a few more cards from his Realm before surreptitiously passing them to Mo Yu, who then stored them away in her storage ring.

    With that done, he followed the crowd to the mess hall and found a small table off to the side to sit at.

    ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take her?¡± He asked Wentian, knowing that they were from the same Sect.

    ¡°Not sure,¡± he said with a slight shrug as he sat on the bench, cradling Bai Lian like a baby while Mo Yu sat beside them a bit awkwardly. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of Earth Qi in that card, yet it¡¯s almost been spent. I haven¡¯t sensed a reduction in draw, so it could be anywhere from an hour to days.¡±

    Joram nodded at that. If Bai Lian wasn¡¯t just breaking through to the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier, but also regaining her previous Rank in that Tier, then it really could take a while before she came out of her cultivation trance.

    He snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed the two glancing at the food line every now and then, then remembered that they¡¯d not likely eaten since breakfast. He got up as Mo Yu replaced the Card for Bai Lian and stopped dead.

    ¡°Hi! I noticed that you had a crafting student card too. My name¡¯s Alicia, can I join you?¡± A blue-haired woman asked as she stood by their table, food tray in hand.

    Joram took a hot second to take in her details, from her casual clothes that complimented her figure very well to her sapphire blue hair and emerald green eyes, to the face he¡¯d recognize anywhere.

    ¡°Ah, sure, go ahead,¡± he said, not quite understanding why she was pretending to not know them, but was at least able to play along.

    ¡®Just go with it,¡¯ he sent to the confused pair, who glanced at him before looking back to the new person at their table.

    Avi/Alicia smiled happily as she took a seat across from Wentian and started chatting with them as she ate.

    Joram just shook his head and made his way to the line, grabbing three trays on the way. The line in front of him compacted slightly once they noticed him standing there, and those behind him stayed a bit further back than what was normal. He supressed a sigh.

    It wasn¡¯t that he was annoyed or depressed by the lack of social contact. No, it was that he was now the focus of wherever he was that bothered him. He¡¯d have much preferred being ignored, or preferably, anonymous. But that damn kid just had to ruin things because of an overabundance of pride and entitlement.

    The staff serving the food noticed the unusual behaviour of the students in line, giving them odd looks. When it was time for him to get the food, they added a bit more to his trays than they had to everyone else¡¯s, giving him nods of encouragement and solidarity.

    He just about teared up then, suddenly struck by their simple gesture of support and kindness.

    He nodded back to them before heading back to the table and noticed that the tables surrounding theirs were now full. Specifically, the tables closest to ¡°Alicia¡±.

    Joram couldn¡¯t help but crack a smile at the sight. He knew that she was a level of beautiful that rivalled legends of old. Seeing the first-years flocking to her, male and female, made it really sink in for him. If Mo Yu¡¯s beauty had already caused a stir their very first day amongst the student body, then Alicia would certainly cause a hurricane.

    * * * * *

    After dinner, the group headed out, Wentian still carrying Bai Lian, much to the envy of her fanbase.

    Alicia followed Joram¡¯s group as a flock followed her, chatting away. She noticed Joram¡¯s stiff back and knew that he was almost completely socially tapped out from the goings on of the day.

    Joram then consulted his map and began walking with more purpose in his step. It didn¡¯t take them long to arrive at his new, Chinese-style, residence. He turned and awkwardly waved to her, then hurried the Trio inside, closing the gate behind them.

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem so scary,¡± one girl said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself as much as assert her opinion.

    She got a few nods from other students, most of whom were dressed in clothing that wasn¡¯t as expensive as those who hadn¡¯t nodded.

    ¡°Miss Alicia,¡± one of the better dressed boys said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you know this, but Mr Aneath made a very dangerous enemy. It might not be safe to get close to him.¡±

    Alicia looked back at the kids that had followed her, noticing that most were nodding or verbally agreeing with the kid.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said, tilting her head slightly and bringing her hand up to her chin so that she could tap her index finger on her lips, drawing most eyes to them. ¡°He seems like an interesting person. Someone who might be worth getting to know.¡±

    A few people shifted uncomfortably when they heard that, but others looked thoughtful.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± she said, then yawned, raising her hand further so that she could cover her mouth with the back of her hand. ¡°It¡¯s late and it¡¯s been a long day. Have a good night, everyone.¡± She finished with a wave, getting waves and well-wishes in return as she walked to the next house over and passed through the gate.

    As she walked up to the house, she heard the group talking excitedly amongst themselves about how amazing her place was and how she must be rich. And wasn¡¯t she just a dream?

    Once inside, Alicia went around and inspected all the rooms and facilities, getting herself familiarized with the place. But also inspecting it for any bugs or spying devices. With how advanced the magitech was here, and how Joram had been introduced to the Academy¡¯s staff and student body, she was sure that they¡¯d be keeping an eye on him and anyone else the associated with.

    Including her.

    It didn¡¯t really matter too much, though. From the vibe the dean had given off, she was sure that he wouldn¡¯t let anyone run wild on his turf. The question, then, was just how far the dean would tolerate any shenanigans people got up to?

    Not having found anything suspicious, Alicia went upstairs and got ready for bed. It would be a long day tomorrow.

 Chapter 060

    *1346.02.01*

    Bai Lian woke up and yawned, stretching her arms out over hear head, hearing her joints pop as she did and noticing a pressure on her side and belly.

    She looked over and just about squeaked when she saw Mo Yu laying beside her, cuddle up to her chest, her left hand laying just below her navel.

    Her mind raced as her face turned scarlet.

    She wracked her brain, trying to remember what had happened.

    She recalled Joram¡¯s ¡°fight¡±¡­. But what happened after that? Her Qi had surged. Yes, she¡¯d been excited and supremely proud of her young master and of her decision to follow him, to help him however she could.

    With that sense of purpose had come a sense of clarity so profound that it took her into an epiphany.

    Her eyes widened suddenly, then just as quickly snapped shut as she drew her consciousness inwards to inspect her dantian.

    Bai Lian¡¯s joy at what she saw nearly caused her to weep. There, as solid as could be, was her dantian. She could feel the solid core of Qi at its centre, but was also awed at how much Earth Qi had condensed around it to completely hide that solid core of Qi under head clouds.

    She took her time feeling out those clouds of Earth Qi, getting a sense of their movements and how dense they really were. Her eyes nearly opened when she felt that surface of the solid core of Qi was¡­ attracting the clouds of Earth Qi, creating odd mists just above it.

    She couldn¡¯t help but smile, a wave of happiness shooting through her body, causing it to tremble slightly. Bai Lian then felt Mo Yu shift on her side, so she opened her eyes to see what was going on.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± Mo Yu said sleepily, rubbing an eye.

    Bai Lian felt her heart warm as the sight, her affection for Mo Yu growing.

    ¡°Good morning!¡± She said, excited as could be. ¡°I¡¯m back in the Earth Realm!¡±

    Mo Yu woke up a bit more as she sat up, happiness now taking the place of her sleepiness.

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± She said, reaching out a hand to help pull her into a sitting position. Her eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯re already at the peak?!¡± She demanded, her other hand now going over Bai Lian¡¯s, sandwiching it in the process.

    Bai Lian smiled, but was distracted by something sticking to her abdomen. She looked down and her eyes nearly popped out when she saw the Earth Card stuck to her skin. It wasn¡¯t the usual dark grey anymore, but now closer to the smoky quartz of a Mid-Grade Earth Crystal.

    Mo Yu saw what she was looking at and released Bai Lian¡¯s hand to pat her on the shoulder.

    ¡°The young master cared for you well,¡± she said with a smile, her tone warm.

    Which, to be fair, was a completely normal thing to say when someone provided a person with the resources they needed to stay well and healthy. Because, if her restriction shackles hadn¡¯t been removed she would have suffered a terrible backlash to her cultivation that might have killed her. Added to that, if she hadn¡¯t been provided with those Earth Cards, she still might not have properly broken back through to the Earth Realm.

    But the way Mo Yu had said what she¡¯d said, made it sound like the young master had gone above and beyond that. And that¡¯s what caused her face to turn red up to the roots of her hair.

    ¡°I¡¯m just teasing,¡± Mo Yu said, laughing softly. ¡°The young master may have provided the Cards to smooth the way for you, but it was Ren Wentian who carried you for the rest of the day,¡± she said, a twinkle in her eye.

    Just as she¡¯d been about to relax, Bai Lian tensed up again at hearing the last part, her face going red again in embarrassment.

    * * * * *

    Joram looked up at the ceiling, wondering why Bai Lian was having a meltdown, but then shrugged as he got back to playing with his student card.

    The speaker hadn¡¯t mentioned that they¡¯d added a course guide to their cards, but he was happy that it was there.

    He browsed through the various programs he was interested it, making notes on his laptop. He took his time comparing the various time slots of the classes he was interested in. He soon found another function, one that was truly helpful. The manual also came with a timesheet that you could interact with.

    If he selected slot one for the day, he could sort through the available courses offered in that time slot. Heck, he could even select his major and it would auto populate his schedule for him. So, he played around with that for a bit, seeing what he could fit in where.

    He was sorely tempted to fill his schedule past the standard five classes per term, but it wouldn¡¯t allow him. Which was fair, as Hugh had already told him about the course limit during registration.

    Which meant that he¡¯d have much more free time to do other things. Like, being social¡­.

    He sighed at that last thought, knowing that he would have to get himself out there to make friends with important people from Zhizun Zhanshi. He just wasn¡¯t looking forward to it. At all.

    Joram then considered how he would do that.

    The general stereotype was that they were a bunch of battle maniacs, only interested in honing their skills in battle, and crap like that.

    After having met the Trio, he was reasonably sure that that was an over generalization. Though, if Bai Lian¡¯s inability to find more than two people she considered ¡°good¡±, then he might have some trouble. But he then wondered if their group had been chosen because of their dispositions, and as a result the Trio had wound up becoming the minority in that group.

    He shook his head, ridding himself of the speculation. It wouldn¡¯t do him any good to think about it until he had more information.

    But he suspected that one thing still connected the two continents¡¯ way of thinking; and that was the respect of strength. You got respect if you were strong. People might not like you, but they¡¯d certainly respect you, even as they tried to stab you in the back. They¡¯d just be more careful about it.

    Which brought his mind back to the lordling. He was certain that he¡¯d cause problems for him in the future, likely sending people to harass the Trio, especially Mo Yu. It was a good thing that they were in the Network, as that would allow him to help them in emergencies.

    He started tapping the spot between his eyebrows with his index finger as he bowed his head in thought.

    He would need to get stronger again, which meant starting the next chapter in the Adamantium Body Technique. He had enough adamantium in storage now that he didn¡¯t have to worry too much about getting more. He was also sure that he could get more from the Academy, so there was that.

    Kinkade: Hey boss. All done with the replicators now.

    Joram: Thanks. Could you head to the cultivation cave and start setting up a place for the teleportation network? I¡¯ll also need you to work on getting the Clan network back up and running again.

    Kinkade: What? No vacation? Just work-work-work?

    Joram grinned at that.

    Joram: Well, you can take Asura if you¡¯d like, and do another round of the auction houses. Maybe bring a new product, like the [Body Purification] gems. I¡¯m sure that those¡¯ll also be in high demand. Maybe a few [Restore Extremity] gems while you¡¯re at it.

    Kinkade: Too right. Those should sell well. Think Asura and I could grow some bodies for that outing? I would really like to taste the refreshments this time.

    Joram: Clear that last part with Avi; you know it¡¯s her project.

    Joram felt Kinkade¡¯s acknowledgement before he once again faced into the background of Joram¡¯s awareness.

    Hmmm, maybe I¡¯ll head over to the Quest building and register¡­ Joram mused, then got up.

    ¡®Could you all meet me in the parlour when you¡¯re ready?¡¯ He sent to the Trio as he made his way there from the study.

    It only took a couple of minutes for everyone to gather.

    Wentian was back in his kung-fu-like clothes, these ones in varying light shades of earth tones. The other two were dressed as they usually did. Bai Lian in a robe that would be easy to fight in and Mo Yu in an outfit similar to the one she¡¯d worn for registration day.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to register as a quester,¡± he said once they¡¯d all taken their seats. ¡°I was wondering if any of you would like to register as well.¡±

    He got a chorus of agreement from them and smiled at their eagerness. He knew that Wentian was always ready to go, but Bai Lian¡¯s enthusiasm seemed to come out of the blue. Mo Yu, on the other hand, he could understand. She probably still had some pent-up frustration from the abuse she¡¯d suffered at the little shit¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s head over after getting a bite to eat,¡± he said as he stood, motioning for them to follow.

    As they left their place, Joram noticed Alicia leaving hers at the same time and smiled.

    She smiled back and waved, seemingly chipper in the morning. Well, given that she was now out and about, able to socialize with people outside of his Realm, he could understand her enthusiasm.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Good morning, neighbours!¡± She said as she joined their group as they headed to the mess hall. ¡°I didn¡¯t know we¡¯d be living right next to each other. Let¡¯s get along well!¡± She said, her whole presence exuding bubbliness.

    ¡°I look forward to it,¡± he replied with a slight bow, trying to hold back a wince. He wasn¡¯t sure why she¡¯d chosen a bubbly persona, but suspected that it was for the fun of it.

    The chatted about this and that as they walked, then ate breakfast. Joram was surprised to see even more people gather around them as they ate. Sure, a good deal of them were focussed on Alicia, but Mo Yu and then Bai Lian got their fair share too.

    What really surprised him were the ones who gathered around him. They ranged from people he¡¯d call MMA Nerds back home to actual fighters to more than a few young women trying to get his attention.

    For some reason, the people gathered around Wentian mostly patted him on the shoulder like bros.

    Joram ignored the weirdness and quickly finished his small breakfast. Even though he still had [Sustenance] running all the time, he still chose to eat a little bit at every meal. Not only would it arouse suspicion from those around him, but it also served to strengthen bonds between those at the table.

    Even though he finished his meal quickly, and the Trio followed suit, it still took a while to extract themselves from the enthusiastic first-years. It was both annoying because of the delay and slightly gratifying in an odd sort of way. Maybe things¡­

    Joram¡¯s eyes widened as he passed through the exit. The Trio was immediately on high alert as they sensed his tension and looked around for trouble. For his part, Joram immediately reached out and knocked on the wooden frame to stave of the disaster that he¡¯d nearly called down upon them.

    They gave him a weird look as he sagged in relief, not bothering to answer their questioning gazes. He didn¡¯t know if it was pure superstition or not, constantly kept in the Zeit Geist of humanity through the constants sharing of memes and tropes. And if this world had taken anything from Earth¡¯s culture, or rather, Earth had taken anything from it¡¯s culture, then he wanted to cover all his bases. It never hurt to be cautious.

    Alicia just laughed at him over the Network.

    Joram took a deep breath as they walked, letting it out slowly as he enjoyed the sun. It was much warmer this time of the year in this part of the world compared to where he¡¯d grown up. He would have called this a fine summer day back home. And, as if to emphasize his point, he spied many people walking around in casual summer attire. Sure, they were all first years who hadn¡¯t gotten their uniforms yet, but the point stood. It was a fantastic day.

    They soon arrived at the Quest building, an amazingly relaxed-looking structure that reminded him a bit of the Mediterranean back home. It was a sprawling two story building, with lots of windows and white walls. The entryway was wide and open, giving him the feeling of returning home.

    Which oddly contrasted to the rules the speaker had laid out the night before. With what she¡¯d shared, he¡¯d more than expected some gothic monstrosity that scared little children straight.

    Looking around the spacious lobby, Joram noticed several pin boards on the walls between the large windows. Above each was a difficulty level, ranging from F to SSS, reminding him of the popular adventurer¡¯s guild trope back home.

    Ah, this world never ceases to amaze, Joram thought with a sigh.

    ¡°Registration is over there,¡± an attendant said, motioning to their left and at the back of the room.

    Joram nodded his thanks and made his way to the counter, which was thankfully attended by a young man, breaking his expectations in a good way. If too many things coincided with pop culture back home, he¡¯d start questioning his sanity again.

    ¡°Welcome to the Quest Hall,¡± the young man said with a smile, taking in the whole group. ¡°Are you here to apply?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯d all like to apply, please,¡± he answered politely, getting a slightly surprised look in return.

    ¡°Well, that is certainly possible,¡± he said, nodding. ¡°Here, please fill out these forms. Once you¡¯re done, please hand them in an we¡¯ll get to processing them,¡± he said, handing out a magitech tablet to each of them.

    Joram murmured his thanks and led his group to a row of chairs where he promptly sat down and started to fill in the information.

    As he was doing so, he noticed Alicia retrieve her student card and tap it on the side of the tablet. He blinked when he noticed that her information was now almost all filled out. He ruefully retrieved his student card and did the same, seeing the relieved looks of the Trio as he did so. They then tapped their cards to the tablets, copying their information over.

    I¡¯m bloody clueless, he thought with another sigh, then got back to work.

    There were only a few sections to fill out after that. The combat section was easy enough, as it asked for simple things like what kind of experience he had, weapon preferences, attack spells, and defensive capabilities.

    Sure, he lied about most of what he put on there, but it was a simple enough task.

    At the end, it asked if he wanted for form an official questing party, so he asked them all through the Network.

    ¡®So, do you guys want to be a party?¡¯

    ¡®Yes!¡¯ Bai Lian sent with much energy.

    ¡®Yup.¡¯

    ¡®Certainly.¡¯

    ¡®Nah, I think I¡¯ll form my own party, but would it be OK to add me as someone who occasionally parties with you?¡¯ Alicia sent, raising her eyebrows at him.

    ¡®Yeah, no worries. I¡¯ll fill everything out on my end,¡¯ he sent back through the group chat, then filled in the rest of the form. Then paused at the last section.

    ¡®Ah, they want a party name,¡¯ he sent, not quite sure what to put. Even then, it was something they¡¯d all be known by, so he felt that he should ask before deciding it on his own.

    He just got four shrugs in return.

    His head dropped so far down that his chin hit his chest. In his mind, he was universally known as being terrible at naming things.

    Most of what came to mind came from the many videos games, books/other media, that he¡¯d consumed over the decades. The random names that popped into his head ranged from ¡°Rogue Squadron¡± to ¡°Fairy Tail¡±.

    He stored the tablet away in his storage ring, then leaned forwards and cupped his face in his hands, thinking for all he was worth.

    Ah, what will it be?! ¡°A-Team¡± is out, even though it would fit well enough. But there¡¯s too much cheese in there for me to take that seriously.

    ¡°Knights of the Old Republic¡± would be funny, seeing as how I can make arms and armour that basically haven¡¯t been seen since the Great Cataclysm. But that might also draw some unwanted or weird attention to us.

    ¡°Akatsuki¡± had a nice ring to it, but he didn¡¯t want to jinx them with how poorly the original turn out.

    ¡°All for One¡± sounded like it should be a boy-band or something, even though it was part of one of his favourite quotes.

    ¡°Familia¡± was nice, but sounded presumptuous given his soon-to-be teammates. Would a family really rely on Heart Oaths to make sure they stayed loyal?

    ¡®How about ¡°N7¡±,¡¯ Alicia asked suddenly, snapping him out of his thoughts.

    ¡®What that?¡¯ He asked, genuinely curious. Yes, it held a special place in his heart, but he didn¡¯t get why she suggested it.

    ¡®Well, think about it. They¡¯re the best trained group in their organization, enjoy the best equipment, they¡¯re all tough-as-nails, and they¡¯re all from different backgrounds; just like you guys,¡¯ she sent, making a lump appear in his throat. ¡®I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, but those two girls are more than committed to you, and even Wentian is coming around. I think it¡¯ll be quite fitting.¡¯

    Joram nodded at that, appreciating the sentiment along with the pep-talk.

    ¡®What¡¯ll you call yours?¡¯

    ¡®I was thinking,¡¯ she sent, then paused for dramatic effect. ¡®Specters.¡¯

    He face-palmed.

    ¡®Not going with ¡°Girl Teen Squad¡±?¡¯ He asked sarcastically, getting him an amused look for his effort.

    ¡®Don¡¯t worry about it,¡¯ she sent back, then filled in her team¡¯s name. He caught it out of the corner of his eye and laughed. Of course, she¡¯d choose that.

    Once they¡¯d all finished up, they went back to the counter and handed in their tablets one-by-one as the receptionist placed each above a small metal place, likely a reader of some sort, then placed them back under the desk.

    As soon as he finished, the looked up at them and spoke.

    ¡°With that done, the next time slot for an assessment if in an hour. If you like, you can wait here or head out and run some errands before returning.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Joram said, glancing at his companions. ¡°I think we¡¯ll be back shortly then.¡±

    The receptionist nodded, then waved the next group over as they left the Quest Hall.

    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± Alicia asked, tilting her head to the left slightly.

    Man, she¡¯d really getting into it, the thought, happy that she was having fun. He retrieved his AR glasses from his storage ring and turned them on.

    ¡°Ah, just wanted to enjoy the fresh air,¡± he said as he looked around. ¡°Anyone up for a stroll through the park?¡± He asked, pointing to a small park across from the Quest Hall.

    He received three happy affirmatives and one indifferent one, so he headed to the park, checking the time on his glasses so they wouldn¡¯t miss their appointment.

    * * * * *

    ¡°Targets confirmed.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? This is an unprecedented event. Never have more than one appeared at the same time.¡±

    ¡°Our agents were correct. I¡¯ve just confirmed it with my own eyes. They¡¯re the real deal.¡±

    There was a pause as the other person thought about it.

    ¡°Then proceed. We need as much information as we can about the targets so that everyone can be prepared.¡±

    ¡°What should we do about the extra baggage?¡±

    ¡°No need to worry about them,¡± the person said, laughing softly. ¡°The targets are all that matter.¡±

    ¡°For the People!¡±

    ¡°For the People.¡±

    * * * * *

    Mo Yu looked over at ¡°Alicia¡±, wondering what she was about. The young master had told them to just go along with it, but for the life of her she couldn¡¯t understand why it was necessary in the first place.

    She was having a hard time telling if it was Avi or Asura that walked with them. Both women looked so much alike that she¡¯d only been able to tell the difference between the two due to their hair colour. Now that ¡°Alicia¡± had shown up, looking exactly like the other two, she seriously wondered if they were triplets.

    But why hadn¡¯t she met this Alicia before? Had the young master been testing them somehow? Had they passed a certain threshold that had allowed for them to learn of Alicia¡¯s existence?

    Or was Avi or Asura playing some weird game? Was she ¡°undercover¡±, some sort of spy? But if that were so, then why attach herself to the young master like that. Wouldn¡¯t it be best to separate herself from them, keep her distance, so that she could infiltrate different circles?

    She blinked in surprise, then blushed a bit when she realized that the pressure she felt on her head was a hand.

    ¡°Hey, just enjoy the scenery,¡± Joram said, giving her that dazzling smile of his before letting his hand drop down again.

    ¡°Mmnmm,¡± she mumbled, then stepped quick to catch up.

    She noticed that Wentian had a slight grin on his face as he looked around at the flowers a bit too intently. What surprised her more was the look on Bai Lian¡¯s face, one that reminder her of a puppy that also wanted attention.

    Alicia, however, was up ahead dancing from flower to flower in her excitement to see and smell everything.

    Then something caught her eye, a glare from the bushes off to their right, but when she turned to get a better look, there was nothing there.

    She idly wondered if Garros had sent someone after them already, so she determined to keep vigilant. She knew that the young master could handle most things himself, but she wasn¡¯t too sure about Alicia. Bai Lian and Wentian were decently strong and could probably handle someone on the level of that enforcement officer they¡¯d been arrested by. But what if they sent someone in the Heaven Realm after them?

    As far as she knew, the young master had only recently broken through, so he should still be consolidating his gains and solidifying his foundation. That meant that she would have to be their shield, as she was at least at the 5<sup>th</sup> Rank of the Heaven Realm.

    She considered asking the young master to make her a weapon or a defensive treasure, but hesitated. She didn¡¯t want him to think that she was a greedy person, like those gold-diggers she¡¯d seen attaching themselves to promising talents or eligible young men from prominent clans.

    Mo Yu¡¯s brain briefly overloaded at the thought of her doing something like that with the young master, steam practically coming out of her ears. Her brain got kick-started again as she felt a hand press itself against her forehead, her vision coming back to her.

    Joram stood there, the back of his hand against her head and a concerned look on his face.

    ¡°Did you maybe catch a cold?¡± He asked in concern.

    She stepped back so quickly that her hair flew in front of her face. She quickly retrieved her sun hat and put it on, drawing the rim low to cover her face.

    ¡°No, just a bit too much sun, I think,¡± she said quickly, looking away.

    From the corner of her eye, she saw the young master adjust the glasses he¡¯d been wearing lately, then nod.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s about time we head back anyway,¡± he said, then motioned for everyone to follow.

    It didn¡¯t take them too long to get back to the Quest Hall and soon they were once again seated, but this time waiting.

    This time, though, the room was almost packed with applicants. What she found odd was that most of them weren¡¯t first-years like them. Had they suddenly gotten the desire to do quests for crystals? Or was it just that this was a popular time of year for people to sign up?

    She shook her head, choosing to instead to continue reading through the Academy¡¯s rulebook to pass the time. She was a bit proud of Bai Lian as she, too, pulled out her card and started reading. Though frowned when she saw Wentian continuing to stare at those around them, a slight frown tugging at the corners of his lips. Was he sizing up the competition for quests or something?

    Mo Yu dismissed those thoughts as she went back to reading the rulebook. It was important to know the ins-and-outs of things, after all.

 Chapter 061

    It must have been Mikzel¡¯s lucky day. Not only had the Quest Hall filled up on the first day the first-years were free to run their errands, but he¡¯d just met the two most beautiful women he¡¯d ever seen.

    Ahhh~~~, this is youth! This is life! He thought as the two beauties filled out their applications.

    He was a bit disappointed that the one with midnight black hair was not only going to be on that guy¡¯s team but was also his servant, but at least the sapphire haired beauty was going to be leading her own team. That way he¡¯d have more chances to speak with her!

    The young man¡¯s- Joram¡¯s- team name confused him, but Alicia¡¯s made his heart sink as its name could be taken in many ways that would end many of his dreams of romance.

    After sending them off while he set the time for their assessments, he called a few more people in to help with the assessment. If what Joram¡¯s servants had recorded was correct, then the standard assessments they had prepared for first years wouldn¡¯t be up to the task.

    He was also astonished beyond all measure that not just one Mentalist applied, but two! They were rare at the best of times and to have both not take support roles, but the team captain position, was unheard of.

    Normally, Mentalists served a support role when they joined a questing team, preferring to keep their fragile selves away from the action while their abilities tore through the enemies. Some could even provide their team with limited support buffs which made them even more valuable and thus kept at an even further remove from the front line.

    Mikzel shook his head, calling others up and going through the introductory speech, handing out tablets for their applications.

    He soon noticed that these were standard first years, nothing like Joram¡¯s group and Alicia who could immediately be C-Class and E-Class Questers. No, these were all F-Class, Tier 0 to Tier 1, at best.

    Then he started seeing some second years showing up, then even some third years, the lobby starting to fill even more.

    He was starting to get giddy with how many contribution points he was starting to rack up, silently thanking Collette for begging this shift off on him, when Joram¡¯s group returned with Alicia.

    His smile grew wider and his spirits soared as he beheld the two beauties, even seeing the attractive ¡°Quinn¡± who followed Joram like a shadow.

    His heart then stared to ache as he thought of his lonely life. Then it turned to envy thinking of how lucky Joram was. Not only did he have the looks to get on the Hero Ranking, he also had a one in tens of millions ability that many coveted that probably also allowed him to have so many beautiful women at his side.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    Mikzel snapped out of it when he heard the question, focussing on Joram and company.

    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± he said, then raised a hand to cover his mouth as he coughed lightly. ¡°Alicia? Could you please wait here for a bit while I take Team N7 for their assessment?¡±

    He sighed in relief when Alicia just nodded and stepped off to the side. He wanted to personally run her assessment after Team N7, as that would give him time alone with her.

    ¡°Team N7, please follow me,¡± he said, then waved at another receptionist to take his place.

    He led the way through the hall that led to the open courtyard they used for the assessments. It was an open space paved with almost black blocks of stone each ten feet across. There were also ward pillars set up in a circle towards the centre of the courtyard, creating a separate space that could be enclosed with force fields. Safety was important after all.

    On the sides of the courtyard were other miscellaneous devices, structures, and puppets that were also used to assess the would-be quester, testing their strength, agility, resilience, magic power, and such. It was all important in making sure the quester was able to handle anything they took on in relative safety.

    Even for Joram¡¯s team that had already been listed as a C-Class Team (confirmation still pending), he¡¯d start at the bottom, as it were. The letter grades for questers really only correlated to their Tier. F-Class was for Tiers 0 and 1, while E-Class was for Tier 2, D-Class for Tier 3, and so on. The fact that Joram had a Tier 5 Mage on his team, as well as two Tier 4s, meant that his team had gotten a bit of an initial- pending- boost.

    What was important, indispensable, to each class was its Rank. You could have an A-Class team, but if their Rank was still at 1, then not only would they not get the best quests available, but their reliability was considered low.

    A quester or a team was promoted to a higher Rank when they reliably completed the quests they undertook. Not only that, but there were many other considerations taken into account for Rank promotion.

    For example, the difficulty of the task. If it was a monster extermination quest that was considered tricky for their current Rank, then they¡¯d get extra ¡°points¡± added to their ranking pool. Or if, the heavens forbid, the monsters happened to be a much higher threat level than was reported and the team managed to survive or even overcome the situation, then more points would be allocated.

    Also, anything the quester or team did that went above and beyond the minimum that the quest required for completion would also get them an added bonus.

    Mikzel shook his head and got back to the assessment. He saw the other assessors and waved them over.

    ¡°Sanstros,¡± he said, motioning for the man to come forward, ¡°will be taking care of Moyra¡¯s assessment as she is already in the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier. Rayara here will assess both Quinn and Wentian over there,¡± he said, pointing to another part of the courtyard. ¡°I¡¯ll take you, Joram, over there and get started,¡± he said, then made his way over to where he¡¯d indicated.

    Once there, he activated the strike gauge, a magitech instrument that measured the power behind a strike.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re registered as a Mentalist, we¡¯ll need to know how well you¡¯re able to defend yourself, as well as how durable you are. We would be remiss if we sent you on a quest that might put your life in danger,¡± he said, going over the script.

    Joram gave him an odd look, but stepped past him and squared off in front of the strike gauge. After a moment, he looked over his shoulder at Mikzel and asked a question.

    ¡°Umm, is there a limit to how many times I can hit it?¡± He asked, looking slightly worried.

    Mikzel could understand his concern. If he didn¡¯t get a good reading, he probably thought that his assessment would suffer for it.

    ¡°No, feel free to try as much as you need to feel comfortable,¡± he said with much magnanimity.

    Joram nodded and turned around again, then threw a punch that seemed to lack confidence to even Mikzel¡¯s eye.

    Not surprisingly, the reading came up as T1R1, showing that the strike only registered as something an average Tier 1, Rank 1 mage could manage.

    Joram reset his stance, then struck again, this time getting a score of T1R9, making Mikzel¡¯s eyes widen. Then Joram began striking it repeatedly, alternating which hand he used with each strike.

    T2R3¡­

    T2R7¡­

    T2R10¡­

    T3R2¡­

    T3R5¡­

    T3R8¡­

    T3R10¡­

    T3R10.

    Mikzel¡¯s jaw was hanging slack as he watched the numbers go up with each strike, his eyes opening wider and wider until Joram¡¯s score plateaued and he stopped hitting the padded sensor plate.

    ¡°That should do,¡± Joram said, nodding to himself.

    Mikzel snapped out of his shocked state and managed to clear his expression back to neutral before Joram turned around again.

    ¡°Ahem,¡± he cleared his throat. ¡°That should do,¡± he said, then motioned for Joram to follow him over to the next measuring device, one that appeared to be a column of dark grey stone that stood seven feet in height.

    ¡°This will measure how much of an impact your Mental Strength will have on a target,¡± he said, motioning to the pillar. ¡°It will give a reading like the last device, grading the power of the attack. Again, the score is based on what an average Mentalist is capable of,¡± he said, then stepped back.

    Joram just looked at the pillar for a moment before he once again turned to regard him.

    ¡°Are we talking about abilities that directly target the mind, or ones that would cause physical damage?¡±

    Mikzel silently applauded the young man for asking a good question.

    ¡°The device is designed to measure both the pressure exerted by the Mental Strength targeting it as well as its concentration, not the damage it might do. It will display a number like the last device, but this number will have a specific colour determined by the concentration of Mental Strength it detects.¡±

    Joram frowned at this, then turned back to regard the pillar for a minute before the first reading was displayed, appearing on a flat surface near the top of the pillar.

    T1R3, red.

    Both Mikzel and Joram frowned at that. From Joram¡¯s application, he should have been a peak Tier 3 Mentalist, but the pillar seemed to disagree.

    He noticed Joram¡¯s eyes narrow slightly before another score popped up, this time reading T2R7, green.

    Mikzel sighed in relief. It seemed that Joram had taken it easy for his first try much like he¡¯d done with the strike gauge. Then he remembered what had followed and steeled himself.

    T3R2, blue¡­

    T3R4, green¡­

    T3R6, blue¡­

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    T3R8, blue¡­

    T3R10, violet.

    Mikzel waited for a few more seconds, wondering if Joram would continue trying. He got his answer when Joram turned around and gave him a weak grin.

    Ah, he must have used a lot of Mental Strength to do that, he thought as he nodded at Joram encouragingly.

    ¡°That¡¯s an amazing result,¡± he said, clapping Joram on the shoulder and wincing, startled by how solid the boy was.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Joram replied, still looking a bit wilted.

    ¡°All right, then let us make our way to the combat dolls,¡± he said, leading Joram over to where a couple of the dolls stood, waiting to be activated.

    As he walked over, he took the chance to have a peek at how the others were doing.

    Moyra was already sparring with a combat doll, her hair flowing gracefully about her as she shifted between attacking and defending, ever moving. He took a deep breath, realizing that he¡¯d forgotten to breath.

    He then looked to where Rayara was just finishing with Quinn and Wentian¡¯s magical testing. Rayana seemed to be in a good mood as she led them to the Tier 4 combat dolls, so they¡¯d likely had decent results.

    ¡°OK,¡± he said, stopping in front of a Tier 4 doll. ¡°This doll will test your hand-to-hand combat ability while measuring your defense as it strikes you,¡± he said. ¡°Given that your strikes have the ability to damage a Tier 3 doll, we¡¯ll be using a Tier 4 doll instead. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll adjust its combat strength down to mid Tier 3,¡± he said to assure Joram as his eyes widened in surprise.

    If he were in Joram¡¯s place, he too would have had reservations about going up against a Tier 4 combat doll. Those things were no joke, even if this one was only a Low-Grade doll; the weakest grade for a doll.

    ¡°Ah, no worries,¡± Joram said as he turned to the combat doll and got ready.

    Mikzel¡¯s opinion of the lad continued to grow. He¡¯d assessed hundreds of people over the years and had been witness to false bravado more times that he cared to count, so he knew it when he saw it. But what he got from Joram was genuine confidence that bordered on insouciance. He was so relaxed that Mikzel¡¯s expectations of what he¡¯d see involuntarily rose.

    He walked over to the doll and retrieved the control rod from a small holster on the doll¡¯s right arm, then adjusted its strength to the appropriate level before stepping away to watch.

    As soon as he was far enough away, Mikzel called a start to the spar.

    His jaw dropped again when Joram dashed forward at the same time as the doll, meeting it halfway before exchanging blows with it. He watched as their pace increased until Joram started to outpace the doll, more and more of his strikes landing.

    Fascinated, Mikzel slowly adjusted the doll¡¯s strength higher and higher until it reached Tier 3, Rank 10, the highest it could go before its strength jumped to Tier 4.

    And yet Joram not only kept up with it, but slowly, ever-so-slowly, he started to exceed the doll¡¯s speed, once again landing blows from not just his hands, but also his feet, elbows, and knees. The speed of the combat was at the point where his Tier 3 senses were having difficulty seeing their movements, their strikes appearing to blur.

    ¡°Holy stars,¡± Sanstros said from beside him, shocked. ¡°Isn¡¯t he supposed to be a Mentalist?¡±

    Mikzel could only nod in response. He noticed Moyra also watching the spar from beside Sanstros, eyes sparkling.

    ¡°Hey, that should be good,¡± Rayara suddenly spoke up from his other side. ¡°You don¡¯t want to accidentally injure the kid if he slips up because he¡¯s exhausted, do you?¡±

    Mikzel snapped out of his daze and quickly de-activated the doll mid-strike. That might have been a mistake, as Joram¡¯s kick then connected with it, sending it flying back a dozen feet to land in a heap.

    Joram¡¯s eyes were wide as he looked at the group staring at him, a blush slowly rising across his cheeks.

    Mikzel looked down at the control rod and read the results, the read them again.

    The results displayed were nonsensical.

    Successful Strikes: 1.32%

    Strikes Received: 94.693%

    Foe Estimate: T4R1

    Foe Defense: Error.

    The first result recorded how many of the doll¡¯s attacks landed out of those it made. The second result measured how many attacks were made against it and how many of those attacks struck home. The third result was self-explanatory, really. It was the fourth reading that didn¡¯t make sense.

    ¡°Hey,¡± he said, motioning Sanstros and Rayara over to have a look at the readings. ¡°Have you ever seen the last one?¡± He asked, indicating the offending result.

    ¡°Either it¡¯s broken,¡± Rayara said with an odd look on her face, ¡°or it couldn¡¯t get a proper reading.¡±

    Sanstros nodded his agreement as Joram walked back, still a bit red-faced, and stood by his team.

    Mikzel nodded along then shook his head.

    ¡°Is everyone done then?¡± He asked the other two assessors, getting nods of affirmation in return. ¡°Then we¡¯ll call it there. We¡¯ll enter your evaluations into the system and your classifications will be updated on your student cards no later that tomorrow morning,¡± he finished, then motioned for them to follow him back to the lobby.

    As he walked, he took the time to calm himself. It had been a ridiculous assessment by any measure, but he now understood why Joram had applied as the team leader instead of having Moyra take it. As nonsensical and counterintuitive as it was for a Mentalist to have such outrageous results, it meant that Joram¡¯s team was likely to remain firmly in C-Class.

    Once back in the lobby he waved goodbye to Team N7 and waved Alicia forward. He was not only looking forward to one-on-one time with her, but also a more standard assessment after Joram¡¯s ridiculousness.

    * * * * *

    Ah, that was rough, Joram thought as he led the Trio out of the Quest Hall and back towards their home.

    The first test had been easy enough, as it just required him to adjust how hard he hit the sensor. Easy.

    The next one had annoyed him, though. He¡¯d used a level one Power, un-augmented, to get a feel for what it would do.

    Nothing. Nadda. Zilch. Zero.

    He¡¯d then augmented the power with a good ten power points and only managed to finally get it to register.

    Then he remembered that Mentalists relied on quantity over quality here. From there, he¡¯d just literally shot out a mass of raw psionic power into the pillar. He¡¯d adjusted and repeated the process until he reached the peak of Tier 3, then ended it there, frustrated that he¡¯d had to use such a crude device and was embarrassed to the point where he just wanted to shift back to his Realm and hide in his shop.

    The last test had been the most fun. He¡¯d been able to shake off the cobwebs and get back into it. He hadn¡¯t had a good spar since before being reborn. He didn¡¯t count his sessions with Gramps, as those had been more beating sessions than anything else.

    He¡¯d had so much fun that he¡¯d lost himself in the rhythms of attack and defense had accidentally kicked the doll harder than he¡¯d wanted to when it suddenly stopped. He had feared that his kick had damaged the doll, and that they¡¯d ask him to pay for its repair fees. Thankfully, the receptionist was more interested in his results than the doll, so he¡¯d just slipped over to the Trio and tried to blend in.

    As straightforward as the assessment had been, it had wound up being a bit stressful for him. He hadn¡¯t had to keep what he could do a secret for a few years now, and he had gotten used to the freedom that came with that.

    ¡°So, how¡¯d everyone do?¡± He asked the Trio as they returned home, taking seats in what he¡¯d call the living room.

    Wentian and Bai Lian exchanged looks and a shrug. ¡°We¡¯re both in the C-Class. It was expected, though,¡± Wentian said, replying for them both.

    ¡°I was assessed at B-Class,¡± Mo Yu added in.

    His interest was piqued with how blas¨¦ their reactions were.

    ¡°Do you have a similar system where you¡¯re from?¡± He asked, leaning forward in interest.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Bai Lian said, eager to share. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why the Academy calls theirs the Quest Hall, but the Adventurer¡¯s Guild spans both continents. Their ranking system is the same, even down to their classifications and point system for determining which jobs you qualify for.

    ¡°Their assessment and subsequent licensing are even recognized by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, giving you the same treatment and access to job postings as any of their regular members.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that?¡± He asked, a bit surprised.

    ¡°I read the pamphlet,¡± she replied as she held up said pamphlet.

    ¡°So, what? This is basically just getting us a foot in the door?¡± He asked, almost offended by the idea.

    ¡°No,¡± Wentian said, shaking his head. ¡°It looks like the Academy just trains you better. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild just gives you your classification, rank, and leaves you to your own devices. The Quest Hall seems a bit more involved with how they approve any request you want to take.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± he said, rubbing his chin in thought. ¡°Guess they¡¯re a little more invested since they¡¯d be hemorrhaging crystals if they let their students take quests they aren¡¯t qualified for and they die because of it.¡±

    ¡°That is my thought on it,¡± Mo Yu agreed.

    Joram nodded, then changed the subject.

    ¡°I need to start on the next step for my body refinement technique, so I¡¯ll need to be in seclusion for a little bit. Do any of you need any cultivation resources while I¡¯m indisposed?¡±

    The Trio exchanged uncomfortable looks, making him a bit exasperated.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t mind. Instead, it helps me to help you. The stronger you¡¯re able to get, the more help you¡¯ll be to me,¡± he said, trying to explain it in a way that would get them to let go of their pride and accept the help.

    ¡°That isn¡¯t quite it,¡± Mo Yu said, taking the lead for them. ¡°It¡¯s just that our cultivation techniques aren¡¯t¡­ as advanced as the one you seem to be cultivating,¡± she said, managing to not sound jealous. ¡°We also require specific resources to help us progress further.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I asked for copies of your cultivation techniques,¡± Joram said with a flat smile. ¡°Make up a list, and I¡¯ll get Kinkade and Asura to have a look for them while they¡¯re out.¡±

    Bai Lian was already writing before he finished. Mo Yu nodded and started her own list, but Wentian took a minute before starting on his. It seemed as though he was still hesitant to reveal the secrets of his Sect to an outsider, even one he¡¯d sworn himself to.

    Once they were done, he took the lists and shifted them to Kinkade along with a request for him to look for the stuff while he was out and about.

    ¡°If you need anything while I¡¯m indisposed, please let Avi know,¡± he said as he waved goodbye to them, getting nods in return before he shifted back to his Realm.

    He appeared beside Grammy¡¯s hospital bed and took in her resting form. The readings still hadn¡¯t changed from when he¡¯d first visited her, showing stable life signs, but little else.

    He¡¯d researched various ways to help restore a person¡¯s Knowledge Sea after it had sustained critical damage, but found that the natural treasures that could do something like that were vanishingly rare. Even if he gave her a Meridian Reforming Pill, it wouldn¡¯t do her any good as she needed to consciously direct the reformation of her meridians.

    Joram kicked himself as he looked at Grammy¡¯s still broken form. He¡¯d been so focussed on restoring her Knowledge Sea and cultivation that he hadn¡¯t thought about making things easier on her body. To ease her physical discomfort.

    He looked at the many machines hooked up to her to keep her body stable and sighed. He wasn¡¯t sure why Avi hadn¡¯t thought of this, or why she hadn¡¯t done it if she had, but he was going to do it.

    [Restore Extremity], contrary to what its name implied, didn¡¯t just regrow an amputated body part, but would also repair or regrow damaged organs and such.

    So, he carefully removed the coverings that were in place to hide the scarred-over damage that had been done to her, taking care to not jostle her more than strictly needed. He re-covered her as he finished, not wanting to keep her wounds in sight.

    It was an emotionally difficult task even though he¡¯d already ¡°seen¡± the injuries when he¡¯d [Delve]d her. Seeing the puckered up skin that had healed over the ends of her legs, which ended above the knee was hard. It was the same for her arms and the left side of her chest where she¡¯d lost a breast in the fight. An attack had taken her right eye along with part of her face and right ear.

    If the one who¡¯d done this hadn¡¯t already been killed by Avi¡­. Well, the anger from seeing such grievous wounds was sufficient that he was sorely tempted to use [True Resurrection] on the bastard just so that he could kill him again. Then do it again.

    He took a few calming breaths to lower both his heartrate and blood pressure. Doing such a thing was meaningless. Even if it might allow him to vent his anger, it would also train him to lash out when he was angry. It would also give him a precedence to repeatedly torture and murder someone because he¡¯d lost his temper. Which, in his mind, was in no way acceptable.

    Once done, he looked down at her again and readied himself. Since she was still in his Network, he didn''t need to touch her for the Power to work, but he did so anyway. He laid his hands upon her head and drew forth the necessary psionic power to manifest [Restore Extremity].

    The results were virtually instantaneous. Her arms shot into existence, along with her face, breast, and legs; showing perfect form and skin when her legs caught on the blanket as they formed and pulled it down to her waist. He quickly covered her again, murmuring his apologies to her all the while.

    Joram then removed most of the now redundant tubes and IVs from her, placing them to the side. She wouldn¡¯t need anything else considering that the bed had been enchanted with [Sustenance], which provided her with what her body would need to sustain itself.

    He looked over to the terminal that had the holographic display of her body and was pleased that it had updated itself to show her now restored body.

    Then another thought occurred to him, making him turn back to her. On a whim, he manifested [Cleanse Spirit] on her, fully augmented. Much like [Restore Extremity], its name was a bit misleading. He wasn¡¯t sure if it would do anything since it was a power designed to restore temporary or permanent ability drain or damage, lost levels, and healed permanent confusion or insanity¡­.

    He nearly smacked himself, but instead reached out and [Delve]d Grammy. He could feel subtle changes occurring in her body, so he passed off [Delve] to M3 and quickly sent his consciousness into her shattered Knowledge Sea.

    After studying it for a few minutes, he was sure that some of the larger pieces of her shattered Knowledge Sea that had cracks along their borders had partially mended. Those cracks were no longer as pronounced as they had been, giving him a surge of hope.

    He immediately had M4 manifest [Cleanse Spirit] again and watched for any changes. Then had M4 do it again, then again.

    Each subsequent manifestation of [Cleanse Spirit] seemed to have an exponentially diminishing effect on her Knowledge Sea, causing disappointment to crash home.

    He shook that off almost immediately, though. If [Cleanse Spirit], a 6<sup>th</sup> level Power, could do that much for her Knowledge Sea, then what could at 9<sup>th</sup> level Power do for it?

 Chapter 062

    Joram stood there, reprimanding himself repeatedly for being such an idiot.  He¡¯d let himself fall into the mindset, mentality, of the Mentalists of this world.  A world where psionic knowledge was at such an elementary level that he was surprised they could do anything at all.  They just used brute force to do what they needed to do, throwing power at it until whatever they were trying to do succeeded.

    He sent a prayer to Altaea asking for her forgiveness for having forgotten what she¡¯d taught him.

    He then focussed his attention back on Grammy¡¯s Knowledge Sea, taking in the slightly less damaged pieces.  They seemed to be ¡°firing¡± more frequently, the scenes they showed less chaotic.  He then started looking through the myriad of fragments, trying to find edges that matched.

    He knew that it was a bit of a ridiculous thing to do, as her broken Knowledge Sea wasn¡¯t really a messed-up jigsaw puzzle to be put back together again.  No, it was levels of magnitude more complex than just finding matching corners, as he was sure that the edges were missing fragments so small they had already dissipated.

    He also had to ¡°feel¡± the edges.  Each one had a different¡­ flavour that would need to be matched up to its corresponding flavour on another piece before he could try to do anything about it.

    It took a long time before he found what he thought to be his first matching pieces.  He sighed in relief.  If this worked, then he really might be able to help Grammy.

    Joram felt himself take a deep breath as he first decided to manifest [Psychic Chirurgery], then did so.

    He reached out with the Power and took hold of the pieces he¡¯d identified and brought them together.  He observed as they seemed to fuse back together, his own psionic power filling in the minute gaps where the fragments had either degraded or lost somewhere along the way.

    What happened next was a bit out of his expectations, but was wholly welcome.

    Other small fragments began to be pulled to each other, fusing one by one to create larger fragments.  Then the process slowed, and stopped entirely, leaving almost all the other pieces unaffected by the Power.

    But it was progress.

    He compared what he had observed to what M3 had while maintaining [Delve].  He wasn¡¯t sure if he was seeing something because he wanted to, but he thought that there might now be something here.  If he wasn¡¯t wrong, then there were now a few spots where pieces of Grammy¡¯s Knowledge Sea and her neurons now firing in sync.  Well, sometimes fired in sync.

    Joram withdrew his consciousness and let go of [Delve] and took a step back.  He checked the time and found that a few hours had passed since he¡¯d come here.

    His mind swirled with indecision.  He could spend the next few days before classes started restoring Grammy¡¯s Knowledge Sea as best he could, or take it slow.  He also needed to assimilate the next few ingots of adamantium so that he could progress the Adamantium Body Technique further now that he¡¯d stepped into the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier.  And the sooner he did that, the better the results would be.

    He hmm¡¯d and hawed for a minute before deciding to have M3 leave off working on [Genesis] and instead help Grammy.  It might take longer for the new [Genesis] to be completed, but he was willing to take the setback for her.

    With that decided, he had M3 refocus himself on Grammy through the Network.  He could use [Psychic Chirurgery] over the Network, allowing Joram to physically be elsewhere while M3 worked.

    With that done, he shifted back to the prime material plane, Dovaynia, and sat down in the Otaku-non.  There wasn¡¯t anyone else around, as most of the survivors still felt safer in the Realm, so he had the place to himself.  So, he took the precaution of stripping down to his skivvies and placing it all in storage, not wanting to risk his clothing or AR glasses.

    He then retrieved two ingots of adamantium from storage and held each one in a hand.  It was such an amazing metal that he couldn''t help but stare at it for a while.  He mentally reviewed the next step in the technique and nodded to himself before activating the assimilation sequence, ¡°clicking¡± the Yes button as it appeared.

    Joram felt as his psionic matrix reached out and enveloped the ingots, then brought it into his being.  He had his eyes open this time, so he was privy to the sight of the black sludge-like goop starting to seep out of his pores.  Then his vision started to grow blurry, so he concentrated on seeing through his sphere of perception provided by [Touchsight].

    He almost wished he hadn¡¯t.

    The black stuff, impurities being expunged from the body, was also coming out of his eyes this time.  He could feel his body as its structure changed and shifted, and it felt¡­ weird.  A bit painful, but also a bit like that feeling of something crawling under your skin when you get the heebie-jeebies or experience something so mentally revulsive that your body reacts to it.

    He also noticed that he grew again, gaining another two inches, his frame filling out a bit.  Now that he truly looked like a bean pole, he decided that he¡¯d need to spend time building his muscles up between classes, practical, and studying.

    The process finished much sooner than expected, so he activated [Cleanse] to rid himself of the goop.  Then he remembered his first test after he first started the Adamantium Body Technique and grinned.

    He retrieved the dagger that Wentian had opened-up his forearm with and unsheathed it.  He only hesitated for a moment before gently running it over his own forearm.  Aside from shaving his arm a bit, a change from last time, it did nothing.

    Taking a bit of courage from that, he pressed the blade against his skin.  Aside from a slight depression, nothing happened.  So, he pressed a bit harder, this time pulling the blade across his skin as he did so.

    Still nothing.

    That brought a smile to his face for more than one reason.  He then stored the dagger away again, then retrieved another dagger.  This one was what he¡¯d call a +2 dagger without any other enchantments on it.

    He repeated the test, much to the same results.  He swapped daggers again, this time for a +3 version and tried again.

    This time he drew a bit of blood as he pulled the dagger across his skin.  He frowned at that, but was then fascinated as the skin quickly closed up as he watched.  Sure, he¡¯d expected it to happen since it was one of the benefits of this stage of progress, but to see it happen when he hadn¡¯t manifested a power to heal himself was something else.

    The manual described it as ¡°accelerated healing¡±, what he¡¯d equate to ¡°fast healing¡± if he were playing a tabletop RPG with his buddies.  Especially since Altaea had written the manual.  He wasn¡¯t going to experiment further by chopping off a finger or something, though, because the healing factor hadn¡¯t been described as ¡°regeneration¡± by Altaea.  Meaning that it wouldn¡¯t help him regrow a limb.

    Yet.

    He then took a bit of time to feel at the changes in him with his consciousness.  The manual had described an increased affinity for the Laws of Lightning, Fire, and Metal, but he wasn¡¯t at the point where he could feel those laws, so he¡¯d have to wait on that.

    It also mentioned that he¡¯d become more resilient to spells cast by weaker mages.  His brain translated that to ¡°spell resistance¡±.  He didn¡¯t know how resistant he¡¯d become, but he was sure that he¡¯d eventually find out.

    He could also feel that he¡¯d become inherently stronger, his movements feeling much lighter than before.  Again, he wasn¡¯t sure how much had changed there, but he¡¯d find out when he started his muscle training.

    Ah, now for the annoying part, he groused, then slowly stood up.  He was careful of not only his balance, but also of how he moved.  With his strength increasing by an unknown amount and the length of his limbs changing, it made for a dangerous endeavour.

    After only falling a few times, and only one faceplant, he felt relatively comfortable moving about.  Heck, he even felt somewhat confident that he wouldn¡¯t trip and fall on his face when out and about.

    ¡°Welp, may as well get to testing,¡± he muttered to himself, then shifted to one of his material storage warehouses.

    He made his way down the aisles until he got to the blocks of lead.  Each one was fifty kilograms so should give him a good idea of where his strength was at now.

    Joram grabbed one of the ingots and hefted it, surprised at how light it felt.  He then gave the ingot a squeeze and watched at it mashed like puddy between his fingers.  He put it down again, thinking.

    With how it light 50kgs felt to him, he¡¯d need¡­.  A crap tonne of lead.  Maybe osmium?  Bah, he didn¡¯t have enough of that.

    ¡®Hey, Avi?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Have you messed around with artificial gravity yet?¡¯

    There was a slight pause before she answered, piquing his curiosity.

    ¡®Some.  Why?¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯ve just finished the next phase of the Adamantium Body Technique¡­¡¯ he then explained his thoughts on, and his desires to build up his muscle mass.

    ¡®It shouldn¡¯t take too long to make a training room for you,¡¯ she said, amusement clear in her tone.  ¡®Maybe you should have named your team the ¡®Z Fighters¡¯, eh?¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t begrudge her that shot seeing as how that¡¯s exactly where he¡¯d gotten the idea from.

    ¡®Could you also keep an eye out or more osmium?  I¡¯ll need it for my resistance training.¡¯

    ¡®Oh?  Well, it just do happens that I came across an interesting metal I¡¯ve never heard of before,¡¯ she said, then explained how she¡¯d found it while prospecting, then had proceeded to refine, shape, and store it.  She also told him that she¡¯d asked Megami to experiment with it, and was still waiting to get a progress report from the smith.

    ¡®Oh, well, that sounds like it might be a good material for resistance training,¡¯ he sent, rubbing his chin in thought.  ¡®Yeah, could you have some equipment made up?¡¯

    Avi left the conversation after giving an affirmative, leaving Joram alone in his thoughts again.

    He looked down at himself, taking in the changes.  It wasn¡¯t too pronounced, but it was all but guaranteed that people who¡¯d seen him before would notice his ¡°growth spurt¡±.  He sighed, not looking forward to the inevitable questions that would come.

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    After getting dressed and checking the hour, Joram determined that he still had some free time.  With nothing else to do that begged his attention, he started comparing notes with M4.

    Joram was impressed with the progress and the direction it was taking.  If all things worked out, then a demiplane created with the new [Genesis] would be orders of magnitude easier to manipulate, with several times more options than before.  If he was being honest with himself, it was more than a little daunting to see just how customizable the created demiplane would be.

    If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, which was ridiculous because M4 was him, then one of the features included was the ability to manifest the power again while inside the demiplane to expand it.  Well, that was already a feature.  But his expansion would allow for a second¡­ land mass to be created and set to grow.

    Effectively, he¡¯d be able to create ¡°moons¡± for his initial ¡°planet¡±, giving each of them their own¡­ attributes.

    No wonder it was taking so long for the new power to be completed.  The sheer complexity of it was staggering.

    Joram decided then that as soon as M3 was done restoring Grammy to the best of their ability, he would get back to [Genesis] to help M4.

    In the meantime, maybe he¡¯d work a bit on some alchemy.  If he could get proficient enough, then maybe he could work on a Meridian Reforming Pill for Grammy.

    * * * * *

    After setting a crew of droids to start construction on Joram¡¯s new workout room, Avi turned back to her work.

    She was back in her lab, specifically her bioengineering lab, working on one of the sets of gene sequences Altaea had left in one of her databases.

    Avi wasn¡¯t exactly sure why Altaea had left so many genetic profiles for her and Joram, but she suspected that it had something to do with Joram¡¯s request to become like her.  If Avi wasn¡¯t wrong, then Altaea hadn¡¯t just stopped at transforming Joram into a High Elan and training him in the ways of psionics.

    No, she¡¯d also provided what she could from each of the unique universes she¡¯d found herself in after she¡¯d been¡­ shattered into lesser versions of herself.  Some of what she¡¯d provided, well, the vast majority of it, was information related to tech and how to safely replicate it.  How to build an FTL engine, a hyperdrive, advanced metallurgy, circuitry, programming, energy theory and application.  Enough to rebuild more than a handful of civilizations from scratch.

    As mentioned before, she¡¯d also left genetic information, how to manipulate it, how each and every variable interacted and changed other variables, and how to grow them.

    That was how Avi had been able to grow the body she¡¯d transferred into.  And that was how she was now growing individual stem cells in a fabricator/incubator.

    She still wasn¡¯t sure if she really wanted to go this route.

    Altaea had, both according to the memories she¡¯d left for Avi as well as Joram¡¯s stories, come across several exceptional species.  Or, rather, her other selves had.  Each one had then assimilated the traits of those species and had gained¡­ a lot.

    This was why she hadn¡¯t been sure about starting to cultivate the Adamantium Body Technique.  She was reasonably sure that it would make it harder to assimilate the stem cells to gain the traits that she wanted.

    But, then again, Joram hadn¡¯t seemed to have any issues assimilating the Heavenly Lightning Jade Dragon¡¯s- and the phoenix¡¯s- samples¡­.

    She sighed, then reviewed the growth data, frowning.  It wasn¡¯t quite there yet, but she was confident that she was close.  Avi then saved the results before purging the samples, incinerating them with a blast of plasma before starting over again.

    She¡¯d soon need to delegate this work to Asura when she wasn¡¯t out earning crystals for them.  Expenses were already high, especially with Joram¡¯s need for more adamantium in the future as well as the extra materials they¡¯d need for practical labs at the Academy.  And their cultivation resources.  And the Trio¡¯s cultivation resources.  And the cost of funding the reconstruction efforts of the Clan and Brightside.

    Avi sighed.

    Maybe she¡¯d have Joram make an enchanted blade that Kinkade and Asura could bring to auction.  If the Trio were correct, then it might even fetch more than one of the healing topazes did.

    * * * * *

    Compared to when she¡¯d first woken up in her new body, she now felt as though she was filled with mana.  Well, Tier 1 Mana to be precise.  She estimated that she was very close to the peak of Tier 1, just a step away from condensing the mana in her body into a core.

    She¡¯d been circulating the mana in her body according to the Encompass the Universe Technique that Avi had passed to her from her son, Joram.   She still couldn¡¯t believe that such a technique existed, let alone that she¡¯d be able to cultivate it.

    Sulia reread the first chapter of the manual that was now etched into her mind, taking the time to go over Joram¡¯s annotations that provided his insights on each part.  She was certain that she¡¯d followed all of the steps correctly to prepare herself to condense her soon to be cores.

    The problem was her psionic growth.  She wasn¡¯t sure if she would be able to make as many cores as Joram claimed to have done.  She recalled how hard it had been for her to form her first core as a youth.  It had taken her three days and even then, people said that it had been relatively fast.

    How much longer, then, would two take to form?  Four?  Eight?  She had no idea.

    Sulia got up slowly as she shifted Zaleria into a more comfortable carrying position then made her way to the nursery.  After putting her to bed, Sulia activated the ¡°baby monitor¡± Avi had provided and made her way next door.

    Annalee opened the door after a few moments, then smiled as she accepted the monitoring device.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to check on grandmother.  Would you mind?¡±

    ¡°Take your time, dear,¡± she said kindly, then gave her a light hug.  ¡°That¡¯s what family is for.¡±

    Sulia gave a light squeeze in return before heading down the hall to the ¡°elevator¡±.  After a short wait, she went in.

    It was a short walk after leaving the building to the medical centre where the matriarch was being cared for.

    Joram had told her that his original world had been one ruled by technology because they had no magic.  She imagined that it looked much like this place, full of artificial lights, doors that opened without a trace of mana, curiously designed devices that had amazingly detailed displays.  All of it was so alien to her sensibilities.

    Yet, there were things that seemed to have parallels in her world; just done differently.

    She came out of her thoughts as she opened the door to her grandmother¡¯s room, then stopped dead as her eyes fell upon her grandmother¡¯s face.  Her whole face.

    Sulia hurried over to her side, her hands going to Tatia¡¯s face, touching her oh-so gently to be sure that what she¡¯d seen wasn¡¯t an illusion.

    Her fingers met with warm skin, smooth to the touch like that of an infant.  She looked at her new eye and ear, noting that the hair hadn¡¯t regrown on the side of her head yet, giving her a lopsided appearance.

    Then something else caught her eye, making them both go wide in shock.  She reached down and felt at Tatia¡¯s restored arms, now bandage free, as was her chest.  She slid the covers down slightly and, sure enough, there was the swell of a new breast there.

    Her head turned to follow her eyes, her hands following a fraction of a second later as she felt her grandmother¡¯s legs, marvelling at their restoration.  She even pulled the covers up and bit so that she could see her toes.  Perfect toes met her gaze, not a single imperfection marred her feet.

    Sulia¡¯s legs gave out, dropping her to the floor as she let out a heaving sob of relief that turned into a full-on crying session mixed with the occasional giggle.

    Had Joram made progress in his cultivation again?  She knew that he had the miraculous ability to heal with his psionic abilities, but this was more than she thought possible.  Or had he advanced in his alchemy?  Had he refined a medicinal pill that could do this?

    Sulia shook her head as she wiped her face off, then stood up.  Her Tier wasn¡¯t high enough for her to get more than a vague sense at someone¡¯s cultivation level, but she tried anyway.

    She placed her hands on Tatia¡¯s abdomen, just below her navel and opened herself up to the feeling of mana in her.  As she concentrated, she began moving her hands up to try to sense any mana flow, going up to her heart.  She then slid her hands down, having one hand stay on one leg while the other went down the other leg.

    Sulia¡¯s excitement finally left her as she admitted that she couldn¡¯t feel any mana circulating in her grandmother.  On the contrary, it felt like every energy channel in her body was still destroyed, even in her new legs.

    She reached out and pulled a chair over to sit on, and then did so, deep in thought as she regarded her grandmother¡¯s unconscious form.  It was then that she realized that almost all of the ¡°life support¡± machines had been turned off, the connections removed from her.

    Whatever had been done to her grandmother, it had at least improved her condition to the point where she no longer needed the machines to live.

    ¡®Joram?¡¯  She sent, not quite sure what she¡¯d ask.  Not quite sure what she wanted.

    It took a moment before a reply came, which probably meant that he was busy.  She was tempted to just lie and say that she¡¯d just wanted to talk, but then firmed up her resolve.

    ¡®Yes, mum?¡¯

    ¡®Did you¡­ heal great grandmother?¡¯  She asked, taking a deep breath to help her calm her nerves.

    ¡®Yes,¡¯ he sent, sounding rueful and not just a little bit guilty.  ¡®I should have done that a long time ago, I¡¯m sorry.¡¯

    Sulia shook her head, not quite sure what to say to that.  If her son, an eight year-old had said that he¡¯d forgotten to do something important that only he could do, she¡¯d have given him a bit of a scolding, but ultimately understood that he was only eight years old.

    But her son was a Reincarnator.  Someone who¡¯d even kept their entire personality and memories when being reborn.  Someone who should remember important things.

    ¡®Mom?¡¯  Joram sent, sounding timid.  Sounding as though he was afraid of what she¡¯d say.

    Was that genuine?  Or was that something he¡¯d learned to do?

    Sulia brought her hands up and slapped her face hard on both sides.

    ¡®Thank you for healing her,¡¯ she sent warmly.  Because, after all other thoughts, considerations, and everything else, he was still her son.

    ¡®You¡¯re welcome, mom,¡¯ he sent back with such relief and warmth in his tone that every instinct in her body screamed that she needed to hold her son right now!

    ¡®Remember to come home and visit when you have the time.  Little Xixi already misses you greatly, not to mention your own little sister,¡¯ she sent warmly as she thought of the little ones.

    ¡®I will, I promise,¡¯ he sent.  She then felt the connection ¡°drop¡±; the conversation ended.

    Then she wondered if she could build up her Knowledge Sea enough, get fine enough control over her psionic energy: would she be able to heal others like Joram could?

    As that thought floated through her mind, a sudden resolve gripped her.  It was so strong that she felt her Knowledge Sea tremble in response to it, becoming more firm, more solid.

    ¡®Avi?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Sulia?¡¯

    ¡®How can I learn how to heal others like Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Ah, the path of the [Vitalist]¡­¡¯ Avi sent her, meaning loaded into the words.  ¡®I¡¯ll send Asura to you.  You have much to learn.¡¯

    * * * * *

    Joram put away his alchemy tools, now so completely out of the zone that it was almost pointless to continue.

    Joram: Kinkade?  I¡¯ll need you to fill in for me at the Academy for a couple of days.  You know, make sure the Trio don¡¯t get into any trouble, buy groceries, supplies, textbooks, and pickup my uniforms.  You know, standard stuff.

    Kinkade: No worries, you¡¯ve got the hard part to take care of.

    Joram nodded at that, not looking forward to the emotional strain that was to come.

    ¡°Welp, no time like the present,¡± he said, then shifted over to the Clan¡¯s mausoleum.

    He hadn¡¯t been there for the many funerals that had taken place after the survivors had settled in enough to start worrying about that sort of thing.

    He could feel the effects of the structure-wide enchantment place on the building as he stepped inside: [Gentle Repose].  For Altaea, it had been a spell most often used by adventurers.  Sometimes someone in your party died, or several people.  You¡¯d want to bring them back for proper funeral rites to be observed without the unpleasant effects of time passing for your deceased comrade.

    Hence, [Gentle Repose].  A spell made to preserve the dead, keeping any form of decay from taking hold of the body, effectively putting it in [Stasis].

    It must have taken a lot of Dust Crystals to enchant the mausoleum, given its thousands-strong storage capacity.

    It really didn¡¯t matter, though.  He still had access to the few condensers Altaea had left behind for him.

    He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts, instead going over to a touchscreen set into the wall to his left.  He quickly typed in his search, took note of the location, and shifted there.

    This section was set aside specifically for the Aneath line, his family.  He turned to look at the plate set into the wall that had his father¡¯s name on it and just about fled.

    How much did he want to see his father again?  More than most could imagine.

    But he was scared.  Those old fears, insecurities, and irrational thoughts resurfaced as he stood there, looking at the metal plate for dozens of minutes.

    At length, he sighed, then took a deep breath.  There was no point going over those old thoughts and fears again when he¡¯d already overcome them the first time.  He could do this.  He would do this.

    With a thought, he shifted into his planar form, suddenly several inches taller and much broader.  An errant thought brought out his wings.  He extended them, watching the crystal-like light moving.  Then he laughed at himself as he dismissed them again and opened up the wall with [Modify Matter], creating a slab that he removed and placed on the floor, leaning against the wall.

    There lay his father, now dressed in something nice for his eternal rest.

    Well, not-so eternal now, he thought as he stretched out his hand and grasped the sliding metal table he rested up and pulled.

    The table came out, much like what you¡¯d see on TV when someone pulled a body out of one of those fridges in the morgue.  Though, fortunately, his father was in much better condition than they were.  Sure, he was pale from having died, but he didn¡¯t look like a zombie or anything.

    Joram shook his head again to clear his thoughts as he once again realized that he was back in the habit of shaking his head like that.

    With that bit of levity boosting his mood, he reached inside himself and activated [True Resurrection] as he concentrated on his father, while still more than a bit scared of what his mother was going to say.

 Chapter 063

    He looked up at an unfamiliar ceiling, one made of a dark stone that reminded him of polished black granite, except where he expected to see quartz he instead saw some sort of luminescent crystal.

    Then his memories came flooding back, his fighting instincts honed over countless hours of training and actual battles kicked in. He kicked up into a backward flip that brought him to the floor, his feet sliding a bit on the polished surface, his mana already circulating.

    ¡°Peace,¡± the man in front of him said, raising his hands to show that he was unarmed.

    He took in the man¡¯s height and build, somewhat scrawny for his height. Then he noticed the hair, then they eyes in the face that was impossibly old for what it should have been.

    ¡°Joram?¡± He asked, not sure if he believed what he was seeing.

    Knock-knock, came a familiar invitation, one he quickly accepted. He now knew of a certitude who stood in front of him.

    ¡®I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯m late,¡¯ Joram sent, sounding incredibly sad and guilty.

    Ivaryn felt at his chest, then looked down at it. He was wearing¡­ funeral clothes. He quickly tugged the robe-like garments aside and checked his chest, but found only smooth skin where he remembered being pierced by a dozen arrows.

    ¡°How,¡± he asked out loud, unable to concentrate enough to speak through telepathy.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a long story,¡± Joram said as he approached. ¡°But first, I¡¯ve missed you,¡± he said, wrapping his long arms around him in a surprisingly tight embrace.

    It took a moment for his brain to catch up to that before his arms came up and returned the hug. It had stunned him, as Joram hadn¡¯t been that much of a hugger with him, instead preferring his mother because ¡°Dad¡¯s too hard.¡±

    They stood there in silence for a few minutes as Ivaryn let Joram take his time to get things sorted in his head. While he stood there, he glanced around, taking note of the many names on the wall plaques that decorated the hall, and he realized that he was in a mausoleum.

    ¡°Son?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°I think that there¡¯re some things I need to be caught up on,¡± he said, taking his son by the shoulders and holding him at arms¡¯ length.

    ¡°Yeah, there are a few,¡± Joram said, then proceeded to tell him a tale of much grief and woe.

    He hadn¡¯t realized that the attack had been so¡­ deadly. He grieved for the fallen, even though Joram explained that he could bring people back from the dead. Something so mind-boggling that he wouldn¡¯t have believed it if he hadn¡¯t felt himself die protecting his family.

    Joram went on to explain how his friend Avi had saved who she could while retrieving as many of the dead as she could find. He went on to explain where they were, who had survived, and who they suspected had been taken away by their attackers. His heart grew heavy for those taken, especially Tillia, as she had practically been family to them.

    Joram explained more, going from topic to topic, switching to telepathic speech partway through as he stepped to another plaque.

    Ivaryn watched as Joram touched the wall, then placed a section of it on the floor, leaning it against the wall. His breath caught at the sight of his mother-in-law laying so serenely. Joram continued to explain things as he pulled out the table that rolled out like a drawer, bringing Bezia out into the light.

    ¡®One moment, please,¡¯ Joram sent, then suddenly changed into a tall man much broader than Ivaryn was, with dark brown hair that changed into a fiery ruby red at its ends.

    Ivaryn nearly had a heart attack. But he remembered Joram¡¯s explanation about his nature and calmed his racing heart.

    Then the unbelievable happened right before his eyes.

    After a few moments, Bezia suddenly took a deep breath as her eyes shot open. Ivaryn glanced over to his son and noticed that he was already back to his normal- er, human- self.

    It took Bezia a few moments before she, too, had a reaction similar to his own, but Joram soon calmed her down, then apparently added her to his Network, because they then began to converse telepathically.

    Ivaryn nodded to Bezia as she looked at him and saw his burial clothes, causing her expression to actually soften.

    This time, Joram kept his explanation brief, touching only on how he¡¯d brought her back and what she needed to expect when he did it again.

    Ivaryn noticed that Joram had gone a bit pale after bringing Bezia back, and heisted to say something when he reached up and pulled another section of wall off, leaning it against the wall the way he¡¯d done for his grandmother¡¯s tomb.

    ¡®How did you do that?¡¯ Bezia sent, awe lacing her tone.

    ¡®I¡¯ll get to that later,¡¯ Joram sent back, causing Bezia¡¯s lips to thin in displeasure. ¡®I need to get to Gramps first,¡¯ he finished, wiping the displeasure from her face as though it had never been.

    Joram again shifted into what he called his planar form, causing Bezia to twitch slightly in surprise. Again, Joram pulled out the bed/table, revealing his father-in-law this time.

    After a few more moments Xander took a deep breath as his eyes opened wide. This time, instead of taking a moment to process things, he immediately lashed out to the side, targeting Joram- even though he¡¯d already changed back- with a hand stiffened like a spear.

    For his part, Joram just grabbed his wrist, stopping the attack dead.

    Ivaryn¡¯s jaw dropped, as did Bezia¡¯s as they beheld the sight. For his part, Xander blinked and seemed to finally recognize Joram before relaxing his hand and sighing softly.

    Now it was Xander¡¯s turn to get added to the Network and get a quick debrief of what had happened and how he was now alive.

    ¡®But first, I need to take you somewhere,¡¯ Joram sent, looking a bit sad and thoroughly drained.

    Ivaryn could tell that Bezia wanted to grab Joram¡¯s ear and twist it until he spilled all the beans, but held back; much to his astonishment. He¡¯d never known the woman to give up on a piece of knowledge that danced in front of her nose.

    ¡®Lead the way,¡¯ Xander said, still shifting his clothes uncomfortably. Ivaryn couldn¡¯t blame him, as he also very much wanted to get out of his burial clothes and into something much less morbid.

    Joram nodded, then Ivaryn felt a slight¡­ wave, go over him. Then he was in another room, one filled with devices he¡¯d never seen before.

    He saw a woman stand up from her chair, her back to them, and his breath caught. Not just at the sight of his wife, as beautiful as she was, but at the sight of the Matriarch laying in bed, unconscious.

    But then his thoughts were brought back to his wife as she threw herself into his arms, now sobbing so hard that her whole body shook.

    * * * * *

    Avi was very glad that she wasn¡¯t there in person for the family reunion. As it was, it was difficult to see on the security feed, especially with so many of their emotions overflowing in the Network. With how Joram set up his ¡°chat groups¡±, their overflowing emotions wouldn¡¯t be felt by others in the Network. Just her, because she was still a part of Joram.

    With the reunion going on, Avi decided to send Asura back to her work. No need to have an extra person added to the mix. There was plenty of time to get Sulia on track, after all.

    Avi/Alicia removed her AR glasses and looked out the window of her little manor. She¡¯d gone and picked up her school supplies, textbooks, and uniforms already, and was just killing time at the moment.

    She had wanted to start building her questing team, but seeing as how she was only an F-Class quester at the moment, there weren¡¯t any prospects willing to join yet.

    Even with Joram¡¯s teasing regarding her plans for her team, she was determined to build it how she wanted. She¡¯d already caught wind of the so-called ¡°Goddess Ranking¡±, which both annoyed and amused her with its existence. But that only strengthened her resolve.

    She would build a questing team comprised solely of those on the Goddess Ranking list and show those desperate people that the women they placed on pedestals were more than just pretty faces to be ogled at and coveted¡­ and other stuff.

    Alicia slipped her glasses back on, stood up, and stretched. It was about time to head out and socialize. She¡¯d win them all over to her side. And the first step to doing that was to open a dessert caf¨¦ on campus.

    She¡¯d capture their hearts with sweets they¡¯d never before experienced!

    * * * * *

    Breath. Just, breath, he thought, his body doing just that.

    It had been an emotionally packed reunion, one that he¡¯d quickly slipped away from. He just couldn¡¯t handle it, but he had promised to return later to answer any questions they might have.

    So, there he was, back in his workshop. But this time he was in the woodworking section playing around with various woods he and Avi had gathered over the years.

    He tapped at one thin piece of wood after another, listening to what it sounded like. It took him several dozen before he was happy, then he started the process all over again with short lengths of wood, but this time feeling how the vibrations travelled down the wood from one end to the other. Eventually, he also found something he liked, then set it aside.

    He¡¯d already made the keys and pegs and other little necessities, so he was now ready.

    Joram placed all the materials he¡¯d need on the workbench in front of him along with all the other pre-made parts, then manifested [Modify Matter]. As he concentrated on the Power, he watched the thin boards of wood warp to fit the new form he desired. Each of the prepared pieces flowed into place, affixing to the wood and through it. Last came the strings, unwinding, anchoring, then sliding through the keys at the head.

    Second to last, to finish off the work, a thin stream of varnish came and coated the instrument, giving it a beautiful natural and warm finish. Finally, a pickguard affixed itself, finishing the look.

    Joram picked up his newly created guitar, tucked the body under his right arm, and gently plucked the strings to hear what it sounded like.

    With the hardwood he¡¯d used for the backplate and sides, and the softer wood for the top, the strings produced a soft and warm sound that brought a smile to his face. After another couple of minutes, he had it tuned just so. With that done, he retrieved a small Dust Crystal and added a simple enchantment to the guitar that allowed it to always stay in tune. A second enchantment added an auto [Repair] feature, just in case.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    After slipping the shoulder strap in place, Joram shifted back to the prime and brought out a chair to sit on.

    He looked across the small, snow-covered plateau he found himself on. It hadn¡¯t changed much in all this time. The elongated dome was still there, still looked the same. He glanced over at the shorn side of the mountain peak, still impressed that a being could get so powerful that they could cleave a mountain top in twain and fling one side away.

    Well, that¡¯s what he imagined had happened anyway.

    He sat down on the chair and shifted the guitar into place. He hadn¡¯t touched one since his training with Altaea, who¡¯d been amused that he hadn¡¯t done much more than dabble with the Fender he¡¯d had sitting in his apartment for years before her arrival.

    She hadn¡¯t focussed too much on musical training, but had gotten him to a ¡°decent level that shouldn¡¯t embarrass¡± him if he tried to play in front of someone.

    He chuckled at that memory. Music had been important to her, so she¡¯d drilled musical theory into him along with making him practice until his fingers could fly across the strings and his voice could rival any professional back home.

    Yeah, ¡°decent¡±. The standards of a goddess were indeed on another level.

    He shifted back to his High Elan form, then started strumming.

    At first it was just a few chords from this song or that, then as he got back into it, he began playing full pieces. Eventually, a song came to mind and his fingers followed, soon followed by his voice.

    ¡°¡­ when a~ll, I wa~nt, is you~¡­¡±

    * * * * *

    Bai Lian stopped as she was about to place her stone, then looked around, a slight frown marring her face.

    Mo Yu¡¯s hand paused as she lifted her teacup to her lips, also looking around, not sure what the feeling she had was. It wasn¡¯t strong, almost like an echo of an echo. Her other hand came up to her heart unconsciously, Bai Lian mirroring the gesture with a faraway look in her eyes.

    ¡°What, is that?¡± She asked softly, barely daring to speak.

    Bai Lian just shook her head with the barest of movements.

    * * * * *

    Wentian took a fist to the face for his distraction, sending him onto his back several feet away.

    ¡°Ah, see, you got distracted there,¡± his sparring partner chided him. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    Wentian rubbed his jaw, deep in thought.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know,¡± he said eventually, deeply disturbed by the sensation.

    * * * * *

    Well, shit, Kinkade thought as he, disguised as Joram, finished buying the textbooks for the courses he¡¯d just registered for.

    If he knew Joram, and he should- because he was Joram- he¡¯d been emotionally overloaded. It, quite frankly, didn¡¯t surprise him in the least.

    With everything that had happened, Joram hadn¡¯t had enough emotional release to properly grieve and move ahead again. Then he had gone and done what he¡¯d done, setting up the conditions for an emotional overflow. He¡¯d been curious about the guitar building, but Joram had managed to keep those thoughts to himself.

    Now, well, everyone in the Network was being affected by it. So, Kinkade made a few adjustments to first ease off the emotional leakage, then closed it off entirely. He didn¡¯t know if everyone would have felt the leakage equally, but he hoped that it had been subtle enough that not many people noticed.

    ¡°Welp, back to more errands!¡± He said out loud, getting him more than a few odd stares.

    * * * * *

    *1346.02.07*

    Mo Yu watched as Joram strummed his oddly shaped stringed instrument in the garden. He hadn¡¯t said much over the past several days after he¡¯d shown up with it. Instead, he¡¯d stayed in the garden, playing almost non-stop, occasionally singing along in a voice that could melt ice in a blizzard.

    She worried about him, not having seen such behaviour before in him.

    That said, she found that she enjoyed his playing. The sound of the instrument differed greatly from the guzheng she was accustomed to playing. It echoed less; its tones less sharp for the most part. But it had a warmer sound to it, a resonance that also managed to tug at the heart.

    Mo Yu wasn¡¯t at all familiar with the standards one would judge someone¡¯s playing of that instrument, but she would place it at the level of Master, or so close that it didn¡¯t matter. It was done so well that her desire to pick up the guzheng again, to join him playing, was rekindled.

    She didn¡¯t though, as the sounds of his playing and vocal accompaniment had attracted many listeners who inquired about the source. She and Bai Lian had had to take shifts answering their questions, and keeping them from sneaking around to get a peek at the mysterious player.

    Word of his playing had even gotten to the Department of Music. One of the teachers had insisted that she meet with the player of the unknown instrument. It had taken several hours to convince her to give up on meeting him for now, though Mo Yu suspected that the woman was still keeping an eye on them.

    Then the playing stopped, causing her to refocus on him.

    He looked¡­ better, now. When he¡¯d first arrived, his expression had been blank, his eyes appearing as though he was staring at something too far away to see clearly. But now, now there was life to be seen. His eyes once again contained the spark she was used to seeing, his posture once again confident.

    ¡°Welcome back, young master,¡± she said by way of greeting. Which, for some reason, made his lips twist into a wry grin.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said, no trace of his singing voice to be heard. ¡°Is there anything else we need to pick up before school starts tomorrow?¡±

    Mo Yu shook her head as he walked up to her and towards the manor, turned, and followed at his side, but just a bit behind him as they walked.

    ¡°Everything is arranged, from food to stationary to textbooks,¡± she reported, getting a nod in return.

    ¡°I¡¯ve gone over your cultivation methods and have made a few suggestions,¡± he said, then handed her three rings with what looked like emerald-cut diamonds the size of her thumbnail set into them, causing her eyes to nearly pop out. ¡°Just put them on and you¡¯ll understand,¡± he said vaguely as they entered the manor.

    Mo Yu looked at them a bit closer and noticed that each of the rings was individually labelled for them. She took another moment to admire the strange design of the band. The dark silvery metal looked as though it had been woven together from six separate strands of metal that ended by clasping the diamond in place. One, with Ren Wentian¡¯s name engraved on it, was a bit heavier set than theirs. Likely to make it more suitable for a man.

    But she couldn¡¯t feel anything¡­ special about it, which caused her brow to lower.

    ¡°Young master,¡± she started as she caught up to him in his study. ¡°You made these with those ancient techniques, didn¡¯t you?¡± She asked accusatorily.

    He looked over to her from where he was in the process of sitting behind his desk.

    ¡°Yup,¡± he said as his bottom connected with the chair. ¡°It¡¯s better that way, as anyone would just mistake the ring for a mundane item.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t believe what¡¯s she¡¯d just heard. It took her a few moments for her voice to come back to her.

    ¡°Joram,¡± she said, paused to choose her words, then continued. ¡°There is no way that something this exquisite would be considered ¡®mundane¡¯. The diamond alone would have every thief within a thousand miles salivating at the thought of plucking it from my finger. Taken together with the band, and any noble or collector would bid outrageous sums if this showed up in an action.¡±

    Joram just looked at her blankly, making her want to facepalm.

    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that you like it?¡± He asked, raising his left eyebrow slightly.

    Mo Yu gave up.

    ¡°It is an amazing gift. Thank you, young master,¡± she said with a bow, hands cupped in front of her.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± he replied kindly.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll give the others their rings,¡± she said, then stepped out after another nod from Joram.

    Mo Yu ran into Bai Lian in the kitchen. She was preparing a stir-fry, chopping the vegetables and throwing them into a larger bowl.

    ¡°Junior sister,¡± Mo Yu said, getting her attention. ¡°The young master has a gift for each of us,¡± she said, then presented the ring to her.

    Bai Lian¡¯s eyes grew wide, her mouth opening into an ¡°O¡± shape. She reached out slowly, then took the ring at Mo Yu¡¯s urging.

    ¡°He said that they contain our cultivation methods along with his suggestions for them. It seems that we only need to wear it for us to access the information,¡± she said, then placed her ring on her third finger.

    Her eyes widened slightly as the information on her cultivation method appeared in her mind, ready to be reviewed in perfect detail at any time. She found that some sections of the text were grey in colour, followed by a section in emerald green. Upon further inspection, the grey text was just the original cultivation method, while the green sections were Joram¡¯s thoughts on it, and his suggestions for an alteration to the original.

    Bai Lian had also slipped her ring on, copying her placement. She had a slightly confused look on her face that soon turned to one of contemplation.

    After a few minutes, they looked at each other and nodded.

    ¡°Worthy of being from the Clear Knowledge Clan,¡± Bai Lian said gravely, slowly nodding to add emphasis.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Mo Yu agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll find Wentian,¡± she said, then went to do just that.

    The sparring junky was easy enough to find, she just had to go to the nearest sparring stage.

    She waited until he finished the match, taking the win, then waved him over.

    ¡°A gift from the young master,¡± she said, palming the ring to him.

    He raised an eyebrow, but kept his hand closed as he transferred it into his storage ring a moment later.

    ¡®Just put it on when you¡¯re free, and you¡¯ll understand,¡¯ she sent, then left again, leaving a shrugging Wentian behind.

    On her way back, she stopped in front of one of the general stores, thinking. Decided, she went in and looked around. It may have been classified as a general store, but she noticed that its general supplies were limited to only about one quarter of the store¡¯s available space. The rest was filled with an assortment of musical instruments, various items for their upkeep and oddly enough, an impressive selection of board games.

    ¡°Welcome, miss. Please let us know if you require any assistance,¡± a greeter welcomed her with a smile, the young woman dressed in what must have been the store¡¯s uniform. She wore a white blouse with a red ribbon holding her collar closed along with a pleated skirt that ended just above the knee.

    Mo Yu wasn¡¯t sure why she would agree to wear something so revealing, but she supposed one found work where they could.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she replied before walking over to inspect the instruments on display.

    She recognized most of what was on display, from various flutes to a half-dozen horns of varying shape. The stringed instruments, though, took up most of the stock. There were harps of varying size as well as several guzheng than ranged from a mere three feet wide to one that was over six feet wide.

    She took note of the zithers on display and wondered if her skills would translate well over to that. She found several variations of a lute from a biwa to sangen. But anywhere she looked, she couldn¡¯t find an instrument that resembled the ¡°guitar¡± the young master had been playing.

    ¡°Do you have a question, miss?¡± An attendant asked from just behind her.

    ¡°Are these the only stringed instruments you carry?¡± She asked, turning slightly to speak with the young woman.

    ¡°Yes, I am sorry to say,¡± she replied with a dip of her head. ¡°These are the most common instruments used at the Academy. Though, if you wish, you can have a look through our catalogue to see if anything in there would interest you.¡±

    ¡°Thay would be lovely, thank you,¡± Mo Yu replied before the attendant dipped her head again and hurried away to retrieve the catalogue.

    Is the young master¡¯s guitar something from another era? She mused as she waited. Would this store even have something like that available to order?

    The attendant returned and handed over the catalogue with a smile, then directed Mo Yu to the side where a counter stood that would allow her to more comfortably peruse the book.

    Page after page, Mo Yu searched through the catalogue and was disappointed. Not for the selection, no. The selection was admirably robust. No, she was disappointed because the instruments that came anywhere close to the guitar in form were the biwa and sangen.

    Disappointed, she closed the catalogue and looked back at the guzheng again.

    She shook her head, dismissing that thought.

    ¡°Thank you for your assistance, miss,¡± Mo Yu said as she passed the catalogue back to the attendant, then left the store to head home.

    Her steps slowed for a moment as that thought struck her. Yes, home, she thought with a faint smile. She might be on the other side of the world from where she¡¯d been born, having been sent on an errand that she now considered evil. Even though she had died, and been miraculously brought back to life; now sworn to the young master of a destroyed clan. She couldn¡¯t complain.

    She¡¯d had every expectation that Joram would exact his vengeance upon her when she¡¯d learned who he was. But instead, he¡¯d turned her expectations upside-down. Yes, he¡¯d been distant with them at first, but he¡¯d warmed to them surprisingly well over such a short period of time.

    Her pace returned to its normal rate as her thoughts became clearer as they were slowly organized.

    Mo Yu didn¡¯t feel the usual discomfort of a man¡¯s lustful gaze upon her when she was with Joram. She didn¡¯t know if it was because he was an ancient existence who¡¯d mastered himself over millennia of meditations, who¡¯d then been reincarnated into this era or what. The thought that he might prefer men was soon discarded though, for he not only lacked the subtle cues that came with that, but also the look in his eye when he regarded other men.

    Could it be that he sees me as a child? She wondered, the thought causing not a bit of shock to her pride. She wasn¡¯t the sort of person who went about drawing others¡¯ gazes because she loved the way it made her feel. On the contrary, she dressed the way she did to minimize those sorts of looks.

    Well, mostly. She did still consider functionality and utility when she chose her clothing. One never knew when one might find themself in a fight, after all.

    Then she remembered how the young master had reacted to Garros¡¯ abusive treatment of her. There had been a fury that had scared her white.

    Was that the anger of someone seeing a child being bullied? She asked herself, now chewing lightly on her lower lip as she stepped out of the way of foot traffic to stand beside a tree on the boulevard.

    No. No, that was much more, she thought, then blushed furiously. She¡¯d seen young men running to defend their girlfriends from others who thought they could claim their beloved for some fun. She¡¯d even seen it when various idiots had fought over the ¡°right¡± to claim her.

    But that didn¡¯t quite match. Those fights had been full of anger, jealousy, and vengeance. Joram had been¡­ scarily cold and in control of his fury. Yes, his bloodlust had leaked out enough to have a physical impact on the world around them. But he hadn¡¯t flown into a mindless rage, nor had he done more than remove Garros¡¯ hand from her shoulder.

    From what she¡¯d seen during his Quest Hall assessment, Joram could have easily done more.

    So, what is it? He doesn¡¯t look at Bai Lian and I with lust, nor does he treat us like slaves¡­. It¡¯s almost as though he treats us as¡­ friends?

    Is that it? The unbelievable thought came and sat in her mind for a long time, not able to take root because of what she¡¯d done to his clan.

    Mo Yu dismissed all those thoughts and starting walking again. They would do her no good until she had more to go on.

    Instead, she decided to ask the young master if she could also get a guitar. Its sound called to her, and she felt that she might benefit from learning to play it.

    Thus resolved, she entered the manor with her head held high and a small smile on her lips.

 Chapter 064

    Joram watched through his sphere of perception as the Trio went to bed one by one.  As each retired to their room, he filtered out that space to give them their privacy.

    He sat at his desk, reviewing the schedule Kinkade had arranged for him.  Then he set about storing his various textbooks into his storage ring, along with ample stationary to keep up with any note-taking he might decide to do.  It wasn¡¯t necessary given his memory, and especially his skill in [Autohypnosis], but he found that teachers, instructors, or professors tended to notice the people who didn¡¯t take notes.

    As¡­ attention grabbing as his entrance into the Academy had been, he really just wanted to learn what he could while in class.  No complications, no distractions.  Just a relaxing time learning.

    Well, more relaxing than having Altaea as an instructor, anyway, he thought with a grin.  The Academy should be, comparatively, a cakewalk.

    Then his mind turned to Mo Yu¡¯s unexpected request.  He had been flattered that she not only wanted a guitar, but also for him to teach her.

    It had only taken him a few minutes to design and create one for her, though with a narrower neck that would better fit her slender fingers.  He had also enchanted it with the same [Repair] function as his, but left off the auto-tuning enchantment.  It would be better for her development if she needed to keep it tuned.

    He looked over at the hardcase her guitar now rested in and wondered if she¡¯d bring Korean Idol level popularity to the musical instrument.

    Doesn¡¯t matter, so long as she treats it well, he thought with a faint smile that soon disappeared as he thought of his time playing guitar.

    It hadn¡¯t taken his family long to recover from their shock, and the subsequent catching up, before they¡¯d asked him for more details.  He still hadn¡¯t been up to the task, so he¡¯d sent Kinkade in to speak with them, which had gotten him a bit of grief from Gran at first, but she soon calmed as knowledge unknown to her had been shared.

    During his acoustic only playing, he¡¯d also spoken with Xixi and Zanth, letting them know that he needed a bit more time to recharge before helping their parents.  It had gone better than he¡¯d hoped, with their reactions only containing joy, hope, and gratitude.

    Now, now he sat thinking about things he couldn¡¯t change and frowned.  He¡¯d overindulged in reminiscence, wasting valuable time that he could have spent working on another project¡­ or anything, really.

    Maybe I¡¯ll meditate a bit before bed, he thought, then quietly went upstairs and did just that.

    *The next day*

    Joram was half annoyed, half pleased that Bai Lian and Mo Yu had insisted that they walk him to his first class.  Annoyed because of the attention and jealous looks it brought him, and pleased because he had been strangely nervous to head off alone.

    Not that he was worried about doing well in his classes for the term, not at all.  All five were the basic level needed to take the standard level of those courses.  Needed: as in compulsory.  It aggravated him that there were also compulsory classes in this world, but he understood the necessity of laying the foundation before constructing the building.

    He¡¯d memorized not a few spells over the years, but only that.  If he wanted to start working on anything original, then the basics would be important¡­ even if he thought he¡¯d understood enough of what he¡¯d read over the years.

    No, he was just nervous being around so many strangers again.  Even with his visits to Brightside growing up, he¡¯d led a relatively isolated social life up to this point.  A few people he was comfortable being around, and that was good enough for him.

    And then they arrived at his building.  He stopped and thanked the two young women for accompanying him, getting smiles in return before he turned around and made his way inside.

    Joram turned and headed down the hall to his first lecture, filing in behind the uniform-clad students already there.  Once inside, he looked around, impressed.

    It wasn¡¯t that it was an architectural marvel or anything, just that it would easily fit two hundred students in its amphitheatre-like design.  Each tier of the lecture hall was wide enough to fit desks and chairs, and curved to slightly wrap around the lecture stage with a podium at the centre of it.

    Most of the seats were already taken, including his preferred back row, leaving most of the seats in the first third of the room empty.  With a shrug, he took a seat just left of centre, retrieved his textbook, a pad of paper, a pen, and then leaned back to wait.

    After most of the remaining seats were taken, though strangely enough the ones around him were left open, someone who he guessed to be the lecturer walked in and stood behind the podium.

    The man, dressed in what Joram suspected was the faculty¡¯s dress code, looked to be in his mid thirties.  He was of average build, though slightly shorter than average, with grey-green hair that reminded Joram of dried leaves.

    ¡°Welcome to Basic Magical Theory.  I know that this is a compulsory class for those wishing to study magic in more depth, so I¡¯ll endeavour to help make the topics of study less boring,¡± he said, smiling a bit at the end when he got some chuckles and laughter from a smattering of students.

    ¡°In this class, we¡¯ll cover the nature of mana and how the languages of magic affect it to¡­¡±

    I¡¯m going to need another [Schism] going if I¡¯m going to get anything from this class, he thought as he tried to keep his eyes open, briefly wondering if there was a [Sleep] array hidden in the classroom.

    Basic Array Theory, Basic Artifact Theory, and Basic Alchemical Theory all went about the same, in almost every aspect, including his seating arrangements.  The only class that proved slightly more interesting to him was Introductory Sapient Anatomy because that one covered things he wasn¡¯t already familiar with.

    They didn¡¯t get into any great detail during the first classes, mostly having gone over the syllabus and answering silly questions like: ¡°What is an array?¡± and ¡°What does Mana do?¡±.

    With classes taken care of for the day he made his way home, glad to be done with the large numbers of students.

    For a first day, it was surprisingly dull.  He¡¯d half expected that lordling to arrange for some trouble.  Or to be gawked at more for being that student, given how he¡¯d been introduced to everyone.  Heck, he¡¯d even expected people to run at the sight of him since he¡¯d publicly decapitated Stoneface 2 and all.

    The closest thing to that had been the empty seats to his left and right, and that could have been explained away by people not wanting to be right in front of the lecturer.

    He shrugged as he sat down at his desk, not really caring about it so much as being puzzled by it.

    Then his eyes landed on the guitar case and something else occurred to him.  If he wanted Mo Yu to practice while he was gone, he¡¯d need to provide her with some sheet music.  So, the next twenty minutes were spent [Copy]ing various chord charts and sheet music for beginners he¡¯d used during his lesson with Altaea.

    He really liked that Power.  Its name was also slightly misleading, in that it didn¡¯t make a whole new copy of something, but more worked like a photocopier.  It would copy text or images from either memory or a sample and reproduce them on prepared sheets of paper.  Simple, but handy if you needed a hard copy of something.

    After shifting some staples over from storage, he manifested [Modify Matter] and had everything put together and ready to go.  He sent Mo Yu a message over the Network, letting her know that her guitar was ready for her.

    It wasn¡¯t more than a few seconds later when she appeared in the doorway, bowing slightly.  His eyebrow twitched at that.  Even growing up in the Clan, people hadn¡¯t bowed to him as much.

    ¡°Say, you don¡¯t have to bow, you know,¡± he said lightly as he pulled the guitar case over with a bit of [Telekinesis].

    ¡°It is only right to do so,¡± she replied meekly, causing his eyebrow to twitch again; the movement not going unnoticed by her.

    ¡°Then what¡¯s more important?  What¡¯s ¡®right to do¡¯ or what I want you to do?¡±  He asked, realizing that the first part of the question could be misinterpreted.

    Mo Yu regarded him for a moment before answering.

    ¡°Right is right.  But if you do not wish me to bow, then I shall not,¡± she said.

    With how she answered, he wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d gotten the intent behind the first part of the question or not, but let it go.  At least there wouldn¡¯t be any more bowing.

    That out of the way, he opened the guitar case to show Mo Yu its contents.

    She came forward, eyes alight with excitement, then paused before picking it up.  He gestured to her, encouraging her to do so as he stood.

    Mo Yu gently picked up the guitar and examined it for a while before giving her thanks.

    ¡°Thank you, it¡¯s beautiful,¡± she said, a warm smile on her picture-perfect face.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± he said, then motioned for her to sit on the armless chair in front of his desk that he pulled out for her.

    She sat, then awkwardly held the guitar that looked a bit large for her.

    ¡°Here,¡± Joram said, helping per positioning by shifter her arms a bit here and there.  ¡°That should be the most comfortable position to play in,¡± he said, nodding.  ¡°I¡¯ve prepared some music for you to study and practice whenever you have the time.¡±

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    She took the offered booklet and started going over them, but soon frowned.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen this before,¡± she said apologetically, motioning to the sheet music.

    ¡°Ah, well.  Let¡¯s go over things then and compare notes,¡± he said, pulling up another chair.

    * * * * *

    ¡°It¡¯s how much to rent a space?¡±  She asked the person at the desk, agog.

    Alicia had gone to inquire with the Department of Business, the ones in charge of leasing, renting, or buying of property or space in the Academy, about renting a space for her caf¨¦.  But the quote wasn¡¯t what she¡¯d expected.

    ¡°Well, the space itself will cost six T1HGCs per month.  If you cannot provide mana for your proposed business, then we can provide you what¡¯s needed at an additional cost.  There is also the cost of the business license as well as the taxes you¡¯ll need to pay on any earnings.

    ¡°You must also remember that any staff hired will also need to have their wages paid.  Which, incidentally, can be arranged to be paid through our bank,¡± the clerk said with a smile.

    ¡°Oh, right.  Our student cards can act as a fast method of payment,¡± Alicia said, nodding at the same time as the clerk.  ¡°How much would a payment terminal cost to rent or buy?¡±

    ¡°Ah, the terminals can be rented for only one T1MGC per month,¡± he said, causing Alicia¡¯s eyes to nearly pop out.  ¡°That said, purchasing a terminal outright is normally impossible due to the security risks involved in its potential loss.¡±

    ¡°And how much does the average part-timer usually make in a month?¡±

    ¡°That depends on the work, but for what you¡¯ve proposed, I¡¯d say about three to six T1MGCs per month,¡± he said, his head tilted back for most of it.

    Alicia rubber her temples a bit.  She could hire ten or twenty employees with what she would be paying in rent per month.  And to cover the hours she planned on staying open, then she¡¯d need at least ten employees, maybe even that full twenty.

    ¡°How much is the business license?¡±

    ¡°Ten T1HGCs, a one-time cost,¡± he replied, still smiling.

    Let¡¯s round up and say the basic start-up will be about twenty-three T1HGCs to just get the shop and permission to do business.  Another six to pay the staff.  Fortunately, I won¡¯t have to buy furniture or appliances, so there¡¯s that, she thought, tapping her chin as she slightly tilted her head to the left.

    It wasn¡¯t terrible, but if she wanted to at least break even, then she¡¯d need to make at least thirteen T1HGCs per month, which meant that she¡¯d need to gross at least forty-seven T1LGCs per day¡­.  Which meant that if each customer spent two or three LGCs per visit, then she¡¯d only need to get about twenty-four customers per day¡­.  That wouldn¡¯t be too bad.

    ¡°So, if I can arrange my employees to be paid directly through the bank, then can I also arrange for my bills to be directly withdrawn as well?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you may.  That said, you may want to open up a business account, that way your taxes can also be automatically paid.¡±

    Crap, the taxes¡­.

    ¡°How much would I be paying?¡±

    ¡°For a business classified as a restaurant, you would be in the seven percent bracket,¡± he said without needing to check anything.  Which, to be fair, wasn¡¯t that hard.

    Make that closer to thirty people per day¡­ she thought with a sigh.

    ¡°Well, where do I sign, then?¡±  She asked, surprising the clerk for a moment before his smile returned to his face.

    After getting the paperwork signed and a copy of her own along with the key to her new space, she made her way to the bank and got her new account set up, along with another card.  This one had the same basic design, but was bordered in a plain white substance that reminded her of hard silicone.

    What really annoyed her about the new account was that she would need to keep a minimum balance of ten T2LGCs in it or she would have to pay monthly service fees.  Which was so ridiculous that she almost told them to bugger off, but had cooled down before saying the words.

    Instead, she¡¯d handed the teller a stack of ten T3MGCs with a smile, getting a shocked look in return.

    Anyway, the paperwork was all done, including the arrangements for her various bills to be automatically withdrawn from said account.

    Alicia made her way to her new shop, humming happily along the way, causing not a few students to walk into things as they paid too much attention to her.

    She arrived before the small shop, only about eight metres wide, but it looked to have a ceiling that reached almost three metres, and was quite deep, the back room not included.  She looked at the front facing of the building and sighed a bit.  At least there was space for some outdoor tables.

    It would take a bit of work to remodel, but she was sure that she would soon have people lined up out the door.  Tasty new sweets and drinks to go with them would draw many.  The uniforms?  If pop-culture was anything to go by, then a maid caf¨¦ would bring in a killing.

    I¡¯ll have to put up a ¡°No Touching¡± sign, though.  Too many entitled pricks out there, she thought with a slight frown before presenting the key that opened the magical locks.

    Once inside, she took her time visualizing what she wanted the place to look like, manifesting [Cleanse] every now and then as she made her way to the back, ridding the place of the dust that had built up.

    ¡°Yes, this¡¯ll work,¡± she said with another smile.

    * * * * *

    The weeks passed in a surprisingly pleasant way.  Classes continued to be boring, but at least people didn¡¯t seem afraid of him.

    Mo Yu had been making terrific progress in learning the guitar which, after he¡¯d learned that she played the guzheng, wasn¡¯t too surprising to him.  He also felt that her affinity and progress with the Law of Wind helped as well.  How much?  He wasn¡¯t sure, but the Laws of Sound and Wind had good affinity for each other, so there was that.

    Bai Lian surprised him by asking if she, too, could be taught how to play the guitar.  Unfortunately, her progress was¡­ minimal.  To her credit, he noticed that she still practiced every day, going through the basics over and over again.

    He wondered if she just didn¡¯t have any musical talent, or if the guitar was just the wrong fit.  Maybe something percussion based?

    Wentian seemed to spend more and more time at the sparring arenas though, which Joram found curious, but didn¡¯t question.  He knew that Wentian focussed on hand-to-hand combat and body cultivation, so maybe the man thought he¡¯d make better progress there.

    Speaking of progress, he¡¯d been happy to learn that Bai Lian would soon step into the Heaven Realm, or 5<sup>th</sup> Tier.  Mo Yu had volunteered to oversee her efforts, so Joram had agreed.  It only took her six days to break through.

    They¡¯d had a little party at the manor to celebrate, Alicia coming over with an assortment of cakes, pastries, cookies, and chocolates.  He was sure that Alicia had instantly become Bai Lian¡¯s second favourite person.

    Alicia had finally shared her plans on opening a maid caf¨¦, making Joram almost choke on his pain au chocolate.  Both Bai Lian and Mo Yu had stared at him with pleading eyes when Alicia mentioned that she would need more staff for the opening.

    He¡¯d acquiesced since they had plenty of time on their hands anyway.  And if they needed more time to accomplish their daily tasks, well, he could always just use [Sustenance] on them every day to reduce their need for sleep.  Though, he wondered if they¡¯d get angry with him when they discovered that they no longer got hungry under the Power¡¯s influence.

    Now that he was two months into the first term, he was approaching finals for his classes.  Each term was only ten weeks long, but he found that they were reasonably packed with learning, assignments, and projects.  Classes were also six days per week, giving only one day to run errands, do chores, and catch up on the study load.

    For most people.  He often finished his assignments between classes due to the instructors only handing them out at the end of class.

    So, there he was, now the centre of attention due to his good work ethic being noticed by every struggling student in each of his classes.  Sure, there was a bit of overlap between classes, so it wasn¡¯t like he had hundreds of students crowding around him.  Only about fifty.

    ¡°Please tell me how you understood that part!¡±  Was the common theme of what they asked him, which gave him an idea.

    ¡°How about we reserve a study hall and go over it together?¡±  He asked, needing to raise his voice to be heard initially.  It didn¡¯t take long for word to spread, though.  Before he knew it, he was standing behind a lectern at the front of the small study hall answering questions.

    As much as he hated large social gatherings, being in a teaching/tutoring role wasn¡¯t so bad.  Specifically, when the students wanted to be there.  That said, he didn¡¯t see any of the students in attendance that had kept their mouths shut when he¡¯d been arrested.  Which, honestly, was a relief.  It would have been a hassle to ask them to leave.

    That said, it had gone so well that many of the students, out of sincere gratitude, offered to pay him for his time and help, which was what he had hoped would happen.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we meet on our free day?  How about in the morning, at the Starfall Caf¨¦?¡±  He asked, making it seem like he was just thinking about it now.

    Alicia could use the boost in business, and it would wind up being cheaper than paying for a tutor.  Which was probably why these kids were so desperate for his help.

    Many eyes lit up at that suggestion, but he noticed a few heads drop a bit.

    Ah, so it isn¡¯t just kids from well-to-do families here, he thought when he saw their reactions.

    As people began to leave, Joram asked each of those people to stay behind.  The five of them gave him questioning looks but agreed to stay, perhaps thinking that they¡¯d get extra help or something.

    ¡°Hey, so, I noticed your reluctance to meet at the Starfall Caf¨¦,¡± he started, causing two of them to look away in embarrassment.  ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what.  I know that Alicia is looking for more people to help with another project she¡¯s working on, so how about I put in a good word for you?¡±

    They shifted uncomfortably, exchanging looks for a minute before one of them, Jasra, spoke for the group.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t appreciate it,¡± he said, not quite meeting Joram¡¯s eye.  ¡°It¡¯s just that with how much studying and schoolwork we need to put in, none of us have the time for part-time work.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that makes sense,¡± he said, nodding.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I didn¡¯t consider that before speaking,¡± he said, dipping his chin slightly.

    The five of them hurried to assure him that they hadn¡¯t been offended, but had truly appreciated his offer.

    After a bit more awkward conversation, he bid them good evening and beat a hasty retreat.  That last part had been harder on him than an hour-long Q&A session had been.

    On the plus side, he¡¯d still have his evenings free¡­ ish.

    Alicia had approached him to ask permission to borrow Mo Yu.  Which had been all sorts of awkward because, who does that?!  Her next project, as he¡¯d mentioned to the five students, was to rent out the space beside her shop and turn it into a sort of amateur musician venue where she¡¯d serve savoury food, alcohol, and charge a cover fee.

    The catch was that she¡¯d need to have a lure to get things going, and considering that Mo Yu, or ¡°Moyra¡± was on the ¡°Goddess Ranking¡±- which was news to him-, she would be the perfect choice for the role.

    He¡¯d just told Alicia to go ask Mo Yu¡­ who¡¯d then come to ask him if it was OK.  He¡¯d facepalmed.

    Shortly after that, he¡¯d noticed that Bai Lian was¡­ moping.  She no longer practiced guitar as much, nor was she as enthusiastic about her cultivation.

    He tried to cheer her up by giving her some books but even that didn¡¯t cheer the lass up.  Then it hit him as he watched her working while tutoring that group of students at Starfall Caf¨¦.  He caught the slightly sullen looks she occasionally shot Mo Yu¡¯s way.  It was especially obvious when Alicia, to promote her upcoming opening, asked Mo Yu to play a little number on her guitar.

    That Mo Yu¡¯s playing, and the ¡°new¡± guitar, were so wildly received only seemed to make it worse.

    Bai Lian was developing an inferiority complex when it came to Mo Yu.

    He really wanted to help the poor lass but was at a bit of a loss as to what he could do.  He knew that she wanted to play an instrument as well as Mo Yu, but didn¡¯t seem to have any talent with the guitar, which might also include any other stringed instrument.  He¡¯d previous thought that maybe she might be good at percussion instruments, so he went with that.

    It took him a few evenings of work, but he managed to whip together a full drum set after more tries than he cared to admit.  He wasn¡¯t very good with percussion instruments, mostly because he¡¯d never been taught, only having messed around with them a few times.

    On a whim, he¡¯d also constructed a grand piano.  That one had been a bit easier since it involved basically making a huge harp that you laid on its side and had padded hammers hit the strings.  Now, that was beyond an oversimplification of one of the most fantastic musical instruments ever invented on Earth.  But, well, that¡¯s how it was.

    As a side note.  Because the grand piano had been such a pain to tune, that one also got the autotuning enchantment, along with the standard [Repair] enchantment that he now placed on every instrument he made for himself or the Trio.

    Joram also worked on a variety of xylophones as well as different styles of drums, from steel to tribal.  He wasn¡¯t sure what might be needed, so he just went and made every style he could think of.

    He stood in his workshop, staring at the standard rock¡¯n¡¯roll style drum set he¡¯d made and wondered if Bai Lian would take to it.  He was also starting to wonder if he had inadvertently stepped on the path that led to the first rock and roll band forming on this planet.

    ¡°Welp, in for a penny, in for a pound,¡± he said with a grin, then summoned his electric guitar and amp.  ¡°Let¡¯s see how these things are made,¡± he said, then started [Delve]¡¯ing them.

 Chapter 065 -

    Well, at least he knew how to make an electric guitar and amp now.

    Which, really, wasn¡¯t all that useful when he actually thought about it.  He was in a world of magic and magical items, devices, and magitech.  It would actually be less conspicuous to just replicate the ¡°electric¡± component of those instruments with enchantments.

    Sound amplification settings were relatively easy to do, as were distortion effects along with all the other little things one could do with modern musical instruments.

    But would they have time to mess around in a band?  Joram wanted to get some questing done, but hadn¡¯t yet gotten around to it.  Which, honestly, was him just being lazy if he was being honest with himself.  But, if he could get his quester¡¯s Ranking higher, then it would certainly help things¡­.  Well, he could earn more money, for one.

    It might help him in schmoozing up any students from Zhizun Zhanshi¡­ if he ever met any.  He was surprised at how few there were.  He hadn¡¯t seen any amongst the first years, and had only spotted a few as he hurried about campus and the small city attached to it that helped support the Academy¡¯s infrastructure.

    Though, now that he thought about it, he suspected that one of the regulars that patroned the Starfall Caf¨¦ might be an international student.  She certainly had the physical characteristics of that continent.

    She had glossy black hair with natural violet highlights when the sun hit it, with deep blue eyes, fair skin, the same slender build as Bai Lian and Mo Yu, as well as their same relative height.  OK, that last one was more than a stretch, because Mo Yu was considered very tall for a woman over there, while Bai Lian was just over average height.

    That said, the international student was also one of the top beauties on the Goddess Ranking, just under Mo Yu, who in turn was just under Alicia.

    Which was the problem.

    He¡¯d already formed a sort of anti-fan club- a hate club?- due to how close he was with Mo Yu and Alicia and even Bai Lian.  If he approached the international student, who¡¯s name he still hadn¡¯t gotten, then he was sure that he¡¯d have so much negative energy directed his way that he¡¯d need to make a ward so that it wouldn¡¯t negatively affect his health.

    Or luck.  That one was also a popular trope.

    Joram would also need to determine her social status somehow, without coming across as a creep.  He¡¯d just ask Alicia.

    ¡®Hey, Al.¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Joe?¡±

    He grinned at that, remembering one of his favourite uncles.

    ¡®That international student that frequents your caf¨¦; what¡¯s her name?¡¯

    ¡®Ohhhhh~,¡¯ she teased.  ¡®Are you wanting to add another beauty to your harem?¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯ll cut off your spending money,¡¯ he replied flatly.

    ¡®Ahem,¡¯ she deliberately sent.  ¡®Her name in Sung Jae-Eun and she¡¯s the third princess, sixth child, of her Plum Blossom Empire.  Currently in her second year studying political sciences, strategy, and music.  She¡¯s also agreed to join my questing team in a support role as her combat rating is a bit low.  She is also on the Goddess Ranking.  Her measurements are-¡®

    Joram cut her off there, even though he knew that she¡¯d started saying that to mess with him.

    ¡®Unnecessary,¡¯ he sent.  ¡®Would she be amenable to making a new friend?  How is her political clout?¡¯

    ¡®Ah, right.  I think that if you manage to impress her in some way that she might take an interest in getting to know you.  Just don¡¯t, you know, come off as wanting to get to know her for anything but her mind.  She¡¯s also fed up with the Goddess Ranking nonsense, especially since she came here to put off political marriages,¡¯ Alicia sent seriously.

    ¡®Ah,¡¯ he sent, thinking.  ¡®Well, that last part won¡¯t be a problem.  What instrument does she specialize in?¡¯

    ¡®Harsh,¡¯ she teased.  ¡®Standard stuff.  She¡¯s currently studying the guzheng and wood flute, though she¡¯s expressed interest in Mo Yu¡¯s guitar.¡¯

    ¡®Huh, well, I might be able to pique her interest then,¡¯ he sent, then told her about his recent crafting projects, getting a laugh in response.

    ¡®Well, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll cause quite a stir,¡¯ she sent with clear amusement.  ¡®In the meantime, I¡¯ll suggest taking a few quests with Jae-Eun and see how it goes.  If she takes to questing, then maybe I can suggest teaming up with your team to get more experience.¡¯

    ¡®Sounds good.  Maybe I¡¯ll see about playing a little number at 0700 this weekend,¡¯ he sent, still a bit uncertain about that idea.

    ¡®Oh, please do!¡¯  Alicia sent excitedly.  ¡®It¡¯ll certainly draw her attention, not to mention being good publicity for the new place!¡¯

    ¡®What¡¯re you going to call it, anyway?¡¯

    ¡®I was thinking something along the lines of ¡°The Dawn Star¡±, keeping the star theme.¡¯

    ¡®Well, you know how terrible I am at naming things, so have at it,¡¯ he sent with a mental shrug.

    With that conversation taken care of, Joram stored away the drum set and grand piano into his storage ring before shifting back to his office in the manor.

    ¡°Welcome back, young master,¡± Bai Lian said when he wandered into the parlour.

    ¡°Oh?  You¡¯re not working tonight?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m taking the night off,¡± she shrugged.

    Joram stared at her until she looked away and mumbled.

    ¡°I¡¯m just not feeling up to being around a lot of people right now.¡±

    ¡°I can appreciate that,¡± he said with an understanding nod.  ¡°Well, that¡¯s convenient for me.¡±

    Bai Lian gave him an odd look.

    ¡°Help me move some of the furniture out of the way,¡± he said, putting words to action and sliding a couch over to the side.

    Bai Lian shrugged again and started clearing space with him.  Soon enough, they had everything out of the way including the decorative carpets.  She then looked at him in askance, obviously wondering what this was all about.

    ¡°I have two other instruments I want you to try,¡± he said, getting a pout combined with a sharp look in return.

    He retrieved first the drum set, placing it to the side, then deposited the grand piano close to the window where its beautiful finish could catch the light.  He¡¯d made the wooden components from a red wood so dark that it was nearly back, sanded down so smoothly that it almost didn¡¯t need a varnish to shine on its own.  He¡¯d still varnished it, though, bringing out an even greater lustrous glow.

    The drum set, however, really just looked like a drum set.  Sure, the bodies of the drums were black, with chrome latches and accents.  The cymbals were made with standard bell bronze, though.  It was still a nice set, if he did say so himself.

    Bai Lian¡¯s reaction was priceless.  Her astonishment was clear as day, her eyes wide and bright.

    ¡°What are those?¡±  She asked, obviously not recognizing the instruments.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a drum set,¡± he said, pointing.  ¡°And that¡¯s what is called a grand piano,¡± he said as he stepped over to it and lifted the lid and propping it up with the lid prop.

    ¡°I¡¯m not proficient with the drums, but I thought it wouldn¡¯t hurt for you to give them a try.  As for the piano, I¡¯m a bit familiar with it.  I also have some sheet music for it, so that¡¯ll help things.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re wonderful,¡± she said, still sounding a bit confused.  ¡°But why?¡±

    Joram blinked at that.

    ¡°I thought you wanted to play an instrument?¡±

    Bai Lian shook her head.  ¡°No, I¡¯ve realized that I¡¯m not musically gifted.  I don¡¯t mind, truly; and I thank you for your great consideration.  Instead, I¡¯ll concentrate on my love of arrays and work towards greater understanding of them,¡± she said with a smile to take away from any sting her words might cause.

    ¡°Huh, I read that completely wrong then,¡± he muttered to himself as he silently reprimanded himself for making assumptions instead of just asking.  It would have saved him a lot of time and effort.  Though, it did give him the option to work on his piano skills¡­.

    ¡°Yes, you did.  But I am truly grateful that you cared enough to go through the effort of making these instruments for me,¡± she said with such a warm and bright smile that it washed away his guilt.

    ¡°Well, then, would you like to at least hear what the piano sounds like?¡±  He asked motioning towards the very large instrument with one hand as the other hand stretched out as he stored away the drums again.

    ¡°I¡¯d like that,¡± she replied, still smiling.

    So, he did.

    - - - - -

    The next morning found him at Starfall finishing up his tutoring session.  They were at the back of the shop, furthest from where the most popular seats were.  As nice as Alicia had been to agree to host his tutoring session, she wasn¡¯t so nice that she¡¯d give away the best seats to a study group that wasn¡¯t likely to spend much.

    Which was fair.

    After the groups dispersed, Joram made his way to the patio for some fresh air.  Spring was well upon them, the various show trees along the boulevard in full bloom.  The added colour was more than welcome, as was the faint scent of the blossoms when a breeze came by.

    The patio was packed with customers enjoying the day.  Each had a small plate that held one dessert or another and a cup of something.  He saw a variety of teas, juices, and even smelled coffee.  Or something similar to it.

    Thinking about it, there was a distinct possibility that it actually was coffee given that she could also use [Grow] to re-create the beans.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Either way, the smell of the stuff still made him want to sneeze.

    He glanced over at Mo Yu as she served a table, dressed in her maid uniform and couldn¡¯t help but grin.  Alicia had indeed made maid uniforms from Earth, with that silly frilly headband thing and all.  They also wore short matching aprons, adding to the look.

    Contrary to what you were likely to see in an anime or manga, these uniforms were tasteful.  The skirt came down past the knee and the neckline was up to the clavicles- collar bones.  They were, of course, about half white with a black bodice, sleeves, and trim.  He was, quite frankly, impressed at how well Alicia had done in replicating the outfit, as well as getting them made.

    Joram shook his head, ridding himself of any thoughts that came close to wanting any of his personal staff to adopt such attire, and made his way over to the stool set off to the side that Alicia reserved for Mo Yu to play on when she had the time.

    He got a few looks as he walked over, mostly curious, though some just looked because someone passed by their table.

    He retrieved his guitar from his ring then sat on the stool and took a few deep breaths.  He could see everyone present through his sphere of perception- SoP for short- and was starting to have a hard time.

    Alicia came out of the caf¨¦ to watch, engendering more interest in those sitting outside, as well as those waiting in line.

    When he took a bit too long to start, Alicia came over and placed a narrow folding screen in front of him, blocking the audience¡¯s view.  Which he was partially glad for, because it blocked their view of his intensely blushing, and embarrassed face.  She gave him a wink before stepping away again and speaking to the small audience.

    ¡°Even though he¡¯s a bit shy, he agreed to my selfish request of playing a few songs for us,¡± she said with a large smile, getting a few laughs and chuckles from them.  ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready, Joram.¡±

    He could still ¡°see¡± everyone seated on the patio and those in line, but now that their eyes weren¡¯t directly on him, he found that, weirdly, it made it easier on his nerves.

    Joram took another breath, then started playing, plucking the strings with his fingers to get that softer sound that the piece would need.  He went with a more relaxed opening, opting for the classic ¡°Stairway to Heaven¡±, though with no vocal accompaniment.  That would have been too much for him.

    The further he got into the piece, the more murmurs he heard.  Some expresses confusion, but others quickly hushed them, eager to hear more.  When he finished, he was applauded, though in the reserved way people did when in polite company.

    Ah, if they liked that, then let¡¯s go with ¡°Tears in Heaven¡± next, he thought with a smile, then proceeded to play that one.

    That, too, was well received if the applause was anything to go by, even getting him a few quiet cheers.

    He took a moment between songs, thinking of what to play next, then decided to switch guitars.  It was another acoustic, though one of the new enchanted ones that allowed him to play with the sound a bit.

    He quickly adjusted the settings to give a bit more resonance and reduced the high end a tad.

    Then he started playing ¡°Everything I Do¡±, deciding to sing the lyrics this time.

    It wasn¡¯t an easy decision, far from it.  It was one of the hardest things he¡¯d had to do, socially speaking that is.  It was one thing to sing at home or in the back yard, another to do so in a caf¨¦ with scores of people watching.

    He reassigned M3 to calm his nerves, and so when it was time to sing, he did so well enough that Altaea wouldn¡¯t have kicked him into a snowbank afterwards.

    When he finished, silence reigned.  The only thing he could hear, besides his beating heart, were the birds singing in the trees above, now glad that the competition had stopped.

    The silence stretched so long that he began sweating, then one person started clapping.  Then another.

    Soon, everyone was cheering, calling out their praises.  There were even a few called-out inquiries as to whether-or-not he was dating, and a few offers to boot.  He even heard a few comments that went along the lines of ¡°As expected of the number 2 on the Hero Ranking!¡±.

    Joram remained behind the folding screen, working with M3 to calm his now racing heart and to clear the raging blush that covered his face.  He suddenly had a very profound feeling that the last song might have been a mistake.

    He even thought he heard someone go ¡°kyaa~~~¡±.

    * * * * *

    Lisette found that she really liked the new caf¨¦ that had opened up recently.  Their desserts were varied and tasted like little slivers of heaven.  It was expensive considering the portions, but she thought it was well worth it.  Even the selection of beverages was wonderful, ranging from teas to juices to combinations of both that you could order with these little sweet and chewy balls in them.

    Then there was the ¡°coffee¡±, something she discovered there that had her wondering where that dark ambrosia had been all her life!  Almost everything on the menu tasted good with it.  Then she¡¯d tried it with Starfall¡¯s new product: chocolate.

    It was so good that she¡¯d let out a low moan of pleasure as the rich and silky-smooth confection had melted in her mouth, then combined to create the ultimate pleasure when she¡¯d taken a sip of coffee to help wash it down.  She hadn¡¯t cared about the strange looks she¡¯d gotten, as she¡¯d been too caught up in the rapture of the moment to care about anything else.

    After coming to her senses, she realized that she was already addicted to that supernal combination, and had vowed that she would only indulge in that pleasure once per week.  Only partly because the combination cost four T1LGCs.

    This morning, she was once again enjoying herself, slowly savouring each morsel of chocolate before taking a sip of coffee to complete the experience, when she spotted Joram walking by her table.

    She hadn¡¯t seen him since that ridiculous trial by honourable combat nonsense, and wondered what he was up to.

    Lisette¡¯s curiosity was sated when he produced one of those guitars that Moyra occasionally played for them, then sat down on the stool she normally used.  She idly wondered what he would play, then realized that he looked very nervous.

    She couldn¡¯t help but smile at that, remembering how confident he¡¯d been during his assessment.  She almost laughed out loud then Alicia came over an placed a folding screen in front of him, completely hiding him from sight.

    ¡°Even though he¡¯s a bit shy, he agreed to my selfish request of playing a few songs for us,¡± Alicia announced to those on the patio, smiling wide as a few laughs and chuckles rang out.  ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready, Joram.¡±

    Alicia stepped away again, though she stayed outside, sitting at Ms Sung¡¯s table to watch.

    It took another few seconds for the first notes to come from behind the silk screen, drawing everyone¡¯s attention.

    The piece wasn¡¯t in any style she¡¯d heard before, but still found it compelling.  It started soft, but gained energy as it went on until quickly quieting again.  She enjoyed it so much that he even gave a few soft claps between small bites of chocolate.

    The next song started off just as soft, but this time seemed to pluck at her heartstrings.  The piece moved her to the point where she felt tear come to her eyes.  When that piece finished, she didn¡¯t hesitate to applaud his performance more vigorously than the first.

    It took a bit longer for the third piece to start.  The sound of the guitar had changed, giving the listener the illusion of being in a concert hall that provided perfect acoustics.

    Then for the first time, he began to sing.

    ¡°Look into my eyes, you will see¡­¡±

    Lisette didn¡¯t notice her petite dessert fork falling to the table as she listened to the opening line, the memory of his stunning green eyes suddenly popping up in her mind.

    As she continued to listen, she found her heart starting to race as the lyrics branded themselves onto her heart and into her mind with the power of his supernal voice accompanied by those impactful chords of music that filled the air.

    She came back to the moment when the playing stopped, stunned at where her imagination had taken her.  She looked around at the others in on the patio and saw their own stunned expressions.  Those looks of awe didn¡¯t stop there, for everyone in line had crowded up to the small partition around the patio, leaning forward.

    There were actually many more people there than had been in line, likely those who¡¯d been passing by when the playing had started.  She did note with amusement, however, that almost all of those who¡¯d joined the crowd were girls, young women, and even more mature women.

    Lisette turned back to stare at the silk screen that hid Joram, wondering what he¡¯d looked like when he was singing.  Then the first person started clapping, soon joined by others until the sound thundered down the street, cheers rising above it to be heard.

    She realized that she was one of those people as she called out her appreciation for the amazing performance.

    If this was what she could expect every week, she¡¯d be sure to be lined up before dawn so that she could get a table.

    * * * * *

    Alicia¡¯s jaw dropped when Joram actually started to sing.  Not because she¡¯d never heard him sing before, but because of his chosen song.

    In a world that basically just had bards to sing to the masses, she was reasonably sure that such a song would ignite the crowd.  It wasn¡¯t just the lyrics, which would get the imagination of any pure maiden running wild, but also the musical accompaniment in the form of a guitar.  A modified guitar, if her ears weren¡¯t deceiving her.  It even sounded a bit like an electric guitar.

    The crown went wild.

    Even Jae-Eun did a standing ovation, if more reserved than most, so she joined them in their applause, adding in a loud whistle every now and then just for the heck of it.

    Alicia watched as Mo Yu also clapped loudly, her eyes shining brightly as she stared at the folding screen.  The question was: was it because she¡¯d fallen for Joram or that she now wanted a guitar like his.  Or was bit both?

    She grinned, imagining how Joram must be kicking himself for going with that last song.  But looking at how pleased Jae-Eun looked with the performance, maybe it had been worth it.

    * * * * *

    Joram glanced around, checking visibility around the screen.

    Alicia had indeed covered him well, the corners of the screen keeping all lines of sight off him.  He seriously considered shifting back to his workshop to escape, but hesitated because of the attention that was focussed on his little corner.

    What if a Mentalist was in attendance and they felt it?  That would cause many more problems than potentially being mobbed¡­.

    Though, given what he could perceive around him, quite a crowd had formed, so being mobbed might just be in the realm of possibility.

    He had to think quickly, for he was sure that his time was running out before someone moved the screen to get at him.

    No shifting away, which also means no [Teleport]ing away either.  I could use an invisibility¡­.  Wait, my bloody monk training!

    Joram smiled, then shifted to his High Elan form and called upon his Ki, wrapping himself in it while pulling.

    He entered the Ethereal Plane for the first time since Altaea had gone.  He quickly got his bearings in the grey, washed-out version of the world, and booked it.

    He was sure to slide around people as best he could, not wanting to risk bumping into someone with an active ward.  Because that hurt.  Him.

    It didn¡¯t take long before Alicia contacted him.

    ¡®Oh, you bloody coward!  Get back here or there¡¯ll be a riot!¡¯

    ¡®Nope!¡¯  He sent right back, finding a secluded corner where he could end the ability without freaking someone out.

    ¡®You know that this¡¯ll just add to the stories they¡¯ll tell about you, right?¡¯

    Joram ground his teeth but didn¡¯t give in.

    ¡®Just so long as I don¡¯t get mobbed, I¡¯m fine with that.¡¯

    ¡®You¡¯re going to get mobbed either way,¡¯ she sent back dryly.

    ¡®I¡¯m going to study, don¡¯t bother me,¡¯ he sent petulantly.

    ¡®*Pffft!!!*¡¯

    Joram blinked as the raspberry came through.  He shook his head and decided that he would stay in his High Elan form for a while longer as it provided a great ¡°disguise¡±.

    As soon as he was through the front door, he quickly shut it again and shifted back to his Aneath self.  His ears picked up someone plinking at the piano, causing him to frown.

    A second later he saw that it was Wentian, of all people, tapping away at random keys, so he made his way over to speak with the guy.

    ¡°Hey,¡± he said by way of greeting, making Wentian jump, then spin to face him.  ¡°If you want to learn, I can teach you.¡±

    Wentian glanced back at the grand piano, a thoughtful look on his face.

    ¡°Hmm, maybe in a bit.  I want to focus a bit more on recovering my cultivation first,¡± Wentian said, shaking his head slightly.

    ¡°No worries.  Just let me know.  It¡¯ll be good to have someone else for backup,¡± he said, waving as he headed to his office, though he didn¡¯t miss the confused expression on Wentian¡¯s face as he left the room.

    Joram sat at his desk, then retrieved his student card.  He activated the course planning function and began going through his options.

    Once he passed the basic-tier courses, he would be able to take the standard level ones.  That said, there were still a bunch of basic-tier courses he needed to take as qualifiers for higher level courses.

    For instance, Standard Alchemy not only required the basic course; it also required him to take basic herbology and basic monstrous anatomy.  Presumably to get him familiar with the ingredients of his trade.

    And as the class became more advance, it started to span more than one term.  Standard Alchemy spanned two terms, Advanced Alchemy spanned four terms, and the Master class took up not only all four terms, but also two timeslots per day.

    Basic and Standard Alchemy could be taken in the first year if the student could keep up with the workload, but the Advanced and Master classes were full-year programs that were time hogs.

    He was really starting to think that he really would only get to study two trades during his stay at the Academy.

    Joram leaned back in his chair office chair, the back dropping so that he was almost laying down, and stared up at the ceiling in thought.

    If Jae-Eun decided to only attend for three years, then he might have to leave early.  Not an option that appealed to him, that¡¯s for sure.

    But most people seemed to stay for at least four years, some taking a decade to get in all that they wanted to before leaving.  If they ever did.  It hadn¡¯t gotten past him that there was a decent-sized city attached to the Academy, which meant that there would inevitably be students who chose to stay after graduating.

    Joram brought his student card up and held it with both hands over his face and he went through his options, planning out the next term, and the ones following that.  It would be a race for some of the classes next year, but he was sure that his grades would get him in, as the Academy seemed to be partially run as a meritocracy.

    Which meant that he¡¯d also need to go out questing soon.  Probably during the week break between terms.

    ¡°Yeah, that should work,¡± he said to himself, nodding slightly.  ¡°If Alicia isn¡¯t too mad, maybe I should also invite her team along¡­.¡±

 Chapter 066

    *1346.04.20*

    Joram wished his classmates luck and waved goodbye to them as he left the lecture hall where they¡¯d taken their last exam. Meaning, he now had a total of eight days off!

    He practically skipped all the way home, not caring how many people trailed along behind him, hoping to get in a word, or a date.

    But because of his amazing disappearing act a couple of weeks ago, people were a bit nervous to approach him. He wasn¡¯t too sure on the details, but a good number of rumours had him painted as the young master of a secret organization of assassins who specialized in perfect assassinations.

    Thinking about it a bit, anyone with a shred of common sense would have discarded that rumour right away. What kind of assassin specializing in stealth to the point where they could disappear in the middle of a crowd would go and do something flashy like fight an honour duel or vanish right after a performance?!

    His leading theory on that was teenage-brain.

    Now that he was a bit further along developmentally- at the tail end of puberty that is-, he was having an easier time of it. So, really, he understood the desire to believe wild tales and imagine ridiculous scenarios, daydreaming of things more exciting than never ending schoolwork.

    On the topic of puberty, he was glad that his voice had stopped breaking after cultivating the latest chapter of the Adamantium Body Technique. He wouldn¡¯t have dared try a public performance with his voice like that. He shuddered to think what would have happened, especially if Altaea had witnessed such a thing¡­.

    On the plus side, princess Jae-Eun¡¯s interest had been piqued. Alicia had relayed the news later that night, after having finally cooled off that is.

    After that, Joram hadn¡¯t returned to the caf¨¦ for fear of being mobbed. It had taken a week before everyone calmed down enough that they no longer chased him on sight. On the other hand, the mail box out front had filled with an alarming number of confession letters following up to exams. He suspected that they dropped off due to study fever/anxiety. Either way, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about them anymore.

    ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± He called out as he entered his house, closing the door behind him with a flourish.

    *Silence*

    Joram quirked and eyebrow at this, then pinged the Network to see where everyone was.

    Sure enough, they were all out. From the direction and distance, he was pretty sure that the girls were at work, while Wentian seemed to be somewhere around the sparring arenas.

    ¡°Welp, may as well head out to the Quest Hall and have a look,¡± he muttered to himself as he turned around and left, locking up again behind himself.

    - - - - -

    Welp, seems I¡¯m not the only one thinking about quests, he thought as he tried to get a bit closer to the C-Class request board. It was, fortunately, much easier since there weren¡¯t as many C-Classes around to compete with.

    That said, the pickings were now sparse.

    As interesting as herb gathering requests might have been considering he might be able to add more samples to his collection, they were a bit boring. It felt a bit too much like the daily quest board in an MMO for his taste.

    Then he noticed one at the bottom, partially hidden from view. He used a bit of [Telekinesis] to pull it over so he could have a look, resulting in a few startled looks and one annoyed glare.

    It was a request for a 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier Alchemist to refine an ¡°exceptionally complex¡± medicinal pill for them. They would provide the recipe, ingredients, and lab once the quester¡¯s suitability had been verified. All done at their place. ¡°Contact information: to be provided when quester registers the request.¡±

    Well, that¡¯s shady as F, he thought, shaking his head. The request didn¡¯t look very old, so why had it been half covered up on such a sparse board like that? If it was as high profile as it seemed to be, then why hadn¡¯t anyone else taken the request?

    Shaking his head, he sent the request back to the board and re-pinned it.

    Sounds more like a trap to me, he thought, then pulled down two herb gathering requests and got in line to register for the requests. At the very least, the quests would provide some points for their teams.

    Heck, it might even be like a nice outing to the park with some pretty ladies, he thought, a silly grin forming on his face.

    *The next day*

    Despite herself, Sung Jae-Eun was more than a little bit excited.

    She¡¯d been registered as a quester since she had arrived at the Academy, the allure of going out adventuring too much to pass up. Dreams of exploring, finding treasure, or even an ancient inheritance had called to her since she was a child. The romance of it hadn¡¯t gone away as she grew up, but had instead grown in her.

    But then Matsui Aya had put her foot down and refused to allow her ward to put herself in any sort of danger, killing her dreams of excitement and adventure mere minutes after getting her quester¡¯s license.

    Then she thought, maybe she could get Aya¡¯s approval if she joined an established party. That would certainly put her guardian¡¯s mind at ease.

    Again, Matsui Aya had crushed her dreams with an efficiency that would have been admirable had it not been used on her. Every team that she applied to had to first get vetted by Aya to make sure they were as good as they claimed.

    Some had come close, but had then failed when Aya deemed them too ¡°lascivious¡±.

    Jae-Eun once again cursed that damnable Goddess Ranking. It had spread her information not only across campus, but also Stormhaven, the city that grew up to support the Academy. So, not only had Aya basically blacklisted anyone from campus, but had also done the same for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in town.

    She had barely had the heart to update her license and qualifications when she¡¯d broken through to the Qi Gathering Realm, what those at the Academy called the 2<sup>nd</sup> Tier last year. She was so discouraged about it all that she wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d update her license when she eventually broke through to the Human Realm.

    Then her second year had started, heralding two new additions to the Goddess Ranking. With two new additions to the ranking, she¡¯d hoped that the attention on her might shift to the newcomers, as terrible as that thought made her feel. It felt like cursing strangers just to benefit from it.

    But the attention on her did shift, and the attention waned. Not as much as she would have liked, but enough that she felt that she had a modicum of privacy again. So, she¡¯d gone to see the ones who she felt she owed a debt to for diverting attention away from her.

    She¡¯d been stunned. She¡¯d always been considered beautiful and had been told as much by those around her as she¡¯d grown up. It got to the point where she¡¯d begun ignoring what she found to be hollow compliments at best, oily flatter at worst.

    But the two new additions to the Ranking were like the most exquisitely detailed paintings depicting the peak of beauty come to life. Their every movement was graceful, their countenances flawless and full of grace. They were the picture of feminine beauty that countless people had sought throughout the millennia, but had never found.

    To say that she¡¯d been stunned by their beauty was one thing. But she¡¯d also been stunned because of how she¡¯d felt when she¡¯d first beheld Alicia and Moyra. She wasn¡¯t sure what it was exactly, but it made her want to get to know those two women better.

    Then, a short time later, her opportunity came. Alicia had opened a caf¨¦ with an unusual theme, but nevertheless served exquisite delicacies she¡¯d never before tasted. The best part was that Moyra had also started working at the Starfall Caf¨¦, making it easier for her to interact with them.

    Aya had, at first, watched both women like a hawk. Likely because she thought it was some sort of scheme to get close to her ward, a princess of a moderately-sized foreign empire. But as their interactions continued to admittedly be mundane, Aya had let up slightly, eventually allowing Alicia to sit and chat with her every time Jae-Eun came by.

    To say that it was refreshing to be able to speak with someone so casually would have been an understatement. She suspected that Aya also acknowledged that she needed someone to speak with other than her, hence why she allowed it.

    As they got to know each other, she found out that Alicia was a rare practitioner of Mental Strength, a Mentalist as they called it here. She was already at the peak of the Foundation Realm, ready to break through to the Qi Gathering Realm at any time. For someone who was the same age as her, it was impressive that she¡¯d made such progress with her cultivation and Mental Strength at the same time.

    But Alicia had seemed¡­ disappointed with her progress, which confused Jae-Eun until she¡¯d explained why.

    The other Mentalist who¡¯d been accepted that year was a young man even younger than they were, yet was already at the peak of the 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier with his cultivation in Mental Strength. Alicia had also shared that he was also a body cultivator, probably in the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier, but she hadn¡¯t been certain.

    They¡¯d applied for their quester¡¯s licenses together, but had taken their assessments separately. She also shared that Joram was her neighbour and that Moyra was actually one of his servants, which had nearly caused her to lose her tea in an embarrassing way.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you in on a secret,¡± Alicia had said, leaning closer so that she could whisper to her. ¡°Moyra and the others always seem to be wearing aura shrouds, so no one really knows how strong they are. But, when Joram made his team, they also signed up under him. They were instantly approved to be C-Class,¡± she¡¯d said, her eyebrows wiggling up and down in excitement.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Jae-Eun could understand why. If Joram was a 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier Mentalist, he¡¯d normally only be ranked as a D-Class, even with stronger team members to support him. But if those team members were, say, in the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier, then it was entirely possible for the team¡¯s rating to go up a rank.

    Which meant that Moyra was most likely very strong. Which, then, had her wondering if Joram was some young master of a strong family to warrant such ridiculously powerful servants. By rights, anyone that strong could serve directly under the general of an empire. The Heaven Realm was no joke.

    She¡¯d been pondering what Alicia said that whole week before again visiting Starfall Caf¨¦ on her free day.

    It was surprisingly busy given the hour, but she supposed that the caf¨¦¡¯s popularity was still growing. She had even spotted, of all things, a study group heading inside. She¡¯d dismissed them, choosing to instead enjoy the spring morning, fresh air, and the beautiful blossoms adorning the surrounding trees as she sipped her tea at her table outside.

    She was just about to leave when a young man with dark purple hair came out of the caf¨¦ and walked past her so that he could take a few breaths of fresh air. From how Alicia had described him, she was sure that it was Joram Aneath.

    Jae-Eun had wondered if she should greet him, but then dismissed the notion as ridiculous. Not only did she have nothing to talk about with him, but she was sure that Aya had focussed on him like a hawk as soon as he¡¯d appeared. Which meant that she was more likely to bisect the young man that let him speak to her.

    When he passed by again, she frowned slightly at what she sensed, or rather, what she failed to sense. Alicia had said that Joram didn¡¯t wear an aura shroud. But if that were true, why didn¡¯t she feel any cultivation from him? Could it be that he was only in the Body Tempering Realm? That would explain the lack of Qi.

    Was he somehow unable to cultivate? Was that why he chose to train in body refinement?

    Her questions had paused when she saw Joram sit on the stool that Moyra used when playing her fascinating ¡°guitar¡±, now holding one of his own. Her expectations involuntarily rose at the sight of him preparing to play, but then started to drop again when it looked like he¡¯d frozen in place from a case of the nerves.

    Then Alicia hurried out of Starfall and, shockingly, placed a silk screen in front of him, hiding him from sight.

    ¡°Even though he¡¯s a bit shy, he agreed to my selfish request of playing a few songs for us,¡± Alicia announced to them, getting a few laughs as she continued to smile. ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready, Joram.¡±

    Jae-Eun had been happy that Alicia chose to sit with her, though she hadn¡¯t been very hopeful of the performance Alicia seemed to have been excited to hear.

    Needless to say, what followed had profoundly altered not just her preconceptions of Joram, but her beliefs and views on music.

    She¡¯d been delighted to see a new musical instrument when Alicia had first asked Moyra to provide a bit of music for them. The sound created by the guitar had been so new and fresh to her that she¡¯d asked Moyra where she could get one from. But unfortunately, Moyra hadn¡¯t been able to say, nor had she agreed to let her buy it from her.

    Then she¡¯d heard Joram play. It was like night and day. The emotions invoked by the notes had astonished her, as she¡¯d long since been desensitized to such things from growing up in the palace where the very best bards and minstrels had played for them her whole life.

    She had been impressed by the quality of his voice when he¡¯d begun to sing, her esteem continuing to grow as the song progressed until she finally felt how warm her cheeks had gotten.

    She¡¯d furtively looked around to see if anyone had seen her reaction, but everyone, including Aya, were still focussed on the silk screen hiding Joram.

    For the second time in her life, her heart had been filled with such a tangle of emotions and feelings that she didn¡¯t know what it meant.

    Then the performance ended, and Joram had somehow vanished without a trace, leaving Aya more paranoid than a rabbit in a wolf¡¯s den.

    To help alleviate Aya¡¯s¡­ overprotectiveness, Jae-Eun had asked Alicia more about Joram after she¡¯d managed to calm down the sizable crowd.

    Alicia had claimed that she didn¡¯t know how Joram had escaped without anyone noticing, but posited that it might have been a trick done with Mental Strength. Aya hadn¡¯t looked like she believed that, but hadn¡¯t said anything to dispute the conjecture.

    It had taken Jae-Eun the entire week to convince her to allow her to go to Starfall again that weekend. But she was glad Aya agreed, for she was looking forward to speaking with Alicia again. And maybe seeing Joram again.

    But her hopes had been in vain, regarding Joram, anyway, and almost for speaking with Alicia. Starfall had been packed to capacity and the line-up so long that it went to the end of the block. The only reason why she¡¯d been allowed in was because Moyra had spotted them and personally brought them in to the back room where the office was.

    Aya had been extra¡­ vigilant at the unusual behaviour, but had allowed it.

    She¡¯d found Alicia doing a bit of paperwork in her office, but dropped it when she saw them, giving them a large smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you could make it!¡± She¡¯d said, then went on to explain why it was so busy. It seemed as though Starfall had been just as busy all week, filled with people hoping to see Joram.

    ¡°From what I hear, Joram made it to the top of the Hero Ranking,¡± Alicia had shared, eyes wide.

    ¡°¡­ Is that impressive?¡± She¡¯d asked, not quite sure what to make of it.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s the male version of the Goddess Ranking.¡±

    Jae-Eun had been agog. It was one thing for young men to lust after women, but for women to fall to such a level astounded her.

    Aya had looked at her for a moment, then shook her head.

    ¡°This is common,¡± she¡¯d said, as though it were common sense.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Alicia had redirected the conversation then, bringing up that she¡¯d formed a questing team.

    Jae-Eun had sensed Aya tense up at the mention of questing, but had summarily ignored her guardian as she¡¯d listened to Alicia¡¯s description of what she wanted her team to be.

    Jae-Eun had been astonished. To say that it was ambitious was no understatement. To form a team solely comprised of women on the Goddess Ranking was unheard of. But she¡¯d fallen in love with the name of her team, and what message it would send to not only those who distributed the Goddess Ranking, but also to those who made it possible for it to continue.

    ¡°The name of my team is: The Untouchables.¡±

    And that was when Matsui Aya had approved of Jae-Eun joining a questing team.

    ¡°Today¡¯s the day!¡± She practically squealed as she finished getting ready for her first quest.

    Her amour had been cleaned and polished. Her staff had been buffed and polished. Her hair was tied up in a tight bun, a forehead protecter tied to her head.

    She. Was. Ready.

    ¡°You look ridiculous,¡± Aya piped in from the side, still dressed in what she always wore: a defensive artifact that appeared to be a tight-fitting outfit that allowed her full range of motion while also providing armour in vital spots. And a katana.

    ¡°Aya, you¡¯ve lost your sense of romance and adventure!¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± she broke in, her tone still flat. ¡°And now I¡¯m babysitting a princess.¡±

    Jae-Eun¡¯s jaw dropped at that, completely taken off guard by the uncharacteristic response. Aya just reached out and closed her mouth for her before going on.

    ¡°I¡¯m still not sure about this Alicia,¡± she said, then held up her hand to forestall Jae-Eun¡¯s responds. ¡°But, I am willing to give it a try, even if her team will be accompanying Joram¡¯s as helpers.¡±

    That definitely stopped what she¡¯d been about to say.

    When Alicia had told her that they¡¯d be joining Joram¡¯s team on a quest, she¡¯d been all for it. She wanted to pick his brain to find out all she could about what he knew of musical theory, and where the guitar had come from.

    Then Aya had once again been the one to, metaphorically, bump a vat of ice water on her head.

    ¡°Alicia may be passable, for now, but this Joram Aneath is still an unknown. Be vigilant,¡± she¡¯d said just before arriving at Starfall in her standard flat tone.

    Jae-Eun glanced over at her guarding and just about sighed. She had her ¡°work face¡± on, which explained why people had been crossing the street to avoid them instead of just giving them a bit more room on the sidewalk like they usually did.

    When they arrived, she noticed that Joram was waiting at a table with Alicia, Moyra, Quinn, and a man who looked to be from the sects back home. The four sitting with Joram somehow seemed to discourage those who looked like they wanted to approach. Which, for some reason, eased the tension in her neck that she hadn¡¯t noticed until it released.

    Before she could delve further into introspection, Alicia got up and greeted her with her usual energy.

    ¡°Jae-Eun, I¡¯m glad that you could make it!¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to disappoint my friend,¡± she replied demurely with a small smile of her own.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see that you¡¯ve prepared well,¡± Alicia said as she looked her up and down, nodding to herself. ¡°It¡¯s always good to be prepared.¡±

    For some reason Joram chuckled when she said that, causing Aya to tense until they heard him audible murmur.

    ¡°Stealing my lines¡­¡±

    Jae-Eun took a moment to inspect Joram and his team. They looked to be dressed rather casually for their quest. Joram wore an oddly cut grey shirt that clung to his frame, with a neck cut to just above his collar bones and sleeves that ended about a third of the way down his upper arm. There was an odd symbol tightly embroidered in white and red on the upper right side of his odd shirt. She didn¡¯t recognize the symbols, so she dismissed it as a peculiarity.

    His black pants were also of a style she didn¡¯t recognize. They were a bit baggy, allowing for good movement, but also had several extra pockets sewn onto the outside that closed with a flap that just fell over the top of the pocket, no buttons to be seen.

    Then his footwear completed the odd ensemble. They were obviously boots, but very sturdy-looking with a thick sole that had an oddly textured tread and a black metal plate that covered the top of the boot.

    All told, odd.

    I¡¯m comparison, his companions looked normal. The man was dressed in what the martial sects would commonly wear, loose pants and shirt with cloth slippers.

    Both Moyra and Quinn wore something akin to a combat robe, with that same odd symbol on their chests that Joram had, that fit well up top but then split at the hips leaving the thighs exposed. The garment only fell to mid-shin, preventing it from tangling the legs if they needed to move fast. To her relief, she also spotted sparring shorts underneath, covering anything an errant wind might expose.

    Aside from those mundane-looking clothes, the only accessories that might add to their protection were a pair of rings that each person wore. She wasn¡¯t sure about the other, but one ring was definitely a storage ring. Upon further scrutiny, Joram¡¯s second ring looked like it was a standard [Cleanse] ring. While helpful in day-to-day life, it wasn¡¯t likely to be as helpful while out on a quest.

    Even Alicia was dressed casually, wearing what looked like a shorts version of Joram¡¯s pants with a top that fit her just as well as Joram¡¯s, but was sleeveless, the top held up by bands of the material that went from front to back over her shoulders. It exposed a lot of skin, in her opinion, and would certainly draw the lustful gazes of most males in the area.

    Aya just looked on as though she expected an ambush from anywhere, ready to end anything and everything that might potentially want to harm her ward.

    Then Joram stood up and gave them a slight bow before introducing his team formally.

    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Joram,¡± he said casually, eliciting a Look from Aya. ¡°This here is Moyra. She specializes in mid to long range attacks. This is Quinn, who specializes in short to mid ranged attacks. And this is Wentian, who specializes in hand-to-hand combat,¡± he said indicated each member of his party, then motioned to the odd symbol on his shirt. ¡°We¡¯re N7.¡±

    That last part sounded odd, as though it came from another language entirely. Which was likely given that she didn¡¯t recognize the characters he pointed to.

    ¡°Aaaand,¡± Alicia piped in, taking Jae-Eun by the arm. ¡°We¡¯re The Untouchables,¡± she said, a huge smile on her face.

    Jae-Eun blushed slightly at the close contact, but found that she was unexpectedly proud of her team name. She saw Joram¡¯s companions smile at that, though Wentian looked like he¡¯d suppressed a wince. Joram, on the other hand, just smiled at that, a twinkle in his eye.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to meet you,¡± he said, holding out a hand to shake.

    Before she could even begin lifting her hand in response, Aya interposed herself between them and took his had in her place.

    ¡°We look forward to working with you,¡± she said, her tone so flat that it was almost monotone.

    Jae-Eun saw the tendons on Aya¡¯s had starting to rise, indicating that she was either trying very hard to hold back from crushing Joram¡¯s hand with her Mystic Realm strength, or she was actually trying to crush Joram¡¯s hand but wasn¡¯t able to.

    She dismissed that last thought as absurd when she noticed that Joram was still smiling just as pleasantly as before. The more likely scenario was that Aya was still suspicious of Joram and thus didn¡¯t like him. Which, really, was normal, so she also dismissed those thoughts too.

    ¡°All right,¡± Joram said once he¡¯d released Aya¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s head out. Those herbs won¡¯t pick themselves!¡±

    The what now?

    * * * * *

    ¡°So, did he take the request?¡±

    ¡°No, sir. Although he did look at it, he instead chose some herb gathering requests.¡±

    There was a long pause before the first person spoke again, sounding both incredulous and annoyed.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t an alchemist accept that quest? Everything is even provided for them!¡±

    This time the second person paused slightly before answering.

    ¡°Perhaps it was a little too¡­ vague, sir?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, maybe you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll have to think of an even better plan to draw him in,¡± he said, obviously deep in thought.

    ¡°Very good, sir. Would you like any refreshments while you plan?¡±

    ¡°Go fetch some cakes from that new caf¨¦ for me,¡± he said, already distracted.

    ¡°Very good, sir.¡±

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 Chapter 067

    They hired a coach to take them out of the city and past the farmlands. At the end of their ride, they found themselves staring up at very tall wall that extended out from the gateway as far as the eye could see. There was a slight curve to it, so Joram supposed the wall closed off a smaller area than a straight one would have.

    During the ride, Jae-Eun had mostly kept quiet, only speaking to other young women. She seemed uncomfortable as she kept glancing at their attire while also fidgeting with her own fancy armour. Though, her guard Aya, hadn¡¯t said anything else since her introduction and subsequent attempt to squeeze his hand to paste. He had been glad to have already refined himself sufficiently to have avoided that fate.

    Given her strength and what he¡¯d felt through the physical contact, he was impressed that someone so young had already reached the 6<sup>th</sup> Tier, putting her in the same weight class as Grammy. From the callouses on the woman¡¯s hand, he suspected that she specialized in using a melee weapon; though he was nowhere near good enough to even guess at which one.

    ¡°So, let¡¯s head out,¡± he said with a smile, waving for the group to follow him to the gate.

    ¡°Business?¡± The guard asked, looking bored until he spotted the beautiful women following him.

    ¡°Quest,¡± Joram replied, handing over his student card along with the two pages that gave the details of said quests.

    After a moment of looking them over, he nodded them through.

    ¡°Just be careful out there,¡± the guard warned as he walked with them through the gate. ¡°It¡¯s mating season, so the local wildlife are a more aggressive than usual.¡±

    Joram nodded to the man, giving him a word of thanks, who then stopped to watch as they continued down the road.

    He didn¡¯t fail to notice Jae-Eun shooting a glance at Aya to see what her reaction was to the news. Either the news didn¡¯t bother her, or she¡¯d expected as much, because she only gave a slight shrug of a shoulder.

    ¡°According to the request, the requested medicinal herbs shouldn¡¯t be more than a few miles north and east of the gate,¡± Joram said as he referenced the map provided by the client. He was down right impressed with how useful the student card was. He¡¯d have called it a ¡°Multi-Pass¡±, pronounced with the accent of a divine language speaker, but Avi was the only one who might have laughed at that.

    That said, the map function of the card was especially useful out here where GPS didn¡¯t exist. He was sure that the Academy had mapped out their island long ago and had created an island-wide array to allow for such a function.

    As he led them off the road on a direct line to their target, Joram began wondering how hard it would be to get a world-wide satellite net up and running. With the staggering size of their world, it would take tens of thousands of them to get something functional going, possibly hundreds of thousands of them.

    Then the question of how much power they¡¯d need to function came up, throwing him for another loop. The satellites back home didn¡¯t need too much power to function at the distances they did. But here, where the distances were multiplied manyfold, they¡¯d need much more power to get the job done.

    Ah, Star Wars tech should do the trick, he thought, remembering the insane distances they could communicate at with relative ease.

    Even as caught up in thought as he was, Joram was sure to keep an eye on their surroundings.

    They¡¯d entered a relatively sparse forest, the trees spaced dozens of metres apart, though standing at least eighty metres tall. He retried his AR glasses then slipped them on as he walked, getting curious looks from Jae-Eun when she noticed. With the glasses paired to his implanted omni-tool, he was able to deactivate the holographic emitters on the omni-tool. He didn¡¯t quite trust Jae-Eun and Matsui Aya yet, so revealing anything more than necessary wasn¡¯t something he was comfortable with.

    Joram wasn¡¯t sure how proficient they were with Mental Strength, so he was a bit unwilling to [Delve] anything he came across that looked interesting while they watched. He still wanted to study those things, though, hence the AR glasses.

    A few miles in, he noticed Jae-Eun approaching him, so he slowed slightly so that she could catch up.

    ¡°So,¡± she said, her chin up, looking very much the princess. ¡°It occurred to me that you never shared what your specialty is,¡± she said, phrasing the question in the form of a statement.

    Is she bad at asking questions?

    ¡°Hmm,¡± he said, pretending to think back about it. ¡°Seems I hadn¡¯t,¡± he said finally, leaving it at that.

    Through his perception, he caught Aya¡¯s face going even colder when she heard his response; if that was possible. Jae-Eun seemed to take that in stride though.

    ¡°It also occurs to be that I hadn¡¯t share my specialty either,¡± she said conversationally, then proved her maturity with the next part. ¡°I would be considered a supporter, as I specialize in strategy, tactics, and barriers.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for sharing,¡± he said, a slight smile accompanying the words. ¡°I¡¯m a bit of an all-rounder. I¡¯m not bad in melee, but can also act at short to long range with my Mental Strength. I can also act in a support roll when needed.¡±

    Jae-Eun stared at him in surprise for a little while before continuing.

    ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve built a rather well-balanced team for yourself,¡± she said neutrally, not quite brave enough to call him out on being a jack-of-all-trades.

    He knew full well that the prevalent attitude of the world was that a person should focus on one thing, then get better at that thing, getting stronger in the process.

    He seemed to be a generalist in the eyes of others who¡¯d just met him, like Jae-Eun, and probably Aya. And, really, he kind of was. But given that his cultivation of mana and psionics were neck and neck in their progress, it didn¡¯t really matter. What was really proving to be a bit of a bottleneck at the moment was his Psijic Star.

    If he were to grade it like mana was graded, then he¡¯d say that it was only a Tier 1 Star. He was behind the curve, as it were, because he hadn¡¯t quite figured out how to incorporate Tier 2 mana into it, let alone the Tier 3 mana he¡¯d just finally gotten access to for breaking into Tier 5 as a mage.

    ¡°Well, I learned a long time ago that being one of the rare and vaunted Mentalists, someone respected and valued the world over, doesn¡¯t amount to much if someone can just walk up to you and punch your head off,¡± he said with a wry grin and a mental curse for that Old Fart.

    Jae-Eun gave him an odd look at the same time that Aya¡¯s expression marginally shifted to one of approval for a fraction of a second before returning to her RBF. Alicia just nodded along as though that all made perfect sense, while he noticed that the Trio had also taken an interest in the conversation.

    ¡°Is that why you chose to learn martial arts?¡± Jae-Eun asked, now interested enough in the conversation to start asking questions directly.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s certainly why I started on the path of body cultivation,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°It also help keep my body strong enough to keep up with the demands of artifact refining.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯d heard that you were a Trades student,¡± she said, nodding to herself. ¡°But I also heard that you¡¯re studying alchemy as well. Isn¡¯t it difficult to split your studies like that?¡±

    * * * * *

    Jae-Eun was a more than a little bit sceptical of Joram¡¯s claims. It was hard enough to focus on one path in cultivation, but adding body tempering into the mix made things hard enough for most.

    ¡°Nah, that stuff comes naturally to me,¡± Joram said, waving off her concern as though she¡¯d only been concerned about what he¡¯d chosen to eat for breakfast.

    Her incredulity must have shown on her face, because he continued spouting outlandish things as though they were common sense.

    ¡°I can already refine Peak Grade pills and artifacts,¡± he said, making it sound like it was nothing. ¡°I might be a bit unusual in how I see things, but for me, alchemy and artifact refining aren¡¯t that different.¡±

    Jae-Eun glanced at Aya and saw that her guardian didn¡¯t look as disbelieving as she, herself, felt.

    ¡°For the sake of argument; how so?¡± She asked, choosing to go along with it.

    Joram shrugged.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain,¡± he said, lacing his fingers behind his head and looking up at the sky before asking his own question. ¡°You study musical theory, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she answered, not sure why he was suddenly asking.

    ¡°Well, think of it like that,¡± he said, then gathered his thoughts a bit more before continuing. ¡°Take, say, a flute. You can use it to make music, play almost any note you want. Then, if you were to pick up another kind of flute you could, with a bit of adjustment, play that same piece of music. It would sound a bit different, but the same basic principles apply.¡±

    She nodded along with that, for anyone who knew anything about music would already know that.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s take it a step further,¡± he said, still looking up. ¡°Take a guzheng and play that same piece of music. Again, the sound changes, but the notes needed to make it the same piece stay the same. Sure, it¡¯ll sound completely different than a flute, but anyone who isn¡¯t tone deaf can hear that it¡¯s the same piece.

    ¡°Taking it further again, you can do the same with even percussion instruments, though that gets slightly harder,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°The point is that all music follows the same basic principles, no matter the instrument used.¡±

    Jae-Eun nodded, getting an inkling where he was headed with his analogy.

    ¡°The same applied to the principles of refinement,¡± he said as though it wasn¡¯t a ridiculous statement. ¡°For a long time now, I¡¯ve been able to¡­ feel, the structure of the things I work on with my Mental Strength. Whether its refining medicinal herbs to remove the unwanted parts, the impurities as they call them, or working on combining various reagents needed to construct an artifact, the same principles apply.

    ¡°You take what you need, discard what you don¡¯t, then combine what you have to create the final product.¡±

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    Jae-Eun¡¯s jaw started to hurt as she stared at Joram, then realized that her mouth was open so wide that someone could have slid a whole egg into her mouth, with room to spare.

    She turned to see what Aya thought about Joram¡¯s claims and found that even Aya looked stunned as she stood there staring at Joram. In fact, the only one who didn¡¯t look as though their world had been flipped like a table was Alicia, who just looked thoughtful. Then she remembered that Alicia was also a Mentalist which explained her reaction.

    When she turned back to Joram, she found him several feet ahead, torso twisted so that he could look at them, his hands still laced behind his head. It was then that she realized that everyone, including her, had stopped when they¡¯d heard is revolutionary statement.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± he said, still twisted and leaning back slightly so that he could see them with his left eye. ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t find it too hard.¡±

    ¡°This!¡± She blustered, not able to keep calm anymore. ¡°This could change everything! If what you¡¯re saying is true, then it¡¯ll create a revolution in the way crafters think! Of how they¡¯ll make things!¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Joram said, now looking¡­ annoyed? ¡°Maybe just keep that between us, eh?¡±

    Jae-Eun couldn¡¯t believe her ears. He wanted to keep this knowledge to himself?!

    ¡°Before you start, think about this,¡± he said as he turned to regard her, dropping his arms so that he could hold up a hand to stop her from talking. ¡°How many techniques, spells, cultivation methods, alchemical recipes, or anything else like that, are out there but being hoarded by one person or group?

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the knowledge they so jealously guard help the world? Would bandits be able to raze entire villages if the people of that village had been able to cultivate an appropriate cultivation method?

    ¡°What about all the mortals, as they¡¯re called where you¡¯re from, who die every day because they don¡¯t even know how to treat a simple illness with commonly found herbs? Or even knowing how to cultivate to the end of the Body Tempering Realm so that most diseases would no longer be an issue for them?

    ¡°Tell me. How is my asking you to not share my unique insights any different than an empire not sharing their wealth of knowledge with those they consider to be commoners?

    ¡°Tell me. How is it any different than a chef, or a perfume maker, or a dye maker, or any number of trades people-, how is it different than them zealously guarding their recipes so that they¡¯ll keep their livelihood?¡±

    Jae-Eun bit off the reply that first came to mind, knowing that it would have been a lie. As a princess, she knew full-well what those at the top of society enjoyed compared to those at its base did.

    Arguments flew through her mind as she considered them one after another, discarding them just as fast because she knew that they¡¯d all make her sound like a hypocrite. Not only was she a princess but she, too, kept what she¡¯d learned to herself instead of sharing it with others who might benefit from it.

    She was even in the process of doing exactly what Joram described by attending the Academy; gaining something that would allow her to rise above others who didn¡¯t have what she had. Her reasons varied from his, but ultimately boiled down to wanting to get an edge over the competition.

    It didn¡¯t help that Aya nodded at her when she turned to see what her guardian had to say about Joram¡¯s argument. Judging their expressions, Joram¡¯s team also seemed to agree with what he¡¯d said. Even Alicia nodded to her, a sympathetic look on her face, as if knowing exactly what she was going through.

    She turned around and walked over to Joram, so close that she had to crane her neck to look him in the eye.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like you right now,¡± she said, then stomped off.

    * * * * *

    Wentian watched as Sun Jae-Eun stalked away, pouting. Her guardian, Matsui Aya, followed close behind before giving Joram a look that he couldn¡¯t read.

    ¡°Alicia¡± and Mo Yu exchanged looks before Mo Yu nodded and went after the princess.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d ever been as na?ve as the princess appeared to be, but he could understand wanting to help others. Heck, he¡¯d been known back in the Diamond Jade Lotus Sect for being someone who took others under his wing when they first arrived at the Sect.

    As much as he thought that improving the world by educating everyone to a higher standard would improve the quality of life for everyone, he wasn¡¯t so na?ve to think that all knowledge should be shared indiscriminately. The wrong knowledge in the wrong person¡¯s hands was a terrible thing, as had been shown throughout history.

    He also respected the need for trade secrets, as it were. Competition and variety were important for an economy after all.

    The thing that had stunned him wasn¡¯t Joram¡¯s desire to keep his insights to himself, or as small a group as he could manage. No, it had been how he¡¯d described how he saw the world.

    He felt that he¡¯d gained a significant insight into how the world worked. And not just that, but in how he viewed his own cultivation.

    He¡¯d hit a bottleneck in the form of¡­ feeling surpassed by Bai Lian. She was his junior, originally in the Earth Realm before¡­ the incident. But not only had she risen to regain her cultivation, but she¡¯d also shot past him and into the Heaven Realm while he was still struggling to reach the peak of the Earth Realm, stuck at the 9<sup>th</sup> Rank.

    Not only that, but he felt¡­ lacking when he looked at Joram. He knew that he shouldn¡¯t, especially because Joram was a Reincarnator, but feelings weren¡¯t entirely rational. Added on to the fact that he¡¯d been approached by certain¡­ individuals who claimed to know his ¡°pain¡±, and it was no wonder that his martial heart was in a tangled mess.

    Those people claimed to be from a group of like-minded individuals who knew the pain of not being acknowledged by the person in their heart. Of having to live every day knowing that their heart¡¯s true desire would never be fulfilled. It had taken Wentian more than a few minutes to realize that they were talking about love interests.

    The conversation had let to talk of their idols, thus leading to the revelation that those guys were followers of the Goddess Ranking. Not just that, but they were the founders of the ¡°Free the Goddesses¡± organization that had formed shortly after the students had seen how ¡°close¡± two of their goddesses were with Joram, especially when they learned that Mo Yu, or ¡°Moyra¡±, was Joram¡¯s servant.

    They thought that his daily sparring sessions were to blow off the frustration that accumulated in his heart by not only having his feelings go un-acknowledged by his love, but also because he had to watch as they ¡°canoodled¡± with Joram.

    What had pained Wentian the most about the encounter, and then the subsequent ones as they tried to get any information out of him they could because he worked for Joram, was that they genuinely thought that he was like them.

    That, more than anything else he had been going through, had contributed to his bottleneck.

    But now, after hearing Joram speak, he felt that he could push through his bottleneck and progress again. Not only that, but the feeling kept getting stronger in his chest, urging him to start cultivating right away.

    Joram seemed to feel something from him, for he turned to regard him with a questioning look.

    ¡®I feel as though I need to cultivate, immediately,¡¯ he sent to Joram through his Network.

    ¡®I¡¯ll send you to the Realm,¡¯ he sent back, and before he could reply, he found himself in a secluded garden in Joram¡¯s small world.

    He looked around in wonder, still amazed that Joram could access the small world he¡¯d claimed so easily and from anywhere.

    Then his eyes fell on a small stack of Earth Cards topped by a few Low-Grade Heaven Crystals. The casual display of wealth nearly derailed his growing epiphany before he firmed his resolve, sat down, and began to cultivate.

    * * * * *

    Ah, that hurt my wallet, Joram thought after depositing the cultivation resources, along with Wentian, into a secluded garden.

    ¡®Is he going to break through?¡¯ Bai Lian asked curiously.

    ¡®Yes. He needed a safe place, so I sent him to the Realm.¡¯

    Bai Lian nodded, seeming confident that Wentian would succeed. Which, really, was normal considering that he¡¯d originally been in the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier before being brought back to life.

    For her part, Alicia slid on her own pair of glasses then turned to look into the middle-distance, seemingly lost in thought, but probably just checking up on things in the Realm.

    So, while he waited, Joram scanned for the herbs on his list, with both his omni-tool and his perception. It didn¡¯t take him long to find two of them in the direction they¡¯d been headed before they¡¯d become distracted.

    He wandered over and examined them up close. Meaning he [Delve]d each one, memorizing its characteristics and molecular structure, then examined them with his mana sense. They were decent medicinal herbs, probably in the 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier if he had to guess, not having learned about these ones yet in his studies.

    He quickly checked his surroundings before shifting each plant into his Realm so that they could be cultivated later.

    Even after all that, the three women still hadn¡¯t returned. He wasn¡¯t concerned that they¡¯d gotten into trouble because Mo Yu would have let him know if anything dangerous approached. Heck, with Aya there, he was confident that anything stupid enough to approach them would be dealt with in a brutally efficient manner.

    ¡®So, when¡¯re you thinking of breaking through to the 2<sup>nd</sup> Tier?¡¯ He asked Avi to not only kill time, but because he was genuinely interested.

    ¡®I was thinking after this term,¡¯ she sent back. ¡®I know Sulia really wants to progress as well, but I think that it would be best for both of us to try at the same time while you try to guide us through the Network.¡¯

    Joram nodded at that, accepting her reasoning, and even agreeing to it. He still had things to do in the Realm as well. Namely, bringing back the rest of his family.

    He hadn¡¯t exactly been idle these past two months, nor had he really been putting it off so much as working up to it.

    Every night, after the Trio went to sleep, he would cultivate for a few hours, then spend a few hours condensing Psijic Crystals. Much like how he could make Dust Crystals which helped incredibly with enchanting, he could also crystalize his psijic energy into physical crystals.

    The idea had come to him after raising his father and grandparents and being struck by an exhaustion so profound that he¡¯d had a hard time staying awake. He¡¯d kept awake by distracting himself with the whole guitar project, but the exhaustion had also worn away at his mental resilience. Resulting in emo week.

    Not his finest moment.

    What he hadn¡¯t been able to do was crystalize his innate¡­ magic that was required to be the guiding force for the psijic energy when he used it to boost [True Resurrection]. So, he¡¯d been experimenting with making a wondrous item he remembered from his tabletop gaming days. He would call it a ¡°Sphere of Power¡±, though, as he wasn¡¯t using actual pearls to make the things. No, he was using Tetra-IV instead, as that alloy was much more resilient than pearls were.

    That said, he was having a difficult time making them. Altaea hadn¡¯t done much more than give a vague overview of how to make magic items that used divine power. So, for once, he was truly experimenting with enchanting; not just varying or adapting what he already knew. But if he could get the Spheres of Power made, and to the level he needed them to be, then they would prove to be a great boon. And if he got those working, he was confident that he could eventually make a ritual, or an array, that could enhance and multiply his use of [True Resurrection] manyfold.

    ¡®Oh, hey. Asura just reported that your training room is ready,¡¯ Alicia suddenly sent, snapping him out of his reflections.

    ¡®Oh, perfect!¡¯ He sent back, then sighed as the draw on his limited time increased.

    ¡®Yeah, I¡¯m glad you suggested it,¡¯ Alicia happily sent. ¡®I think it¡¯ll prove useful to how I¡¯m planning on going about body tempering.¡¯

    ¡®Oh? You haven¡¯t really shared what you¡¯ve been planning for that,¡¯ his curiosity evident in the message.

    ¡®Riiiiiiight,¡¯ Alicia replied, obviously hedging. ¡®If it works, I¡¯ll let you know. If it doesn¡¯t, I¡¯ll also let you know because I¡¯ll need help reviving.¡¯

    ¡®That¡¯s not at all ominous,¡¯ he sent back dryly.

    ¡®Ah, it should be fine,¡¯ she sent, obviously now trying to play off how serious the situation might get. ¡®But if it works, I¡¯ll be giving you a run for your money ??.¡¯

    Joram almost fell over in shock when the emoticon came through.

    ¡®Since when have you been able to do that?!¡¯ He demanded excitedly.

    ¡®It was just a whim. Glad it worked ??.¡¯

    Joram facepalmed. This was going to be a thing.

    Fortunately for his sanity, he noticed the princess finally returning, followed by her guard and Mo Yu. Jae-Eun still looked a bit put out from their conversation, but had managed to put on a reasonably convincing game face. She looked like she wanted to say something, but, coming to another decision, Joram spoke first.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that what I said caused you undue stress,¡± he said, bowing slightly. ¡°I would consider it a great favour if you would keep what we discussed between us,¡± he finished, giving both Jae-Eun and Aya a serious look.

    Jae-Eun looked like she¡¯d swallowed a sour plum when she heard that, but quickly composed herself before she spoke.

    ¡°Honestly,¡± she started, ignoring a subtle poke from Aya, ¡°after Moyra spoke with me about some things, I was going to agree with your request anyway. It is very tempting to hold you to your word, but I feel it would be dishonest of me to do so,¡± she finished, once again proving her character to those who listened. ¡°It is hard to learn that what one believes in their heart to be true¡­ is just na?vet¨¦. Beliefs born of imagining the world to be something that it is not. I thank you for your words of wisdom,¡± she finished with a bow to him, shocking him more than a bit.

    Not just the bow, but at her words. He stepped forward so that he was right in front of her bowing form, getting a look of warning from Aya. He just shook his head at her before speaking.

    ¡°Princess,¡± he said, reached his hands out, placed them on her shoulders, then lifted her from her bow so that he could look her in the eyes. ¡°What I said may have been true, but do not give up on your desires to help those around you, as that will kill a spark in you that not only makes you who you are, but also inspire those around you. But do so with wisdom.

    ¡°As the saying goes: ¡®You can feed a man for a day by giving him a fish, or you can feed a man for a lifetime by teaching him how to fish¡¯. At the same time, know what you¡¯ll be giving to whom. Know their temperament, know their goals and desires before helping raise them up by gifting them knowledge.

    ¡°Know how to use knowledge wisely, is what I¡¯m saying. If you can do that, I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll be a fantastic Empress one day,¡± he finished, still holding both her shoulders and her gaze.

    He stepped back after Jae-Eun finally nodded, letting his hands fall back to his sides.

    Then, because no one wanted to break the moment, the silence stretched out, becoming slightly uncomfortable.

    ¡°So, who¡¯s ready to find those medicinal herbs?!¡± Alicia called out, scaring everyone to one degree or another.

    He was about to say something when an urgent message came through.

    M3: I¡¯ve succeeded.

 Chapter 068

    She remembered¡­ odd dreams. Nonsensical things that shifted from one theme to the next, not keeping to one concept, but changing to something completely different. But she recalled that, in the moment, it had seemed natural. She only recognized the incongruencies after the fact; when she tried to recall what had happened.

    Now, it was just dark. Darkness, but there was sound. Yes, an odd sound she¡¯d never heard before kept repeating itself. She decided that it was annoying, but couldn¡¯t see what was making the noise.

    It took her a while to realize that her eyes were closed, and thus the darkness.

    She tried to open her eyes, but they didn¡¯t respond to her will.

    That stumped her, for that had never happened to her before. Well, at least she thought that it had never happened before. How did one even go about opening one¡¯s eyes? She recalled that it should be natural, but didn¡¯t recall the process.

    That wasn¡¯t quite right. Muscles moved things in your body. But how did she make the muscles move?

    That also stumped her.

    Then a memory floated up to her before enveloping her. It was a memory of when¡­ yes, when she¡¯d been younger. She had slept in, a rare luxury given her busy schedule filled with classes and training.

    She¡¯d just woken up, sunlight streaming through the window and onto her face. It was so bright that she didn¡¯t want to open her eyes, but at the same time the sun¡¯s warmth on her face was so relaxing that she wanted to let sleep take her again.

    The sensation of the sun kissing her eyelids had been so warm and comfortable that it had stayed in her memory ever since.

    Ah, that¡¯s what my eyelids feel like, she thought as she remembered the sensation of squeezing her eyelids shut, then relaxing them.

    Tatia opened her eyes, then decided that that had been a terrible idea as the light in the room pierced them, causing such pain that her eyes snapped closed again.

    But she was a stubborn woman, so she cracked her eyes open a hair and kept them open for a second before closing them again when the light became too much. She repeated this dozens of times, each time allowed her eyes to stay open for longer than the last.

    Eventually, her eyes had adjusted sufficiently that she could keep them open, albeit while squinting, long enough to focus on her surroundings.

    She didn¡¯t recognize the ceiling, nor what it was made of, but it looked like¡­ sand paper? But close-up. Like how a leaf looks smooth until you really look at it and see that it really wasn¡¯t.

    She tried to focus on the ceiling more, but found that she wasn¡¯t able to, which confused her more than a little. At her Tier, she should be able to easily focus in on the ceiling and make out more detail.

    That thought worried her, so she focussed inwards, bringing her consciousness inside her body.

    Her eyes popped open in panic a moment later, sweat starting to bead her brow.

    What happened to my cultivation?!

    With that thought came other memories, all flooding back in a jumble that was hard to sort, but every one made the dread in her heart grow.

    The last thing that she remembered was looking up at the sky as everything went dark.

    Tatia lifted a hand to her face, touching her right eye. She marvelled as her fingers met with unbroken skin, not a scar to be found. She smiled as her mind registered that her right eye was there and functioning.

    Her cultivation might have been abolished, and her energy channels destroyed, but she was somehow whole. That meant something.

    ¡°Hey, Grammy,¡± a voice whispered from her left, causing her heart to nearly stop.

    She hadn¡¯t noticed anyone there, but to be fair, she hadn¡¯t looked over there yet.

    ¡°Ah, sorry about that,¡± he said, sounding genuinely sorry.

    Slowly, ever-so-slowly, Tatia turned her head to the left, not only getting a better view of the room, but also of her visitor.

    He looked to be in his late teens, tall and broad. He had the traditional Aneath features, hair and eye colour, but he was hard to place. His voice sounded a bit familiar, but it was deeper than it should have been. She took in his features again, at how his eyebrows raised in concern. Not the whole brow, but just the centre where they started.

    ¡°¡­¡± she tried to speak, but found that her voice wasn¡¯t working as it should.

    ¡®We can still speak over the Network, if that would make it easier for you,¡¯ Joram sent, even his sending sounding older than she remembered him being.

    ¡®How long has it been?¡¯ She asked instead. There was no point in confirming who he was now that he¡¯d spoken to her using telepathy granted by his Network.

    ¡®Just over a year,¡¯ he sent, sounding guilty for some reason.

    She paused then, wondering what he should feel guilty about. Many things came to mind, from him keeping secrets from her to him taking responsibility for things he had no control over. She dismissed all those and instead chose to ask what she felt was more important.

    ¡®How¡¯d you grow up so fast?¡¯ She asked, feeling as though she¡¯d been robbed of seeing him grow up.

    Joram looked away then, his hand coming up to scratch at the back of his head.

    ¡®It is the side effect of my cultivation and body refining techniques,¡¯ he sent a bit timidly.

    Tatia nodded a fraction, mostly because it was still hard to move. She understood that many cultivation and body refining techniques came with¡­ side effects. Most didn¡¯t, actually. But most body refining techniques did, and they¡¯d change the practitioner¡¯s body in tell-tale ways.

    For example, most body refining techniques that involved refining a beast essence would start to give that cultivator increasingly stronger characteristics resembling said beast. Like someone refining a tiger¡¯s essence would notice that their eyes would change to resemble that of a feline. Then their fingernails would gradually change into claws. They might even grow hair in places they¡¯d never had hair before. Things like that.

    She looked at Joram, searching for any other indicators of change, but aside from his premature growth and a healthy look about him, she couldn¡¯t find any.

    ¡®Have you figured out your cultivation yet?¡¯ She asked, her desire to learn more about his weird cultivation suddenly surging in her heart.

    ¡®Ah, yeah, I think that I¡¯ve figured something out,¡¯ he said, then explained how he¡¯d been able to figure out an appropriate path through his body that he could circulate his energy through.

    He then took more time to explain what he called ¡°Psijic Energy¡± to her, the very same energy that had nearly killed him and left him bedridden for years. It, quite honestly, shocked her.

    She didn¡¯t know if his claims of its potency were accurate, but even if they were close, such a cultivation method would be so tyrannical that it would be able to produce monsters that could easily wipe out whole countries, empires, and sects.

    As though he could read what she was thinking, Joram spoke to alleviate her fears.

    ¡®This isn¡¯t something a normal person can do,¡¯ he sent, then explained more about his nature and High Elans, giving her even more of a shock and too much to think about.

    ¡®Anyway,¡¯ he sent, sounding like he was going to wrap things up. ¡®There are a few people who¡¯d like to see you now that you¡¯re awake.¡¯

    ¡®I still haven¡¯t found my voice yet,¡¯ she sent by way of an excuse to not see anyone when she wasn¡¯t in proper form.

    ¡®Don¡¯t worry about it, they¡¯re all in the Network. Besides, they¡¯ve already visited many times while you slept,¡¯ he sent, once again making Tatia wonder if he could read her mind.

    She just nodded fractionally before he vanished like he¡¯d never been there. Then the door behind where he¡¯d been sitting opened to reveal her family, causing the corners of her mouth to rise slightly.

    * * * * *

    Joram was very glad for the distraction their herb gathering provided, for he was able to pay attention to the conversation between Kinkade and Grammy without people asking if he was OK.

    After Alicia had successfully broken the tension before things got more awkward between him and Jae-Eun, not to mention Aya, they¡¯d hurried on their way. It had only taken another couple minutes of walking before they found a good spot with dozens of the herbs they were looking for, and somehow making Jae-Eun realize that Wentian was no longer with them.

    ¡°Where did Ren Wentian go?¡± She¡¯d asked, looking around as though she¡¯d be able to spot him.

    ¡°Oh, he hurried back because of a moment of epiphany prompted him to cultivate,¡± Joram had replied, only lying a little bit.

    ¡°Please pass along my congratulations to him,¡± she¡¯d said before turning back to the task at hand.

    The others were finishing up by the time his conversation with Grammy had wrapped up, so he led the way further into the forest in search of more herbs. The trees started getting larger, covering more of the sky as they went, giving the impression that twilight had already fallen.

    Which made for wonderful ambiance. He¡¯d always loved dusk, then the minutes afterward where the last light of the sun would slowly make its way up the tallest structures before finally disappearing entirely.

    As he appreciated the lighting, he noticed that Jae-Eun looked like she wanted to approach him, but suddenly broke off and started chatting with Mo Yu instead. If he read Aya¡¯s expressions correctly, she was both amused and annoyed by the behaviour.

    ¡°I think I see more!¡± Bai Lian called out from the side, drawing their attention to her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t shout,¡± Jae-Eun whisper-shouted. ¡°There¡¯s a reason why this is a C-Class request.¡±

    Bai Lian looked a little embarrassed by Jae-Eun¡¯s reminder, but nothing else. Jae-Eun seemed to think that she hadn¡¯t taken her warning seriously enough, so she continued.

    ¡°There are many magical beasts in these woods. At the edge, here, there shouldn¡¯t be anything above Qi Gathering- er, Tier 2-, but there have been sightings of Earth Fiends recently in these parts. They¡¯re a Tier 4 threat, and they like to eat these herbs!¡±

    That seemed to catch Bai Lian¡¯s attention, as well his and Mo Yu¡¯s. None of them were worried, as they were all in the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier already, but Jae-Eun didn¡¯t know that. And she was also only in the 2<sup>nd</sup> Tier, so her concerns were quite valid.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it down,¡± Bai Lian whispered back, giving Jae-Eun a thumbs-up.

    Joram couldn¡¯t help but smile when he saw that. It seemed Bai Lian was picking up on his mannerisms.

    Jae-Eun nodded, seemingly unsure if she¡¯d gotten through to Bai Lian, but decided to drop the issue when Bai Lian agreed to keep quiet.

    But then their luck ran out.

    As they approached the new patch of herbs, the Moon Thistle Grass and Red-leafed Sage, the mound of earth as the side of the clearing turned out to be anything but.

    They all stopped in their tracks as they watched the mound begin to rise. Joram was impressed with how large it was when it finally finished getting up. It stood at roughly five metres tall and almost as wide. Looking at it, he understood why they¡¯d mistaken it for a mound of earth.

    It was an earth elemental.

    Then it turned to face them, its maw opening wide to let out a roar that was closer to the sound of rocks being crushed in a gravel machine, showing them a face that resembled a bear¡¯s. Its teeth, however, weren¡¯t pointed like a bear¡¯s were, but all blunt like an herbivore¡¯s.

    That didn¡¯t mean they wouldn¡¯t still take an arm off if it bit you. It¡¯d probably just hurt more.

    He briefly wondered if it was actually a half elemental given its form, but then it started to move towards them, causing everyone to leap into action.

    Bai Lian quickly moved off to his left and a little back, while Mo Yu leapt behind him and to the right, both now circulating their mana as they prepared for the fight at hand. Jae-Eun backup up the most, getting some distance between herself and the front line as Aya casually stepped to her side, a katana in hand.

    Joram stepped forward, a grin on his face as the Earth Fiend picked up speed, its clawed feet throwing clods of earth and grass up behind it as it ran.

    [Biofeedback], [Force Shield], [Kinetic Armour]. Joram was glad his Minds were paying attention enough to buff him as he began to sprint at the enraged elemental, much to Jae-Eun¡¯s vocal dismay.

    As soon as he was within reach of the Earth Fiend, it took a swipe at him with a paw the size of his torso. He quickly dropped into a slide, narrowly avoiding the attack. Once it passed over head, Joram jumped up from his slide, the leap taking him to eye-level with it as his fist came up in an uppercut, taking it square in the jaw.

    His fist continued on into its face, breaking off large chunks of stone and earth in the process. Joram started to grin, then frowned as the Earth Fiend¡¯s momentum continued virtually unimpeded, its body slamming into him as the beast lost control and they fell to the ground in a tumble.

    Joram ignored the shouts of dismay and concern from his party as the Earth Fiend landed on him, pinning his right arm and legs under it. He began punching it with his left hand, not caring which one he used, when a moment later a large lightning bolt slammed into the Earth Fiend from the opposite side, sending a shower of debris down on him as well as arcs of electricity.

    He instinctually grit his teeth as the bolts of electricity touched him, then relaxed again when they continued on without doing anything more than leaving ozone in their wake. He was confused by that until it struck him. Between his Heavenly Lightning Jade Dragon heritage and the Adamantium Body Technique, he was reasonably sure that he was immune to lighting.

    Fortunately, the Earth Fiend wasn¡¯t so lucky. The electricity seemed to affect it the same as an organic being, so Joram took full advantage of its paralysis and went to town on the section pinning his arm.

    Stone, earth, and bits of vegetation flew until his right arm was free, giving him a bit more leverage to push against the beast. He placed both hands on its side and pushed as hard as he could. It was slow at first, but as the earth under his legs was displace by his push/pulling, he was almost free when the Earth Fiend recovered.

    It turned out that it had been sitting on him sideways, which made it easy for it to bring its massive paw down on Joram hard enough to knock the wind out of him and drive him a foot into the earth. It also set his ears to ringing, which was probably a good thing, all told.

    ¡®Young master!¡¯ Both Bai Lian and Mo Yu sent to him in a panic at the same time.

    It seemed as though he could hear things in the Network in stereo.

    ¡®I¡¯m fine,¡¯ he sent back as he grabbed the Earth Fiend¡¯s arm and squeezed for all he was worth and wrenched it to the side.

    The arm broke off in a shower of earth and gravel, its roar of pain only barely heard over his tinnitus. He then threw the broken arm to the side as he got up, stepping out of the indent in the ground, grinning as he had a thought.

    Channeling his inner Ranma, he let loose a flurry of blows as he yelled out.

    ¡°Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!¡±

    Even though he wasn¡¯t actually as fast as Ranma yet, he still needed to squint as his arms blurred as they struck the Earth Fiend¡¯s torso, sending pieces of it flying. He continued his assault, stepping forward bit by bit until he was over a metre inside of its body when he felt the beast begin to collapse on itself.

    He leapt back, smashing past the falling bits of its body, landing just past the indent the Earth Fiend had created by punching him into the ground.

    When it was obvious that the Earth Fiend was dead, the four young women ran around it to see if he was all right, leaving Aya behind.

    Bai Lian fussed about him on one side, checking behind every tear in his clothes for any sign of injury while Mo Yu checked the other side. Alicia pretended to fret over him, but he could still see the smile she was trying to hide. Jae-Eun¡¯s eyes were wide as she stared at him, jaw hanging open. Aya, on the other hand was giving him a weird look even as she assessed him.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine,¡± he said, trying to alleviate their worry and to get the pair off him.

    ¡°How are you fine?!¡± Jae-Eun finally demanded, pointing at him accusingly, Aya nodding along.

    ¡°Well, I do practice a good body refinement technique,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m also good at fortifying myself with Mental Strength, so that helped.¡±

    ¡°That makes no sense! That Earth Fiend was at least a Tier 4 threat! You should be paste!¡± Jae-Eun exclaimed, now pointing at the Earth Fiend¡¯s corpse.

    Joram sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

    ¡°There¡¯s a reason why I¡¯ve got a Class C license, you know,¡± he said patiently. ¡°It¡¯s not hard to punch a bit over my weight class.¡±

    Jae-Eun was speechless as she continued to stare at him, dumbstruck.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± he said, changing the subject. ¡°Let¡¯s gather up any herbs we can find and see if that¡¯ll be enough for the requests,¡± he said, putting his words to action.

    While he was harvesting the herbs, Bai Lian went to the corpse of the Earth Fiend and began digging around until she came out with a shiny core and a bright smile. Mo Yu thanked her for her hard work as she, too, harvested the herbs.

    It took a bit before Jae-Eun snapped out of it and began to help harvest, shooting weird looks at him the whole time. Aya on the other hand, continued to keep watch for any other threats that might approach, occasionally muttering to herself.

    ¡°So, how many have we got now?¡± Joram asked when they finished up.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got twenty-two Moon Thistle Grass and seventeen Red-leafed Sage,¡± Bai Lian reported.

    ¡°Nineteen and twenty-one,¡± Mo Yu said.

    ¡°Eleven and nine,¡± Jae-Eun said confidently as she held up her sack.

    ¡°Sixteen and seventeen,¡± Alicia piped in.

    ¡°So, sixty-eight and sixty-four. Add the ones I picked to that, and we have ninety-one and eighty-nine,¡± he said, nodding to them. ¡°The requests only asked for sixty of each, so great job everyone! We might even get a bonus.¡±

    Bai Lian and Mo Yu smiled at the praise, while Jae-Eun seemed a bit downtrodden.

    ¡°Jae-Eun, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    She raised her head and looked at him, an adorable frown on her face making her look younger than she was.

    ¡°Taking out what Alicia and I gathered, you¡¯d have still gotten enough by yourselves,¡± she said, sounding a little bit more than a little depressed.

    ¡°Ah, we¡¯re here for the experience,¡± Alicia said as she threw an arm over Jae-Eun¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re also here to create bonds! Build friendships through sharing tedious work and fighting for our lives!¡±

    Joram noticed as Aya peeked around the corpse of the Earth Fiend to glare at Alicia, who in turn ignored it like a duck ignored the rain.

    Jae-Eun, however, seemed to take encouragement from Alicia¡¯s words and actions. She stood a bit taller, lifting her chin again.

    ¡°Then, thank you for your instruction!¡± She yelled out with her eyes closed, getting laughter from the rest of the party.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t we supposed to keep quiet,¡± Bai Lian teased as she joined the duo.

    Aya was shaking her head again, buy surprisingly didn¡¯t say anything about the noise.

    Joram looked over at Mo Yu and saw that she was already looking at him.

    ¡®What¡¯s up?¡¯

    ¡®Are you sure it¡¯s safe that they know so much about you?¡¯ She asked, worry clear in the message.

    ¡®No, but that¡¯s what trust is all about, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ He asked, looking her in the eye.

    It seemed that she understood what he meant, for she turned away a moment later, a blush of guilt staining her cheeks.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get going before we run into anything else,¡± he said as he walked past Mo Yu, taking the opportunity to give her shoulder a pat as he passed by.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Aya said as she appeared behind her ward, startling all three women.

    ¡®Joram?¡¯

    He nearly tripped as he heard Xixi¡¯s voice, but caught himself.

    ¡°Haha, maybe the Earth Fiend hit me harder than I thought,¡± he said with an embarrassed laugh, getting a couple polite laughs in return as he continued to walk again.

    ¡®Yes, Xixi?¡¯ He sent, feeling both Xixi and Zanth¡¯s attention focused on him in the Network.

    ¡®When will we see our parents again?¡¯ She asked, her tone nearly breaking his heart as he felt the same emotions coming through from Zanth as those coming from Xixi.

    ¡®I¡¯m not strong enough to bring them all back at the same time,¡¯ he sent, hedging a bit. He¡¯d wanted to wait to bring both their parents back at the same time so that neither Xixi or Zanth would feel left out, even if it would only take another day.

    ¡®That¡¯s OK,¡¯ Xixi sent, sounding like the bravest girl in the world. ¡®Zan and I talked. It¡¯s OK if you bring his parents back first. I still have my sisters.¡¯

    Joram: Kinkade, take over autopilot please.

    Kinkade: No worries.

    He then left Kinkade to pilot his body as he fully focussed on the conversation.

    ¡®I can do that,¡¯ he sent back. ¡®In the meantime, have you heard that Grammy is awake again?¡¯ He asked, trying to get the conversation going in any other direction so that they wouldn¡¯t have to think about their dead parents for the moment.

    ¡®She is?!¡¯ Zanth¡¯s message practically exploded in Joram¡¯s head.

    ¡®Yes, though I think she is still a bit tired. But I¡¯m sure that you can get my mum to bring you to see her.¡¯

    Then he felt Xixi refocus on him, and knew that he¡¯d been unsuccessful in his attempts to distract her.

    ¡®Don¡¯t worry Xixi,¡¯ he sent her privately. ¡®I¡¯ll be by tonight.¡¯

    ¡®OK. Joram?¡¯ She sent, again sounding uncertain.

    ¡®Yes, Xixi?¡¯

    ¡®Don¡¯t stay away so long,¡¯ she sent, now unable to hide her sadness and grief.

    His heart broke hearing the loneliness that came through with her sadness and grief. How easy it was for him to get caught up in all that he needed to do and the projects that popped up one after another. How easy it was to forget that Xixi was only eight years old. An eight year-old who did her best to take care of her little sisters by herself, even though Zanth and everyone else helped as much as they could.

    Little Xixi who¡¯d been glued to his hip whenever she could be. Who¡¯d always kept him in her heart during his long absences from her. Whom he¡¯d pretty much abandoned in his quest to rescue everyone who¡¯d been taken.

    ¡®I won¡¯t,¡¯ he sent back with as much warmth as his guilty heart could muster.

    ¡®Then let¡¯s play together soon,¡¯ she sent back, seemingly forgiving his absence and accepting his words.

    ¡®I¡¯d like that,¡¯ he sent back, this time more convincingly.

    * * * * *

    By now she was certain that Joram was a hidden master.

    There was no way that a mere 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier Mentalist would have the insights that took decades for artifact refiners to come to, never mind the advanced understanding of several Elemental Laws that were needed to get there.

    She appreciated the guidance that he¡¯d given her na?ve ward, if not the way he¡¯d given it. She didn¡¯t know why he was at the Academy pretending to be a young man. His ¡°servants¡± were stronger than they appeared, their aura masks unable to hide the subtle cues one could read from their expressions and body language.

    When Mr Aneath had gone to engage the Earth Fiend in combat, she¡¯d also been surprised. ¡°Moyra¡¯s¡± and ¡°Quinn¡¯s¡± concern and reactions had been genuine, their love for their ¡°master¡± clear.

    She hadn¡¯t seen Alicia do anything during the fight, not that she could have done anything meaningful, given her low cultivation. But she had also seemed just as shocked as Jae-Eun when he¡¯d run into battle, so she was currently undecided about her.

    When ¡°Moyra¡± had attacked the Earth Fiend with lightning, Aya had been able to gauge her strength. She was not only sure that ¡°Moyra¡± was well into the Heaven Realm, but that her techniques didn¡¯t come from this continent.

    ¡°Quinn¡¯s¡± technique, on the other hand, practically screamed they came from the sects of Zhizun Zhanshi as she¡¯d stomped the ground to lift a boulder into the air before punching it, sending it to smash into the Earth Fiend with impressive force. Which really hadn¡¯t been well thought out, because the Earth Element attack had done almost nothing to the Earth Fiend.

    Rookies.

    From the power of the attack, she sensed that ¡°Quinn¡± was also in the Heaven Realm, but at a lower Rank than ¡°Moyra¡±.

    She¡¯d examined Joram several times on their way here to see if she could locate an aura shroud, but the only artifacts she¡¯d found were his storage ring and [Cleanse] ring. So, she was confident that the lack of cultivation she felt from him was accurate.

    His body refinement technique still puzzled her though, as normally a person would need to have at least some measure of cultivation to practice any sort of body refinement. Or had he managed to find a way to do that using Mental Strength?

    Either way, he was certainly stronger than he claimed to be. No Mentalist in their right mind would willingly engage in a fistfight with a creature many times their size and mass. But he had. He didn¡¯t fight like the teenager he pretended to be, but instead fought like someone who¡¯d been in countless fights before.

    Then she¡¯d briefly reconsidered her assessment when he¡¯d made the mistake of letting the Earth Fiend fall on him, pinning him under the far side of the beast in the process. She¡¯d also thought he¡¯d be finished off when ¡°Moyra¡¯s¡± lightning bolt smashed into the beast, causing lightning to flow through it, and Mr Aneath.

    But then his strikes continued, surprising not just her, but his two ¡°servants¡±, who then stopped trying to ¡°help¡±, yet continued to anxiously watch the scene.

    Soon the pounding stopped, causing her to idly wonder if he¡¯d exhausted himself. Shortly after that, the Earth Fiend seemed to recover from its shock and had turned its torso so that it could smash Joram on its other side.

    The impact caused a tremor to ripple through the ground and for all four of the girls to cry out in shock and dismay. Much to her shock, Jae-Eun¡¯s cry didn¡¯t lose out to the other three¡¯s cries. But moments later, they all heard a loud crack, then saw its arm fly away to crash down tens of feet away, causing another minor shock to be felt through the soles of their feet.

    Then they¡¯d all heard him yell out before the sound of his strikes had come so fast that it sounded like one continuous explosion to them.

    ¡°Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!¡±

    And that is what convinced her that he wasn¡¯t just some genius teenager. No, there was no way that a youth from this continent would know the ancient tongue of her homeland.

    Her conclusion was further solidified when she saw him standing there, the only evidence that something had happened to him were his torn clothes and the dust that covered him from head to toe. Because not even a single drop of blood could be found behind those many tears in his clothing.

    But.

    There was one thing that still puzzled her as she followed their group back to the wall and safety.

    Why the hell did he feel the need to yell about chestnuts?!

 Chapter 069

    *That night*

    Xixi couldn¡¯t believe her eyes, or her ears.  She poked Joram in the side, but pulled her finger back when it felt like she¡¯d jabbed a wall instead of her best friend.

    ¡°It¡¯s really me,¡± he said with a voice that was too deep to be Joram¡¯s; from a face that still looked like Joram¡¯s¡­ if he was a lot older.

    ¡°How?¡±  Was the only thing she could think to ask as her brain tried to understand the changes she was seeing in him.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a bit of a side effect of my cultivation method and body refining technique,¡± he said with the same grin she recognized from before¡­ everything happened.

    ¡°Even that?¡±  She asked, poking at the stubble on his face, getting a pricked finger for her trouble.  She was about to suck on her finger when she felt a slight tingling in her finger that erased the pain and stopped the drop of blood that was slowly forming.

    ¡°Yeah, even that,¡± he said as he took her hand in his massive ones and wiped the dot of blood away.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you visited more?¡±  She asked, her voice breaking as tears welled up in her eyes again.

    Xixi saw Joram¡¯s blurry form reach out and pick her up from her chair, then brought her in for a hug.

    She was scared at the thought of trying to hug a metal wall and how it might hurt, or at the least feel very uncomfortable.  But then she felt his warmth as his arms held her close, her ear pressed up against his chest.  She could even hear the beating of his heart.  Which felt¡­ normal.  So, she reached her arms as far around him as she could and squeezed for all she was worth.

    He wasn¡¯t soft by any stretch of the imagination, but she did feel his skin dimple around her arms.  And he was warm.  It almost felt like it did when they were little kids, her cuddling up to him to keep warm in the winter.  Even the presence in the back of her mind that let her know that she was still a part of his Network added to the nostalgic feeling.  Which also brought forth more tears.

    ¡°I¡­  I¡¯m bad at dealing with feelings,¡± he eventually said, his voice rumbling in the ear that was pressed against his chest.

    She wanted to turn her face and bite him, but knew that she¡¯d break some teeth in the attempt.

    ¡°We¡¯re kids, of course we¡¯re bad with feelings,¡± she said grumpily, not wanting to look at him.  ¡°You still should have visited more.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he said, agreeing with her, causing her ear to vibrate.  ¡°I was wrong.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± she said, happy that he admitted his wrongdoings.  ¡°Now, since Zanth is with his parents, you need to stay with me,¡± she said, still holding him as tightly as she could.

    ¡°Even if I¡¯m worn out from helping Zanth, I¡¯ll stay right here with you,¡± he said kindly.

    Even though his voice was different, the way he said it reminded her of the smaller Joram, allowing her to relax further.

    * * * * *

    Soon enough, her death grip on him relaxed, her head slowly drooping down until he heard her breathing even out.  Then she was asleep, gone before she could talk to him more about all the things.

    Joram smiled as he held his best childhood friend, and probably his biggest fan.

    He got up and went to the comfortable couch in Xixi¡¯s living room and sat down again, careful not to disturb her sleep as he shifted her into a more comfortable sleeping position.  Her head rested in the crook of his arm; her face turned slightly towards him.

    She still had that green lock of hair in her bangs.  Well, her hair was now long enough to be tied back into a ponytail, bringing a leaf green streak up from her forehead all the way to her ponytail.  The rest of her hair had darkened from the light indigo and violet to a darker hue of those same colours.

    By rights, he should have been her size.  Just one of the kids running around playing with each other.  But he¡¯d wanted to grow up too fast.  Sure, his first growth spurt hadn¡¯t exactly been intentional, but the fact remained that he hadn¡¯t exactly avoided doing the things that led to that initial growth spurt afterwards.

    He thought about just how bad a friend he¡¯d really been to her over the last year and wondered if there was any way to make up for that.  He didn¡¯t consider the act of bringing her parents back as any sort of atonement, as he would have done that for her either way.

    She¡¯s an incredibly intelligent girl with overflowing talent.  I can¡¯t believe that she¡¯d already both a 2<sup>nd</sup> Tier Mage and Mentalist- and least in strength.  To have such resolve at such a young age, well, I couldn¡¯t have done it when he was a child back on Earth, that¡¯s for sure.

    Then a thought struck him, one that landed close to home.

    Is she also a Reincarnator?

    The thought bounced around his brain causing much chaos before he caught it again and shoved it in a box for later.  Short of a profound invasion of Xixi¡¯s privacy, there was no way to know one way or another right now.  He would only drive himself to distraction worrying about it until something new popped up.

    He looked down at her.  Her sleeping face was adorable, even with her mouth slightly open with a bit of drool leaking out.  Had he ever been that cute?  Would he have looked like that if he¡¯d stayed ¡°young¡±?

    Bah, silly questions that don¡¯t really matter, he thought as he stared at the night sky through the balcony window.

    Well, maybe there is a way that we can spend more time together¡­ and to watch for any signs that she might also be a Reincarnator¡­.

    * * * * *

    *1346.04.22*

    This time, Joram had brought the people out of their resting places and to where they¡¯d likely feel more comfortable¡­ waking up.

    That said, he wasn¡¯t alone this time either.

    His parents had insisted on being present when he brough Aloralla and Ailmar back to life.  Once Gran and Gramps had heard that, they¡¯d also invited themselves along.  And how could Grammy be left out?  Then Zanth had been accompanied by his parents, Selussa and Vulen, making it a bit of a full house.

    Now, the ¡°adults¡± in the room had insisted that Xixi, Zanth, Zaleria, Seldanna, and Elodea all wait in Xixi¡¯s room until things were finished.  Their reasoning had been sound, as Joram had also been unwilling to allow Xixi to see her dead parents again.  No, he didn¡¯t want that for her.  It was bad enough that he had to see them like that.

    The atmosphere in the room was¡­ awkward.  His parents had insisted on changing Aloralla and Ailmar out of their burial clothes and into something less morbid.  That had taken a bit more time to accomplish, as the men and women had split to take care of business, leaving him alone with Grammy in the living room until they finished.

    Now, Xixi¡¯s parents were dressed ¡°normally¡±.  It was still weird.

    ¡°So, ah, I¡¯ll start then,¡± he said, getting up from the chair he¡¯d been sitting in as he waited.

    Everyone turned to look at him expectantly, their eyes saying more than their expressions.

    He took a deep breath, then shifted to his planar self.  It still got reactions ranging from a twitch of an eyelid to a startled twitch of the head.

    Joram was regretting his decision to bring his beloved aunt and uncle here to bring them back to life.  The crowd was stifling.  Specifically, their expectations.  He might just be reading way too much into their expressions.  That was entirely possible, given his social anxiety.

    But it was also hard seeing his aunt and uncle dead, even though he was about to bring them back to life.

    He blinked as he felt a hand on his shoulder, not even perceiving their approach because he¡¯d been too caught up in his own thoughts and fears.

    ¡°It¡¯s OK,¡± Grammy said softly, her voice still a bit husky from disuse.  ¡°Take your time.¡±

    He almost cried then, but held it together.  He reached up and placed his hand on hers, giving it a light squeeze before kneeling down at aunt Aloralla¡¯s head and gently placing his hand on it, his fingers resting just above her brow.

    He then reached inside and pulled his psijic energy to where [True Resurrection] waited for him, then activated the innate spell.

    Joram slid over to where Ailmar lay as he watched, not bothering to [Delve] this time, the colour return to her face, the faint line on her neck vanishing just before her chest rose as she took a huge gasp of air.  Her eyes shot open, then frantically darted around looking from face to face.

    Joram called upon his innate spell again, fueling it with psijic energy as his aunt still glanced around in confusion.

    By the time she turned her head to look over at him he¡¯d already shifted back to his Aneath form, and Ailmar was taking his first deep breath.

    He scooted back as Aloralla flung herself over to embrace her husband, letting out a cry that more than tugged at Joram¡¯s heart.

    Exhausted, Joram looked up at Grammy and saw the tears in her eyes, then looked around and found that there wasn¡¯t a dry eye to be seen.  Each person was holding the hand of their beloved as they too remembered what had happened to them.

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    He stood up slowly, then reached over and pulled Grammy into his (patent-pending) half-hug, his arm going around her back to other so that he could grip her shoulder and pull her close, into his side.  As her own arm came up to wrap around his middle, he sent a message to Xixi, letting her know that it was OK to come out now.

    Every head turned as Xixi¡¯s bedroom door was flung open, banging on the wall.  Out came Xixi, carrying a sister in each arm as she raced across the living room to where her parents were still embracing on the floor.

    They quickly broke apart, each one reaching out to catch their daughters in their arms.  More tears flowed as they babbled incoherently trying to share everything at once.

    It was too much for him to take in, so he prepared to shift away, but stopped when Grammy squeezed him tighter.

    ¡®You¡¯re staying,¡¯ was all she sent, eyes still on the reunited family bawling on the floor.

    Ow, my feels, was all he could think of.

    * * * * *

    Avi listened to the family reunion in the back of her head, silently applauding Tatia for keeping Joram there to deal with his issues.

    At the fore of her mind was the slightly awkward meeting she was having with Sung Jae-Eun and Matsui Aya at the front door of her manor.  They¡¯d shown up not long after breakfast time, Jae-Eun offering a few breakfast pastries as a visitor¡¯s gift, a slightly forced smile on her face.

    Aya, on the other hand, kept prodding Jae-Eun.  Alicia smiled at them and invited them in.  It would have been next to impossible to not realize that that was exactly what they¡¯d been hoping for.

    ¡°So, what brings you by this fine morning?¡±  Alicia asked cheerily, a bright smile on her face as she served the breakfast pastries to them on little plates with small forks.

    ¡°Ah, well, I just wanted to go over yesterday¡¯s mission with my team captain,¡± Jae-Eun said after receiving another subtle poke from Aya.

    ¡°Oh?  I thought it went quite well, don¡¯t you?¡±  She asked, feigning slight puzzlement.

    ¡°Well, I know that it was a mission above our ranking and all, but I thought we could brainstorm about what we might have been able to contribute to the¡­ encounter,¡± she blurted out quickly, shifting again in her padded chair.

    Alicia looked over to Aya who was happily consuming the pastry before looing back at Jae-Eun.

    ¡°It was weird, right?¡±  She asked, leaning forward as though she was gossiping.

    Jae-Eun¡¯s eyes went wide as she leaned forward, placing her plate on the table between them, then slapping her hands down beside it, finger splayed.

    ¡°Yes!  That was on a level of ridiculous that I¡¯ve never heard of before!¡±  She nearly shouted, but managed to keep it to just ¡°loud¡±.

    Alicia was nodding like a bobblehead.

    ¡°Like, if I can figure out how he did that, I¡¯m sure that I¡¯d be invincible one day!¡±  She said, raising her volume and excitement level to match the princess¡¯s.

    ¡°It was all like: Bam!  Smash!  Crash!  Kaboom!¡±  She said, her arms going up and miming the sounds out as she expressed them.

    ¡°He was so awesome!¡±  Alicia practically squealed as she brough her arms in front of her with her hands closed tightly into fists just below her chin.

    ¡°But how did he do it,¡± Aya butted in from where she now stood beside Jae-Eun, nearly scaring the pee out of them.

    Alicia exchanged looks with Jae-Eun before they both turned to stare at Aya, who in turn regarded them for a few seconds before continuing.

    ¡°How well do you know Mr Aneath?¡±  She asked, eyes practically boring in her head.

    ¡°He¡¯s a nice neighbour?¡±  She said hesitantly.

    Given Aya¡¯s strength, Alicia was reasonably sure that she was 6<sup>th</sup> Tier.  Which meant that she¡¯d been around and seen more than a few things in her time even though she looked to be barely twenty years old.

    Aya gave her a searching look, trying to find a flaw in her acting.

    ¡°Then, I advise you to be careful around him,¡± she said at length, then turned to her ward.  ¡°And you¡¯ll not be joining him or his team for any more quests.¡±

    Jae-Eun¡¯s mouth opened to argue, but was stopped by Aya¡¯s glare.

    ¡°There is no way that he¡¯d an ordinary young man that¡¯s come to the Academy just to study,¡± she said, confirming for Alicia that she¡¯d at least partially seen through Joram.

    Jae-Eun¡¯s mouth closed, but took on a stubborn set as she reluctantly nodded.  Alicia silently cursed Joram¡¯s impulsiveness for ruining their budding relationship.  It might have been a relationship of convenience at first, but she¡¯d still put in a lot of effort into it and realized that she actually liked the na?ve princess.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll just have to go on our own quests,¡± Alicia confidently stated, a huge smile on her face that made both women blink at her.  ¡°We don¡¯t need any men with us to prove that we¡¯re capable.  We¡¯ll build up our team, showing everyone what ¡®Goddesses¡¯ are capable of!¡±  She proclaimed grandly, throwing her arms wide, with a fierce gleam in her eye.

    Jae-Eun¡¯s eyes grew wide, her pupils dilating as her mouth slowly opened.  The she threw up her right arm and yelled.

    ¡°Untouchables!!¡±

    ¡°Untouchables!!¡±  Alicia took up the call as she looked at Aya expectantly.

    Aya coughed into her hand before responding.

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t get carried away.¡±

    * * * * *

    ¡°¡­ and that¡¯s why I think it would be good to purchase a property in Stormhaven,¡± Joram said, concluding his argument to move some of the family back to the prime.

    Tatia regarded him for a while before she spoke.

    ¡°I would agree that getting some of the Clan back to the larger world outside is important.  But there are a few things that you need to know, not the least of them regarding the Academy,¡± Tatia said, boosting Joram¡¯s excitement.

    ¡°Is there something¡­ wrong with the Academy?¡±  He asked, keeping himself on topic.

    ¡°This is information that is normally only handed down to the Matriarch of the Clan,¡± she began, sighing.  ¡°The Grand Waeryn Academy was founded by our Clan.  It is also, secretly, run by us.¡±

    Joram¡¯s jaw dropped as his mind spun, questions flying about and knocking into each other, sending other thoughts spinning and spiraling about chaotically.

    ¡°That said,¡± Tatia continued, ¡°they¡¯re likely aware of the fate of our Clan and have enacted emergency procedures to keep their ties to us buried so deeply that it would be next to impossible for others to discover that connection.

    ¡°We also already own property in Stormhaven that we¡¯ve used to house our Clan when we sent them off to obtain official degrees.  As you know, our Clan sends agents out into the wider world to gather knowledge, so those official degrees, certificates, and diplomas are vital to their missions to infiltrate various organizations.

    ¡°So, there¡¯s no need to purchase any real estate in Stormhaven for the time being,¡± she finished, broadening Joram¡¯s understanding of just how far-reaching their network had been.

    ¡°Speaking of our spy network,¡± he said, getting a slight frown from Grammy at his use of ¡°spy¡±.  ¡°The teleportation network that the clan used is currently down.  Do you know of any way to easily repair it?¡±

    ¡°Easily, no.  But I am familiar with every connection in the teleportation network¡­¡± she trailed off as a frown formed on her face.  ¡°But I¡¯ll not be able to work on them as I am now,¡± she finished, staring down at her hands.

    Joram paused there for a bit, sorting his thoughts before speaking.

    ¡°Have you spoken with mom about¡­ her change, yet?¡±

    Grammy gave him a sharp look before speaking.

    ¡°Yes, she shared what she spoke with Avi about, and her decision to¡­ change,¡± she said, still frowning slightly.

    ¡°Her option is also open to you, and any others in our family,¡± he said quietly.  ¡°There¡¯re also other options you could explore.  I¡¯m already a 5<sup>th</sup> Tier Alchemist, so there are options there to help rebuild your cultivation that way, but it would be a very long and arduous process,¡± he said as she nodded along to what he said, likely already knowing of that route.

    ¡°The other option involving restoring your original body would be to grow you a new one, a clone if you will.  It would be identical to the one you were born with.  That said, to avoid any possible complications, that body will be the equivalent of a two-year-old,¡± Joram said, finishing that series of options for her, getting a dissatisfied grimace.

    ¡°As mentioned before, there¡¯s the option of becoming a High Elan as well. That route would also require restarting your cultivation from the beginning, but has the advantages that come with being a High Elan.  Chief amongst those is a very strong natural talent for psionics,¡± he said, getting a slow nod from her.

    ¡°The last option has a few flaws, not the least of them being more trauma,¡± he said, not liking this option, let alone having to share it out loud.  ¡°You would have to die.  I would then use [True Resurrection] on you to bring you back,¡± he said, then paused when Grammy held up her hand.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you do that first?¡±  She asked, not angrily, but with genuine curiosity in her expression and tone.

    ¡°The ¡®more trauma¡¯ part,¡± he said, not able to look her in the eye.  ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough family die that it would have been more than difficult to go that way.  That said, we weren¡¯t even sure if it would work at first.  We needed to test it on¡­ someone first,¡± he said, now looking up at the purple and saffron blossoms in the tree they were sitting under.

    ¡°Someone?¡±  Grammy asked, now in full-blown Matriarch Mode.

    ¡°Someones?¡±  He hedged, then caved as Grammy stared at him in that way she had that pulled out what he wanted to hide.  ¡°The first¡­ trial, was done on one of the invaders.  Let me finish.

    ¡°[True Resurrection] worked, but came with a flaw I hadn¡¯t foreseen.  The practitioner revived without issue to her body, but came back one Realm lower than she¡¯d been in life.  It took me a while to get to the next stage of trials.  I waited until I had broken through to the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier, wanting to see if Tier 3 Mana would make any difference in my ability to revive someone.

    ¡°It did not,¡± he said, giving her a serious look.  ¡°The first practitioner also came back one Realm lower.  It confirmed that I was limited when reviving someone who¡¯s cultivation matched or exceeded mine.   On my next attempt, I used Psijic Energy to supplement [True Resurrection], thinking that perhaps I was missing something that my innate ability was lacking.  That seemed to fix the issue.

    ¡°The practitioner had been in the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier in life and was successfully revived, keeping her original cultivation.  But I feel that I am still limited to my own Tier when reviving someone,¡± he finished, finally looking back down to meet Grammy¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that, even if you were to bring me back to life, my cultivation would fall an entire Tier?¡±

    Joram nodded, getting a sigh in return.

    ¡°That would certainly complicate things,¡± she said, frowning.  But then her expression softened as she studied Joram¡¯s face.  ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have wanted you to¡­ experience any more trauma.  So, thank you for waiting to speak with me before making the choice for me,¡± she finished with a warm smile as she reached out over the small table and took his hand.

    He nodded, not trusting his voice just then.  He took a breath, then spoke.

    ¡°So?  What do you think of the options?¡±

    This time Grammy looked up to study the vibrant blossoms overhead.

    ¡°I¡¯m not very keen on dying, even though I¡¯d be brought back,¡± she said, a slight grin forming on one side.  ¡°The other options will all take a long time for me to get back to my former cultivation, but that doesn¡¯t matter as much.

    ¡°It¡¯s time that I pass on the leadership of the Clan, to let the next generation decide our course.  That said, I¡¯ll be more than happy to assist in any way I can, as well as answer any questions I can.  But I¡¯m¡­ done.

    ¡°Even though I have regrets with how everything turned out and especially with my battle with that practitioner, I know that I¡¯ll¡­ not be the right person to rebuild the Clan,¡± she said, waving Joram¡¯s protests away before continuing.

    ¡°When you mentioned that you¡¯d revived some of our attackers, my first thoughts were for revenge.  I wanted you to hand them over so that I could kill them all over again.  I may appear calm, and I can keep my thoughts from my face well enough that someone wouldn¡¯t ever know the knife was coming before it pierced their heart.

    ¡°Even with your ability to bring our family back, I find myself fixated on revenge.  The only reason I want to get stronger is so that I can one day go and wipe those Sects from the face of Dovaynia, then wipe out any other warmongering forces out there until any thoughts of war or vengeance the survivors might have would have them so terrified of the consequences that even their descendants three generations down would feel the same fear in their very souls,¡± Grammy said with a look of such malevolence and hatred that Joram stopped breathing as she spoke.

    Then that terrifying expression melted away, leaving behind her usual pleasant expression.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I need to let go,¡± she finished simply.

    Joram bowed his head then, remembering how he¡¯d felt those very same things.  Remembered the rage and grief.  Then he remembered how good it felt, how freeing it was when he decided to let it go.  Sure, he still felt those things from time to time for he hadn¡¯t been able to let it go all at once.  He was no Saint.  It was a process.  Healing took time.

    Joram raised his head and looked his great grandmother in the eyes as he gathered his thoughts and memories.

    ¡®Can I share something with you?¡¯  He asked, her surprise showing as only a slight flicker of her eyelid.

    She nodded.

    So, he took his gathered thoughts, memories, feelings, and insights he¡¯d gained over the years as he had come across a myriad of teachings, and even a few things he¡¯d learned from Altaea.  He took those things with him as he stepped into Grammy¡¯s Knowledge Sea and looked around.

    It was much more sparse than he imagined it had been.  Desolate might have been a better word to describe it.  But it still held the things Grammy held dear, which was the important part.

    He turned to regard Grammy¡¯s manifestation, a near perfect replica of herself in her favoured robes.  Almost perfect, except for her looking like a ghost; wispy and a bit translucent.

    ¡°It¡¯s a lot,¡± he said, bringing the bundle forward.  ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°No, but if you feel that it¡¯s important, then please share,¡± she said, standing up a bit straighter.

    Joram reached his hand out for Grammy to take.  She only hesitated for a moment before she raised her own for him to take.  He enveloped her hand in his, then began to share.

 Chapter 070

    *1346.04.24*

    Alicia was a bit¡­ frustrated.

    After her meeting with Jae-Eun and Aya, she¡¯d sent invitations to the other women listed on the Goddess Ranking.  The invitation wasn¡¯t for them to join her party, though.  No, that would have been a level of diplomatic ineptitude bordering on criminal.

    She¡¯d invited them to meet with her at Starfall, luring them with promises of sweet decadence.  All but four of them had shown up for the meeting time she¡¯d made for each of them.  She¡¯d wanted to speak with them individually so that they wouldn¡¯t be swayed by others¡¯ opinions.

    It hadn¡¯t gotten her very far though.  Most of them seemed to think that she was just wanting to brush elbows with the popular crowd, to get a foot in, as it were.  There were even a few that thought she was condescending them because Alicia was at the top of the Ranking, lording it over them.

    Those last ones were struck off her list of potential recruits pretty fast.  Their superficial attitudes, viewpoints, and goals weren¡¯t what she was looking for.

    The former group was borderline as well.  Because Alicia came from an unknown background they thought that she was trying to climb the social ladder by using her position on the Goddess Ranking.  Not an entirely unfair thought for them to have, as she was sure that it had happened not infrequently in the past.

    The few that seemed amenable to getting to know her without questioning her motives, were of humbler backgrounds.  Daughters of merchants and laypeople.  There were a few minor nobles, but they were surprisingly easy to get along with.

    She hadn¡¯t pitched her idea to them yet, as she was working to build a base of mutual respect first; possibly even friendship.  No, she¡¯d chatted with each of them about Academy life, the latest trends, and such for a time before they headed off with a small box of goodies in hand.  Even the ones she wrote off.  No need to burn any bridges.

    The four that hadn¡¯t shown up for their allotted time had actually come together to see her close to closing time.  It felt a bit like an ambush, but she still greeted them with a smile, showing them to a table inside because the patio was currently being closed up.

    First to take a seat was Alyraele Erhice, the firstborn of a minor house in Avilia, the only forth-year student among them.  Then Sophia Rearden sat next to her, the second child of a successful merchant family a few countries west of the Avilium Kingdom.  Gabrielle Hayes, the daughter of a blacksmith, and Daleira Dexamene a sponsor from her village a bit inland, joined the first two at their table within seconds.

    Surprisingly, it was Daleira that spoke up first.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s on your mind, Miss Seraphina?¡±  She asked as Alicia took the last chair at the table between Daleira and Alyraele.

    She wasn¡¯t expecting such a straight shot, so she delayed by waving over Bai Lian and placing a quick order for some sweets.  From the cues she saw in Alyraele¡¯s body language, Alicia guessed that she knew that she was stalling.

    ¡°Are any of you as¡­ annoyed with the Goddess Ranking as I am?¡±  She asked, deciding to just say it straight, which caught them all by surprise.  Or maybe it was the subject?

    After a few looks were exchanged between them, it was Sophia who spoke up this time.

    ¡°In what sense?¡±  She asked, obviously taking well to her studies if she was able to ask for clarification before answering based on what she thought she understood.

    ¡°That it even exists,¡± she replied bluntly as her brows drew down slightly, marring her friendly expression.

    ¡°Go on,¡± Sophia said, as Gabrielle and Daleira leaned forward slightly.

    * * * * *

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡±  Joram asked as they opened their eyes.

    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ a lot to unpack,¡± Grammy replied with a small grin.

    He couldn¡¯t help but smile at the pun.  He was glad that she could joke, though.  Then, thinking back, he had trouble remembering if Grammy had actually ever joked with him before.

    His thoughts must have made their way to his face, because Grammy couldn¡¯t help but laugh at him.

    ¡°Even though I had to be the Matriarch for half a century, I am still who I was before taking on the persona.  I do have a sense of humour, you know,¡± she said, shaking her head at him.

    ¡°Grammy?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Joram?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re kinda scary,¡± he said then dodged the half-hearted swing Grammy sent his way.

    ¡°That hurts,¡± she said, unable to hide her smile now.

    Joram burst out laughing, remembering their conversation from what seemed like so long ago, yet only a few years had passed.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got some work to do,¡± Grammy finally said when she stopped laughing.

    ¡°Aye, that we do,¡± he said, nodding.  ¡°What¡¯s first on your list?¡±

    ¡°How easy is it to bring me to the Academy?¡±  She asked, now back to her usual business mode.

    ¡°We can go there now, if you¡¯d like.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, no.  I should get ready first,¡± she said, looking down at herself and frowning.  ¡°Do you have anything more¡­ formal?¡±  She asked, looking back up at him.

    ¡°I can throw something together.  Would something similar to what you used to wear be good?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that should do,¡± she said after a moment, then reached up and touched the very short hair on the right side of her head.  ¡°Do you have a way to fix this?¡±

    ¡°An avant-garde haircut?¡±  He asked with a shrug.

    ¡°A, what?¡±  Grammy deadpanned.

    ¡°A new style, modern, innovative.  That sort of thing,¡± he explained as he waved his hand.

    ¡°I would be very curious to see what you have in mind,¡± she said, her interest piqued.

    ¡°Ah, well, you¡¯d look a little something like this,¡± Joram said, manifesting [Astral Construct] and shaped it to be a perfect replica of Tatia down to the finest detail, including colour and texture.

    Joram smiled at his work, proud of how far he¡¯d come in his ability to shape ectoplasm.

    Grammy stared at her copy with wide eyes as she reached out a hand to touch its face.

    ¡°It feels so¡­ real,¡± she said, then turned to him.  ¡°This isn¡¯t an illusion, is it?¡±

    ¡°No, just shaped ectoplasm,¡± he said, trying to be modest.

    Grammy shook her head, then got back on topic.

    ¡°So, show me the style you had in mind.¡±

    A few moments later, they both stared at the astral construct¡¯s new do.

    ¡°I kind of like it,¡± Grammy said with a nod.  ¡°It reminds me of the ancient warriors of the Kvar¡¯lorn Plains.  They were a fierce lot, feared by many,¡± she said, nodding.  ¡°Yes, this will do nicely.¡±

    ¡°All right,¡± Joram said, then produced a pair of scissors and got to work.

    - - - - -

    ¡°Yes, I still like it,¡± Grammy said once he was done, looking at herself in the bathroom mirror.

    ¡°All right, then let¡¯s clean up,¡± he said, then activated his [Cleanse] ring to get rid of all the hair.

    He turned back to her and admired his work.

    Both sides of her head had been shaved up to her temples, leaving her brushed-back hair to flow down her back.  The bare skin extended to the back of her head, where it dipped slightly, leaving the occipital bun covered in hair, but her neck bare.

    With her deep purple hair, she might be able to get a role in a post-apocalyptic movie, Joram thought in amusement that quickly soured.  She kinda did survive our own personal apocalypse, though¡­

    ¡°Stop being gloomy,¡± Grammy said, smacking him in the arm, then wincing.  ¡°Ow.  I really need to get cultivating again,¡± she said, waving her hand to dull the sting.

    That caught his attention.

    ¡°Have you decided what path you¡¯d like to take?¡±  He asked, now back to serious.

    ¡°We can discuss it more after we visit the Dean of the Academy,¡± she said, waving it off.  ¡°My outfit?¡±  She asked, changing the subject.

    Joram frowned, but complied.  He shifted a few bolts of cloth and dyes over and got to work with [Modify Matter].

    Within seconds the bolts of cloth had spun, unravelling in the air as the dyes flowed to, and merged with, the cloth even as it changed shape, seeming to morph into a beautiful set of black robes with a purple trim that matched her hair.

    ¡°That¡¯s completely ridiculous, I hope you know,¡± she said, trying hard to keep the awe out of her voice.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been told,¡± he said with a small grin.

    ¡°Now, for undergarments,¡± she said, looking at him expectantly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go shopping,¡± he said with a cough.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    *A very uncomfortable hour later¡­.*

    ¡®I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so¡­ prudish about shopping with me,¡¯ Grammy sent as they left the women¡¯s clothing store that Bai Lian and Mo Yu had gone to.  ¡®Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯d been married with two children?¡¯

    ¡®That¡¯s different,¡¯ he sent, massaging his temples as he tried to get rid of his slight headache.  A purely psychosomatic one.

    ¡®How so?¡¯  She asked, seemingly genuinely curious to know why.

    He looked over at her, but couldn¡¯t tell if she was yanking his chain or not.  So he went with blunt.

    ¡®You¡¯re my great grandmother.  On Earth, you¡¯d be a frail old woman with more wrinkles than hair,¡¯ he sent, getting an outraged look in return.  ¡®Here?  You look like you could be my older sister.  My hot older sister.  This makes it many levels of wrong to drag me along while you shop for lingerie,¡¯ he finished.

    Joram didn¡¯t know how she¡¯d react to that, but he¡¯d have been wrong anyway.

    Grammy turned to him, a huge smile on her face.

    ¡®Why thank you, Joram!  That¡¯s probably the most sincere compliment I¡¯ve received regarding my looks since your great grandfather passed away.¡¯

    Damn it!  I was played!

    ¡®You¡¯re welcome,¡¯ he sent back, working hard to keep his embarrassment off his face.  ¡®Now, since you¡¯ve already changed, shall we go?¡¯

    Grammy smiled as she took his arm in hers as they walked, getting more than a few looks from those around them.  He was surprised to finally notice that he was now taller than her by more than a few centimetres.

    ¡®Hmm, yes.  Let¡¯s go visit the old man then,¡¯ she said with a distinct level of ¡°pouting¡± in there.

    Joram just nodded before shifting them to his manor on campus.

    They arrived in the living room where the grand piano was still proudly displayed by the front window¡­ and where Bai Lian was idly playing with the keys.

    Joram was surprised to see her there, having thought that she¡¯d be working at Starfall.  But when Bai Lian saw him, and Grammy, his surprise paled in comparison to hers.

    Bai Lian practically flung herself off the bench and prostrated herself on the ground before them.

    ¡°I greet great grandmother, the Matriarch!¡±  She practically yelled into the floor.

    Joram exchanged confused looks with Grammy.  Though Grammy seemed more fascinated than confused.

    ¡°Oh, do I have another great granddaughter now?¡±  She asked seriously, but the schadenfreude radiating off her connection in the Network gave her away.

    Joram was impressed that Bai Lian¡¯s face could lose even more colour than it already had.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t presume, Matriarch!¡±  She replied vehemently as she started to shake a bit.

    ¡°Oh, stop that Grammy,¡± Joram said as he leaned over and pickup Bai Lian up as though she were a feather, depositing her on her feet.

    ¡°Bah, you¡¯re no fun,¡± Grammy pouted, pouted!, at him.  ¡°No harm in making sure people know what¡¯s what.¡±

    If anything, Bai Lian looked even more terrified than before.

    ¡°You recognize Grammy?¡±  He asked her, ignoring Grammy who seemed to be going through an identity crisis at the moment.

    Bai Lian turned to him, edging a bit further away from Grammy before answering.

    ¡°We¡­ were given likenesses¡­¡± she mumbled, training off as Grammy now took a better look at her.

    ¡°This is what you did with them?¡±  Grammy asked softly as she continued to stare at Bai Lian.

    Instead of answering her directly, he turned to Bai Lian.

    ¡°Could you please repeat the Heart Oath you swore to me?¡±

    ¡°I, Qin Bai Lian, swear by the Heavens that I will be loyal and true to you, Joram Aneath, until the day I find my eternal rest,¡± she said instantly, looking him in the eyes as she spoke.

    Joram nodded to her and placed his hand on her head for a moment before turning to regard his slightly stunned Grammy.

    She seemed to go over Bai Lian¡¯s words in her head, then again and again before she looked back at Joram.

    ¡°But why?¡±  She asked, a bit of pain audible in her voice.

    ¡°Because I chose to let go of hate,¡± he said simply.

    Tatia Aneath could only shake her head at that while Bai Lian could only stare at her feet, hands clasped in front of her.

    ¡°How?¡±  Grammy asked, her pain and confusion clear.

    ¡°¡¯It¡¯s a lot to unpack¡¯, remember?¡±  He said quietly as he took her hands in his.  ¡°I¡¯ve had a year to process everything; you¡¯ve had days.  Let it come.¡±

    Grammy looked up to him, searching his face for a time before nodding, then smiling.

    ¡°You¡¯re still grounded,¡± she said with faux seriousness, then turned fully serious.  ¡°You can trust her, though?¡±

    Joram smiled a sad smile as he remembered how he¡¯d forced Bai Lian to go through the rows and rows of her dead peers.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s something that comes with time,¡± he said.  ¡°Time and effort from both parties willing to making things work.¡±

    He perceived Bai Lian as she once again began to shake, tears silently falling to her feet.  Without looking away from Grammy, he reached his arm out behind himself and once again placed his hand on Bai Lian¡¯s lowered head and gave it the slightest of squeezes.

    ¡°I¡¯m still going to get everyone back, though,¡± he said to Grammy as she observed his, arguably, intimate gesture.

    It took her a minute to respond.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go see the old man,¡± she said, putting on a smile for him.

    - - - - -

    The office of the Dean was as impressive as he would have imagined it to be.  The walls were lined with bookshelves- stacks, really- that went all the way up to the ceiling that was over seven metres high.

    The stacks didn¡¯t only contain books of varying size and shape, but also mementos, souvenirs, we well as random alchemical and magical equipment.  There were also tiny figurines depicting anything from a common chicken to various dragons, phoenixes, and other exotic beasts.

    Joram idly wondered if he could make some money by selling him some of his work before bringing his mind back to the¡­ odd discussion.

    ¡°Ah, my girl!  What have you done with your hair?¡±  The old man who¡¯d presided over Joram¡¯s ¡°honour¡± duel asked from behind his impressive desk.

    ¡°Who¡¯s girl?¡±  Grammy demanded with a scowl on her face.  ¡°Being my senior doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m your ¡®girl¡¯.¡±

    Joram looked at the Dean with new respect.  Not that that was hard, as he¡¯d had very little respect for the man to begin with.  But someone able to put Grammy on the back foot like that had to have some skills.

    ¡°It¡¯s just an expression of endearment,¡± he said, brushing it off.  ¡°I¡¯m much too old to be flirting these days,¡± he said dismissively as he turned to regard Joram.

    ¡°After I heard about the fate of the Clan,¡± he said, now entirely serious.  ¡°I had wondered if I would ever meet anyone from home ever again.¡±

    Joram nodded at that, and even Grammy grew serious again.

    ¡°Then you showed up,¡± the Dean continued, a slight frown on his face.  ¡°I wondered if someone had taken your identity and was trying to infiltrate the Academy.  I had seriously questioned the intelligence of the people attempting such a thing, especially with the identity of someone who was supposed to have just turned eight-years-old,¡± he said, giving Joram a flat look.

    ¡°I decided to humour that old fool, when he laid those charges on you, just to see what I¡¯d be dealing with,¡± he said, giving Joram a Look, but receiving a death glare from Grammy.  ¡°Even though the assessors had reported you as being a peak-level Tier 3 Mentalist, I wondered if that were really true,¡± she said, now turning to Grammy.

    ¡°Not only did young Mr Aneath here win his honour duel, but he did it in such a way that completely humiliate the Arabanise family,¡± he said, then gave a brief description of the ¡°fight¡± before continuing.

    ¡°So, I then knew without a doubt that Mr Aneath wasn¡¯t what he claimed to be,¡± he said, turning his gaze back to Joram.  ¡°A member of the Clan doesn¡¯t just show up with three ¡®servants¡¯ from the Sects either.¡±

    Having all of this pointed out to him so concisely was really taking a toll on his self-confidence.

    ¡°So,¡± the Dean said, letting out an aura so heavy that Joram couldn¡¯t move.  ¡°Who.  Are.  You?¡±

    Grammy didn¡¯t seem to be affected by the Dean¡¯s aura like Joram was because she stood up and smacked the Dean right across the face, astonishing the man so much that Joram felt the aura vanish like a bursting bubble.  He turned slowly and took in Grammy¡¯s furious face.

    ¡°And you,¡± he said quietly.  ¡°Have you been taken by those who destroyed our Clan and turned into their agent?¡±

    Grammy was taken aback by his words and cold tone, but soon rallied.

    ¡°If you question my honour again, I don¡¯t care if I have to drag this crippled body across the floor to gnaw on your bony old ankles until my teeth fall out, but I will do everything in my power to shut you up,¡± she said in her Matriarch voice.

    ¡°Joram here,¡± she said, motioning towards him with her right hand.  ¡°Is the only reason why there are any Clan members left.  He has done more for the Clan in its time of crisis than anyone else combined.  So, tell me.  Where.  Were.  You.  When the wolves burst through the door and began their slaughter?

    ¡°What have you been doing to help the clan?  Playing stupid games with my great grandson¡¯s life?  Huh?!¡±

    Joram was seriously impressed by Grammy¡¯s vim and vigour.  Even standing there as a crippled cultivator, she was able to lambaste someone who was likely in the 7<sup>th</sup> Tier without any apparent fear, her glare nearly sufficient to peel paint.

    The Dean leaned back, his lips forming the word ¡°boney¡± and he stared at Grammy for a minute.

    ¡°Given that the Sects sent out an extermination squad, I think that my caution has been more than reasonable,¡± he said, reasonably.  ¡°That said, I would still need to get proof that this young man is indeed Joram Aneath who, I will mention again, is supposed to be eight years old.¡±

    ¡°What?  You want a blood test or something?¡±  Joram asked, trying very hard to keep his sarcastic tendencies to a minimum.

    ¡°For a start,¡± the Dean replied with a disapproving look at Joram.  ¡°I¡¯ll also need you to answer some questions for me.  For instance, how is it that you appear to be twice the age you¡¯re supposed to be?¡±

    It was Joram¡¯s turn to give the man a Look while Grammy continued to stare daggers at the old man.

    ¡°It¡¯s a side effect of my cultivation technique and my body refining technique,¡± he said at last.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know of any combination of those two methods that could produce such side effects at such a low Tier,¡± he said, then looked at Joram again, squinting.  ¡°Are you wearing an aura shroud?¡±

    ¡®Grammy?  Do we really need this guy?¡¯  Joram sent, allowing his extreme annoyance with the Dean to accompany this words.

    ¡®*Sigh* Yes, Joram, we do.  As much pleasure as it would give me to see the old bag of bone humbled, it would set us back considerably.¡¯

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°They why can¡¯t I feel any cultivation from you?¡±

    ¡°Another side effect of my cultivation technique,¡± he said dryly.

    ¡°And what, pray tell, it that,¡± the Dean asked through clenched teeth.

    Instead of answering right away, Joram turned to Grammy.

    ¡°Does he have the clearance to know that?¡±

    Grammy looked gratified that he¡¯d asked her that, a smile coming to her face.  Which made what she said next sound all the funnier.

    ¡°Unfortunately, yes.  He¡¯s cleared to access up to the seventh section.¡±

    The Dean didn¡¯t seem to be impressed the their exchange, but remained patient anyway.

    ¡°My cultivation technique is called ¡®Encompass the Universe¡¯.¡±

    The Dean frowned at him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of it,¡± he said, his skepticism of Joram obvious.  ¡°What about your body refining technique?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s called the ¡®Adamantium Body Technique¡¯.

    ¡°Putting aside that I¡¯ve never heard of either cultivation method,¡± the Dean said as turned back to Grammy.  ¡°Under what grounds was a child given access to the Archives, let alone permission to cultivate the techniques there?¡±

    From the serious look that came upon Grammy¡¯s face when the Dean asked her that, Joram was sure that the Dean was now trying to find fault with her.

    ¡®How much are you comfortable with me sharing?¡¯  Grammy suddenly asked.

    It only took Joram a second to decide.

    ¡®If we need him as much as you say, I don¡¯t mind you sharing about Altaea.  But if he proves a liability, then I¡¯ll take care of him,¡¯ Joram sent back, causing Grammy¡¯s eyelids to flicker slightly.

    ¡°To put it simply,¡± she said, taking a breath.  ¡°Joram is the reincarnation of the Founder¡¯s first disciple who was tragically murdered shortly after parting with her,¡± she said, then took another breath.  ¡°Upon investigation of the Library, he found the entrance to the Heavenly Archive.  A short time later, he was able to access it and delve its secrets because it was made to be his inheritance when he eventually reincarnated into the Clan.¡±

    Joram didn¡¯t know how much Grammy was guessing at and how much she actually knew, but he was nevertheless impressed by how¡­ concise her explanation was.

    On the other hand, the Dean looked like he¡¯d just been made privy to the largest load of bullshit he¡¯d ever heard in his many, many, decades in a learning institution.

    ¡°Pray,¡± he said, removing his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose.  ¡°Tell me.  In what scenario would you think that what you¡¯ve just said is anything but complete and utter bullshit?¡±

    Grammy blinked at that, possibly because he¡¯d cussed.  For his part, Joram was just impressed that the man hadn¡¯t thrown them out the window.

    ¡°Jerry,¡± Grammy said as she sat down, seemingly exhausted.  ¡°We both know that you can just take Joram¡¯s hand and check the actual age of his body to verify his actual age.¡±

    Damn, that¡¯s actually a thing, he thought, impressed.

    ¡°That said, think of any legend of the Founder that doesn¡¯t require a ridiculously high cultivation, and ask Joram if he can do it,¡± she said, giving him a flat stare.

    Wait, what about the blood test and questions?

    The Dean cleared his throat as he looked over to one of the stacks and raised his hand.  A book then came flying off its shelf, flew past Joram¡¯s head, and into ¡°Jerry¡¯s¡± outstretched hand.

    He flipped through it quickly before stopping at a page, his finger quickly going back and forth as he read.  After a few pages were turned, he finally stopped and looked up at Joram, a grim look in his eyes.  Or was it sadistic?  Challenging?

    Damn, this guy¡¯s tough to read.

    ¡°It¡¯s said that the Founder, also known by other names by those not of the Clan, had a myriad of never-before-seen talents, but was best known as an unparalleled crafter; said to have a talent greater than the gods,¡± he said, obviously building up the suspense.

    Wait, gods were a thing here?

    ¡°She had such profound understanding of the Elemental Laws that she could perform miracles by just thinking about them, her titanic mana reserves not even needed to accomplish those feats.  One of the most famous tales tells of how she was even able to take a Law and Crystalize it into physical form so that she could more easily use it in her Crafting.¡±

    Wait, is this going where I think it¡¯s going?

    ¡°So, to prove that you¡¯re indeed the disciple of the Founder,¡± he said, Grammy now understanding what he was going for, a look of such incredulity on her face that he half expected Jerry to pop out of existence right there.  ¡°Do what she did.  Create for me, what she called, a ¡®Dust Crystal¡¯.¡±

 Chapter 071

    There was silence for a moment after the Dean¡¯s demand was heard.  Joram imagined that one could hear a pin drop in that moment.  But, alas, the moment didn¡¯t last as it was blasted apart by Grammy.

    ¡°What in the nine-hells are you thinking?!  Not even those in the 8<sup>th</sup> Tier are able to replicate such a feat!  How can you expect a child who¡¯s cultivation hasn¡¯t even reached the 7<sup>th</sup> Tier to even sense a Peak Law like the Law of Creation?  How many other, more reasonable, things she¡¯s known for could you have asked for!¡±

    The Dean waited until Grammy took a breath before interrupting her tirade.

    ¡°You and I both know that if someone has an innate affinity for a Law, their use of that Law isn¡¯t limited to their cultivation,¡± he said, sounding very much like an old professor used to lecturing students.

    Grammy ground her teeth as she glared at Jerry.

    ¡°Grammy?¡±

    ¡°¡­ yes, Joram¡­?¡±  She reluctantly replied.

    ¡°Here,¡± he said, handing her a crystal.

    Grammy stared at him, obviously wondering if he¡¯d gone daft, but then looked down at what he¡¯d given her with a frown on her face.  What she saw was an iridescent crystal which seemed to have a glow about it.  She looked back to Joram, stunned.

    Jerry leaned forward to see what she had, so Grammy passed it to him without turning away from Joram.

    ¡°What¡¯s this now?¡±  Jerry asked as he held the crystal up to inspect it, then nearly choked as he both tried to talk and swallow hard at the same time.

    ¡°It¡¯s called a Dust Crystal, in case you were wondering,¡± Joram said with a sardonic grin on his face that he couldn¡¯t quite stop from forming.

    Joram waited as Jerry composed himself before speaking, taking the time to peruse the stacks he saw through his sphere or perception.

    ¡°Well,¡± Jerry said, clearing his throat.  ¡°This certainly does match the description of the legendary Dust Crystal,¡± he said as he placed it on the desk in front of him.  ¡°But can you prove that it is what you say it is?¡±

    Grammy just about choked at how thick his face was.

    ¡°That¡¯s your problem,¡± Joram said, finally having enough of the guy.

    Jerry, the Dean, looked like he was about to make it his problem when Joram interrupted him, causing his face to turn red in outrage.

    ¡°You want to know what else Altaea could do that you guys can¡¯t?¡±  He asked leaning forward to stare Jerry in the eyes.  ¡°How about this?¡±  He said as he manifested [Quintessence] and tossed the glob of psionically condensed Time at him, which he reflexively caught, then frowned at.

    ¡°What about this?¡±  Joram asked as Kinkade manifested [Dimension Hop] for him, making Joram appear at the top of the rolling ladder used to retrieve books from the upper shelves, causing the Dean¡¯s eyes to nearly bug out.

    ¡°Or what about that?¡±  He asked as M3 finished manifesting [Astral Construct], shaping it into a perfect replica of the Heavenly Lightning Jade Dragon he¡¯d seen in the skies over a thousand years ago now¡­ though smaller than life size due to the space available in the office.

    Even then, the Eastern-style dragon stood over three metres tall and was almost three times that in length.  Its body crackled with electricity as it glared down at the Dean, who¡¯d almost attacked it when it appeared.  Joram was tempted to have it spit out an [Energy Bolt], but thought better of it.

    Kinkade brought him back to his seat with another [Dimension Hop] while Joram kept glaring at the Dean.

    ¡®What in Creation was all that?¡¯  Grammy sent, doing a remarkable job at keeping her face still.

    ¡®Me getting tired of this farce,¡¯ he sent back.  ¡®Sorry.  The Dean gives off hardcore politician vibes, and I¡¯m reacting to that.¡¯

    ¡®You wouldn¡¯t believe how satisfying it was to slap him,¡¯ she sent back smugly.

    The Dean seemed¡­ frozen as Joram continued to glare at him.  His gaze seemed to be stuck on the [Astral Construct], so Joram dismissed it.

    The Dean¡¯s eyes widened in alarm as he watched the [Astral Construct] disintegrate before his eyes, vanishing completely in seconds.

    Jerry¡¯s head slowly turned towards Joram, his eyes showing a level of alarmed outrage that was more than a little bit concerning to see.  Especially when it was a 7<sup>th</sup> Tier Mage staring at you like that.  So, instead of poking the already angry bear with a pointy stick, Joram waited.

    In fact, he waited so long that he was about to get up and leave when Jerry finally spoke up.

    ¡°I see that I was wrong to doubt you,¡± he said, astonishing both Joram and Grammy with his words.

    Not only that, but Jerry then proceeded to stand up and perform at ninety-degree bow from the waist.

    ¡°Master,¡± he said, shocking them further.  ¡°Please take me as your disciple.¡±

    Joram turned to Grammy at the same time she turned to him.

    ¡®Seriously?¡¯  He asked Grammy, the whole situation feeling surreal to him.

    ¡®What the fu-¡®

    - - - - -

    That had been an¡­ uncomfortable situation.

    He still wasn¡¯t sure if allowing the Dean to become his ¡°disciple¡± would prove to be a boon or a major pain in the ass given the man¡¯s disposition.

    For as¡­ politically savvy as the was, Jerry was also surprisingly earnest and sincere in things that didn¡¯t involve politicking.  Like showing respect for his ¡°master¡± by holding the door open for him when they were leaving his office.  Or following behind Joram as they walked¡­.

    ¡°Dean, please treat me like any other student while in public,¡± Joram whispered to the over-eager man as they entered the lift attached to his secretary¡¯s office.  The very same secretary that was now giving the three of them very odd looks.

    Following Joram¡¯s subtle nod, the Dean looked over to where his secretary was sitting at her desk, staring.  Once she spotted him looking over at her, her expression shifted into a professional smile as she gave a wave to them, then quickly turned back to her desk and started playing with some papers until the doors of the lift hid her from sight.

    ¡°Good point, master,¡± Jerry said, nodding.

    ¡°And don¡¯t call me that anywhere that there might be even the vaguest chance that someone could overhear you,¡± Joram said, keeping his annoyance out of his voice while Grammy still seemed whiplashed at the Dean¡¯s sudden change in attitude.

    The Dean nodded to that, albeit reluctantly.

    When the lift¡¯s doors opened, Joram and Grammy followed him out, passing the various offices, then cubicles in the faculty building before making their way across the street to the Heavenly Trove.  He briefly wondered whoever had named the bank had wanted to start a theme by referencing the Heavenly Archive, but discarded the thought because it really didn¡¯t matter.

    Joram was pleased to see a greeter at the door who welcomed them and then quickly waved them along when the Dean mentioned that he wanted to speak with the president.

    He was a bit surprised to find out that the president of the bank wasn¡¯t busy or anything and was able to immediately see them.

    The next bit was relatively boring stuff.  The Dean greeted the President, who returned the greetings, followed by Grammy and the President doing the same.  Once those formalities were taken care of, they all sat down and started chatting like old friends.  Which, really, was something that he should have expected when Grammy had mentioned the Clan¡¯s connection to the Academy.  Which owned the Heavenly Trove.

    After much sympathy was given by way of words of regret and remorse, they finally got down to what Grammy had wanted to do here.

    Given that everything in the Clan Home had either been looted or burnt to the ground, Grammy had the President re-issue her a veritable mountain of documents.  She also made sure that Joram was properly registered as her direct descendent, giving him access to the Clan¡¯s funds.  Which were¡­ substantial.

    When she was about to appoint him her heir, he stopped her.

    ¡°Ah, Grammy, it¡¯s not nice to joke around like that!¡±  He¡¯d said, causing the President¡¯s head to whip around to him so fast that his neck popped.

    ¡®I am not going to be the first Patriarch of the Clan.  You can either make mum the Matriarch, or wait for Zaleria to grow up and hand the position over to her,¡¯ he¡¯d sent quickly, and very firmly.

    He¡¯d received grudging acceptance from her over the Network before she laughed, saying that she¡¯d nearly been able to pull one over on the President.  Who in turn still looked confused, but also relieved that it had been a ¡°joke¡±.

    At the end of their visit, the President handed Joram a bank card that could be used at any bank affiliated with the Heavenly Trove¡­ which meant it would work at any mid-sized and larger bank on the continent.  Then was also told that it also worked at any major bank in Zhizun Zhanshi as well due to the fact that the students from there also needed a ways to pay tuition without needing to carry a small fortune on their person when they arrived at the Academy.

    Joram quickly inspected the card, noting the rich purple sapphire border on the crystal card that now had an interior etching of his likeness in it along with his name and a drop of the blood he¡¯d provided the bank so that they¡¯d be able to confirm his identity in the future should he misplace his card.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    It occurred to him then that having the name of the main line of the clan that had been wiped out by an extermination squad from the sects on his bank card, when he planned to go over there to get his family back¡­ wasn¡¯t the best thing to have.  Especially since bank cards were acceptable forms of identification when a person travelled.

    ¡°Can I have a second card made?¡±  He asked the President before they left his office, then went on to explain his reasoning.

    ¡°Of course, of course.  I should have thought of that.  My apologies,¡± he said with a slight bow before heading back to his desk and retrieving an adamantium bordered card.

    He stepped over to the card¡­ engraver?  Infuser?  The card finishing device, and quickly punched in Joram¡¯s details before the device took over and finished the process.

    New card in hand, Joram smiled at the name on it.  He¡¯d been tempted to take on Altaea¡¯s family names, but he¡¯d suspected that they¡¯d be known to those in higher circles.  Circles he might have to have contact with¡­ or might piss off.

    So, he¡¯d gone for a name that wouldn¡¯t be noticed as being important, but one that held more than a bit of sentimental value to him.

    He¡¯d once played a Psion Shaper in a campaign many years before he¡¯d left Earth.  Many things had happened to the character, but at one point he¡¯d pulled a ¡°Count of Mont¨¦ Christo¡±, taking on another name and identity so that he could¡­ get things done after an ¡°accident¡± he¡¯d had.

    Now, the name the character had taken on felt a bit dark for Joram.  Damien Sullivan.  He¡¯d spent a few hours looking online for names that meant, or had a partial meaning of, Dark.  Effectively taking on the appellation of Dark Dark.  It was as silly thing, one that amused him greatly at the time, but one that he now found slightly cringy.

    So, he¡¯d gone with the character¡¯s original name.

    ¡°Dana Willows,¡± Gramma musingly drawled.  ¡°Not as distinguished as Aneath, but it does flow off the tongue nicely.¡±

    When Jerry hurried to agree with Grammy, he wasn¡¯t surprised.  But when the President also nodded along Joram gave him a questioning look.

    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± is all he said as he shrugged marginally.

    ¡°Cal,¡± Grammy said, bringing everyone¡¯s attention to her.  ¡°Can you arrange for the manor to be cleaned, stocked, and staffed for me?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I made sure to have the manor kept up,¡± the Dean piped in.  ¡°The staff on site is only a maintenance staff, so I¡¯ll arrange for more to fill out their ranks.¡±

    Grammy blinked at him before nodding in thanks.

    ¡°Since it is almost lunch time,¡± Cal, the President, said as they left his office.  ¡°How about we head out for a bite to eat.  I¡¯ve been hearing about a delightful new caf¨¦ that¡¯s said to serve the most delightfully delectable delicacies,¡± he said as he led them out of the bank.

    * * * * *

    Alicia had been relieved with the outcome of her meeting with the four young women.  They¡¯d of course been cautious of her ¡°radical¡± ideas, but had stayed for her whole spiel anyway.  By the end, she¡¯d been pleased to note that each of them had warmed to her to one degree or anther.

    Now, a couple of hours after their visit, Starfall was once again incredibly busy.  Probably because word was spreading that the ¡°Goddesses¡± now frequented the place.  Well, business was business and she¡¯d take any advertising that fell into her lap and go with it.

    ¡®Hey, got a table open?¡¯

    She blinked at the request more than the sudden message.

    ¡®We don¡¯t really do reservations, you know ;P,¡¯ she sassily sent back.

    ¡®Well, we¡¯ll wait in line then,¡¯ he sent with a mental shrug, not giving any indication of noticing her failed emoticon.

    ¡®We might not have any tables open in the caf¨¦, but since the new space is just about done, I¡¯ll get you a table there.¡¯

    There was a pause before Joram agreed with another mental shrug.

    Is he mentally tapped out again?  She wondered as she made her way to the front of the caf¨¦ to meet up with him.

    When she spotted him in line, with a conspicuous bubble of space around him, she was a bit taken aback by his company.

    Tatia was easy enough to recognize, even with her disconnected undercut style that still left the hair on top of her head long enough to pull back into an impressive ponytail.  But instead, her hair was combed back, with thin braids on either side that met in the back to pin down the rest of her hair as it fell loosely down her back.

    Alicia applauded the look, appreciating how flattering it was on the woman, but couldn¡¯t understand why she¡¯d chosen the very modern style.

    At any rate, as surprising as it was to see Tatia there with Joram, his other two companions surprised her more.  She didn¡¯t know why the Dean was accompanying them, but he was getting no few looks from the students in line, and even from the non-students.

    She didn¡¯t recognize the other man, though.  He looked to be middle-aged, with a smart haircut and what looked like a 19<sup>th</sup> century, charcoal grey business suit.  Overall, he cut quite the image as he casually chatted with Tatia and the Dean while Joram stood there like a kid stuck with the adults.

    As she approached, Alicia overheard a few conversations which illuminated her on the identity of the second man.  It seemed that he was the president of the Heavenly Trove, which further increased interest in those present.

    ¡°Hello,¡± she greeted them with a bright smile, getting her an odd look from Tatia.  ¡°My name is Alicia, the owner of Starfall Caf¨¦.  Unfortunately, as you can see, we¡¯re a bit busy at the moment,¡± she said apologetically.

    ¡°We don¡¯t mind waiting,¡± the President said graciously, earning him many points with the people ahead of him in line.

    ¡°That being said,¡± she said, a mischievous grin forming on her lips.  ¡°Our sister space is almost ready for opening, and I was wondering if you¡¯d like a sneak peak of it?¡±

    That got more than a few reactions from the people listening-in on the conversation.  From excited chatting to hurried whispers, the news quickly spread through the customers and those in line.  Both Joram and Tatia just nodded, not really caring.  But both the Dean and the President looked elated with the offer.

    ¡°Oh, but we wouldn¡¯t want to impose,¡± the Dean said, going through the polite motions one did in these sorts of situations.

    ¡°Oh, it wouldn¡¯t be an imposition at all,¡± she replied, waving the thought away.  ¡°Please, follow me.¡±

    She then led the way to the front doors of the space she¡¯d recently acquired and unlocked the doors before turning and placing two folding screens behind Joram¡¯s group, blocking the view for all the rubbernecks.  Both the Dean and the President¡¯s lips twitched into a brief smile as they nodded slightly, understanding why she¡¯d done what she¡¯d done.

    With that taken care of, she opened the doors and bowed them in before sliding in and closing the doors behind her as her guests stopped to take in the space.

    She¡¯d been going for a cross between Hard Rock Caf¨¦ and a quiet pub that had a stage at the back for a band to play at.  It was easily twice as wide at Starfall, giving plenty of room for a long wooden bar with tall stools at it that ran most of the length of the room.  Behind the long bar were equally long shelves that were slowly being filled with local varieties of alcohol and even some more exotic ones.  Like a small selection of her own creations.

    Under those shelves were closed cabinets that either held more stock or would hold the various finger food that would be served.  Under the bar top was more space, mostly taken up by various kegs and cups of varying size and shape, from shot glasses to fancy wine goblets.

    The two walls and the back wall were made of ¡°old¡±, tan coloured bricks, something she¡¯d always enjoyed seeing in comfortable-looking bars in TV shows or movies.  She didn¡¯t have any guitars to put in the glass display cases on the walls for now, but she was sure that Joram would help her with that at some point.

    The warm golden lighting was dimmer than at Starfall, though.  She¡¯d done that on purpose as she¡¯d wanted to give the place a cozy feel, one where people would go to relax and take a load off instead of a place where people went to get drunk and start fights.

    Opposite the bar, booths lined the wall, only interrupted by the locked double doors that led to Starfall.  Between the two were more small square tables, but without chairs.  The tables were ¡°standing¡± tables, designed for people who just wanted a quick drink or snack, or both.  Those tables ended about halfway to the back, leaving an open space.

    Specifically, a space where Alicia hoped people would gather to either listen to the music or dance.

    Lastly, there was the door to the back room that stood on the same side as the bar so that anyone going back and forth from the bar to the back room wouldn¡¯t have to dodge through a crowd.

    ¡°Is that¡­?¡±  Tatia asked, but stopped before she said something she shouldn¡¯t.

    Alicia looked over to where Tatia¡¯s eyes were glued and smiled.  She was staring at Avi¡¯s creations on display.

    ¡°Would you like to take a booth,¡± she asked, bringing their attention to said booths.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll work,¡± Joram said as he walked over, pulling Tatia by her hand as she continued to stare.

    The Dean and the President followed, sitting across from Tatia and Joram, who took the outside seat because the was a ¡°lefty¡±.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any of the dishes on the menu ready to go yet, but I can get anything from Starfall, as well as any drinks you¡¯d like here,¡± Alicia explained, the two men nodding along.

    ¡°Do you have anything suitable for a main dish before we delve into dessert?¡±  The President politely asked after quickly looking around for a menu.

    ¡°We do have some sandwiches that might interest you,¡± she replied, then proceeded to share what she had for the day before taking their orders, along with what drinks they¡¯d like.

    Predictably, Joram got some juice, while the two other men surprised her by asking for some beer.  Tatia, of course, asked to try some of the ¡°new¡± wine.  Alicia smiled and set about gathering their orders, giving Tatia a¡­ less potent vintage she thought wouldn¡¯t be too hard on her system.

    Overall, it turned out to be a pretty good day, she thought as she made her way to the bar to have a seat while she waited for Joram to finish up.

    * * * * *

    Ah, what a frightful day, Bai Lian thought as she lay on the living room couch still recovering from her encounter with Matriarch Aneath.

    The woman¡¯s cultivation may have been abolished and crippled, but she still had a terrifyingly powerful presence.

    She reached her hand up and touched her head again, remembering how nice it had felt when the young master had placed his hand on it.

    She¡¯d been startled by the touch at first, especially when his hand engulfed her head.  But she¡¯d quickly relaxed, then took comfort in the touch; her appreciation for him growing.  That he¡¯d stood his ground for her, spoken up for her, had resulted in gratitude welling up in her heart.

    As well as the shame for what she¡¯d participated in.  That feeling had been compounded exponentially under Matriarch Aneath¡¯s gaze, causing her to wilt and try to hide behind Joram.

    Bai Lian still wasn¡¯t sure if she could ever repay the grace the young master had shown her, but through his actions that morning, her resolve had now become adamantine in its firmness.  The words of her Oath ran through her head over and over again as she lay there.

    I, Qin Bai Lian, swear by the Heavens that I will be loyal and true to you, Joram Aneath, until the day I find my eternal rest.

    Then the words that Mo Yu had spoken when she gave her Oath floated to the fore of her mind.

    I, Li Mo Yu, swear by the Heavens that I will be loyal, true, and faithful to you, Joram Aneath, forevermore.

    That she would go so far had shocked Bai Lian at the time, making her wonder if there was more to their interactions than she¡¯d thought.  But the more the words repeated themselves in her mind, the more appropriate they felt to her.

    She sat up and looked over at the ¡°piano¡± the young master had made for her.  Even though she¡¯d struggled to learn music, he¡¯d still tried to help her by bringing her another instrument to try out.  She still felt that her decision to focus on arrays had been the correct one, but she still felt a bit bad for having turned down the young master¡¯s offer.

    How can he be so kind?  She asked herself for perhaps the thousandth time, her hand unconsciously going to her head again as she stared at the piano.

    -----

    She was still staring at the piano when Mo Yu returned from working at Starfall and spotted her sitting there.

    Curious, Mo Yu made her way over to her junior sister and sat beside her, causing her to give a great start of surprise as she spun to face Mo Yu.

    ¡°Are you all right?¡±  She asked, placing her hand lightly on Bai Lian¡¯s lap.

    ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ thinking,¡± Bai Lian replied, her eyes drifting back towards the piano.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±  She asked, concerned.

    ¡°Ah, the young master came by with the Matriarch this morning,¡± Bai Lian replied absently, her hand going up to her head.

    Mo Yu¡¯s eyes widened at the unconscious gesture, suddenly alarmed and more than a bit angry.

    ¡°Did she hurt you?¡±  She demanded as her Qi began to circulate in response to her emotions.

    Bai Lian¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, then quickly recounted her encounter with the young master and the Matriarch.  As she told the story, Mo Yu watched her junior sister carefully, taking note of her body language, tone, and especially the words she chose to use.

    Mo Yu was once again impressed with the young master¡¯s capacity to forgive.  But not just that, but also his willingness to try.

    Then, after listening Bai Lian¡¯s reflections after the encounter, of how she¡¯d been seriously thinking of not just her Oath, but Mo Yu¡¯s, she started to put things together.

    ¡°Xiao Bai?¡±

    Bai Lian¡¯s eyes opened wide at being addressed so intimately by Mo Yu, her attention instantly fixed on her.

    ¡°Xaio Bai,¡± she continued, now taking one of Bai Lian¡¯s hands in hers.  ¡°If you feel that you want to change your Oath, just ask the young master.  I am sure that he¡¯ll understand your feelings,¡± she said warmly.

    Bai Lian blushed hearing her words, then her blush covered her from chin to hairline as her words sank in.

    ¡°I-i-i-t¡¯s not like that,¡± she stammered out, now looking down at her lap.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡±  She asked softly.

    She watched as Bai Lian¡¯s face continued to heat up until she fainted.  Mo Yu gave a slight tug to her hand, pulling Bai Lian into an embrace so that she wouldn¡¯t fall to the floor.

    ¡°It might just be that we¡¯re affected by injured-soldier syndrome,¡± she said softly, almost whispering.  ¡°But I¡¯m willing to so see where it goes for us.¡±

 Chapter 072 - Being sociable

    *That night*

    ¡°Avi?¡±  Joram asked, looking down at the training clothes she¡¯d prepared for him.

    ¡°Yes, Joram?¡±  Avi asked through the intercom.

    ¡°I realize that the idea of a training room where you can artificially increase the gravity isn¡¯t new,¡± he said, lifting up the short-sleeved orange gi and holding it up to the camera.  ¡°But.  Really?¡±

    There was a significant pause before Avi¡¯s voice finally came through on the speaker.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Joram sighed then shifted his clothes away and put the orange gi on in the same way.

    ¡°OK, let¡¯s start easy at two times,¡± he said, bracing himself with his feet just past shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent.

    Unlike what you¡¯d see in pop culture back on Earth, there wasn¡¯t a visual cue or manifestation when the gravity in the room increased, there was just¡­ weight.

    Joram nearly fell on his ass when gravity went from standard right to times two.  No gradual increase.  Just¡­ there, like flipping on the light switch.

    He regained his footing pretty quickly, then tested out his movements.  He first extended his arms outwards and moved them in little circles, then larger ones as he got used to the difference in how his body reacted to suddenly weighing twice as much.

    Which, really, wasn¡¯t that bad considering his Tier and body refining technique adding to his innate strength.  And probably the draconic and phoenix bloodlines¡­.  He knew for a fact that his planar side¡¯s strength was much higher that a normal human¡¯s¡­.

    ¡°Avi?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Joram?¡±  She asked, a little exasperated.

    ¡°Did Altaea leave any info on how she was able to fuse her forms?¡±  He asked, now moving about at a fast walk.

    ¡°Hmm, maybe?  She did say that you should be able to use the temporary version like she could in the beginning.¡±

    Joram¡¯s light jog came to a stop as he once again turned to the camera on the wall.

    ¡°Did she mention when I could access that ability?¡±  He asked much more patiently than he felt.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    *Twitch*

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Joram said, smiling for all he was worth.  ¡°Am I interrupting something important?¡±

    ¡°¡­ yes.¡±

    Is she going through some sort of teenage rebellious phase?!

    ¡°Then just shift the controls for the room to my omni-tool and go do whatever it is that¡¯s so important,¡± he managed to say without growling.

    A second later his omni-tool projected a small control panel overtop his left forearm, displaying the current gravity, a dial to adjust the gravity, and a menu button.  At the same time the display popped up, he felt Avi leave the Realm.

    ¡°Welp, if Goku could do it alone, so can I,¡± he muttered to himself as he made his way over to the resistance training equipment at the side of the room.

    * * * * *

    ¡°Did you see who he was with?¡±  Gabrielle asked, leaning forward to put her elbows on the table.

    ¡°I recognized the Dean, but who was the other gentleman?¡±  Daleira asked, then sipped from a fruity drink.

    ¡°That was the Heavenly Trove Bank¡¯s President, Mr Thoranis,¡± Sophia said before taking a small bite out of a pain-aux-chocolat.

    ¡°Was the woman related to him?  She bore a striking resemblance to him,¡± Alyraele asked, teacup in hand as she looked over to their hostess.

    Alicia shrugged from her chair at the head of their booth.  She¡¯d invited the four of them into the empty Dawn Star¡­ caf¨¦?  She wasn¡¯t quite sure what she¡¯d tag onto the end of the name or if she¡¯d just leave it like that.

    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure,¡± she said when they all just looked at her as though she was holding out on them.  ¡°I did hear him call her ¡®Grammy¡¯ a few times though.¡±

    ¡°Does he have deeper roots than we thought?¡±  Alyraele asked rhetorically.  ¡°Well, that should be obvious given that he¡¯s already a Tier 3 Mentalist at his age.¡±

    There were few nods at that before Gabrielle spoke up.

    ¡°Alicia, do you think he¡¯d be willing to tutor us?  I¡¯m already in the third year, but I¡¯m only in the late 1<sup>st</sup> Tier as a Mentalist,¡± she asked, looking a bit low on self esteem.

    Ah, girl, if only you knew, she thought, mirth welling up inside.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to be projecting a strong front?¡±  Alicia asked in an attempt to get them away from the topic of Joram tutoring any one of them.  ¡°You know, showing those desperate men out there that we are more than just pretty faces to be mooned over.¡±

    ¡°Ali, dear,¡± Daleira said, instantly giving her a nickname that was uncomfortably close to her real name.  ¡°It¡¯s one thing to ask him, or any man, to go questing with you, as I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve already done.  But it¡¯s another issue entirely when it comes to schoolwork.  Not taking advantage of the knowledge and guidance he could give you both would practically be a crime.¡±

    Well, shit.

    The other three young women agreed with Daleira, sealing her fate.

    ¡°Well, since Gabrielle will be coming with me, does anyone else want to come along?¡±  She asked politely, not really expecting the third and fourth year students to be interested in meeting a first year.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he also studying arrays?¡±

    ¡°He is!  I hear that he¡¯s quite the keen student.¡±

    ¡°I just heard this afternoon that he aced all of his exams,¡± Sophia said with a grin.

    ¡°Plenty of people ace their exams,¡± Alyraele said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

    ¡°But do they get a perfect score on every exam?¡±  Sophia asked with a grin on her face and a glint in her eye.

    Oh, shit.

    ¡°It¡¯s settled,¡± Alyraele said, clapping her hands together twice.  ¡°Alicia, do you think that you can arrange a visit for us tomorrow?  We could meet anywhere that¡¯s convenient for him,¡± she asked, making it sound like it was a done deal.

    Is that the noble coming out?

    ¡°I¡¯ll see if he¡¯s up before I head off to work in the morning,¡± she said cheerily to smiles of gratitude and murmured thanks.  Gabrielle looked the most excited of them all, probably because she, too, was enrolled as a Trades student.

    Hopefully he doesn¡¯t spout something while talking with them that sends them all into an epiphany or something ridiculous like that, she thought as she remembered the last time he¡¯d shared his knowledge.

    ¡°Just let us know the ¡®when and the where¡¯,¡± Sophia said, holding up her student card with a smile.

    *1346.04.25*

    ¡®Hey, what¡¯re you up to today?¡¯

    Joram didn¡¯t bother to open his eyes as he lay in bed, wondering why Avi was bothering him at such an ungodly hour.

    ¡®I¡¯ve got more training, cultivating, getting the family moved into the manor that the Clan apparently owns in a ritzy part of Stormhaven, and maybe get to figuring out how to combine my forms,¡¯ he sent, grumpiness lacing the words.

    ¡®Ah, don¡¯t be like that,¡¯ she sent, charming as could be.  ¡®The whole fusion thing is actually in the ¡°C:\Gestalt\Forms\Unity\Resources\Bin¡± folder.¡±

    Joram lifted his arm, brought his hand up, and started massaging his temples with his thumb and index finger.

    ¡®How hard would that have been to tell me last night.¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, the girls just showed up out of nowhere and I needed to speak with them!¡¯

    ¡®Girls?¡¯

    ¡®Oh, right, I haven¡¯t mentioned my project yet,¡¯ she sent, clearly abashed.  ¡®As I mentioned, I wanted to get some of the women on the Goddess Ranking to join my team.  It sort of changed directions a bit when¡­¡¯ she proceed to explain Aya¡¯s conclusions and Jae-Eun being forbidden from interacting with him anymore.  Then she went on to explain her efforts in gathering allies/team members to fight against the tyranny of the Goddess Ranking, etc., etc., etc. ¡­

    ¡®So, let me get this straight.  You¡¯re trying to throw off the yoke of oversexualization of women by a bunch or horny teenagers by trying to prove that, even though you¡¯re all drop-dead gorgeous, you all have functioning brains, and are all quite capable.¡¯

    ¡®Yes.¡¯

    ¡®And they see no problem with asking me, a man, to tutor them?¡¯

    ¡®¡­ No¡­?¡¯

    ¡®Are you really trying to abolish the Goddess Ranking, or are you just looking to make some friends to hang out with because you¡¯re lonely?¡¯

    There was a hot moment before she replied.

    ¡®I admit, it was a bit of a spur-of-the-moment decision to try to abolish the Goddess Ranking.  But!  I still want to get my team to the point where they really will be Untouchables,¡¯ she sent with great conviction¡­ at the end.

    ¡®That¡¯s respectable,¡¯ he said with a mental nod.  ¡®And it¡¯s OK if you want to make friends and hang out with them.  After a thousand years of gardening, you definitely deserve it.¡¯

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡®You forgot the part about waiting for you.¡¯

    ¡®¡­ And the waiting.¡¯

    ¡®We¡¯ll drop by at 0900!¡¯

    Joram shifted his hand out of the way and summoned his glasses, turned them on, then equipped them.

    *0539*

    Even though he¡¯d been asleep for just over two hours, he was still bagged.  He¡¯d overdone it in the gravity room, opting to keep exercising and testing his limits for hours.  Not only that, but he¡¯d assigned Kinkade to work on his cultivation while he¡¯d been at it, making the whole ordeal¡­ less than pleasant.

    But he¡¯d gotten some, marginal, results.  If he could figure out how to¡­ smooth the process, change up how he circulated his psijic energy while engaged in a specific set of physical movements- not unlike a kata-, then he¡¯d be able to kill two birds with one stone.

    Joram checked the time again and determined that he still had a couple hours before he needed to head downstairs.  So, after assigning M3 to keep an eye on the time for him, he withdrew into the Knowledge Sea.

    It was, as he knew it would always be for him, quite the sight to see.  His Cores had grown quite well and looked more and more like alien planets you¡¯d see on a sci-fi show or a video game.  Their surfaces now consisted of ¡°rocky¡± portions divided by ¡°watery¡± sections, all intermittently obscured by drifting ¡°clouds¡± floating around the atmosphere.

    As he¡¯d risen through the Tiers, the mana gathered in his cores had gone through amazing changed.  The Tier 1 mana had progressed from gaseous to mist to liquid and then finally to a solid.  When he¡¯d started to be able to feel, then eventually draw in Tier 2 mana, it had gone through the same process until he¡¯d reached the peak of Tier 4, the Earth Realm.

    Crossing over to the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier was a tricky¡­ downright devilishly difficult process.  The first step in doing so, which people called ¡°half-step 5<sup>th</sup>¡±, was to take your Tier 1 mana and fuse it with your Tier 2 mana, forming a new¡¯ish mana.  It really wasn¡¯t considered a separate type of mana, though.  Just¡­ more efficient to use.

    With each Tier of mana a person was able to cultivate came an increased ability to sense the Elemental Laws of that Tier.  Basic Laws came with Tier 1 mana, Advanced Laws came with Tier 2 mana, or Earth Qi, High Laws came with Tier 3 mana, or Heaven Qi, and finally Peak Laws came with Tier 4 mana, or Immortal Qi.  Unless, of course, you had a natural affinity for one of those Laws which meant that you¡¯d be able to cultivate that Law at any time during your cultivation.

    Anyway, the second step was either easier or harder to accomplish as it involved first sensing Tier 3 mana and then drawing it in to cultivate.  For reasons he couldn¡¯t explain, nor could any of the many research papers written on the subject, Tier 3 mana didn¡¯t like to stick around unless it was paired with the fused Tiers 1 and 2 mana.

    So, even if you were able to sense and draw in Tier 3 mana before fusing the mana in your core, it would just dissipate like smoke in a strong wind.

    Back to his Cores.  What he was seeing was the results of his efforts.  The clouds were the Tier 3 mana he was pulling in, while the rocks were the successfully fused Tiers 1 and 2 mana.  The water, though was what happened to the rocks when the Core passed by his Psijic Star.

    Somehow, as each Core passed close to the Psijic Star, the Star would pull out the Tier 1 mana from the Core to feed itself, leaving behind a liquid Tier 2 mana.  Which he would then have to re-fuse with Tier 1 mana that he would draw into his Knowledge Sea.  Rinse and repeat.

    So, he had been trying to¡­ feed the Psijic Star Tier 2 mana to see if he could stabilize his cultivation.  If he was successful, then he was sure that the potency of his psijic energy would go to the next level¡­ and also stabilize his cultivation so he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about sliding back into the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier because his Psijic Star was too hungry¡­.

    Joram reached out his consciousness and drew some of the Tier 2 mana from the Core that had just passed by, and ¡°held¡± it a bit closer to the Star, seeing what it would do.  Its accretion discs seemed to have grown after he¡¯d stepped into the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier, so he kept the Tier 2 mana a bit further away from them.

    As the minutes flowed by, turning into tens of minutes, Joram thought he saw a reaction.  For just a moment, he thought he saw the Tier 2 mana¡­ vibrate.  Excited, he shifted the mana slightly closer to the Star, looking for any further reaction.  Sure enough, as another Core passed by the mana wobbled.

    Joram sighed, but didn¡¯t give up.  He was sure that all it would take would be for him to find the appropriate placement of the mana to get things going.  Right now, he¡¯d decided to try on the ¡°top¡± side of the Star, where the Psionic Accretion Disc was closer to him, while the Mana Accretion Disc was on the other side of it.

    His logic had been a bit¡­ simplistic when he¡¯d made the choice.  Probably because he¡¯d been idly thinking of what to serve his guests.  He¡¯d tried to make an Accretion Disc Sandwich.  Yes, it was more than a little bit silly in retrospect, but it had been worth a shot.

    M3: It¡¯s time.

    With another sigh, Joram tossed the Tier 2 mana at a passing Core and watched at it merged into one of its oceans before leaving is Knowledge Sea and getting up.

    A quick [Cleanse] and a change of clothes later, he was on his way downstairs when he bumped into Wentian exiting his room, brush in hand as he worked at his shoulder-length hair.

    ¡°Morn¡¯n,¡± Joram said, still trying to properly wake up as Wentian looked over at him, looking a bit worse for wear.  ¡°Wait, when did you get back?¡±

    ¡°Mmhmm,¡± he grunted back, nodding as he followed along.  ¡°Yesterday afternoon.  Went straight to the arena to help solidify things.¡±

    ¡°Rough training?¡±  He asked as they got to the kitchen.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Wentian replied as he started grabbing what he needed to prepare breakfast.  ¡°One of the seniors came by the arena and wanted to have a go at it.¡±

    ¡°Were they also in the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier?¡±  He asked, more than a bit surprised at that.  Sure, there were some higher Tier¡¯d students in attendance, but they tended to be the minority.

    ¡°Nah, just late Earth Realm,¡± he said, chopping various veggies in a blur, sending them flying to land perfectly into a waiting bowl.  ¡°I wanted to refine my movements, so I suppressed my cultivation to the Earth Realm.¡±

    ¡°Did you at least see some improvement?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said, now whisking some eggs together with some mixed herbs.  ¡°I should be good after a few more spars, though.¡±

    ¡°Good to hear,¡± he said, nodding.  ¡°Oh, and we should be having guests over in about an hour.  Can you make some quick snacks and some tea?¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±  Wentian asked, now mixing the ingredients into the eggs.

    ¡°Yeah, Alicia¡¯s new friends heard that we¡¯re friends and want to get some tutoring in,¡± he said as he shook his head.

    Wentian nodded again as he turned, activated the stove, and started pouring the egg mix into a waiting pan that had become instantly hot.

    ¡°Anyone important?¡±

    ¡°Not really?¡±  Joram said, not considering the idols of a bunch of teenagers as particularly important.

    Then he remembered that he still needed to pick up his books for the coming term.

    Joram: Hey, can you pick up the textbooks for this semester?

    Kinkade: You know, I¡¯ve still got things I¡¯m working on.

    Joram: You never share anymore.  Joram pouted at Kinkade.

    Kinkade: Fair.  I just don¡¯t want to bother you while you¡¯re busy.

    Joram: So?

    Kinkade: ¡­ I¡¯m fine tuning the lightsabers¡­.

    Joram: I¡¯ll take care of the textbooks.  Keep up the good work!

    Kinkade: You know that Altaea had not just left Avi with the tech from Star Wars, Star Trek, and Mass Effect, right?

    Joram: I suspected as much¡­.

    Kinkade: There¡¯s also stuff from Asgard and the Time Lords.

    Joram¡¯s brain locked up for a moment as the possibilities that sprang up from that statement overloaded the processes of his primary mind.

    Kinkade: Yeah.

    Joram: ¡­ Are you working on that sonic lightsaber that Altaea made¡­?

    Kinkade: ¡­ Yyyyyyy-up.

    Joram: I¡¯ll stop bothering you then!

    ¡°You OK?¡±  Wentian asked, giving him a funny look.

    ¡°Yup, doing great!¡±  He wheezed out with a manic smile tugging at his lips.

    ¡°OK, then,¡± Wentian shrugged, flipped an omelette onto a waiting stack of them and started tidying up.

    Joram blinked and checked the time.

    *0852*

    Guess that I was stunned a bit longer than I thought, he mused silently as the moved to the living room and sat on the bench at the piano, flipping the keyguard up as he sat.

    He played around for a bit, getting a feel for the keys and their notes.  It was one thing to know which key played what note, another to get used to playing them.  According to Altaea, he was reasonably proficient with stringed instruments, and even though he counted the piano as a stringed instrument, it was fundamentally different to play.

    He was just getting into a finger exercise when he heard a knock at the door.  After paying attention to his perception field to see who it was, he opened the door with a bit of [Telekinesis] and called Avi- Alicia and her friends in.

    * * * * *

    Bai Lian stopped and turned to where Mo Yu was serving someone, also pausing to look up to find Bai Lian.

    Something¡¯s happening, her eyes seemed to say.

    Bai Lian nodded to Mo Yu, letting her know that she understood, still unsure of the odd feeling she¡¯d just gotten.

    * * * * *

    Joram blinked at Alicia¡¯s friends as they approached him in a cluster, idly wondering if pretty women were naturally drawn together for some reason before remembering that they were potential members for Alicia¡¯s team.

    I may have managed to get hold of my raging hormones, but this¡¯ll be torture, he thought as he took in the group.

    Not wanting to be rude, he stood up and stepped away from the piano to greet them with a smile as they stopped just over a metre away.

    ¡°Welcome to my humble abode,¡± Joram said, motioning around him with slight movements of his hands.

    ¡°Good morning Joram,¡± Alicia said, bubbly as usual.  ¡°Let me introduce my friends,¡± she said, then proceeded to do just that.

    The closest of the four young women was introduced first: Sophia Rearden.  She stood a couple inches shorter than him, with light brown hair that fell to mid-back, hazel eyes, and a build that made him think of a dancer.

    Next was Gabrielle Hayes.  She was slightly shorter than Sophia, but had a more athletic build, the muscles in her arms showing respectable definition.  Her auburn hair was tied up in a simple ponytail, leaving her nearly black eyes free of obstruction.

    Then Alyraele Erhice was introduced as her hand came up to tuck an errant lock of her long, sea-green hair behind her ear as her golden eyes locked onto his.  He¡¯d have describe her as a swimmer, but wondered how well she¡¯d really do with curves like that.

    Lastly, Daleira Dexamene was introduced.  She stood tallest of the four, almost an inch taller than even Alyraele.  Her rich mahogany hair looked like the result of stylists recreating a windblown look that just so happened to fall perfectly in place, giving her a bit of a wild and sexy look.  He was impressed by how vibrant her green eyes were.  They looked closer to fresh spring leaves than anything else.  Heck, his own emerald-green eyes seemed lacking in comparison.

    There was a¡­ charisma about her that tugged at his memory.  He shook it off though, as he didn¡¯t want them to think that he was staring at the beautiful woman who could have been a pinup model.  In fact, he could see why each of them had made it into the Goddess ranking; they were all, frankly, gorgeous.

    They¡¯re fellow students, just here to learn.  Nothing more.  They¡¯re fellow students.  My seniors.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,¡± he said, giving them his second-best smile, which seemed to go over well given their murmured responses that mirrored what he¡¯d said.

    ¡°So,¡± Alicia piped in, drawing their attention to her.  ¡°Gabrielle is also a Trades student and was hoping that she could get some pointers on progressing her Mental Strength,¡± she said, motioning to the toned woman.  ¡°Even though they¡¯re third years and up, the others were wondering if they could discuss arrays with you.¡±

    ¡°As a way to thank you for helping guide Gabrielle,¡± Sophia added with a polite cough, her closed hand covering her mouth.

    Joram noticed the sparkle in Alicia¡¯s eyes after hearing the comment and suppressed a smile.

    ¡°It would be my honour to share my insights with my seniors, and to receive any guidance you might give,¡± he said, pulling the lines from both what Altaea had taught him and the many martial arts themed media he¡¯d consumed over the decades.

    He took a quick look around, then proceeded to shift the furniture around so that it would be easier to speak with them all.  Two couches were pulled over to flank the coffee table and two comfy chairs were placed at the head and foot of the table.

    ¡°Please, sit,¡± he said once everything was in place.

    He started by taking the seat at the head of the table, which just meant that it was the spot furthest from the kitchen¡­ and closest to the piano.  Alicia took the chair at the foot of the table while Daleira and Alyraele sat to this left, leaving the other two to sit on his right.

    He suspected that seating arrangements were important in this culture as well, but he couldn¡¯t discern what guided their seating arrangement.  Had they chosen their places based on where Joram was, or where Alicia had seated herself?

    Ultimately, he didn¡¯t care, so he dismissed that thought too.  Gabrielle, he was sure, had deliberately taken the spot closest to him on the right, probably to make it easier to speak with him if she truly was there to get pointers from him.

    From the looks he was getting, his impression was that the rest of them were more there to¡­ evaluate him?  Perhaps to see just who he was.  There was definitely an air of¡­ assessment to their body language, as though they were expecting something.

    Again, he shrugged those thoughts off because he really didn¡¯t care.  Well, mostly.  Growing up, he¡¯d been a bit of a social chameleon, always doing just enough to give a good impression to those he met, but keeping a low profile when attention turned away from him.

    Which meant that, even decades later, the urge to leave a good impression with people he¡¯d just met was once again poking its head up.

    Then Wentian came in carrying a long serving tray with three tea pots, cups and saucers, spoons, and honey on it.  When he saw who the company was, his eyes widened slightly before quickly slipping the tray onto the table and making a dignified retreat.

    After everyone served themselves some tea, he got started.

    ¡°Tell me Gabrielle, what method do you use to cultivate your Mental Strength,¡± he asked, teacup and saucer in hand.

    Gabrielle looked over at the others before shrugging and retrieving a small, well-loved book from her storage ring and offering it to Joram.

    He blinked, then set his tea down and accepted the book with a nod.

    ¡°It¡¯s called The Way of the Artificer,¡± she said a bit self-consciously.  ¡°It¡¯s a common technique used by aspiring artificers.¡±

    Joram nodded to that, flipped the book open and read through it in a few seconds, then took a few more to internalize what he¡¯d read.

    ¡°May I?¡±  He asked holding out his hand for Gabrielle to take.

    Joram supressed another smile at their reactions.  Gabrielle blushed and seemed more than a little nervous and embarrassed, while her other three companions had varying degrees of scandalized painted on their faces.  Alicia just kept smiling between sips of tea.

 Chapter 073 - Books

    Joram watched Gabrielle as she processed what he¡¯d asked. Her expressions were easy to read as they went from shocked, to nervous, to embarrassed. Finally, she seemed to firm up as a look of fierce determination took prominence.

    Hey, just what are you thinking there?!

    ¡°OK,¡± she said simply, causing another round of shock to pass through her friends as she took his outstretched hand and closed her eyes, a bit of colour still in her cheeks.

    He smiled softly as he felt her Knowledge Sea open up to him, then closed his eyes and slipped in.

    Gabrielle¡¯s chosen space was a well cared for smithy, the various tools of the trade hanging on the walls, with her forge taking up a good quarter of the space from where it rested in its corner.

    Gabrielle¡¯s avatar stood in front of the hot forge, silhouetted in its warm light turning her auburn hair into a fiery mane. She was dressed in traditional blacksmith¡¯s clothing, though her sleeves were rolled up almost to her elbows.

    ¡°Welcome,¡± she greeted him shyly, looking down at the anvil that stood in front of her.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said with another smile. ¡°It¡¯s a good space.¡±

    She looked at him then, obviously wondering if he was making fun of her.

    ¡°I have great memories of learning to work metal in a space similar to this,¡± he said, remembering the fist iteration his workshop took when Altaea had first started teaching him.

    ¡°Ah, then, I¡¯m glad you like it,¡± she said quietly, still obviously nervous having him there.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get down to business,¡± he said, then sat in a chair he willed into existence.

    * * * * *

    Daleira looked on as Gabrielle took Joram¡¯s hand, still a bit flustered.

    She was by no means an expert when it came to Mentalists, but she¡¯d always heard that inviting someone into your Knowledge Sea was both a risky action as well as an intimate one. When a person was invited into your Knowledge Sea, they would then have free reign to look through your innermost thoughts and feelings, seeing anything you kept secret.

    Which was why his offer had shocked them all so much. He was practically a stranger, their only assurances that he was a decent person coming from someone they¡¯d only known for a couple of days. That Gabriell had accepted so quickly was beyond her expectations.

    She¡¯d thought that they¡¯d just chat, exchanging their thoughts, ideas, and insights on Mental Strength.

    Or, had he asked so that he could keep their conversation private? Mentalists were well known for how jealously they guarded their secrets, so that thought held some weight.

    But at the same time, she wondered what he was really like. Both she and her friends had encountered not a few people who seemed to be gentlemen on the surface, but had soon proved to be lechers in sheep¡¯s clothing.

    It was much easier to read the younger students that arrived, for most of them hadn¡¯t started studying etiquette and diplomacy yet, teaching them how to hide their inner thoughts from others.

    But as far as she knew, he hadn¡¯t taken one social class. Having seen who he¡¯d been rubbing elbows with yesterday, she wondered if he¡¯d already received his etiquette training before arriving. He was remarkably hard to read, even for a third year student used to dealing with people practicing what they¡¯d learned in class.

    The other thing that was on her mind was their introduction. How he¡¯d focussed on her more than the others, staring into her eyes just a bit longer than he had for the others.

    Given her looks and figure, Daleira was used to people starting when they noticed her. Most had that creepy glint of lust in their eyes that was hard to hide. But even though she¡¯d noticed Joram take her in with a glance, she hadn¡¯t felt the usual unease with the look.

    Could he prefer other men? She thought as she quickly glanced at Alicia, someone who she wasn¡¯t shy to admit was prettier than she was.

    She didn¡¯t seem to have that kind of relationship with Joram, given how she talked about him and all. She¡¯d also seen his two servants who worked at Starfall. Quinn was certainly pretty, even if she hadn¡¯t made it onto the Goddess Ranking. But Moyra was listed right under Alicia. Could it be that she and Joram were a thing?

    Daleira made some non-comital sounds whenever someone addressed her, too deep in thought to pay attention to them as she tried to figure Joram out.

    Joram hadn¡¯t shown any of the usual cues you¡¯d see when they saw a partner, so she dismissed the thought of Joram and his butler having something going.

    There was just something¡­ different about him. Almost as though¡­

    ¡°Ah,¡± she said out loud, hammering her closed hand onto her open palm, startling her friends. ¡°He¡¯s a late bloomer.¡±

    Alicia snorted tea out of her nose in shock, while Alyraele and Sophie gave her a confused look.

    Daleira turned to Alicia and asked, ¡°Am I wrong?¡±

    Alicia took a moment more to dab at her nose before answering.

    ¡°No. No, not at all,¡± she said, raising a hand to fend off such a thought. ¡°I hadn¡¯t really noticed,¡± she finished with a half-hearted shrug.

    ¡°What makes you think that Daleira?¡± Alyraele asked, her curiosity written all over her face.

    ¡°Hmm, you know that creepy look boys, and most men, have when they¡¯re looking at you but think we¡¯re not looking?¡±

    All three of them nodded at that, varying degrees of frowns on their faces.

    ¡°Well, even though we¡¯ve just met, and we¡¯ve barely interacted,¡± she said, drawing it out for effect. ¡°I haven¡¯t noticed that Look from Joram.¡±

    Alyraele nodded slowly, understanding the point but obviously hadn¡¯t noticed anything yet. Sophia just shrugged, not particularly caring. However, Alicia looked the most thoughtful of them, her brows coming together slightly to form a slight vertical ridge between them.

    ¡°It might not be that he¡¯s a late bloomer,¡± she said slowly, crossing her arms. ¡°I heard him mention once that he came from a Matriarchal clan a while back. That¡¯s probably why he respects women more than probably anyone else you¡¯ve met,¡± she said, nodding to herself. ¡°He¡¯s also quite mature for his age.¡±

    Daleira, Alyraele, and Sophia all had an ¡°Oh¡± moment then turned to look at Joram and Gabrielle, their hands still clasped together. Suddenly, their perceptions took on a whole other frame. Gone were the thoughts of Joram taking advantage of Gabrielle in some way, now replaced with a sense of admiration for his willingness to help someone who was practically a stranger.

    ¡°Maybe we should do this more often,¡± Daleira softly murmured to herself, a small smile tugging at her lips.

    But as quiet as she had been, the room was more so. Alyraele and Sophia both nodded at that, while Alicia appeared more reserved at the thought. When Daleira raised a questioning eyebrow, she voiced her thoughts.

    ¡°Probably not too often,¡± she said apologetically. ¡°As charming as he can be, he¡¯s very much an introvert. I¡¯m sure that our little visit will have quite thoroughly drained him.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Sophia asked skeptically.

    ¡°Why do you think he¡¯s not involved in any of the clubs? Why he¡¯s not always at Starfall playing more songs? Have you ever seen him out and about when not headed to or from class, or on an errand?¡±

    ¡°This is our first time seeing him,¡± Alyraele helpfully piped in.

    ¡°Ah, good point,¡± Alicia said as a blush faintly touched her cheeks.

    ¡°But, is he really that shy?¡± Sophia asked, leaning forward slightly.

    ¡°Well, he¡¯s shy too. Did you at least hear about the disappearing guitar player a few weeks back?¡± She asked, then continued when they¡¯d all nodded. ¡°That was Joram. So, yes, he¡¯s shy. But he¡¯s also much more comfortable just working on one project or another. He told me once that trying to figure out how to work adamantium was easier for him than attending larger social gatherings.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that incredibly difficult?¡± Alyraele asked, turning to where Gabrielle sat.

    ¡°From what I recall,¡± Sophia said thoughtfully, ¡°you need to be at least a 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier Artificer to learn how to work it.¡±

    ¡°Most take their time, waiting until the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier, as Tier 2 mana makes it easier to shape physical objects,¡± Alyraele added, surprising them all. ¡°Once an artificer or array specialist is able to use Tier 3 mana, their work also becomes much easier, as Tier 3 mana has an affinity for the intangible.¡±

    Daleira stared, a bit startled that Alyraele, a political sciences major, knew so much about crafting.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true,¡± Alicia said as she nodded. ¡°But Joram¡¯s¡­ a bit of a monster when it comes to crafting,¡± she said with a rueful grin.

    ¡°He¡¯s already proficient in working adamantium,¡± Daleira more stated than asked.

    ¡°For a long time now,¡± Alicia said, nodding. ¡°Well, from what he¡¯s told me, anyway. That said, he¡¯ll likely break through as a 4<sup>th</sup> Tier Mentalist soon,¡± she added, looking more than a bit frustrated.

    Daleira was having a bit of an emotional workout hearing what Alicia was just handing out like candy. She could understand Alicia¡¯s frustration. Learning that a person, in the same year as you, was so much further along than you were was hard.

    She¡¯d long heard how hard it was to cultivate Mental Strength. Hearing that a first-year student would break through to the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier of Mental Strength was¡­ depressing. She¡¯d been highly praised for having reached the 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier as a Mage while still in her second year, as had Alyraele; and Alyraele was a few years younger than her!

    ¡°Welcome back, Joram,¡± Alicia said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

    ¡°Ah, thanks,¡± he said as he released Gabrielle¡¯s hand. ¡°Good work today,¡± he said to Gabrielle as she opened her eyes and smiled back at him.

    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to started,¡± Gabrielle gushed, sounding like a child who was excited to play with a new toy.

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Joram smiled and nodded at Gabrielle, then turned to look at them.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s next,¡± he asked, briefly making eye contact with each of them before retrieving his tea.

    * * * * *

    Jae-Eun found it hard to glare at her protecter while eating her strawberry ¡°cheesecake¡±.

    She¡¯d been more that a little bit skeptical when Quinn had recommended the unusually named dessert. Images of various cheeses baked into the shape of a cake topped with strawberries had floated around her mind until they¡¯d started to nauseate her.

    When the strawberry topped slice had arrived, she¡¯d stared at it for several minutes before Aya had started poking her; the woman probably thinking that she was being rude or something. Which hadn¡¯t improved Jae-Eun¡¯s mood, which had already been sour.

    Jae-Eun had wanted to speak with Alicia about her recruitment efforts, so she¡¯d gone to Starfall yesterday. When she¡¯d arrived, all anyone would talk about was how the musician had shown up with a beautiful woman as well as the Dean and the President of the Heavenly Trove Bank. Not only that, but they¡¯d been given a private tour of Alicia¡¯s new project, getting served personally by her.

    At that point, the number of questions she had about Joram practically exploded. Who was he to have the Dean and the President of the Bank accompany him? If he was some old master, then why had he been following along like the junior he appeared to be? The question was: what was the identity of the woman he¡¯d been with?

    Now, she sat at Starfall waiting for Alicia to show up for the day. Aya had scared away Quinn and Moyra almost as soon as they¡¯d approached, only having been tolerated long enough to take their order then deliver it. So, Jae-Eun had been patiently waiting. And waiting.

    Both Aya and Alicia were lucky that the dessert was so damn good¡­.

    * * * * *

    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll have to go buy the more advanced textbooks for arrays,¡± Joram said, not quite getting the advanced theories his guests were dropping on him.

    ¡°I think that I have my standard and advanced class textbooks in my storage ring,¡± Gabrielle said as she raised her hand as though she was about to start dumping books on the coffee table.

    ¡°No,¡± Joram said, holding up a hand to forestall her. ¡°Books are sacred, precious companions that have contributed to your life. They should be held onto and treasured,¡± he said seriously.

    All four young women looked at him with varying degrees of¡­ weird. The only one of the four that seemed to partially agree with his statement was Alyraele, and even she looked as though she was trying to figure out if he¡¯d been joking or serious.

    ¡®What the hell was that?¡¯ Alicia sent, sounding flummoxed.

    ¡®I¡¯m pretty damn sure that Altaea created a clan and legacy surrounding knowledge and its preservation because of my love of books. Hell, she might have even used some sort of crazy ritual that somehow calculated when the best possible time for my rebirth would be. The Clear Knowledge Clan represents how I feel,¡¯ he sent passionately.

    ¡®Yeah, I know,¡¯ she sent dryly. ¡®I just didn¡¯t think you¡¯d get so intense with young ladies you¡¯d just met.¡¯

    ¡°Ah¡­ OK,¡± Gabrielle said, lowering her hand looking a bit disappointed.

    ¡°I, ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Umm,¡± Joram stammered, now very conscious that they were people he¡¯d just met, and that he¡¯d more than likely left a weird impression. ¡°I¡¯m going to go buy some books. It was nice meeting you all!¡± He said as he got up and quickly made his way to the door, opened it, and ran.

    * * * * *

    Daleira couldn¡¯t believe her eyes.

    ¡°Did that just happen?¡± She asked no one in particular as she stared at the open front door.

    ¡°Yes¡­?¡± Gabrielle said over Alicia¡¯s laughter.

    Daleira turned to look at Alicia, who¡¯d almost fallen out of her chair because she was laughing so hard. Soon, Alyraele started chuckling, followed by Sophia, and even Gabrielle; though she looked almost as concerned about Joram as she was amused by what had just happened.

    Even she let out a few quiet chuckles, the sheer absurdity of what had just happened finally breaking through her normally reserved nature.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Alicia sighed as she regained her composure several minutes later. ¡°I can¡¯t decide which was more entertaining: his vanishing act after his performance, or this.¡±

    That got a couple more laughs before Alicia stood up and gestured towards the door.

    ¡°I guess we¡¯re done for the day,¡± she said, stepping towards the open door.

    ¡°Do you think he¡¯d mind if I looked at that?¡± Alyraele suddenly asked, pointing at the piano.

    ¡°His piano?¡± Alicia asked, pointing at the very large instrument that Joram had been sitting at when they¡¯d arrived.

    Daleira was reasonably certain that that ¡°piano¡± might have been the source of what they¡¯d heard when they had first arrived. Alyraele hadn¡¯t been the only one to notice the faint sounds, but she had certainly been the most interested in finding out their source. But upon entering, they¡¯d been distracted by Joram¡¯s unusually warm greeting and disarming smile.

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ve mentioned it, but I am minoring in musical theory. That not just one, but two instruments that I¡¯ve never heard of before have shown up¡­. Well, I¡¯m terribly interested in learning all I can about them,¡± Alyraele said, unusually enthusiastic. Daleira hadn¡¯t ever seen her friend so taken by something. Even the new confections at Starfall hadn¡¯t gotten her so¡­ eager.

    For her part, Alicia looked to consider it before shrugging. She stepped over to the comparatively massive musical instrument and lifted the top of the short bench, revealing a compartment inside. Aside from that being a novel idea, Daleira was also interested in the many large but thin books inside.

    Alicia retrieved one of the books, as well as a curious wooden device that she placed on a wide lip that ran the length of the piano.

    ¡°I believe that this would be a beginner¡¯s music book,¡± Alicia said as she brought it over for them to look at. ¡°I¡¯m not very familiar with how music is written, but I recall that Joram said that it might be a bit different to what¡¯s recorded here,¡± she said, motioning to the rows upon rows of lines and odd symbols on the page.

    ¡°Music is primarily taught from master to pupil,¡± Alyraele said, frowning down at the page. ¡°Even here, the only part that¡¯s recorded are the lyrics of a song, not the music itself¡­¡± she trailed off as she tried to decipher what was on the page.

    Daleira didn¡¯t know anything about Alyraele¡¯s music classes, herself having done not much more than dabbling with a simple wood flute while growing up. But she thought that if a person could learn to play an instrument by reading a book, then that would be something fantastic and amazing. She certainly enjoyed listening to a well played piece, so if more people had a chance to learn how to play an instrument, she thought that maybe more hidden talents might be uncovered in the future.

    ¡°Ah, well, Joram had mentioned that this might look strange to people,¡± Alicia said, sounding a bit embarrassed. ¡°We just may need more of his time then.¡±

    Daleira nodded to that, understanding that Alyraele would certainly be insistent on having Joran explain the curious musical¡­ writings. What interested her more, though, was how Alicia seemed¡­ embarrassed. Or maybe she was feeling guilty about having to request more of Joram?

    Are they just ¡°friends¡±...?, she thought as Alyraele sat on the bench and started to examine the piano. Well, at least things will be more lively.

    * * * * *

    Books!!! Booksbooksbooksbooksbooksbooksbooksbooksbooksbooks!!!! Almost there! Safety! He thought as he approached the Academy Bookstore. A somewhat uninspired name, but he appreciated the simple name. Nothing worse than a store with a name that had absolutely no relation to what it was. Like calling a butcher ¡°Delightful Mary¡¯s¡± or some nonsense like that.

    ¡°Joram!¡±

    He froze, just a few metres from safety, and turned to see the princess waving at him¡­ like a princess. Aya, as always, was just behind her and to her right. Also, as usual, she didn¡¯t look like anything less than a murder machine. Sure, her gaze seemed impassive, bored even. But the way she moved, how her eyes were constantly looking around, and how her right hand always seemed to be positioned just so, as though ready to grip something¡­ like the hilt of a sword.

    Yeah, definitely a murder machine; and in the 6<sup>th</sup> Tier too. Too tricky, he thought as he fought to keep the smile on his face.

    ¡°Hello,¡± he said, putting on his third-best smile due to his stress. ¡°How can I help the princess today?¡± He asked, shifting slightly out of the way of pedestrian traffic and slightly closer to the bookstore.

    ¡°Just heading back after visiting Starfall,¡± she said with a polite smile. ¡°I was wondering: have you seen Alicia? I can¡¯t get a hold of her,¡± she said, holding up her student card.

    ¡°Oh, yeah. If you hurry, you might catch her coming from my place,¡± he said, pointing down the street and off to the left. ¡°We just had a tutoring session and I found that I need more textbooks to keep up,¡± he explained, now pointing his thumb over his shoulder at the bookstore.

    ¡°Oh? What subject?¡± Jae-Eun asked, her interest kindled.

    ¡°Oh, just arrays. I¡¯ve only just finished the basic class, so I still need to get my textbooks for the coming term, along with any extras so that I don¡¯t fall behind,¡± he said, again motioning to the bookstore, hoping that she¡¯d get the hint.

    From the way Aya was looking at him, she surely did and¡­ approved? Was he reading that right?

    ¡°I finished the standard class this past Winter Term,¡± she said, then shook her head. ¡°That¡¯ll probably be my last one unless I have an epiphany or something. It¡¯s a bit tough.¡±

    Why the hell am I a such sucker for helping people who seem so down in the dumps? He thought at his head slowly turned back to the princess.

    ¡°Would you like to join the study group?¡± He asked lightly, trying very hard to hide the strain in his voice.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to impose,¡± she said the words, but her sparkling eyes clearly said that those words were just said to be polite.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have offered if it was a bother,¡± he said, lying his face off. ¡°The others are in their third and fourth years, but I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be more than happy to review things for you as they help me out.¡±

    Jae-Eun blinked at him for a moment before speaking.

    ¡°You¡¯re not tutoring them?¡± She asked, clearly confused.

    ¡°I may be a peak 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier Alchemist and Artificer, but I¡¯m not great with Arrays yet,¡± he said, scratching at the back of his head in embarrassment.

    Jae-Eun¡¯s eye popped open and even Aya¡¯s attention focussed further on him when they heard that.

    ¡°You¡¯re a peak 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier Alchemist too?¡± Jae-Eun asked excitedly, practically bouncing on her toes.

    ¡°Hadn¡¯t I mentioned that?¡± He asked, genuinely thinking that he had.

    ¡°You¡¯d just mentioned alchemy, not your Tier,¡± Jae-Eun replied faintly.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± he said, clearing his throat. ¡°I still need to learn more,¡± he said, edging ever-so-slightly towards the safe haven that was the bookstore.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Jae-Eun said, coming back to the moment. ¡°Do you know the Dean? I heard that you went to Starfall with him.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that. My great grandmother arrived and wanted us all to have a talk. I also wanted to talk to him about the¡­ unpleasantness of when I first got here,¡± he said, a frown forming as he recalled that little prat and how he¡¯d used his status to frame him.

    ¡°And the Bank President?¡±

    ¡°Well, Grammy wanted to make sure that my finances are all set, so we went over there after seeing the Dean. Well, he kind of tagged along,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°Maybe he felt bad about¡­ that. Anyway, after finishing up at the bank, someone suggested going for lunch, and that¡¯s how that happened.¡±

    Jae-Eun was nodding along.

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s always good to make sure that a promising talent such as yourself is treated well. At the very least, no one wants to willingly alienate an alchemist,¡± she said as though that were common sense. And indeed, it was.

    ¡°So, if that kid¡¯s father were to find out he was lying through his teeth to get revenge for breaking his hand on my face, he¡¯d probably be in trouble?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, most would be, yes. It really depends on how influential the family is and if they¡¯re in need of a promising alchemist.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably too much to ask that the kid has given up, huh?¡± He asked rhetorically. Because, if this world reflected pop-culture back on Earth, or vice-versa, then he wouldn¡¯t be so lucky.

    ¡°I¡¯m not very familiar with how young heirs conduct themselves here,¡± she said thoughtfully. ¡°But if they¡¯re anything like they are back home, then no. Their pride won¡¯t let them leave a perceived slight unavenged.¡±

    Well, isn¡¯t that wonderful, he thought as he also made a mental note to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Joram said, now able to give a more genuine smile. ¡°I¡¯ll send you a message when I know when the next study session is planned for,¡± he finished by giving her a little wave as he stepped over to the door and Jae-Eun gave him her small princess wave then started walking in the direction of his house.

    Once inside, Joram heaved a sigh of relief once the smell of books hit him. He¡¯d always been calmed by the presence of books, even before being reborn into the Aneath line. There was just something about being surrounded by books, the smell of them, that relaxed him.

    Then something at the back of his mind started bothering him until he focussed on it. It was his sphere of perception telling him that, one: he wasn¡¯t alone, and two: there were dozens of people staring at him.

    Not that he wasn¡¯t, to a certain degree, used to people starting at him. No. These people were mostly boys and men¡­ and they were staring daggers at him. As he took them in, he reached out to feel their various cultivation levels; not wanting to risk being ambushed by someone stronger than him.

    Fortunately, most were in the 2<sup>nd</sup> to 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier at the highest. Though one did stand out at the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier, but the fellow looked like he worked there, so maybe he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about him¡­.

    But, why all the hate? He asked himself as he picked up a basket and slowly made his way through the store, picking out the Academy-approved textbooks he¡¯d need for the term as well as the ones on arrays. He didn¡¯t just get the standard course textbook and the recommended supplementary readings, but also grabbed all the ones up to the grandmaster level. And the supplementary textbooks for each of the levels leading up to grandmaster as well. He wanted a solid base with which to form his understanding of arrays, so no need to half-ass it.

    While he was at it, he decided to add in the advanced textbooks for alchemy and artifact refining as well as the optional reading for those, all the way up to grandmaster as well. If he was going to have to buy them in the future anyway, he may as well just get them now.

    Joram wound up needing four baskets to carry the dozens of books, but it wasn¡¯t hard to put two baskets side-by-side and hook two fingers around each handle. Once his hands were full, he just used a bit of [Telekinesis] to get his books which, for some reason, increased the negative vibes he was getting from his¡­ viewers.

    Once he was at the checkout, he relaxed a fraction knowing that this profoundly wrong and uncomfortable bookstore experience would soon be at an end. Then his hopes were dashed as the fellow who appeared to be the clerk stepped up with a smile that looked like he was hiding great pain and wanted to murder him.

    Heck, his killing intent was even spilling out a bit.

    Fortunately, he was only in the 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier.

    Unfortunately, he decided to be difficult.

 Chapter 074 - Company

    Chapter 074

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, these textbooks are supposed to be for advanced students and higher,¡± he said with that forced smile on his face as he set the majority of Joram¡¯s pile to the side.

    ¡°¡¯Supposed¡¯?  Is there some rule or policy preventing me from purchasing these books?¡±  Joram asked politely even though he was tempted to [Ego Whip] the idiot into oblivion.

    ¡°It would be irresponsible for us to sell such advanced materials to a first-year student,¡± he said, his smile growing even creepier.

    Breath.  Just, breath, he thought as he restrained his growing frustrations.  He¡¯d started the morning by embarrassing himself in front of Avi¡¯s friends, who also happened to be incredibly attractive young women.  Then further embarrassed himself by running out on them.  The talk with Jae-Eun hadn¡¯t been back, but having a murder machine staring at him the whole time had been draining, to say the least.

    Now that he¡¯d finally gotten to his perceived safe-haven, he was once again attacked.  By the hateful stares of dozens of people and the aggressions of this idiot.  He was about to give in to his baser instincts when a thought occurred to him.

    Ask an adult.

    ¡®Grammy?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Joram?¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯m having a bit of trouble buying some more advanced array textbooks.  Is there something I can do to smooth this over?¡¯

    ¡®There shouldn¡¯t be any problem buying them,¡¯ Grammy sent back, obviously confused.  ¡®If there¡¯s really a problem, you¡¯re bank card should deal with it.¡¯

    ¡®Should?  Does it come with special privileges or something,¡¯ he asked, not sure if he should be excited, happy, or taken aback.  Was his purple-bordered bank card the equivalent of having the Emperor-Class VIP card from the Heaven¡¯s Bounty Auction House?  Now curious, he asked.

    ¡®You have an Emperor-Class VIP card from Heaven¡¯s Bounty?¡¯  Grammy asked in disbelief.  ¡®Of course, you do.  Anyway, think of your bank card like that.  It should quiet any complaints.¡¯

    Joram sent his thanks to Grammy just as the cashier started speaking again, appearing even more annoyed than a minute ago.

    ¡°Then, if that¡¯s all, we¡¯ll tally up what you¡¯re allowed to purchase¡­¡± he stopped as Joram placed his bank card on the desk in front of the cashier.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking all of the books, thank you,¡± Joram said politely, drawing heavily on his lessons in etiquette and diplomacy from Altaea.

    The cashier looked like he was about to snark him, but the card finally registered in his brain causing him to choke on his words.

    ¡°Hurry up, I don¡¯t have all day,¡± Joram said, now letting a bit of his annoyance slip into his tone.  ¡°Oh, and I would also like a receipt.¡±

    -----

    What is with people today?  Joram asked himself as he stepped up to his front door and opened it.

    Inside, he was greeted by the sight of eight beautiful women, one man¡­ and one murder machine.

    ¡°Hello?¡±  He said, slowly inching his way towards his office.

    ¡°Young master!  We need to talk about our food budget.  Let¡¯s head to your office to go over things,¡± Wentian said, standing up and hurrying over to him, practically blurring in his haste to escape.

    ¡°Yes, the food budget!  Let¡¯s go!¡±  Joram said as he grabbed Wentian¡¯s arm and beat a hasty retreat to his office.

    Once inside, he closed the door, locked it, and then used [Modify Matter] to fuse the sliding door in place, effectively making it a part of the wall.

    ¡®What in the name of the Light is going on?¡¯  He sent to Wentian, securing his link with Wentian to make sure that Avi/Alicia couldn¡¯t listen in to their conversation.

    ¡®The five of them stayed behind after you left, talking about music and the piano and such.  But then the princess showed up not long after you left.  Then Bai Lian and Mo Yu returned from work, and well¡­ that happened.¡¯

    ¡°That¡± referred to the incredibly tense atmosphere in the living room.

    He noticed that Alyraele had taken a seat at the piano with Sophia sitting beside her, looking over an open book of sheet music.  Daleira and Gabrielle, however, were seated on the same couch they¡¯d used then they¡¯d first arrived, directly across from where Bai Lian and Mo Yu were now seated.  Jae-Eun had taken his vacant chair, with the murder machine standing to her right and slightly back.

    Alicia was still in her chair, looking for all the world like she was having the time of her life.

    The problem, as he saw it, was how the occupants of both couches were looking at each other.

    Bai Lian, for some reason, looked like a cat eying up another cat that had just walked into her house.  Gabrielle looked a bit confused, but was stubbornly holding her ground.  Daleira, though, was smiling almost as calmly as Mo Yu was, but both had given him the impression that there should have been lightning shooting from their eyes, causing ball lightning to form between them.

    Even Jae-Eun looked like she wanted to join in, but obviously didn¡¯t know what she¡¯d be getting into, so she stayed out of it.  Fortunately, Aya the Murder Machine seemed to be more amused by what was happening than not.  Otherwise, he was sure that more than a few bodies would have greeted him upon his return.

    ¡®So, how¡¯d you get stuck in there with them?¡¯  Joram asked curiously.

    ¡®I brought out more tea and snacks when the princess arrived and was caught up answering her questions about the insights I¡¯d gained when we were on that quest,¡¯ he explained in a pained tone.  ¡®Then the other two got home.  Things were good a first, but then got more tense as the conversation progressed, until I felt that if I left, Mo Yu might¡­ do something to me if I left,¡¯ he finished and shook his head.

    ¡®But why are they being like that?¡¯  He queried, not really expecting an answer.

    ¡®Meh.¡¯

    ¡®Indeed.  It seems that they might not appreciate unexpected guests,¡¯ he sent.

    Wentian looked at him a bit oddly, but then shrugged.

    ¡®Women are weird,¡¯ he sent, then looked around.  ¡®What¡¯re we going to do now?¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯m going to read,¡¯ he sent as he deposited the dozens of books onto his desk, then pointedly ignored the other conversations being had on the Network.

    * * * * *

    ¡®Did the young master seriously just¡­ run away?¡¯  Bai Lian asked incredulously.

    ¡®It seems that way,¡¯ Mo Yu replied, not sure if she should be vexed or amused by the young master¡¯s actions.

    She hadn¡¯t expected Bai Lian¡¯s reaction when they¡¯d come home to see that there were guests present.  That Bai Lian had grown more distant as they learned why Alicia was there with her friends had also struck her as odd.  But when Ms Hayes had practically gushed over how much the young master had helped her, Mo Yu understood her reactions.

    It had just been the night before that she¡¯d spoken with Bai Lian about her feelings for the young master.  Yet, the very next day they found themselves sitting with other beautiful young women who, at the very least, seemed to be interested in the young master.  If she was being truthful, Mo Yu thought that their interest was a bit deeper than passing curiosity in the young master.

    Mo Yu regarded Daleira as everyone idly chatted about things inconsequential.  If she were to go by what most men found attractive, Daleira was arguably the prettiest of Alicia¡¯s four new friends.  There was also something about her that seemed to pull one¡¯s attention to her¡­ like a natural charisma.

    ¡®What are we going to do about them?¡¯  Bai Lian asked her as she leaned forward to refill her tea.

    ¡®Just treat them as guests for now,¡¯ she replied.  ¡®If they prove to be more than that in the future, I guess we¡¯ll just have to lay down the law, as it were.¡¯

    ¡®But wouldn¡¯t that be considered bullying the weak¡­?¡¯  Bai Lian asked, sounding unsure if that would be a bad thing or not.  But also sounding as though she might be OK with that.

    ¡®No,¡¯ Mo Yu corrected.  ¡®I mean that we would be the young master¡¯s wives while they would be concubines.¡¯

    When no response came after she sent the last message, Mo Yu quickly glanced over to her junior sister and saw that her face had once again turned red.

    Ah, my shy junior sister, she thought fondly as a smile tugged at her lips.  If the teasing doesn¡¯t help her to sort her feelings out, then maybe I¡¯ll have to try other methods.

    I¡¯m just not sure about Ms Dexamene, though.  Is she just teasing junior sister, or is there genuine interest in the young master?

    * * * * *

    Joram suddenly felt a chill run down his spine as he finished reading the standard arrays class¡¯s third, and last, recommended supplementary book.

    ¡°I sense a disturbance in the force,¡± he murmured to himself, catching Wentian¡¯s attention.

    ¡°What was that?¡±  Wentian asked, marking his place in the basic arrays¡¯ textbook with a finger.

    ¡°Maybe we should head back out,¡± he said, not quite sure if that was a good idea or not.

    Wentian¡¯s eyes widened a fraction before he spoke.

    ¡°Is that¡­ wise?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯ll be all right if we bring an offering,¡± he said, sounding it out.  ¡°Yes.  We¡¯ll bring them dinner.  Wentian, please hold the fort while I head over to the food court and grab us some take-out.¡±

    Just as Joram shifted back to his Realm, he caught Wentian¡¯s confused look and smiled.  He arrived in a small space just off the main food court where he hadn¡¯t felt anyone¡¯s presence.  No need to accidentally bump into someone.

    It took him a few minutes longer than expected to get his orders because everyone wanted to speak with him.  From thanks to questions about how reconstruction of Brightside was going to new recipes, they all had something to ask.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    He was almost done when Grammy contacted him.

    ¡®Joram?  I¡¯d like to come by for a visit this evening.  Maybe have dinner while we all discuss the future of the Clan.¡¯

    ¡®Umm, I have a few guests over at the moment,¡¯ he hedged, not wanting things to get even more complicated.

    ¡®That¡¯s fine.  It would be good to meet the friends you¡¯ve made at the Academy so far.  I¡¯ll be bringing some of the family along as well, if you could arrange for them to come, that would be lovely.¡¯

    ¡®So, who¡¯s on the list?¡¯  He asked, resigned to his fate.

    Grammy sent him the list of those who¡¯d be coming, and he almost fell over.

    Guess I¡¯ll need to grab some more food, he grumped, putting in several more orders while he was at it.

    ¡®Can you both get the dining room table set for an additional five people, plus whoever is already there, please?¡¯  He sent to Bai Lian and Mo Yu, not bothering with individual channels for this.

    ¡®Yes, young master,¡¯ they replied almost simultaneously.

    ¡®The table can only seat up to twelve people, though.  We¡¯ll need a larger table and some chairs,¡¯ Mo Yu added a moment later.

    ¡®I¡¯ll get some more materials and get it sorted,¡¯ he sent back, then mentally went through the materials storage space in his Realm.

    It didn¡¯t take him long to find a matching wood, so he shifted a few logs to his study along with some extra materials to pad the chairs with.

    With that done, he ordered a few more containers of curry and rice.  While he waited, he went over M3 and M4¡¯s progress with [Genesis] and couldn¡¯t help but smile.  It seemed as though M4 had taken on a bit of his geeky side.  Considering how much he¡¯d read and gamed before coming here, it really shouldn¡¯t have come as a surprise that a part of him would want to create a world similar to a game.

    That part will take a while longer to get going though, he thought as he received his extra orders.

    Having procured dinner, he quickly checked that his guests were ready to go, then shifted everyone to his office, following along a moment later.

    ¡°Joram,¡± his mother greeted him with a light hug while his father patted him on the head.

    ¡°Good to see everyone,¡± he said as he stepped away from his mother.  ¡°I hope everyone¡¯s been able to adjust well?¡±

    ¡°No different from waking from a nap,¡± Gramps said with a shrug, getting him odd looks from his wife and Grammy.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s head out,¡± he said as he stored the materials away in his storage ring.  ¡°I have some guests that are still here from a tutoring session, so I¡¯ll introduce you before getting things ready.¡±

    His family nodded as he stepped to the door and used [Modify Matter] to separate it from the rest of the house.  Wentian followed quietly behind his family, not wanting to attract attention.  Unfortunately for him, he had zero chance of remaining in the back of his family¡¯s mind as they¡¯d likely start being ¡°friendly¡± with him as soon as there was a free moment.

    Even though his Clan had ¡°servants¡±, they were still treated like people.  It was more of an employed staff than having a servant-class amongst the Clan.  As such, the ¡°just a servant¡± mentality was absent from his home, which he greatly appreciated.  He¡¯d grown up on Earth where a servant class or caste in society only really existed in a few countries.  Sure, there were entitled assholes everywhere that treated someone in the service industry like crap, but they were fortunately a very small minority of the population.

    Heck, if he ever made it back to Earth, he might have some fun trolling those entitled ass-wipes for a time¡­.

    As he stepped into the living room to introduce his family to his guests, Alicia stood up and waved.

    ¡®I¡¯m Alicia here,¡¯ she sent to his family, including him in the conversation.

    ¡°Hi again,¡± he said to the room, still feeling a bit awkward with all of their gazes on him.  ¡°I¡¯d like to introduce my family¡­¡± he said, then proceeded doing so in order, getting polite bows from the girls as he went.

    ¡°And these lovely young ladies are¡­¡± he said, introducing them in the same order as Alicia had introduced them to him.  ¡°Alicia introduced us all today, hoping that we could share insights into Mental Strength and Arrays,¡± he said with a smile.  ¡°Please, make yourself comfortable while I attend to dinner arrangements.¡±

    Having done his duty as the host, he quickly stepped away into the dining room.  Not that it provided him any cover as the main floor was mostly an open concept design.

    Joram quickly retrieved his supplies and got to work.  Thinking about it more, he decided that instead of just elongating the table and making it prohibitively long, he¡¯d make it into one of those elongating tables that you could push back together.  So, after retrieving some extra supplies, he got to work.

    A minute later, he was done with the table and chairs.  He turned to the Trio who¡¯d clustered at the kitchen doors and found that their jaws had dropped.

    Ah, shit.  I haven¡¯t done that in front of them yet, have I?

    Then he started paying attention to his field of perception and couldn¡¯t help but sigh.  Yes, he was sighing a lot.  Upon reflection, he determined that it was probably a psychological response to accepting something that he couldn¡¯t change that then manifested physically in the form of a sigh.

    Well, he could change it if he was willing to erase the event from all of their memories.  Heck, it¡¯d be easy considering that the event hadn¡¯t yet transitioned from their short-term memory to their long-term memory.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get the food ready!¡±  He said, discarding the thought of manipulating their memories as he ushered the Trio into the kitchen.

    ¡°Here¡¯s the plan,¡± he said once the doors swung shut behind him.  ¡°Take all this and present it nicely.  I¡¯ll head out and entertain them while you get things ready.  Don¡¯t worry about being social, even if my family presses you.  They¡¯ll understand if you don¡¯t feel like talking.¡±

    Bai Lian looked the most relieved of the three, but Mo Yu came a close second for some reason.  Wentian just shrugged.

    ¡°So long as I¡¯m not left alone with them again, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Joram nodded his understanding.  If he hadn¡¯t been so focussed on teaching, it was likely that he would have bailed much sooner.

    In the living room, Joram found his family chatting amicably with all those present.  His parents and grandparents were engaged with Alicia¡¯s friends while Grammy was already speaking with Jae-Eun.  Aya seemed more alert than ever, likely due to having two more Tier 5 Mages show up; though with Grammy wearing an aura shroud, and having been introduced as his great grandmother, he was sure that the murder machine was still guessing at her threat level.

    He wondered why his parents were so focussed on speaking with Daleira and Gabrielle.  The words were cordial and polite, but he got the feeling that it was somehow an interrogation of sorts.

    Gran and Gramps had engaged Alyraele and Sophie by the piano, Gran asking a myriad of questions regarding anything from her studies to the piano, the last of which were redirected Joram¡¯s way.

    Ah, that¡¯s going to be a headache, he thought as he clapped softly to get everyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to see everyone getting along nicely,¡± he said with a slightly crooked grin.  ¡°Since it¡¯s so late in the day, I hope that you won¡¯t mind staying for dinner with us.¡±

    There were various murmurs of acceptance which, honestly, shocked him a bit.  He knew just how intense his family could be, so having everyone accept wasn¡¯t what he¡¯d expected.  Like, he¡¯d just met Alicia¡¯s friends that day.

    Looking around, he also realized that not a few looks were directed towards the kitchen doors.  Were they interested in what he¡¯d serve for dinner?  Was it that simple?

    ¡°Please, sit where you¡¯d like,¡± he said, and led by example.  He¡¯d instinctually made his way over to the foot of the table, the seat closest to the kitchen this time, leaving the head of the table for Grammy to take.

    Which, for some reason, got him frowns from his family.

    ¡®Joram, it isn¡¯t appropriate for you to sit there,¡¯ Grammy sent disapprovingly.  ¡®Come back over here.¡¯

    With more than a little bit of colour staining his cheeks, Joram got up and made his way to the head of the table where Grammy was holding the chair out for him.  He looked at her before sitting down, noting an almost imperceptible air of smugness about her.

    ¡®Why do you need to make me the centre of attention?  Aren¡¯t you still the Matriarch?¡¯

    Grammy placed a hand on his shoulder as she smiled at the guests who were slowly taking their seats.  Gran and Gramps took their spots one down from him on the right, while his parents took the two on his left.  Alicia sat at the foot of the table, flanked by her new friends.  Alyraele and Sophia on her right while Daleira and Gabrielle sat to her left.

    ¡®For now.  But you¡¯re the master of this house, so you¡¯ll always need to take the seat of prominence,¡¯ she sent as she took her own chair immediately to his right.

    ¡®Bah!  I¡¯d rather eat quickly and get back to studying,¡¯ he sent while smiling at his guests.

    ¡°Thank you for taking the time to have a humble meal with me,¡± he said as the kitchen doors opened for the Trio.  ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ll like it, so please let me know what you think.¡±

    That got more than a few eyebrows raised: six to be precise.  Alicia and his family were already familiar with the food served in his Realm for those who wanted to eat out.  On the other hand, Jae-Eun, Aya, and the four goddesses were coming into this blindly.

    Or maybe not.  He really didn¡¯t know what kinds of food were served on the Zhizun Zhanshi continent, let alone their regional specialties.  For all he knew, curry was commonplace there.  He¡¯d also gotten a selection of stir fries and fried rice.  He¡¯d missed eating eggs back on Earth, so he hadn¡¯t hesitated to include the recipes with eggs in them when he started sharing his favourite recipes.

    The Trio went about placing the dishes of food and their serving utensils along the length of the table, providing a selection for everyone, also placing bottles of wine and decanters of water.  It would have still been a bit awkward for everyone to serve themselves a bit of each dish, so he spoke up.

    ¡°This next part is a small custom from where I grew up,¡± he said, sending a mental wink to his family as he did.  ¡°Everyone take a bit of what you¡¯d like to try, then pass the dish to your right.  Continue on until everyone has had a chance to either take or decline every dish.  From there, it won¡¯t be difficult to take more of anything that you¡¯ve taken a liking to.¡±

    Joram was pleased with how well his family covered their surprise.  His family was truly one of professional infiltrators, for they didn¡¯t even bat an eyelash at his words.  Indeed, they did exactly as instructed as though they¡¯d done it thousands of times in the past.

    They did, however, send their amusement through the Network.

    For their part, the goddesses seemed a bit surprised at this turn of events, giving both Joram and the Trio curious looks.  Well, except Gabrielle, who seemed to think that this was a bit more normal.

    Joram got the impression that Gabrielle was of a more humble upbringing.  It wasn¡¯t just how she reacted to the dinner arrangements, but also how she carried herself.  When he¡¯d asked her about her cultivation methods, she hadn¡¯t reacted the same way the other three had.  Then there was her Knowledge Sea; it was pretty much a giveaway.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve missed curry!¡±  Jae-Eun said, surprising him and the goddesses.  ¡°Aya, look!  There¡¯s even beef and broccoli teriyaki!  And long grain rice!¡±

    Aya nodded to her ward as she served and passed food along.  Joram didn¡¯t miss the air of growing suspicion around her as she took in each of the dishes.

    He wondered then; just how binary this world was.  He wasn¡¯t talking about the cuisine of the continents, but how¡­ stereotypical things were.  For the most part, Waeryn seemed to be dominated by what Earth would have called Caucasians.  Sure, there were some other ethnicities present, but for the most part they all kept to themselves.

    While Zhizun Zhanshi seemed to be primarily made up of what Earth would have called Asians.  Again, he was sure that there were varying ethnicities there as well.  But given that the names of the Trio, princess, and her guardian all hailed from what would have been China, Japan, and Korea back on Earth really got him wondering.

    Was this world a bit of a dumping ground for Earth?  Did rifts drag more people here than he¡¯d originally thought?  But if there were more people dragged here than he¡¯d initially suspected, wouldn¡¯t those arriving have a more random distribution around the world?  Were the people who¡¯d been dragged here placed specifically?  Like, a Japanese kid landing in a Japanese themed country?

    Did that mean that there was some sort of guiding force here?  Or was it something else?  Like, the power of genetics or something?  Were people drawn to places with similar characteristics?  Life?  Energy?

    Was that why this world had such¡­ modern magitech?  The card readers, primitive forms of internet in the form of inter-connected array systems like the banks, auction houses, and Academy used?  Their student cards acted as a kind of multi-pass, map, and cell phone.  It even had installable ¡°apps¡±!

    But if that were true, why hadn¡¯t tales of Outworlders spread?  He¡¯d grown up in, arguably, the greatest knowledge-gathering clan in the world, yet he hadn¡¯t come across anything that so much as hinted at Outworlders¡­.

    Did everyone just mistake Outworlders for Reincarnators?  Someone who spoke about technologies that didn¡¯t exist in the current world¡­.  Did they think that their memories weren¡¯t complete, so they attributed the things shared by the Outworlders as a type of magic that had been lost?

    These and similar questions plagued him all throughout dinner to the point where he co-opted M3¡¯s help to keep up polite conversation.  He didn¡¯t want to be rude, or a poor host or anything.  It was just that his mind was now racing, going through the possibilities one after another, branching out to the point where he almost had M4 help with it.

    But he didn¡¯t.

    M3 nudged him, bringing him back to the moment.  Dinner had just wrapped up.

    ¡°Would anyone care for dessert?¡±  He asked with a smile.

    The answers this time were much more enthusiastic than before, with even his family quickly adding their desires for dessert.

    ¡®Would you mind heading to the kitchen?  I¡¯ll send you to the Realm from there,¡¯ he sent the Trio, who got up and then made their way to the kitchen.

    ¡°Then, let us relax for a bit before dessert arrives,¡± he said, looking at everyone gathered.

    From what he could see and perceive, Alicia¡¯s friends had mostly stuck to the less spicy dishes, though Daleira looked to have at least tried the spicier ones.  Jae-Eun and Aya had both sampled everything, though Jae-Eun seemed to have preferred the curry over the stir fries.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that your family was so well travelled,¡± Aya suddenly piped in from her spot to his left.

    ¡°Ah, well, I¡¯m told my ancestors liked to travel,¡± he said with an embarrassed smile.  ¡°It seems that they enjoyed the food on their travels so much that they brought back some of their favourite recipes.  I¡¯ve grown up eating foods not common here in Waeryn.¡±

    Grammy¡¯s snort of amusement over the Network nearly made him jump.

    ¡®What a silver tongue you have,¡¯ she sent.  From her tone, it was clear that she found his explanation hilarious though.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad that our homeland had such a positive influence on your ancestors,¡± Aya said politely, still looking a bit suspicious.

    ¡°Ah, the things my ancestors brought back,¡± Joram sighed, feigning nostalgia.  ¡°There were even dictionaries of the languages that fascinated them.  I¡¯ve tried my best to learn from them, but I¡¯m afraid that my pronunciation might not be the best.¡±

    Which was mostly true.  He¡¯d come across various dictionaries, translation guides, as well as pronunciation guides in the Library.  All presumably to help his family learn what they needed so that they could infiltrate their desired targets.  He just didn¡¯t say that he¡¯d tried to learn those languages on Earth before coming here.

    The problem with his pronunciation wasn¡¯t that he¡¯d never heard the languages spoken before, but because he¡¯d mostly learned them from watching TV.  Like anime, or Korean dramas¡­.

 Chapter 075 - Grammy Bear

    ¡°Really?¡± Jae-Eun asked, her interest now kindled. ¡°Why don¡¯t we practice together then?¡±

    Joram noticed a few reactions to that statement, only one of which he was expecting. Aya, of course, didn¡¯t look very happy with that suggestion, as her face went blank at hearing it. The four goddesses looked impressed, though clearly had reservations. Probably worrying over his lack of time and how it might affect their study time with him.

    Gran and Gramps didn¡¯t seem to care one way or another, though. But his parents¡¯ interest peaked as they looked from him to Jae-Eun and back. Grammy, though, just seemed as though she was happy to watch the drama unfold.

    ¡°Ah, but it was more of a hobby than anything,¡± he said with a nervous chuckle. ¡°I had many other things to study, you see. Artifact refining and Alchemy took up most of my time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s understandable,¡± Jae-Eun said, nodding. ¡°Though, if you wish to travel in the future, it would be good to start practicing other languages sooner rather than later.¡±

    ¡­ I can¡¯t argue with that¡­. Well, I can. But knowing how to read the languages is also important, even if I can speak with anyone because of [Tongue of the Sun and Moon].

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll gracefully accept your offer,¡± he said, bowing his head a bit to show his deference. Also, to show Aya that he didn¡¯t want to impose on her ward but was accepting her invitation to ¡°give her face¡±, as it were. No need to antagonize the murder machine, after all.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be nice to have someone to speak with other than Aya,¡± she said happily, clasping her hands in front of her chest. ¡°Even though there are other students for Zhizun Zhanshi, I don¡¯t really get the opportunity to speak with them,¡± she said by way of explanation.

    Joram was saved from having to comment on that by the Trio messaging him to say that they were ready. He brought them back right away, more than ready to avoid more conversation by shoving his face full of food.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get ready for some dessert!¡± He said, successfully distracting everyone from the previous conversation.

    The Trio made their way out of the kitchen with empty trays.

    Joram blinked, then blushed as he realized that their previous meal and table settings hadn¡¯t been cleared away yet.

    ¡°Right after we tidy up!¡± He said, a drop of sweat running down his back at the looks everyone gave him when they saw the empty trays.

    There was some polite laughter at his comment, with his mother reaching out to pat his left shoulder. He braved the situation well, smiling as though he¡¯d been the one to pull one over on them. No one believed it, though.

    Soon enough, new place settings were arranged, then came the desserts.

    The Trio had done well. There were cakes, cookies, and ice creams served to his guests while Wentian went around holding a tray full of coffee and tea pots and their various condiments. He served everyone so well that even Joram was impressed by his proficiency. Had he gotten a part-time job somewhere too?

    ¡°Oh? Did you pick this up from Starfall?¡± Sophia asked as she sipped on some milk tea.

    ¡°Joram is a very good customer,¡± Alicia said with another bright smile. ¡°In fact, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to get Starfall Caf¨¦ up and running without his help,¡± she finished, drawing everyone¡¯s attention with that last part.

    Every eye at the table turned to him then as he silently cursed Alicia through the Network.

    ¡®What the hell, man?! Where¡¯s the solidarity? How could you throw me under the bus like that?¡¯

    He just got laughter back from her.

    ¡°Ah, well, you see¡­¡± he said, fumbling for a good excuse/lie. ¡°As mentioned, I hail from a long line of food-lovers. Foodies, if you will. We love experimenting with various ingredients to come up with some wonderful dishes,¡± he said, causing his family to give him weird looks. ¡°It¡¯s not something we like to brag about, so if you could please keep it a secret?¡± He finished with a pleading smile. ¡°Besides, it was mostly financial aid that I helped Alicia with. She¡¯s the genius behind Starfall Caf¨¦ after all.¡±

    He got a few nods, though some still looked sceptical. Like Aya.

    ¡°So, even though you provided the financial backing to start up Starfall Caf¨¦, you didn¡¯t make any of the¡­ operating decisions?¡± She asked slowly, glancing over at Bai Lian and Mo Yu.

    ¡°Nope! After reading her proposed business plan, I trusted her to run the place well! Now look at it! It¡¯s probably the most popular caf¨¦ on the island,¡± he said, trying very hard to sell what he was spouting.

    ¡°That it is,¡± Sophia said, nodding. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for some of the by-laws here preventing new businesses from copying the successful models of already established businesses, then I¡¯m sure that there would already be dozens of knock-offs out there.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Joram asked, not knowing of that particular by-law¡­ or any others, really. ¡°I¡¯m glad that there¡¯s such a thing in place. It¡¯d be a shame for unique business ventures to be run into the ground by opportunists trying to cash in on a new trend.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s precisely why that law was made,¡± Sophia said, getting excited. ¡°There were no few businesses in the past that went under because of that very problem. They¡¯d have great success initially, but then other businesses would pop up and steal their business model, theme, or copy their product. Eventually, the whole thing would collapse due to everyone trying to undercut everyone else, resulting in lack of profits. Which would lead to them cutting corners on their products or services, which then led to fewer customers. Eventually they would all go out of business,¡± she finished with a slight frown and a shrug.

    ¡°Ah, that would indeed be a problem,¡± Joram said, knowing how that happened on Earth all the time.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Grammy said, interrupting the flow of the conversation. ¡°Thank you for providing such a wonderful dinner, Joram.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Grammy,¡± Joram said with a smile, but then got a Look from Gran; probably for addressing her mother so informally. He turned back to his guests and said, ¡°Thank you all for staying for dinner with me and my family. But unfortunately, duty calls. We can speak again later to set up times where we can meet for our tutoring sessions.¡±

    He stood up at the end, prompting everyone else to also stand. It only took a few more minutes before he managed to say goodnight to everyone and see them off at the front door. Once done, he closed the door and heaved a great sigh of relief¡­

    ¡­ that turned into a sigh of resignation when he turned and beheld his parents.

    ¡°So,¡± his mother said, leaning on the piano. ¡°Tell me about those nice young ladies.¡± She said with such a smile that it immediately sent a chilled down his spine.

    ¡°They¡¯re Alicia¡¯s friends,¡± he said, then proceeded to explain her plans for her questing team. ¡°So, really, they¡¯re barely even acquaintances since I just met them today,¡± he finished, raising his hands up palms forward as though he was physically fending off their interest.

    ¡°Then what about the young princess? She seemed especially eager to spend more time with you,¡± Grammy pitched in, obviously throwing for the opposite team.

    Giving her a look of profound betrayal, he spoke.

    ¡°Again, she¡¯s part of Alicia¡¯s team. We went out and did one quest together. That¡¯s it. Well, I did share some insights in how I see the world, but that¡¯s it. Simple,¡± he said, not quite looking any of them in the eye as he walked over to the piano and started messing around on the keys.

    ¡°Joram?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, dad?¡±

    ¡°Are you really that dense?¡±

    *Insert discordant mashing of piano keys here*

    ¡°What makes you say that, dad?¡± He asked, feeling profound pain in his heart at his father¡¯s question.

    Joram could perceive his parents exchanging a look between them before his mother spoke up.

    ¡°Joram, dear,¡± she said, using that tone she used to use before she found out that he was a Reincarnator; the one where she was trying to break some difficult news to him while trying to take the sting out of it with a kind tone. ¡°That¡¯s not how a young woman looks at a young man when she only wants to practice language with him.¡±

    He suddenly felt an even more intense chill run down his spine a moment later. Joram concentrated more on his field of perception and noticed Bai Lian and Mo Yu¡¯s gazed fixed on his back.

    Are those two now bro-cons? He asked himself as he shook the feeling off.

    ¡°Bah, you¡¯re reading it wrong,¡± he said, waving his parents¡¯ concerns off. ¡°She¡¯s just excited to share some nostalgia with someone ¡®her age¡¯.¡±

    That was when he noticed not only his grandparents shaking their heads in dismay, but also Grammy.

    ¡°And the other girls?¡± His father asked. ¡°They looked like they¡¯d like nothing more than to toss you into a sack and bring you home.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± He asked, deadpan.

    ¡°Joram,¡± Gran said as she walked over, placing a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You may have lived at total of years nearing my own, and it pains me to say this, but you¡¯re an idiot.¡±

    Joram¡¯s mouth dropped open when he heard those words. He looked over to his parents and found them nodding. He turned to Grammy and also found her nodding. With a bit of desperation in his movements, he turned to look at the Trio and, to his horror, also found them nodding.

    ¡°It¡¯s our failing for not having properly educated you,¡± his mother said as she gave his shoulder a light squeeze. ¡°Not only are you a very attractive young man,¡± she said, much to his horror, ¡°but you¡¯re also talented beyond what your fifty-some-years-¡±

    ¡°Fifty-four.¡±

    ¡°- would normally see in anyone, Reincarnator or not. Especially since you¡¯ve only just reincarnated less than nine years ago. You haven¡¯t had time to fully integrate into the culture of this world you find yourself in,¡± she finished only for his father to continue.

    ¡°I think that you underestimate the allure of a handsome young man whose talent is above the clouds,¡± he said as he approached to stand by his wife. ¡°Not to mention someone who¡¯s selfless enough to help complete strangers without asking for anything in return. I could see it in those girls. Three of them looked like they were wondering what you¡¯d be asking in return for your help, but the other two were just too enamoured with you to care, it seems.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Joram,¡± his father said, now giving him a very serious look. ¡°With great power comes great responsibility. -¡±

    Joram¡¯s brain broke then at the unintended quote from his father.

    ¡°- So, you¡¯ll need to be very careful how you interact with those young women in the future. Because, as much as your mother and I are looking forward to having grandchildren of our own, we think it¡¯s still a bit too soon.¡±

    Shift.

    Shift.

    He didn¡¯t need to see his face to know that it was scarlet as he looked up at the black sky filled with majestic stars above the mountains where he¡¯d first arrived with Altaea.

    There was still a fair amount of snow as it was still only late spring.

    He walked over to the large double doors he¡¯d made so long ago and spoke.

    ¡°Speak, friend, and enter.¡±

    He was glad to see that the enchantment was still functioning well, as the line of script glowed before the doors silently slid open to reveal the still-illuminated training hall he¡¯d made.

    Joram didn¡¯t know why he¡¯d fled here. He¡¯d just been too¡­ mortified by what his parents were saying. He¡¯d never been a person with much self confidence, especially when it came to dealing with the opposite sex. The best he¡¯d managed for decades before finally getting married was a couple of make-out partners that didn¡¯t last because he¡¯d been too terrified to open up enough with someone to take the next step. Like, getting a proper girlfriend, nevermind anything that came after that.

    He could see himself in his field of perception, so he took a moment to examine himself.

    He was taller than any woman he¡¯d met so far, and as tall as most men he¡¯d met. He knew that he was still growing, so he¡¯d likely get well over six feet tall, possibly close to two metres tall. He was also broad in the shoulders while keeping proportionate in the lower half. He¡¯d seen many men only concentrate on their upper body development, and he had no intention of becoming one of those ¡°chicken legs¡±. He was, however, still filling out, so he was confident that he¡¯d be evenly proportioned.

    He then concentrated on his face, taking note of the almost square jaw and relatively high cheekbones. They didn¡¯t stick out, but worked to emphasize his relatively large eyes, giving him a bit of a babyface. His eyelashes were long and outlined his large almond-shaped eyes in a rather complimentary manner.

    His hair was shorn shorter than most, only a few inches long, but was a bit messy. It was now a deeper indigo with very subtle purple highlights in it that would probably make people think that his hair was purple if seen in the sunlight.

    Even his complexion was smooth, his skin tone pale. He no longer had the almost incandescent white skin he¡¯d originally been born with. He was still pale, but his tone had changed to¡­ ivory with an olive undertone? He wasn¡¯t very good at describing skin tones, but at least he knew that he could actually get a tan in this body. Even if he hadn¡¯t spent much time outside lately¡­.

    Overall, he supposed that his mother was¡­ right. He did cut a handsome profile.

    But were the women of this world so¡­ na?ve? Did they really only think about looks and talent? Or would that be ¡°shallow¡±? At any rate, how could anyone just ¡°fall¡± for someone so easily? Sure, a crush was expected no matter the world you found yourself in. But if his parents were to be believed, things were much past that point.

    He¡¯d often wondered if, in those stories/comics he¡¯d read, it was just poor writing that had many a woman falling for the main character with very little interaction or development between the two¡­ or if in all actuality Earth had just become too jaded with the advent of mass media and social media. Had the people of Earth just been desensitized to, well, everything?

    Was it normal here to run into someone and decide: ¡°Hey, that¡¯s the person for me!¡±, and just run with it? Is that why ridiculous things like the Goddess and Hero Rankings were a thing? Or was that just a symptom of the culture here? That the weak and unexceptional ones would be overlooked in favour of the exceptional and talented ones?

    As he was thinking, he made his way over to the rock garden and sat on his favourite sitting stone. It was a good place to have a good think, almost as good as a porcelain throne.

    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡±

    He laughed out loud at that thought. Surely it was a decent place to work through one¡¯s thoughts when working other things out. But one just didn¡¯t sit on a porcelain throne that long. The stone was much better suited for deep thoughts.

    Then Kinkade and Asura showed up across the garden from him, sympathetic grinds on their faces.

    ¡°Thought you could use a chat,¡± Asura said as she sat on the rock in front of her.

    Kinkade gave the ¡°what she said¡± look and head tilt as he sat on the rock beside her.

    ¡°Am I really that dense?¡± He asked, hoping that it would wind up being a rhetorical question.

    ¡°Kinda, yeah,¡± Asura said, dashing his hopes. ¡°But hey, take that with a grain of salt. My actual life experiences are much fewer than yours,¡± she said with a rueful grin.

    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯ve got Altaea¡¯s memories and stuff to go by,¡± he said, leaning forward.

    ¡°If you really wrote and chronicled her life, you¡¯d understand that she wasn¡¯t exactly the paragon of self-awareness,¡± Asura said, shaking her head. ¡°You think you took a long time to get married? It took her a good hundred years before she realized that guy was into her.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    ¡°You know,¡± Kinkade said, raising his hand like he was in class. ¡°I¡¯m still blocking eight calls from connecting, Avi included,¡± he said, giving Asura a weird look.

    ¡°Yeah, well, I may have picked up your trick Kinkade,¡± Asura said with a shrug. ¡°Anyways. You¡¯ll need to be very careful with how you treat people from now on. Women especially. From what I¡¯m getting from Avi, there¡¯s a lot of chatter amongst the ¡®goddesses¡¯ about tonight¡¯s dinner. And how they¡¯re looking forward to their next meeting with you.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Crap on a cracker.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about Bai Lian and Mo Yu,¡± she added just as he was about to head back home, stopping him dead.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying,¡± she said, then shifted away, leaving Kinkade to shrug helplessly before following.

    ¡°Well, what the fuck am I supposed to do with that?!¡± He yelled up at the dome high overhead, his voice echoing several times before dying out to leave him in silence.

    * * * * *

    ¡°He¡¯s a bit of a late-bloomer, isn¡¯t he?¡± Ivaryn asked from beside her on the couch.

    Sulia looked over to her husband and smiled.

    ¡°Well, I didhave to practically chase you down before you agreed to court me,¡± she said, a soft smile forming as she recalled her time at the Academy with Ivaryn.

    ¡°Just say¡¯n,¡± he grumbled good naturedly. ¡°Even I picked up on the looks you were throwing my way.¡±

    Sulia patted her husband¡¯s lap.

    ¡°Girls?¡± She called over to Joram¡¯s two¡­ servants? She¡¯d seen them with Asura in Joram¡¯s Realm, then out and about later without her. She suspected who they might be, but trusted Joram¡¯s judgement.

    The two young women started slightly at being addressed suddenly, but then slowly approached. She noticed that the slightly shorter one steered wide around her grandmother, which only firmed her suspicions.

    ¡°Please, have a seat,¡± she said, motioning to a couple of chairs that she pulled over with a bit of [Telekinesis]. It wasn¡¯t much, about all she could manage at the moment, but it seemed to have an effect on the two girls.

    Girls, huh? They feel as though they¡¯re the same age I was when Joram was born, she thought, shocking herself. They both looked to be in their late teens, but their body language hadn¡¯t¡­ evolved to what she¡¯d expect from someone older.

    They both sat, the taller one with considerably more grace than the shorter one. Possibly due to better etiquette training?

    ¡°Where are you from?¡± She asked flat out, causing both to blink in surprise before the shorter one¡¯s chin nearly dropped to her chest as she stared intently at her hands clasped on her lap. The taller one, however, kept her chin up and her gaze steady.

    A bit more confidence there.

    ¡°I am from Zhizun Zhanshi, Sky Lotus Sect,¡± she said, not surprising Sulia with the first part. ¡°My junior sister is from the Diamond Jade Lotus Sect.¡±

    Sulia noticed that her parents¡¯ eyes sharpened at that while her grandmother didn¡¯t seem to react. Either she was very good a hiding her reactions, which was the most likely, or she¡¯d already known this.

    ¡°What are you doing with my son?¡± She asked, noting that Ivaryn seemed a little too relaxed for it to be natural.

    ¡°We¡¯re serving him,¡± the tall one answered simply.

    Sulia just about swallowed her tongue when she heard that. Not just for how the young woman said it, but how she¡¯d noticed their looks at Joram and their reactions to the other young women eyeing him up.

    ¡°Why?¡± Ivaryn stepped in for her, probably because she was still having trouble forming words.

    ¡°We owe him our lives,¡± she once again stated simply, though a bit of¡­ pride seemed to creep into her tone when she said that.

    ¡°Please, elaborate,¡± Ivaryn said, still appearing to be relaxed to anyone but her.

    ¡°From what I have gathered,¡± she said, looking her straight in the eye. ¡°My junior sister was the first person the young master brought back to life, followed by my senior brother and then myself. We all swore to serve him after that.¡±

    Sulia looked over to where the young man was inconspicuously clearing the table before being thrown into the spotlight. He looked at the young woman with a look of bitter betrayal before dashing for the kitchen with his heaping tray of dishes.

    ¡°They¡¯re loyal to Joram,¡± the Matriarch said from her left where she¡¯d taken Joram¡¯s place at the large musical instrument. ¡°Joram already gave me a talking to for¡­ questioning Bai Lian there,¡± she said with a wry twist of her lips.

    Sulia looked over to the shorter of the two whom the Matriarch pointed out. She very much seemed as though she¡¯d rather be anywhere else, and her staying well away from the Matriarch now made sense.

    That also gave everyone present pause. Had Joram defended the young woman because they ¡°served¡± him, or for other reasons? The fact that the taller one had referred to Joram as ¡°young master¡± hadn¡¯t escaped her either. Then she just went with her next thought.

    ¡°Are you both hoping to become my daughters-in-law?¡± She asked bluntly, watching their reactions very carefully.

    The shorter of the two, Bai Lian, reacted the most to the question. She went red from the neck of her robes all the way to the hairline on her forehead, giving away her thoughts on the subject. The taller of the two, on the other hand, managed to keep her composure much better than Bai Lian had.

    That said, her face still turned scarlet, but the colour was contained to her cheeks. Unlike her junior sister whose eyes had nearly popped out of their sockets, she kept her gaze locked upon her own.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet, but I think that the young master is worthy of pursuit,¡± she said with great dignity¡­ for a young woman.

    Sulia couldn¡¯t help but goggle at that.

    ¡°Did the fact that he¡¯s not even nine years old slip by you?¡± She asked incredulously before Ivaryn could place his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her.

    ¡°I am content to wait,¡± the young woman said. ¡°Besides, he¡¯s very mature for his age.¡±

    Before Sulia could explode at that, the Matriarch spoke up.

    ¡°Enough,¡± she said, cutting through the tension like a knife through jelly. ¡°This discussion is pointless without the young man in question being here,¡± she said, which really got a reaction from the two young women, their heads snapping around to stare at the Matriarch in shock.

    ¡°I suspect that we all knew that once Joram ventured out into the world that he would draw droves of hopeful women like bees to a vast field of flowers,¡± she said, a slight curl on her lips. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now, even though it is some years before we expected it to happen. Even though our clan tends towards monogamy, that is by far the exception to the rest of the world.

    ¡°If Joram can handle having more than one wife, then so be it. But I very much suspect that, as Ivary pointed out earlier, he¡¯s a bit of a late bloomer. Not to mention his¡­ inability to deal with emotions very well. So, I suspect that even if he had dozens of women chasing after him, they wouldn¡¯t get very far with him,¡± she said, then turned to the two young women.

    ¡°As for you both, I have no intention of interfering with things between you,¡± she said, causing everyone¡¯s eyes to widen in shock, theirs included. ¡°That said, I think that Joram will prove to be challenging to the point of frustration for you both, or anyone else for that matter. I¡¯ve noticed that he¡¯s¡­ rather prudish when it comes to dealing with women,¡± she said with a wry twist of the lips.

    Sulia couldn¡¯t help but stare at her grandmother. Where¡¯d she even gotten that impression from? Yes, Sulia realized that she¡¯d been away for most of Joram¡¯s life, but still! She¡¯d thought that Joram had been more direct than ¡°prudish¡±, especially when he was with Tillia. Could it have just been childish flirting? Something Joram had expected to just be brushed off?

    ¡°We¡¯ll take things as they come,¡± Bai Lian said, speaking up for the first time. ¡°The young master¡¯s virtues are sufficient to kindle anyone¡¯s admiration in him. As my senior sister said, we¡¯re content to wait,¡± she finished, then seemed to lose courage, for her head dropped fast so that she could once again stare intently at her lap, her cheeks reigniting in embarrassment.

    ¡°What is your name, anyway?¡± The Matriarch asked, evidently having gotten fed up with not knowing her name.

    ¡°I am Li Mo Yu. You may call me Mo Yu,¡± she said with dignity as she looked the Matriarch in the eye.

    ¡°OK then,¡± she said, nodding to herself. ¡°Xiao Bai, Xiao Mo. If you can snare my great grandson, well, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be happy. But know that he¡¯s already engaged, so at best, you¡¯ll be second and third wives; possibly concubines. But I guess that would depend on Joram,¡± she said, shocking everyone present, her parents included.

    ¡°That said, even though I wanted to make him my heir,¡± she paused for the shocked gasps from her descendants, ¡°he refused, so you won¡¯t be marrying into the line of succession. Though I¡¯m sure that he¡¯ll found his own clan that will rival any on this continent or yours.

    ¡°So, support my great grandson. Protect him. Teach him. Be the shield he needs as he goes on his quest. He¡¯ll need you, and probably more, to help him get to where he feels he needs to be. But I warn you now, do not toy with his feelings. For I will promise you, and anyone else who would do such a thing, I will visit such wrath and destruction upon anyone who dares such a thing that they¡¯ll wish that they lived in the time of the Great Cataclysm instead,¡± she finished with such intensity that everyone present sat straighter as the colour drained from their faces.

    Sulia gulped, not knowing where the Matriarch¡¯s conviction came from, but was glad that she loved her great grandson enough to make such a promise.

 Chapter 076 - Wild Side

    ***Mature Content edited out***

    ¡®Joram?¡¯

    Joram paused from standing up from his thinking rock.

    ¡®Yes, Grammy?¡¯

    ¡®I wish to grow stronger. Please, make me a High Elan,¡¯ she sent with such iron will that he nearly sat back down in shock.

    Where is this coming from?

    ¡®Yes, I can get Avi to help you right away,¡¯ he sent after a moment of collecting his thoughts.

    ¡®No, I will need you to do it,¡¯ she sent with that same iron. ¡®Firm up. You¡¯ll be fine.¡¯

    Joram shiftedback to his Realm before shifting back to his house at the Academy to stand beside Grammy. He was a bit surprised to see her sitting at the piano, but was more surprised to see Bai Lian and Mo Yu sitting across from his parents and grandparents off to the side. From their expressions, he guessed that someone had laid down the law, as it were.

    ¡°Is everyone good?¡± He asked, still not feeling very confident, but his ingrained ¡°peacekeeper¡± made him talk.

    ¡°Yes, we were just discussing the future,¡± Grammy said with a smile bright enough to eclipse the noon-day sun¡­ which set off every alarm bell in his head.

    ¡°Glad everyone is good, then,¡± he said, taking in everyone¡¯s expressions in an instant.

    Gran and Gramps looked the most ¡°normal¡±, their expressions placid, though their complexions seemed a bit wan. His parents looked almost as shocked as Bai Lian and Mo Yu, his mother¡¯s mouth actually hanging open a fraction. Contrasting that, his father almost looked like he was about to burst into laughter.

    Bai Lian and Mo Yu, though, had trouble looking at him directly, which made Asura¡¯s last comment stand out in his mind.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good then,¡± he said, coughing into his closed hand. ¡°Then if everyone is good, we should probably end things here. If you¡¯d like to stay over, I have a couple of guest rooms for everyone. If not, I can just send everyone back to sleep in their own beds.¡±

    Much murmured thanks were given, pleasantries exchanged, and parting words spoken before both his parents and grandparents went back to the Realm for the night, stating that they had much work to do on the morrow with getting their estate ready for habitation.

    After having sent the four back, Joram turned to Grammy.

    ¡®OK, what¡¯s going on?¡¯ He asked, giving her a Look that bounced off her like so much water off a duck¡¯s back.

    ¡®Sometimes the children need a good talking to,¡¯ she sent, not explaining anything at all. ¡®Where shall the¡­ change occur?¡¯ She asked, changing the subject handily.

    ¡®There¡¯s a space above the old Library that I¡¯ve arranged,¡¯ he sent, giving up on getting anything else from his stubborn Matriarch. ¡®Are you sure that you want me to do it? It¡¯s¡­ a lot.¡¯

    ¡®I wouldn¡¯t have anyone else, Joram,¡¯ she sent kindly as she took his hands in hers.

    He looked deep into her eyes then, trying to glean anything he could. The last time he¡¯d spoken with her about this, she¡¯d been worried about gaining too much power and letting her vengeful heart take over. Through her link, he could sense fierce determination so strongly that he almost refused right then.

    Refused because he didn¡¯t know what was driving her.

    ¡®This isn¡¯t for vengeance, it is?¡¯ He asked seriously, still looking her in the eye.

    Grammy looked up at him and smiled a crooked smile.

    ¡®Not the kind we spoke of before,¡¯ she sent mysteriously. ¡®I just want to be stronger for my family now.¡¯

    Joram nodded slowly to that, not quite sure what to make of it, but ultimately decided that he¡¯d trust his Grammy.

    ¡®So, I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ve spoken to anyone about what becoming a High Elan entails, but¡­¡¯ he sent, then explained how it worked, from the ground up, as it were. ¡®There¡¯s also the option of changing anything about yourself that you don¡¯t like. Hair colour, skin tone, a mole that¡¯s annoyed you all your life, that sort of thing. I can even make you taller or shorter, thicker or thinner,¡¯ he finished, not really thinking that she¡¯d choose to make any superficial changes, but offering anyway for the sake of transparency.

    ¡®I always wanted to be a bit taller,¡¯ she sent musingly. ¡®Can you really do that? Make me taller, but keeping my proportions the same?¡¯

    Joram blinked at that, but nodded.

    ¡®Good, we¡¯ll go with that. I¡¯ll like to be as tall as you, then.¡¯

    Again, he could only nod. She¡¯d be gaining a good five inches, making her much taller than most women he¡¯d ever met.

    ¡®Then, let¡¯s be off,¡¯ he sent, then shifted them to his Realm before continuing on to the cultivation cave he¡¯d set up some time back.

    They appeared in front of the Otaku-non and Grammy gasped at the sight.

    ¡°What is this place?¡± She asked quietly as she looked around, eyes alight with interest.

    ¡°Just a place I set up for the future generations of the Clan to cultivate in,¡± he said as he started up the stairs.

    Grammy followed him, her head on a swivel as she tried to take everything in.

    ¡°What are these murals of?¡±

    ¡°Ah, just stuff from my youth. It seemed appropriate,¡± he said, not wanting to get into it for fear of Grammy laughing at him.

    ¡°Why are some hyper-realistic while others seem¡­ juvenile?¡± She asked, pointing at one figure with what looked like a straw hat.

    ¡°Just they style they were initially presented in,¡± he said as he continued to walk, hoping that she¡¯d just keep up.

    Grammy seemed to get the hint, for she soon quickened her pace until she was walking beside him. Even though she looked like she wanted to ask questions without end, she kept silent all the way to the back of the meeting chamber where Joram activated a secret panel that caused a section of floor to open up, revealing a stone stairway. He then continued down as lights began illuminating his descent. After a short pause, she followed him down, the way closing behind her once she was about eight steps down.

    He led her to where Avi had gone through her own ritual, though a different one, but the sky nether jade bed was gone.

    ¡°All right,¡± he said after taking a deep breath. ¡°This part is a bit¡­ messy. I¡¯ll need you to disrobe and,¡± he paused again as Grammy immediately started shedding her clothing right then, but continued as he looked up at the ceiling. ¡°Lay over there. I¡¯ll start once I¡¯ve got everything set up,¡± he said, motioning to a slightly raised section of floor.

    Grammy smirked at him before heading over and laying on the raised portion of floor, arranging her hair behind her so that it wouldn¡¯t get caught underneath her.

    For his part, Joram summoned several Dust Crystals and placed them around the platform while keeping his eyes and attention on what he was doing.

    ¡°Joram,¡± Grammy said, sounding exasperated. ¡°If you can¡¯t even look at me, how are you going to do this?¡± She asked, her tone sliding to the firm end of the scale at the end.

    ¡°Good point,¡± he said, then retrieved a sheet and draped it over her, getting an indignant look in return. ¡°I don¡¯t actually have to look at you while doing this,¡± he said with a grin.

    ¡°Then how will you know if you got it right?!¡± Grammy asked, a bit of panic entering her voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s all up here,¡± he said, tapping his forehead with his index finger. ¡°I just needed you to disrobe to avoid ruining your clothing, especially if you¡¯re going to be getting much taller.¡±

    She levelled him with a Look then.

    ¡°They won¡¯t fit after this anyway,¡± she said, her eyebrow beginning to twitch. ¡°What¡¯s the point?¡±

    ¡°Well, I also don¡¯t want any potential contaminants to interfere with things either,¡± he said, then used [Cleanse] on the area. ¡°It¡¯s rather¡­ thorough.¡±

    It was then that things seemed to really sink in for Grammy. She took a deep, steadying breath before nodding. She looked over to what he was doing then, then almost rolled over in her excitement.

    ¡°Are those Dust Crystals?!¡± She demanded, eyes nearly popping out.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Is this really, OK?¡± She asked, turning her head to look at him directly. ¡°Each one of those would sell for tens of Tier 4 Cards!¡±

    Joram paused then, reconsidering. Not the procedure, but his thoughts of selling some Dust Crystals in the future to fund himself and the Clan. If they were indeed as precious as Grammy was saying, then selling them would likely attract unwanted attention.

    Having misunderstood his pause, Grammy went on.

    ¡°I can¡¯t let you spend so much on me when the Clan needs all it can to rebuild,¡± she said as she started to sit up, holding the sheet to her chest.

    Then stopped when Joram¡¯s hand landed on her forehead, stopping her in place as surely as if she¡¯d run into a wall. A softer wall, mind you. He didn¡¯t want to concuss Grammy after all.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°I can make more, remember?¡±

    Grammy just blinked up at him with her large, almond shaped eyes as he slowly lowered her back down.

    ¡°Sleep, now,¡± he said, channeling his best Lucien impression as he manifested [Sleep] on her, causing her to go under instantly.

    It was time to get to work.

    * * * * *

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    1346.04.26

    Avi was certainly impressed with Joram¡¯s performance. He¡¯d not only managed to firm up enough to return from his hurried escape, but had also successfully performed the ritual for Tatia.

    She looked over at the clock and found that it was already, what she¡¯d call, Friday morning; the fifth day of the week. There was only two days left in the break before the next term started and she wondered if she¡¯d have enough time to break through to Tier 2 or not.

    Given the¡­ complications that could arise from pulling her newly forming cores into her Knowledge Sea like Joram had, she was hesitant. She not only had classes to attend, but also Starfall to run and the grand opening of her new Dawn Star Caf¨¦ to oversee. There was a lot.

    But she also didn¡¯t want to delay her progress any further. She¡¯d already spent long enough preparing her psionic reserves for the breakthrough, even going so far as to assimilate a significant amount to sky nether jade to increase her natural regeneration of psionic power. She felt that she was ready.

    She also felt¡­ scared. For as much as she¡¯d put on a confident air for Joram when speaking of her crazy plan of following in his footsteps, it still scared her. The probability of failure was higher than that of success, by a wide margin. Even with Joram being able to bring her back, the thought of actually dying wasn¡¯t an easy one to overcome.

    Avi sighed, leaning over and laying her face down on her desk, rolling onto her cheek so that she could see the petri dishes with the successfully grown samples in them.

    If she assimilated that one, well¡­ things might be a bit easier for her. Just a bit.

    She¡¯d not managed to isolate the part of its genetic code that made her not only grow a tail, but also made their race grow into a rampaging King Kong sized monkey when they saw a full moon. But she could also just amputate the tail which seemed to be the source of that problem.

    But she¡¯d also physically acquire the old saying: ¡°What doesn¡¯t kill you will only make you stronger¡±. Seriously, such a broken race.

    Then she looked over at the next one. It contained the cells that would allow her to become a super woman. Fortunately, Altaea had already found and removed the genetic trait that gave the species that annoying weakness to random crystals from their home planet. It just left her heavily dependent on solar power. Which meant that she wouldn¡¯t be able to spend as much time in the Realm as she would have liked.

    Which meant setting up a lab on the Prime, which didn¡¯t sit well with her. Especially after having experienced the destruction of an extermination squad.

    The third and final sample was a bit more¡­ reliable? It came from that race of Asgaardians Altaea had run into and then befriended, thus allowing her access to their great library. Which had been all sorts of awesome, all told.

    That sample was a bit more reliable in that she wouldn¡¯t have to amputate a tail or depend on the sun, but it also came with a bit of a grab bag of abilities. They were random. She wouldn¡¯t mind getting something cool like lightning powers. But she could also just get those by assimilating a scale and some blood of the Heavenly Lightning Jade Dragon.

    ¡°Welp, if Joram can just bring me back¡­. Why not try all three?¡± She spoke as a manic smile formed on her face. ¡°I¡¯ve already got my [Astral Seed] and backup body made and ready to go, so that should be fine¡­¡±

    ¡­ But would it make breaking through to the 2ndTier easier¡­?

    ¡°No time like the present to find out, eh?¡± She said, then sent a message to Asura to make sure that her responsibilities at the Academy were taken care of while she performed this first experiment.

    Getting the OK, she reached out and lifted the lid of each dish, then spread her fingers out so that she could touch each of the sample simultaneously. With one final breath, she activated her assimilation routines and closed her eyes.

    * * * * *

    Joram¡¯s head whipped around. He stared in the direction of Avi¡¯s lab, concern painted on his face even as sweat rolled down it.

    The ritual had been successful, if exceedingly stressful, so he¡¯d gone to relieve some of that stress in the gravity room after having dropped Grammy off in her bed. But now, his stress had once again spiked as he felt Avi¡¯s physical connection in the Network wink out.

    He shifted to Avi¡¯s last location in the Realm and just about started dry heaving at the sight of the mess. It would have done any hack and slash horror movie director proud. There was blood splashed everywhere, it¡¯s origin obviously being a knocked over office chair at the desk over there. There was also lots of¡­ chunks splattered about, not to mention the hair.

    Joram took a moment, turning around to look at something not red and glistening so that he could gather this composure.

    He then felt at his connection with Avi, the one that connected their souls and found that she was still there. He heaved a sigh of relief at that, and also that she was still a part of the Network. Which, upon reflection, was weird that she¡¯d have two connections to it, but then he shrugged it off. That wasn¡¯t nearly as important as finding out what exactly had happened here.

    ¡®Avi?¡¯

    ¡®¡­ Yes, Joram¡­?¡¯

    ¡®What. The. Fuck?¡¯

    That was when she explained her¡­ experiment that involved assimilating three organic samples at the same time. He face-palmed.

    ¡®That was a terrible idea,¡¯ he sent, feeling a weird combination of wistfulness and guilt from Avi.

    ¡®Yes, but: data!¡¯

    ¡®Do tell.¡¯

    ¡®Well, we now know for sure that assimilating three organic samples at the same time is a bad idea!¡¯

    ¡®¡­ Anything else?¡¯

    ¡®¡­ Nope,¡¯ she sent, finally sounding a bit subdued. ¡®I¡¯ll just use the first sample as that should be good enough for now.¡¯

    ¡®Do you need me to resurrect you?¡¯ He asked, shaking his head to rid himself of the thoughts of becoming like the man of steel himself. Then started reconsidering¡­.

    ¡®Yes, please,¡¯ Avi sent, interrupting his musings. ¡®I would rather save my back-up body for an actual emergency.¡¯

    Joram nodded at that, understanding her caution. So, a minute and an almost nosebleed later, Avi was back and clothed again, so he used [Cleanse] to clean everything up. The smell had started getting to him.

    ¡°So, what now?¡± He asked, leaning on the desk.

    ¡°I¡¯ll use just one sample for now,¡± she said, looking towards an incubation chamber.

    ¡°So, saiyan, then?¡± He asked, knowing that it was the most likely of the three. For as ridiculously powerful as the other two were, the saiyan sample would allow for a less abrupt and attention-grabbing transition.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking,¡± she said as she walked over and retrieved two petri dishes. ¡°I¡¯ll need to amputate the tail, though. No need to worry about going on a rampage twice a month,¡± she said with a weak smile.

    ¡°True,¡± he said as he accepted one of the petri dishes. ¡°You think it¡¯s a good idea for both of us to try?¡± He asked, raising his eyebrows.

    ¡°You¡¯ve already assimilated other organic samples,¡± she said, shrugging, ¡°and you seem to be fine. I don¡¯t see why another would do anything. Especially since you¡¯re not doing it all at once,¡± she finished with a wink.

    ¡°It won¡¯t make me into a battle maniac, will it?¡± He asked, not quite sure if the saiyan route was for him. If anything, the Kryptonian route suited him better.

    ¡°Maybe?¡± She said with another shrug. ¡°If anything, it might make you slightly more assertive if the dragon sample didn¡¯t manage to make you more aggressive than before.¡±

    Joram nodded as her explanation made sense. Sure, the draconic and phoenix bloodlines had made him much more¡­ horny than he¡¯d ever been. But he¡¯d also managed to mostly get that under control¡­ by keeping the jockstrap of holding on at all times¡­. He wasn¡¯t proud of that.

    ¡°Well, why not?¡± He asked, raising the petri dish in his hand to do a ¡°cheers¡± with Avi, who responded in kind.

    ¡°To getting stronger!¡± She said, then removed the lid.

    He did the same, following her example of sticking a finger into the cloudy gel.

    ¡°On three. One. Two. Three,¡± she said.

    They both activated their assimilation protocols at the same time.

    He could feel the changes occurring in his body, not the least of which was his hair starting to stand on end. The biggest one was how weird it felt to have his coccyx start to lift, then elongate. He felt as the skin started to raise, then rapidly grow to accommodate the new vertebra forming and growing as hair spouted along its length.

    Joram also watched as Avi¡¯s hair grew a shade darker while it started to get¡­ spikey. Soon enough he also spotted a tail waving behind her and laughed out loud.

    ¡°It¡¯s got the same colour gradient as your hair!¡± He said, pointing at her tail.

    Instead of following how the colour of the hair on her head grew, her tail had gone more¡­ rainbow in theme. The hair coving it didn¡¯t start off blue to transition to red at its tips. No. The hair at the base of her tail was all blue, then slowly transitioned to purple then to red at the tip of the tail.

    Avi stuck her tongue out at him, so he gave her a light tap on the shoulder. It didn¡¯t strike him as odd that he did that until Avi smacked him on the shoulder a bit harder, getting him a bit riled up.

    ¡°Oh, you wanna have a go at it?¡± He asked, a grin forming on his face.

    ¡°You¡¯re on!¡± She said, the proceeded to tackle him.

    He was surprised at just how strong she was now, though if he¡¯d had the presence of mind to reflect on that thought, he¡¯d have realized that they hadn¡¯t actually tried sparring together before.

    As it was, the wrestling match soon devolved into a more¡­ flirtatious wrestling match, one trying to tickle the other. It devolved further when Joram¡¯s shirt got torn, resulting in a petty tearing of Avi¡¯s shirt.

    *** Insert "Le Sexy Time"...***

    - - - - -

    Joram lay there on the floor panting with Avi¡¯s head resting on he outstretched left arm.

    ***

    ¡°Hey,¡± he said dumbly, a stupid grin forming on his face.

    ¡°Hey, you,¡± she said with an equally stupid grin on hers. ¡°So, that happened.¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± he said, not quite sure what to make of it, or how he felt about it.

    From the way Avi looked at him, her slightly raised bottom eyelids to her raised cheeks; the softer expression she had. Well, it didn¡¯t look like regret to him.

    ¡°I think that we definitely became a bit more aggressive,¡± he said, not quite sure how to address things.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad thing,¡± she said, her expression softening further. Which had the unfortunate result in his new tail swishing back and forth more than a bit.

    He also noticed that her tail started to wag as well as she looked down at him, another smile spreading across her face.

    ¡°Round two,¡± she said.

    He could only nod at the wonderful idea before he was once again lost in Avi¡¯s embrace.

    * * * * *

    Kinkade looked over at Asura in their auction box, brows raised.

    They were at another one of the Heaven¡¯s Bounty Auction Houses to sell. This time, though, she¡¯d chosen the one located in the capital of the Avilium Kingdom, Avilia. They¡¯d been surprised to find that Miss Layla had transferred there after receiving a promotion for signing them and securing the selling of their healing gems. What¡¯s more, even Aenwyn was there, having been brought there by Miss Layla.

    All that aside, as soon as Kinkade realized what was happening with Prime, he¡¯d locked down the Network hard.

    Asura was also staring at him with wide eyes.

    ¡®About time,¡¯ he sent, getting a smile in return.

    ¡®I was wondering how long it would take,¡¯ she sent back. ¡®It only took them assimilating a freaking saiyan sample to finally get past their weirdness.¡¯

    ¡®True that,¡¯ he sent, then accepted a cup of tea from Aenwyn with a smile and a word of thanks.

    The young woman smiled back then proceeded to serve Asura with another smile that was just as warm for her as it had been for him.

    ¡®That¡¯s some respectable professionalism.¡¯

    ¡®That it is,¡¯ Asura sent back with amusement. ¡®How weird and awkward do you think they¡¯ll be with each other after this?¡¯

    ¡®On a scale of one to ten?¡¯ He asked, then continued when she nodded. ¡®Eleven? But that really depends on just how much they¡¯re affected by the change. If this is just a result from the initial rush, as it were, then things will be as awkward as a teenaged tv drama.¡¯

    He paused a moment to listen to Asura¡¯s laughter over the Network before continuing.

    ¡®If it isn¡¯t that, then¡­. Well, I imagine that with Prime¡¯s existing heritages and the new one, we¡¯ll see a much more confident Joram in the future.¡¯

    ¡®Is this going to turn into a harem story?¡¯ Asura asked curiously.

    ¡®Given the culture of polygamy here and our very strong sex drive? Entirely possible. But we also need to take into account that Prime is ridiculously shy when it comes to women. It might happen in the future, as his relationships grow with other women. But for now? I probably wouldn¡¯t worry about it too much.¡¯

    Asura nodded at that, a small smile on her face.

    ¡®How weird would it be if we were to get organic bodies for ourselves?¡¯ She asked, her smile turning into a grin.

    ¡®I have no fucking idea,¡¯ he sent back with a grin of his own. ¡®But I¡¯m sure that it would be many levels of funny to mess with them.¡¯

    ¡°And now for the final item you¡¯ve all been waiting for,¡± the auctioneer announced after the last item finally sold. ¡°This is a unique find, likely dating back to before the Great Cataclysm,¡± he announced, waving a hand first at the small display case containing a small pink topaz, then up at a projected image of it that shone on the wall behind him.

    ¡°Our specialists have found that this unique item was created by a peak-tier Mentalist that hasn¡¯t been seen since the Great Cataclysm. They theorize that this gem might have even been made by the Mythic, Tier 9, Destroyer herself!¡±

    Kinkade was more than a bit taken aback by the combined reaction of the audience. Almost everyone began talking at once, some going so far as shouting their shock or disbelief at what the auctioneer had said.

    ¡°The reason we think this,¡± he said loudly, quieting the theatre. ¡°Is because of how the stored spell is structured. The complexity and outright artistry in the embedded enchantment isn¡¯t something found outside of the few relics known to have been created by Her.

    ¡°The second reason we think that it was made by Her is the spell itself. Although it is a one-time use item, it is a life-saving item that far outstrips any of the lesser gems that have been sold over the past few years.¡±

    The audience began speaking loudly again but this time in varying degrees of excitement. The brown topazes had sold very well over the years, and especially this year when he and Asura had brought more that they¡¯d ¡°found¡± to sell at their auction houses.

    ¡°I¡¯m told that this will also activate when its wearer enters a critical state, going so far as to not only heal fatal wounds, but to regrow lost limbs or destroyed organs over the span of a quarter hour or so.¡±

    Once again, the audience went wild. It took the auctioneer several more minutes to calm them before he could continue.

    ¡°Now, the bidding will be a bit special this time,¡± he said, making a few people groan. ¡°At the request of the seller, and in consideration of those who wish to purchase such a miraculous life-saving treasure; we¡¯ll not only accept Tier 4 Crystal bids, but also items appraised to be in that realm. Anything from Artifact and Alchemical recipes to rare natural treasures will be accepted. Now, the bidding will commence at one hundred Low-Grade, Tier 4 Crystals and will increase by no less than ten per bid.

    ¡°Let us begin!¡±

 Chapter 077 - Adjustments

    A small ring spun on the desk, catching the light on its polished surface repeatedly until it finally slowed and fell over.  Then a pair of delicate hands would pick it up again, one delicate finger holding it upright while another flicked it, starting the process over again.

    When a soft knock finally sounded at her door, Layla quickly scooped up the ring before the door opened to reveal Kinkade, Asura, and Aenwyn.

    She hadn¡¯t seen the duo for several years, but they looked exactly the same as she remembered them.  Both were much taller than average and well above the curve in looks.  They also still gave off no aura whatsoever.

    ¡°Welcome,¡± Layla said with a warm smile as she stood.  ¡°It¡¯s good to see you both again.  Please, sit and have some tea with me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, too,¡± Kinkade said with a smile that was like a beam of sunlight as he took one of the chairs on the other side of her desk.

    ¡°It¡¯s been too long,¡± Asura said, as she too took a seat across from her.

    Aenwyn took the role of server, pouring each of them a cup of tea before taking one for herself and sitting just off to the side.  They spent the next serval minutes exchanging pleasantries and telling one another briefly what they¡¯d been up to over the past few years.  She was reasonably certain that while they weren¡¯t outright lying to her, they were not telling her everything.

    Which, really, was to be expected of people who had only met a couple of times in the past.

    ¡°Ah, but what an amazing coincidence!  We¡¯ll be in the region for at least a few years,¡± Kinkade said happily, startling her a bit.  ¡°I look forward to seeing you more often.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t help but smile back, as affected by his infectious smile as she was.  It was truly a wonderful smile that was full of warmth and good cheer.  But she couldn¡¯t for the life of her see anything else behind it.  She and Aenwyn had once observed how the man treated them warmly, almost like family.  Nothing like what most men treated them like.

    Then she thought about his actions over the years.  Kinkade and Asura had travelled across Waeryn to their various auction houses located in the capital cities of various kingdoms and empires.  They hadn¡¯t visited her again, choosing a new location each time as though they were trying to keep the market fresh for their coveted healing topazes.

    But with this new pink topaz that could regenerate a person¡¯s body from fatal and disabling wounds, well, she was sure that they would no longer need to travel.  People would now flock to her auction house.

    ¡°I always enjoy your visits,¡± she said, making sure to look both in the eye lest Asura think that she was flirting with Kinkade.  ¡°Here.  The ring contains your profits from the sale of the gem,¡± she said, handing over the storage ring she¡¯d been playing with earlier.  ¡°Even though we¡¯d given a week¡¯s notice of the sale, most weren¡¯t able to gather anything but currency before arriving.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all right,¡± Kinkade said with a shrug.  ¡°I¡¯m honestly surprised that people were able to gather so many Tier 4 Crystals at all.¡±

    Layla very much understood that.  Tier 4 Crystals weren¡¯t used normally in transactions due to their rarity and ludicrous cost.  People instead preferred to barter items or favours when it came to such sums.  Not only were the coins hard to come by, but they were very hard to produce.

    The Crystal Consortium, the one legitimate producer of Crystal Coins and Cards in the world, only released a limited amount of Tier 4 currency every year.  They said it was due to how difficult they were to make.  It wasn¡¯t just that, though.

    As tightly as the Crystal Consortium kept the methods they used to create the currency of the world, some things leaked over time.  Primarily, how they needed cultivators or practitioners to fuel the creation process of the currency.  Tier 7 Mages, or practitioners in the Immortal Realm, weren¡¯t by any means common.

    Yes, there were the occasional Tier 4 Crystal mine found across the world.  Most of which were owned by the Consortium.  That said, the mines tended to be small and their production low.

    ¡°Well,¡± she said with another smile, this one more businesslike.  ¡°If you come across anything similar, do give us at least a month¡¯s notice so that we can inform our VIPs well in advance.  This way, we can be sure that your next item will not only sell for an appropriate amount, but also so that our customers can prepare appropriate items with which to barter.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Asura said, nodding.  ¡°We¡¯ll be sure to give plenty of notice next time.¡±

    After that, they exchanged a few more pleasantries before leaving, Aenwyn leading them out.

    Layla sat for a time, mulling over what had been said along with their body language until another knock came at the door.

    A moment later, Aenwyn entered and sat across from Layla after pouring another cup of tea for each of them.  They¡¯d become fast friends since their first encounter with Asura and Kinkade and had sat like this countless times since.

    ¡°Your thoughts?¡±  She asked Layla after taking a sip of her tea.

    Aenwyn sighed before answering.

    ¡°Depressingly the same,¡± she said, recounting the entirely professional meeting and subsequent serving of the duo.  ¡°It¡¯s not that I want people to ogle me, but even married men tend to look at least once.  It¡¯s like he¡¯s a eunuch or something,¡± she said, grumbling slightly at the end.

    Which caused Layla to almost spray tea out of her nose as she snorted in shock.

    ¡°There¡¯s a thought,¡± she said, not wanting to entertain such an idea.  ¡°Unfortunately, everything else about him points at his¡­ intact manhood.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even catch him looking at you that way,¡± Aenwyn said, shaking her head.  ¡°I¡¯m not one for the ¡®honey pot¡¯ method, but how are we supposed to make sure that they remain our customers?¡±

    ¡°I get the feeling that they value loyalty,¡± she answered as she tapped her lips with a finger.  ¡°We¡¯ll just have to keep the course, building a foundation of trust between us.¡±

    ¡°That sounds reasonable,¡± Aenwyn said with a smile.  ¡°Besides, it¡¯s refreshing being able to relax with such high-profile clients without worrying about other things.¡±

    ¡°I would imagine,¡± Layla said as a small smile touched her eyes.  ¡°Let¡¯s also be sure that they continue to experience the best possible service from us.  Make sure that any time they¡¯re here, that security keeps anyone away that might cause them problems.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave then,¡± Aenwyn said as she stood and gathered the used teacups onto the serving tray, picked it up, and slipped out of her office.

    She remained there for a while afterwards, finger still tapping her lips in thought.  Eventually, she murmured.

    ¡°But did they seem¡­ closer this time?¡±

    * * * * *

    Tatia awoke with a gasp, hands flying about her body, touching here and there for almost a minute before she calmed, taking several deep and slow breaths.  She looked around at the bright room and realized that she was in her own bed, under the covers.  Well, not as much after her frantic movements upon waking.

    She pulled up the sheets to cover herself once again when she noticed a new addition to her right hand.

    Upon her second finger was a ring with an impressively large diamond.  It was larger than her thumbnail cut in the cushion style.  She had no idea why Joram had given it to her, but she wasn¡¯t one to turn down a gift.

    She looked at her hands then, taking her time examining every detail she could perceive.  Her hands looked younger than they¡¯d been in over a century and a half.  Not that she¡¯d aged much past her mid-twenties, though.

    Tatia continued inspecting her body, noting that her birthmark was now missing, along with several moles.  Her skin was perfect, not a blemish to be found.  She also noted that it seemed to be the same tone as before.

    She ran her hand down her forearm noting the silky smoothness, not a hair to be found.  Then a thought came to mind, causing her hands to go up to her head.  Her fingers met a smooth scalp, then a smooth brow.  She felt at her eyelids and found that they, too, were gone.

    ¡°What the fu-¡°

    The door to her room opened then, cutting her off as Sulia walked in and saw her sitting up, hands on her head.

    ¡°It¡¯s a shock, I know,¡± Sulia said with a knowing and sympathetic smile.

    Tatia stared at her granddaughter¡¯s long and flowing hair.  Hair that should have taken at least two years to grow that long.  But if her timelines were correct, she¡¯d only been a High Elan for about four months.

    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing,¡± she said, then began describing the many wondrous and ludicrous things that came with her new body.

    ¡°All told, there are many advantages,¡± Sulia said from her spot beside Tatia on the bed.  ¡°Here, use this.  You just need to add a sliver of Mental Strength, or as Joram calls it: psionic power.  Just add a bit, and you¡¯ll be able to access the information in it.  It¡¯ll help more than a bit,¡± she finished with a smile.

    Tatia took the small, even sided crystal that caught the light in unusual ways and studied it for a moment before she remembered her ring.

    She lifted her right hand and compared the two gems and realized that they both caught the light in similar ways.  Which made no sense at all because they were different stones.

    Sulia noticed her new ring and couldn¡¯t help but stare before she finally spoke.

    ¡°I guess Joram already left you one,¡± she said absently, her gaze focussed on the large diamond.

    ¡°I think so too,¡± she said with a smile.  ¡°As amazingly dense as he can be, he does manage to surprise every now and then.¡±

    Her granddaughter couldn¡¯t help but laugh at that.

    ¡°Yeah, but he still needs a good tongue-lashing every now and then.¡±

    Tatia couldn¡¯t disagree with that.

    * * * * *

    ¡°As awesome as this has been,¡± Avi said, getting up from the bed he¡¯d shifted them to at some point in the last half day.  ¡°I really need to get to Dawn Star and get things going.¡±

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Joram resisted drawing her back into bed, knowing that they both had responsibilities they needed to get to.

    ¡°Well, let me know if you need a hand with anything,¡± he said, stretching out as he manifested [Cleanse] to get them cleaned up enough to be in decent company again.

    ¡°Maybe bring the piano and do a few sets?¡±  Avi asked as she retrieved new clothes from storage and got dressed.

    ¡°Hmm¡­.  That doesn¡¯t sound as terrible as it should,¡± he said, wondering at that change in him.

    ¡°Another side effect of the new heritage?¡±  Avi asked as she leaned over to slip on some socks, giving him a fantastic view of her shapely posterior, including her new tail.

    ¡°Right, the tails,¡± he said, reaching out to stroke hers.

    He was treated to a very girly, very aroused, squeal from her as she slumped over onto her back and right into his arms again.

    ¡°So, that¡¯s a thing,¡± he said with a grin as her eyes focussed on him, her cheeks rosy.

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll need to do something about these,¡± she said as her hand shot out, arcing behind him to grab his own tail.

    He immediately felt his strength being sapped from him while a feeling of such profound¡­ satisfaction, like the best back scratches ever combined with that wonderful feeling of taking a nap in a sunbeam washed over him.  Joram slumped over, face landing in the best cushions ever.

    ¡°I see your point,¡± he said around a face full of heaven.

    ¡°We can get back to this later,¡± Avi said with a resigned sigh.  ¡°I¡¯m not sure how traumatic it¡¯ll be to remove our tails, so I think we¡¯ll need to wait until next weekend to try removing them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make a modified jockstrap of holding for us in the meantime,¡± he said with a sigh.

    ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t the full moon the day after tomorrow?¡±  Avi asked suddenly, her eyes going wide.

    ¡°Well, crap,¡± he said, realizing the same thing she had.  ¡°I guess we should try to remove the tails before Sunday.¡±

    After thinking for a minute, Avi nodded.

    ¡°We can try after I close Dawn Star tonight,¡± she said as she sat up, causing Joram to roll to the side and sigh.

    ¡°A bit of a pity,¡± he said, eyeing her tail.  ¡°They¡¯re kind of¡­ nice.  Isn¡¯t there training we could go through to resist transforming when seeing the full moon?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Avi said, lightly tapping her closed fist into her open palm.  ¡°I think that there¡¯s a gland that we can remove to not have to worry about transforming in the future.¡±

    Joram just stared at her.

    ¡°It¡¯s one of the things Altaea found out when one of her selves was over there,¡± Avi said with a shrug.  ¡°Anyway, once we remove the gland, we can work on editing our forms so that it won¡¯t come back when we use a regenerative power, pill, or spell.¡±

    ¡°Damn, you¡¯re all sorts of sexy when you go all geeky like that,¡± he said with a stupid grin on his face.

    ¡°Now, now.  None of that right now,¡± she said as she slipped on her bra.  ¡°Get those modified jockstraps made up quick.  I don¡¯t want to be late.¡±

    Joram sighed, then complied.  By the time Avi was dressed and ready, he was done.  Well, it was an exaggeration to say that she was ¡°ready¡±.  She¡¯d left her pants pulled down to just below where her tail grew from the base of her spine as she waited for him to finish his work.

    ¡°Here, let me,¡± he said as he scooted forward on the bed to get closer to her.

    Avi gave him a grin that just about broke his resolve to let her get back to work without another round of fun.  He cleared his throat and lifted the tail-holding strap up.  She also watched as he brought the ¡°holding¡± portion of the strap over her tail, then ran it all the way up to her back, making it look like her tail was disappearing as it went.

    He then passed off the ends of the strap so that she could tie them up front, not trusting himself to do that yet.  Moments later, Avi was now properly clothed and ready to get going.  He sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you a bit later tonight,¡± Avi said, reminding him of her request.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to get there in a couple of hours,¡± he said with a weak grin, causing her to lean over and give him a soft kiss on the lips.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you then,¡± she said then shifted away, leaving him alone in his room.

    Well, this is going to make things a lot harder, he thought as he remembered his promise to Avi¡¯s friends.  With just how primed he seemed to be, even after half a day of romping, he wasn¡¯t sure that it would be a good idea for him to be around other beauties.

    Not that he¡¯d suddenly become a sex-crazed degenerate that couldn¡¯t differentiate right from wrong.  No, it was his blasted hormones.  They¡¯d suddenly surged again.  Or was it that his impulse control had been affected by the change?

    Whatever the reason, he very much needed to spend a lot of time in meditation to figure things out.  Possibly even spending time in his High Elan form to escape the ridiculously powerful hormones or whatever was affecting him.  At least as a High Elan he¡¯d have perfect physiological control over his body.

    Maybe that was the way he¡¯d have to go while out and about.  The [Everyman] Power would allow for him to look like his Aneath form, but with the added benefit of not being incredibly horny all the time.  Then a thought came to mind, or rather, he recalled the conversation with Avi from- damn, just yesterday morning.

    He quickly entered the little office space in his mind and turned on the computer.  A few clicks later and he was in the folder that Avi had directed him to, but wasn¡¯t quite sure what he needed to do from there.

    The executable file was right there, but the ¡°README¡± file had called to him first.  From the explanation given by Altaea, there were certain prerequisites he needed to accomplish before he could enter the final stage, as it were.  The final ¡°evolution¡± of his becoming like Altaea.

    The ¡°fusion¡± of each of his forms could already be done.  It would just be temporary, though.  From what he understood, he would have about three minutes worth of ¡°fusion time¡± until he was able to get stronger.  Which meant going up in Tiers; specifically strengthening his Psionic reserves and being able to cultivate Tier 4 Mana.

    Tier 4 Mana, also known as Immortal Qi because of its properties, was essential according to Altaea.  From what Altaea had left in his databanks, Immortal Qi was the closest thing to Divine Mana that this realm had.  And it was when Altaea had risen to the ranks of the divine that she¡¯d finally been able to permanently fuse her various forms into one.

    She could also choose to shift into an individual form is she wanted to, but she¡¯d rarely seen the need to do so.

    That all said, how the hell did Altaea know about Immortal Qi when she¡¯d initially created him?  For that matter, how had Avi known about the directories when he hadn¡¯t?  Had Altaea somehow managed to add more information to his mind while he was waiting to be reborn?  Was that the reason why [Astral Seed] hadn¡¯t worked properly?

    His mind whirled about, picking up thoughts and spinning them about before tossing them out again to then pick up yet other thoughts, continuing the process before he was interrupted.

    Kinkade: Ding!  Been an hour!  Also, you wouldn¡¯t believe how many Tier 4 Crystals we brought in from this latest auction!

    Joram: Well, isn¡¯t that convenient?

    Kinkade: Ah, I see.  Well, we¡¯ll still need to wait until Tier 7 before we can get to that.

    Joram: Yes, but having a stockpile of Tier 4 Crystals will be very useful.  Oh, that¡¯s also good news.  I¡¯m glad that Layla is treating us so well.  We¡¯ll be able to get even more Tier 4 Crystals in the future!

    Kinkade: Especially if the number of High Elans will be increasing.

    Joram: We both know that Avi is the only other person who¡¯s going to go through the full process.

    Kinkade: Just wanted you to consciously admit that to yourself, Prime.

    Joram: Every time you call me that, I feel like I need to start speaking like Peter Cullen.

    Kinkade: There are eminently worse people to sound like, you know.  Like the English voice dubs for almost every male in an anime, ever.

    Joram: Amen to that.

    Joram sighed as he nodded to himself.  He began looking through the requirements to get all of his forms into one, and sighed again.  It was almost too easy.

    Yes, he somehow needed to cultivate to the 7<sup>th</sup> Tier, which shouldn¡¯t prove to be exceptionally difficult.  But with his current physiological issues, he really would have to be in his High Elan form disguised as his Aneath form.  Ridiculous.

    Joram looked down at himself and sighed.  At least he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about getting changed seeing as how he was already naked.  With a thought, he became his High Elan self.  Then with another thought, he manifested [Everyman] with the augments needed to allow for him to exactly replicate his Aneath self¡¯s looks and scent.

    Yes, scent.  You never knew when someone weird would show up.

    He quickly dressed then reviewed how he looked again in his sphere of perception.  Sure enough, replicating the face you saw every day was easy enough.

    As for messing around with the fusion function, he¡¯d leave that off for a while.  Maybe even until he reached Tier 7.  Or if there was an emergency¡­.

    Kinkade: Yes, the functionality that doesn¡¯t come until you use the combined form for the first time.

    Joram: How likely would it be that we would desperately need the deflection bonus derived from my charisma?  Or that I¡¯d need to punch a ghost?

    Kinkade: Prime?

    Joram: ¡­ what?

    Kinkade: Did you just jynx us?

    Joram: Crap.

    So it was that Joram used the fusion function for the first time.

    It was an odd sensation to say the least.  The expanded senses that he¡¯d enjoyed as a High Elan, then in his Planar form, were now all brought together giving him an instant headache as he tried to process everything at once.

    After a minute of just focussing on his breathing, he was once again able to open his eyes a hair and look around a bit.  Details that his Aneath form could see because of its cultivation and body refinement were enhanced further by his Planar and High Elans selves.

    The darkvision provided by his other two forms allowed him to see every detail of the room as though everything was perfectly illuminated.  The same increase in sensitivity applied to the rest of his physical senses as well, but only needed another minute to get used to.

    What he found eminently amusing was his hair.

    It had acquired the same colour scheme as Altaea¡¯s and Avi¡¯s had.  That said, the colours were definitely different.  The roots of his hair were now a very dark indigo.  That then faded to a very dark purple-brown colour that had more purple than brown to it.  Which then transitioned to a deep red at the tips.  As much as he hated making the comparison, it reminded him of blood.  Or maybe a Merlot.

    That last one was honestly a stretch as he¡¯d never been a drinker and hadn¡¯t paid that much attention to colour wheels over the years.

    Then there were his wings.  Instead of the dark brown to ruby colour gradient from before, they now took the same colours as his hair.  Same pattern too.  At least they were still that weird hard light/hologram¡­ stuff.  He could pass his hand through his wings, but felt a weird resistance when he did.

    Joram shrugged as it really didn¡¯t matter.  There was almost no way that he¡¯d need to use his wings these days.  Especially in the Academy.

    With one last inspection of his form, he released the fusion and became his High Elan self again.  Then had to once again manifest [Everyman] as it had somehow lapsed when he¡¯d fused.

    ¡°Not that it matters,¡± he said, shaking his head as he looked over to the clock on the wall.  ¡°Time to get going.¡±

    Joram shifted back to his living room at the Academy and took a quick peek with his perception to see if anyone was around.  Clear.

    He then reached over and stored the grand piano and bench away in his Realm¡¯s storage before heading to the front door and then out.

    It didn¡¯t take long to get to the street Starfall was located on.  What would probably take him a while was the respectable line leading all the way from Dawn Star Caf¨¦ to where he was at the end of the block.  Well, that was if he wanted to stay in line like everyone else.  He did not.

    He made his way past the excited queue, getting some looks as he passed them by.  What surprised him more than a little was that the line wasn¡¯t primarily comprised of students.  No, most of them seemed to be the ¡°older¡± crowd, as it were.  The few students he spotted had that air of maturity a person got as they aged, even though they still looked to be around twenty years old.

    Once he arrived, he made his way into Starfall and spotted Bai Lian coming out of the kitchen with a heavily laden tray of confections.  She spotted him a second later and blinked, then coloured slightly before hurrying on to deliver her load.

    Even though he¡¯d seen both her and Mo Yu in their maid uniforms before, he was struck by just how cute she looked in it.  Especially when she¡¯d blushed.

    He stopped dead, causing someone to curse him as they nearly walked into him on their way by.  He ignored the guy, too shocked by what had just gone through his head.

    What the hell?!  Wasn¡¯t that supposed to get fixed?

    ¡®Avi?  Are you in the back or at Dawn Star?¡¯  He quickly sent, suddenly not wanting to stay around people.

    ¡®Dawn Star.  Are you here?  I¡¯ll send someone out for you,¡¯ she sent, sounding distracted.

    Joram stepped over to the doors that connected the two establishments and only had to wait half a minute before someone opened the door and practically hauled him inside.

    He looked at the young man who¡¯d grabbed him and nearly grunted in surprise.  He was dressed like any other server he¡¯d seen in semi-formal dining establishments.  He was dressed in pants that were almost black, with matching shoes and belt.  His top was an off-white linen, long sleeved lace-up shirt under a smart vest that matched his pants.

    Looking around more, he saw that the rest of the staff were garbed the same, though the women obviously had uniforms cut for women.  Just in the same style.  It was, quite frankly, really good.

    ¡°Joram!¡±  Alicia called to him from over by where the band would play.

    Suddenly very nervous again, he quickly made his way over.

    ¡®I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m good to be out and about in public right now,¡¯ he sent to her as he physically spoke to her to cover the telepathic conversation.  ¡°Hello Alicia!  Things are looking great!¡±

    ¡®What¡¯s wrong?  Are the belts not working?¡¯  She sent with more then just a little bit of flirtatious in there.  ¡°Thanks!  We¡¯re almost ready to open the doors,¡± she said out loud, then motioned to the open space behind her.  ¡°Are you ready to play us a few songs?¡±

    He looked her in the eye, trying not to panic.  Then such warmth and reassurance flowed through the Network to him from Avi that his heart calmed, and his breathing evened out.  As his blood pressure slowly dropped again, he was even able to crack a genuine grin.

    ¡°Yeah, just give me a couple of minutes,¡± he said, looking again to the stage.

    Alicia beamed a smile at him before slapping him on the shoulder and taking off.

    He¡¯d already taken two steps toward the low stage, practically just a raised portion of the floor that he only needed to take one large step to get up on, when it hit him.

    He hadn¡¯t felt anything from Alicia when she¡¯d touched him.  He quickly pinged her and found that she wasn¡¯t even close to him.  He turned then, and used his developing ¡°soul sight¡± (*better name still in development*).  There were a variety of souls present, from on the ¡°normal¡± end of the spectrum of non-cultivators to much brighter ones of higher Tiered cultivators.

    Sure enough, Alicia didn¡¯t register properly, only giving off a faint¡­ fuzz.

    ¡®You damned coward!¡¯  He yelled through the Network at her.

 Chapter 078 - Pondering

    The following hours were hell.

    Joram kept from looking around as he played a repetitive tune that you¡¯d expect to hear in the background of any lounge in the early 20<sup>th</sup> century back on Earth. It didn¡¯t stop his perception for picking up on the crowd gathered at the base of the ¡°stage¡±, held back by those fancy rope and stand barriers you¡¯d see in a high-class restaurant or theatre.

    He suspected, though, that they kept their distance due to the small signs affixed to the top of those posts that read:

    <u>GOING PAST THIS POINT WILL RESULT IN BEING BANNED FROM THE PREMICISS. </u>

    He was genuinely pleased and gratified that the signs had worked. That said, it didn¡¯t stop people from calling out to him between sets. Or throwing various things. Like their contact information, crystals, or other more¡­ provocative items.

    Alicia had assigned someone to gather everything sent over the rope barrier into a small crate off to the side of the stage, freeing him from having to see it all. That said, he could still perceive the starstruck fans gathered behind him.

    Yes, he¡¯d set up the grand piano in a way that would have sent any concert-goer, performer, or event planner into a fit. His back was to the audience, saving him from being stared at directly. Even as his High Elan self, he was finding it very difficult to keep colour from rising on his face. It wasn¡¯t as bad as it had been when he¡¯d played at Starfall, so there was that.

    But the fact that he was still having issues performing in front of others after having assimilated the saiyan sample was telling. He was much more of an introvert than even he¡¯d suspected. Or maybe he just had incredible stage fright.

    That said, having women throw their personal effects at him as he played was something entirely new to him. And eminently embarrassing. Especially when he needed Kinkade¡¯s help to keep playing without interruption because of his growing anxiety.

    Avi wasn¡¯t there in person. She¡¯d made a new psicrystal that she¡¯d put the Alicia personality into and had her covering for her. That he needed to still be there in person was ridiculous. He¡¯d have already switched places with Kinkade if he¡¯d had a chance to do so.

    But he¡¯d been stuck on stage for almost four hours now, only pausing to accept a glass of water every now and then. Not that he needed it, but taking the cup of water and nursing it allowed him to calm his nerves a bit.

    He was going to need to work off this stress later. And as much as the thought of doing that with Avi appealed to him, he needed to do it solo. He needed to be away from the temptation of her embrace so that he could properly focus on stabilizing both his physiology and mental state.

    When Alicia finally announced last call, he was relieved. Then when the caf¨¦ was finally emptied, he stood up, stored away the grand piano and bench, and gracefully said his goodbyes before slipping away¡­

    ¡­ Right into his waiting fans outside.

    He bolted, surprising them with his speed. Once he rounded a corner he used [Empty Body], slipping into the ethereal state that had allowed him to escape his first performance. When he¡¯d successfully lost the mob, he shifted back to his Realm, right into the gravity room.

    Joram took a few minutes to just breath after that, centering himself. After he calmed himself, he became his Aneath self, set the gravity to his current comfort level, and got to training.

    As he worked through his various exercises and kata, he thought. He processed everything from the past day, trying to make sense of it all.

    He focussed on his feelings for Altaea, from when he¡¯d first met her to after she¡¯d suddenly left him behind. He very much considered that his feelings for her had been one-sided, given their relatively short time together. But he also examined the power dynamic between them.

    Altaea had not only given him a new life, but had also trained him, taught him everything that he now knew. That sort of relationship hadn¡¯t been an equal one. If anything, she¡¯d held all the power there. From literally remaking him to gracing him with her knowledge; she¡¯d been the one in control.

    But she hadn¡¯t held that over him.

    If anything, she¡¯d treated him remarkably well, his ridiculously difficult and borderline torturous training aside. Yes, it had been on a level that he¡¯d needed healing countless times throughout just one day, but he¡¯d asked for it. He¡¯d been driven to learn everything he could from her.

    He supposed that on some level, he¡¯d known it wouldn¡¯t last.

    Every story that he¡¯d written about her had ended with her being pulled to one of her other selves to merge back into one being. He seriously wondered if her divided selves weren¡¯t unlike his own [Schism]s. Like how he¡¯d taken a sliver of his personality and used that to make a psicrystal to house each of his new [Schism]s, giving them the autonomy needed to help him.

    Had she been split in much the same way? He really didn¡¯t know, but he did know that even though they were split, they were still one being just waiting to come back together again. So strong was the pull that once one version of herself became powerful enough, it would start drawing other powerful fragments of herself from across the multiverse.

    Was that what had happened to her?

    He shook his head, ridding himself of that circular line of thought. What mattered right now were his thoughts and emotions regarding her.

    Ultimately, he came to the conclusion that he really had grown to love her dearly. And, if he wasn¡¯t being delusional, he suspected that she¡¯d started caring for him on a deeper level than someone who¡¯d picked up a puppy. He couldn¡¯t say to what degree, or even how, she¡¯d begun caring for him, but he felt that she had.

    Which led him to Avi. The Altaea Virtual Intelligence that Altaea had made for him.

    Was she meant to just be a companion for him as he made his way in an unfamiliar, hostile, and profoundly dangerous world? Surely Altaea would have known that leaving such a construct with him would lead to¡­ complications.

    Because Avi had acted the way she had at the beginning, he¡¯d been OK with friend-zoning her. It had been even easier to do because of the loss and hurt he¡¯d felt. Keeping an avatar of Altaea at arm¡¯s length had been easier than probing the reasons behind Altaea leaving him a companion that looked exactly like her. That, and he¡¯d been convinced that she was only a VI, something that only emulated intelligence. Something that he wouldn¡¯t worry overly much about developing feelings for.

    But over the years, and especially after Avi had revealed that she was a fully functioning AI, that had changed. He¡¯d been shaken to learn that. And, upon further introspection and reflection, he¡¯d started treating her much differently than before. He¡¯d really started to rely on her. Started to really care for her.

    After she¡¯d made her own body, he realized that his feelings had further been muddled. She¡¯d gone from an intelligent figment, able to control a psicrystal to do what she needed, to a living biological entity. Not just a hard light [Holographic Image] that gave you the impression of life, but a vital being that could comfort with a touch.

    He couldn¡¯t count the conversations he¡¯d had with her over the years. Nor could he fully grasp just how much she¡¯d invested in his wellbeing. And that also gave him pause. Was his dynamic with Avi similar to what Altaea¡¯s had been with him?

    Did he hold all the power in their relationship? Was it imbalanced and thus fundamentally flawed? Their souls were connected to each other. If he perished, would she also perish?

    Then another question came to mind: was her loyalty and devotion to him a result of her programming? Had she been designed to stay with him no matter what? To be an eternal companion for him through thick and thin? Nothing more than a custom-built slave?

    That thought disturbed him more than anything else so far.

    He was aware that slavery existed in this world, and that it was commonplace enough to be considered normal. He hadn¡¯t paid much attention to it for fear that he¡¯d grow to need to do something about it. Joram was fundamentally against making another person a slave. If they willingly sold themselves into slavery, well, that was their choice.

    But the thought of legally owning another person, being able to decide their fate didn¡¯t sit well with him, to say the least. He wasn¡¯t unaware of how close he¡¯d come to that by demanding a Heart Oath from the Trio. But it wasn¡¯t slavery. He didn¡¯t own them, nor did he have the legal rights of life and death over them. He just required loyalty from them so that he didn¡¯t have to worry about them stabbing him in the back.

    Bit it was still a bit too close for comfort when he took the time to think about it.

    He decided, then, to release the Trio from their Oaths to him¡­. Well, mostly. He¡¯d need to keep the part where they couldn¡¯t share his secrets with others. Needing to keep what he¡¯d shared with them a secret wasn¡¯t just to keep him safe, but also everyone who relied on him for their safety.

    Which led him back to Avi.

    How could he determine if her base programming was affecting her attachment to him? He hadn¡¯t gone into her directory, wanting to make sure that he didn¡¯t cross any personal lines with her. Had that been the right decision? Could he have found something in there that would have allowed him to free her? If indeed there was something?

    For as smart as Avi was, and how long she¡¯d lived for, he wondered just how much real-life experience she had to go on. He knew that she¡¯d gone through every bit of data he¡¯d stored away over the years, watched every bit of media he had, read every book he owned. Yes, the bulk of what he owned was fiction, science fiction, or fantasy. But he still owned his fair share of life-applicable books from self-help to psychology textbooks, but that didn¡¯t substitute for real-world experience.

    What he was getting at was, even though he was an adult, was she? Was Avi developmentally mature enough to make serious life choices? It was one thing to play around with technology and another thing entirely to develop a healthy relationship with another person, especially an intimate one.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Which brought him once again to the question of whether or not she¡¯d been programmed to be any sort of companion that he¡¯d ever need.

    He stopped then, leaning over and panting as sweat dripped from his face to land on the floor between his feet. Every muscle in his body burned and complained at him from overuse. He took a moment to breath, then stood up again and stretched everything out before using [Mend Body] to heal the damage he¡¯d done and [Body Purification] to rid himself of the lingering weakness in his muscles.

    Joram felt as his body restored itself and kept going as it made itself stronger after the intense travail. He wondered at just how crazy his body would become, images of Goku flashing through his mind.

    He tapped at his omni-tool, increasing the gravity once more before starting his routine over again.

    He still had much to think about.

    * * * * *

    *1346.04.27*

    Tatia lay in bed, looking at the ceiling in her room. She¡¯d only ¡°slept¡± for a few hours, waking fully refreshed a couple of hours before dawn. She hadn¡¯t expected that. So, she¡¯d accessed the Crystal Mind again, going through the insane cultivation method that Joram had left for her.

    Unlike Sulia, due to Tatia¡¯s cultivation being completely abolished before her change, she would need to start over from the very beginning. She would have time to decide if she wanted to follow Joram¡¯s path, or continue on the one she¡¯d been on before the attack.

    She wondered if Joram truly understood just how broken Encompass the Universe truly was. He claimed that it had been left for him by the Founder, Altaea. If what he claimed was true, then the cultivation method might very well have been created by Altaea herself. Then left for him to find and use.

    Encompass the Universe didn¡¯t go into much detail beyond the basics, which made Tatia wonder if Altaea had purposely left out very important information. If she had left things out, had she left other manuals behind that would fill in the gaps?

    Because one of the most difficult things a cultivator needed to progress wasn¡¯t how they manipulated the various tiers of mana in their body or their core. It was incorporating the Elemental Laws into their core. The more Laws a cultivator learned and progressed, the harder it was to incorporate new Laws into their core.

    With the ability to create two cores, a cultivator would gain untold power over their peers. Being able to form even more had the potential to create an absolute monster. And Joram had given that method to her and his mother. Sulia had said that she was close to where she would try to consolidate, to reform her core. She had also let Tatia know that she would try for more than one core, the same way Joram had.

    Tatia wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about that. Joram¡¯s accident while trying to form more than one core had caused untold pain and problems for him over the years. Did she want to watch her granddaughter go through the same things she¡¯d seen Joram go through?

    Tatia laughed at herself then. What right did she have to stop Sulia from doing exactly what she was planning on doing herself?

    She held up her right hand, palm facing the ceiling, and gazed at it. The diamond on the ring Joram had given her sparkled in the early morning light. It truly was a marvel. To think that something so small could contain so much.

    It not only held Joram¡¯s annotated Encompass the Universe Technique, but also several other volumes that he thought she could use. It was also, what he called, a modified psicrystal that would allow him to always have a connection with her; a way to find and reconnect with her should the Network go down in the future.

    She smiled at his consideration of her. Her fears of the past now made her a bit ashamed. She¡¯d feared that he wasn¡¯t truly a part of their Clan, a part of their family. It may have been justified at the time, and perhaps it was what had helped Joram bond to them so well, but she still felt a bit ashamed.

    Tatia shook her head, then paused as the odd sensation.

    She brought her hand down to her head and felt at the short hair that had grown over night. It hadn¡¯t grown even an inch, but even that much shocked her. Her hands then went to her brow and found that her eyebrows were indeed regrown, along with her eyelashes. She felt at them a bit more and found that her eyelashes seemed a bit longer than before, a bit fuller.

    Was that Joram¡¯s doing, or her own?

    It didn¡¯t matter, though, so she refocussed on the ring. It didn¡¯t function like Sulia¡¯s Crystal Mind, but seemed to just¡­ work. She could always access the information stored in the ring as though she¡¯d always known it. Yet another ridiculous item created by Joram and given away as though it was nothing.

    Well, maybe not nothing. She was reasonably sure that he wouldn¡¯t be giving something like this out to just anyone. His filial love and devotion were exemplary. She¡¯d need to find a way to somehow pay him back one day.

    Tatia went over the steps of forming and creating multiple cores over and over again, visualizing it, imagining the feelings described by Joram as he¡¯d experienced them. She did all this in her Knowledge Sea. As baren as it currently was, it provided her with a great place to work things out. To tease at thoughts and follow them as far as she could.

    It also helped that her Knowledge Sea hadn¡¯t diminished after the ritual as Joram had thought it might. Indeed, Sulia¡¯s cultivation had dropped to the peak of Body Tempering because of the ritual, which had still surprised both Joram and Avi because they¡¯d thought that she would need to start over from nothing.

    It just showed that they didn¡¯t know everything. Well, not that she¡¯d expected him to know everything. No, but it did show that there were still things that she could teach him. Especially regarding cultivation.

    She then went over the part of the manual where he mentioned the inability to store mana where one¡¯s core would normally be after having drawn his cores into his Knowledge Sea. Tatia wondered at that. Was he just missing something, or had he truly managed to effectively rip out his ability to cultivate normally?

    Tatia recreated the image of her own mana-ways that she¡¯d used for almost two hundred years. Every part was exact and true, from its shape to the very curve in each and every pathway. From there, she emulated what Joram described, how he¡¯d drawn his cores away to his Knowledge Sea.

    It didn¡¯t work. In fact, if failed spectacularly.

    It took her some time to remember and create a new model of what she remembered of her body before she¡¯d consolidated her cultivation so long ago. She tried again from there.

    Failure after failure followed as she tweaked one thing after another, refusing to give up. She¡¯d work through what she could in her mind before she got close to needing to do the same in real life. And when she grew too weary to run the simulations she would switch over to building, what Joram called, her Knowledge Star.

    She¡¯d get stronger. So strong that she wouldn¡¯t fail her family again when the tides once again turned on them.

    * * * * *

    Wentian got back to the manor in the early afternoon, having spent the morning on the training fields. It was a good feeling, the soreness and light aches he had after a good series of spars. It was even easier to keep practicing here as the students of the Academy were a bit more¡­ restrained during spars, resulting in fewer injuries and less downtime for healing.

    He closed the door behind him and noticed that the ¡°piano¡± was still missing, meaning that Joram hadn¡¯t returned it yet. Which probably meant that he was still away. Which meant that he could enjoy some peace and quiet. No worrying about scary company arriving, nor the need to serve said scary company.

    Wentian shuddered a bit as the memory of Clan Clear Knowledge¡¯s Matriarch returned to the fore of his mind.

    Even though she¡¯d been crippled, she still had an intensity that scared him. And he hadn¡¯t even been the target of last night¡¯s warning.

    He truly felt sorry for his martial sisters. Not only had they been dragged into the extermination squad in the name of gaining worldly experience, but they¡¯d also died with a good number of the squad. Only to be brought back to life by the young master of the clan they¡¯d been sent to destroy.

    He respected their resolve to not attack indiscriminately when they saw that they¡¯d been lied to. He also respected their choice of vows to Joram, a form of atonement for what they¡¯d participated in. He did not, however, respect the feelings they¡¯d obviously developed for Joram.

    Wentian wasn¡¯t sure exactly how deep those feelings went but he was well aware of the ¡°injured-soldier¡± and ¡°captive-soldier¡± syndromes that people developed from time to time after traumatizing events. He wondered if they¡¯d developed such syndromes and, if so, what he should do to help his martial sisters through it. Or even if he had any right to interfere in their lives.

    Well, Bai Lian was different. He¡¯d watched over her for the first couple of years after she¡¯d joined the Sect, making sure that she wasn¡¯t taken advantage of. All because, after a long and particularly painful day of sparring, she¡¯d found him laying in a park, stomach growling, and had immediately set out and brought him a bowl of noodle soup.

    Just that.

    He hadn¡¯t fallen in love with her or anything so trite. But he was someone who repaid kindness. Someone who appreciated a kind heart and worked to protect it. They¡¯d become friends of a sort after that.

    She¡¯d been too shy to do much more than speak a few words to him when he inevitably showed up to chase away someone with ill intent. It had been hard to deal with her flustered self as she tried to find ways to pay him back for his kindness, so he¡¯d come up with a way she could ¡°pay¡± him back.

    By buying him meals every now and then. He considered it more than worth it. Free food for just showing up and scaring someone away was a no-brainer for him.

    Now Bai Lian, and he supposed Mo Yu as well, had fallen for their one-time enemy. A person who they were sworn to. He wasn¡¯t sure if they¡¯d already fallen for him before they made their Oaths, but that didn¡¯t really matter. He saw her feelings developing very quickly over the past two days and worried.

    She was young and inexperienced in the world. Especially when it came to men and romance and such things. He knew full-well that she was more comfortable being a scholar than a warrior. Knew that even with all that book-learning that she didn¡¯t have what she needed to know to navigate her current feelings without running face-first into a wall.

    Wentian went to the kitchen and started preparing ingredients as he thought. He found that cooking helped to calm his nerves when he had particularly difficult problems to navigate. As he thought, his hands moved by rote. Peeling, chopping, dicing.

    What to do¡­?

    * * * * *

    Avi leaned forward, letting her forehead knock into her desk. She didn¡¯t mind, as that was preferable to what she was feeling. In fact, she lifted her head again just to let it drop onto her desk again as she warred internally with what to do.

    She¡¯d been too impulsive. Much too hasty, acting without thinking things through properly. Had she put herself into a dead end? Had she screwed herself over hard?

    Well, the question wasn¡¯t if she had, but just how bad it would be for them both.

    She let her head roll to the side and looked at the results on holographic display again.

    ¡°Yup, still the same,¡± she said, closing her eyes again.

    She¡¯d been hard at work since leaving Joram the night before, having pawned-off the grand opening onto her newly created Mind, Alicia. It had been a fun diversion to play a role for so long, but she really needed to get back to work. Especially after last night.

    Avi cracked an eye open, sneaking a peek at the display again and sighed.

    No matter how many times she looked, it wouldn¡¯t change anything.

    She¡¯d been mistaken when she¡¯d told Joram that the gland responsible for transforming during a full moon was easily taken care of. In fact, not only was it not easy to remove the gland, but it wasn¡¯t possible to remove it without removing the tail entirely.

    The gland in question wasn¡¯t located in one discrete spot, it went the full length of the tail. Not only that, but it also located in the vertebral foramen, right along with the nerves. Which wasn¡¯t the worst part. No, that honour belonged to its ridiculous regenerative properties. Unless the entire tail was amputated at the root, every part of it would grow back.

    Even then, the tail could regrow unless the amputation was properly done. She was amazed at just how strong a healing factor saiyans had. It was also quite bothersome.

    Avi had wanted to find a way to keep their tails given how taken with them Joram had been¡­ and admittedly how much she¡¯d enjoyed the tail play, however brief it had been. But given the risk of seeing a full moon twice a month, well, it wasn¡¯t really a question if they¡¯d keep them or not.

    What she was worrying about was seeing Joram¡¯s disappointment to the news. She knew that it wasn¡¯t ultimately a huge deal for either of them. But, given the development in their relationship last night, she worried a bit.

    Well, a lot. If she knew Joram, he was likely having an existential crisis over it. Avi really didn¡¯t want to add anything else to his plate. The risk of his mind going off on a tangent and coming up with absurd conclusions wasn¡¯t small.

    Over the years she¡¯d well and truly grown to love the man-boy. She¡¯d worried that she would forever be in the friend zone with him, but had more or less accepted the fact. He was incredibly dense when it came to women or emotional intelligence, which had somewhat worked in her favour.

    Avi looked over at the display again, but this time waved a hand to turn it off, then sat up again, thinking.

    It would be easy enough to avoid a full moon in the future. Heck, with their fields of perception, they could just keep their eyes closed on the 14<sup>th</sup> and 28<sup>th</sup> of each month. No problems there!

    But would that fly with him?

    Standing up, Avi ran her hands through her now very unruly hair and began pacing. As she paced back and forth, her hair once again raised up and out a bit, gathering into veritable spikes of hair. Just like a damned saiyan¡¯s hair.

    She stopped, concentrated for a moment to find Joram, then nodded to herself. It was best to break the news to him sooner rather than later.

    Nodding to herself again, she shifted to Joram and promptly fell flat on her face.

 Chapter 079 - Oaths

    Joram broke out of his training trance at the unusual sound behind him, his mind now focussed on his field of perception.  What he found was Avi, face pressed against the floor plates trying to breath.

    He immediately killed the extra gravity and dashed over to her, sending a [Mend Body] through the Network as he moved.

    ¡°Are you OK?¡±  He asked anxiously as he slid to her like a baseball player sliding into home base.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t well thought out,¡± she mumbled to herself, allowing him to help her sit up.

    He just about leaned in to kiss her when his musings came crashing back into the front of his mind.  Instead, he used the aborted motion to give her a light hug before sitting back, legs spread out in a wide ¡°v¡±.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re OK,¡± he said, focussing on her eyes.  ¡°But what¡¯s so important that you couldn¡¯t just chat over the Network?¡±

    ¡°Well, I thought talking in person might be a bit better for this,¡± she said, looking away from him.

    Oh shit!  Is she mad?  Is she going to break things off?  But wouldn¡¯t that be for the best?  Having a complicated relationship like this wouldn¡¯t be good, would it?  Yeah, friends is-

    He was snapped out of his growing anxiety by Avi¡¯s finger smacking into his forehead, right between the eyes.

    ¡°Hey, where¡¯s that brain taking you?¡±  She asked, looking a bit annoyed with him.

    ¡°I-¡° he said, but was cut off.

    ¡°Don¡¯t answer that,¡± she said, sighing.  ¡°I can just imagine the places it would go.  No, I came to break some bad news about out tails.  Not us,¡± she finished, keeping eye contact with him.

    ¡°Oh?¡±  He said dumbly as he tried his best to jettison his fears and anxieties regarding ¡°them¡±.

    Avi proceeded to explain her findings.  About the tail, how to deal with it, and everything in between.  When she finished, she took his hands in hers and took another deep breath.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to keep the tails for at least a little while,¡± she said earnestly.  ¡°I really enjoyed our play with them.  I also know that you liked it as well.  So, let¡¯s keep them until we know for sure if we like them or not.¡±

    Joram could only stare at her, his words failing him for a time.

    ¡°I¡¯m not worried so much about the tails,¡± he started, ¡°so much as ¡®us¡¯,¡± he said, slipping his hands out from hers so that he could instead hold her hands.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±  She asked, a suspicious look growing on her face.

    He then shared the thoughts he¡¯d had over the last half day.  He explained his fears that she was just acting according to Altaea¡¯s programming and how them having an intimate relationship wouldn¡¯t be appropriate under such circumstances.  By the time he finished speaking, his voice had trailed off to a murmur under her incredulous gaze.

    ¡°So, those were my thoughts¡­.¡±

    Avi stared at him as though he was some sort of alien creature she was trying to figure out for a full three minutes and twenty-seven seconds before she spoke.

    ¡°Joram,¡± she said, then stopped a moment.  ¡°Joram.  That is probably the most ludicrous thing I¡¯ve ever had the misfortune of hearing,¡± she said, shaking her head.  ¡°One: Altaea would never program a slave.  Two: Altaea made me based off her own personality.  Three: No amount of programming would me affect after having my nascent soul fully realized.

    ¡°I may have originally been made to help you, and to be helpful.  But no more than Altaea would have been in a similar situation.  If I didn¡¯t want to be here, I would have left.  It doesn¡¯t matter that our souls are linked.  We¡¯re still our own people, our own selves.  I am no more beholden to you than Bai Lian, Wentian, or Mo Yu are.

    ¡°Do I know if our budding relationship will be long term?  No.  Do I want to see where we¡¯ll go from here?  Certainly.  Even though we started off a bit backwards, I¡¯m certain that I want this.  Do you?¡±  She asked seriously as she stared into his eyes as though she¡¯d find the answer before he spoke.

    As she¡¯d spoken, he¡¯d gone through every one of his arguments and fears, dismissing them when Avi brought them up.  He really had nothing to say to that, so for answer, he leaned forward to kiss her, but stopped halfway.

    ¡°I think that I do,¡± he said, then closed his eyes to wait.

    He only just got his eyes closed before he felt her lips on his, her arms wrapping around his neck in a fierce embrace.

    Well, that answers that, he thought.  Which happened to be the last thing the thought of for the rest of the night.

    - - - - -

    Joram lay with Avi in bed, enjoying the feeling of her as he spooned with her.  Her tail made it slightly awkward, but that didn¡¯t stop them from enjoying the cuddles.

    ¡°So,¡± he said, his chin resting on her shoulder.  ¡°Tonight will be a full moon.  Are we really just going to keep out eyes closed the entire day?¡±

    For answer, Avi snaked her hand back to stroke his tail, causing shivers of intense pleasure to run up his spine.  He refrained from doing the same to her, genuinely not wanting to distract her so that he could hear her answer.

    ¡°No, that wouldn¡¯t be entirely practical,¡± she said with pout.  ¡°Given that the full moons fall on Sundays, we¡¯ll just have to make sure to spend out time indoors, away from windows or something.  Either that, or we can start wearing sunglasses that prevent people from seeing out eyes so that they won¡¯t question why we¡¯ve got our eyes closed.¡±

    ¡°That sounds just as bothersome,¡± he said, imagining people instead pestering them about why they¡¯d both suddenly started wearing sunglasses all the time.

    Avi sighed, causing her to shift against him.  With a supreme effort of willpower, he concentrated on the conversation instead of her body.

    ¡°We can play it by ear,¡± she said, once again sounding a bit put out.  ¡°I really don¡¯t want to give up my tail yet,¡± she said, then wiggled around until she faced him, their foreheads touching.

    ¡°As much as I¡¯d love to spend every waking moment in your embrace,¡± he said, then gave her a quick kiss.  ¡°We do have things we both need to get to.¡±

    ¡°That we do,¡± Avi said with a smile.  ¡°But first¡­¡±

    She finished her statement by once again running her fingers down his tail, leaving him primed.

    She didn¡¯t let the opportunity go to waste.

    - - - - -

    Manifesting another [Cleanse], Joram slid out of bed and summoned another outfit as he shifted into his High Elan form.  After a quick [Everyman] he got dressed, making sure to not look back at Avi for fear that his resolve would crumble.

    ¡°Be sure to stay away from windows tonight,¡± Avi said from the bed.

    He very much didn¡¯t like his field of perception at the moment, as he could still ¡°see¡± Avi as the sheets dropped from her form as she slid out of bed and started getting dressed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll likely stay in my study for the rest of the night as its windows don¡¯t face the moon¡¯s path,¡± he said, testing out the fit of his clothing.

    It was a bit weird to be in his High Elan form but shapeshifted to be the same size as his Aneath form.  He¡¯d been too distracted last night to really notice the body dissonance.  After having learned the [Everyman] Power from Altaea, he hadn¡¯t used it at all.  But now that he was using it to mimic another form of his, it felt more than a little weird.

    ¡°Just relax,¡± Avi said, noticing his stress cues and coming over to give him a hug.  ¡°Once you¡¯ve tamed the beast, as it were, you¡¯ll not have to worry about your work-around,¡± she said, referring to what he was doing.

    ¡°I really hope so,¡± he said vehemently.  ¡°It¡¯s more than a little bit embarrassing not being able to keep my mind out of the gutter when I¡¯m in my Aneath form.  Heck, it¡¯s still hard even now.  But at least it¡¯s manageable.¡±

    Avi pulled back a bit so that she could look him in the eye.

    ¡°Should we cancel the study sessions with my friends until you get a handle on things?¡±  She asked seriously, concern written in her expression.

    ¡°I would very much hate to cause any incidents before I can get myself under control,¡± he said seriously, which caused a trinkle to appear in her eyes.

    ¡°What,¡± she said, her tone turning teasing.  ¡°You don¡¯t want to start adding women to your harem yet?¡±

    It¡¯s a trap!!!

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that I would survive such a thing,¡± he said, shaking his head before Avi caught it with both hands to give him a kiss.

    ¡°Wonderful answer,¡± she said, a huge smile on her face.  ¡°But I really don¡¯t care either way.  I just want you to always love and appreciate me.  If you can do that, I¡¯ll accept more women in your life¡­ that I first approve of, that is.¡±

    Joram suddenly felt that his life had gotten immeasurably more complicated than it had been just five minutes ago.

    - - - - -

    *1346.06.05*

    Captain¡¯s log, arbitrary stardate 1346.06.05.

    It¡¯s really arbitrary because, as far as I know, there wasn¡¯t really a proper way to calculate a stardate that wasn¡¯t in the 23<sup>rd</sup> or 24<sup>th</sup> century.  Sure, there were suggestions, but that was about it.  Suggestions.  So, here we are!  The date presented in a way that looks more like a software version than anything else.

    Anyways.

    The past two months have passed relatively painlessly.  Relative to, say, having every bone in your body crushed one by one by a medieval master of torture who happened to be drunk at the time.

    I took Avi¡¯s advice of putting off the tutoring sessions for her friends, or anyone else for that matter, until I could at least keep my mind from undressing my fellow students.  Which had worked reasonably well, until her friends started just dropping by to ¡°say hi¡±.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    After a particularly close call with Daleira, I started staying in the Realm when not going to class or performing at Dawn Star.

    On a positive note, the time spent there exercising and cultivating at the same time has been very productive.  While keeping myself occupied, I had Kinkade work on building my Cores while M3 worked on integrating T2 Mana into the Psijic Star.

    Aside from feeling like a gym rat, I¡¯ve actually made good progress with my cultivation.  I¡¯ve now reached the 4<sup>th</sup> Rank of Tier 5, something that the Trio has told me is altogether too fast.  That said, M3 successfully managed to integrate the T2 Mana into my Psijic Star, leading to an insane boost in its power.  Which also led me to reaching the 6<sup>th</sup> Tier as a Mentalist.

    Their ranking for Mentalists is a bit weird, though.  There¡¯s no way to determine someone¡¯s cultivation in ¡°Mental Strength¡± by just looking at someone, so instead they just go by what their testing stones measure.  Much like how I was tested at the entrance exam.

    How would I get my hands on something like that, you ask?  Well, the Dean being a fanboy helped.  In exchange for being able to use a testing stone whenever I want to, I just had to make him a permanent sculpture of a Heavenly Lightning Jade Dragon, 1/1,000<sup>th</sup> the life sized version.

    Anyway, the testing stone says I¡¯m actually now at T6R4.  Handy.  Now I don¡¯t really have to worry that much about Jae-Eun¡¯s murder machine taking me out if I say something wrong.

    All-told, huge progress was made on all fronts concerning my cultivation.  Heck, I¡¯ve even managed to get up to 6G in my resistance training!  Win!

    On the personal side of things, it¡¯s been tough.

    I¡¯ve spent as much time as I can spare with my family, Xixi, Zanth, and Grammy as I could.  Even helping Grammy by answering her hundreds of questions related to Encompass the Universe, which was draining.  I hadn¡¯t really known just how much of a research fanatic Grammy was before this.  It¡¯s actually a bit scary.

    Anyways, I found out that mom had decided to break through to Tier 2 at the same time as Grammy and Avi, which was a bit of a surprise.  It seems that the three of them have become pretty close friends over the past few months, especially in the past two months.

    I suspect that both mom and Grammy know that Avi and I are a thing now, but neither of them has said a word about it.  So, I¡¯ll just leave that conversation with them alone.  No need to complicate life further, after all.

    Anywho.

    After having kept our tails for a good six weeks, Avi and I decided that it would ultimately be for the best to amputate them.  I can¡¯t express how much that hurt, but I¡¯m pretty sure that Avi is as relieved as I am that we won¡¯t have to worry about accidentally seeing a full moon and going on a rampage.

    Which led to an unforeseen benefit.  After my tail was removed, and I¡¯d recovered from the shock, I found that my nearly unbridled sex drive had dropped to manageable levels again.  Not that it¡¯s easy, no.  It¡¯s still a chore to keep focussed, but at least I¡¯m no longer on a hair trigger, as it were.

    Which made classes so much easier to attend.  Even though I¡¯d read through and memorized the textbooks for each class before hand, being distracted by pretty classmates had made it hard to focus.

    Now that I¡¯m not constantly distracted, I was able to notice an interesting pattern with arrays.  Or, rather, in how they¡¯re written and compiled.  As annoying as having to draw out a geometric diagram to make an array is, I found that it was ultimately still inefficient.

    I then went and reread the advanced textbooks on arrays and the theory behind them and found my answer.  There is indeed a ¡°language¡± for magic.  It¡¯s used in arrays as well as artifact refining, the process of making a magical item here.  I¡¯m not as familiar as I would like to be with the Language of Magic, so I¡¯ll need to put in more study time.

    That said, Alyraele, Sophia, Gabrielle, Daleira, and Jae-Eun didn¡¯t have a clue about any of that yet.  I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯ll continue to study arrays as they progress in their studies even though I think that our study group is getting along well.

    Yes, I now have five of the goddesses as consistent study partners, not including Avi.  That said, Avi has mentioned that a few others on the Ranking expressed interest in joining their study session.  She was a bit hesitant to accept as she still hadn¡¯t gotten a read on their motives or personalities yet.  Which is why we¡¯ll all be meeting later this evening to ¡°interview¡± them.

    On another note, I was happy when the four girls accepted Alicia¡¯s invitation.  They¡¯ve gone out questing more than a few times since, and they seem to really get along well.  With Alicia taking defense with Gabrielle, the other four are able to deal with any problems that pop up with ranged attacks.

    Ah, what else?

    Most of the clan has relocated from my Realm to the Prime.  Most of the residents of Brightside chose to start rebuilding their lives alongside Brightside¡¯s construction.  It has certainly made a few things easier having them all helping with Brightside¡¯s construction and planning.  Heck, they were even excited to see the cultivation cave that I made a while back.

    My family, though, decided to settle in Stormhaven, Tillia¡¯s parents included.

    That said, my family is still managing Brightside and the area.  Kinkade helps with transportation when time is of the essence.  Otherwise, they just use one of the runabouts that Avi had continued making.

    We have six now, as well as a Defiant-Class starship.  And a Falcon.

    Their systems aren¡¯t fully flushed out yet, but Avi assures me that they can fly and are space worthy.  Which opens up a space exploration in the future!

    In the meantime, I¡¯m sure that Avi¡¯s already got something going on up there considering the amount of resources she just so happens to have on hand.  I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she¡¯d already got mining operations and refineries set up out there.

    Hmm, what else?  Mentioned my cultivation, school, the gals, my family¡­.  Oh, right.

    Before the interviews tonight, I¡¯ll be speaking with the Trio.  Wentian¡¯s been a bit weird these past couple months, constantly slipping into conversations I¡¯ve had with Bai Lian, never leaving just the two of us alone together.  I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯d trying to attract Bai Lian¡¯s attention, or acting as a very weird wingman for Mo Yu, seeing as how he never interrupts our conversations together.

    At least Bai Lian and Mo Yu seem to have calmed down a bit in the past two months.  It had gotten a bit weird with how protective they¡¯d gotten with me.  It could be that they were worried that one of the girls in the study group would try something with me or something.  Kind of like overprotective sisters filtering out the ones they didn¡¯t approve of.

    Anyway, today is the day to let them know that I¡¯ll be releasing them from their Oaths if they¡¯ll agree to another Oath to keep my secrets.  It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust them, but sometimes people get talking and things slip out.

    Ah, well.  I¡¯ll end it there.

    End of Log.

    Joram leaned back in his chair, doing a full-body stretch that felt amazing after having sat for so long.

    He adjusted his glasses as he sat up again, noting that it was almost time for the Trio to come in for the meeting.  With the last few minutes, he went over what he wanted to say to them.  It wasn¡¯t too complicated, but he was still crap with talking about serious and sensitive stuff.

    *Knock-knock*

    He once again refrained from going there and instead called them in.

    Bai Lian led the way, as she often did.  He wondered if she took the lead because of a weird sense of seniority they had amongst themselves based on who was brought back first.

    Either way, Wentian followed her closely with Mo Yu taking up the rear.  The three of them lined up in front of his desk, looking like they¡¯d been called to the principle¡¯s office or something weird like that.

    ¡°Why the odd looks?¡±  He asked rhetorically.  ¡°Just have a seat, relax.  Take a load off, as it were,¡± he said with a smile, which seemed to have the opposite effect on them.

    They did sit though.

    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind, young master?¡±  Mo Yu asked, the most composed of the three.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking long and hard about your Oaths to me,¡± he said, getting startled looks out of them.

    ¡°Have we done anything wrong?¡±  Bai Lian asked anxiously, now looking worried that she¡¯d somehow messed up.

    ¡°No, not at all,¡± he said with a smile as he waved that concern off.  ¡°Quite the opposite in fact.¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s this about?¡±  Wentian asked warily, leaning back a hair.

    Joram looked at Wentian, trying to figure out what was going on, but then just gave up.

    ¡°I¡¯ve spoken to you all about my views on slavery, right?¡±  He asked, getting not just startled looks, but worried ones now.

    Nevertheless, they all nodded slowly as he suppressed the urge to facepalm.

    ¡°OK, that was a bad lead-in,¡± he said with a sigh.  ¡°What I¡¯m trying to get at is that I think your Oaths are a bit too close to making slaves of you for my comfort.¡±

    That got even higher levels of surprise from them than his other statements had.

    ¡°But such Oaths of loyalty are common,¡± Bai Lian said slowly, concern written on her face.

    ¡°Not for me, they¡¯re not,¡± he said quietly, images of horrible feudal states coming to mind.  ¡°I am sorry that I asked such Oaths from you.  So, as of now, I¡¯ll dismiss those Oaths in favour of just one.  That you keep my secrets, as well as those of those close to me.  Do you agree?¡±

    It seemed as though he was carpet bombing the Trio with shocking questions and statements, for they were once again stunned into silence as they processed his words.

    Wentian was the easiest to read.  His suspicion had faded into an eagerness that he wasn¡¯t quite able to hide.  Which honestly was both understandable and worried him a bit.

    Had he somehow treated the man poorly over the past five months?

    Bai Lian was the next easiest to read, but still a confusing smorgasbord of emotions played across her face.  He managed to identify traces of anger, confusion, sadness, and even betrayal in there.  None of which made any sense to him until he remembered Asura¡¯s words when he¡¯d run back to his old training grounds to get away from his family as they tried to give him ¡°the talk¡±, or a pep talk, or something equally embarrassing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about Bai Lian and Mo Yu.¡±  Asura had told him, which had initially confused him.  Now, well, even he was starting to understand as he watched the emotions warring across Bai Lian¡¯s face.

    He turned to study Mo Yu then and found that she was already studying him.  Her face was unreadable, but he did see heat in her eyes as she regarded him.  And not the kind of heat he¡¯d been seeing in Avi¡¯s eyes the past two months.  No, he was sure that she, too, was angry with him for reasons he couldn¡¯t properly explain.

    ¡°Ahem,¡± he said, drawing their attention back to him.  ¡°Wentian?  Would you like to go first?¡±

    Wentian nodded slowly as he shot a quick glance at Bai Lian.

    ¡°I accept,¡± he said, causing both women to look at him.  ¡°I also swear to keep your secrets, not sharing them with anyone not already in your confidence.  If I break this Oath, may the heavens punish me as they see fit,¡± he said solemnly.

    Joram nodded, accepting the Oath for what it was.  It left a lot of leeway for the punishment of breaking the Oath, but he was more concerned by the spirit of the words.  Which seemed sincere enough.

    Bai Lian and Mo Yu shared a look as he sensed a conversation going on between them over the Network.  He certainly didn¡¯t want to listen in on it, as it was probably several levels of personal.

    After a moment, they nodded to each other before getting up, each making their own way around his desk to kneel on either side of him.  He looked from one to the other before rolling his chair back a bit so that he could more easily see the pair.  Though, once the room opened up, they shimmied forward so that they were both kneeling in front of him, their shoulders touching.

    ¡°I, Qin Bai Lian,¡±

    ¡°I, Li Mo Yu,¡±

    Bai Lian said, followed by Mo Yu, then they spoke together, sending chills down his spine.

    ¡°Vow to the Heavens and my ancestors to forever be loyal, true, and faithful to you, Joram Aneath.  Whatever may come, whomever may protest, this will be true regardless of any words or actions to come; forevermore.¡±

    ¡°OK,¡± he said.

    Given the looks of fierce determination they had, he couldn¡¯t think of anything else to say to that.  What could he say?  He only had an inkling as to why they¡¯d made such an Oath, but really had no idea how they¡¯d come to the decision to make that Oath.  Especially one that bound them to him ¡°forevermore¡±.

    The words of his father came to mind as he watched the two young women slowly stand up, hand-in-hand.

    ¡°I think that you underestimate the allure of a handsome young man whose talent is above the clouds.  Not to mention someone who¡¯s selfless enough to help complete strangers without asking for anything in return.  I could see it in those girls¡­¡±

    Had he been mistaken this whole time?  Were Bai Lian¡¯s and Mo Yu¡¯s feelings not those of overprotective sisters, but something more?  How was he going to deal with that?

    ¡°Wentian, thank you for your sincerity,¡± he said as he turned to the man. ¡°If you could give us a moment alone?¡±

    Wentian looked torn between his automatic reply that had formed over the course of five months and what he was now able to say.  Eventually, wisdom won out and he nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get started on making snacks for this evening then,¡± he said, giving Bai Lian one last look before leaving.

    With a thought, he dragged the chairs that the young women had been sitting in over, then motioned for them to sit. A few moments later, he was ready to speak with them without feeling like some skuzzy protagonist in a harem comic.

    ¡°Tell me, what brought on the new vow?¡±  He asked infinity more calmly than he felt inside.

    The pair exchanged looks again before Mo Yu spoke up.

    ¡°Should it now not be obvious to you?¡±  She asked, pulling a Socrates on him.

    ¡°What I don¡¯t understand is the ¡®why¡¯.  Or maybe the ¡®how¡¯ of it,¡± he started, trying to find the right words.  ¡°With what you just did, even I understand your intent.  But given the eminently unequal dynamic between us, I just don¡¯t understand how your feelings came to be.¡±

    The two exchanged another Look before Bai Lian spoke up.

    ¡°Your grandmother was correct,¡± she said as she shook her head slightly.

    ¡°Do you not remember what your father told you?¡±  Mo Yu asked as soon as Bai Lian finished, making him think that they¡¯d somehow reversed this.

    ¡°Are you talking about the whole talent thing or my kindness?¡±

    ¡°Talent is indeed important but character, more so,¡± Bai Lian said, now showing a bit of difficulty looking him in the eye.

    ¡°Kindness,¡± he started with a sigh.  ¡°Receiving kindness shouldn¡¯t be like finding an Immortal Coin on the street. Nor should it be something that someone shows another for any reason other than it being the right thing to do,¡± he said as he stared at Bai Lian.

    When she looked up at hearing his words, he locked eyes with her.

    ¡°Being a decent person, no matter your social standing, ethnicity, race, or any other factor should be a universal standard.  That this world only seems to worship strength is its greatest failing,¡± he said in all seriousness.

    Then, as the seconds ticked by with the two of them looking at him as though they¡¯d encountered a mythical and wondrous beast, he started to feel self-conscious.  Had he come off as a sanctimonious prat?

    At length, Mo Yu finally replied.

 Chapter 080 - Interviews

    ¡°And that is why your grandmother is right,¡± Mo Yu said, her words at odds with the look of respect and admiration on her face.

    Joram could only stare at her until Bai Lian spoke up, drawing his attention to her.

    ¡°Even though neither of us have suffered unduly over the years, neither have we received such kindness from anyone ¡®because it was the right thing to do¡¯ from someone,¡± she paused for a moment to find the right words.  ¡°We¡¯ve received ¡®kindness¡¯ from our teachers and even our peers.  But was it kindness for the sake of being a good person?  I don¡¯t think so.

    ¡°There is always a cost to benefit ratio taken into account when nurturing disciples in the Sects.  If you have talent, you¡¯re treated better.  If you¡¯re beautiful, you¡¯ll be put on a pedestal.  I always thought that that was normal growing up; your value as a person being determined by what you can give back to the Sect.

    ¡°My master was an exceptionally nice person to me.  She provided me with extra resources for cultivation and even access to the Sect¡¯s library so that I could immerse myself in reading when I wasn¡¯t cultivating.  But was that out of kindness, or what I was ¡®worth¡¯ to the Sect?¡±

    She paused then.  Her expression going from sincere to torn and everything in between.  Just seeing her inner turmoil sparked his empathy, making him want to go and give her a hug.  He suppressed that urge, knowing that she needed to go through that for herself; his interference would sway her more than she¡¯d already been.

    He was relieved, then, when Mo Yu extended a hand and placed it on her shoulder, giving her a light squeeze.  Taking strength from that gesture, Bai Lian continued with more¡­ firmness, or certitude, in her tone.

    ¡°I¡¯m well aware of the ¡®injured patient¡¯ and ¡®captured soldier¡¯ effect on a person who¡¯s not only received care from someone, but is also their prisoner,¡± she said, confusing him for a moment.

    Oh, the Reverse Nightingale and Stockholm Syndromes, he thought, connecting what she was talking about with what he knew the syndromes as.

    ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to deny that those states of mind haven¡¯t affected me, I can¡¯t say for certain.  But what I do know, is that your kindness isn¡¯t an act.  Nor is it a means to an end.  It is a part of who you are, and that¡¯s why I decided to be with you.

    ¡°As senior sister Mo Yu has told me, feelings might change with time and circumstance.  That¡¯s normal.  But I feel that what I have come to feel for you won¡¯t change.  My feelings of gratitude, admiration, and respect won¡¯t ever fade,¡± she paused as her face went red, her chin dipping slightly as though she was about to lower her head.  Instead, her chin went right back up again, and even a bit higher than it had been before as her eyes flashed with a fierce determination that surprised him.

    ¡°You might see us as servants, or maybe even as family.  If that is how you¡¯ll only ever feel about us, then I¡¯ll die a happy woman.  But if somehow, some day, our feelings get through to you and are reciprocated, then I¡¯m sure that we¡¯ll live our lives with joy in our hearts,¡± she finished by linking fingers with Mo Yu with one hand while the other came up to rest lightly on her heart.

    Joram turned to regard Mo Yu and found that she, too, had placed her hand on her heart in the same way as Bai Lian.  He also saw how her eyes shone with certitude and conviction, quite obviously agreeing with Bai Lian¡¯s words.

    Joram leaned back a bit then and took of his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, using a tiny circular motion that he found soothing as he closed his eyes to think.

    Is this really how normal people think here?  He asked himself, wondering at just how na?ve people in this world seemed to be.

    Was it really that easy to ¡°capture¡± the heart of a woman here?  Wouldn¡¯t it make it way too easy for someone to take advantage of countless women?  Or was it that he¡¯d just encountered two exceptionally pure women?

    ¡°First,¡± he said, then opened his eyes and put his glasses back on.  ¡°I need to drop you from the Network.  No, just listen.  When I first revived you all, I forced the connection on you so that I could keep better tabs on you.  No, I haven¡¯t listened in on your conversations or read your minds or any such thing.

    ¡°I have a very firm belief in the sanctity of a person¡¯s thoughts and their privacy.  But the connection that I have with you isn¡¯t one of equality, it¡¯s one I forced on you.  So, along with releasing you of your Oaths of servitude, I¡¯d planned on also releasing you from that forced connection and extending to you one of equality,¡± he said, then dropped them both from the Network.

    He saw their expressions of surprise and, oddly enough, discomfort before he extended a proper invitation to the pair.  They immediately accepted, gratification and relief flowing through their connection to him.

    ¡°Now,¡± he started, very much not wanting to have this talk right now given the interviews that were scheduled to start soon.  ¡°I am flattered beyond words by your confessions.  I can¡¯t say that this has ever happened to me before, or that I even suspected that something like this could happen to me.

    ¡°But I also need some time to sort out how I feel about you both.  For I truly had started to see you as family over these past few months.  That said, I also feel that I need to tell you that Avi and I are currently in a relationship with each other,¡± he had to pause then when his words caused them to go into a slight state of shock, their eyes going wide with that faraway look someone got then their minds disconnected with the present.

    After a few moments, he continued.

    ¡°Which means that you¡¯ll need to speak with Avi before anything else can even hope to happen.  That said, I very much appreciate you both, but I don¡¯t want to act hastily for fear that I might screw things up between us.  I cherish what we have right now.  So please, know that I have taken your words to heart and will seriously consider how to go forward from here on out with you both,¡± he finished, looking from one to the other and back again a few times, trying to impress upon them the sincerity of his words.

    Bai Lian and Mo Yu took a minute to process what he¡¯d said, exchanging Looks with each other and words over the Network.  They then nodded to the other before turning to regard him once more as they stood up.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± they said as one before Mo Yu took over.  ¡°We¡¯ll go and help Wentian with the preparation for tonight then,¡± she said, bow giving him a formal, but sincere bow before turning and leaving him alone in his office.

    Joram sagged in his chair once the door closed behind Bai Lian.

    Kinkade: Congratulations on surviving that one!

    M3: Indeed.  That had the potential to go spectacularly wrong.

    M4: Yup.  I, for one, and glad that we get to live another day!

    Joram:  Guys.  I can tell that you¡¯re all being sarcastic right now.  And, honestly, that kind of hurts, you know?

    Kinkade: Ah, but who¡¯ll take you down a peg or six if your head starts getting too big after having two beauties simultaneously confess their eternal love and devotion to you?

    M3 & M4: Too, right!

    Joram: I was always harder on myself than anyone else.  But having three other ¡°Me¡¯s¡± hop on the bandwagon might be a bit too much.

    Kinkade: Ah, you¡¯ll be fine.  I¡¯d more worry about Avi right now.  Even though she gave the ¡°go ahead¡±, I¡¯m sure that it¡¯ll come as a bit of a shock to have that talk with the two of them.

    Joram: Ah, always have to think of the worst possible outcome, eh?

    Kinkade: How else would anything that comes after seem not so bad?  ¡°Plan for the worst but hope for the best¡± is probably one of our favourite sayings along with ¡°Pray like everything depends on God but work as though everything depends on you¡±.

    Joram: Heh, true.  I¡¯ve got a boatload of work ahead of me it seems.

    Kinkade: Now that we¡¯ve reached a new level of psionic reserves, why don¡¯t you start another Mind going?  I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll help.

    Joram: Ah, good call.  Thanks guys.  I¡¯ll get that done right away then.

    Kinkade, M3, and M4: No worries.

    Joram took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  A moment later, another [Schism] was up and running with an additional mind.  So, he set M4 and M5 to work on [Genesis] while reassigning M3 to concentrate on integrated Tier 3 Mana into his Psijic Star while also generally managing his overall cultivation.

    He left Kinkade to his projects and collaborations with Asura, though.  Having people working on important things while he concentrated on his schoolwork and life allowed him to get the relaxation he needed so that he wouldn¡¯t burn out.

    That done, he took another few minutes to calm himself with some meditation.  The emotionally charged conversations he¡¯d just had with the three practitioners had drained him more than a little bit.  Even with practicing being social by playing at Dawn Star every week, as well as his tutoring sessions with Avi¡¯s team, he still hadn¡¯t managed to build up his emotional reserves very much.

    It was hard.

    People were hard.

    Letting people in was even harder for him.

    But growing needed change, and change was often uncomfortable.  And sucked.

    ¡°Firm up¡±, eh?  He much preferred that expression over incredibly sexist one that was more often used: ¡°Man up¡±.

    Yeah, he¡¯d firm up.  He¡¯d continue to take the opportunities to grow that came his way.  He¡¯d also likely fail more than not, but he was OK with that.  Another quote came to mind.  ¡°You only fail a trial when you fail to learn the lesson it taught¡±.  Or something like that.

    The point wasn¡¯t to just keep getting up mindlessly to once again throw yourself at a problem; it was to learn from it.

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    So, what would he learn from his current situation?  Don¡¯t be nice to everyone?  Be a prick so that people wouldn¡¯t flock to him?  Withhold help from someone in need?  Be more selfish?

    Nah, I¡¯m going to choose to fail this one, he thought.  The lessons he could imaging weren¡¯t lessons that he wanted to learn from.  So, that was that.

    He looked at the time and sighed.  No more alone time.  It was now time to adult.

    - - -

    ¡°¡­ So you¡¯re saying that you¡¯ll be able to connect me with influential people after graduating?¡±  Joram asked Alaural, the pretty half-elf in front of him.

    ¡°Yes!  And once you¡¯re in good with them, we¡¯ll get set!¡±  Alaural explained, giving him serious used-care salesman vibes.

    ¡°And what about the study group?¡±  Alicia asked, cutting in to get things back on topic.

    ¡°Ah, well, that¡¯s not as important as making connections with the right people,¡± she said, waving off the idea of actually joining the study group.

    ¡°All right,¡± Joram said, standing up and offering his hand.  ¡°We¡¯ll let you know.¡±

    At the obvious dismissal, Alaural stood up and shook his hand, her confident grin still plastered on her face.

    - - -

    ¡°Tell me, Lilly, how do you see yourself as part of the study group?¡±  Alicia asked as she gave the young human woman her best interviewer¡¯s smile.

    ¡°Well, I can see myself helping Joram with anything he needs,¡± she replied, eyes all starry.

    ¡°Any particular areas you need help with; in your studies?¡±  Joram asked, looking her directly in the eyes because the low top she¡¯d worn threatened to release its contents as she leaned forward, a goofy smile on her face.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± she said, tilting her head to the side as she thought, letting her auburn locks cascade to her right.  ¡°I suppose I could always use help with keeping fit.  I notice that you¡¯re very well built, so I imagine that you¡¯d have lots that you could share,¡± she said with a bright smile, eyes only for Joram.

    Which meant that she didn¡¯t see how Alicia¡¯s eyes narrowed dangerously.

    - - -

    ¡°So, Faenwyn,¡± Joram said, glancing again at her application form to get her name.  ¡°I see that you¡¯re also studying arrays.  Are you finding the courseload a bit much?  Or are there other aspects that you need help with?¡±

    Faenwyn sat across from him, her back straight, tail curled onto her lap, and golden eyes locked onto him.  She was the first beastkin he¡¯d met in the Academy, and only the second one he¡¯d ever spoken with.  Not that he had anything against beastkin, it was just that they had so few numbers there that he hadn¡¯t had a chance to speak with them.

    Her left ear twitched slightly as she seriously thought over her answer.  It was a bit distracting, as she had beautiful silver hair that complimented her golden eyes and pale ivory skin quite well.  Her ears, though, were the stereotypical ears you¡¯d find in a comic, rising from the sides of her head where the top of a human¡¯s ears would normally end to peak several inches above the top of her head.

    Her tail was also standard beastkin style along with her slightly larger incisors that gave her a more feral look even though she was dressed and groomed impeccably.  Aside from those features, she looked almost like a half-elf.

    ¡°I would say that I¡¯m having difficulty deciphering the compound syntaxes needed to join two different arrays together,¡± she stated proudly, with a bit of challenge in her tone.  ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll understand it soon, but seeing as how you¡¯re highly spoken of, I suppose that it wouldn¡¯t hurt to see what the group can offer,¡± she finished, turning her face slightly to the left.

    Is she a tsundere?

    ¡°Ah, then I¡¯d be happy to help,¡± Joram said with a smile.

    - - -

    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is this.  I¡¯ll be happy to assist you with your tutoring group, though I¡¯m sure that most questions will be bellow my current studies,¡± the elf said, flinging her long blonde hair over her shoulder absently.

    ¡°And you want to get paid for that?¡±  Joram asked, his face deadpan.

    ¡°Well, you wouldn¡¯t expect such a talented person such as I to instruct juniors without appropriate recompense, would you?¡±  She asked as thought it was the most obvious thing in the world.

    ¡°No, Lymseia, we would not,¡± Alicia said through her fixed smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s ¡®Miss Wynvalor,¡± Miss Wynvalor corrected.

    - - -

    ¡°My father is a Marquis of the Aestorean Kingdom.  We are constantly searching for gifted Alchemists and can offer you considerable benefits if you¡¯ll sign a contract with us,¡± the pretty human girl confidently offered.

    She was certainly qualified to be on the Goddess Ranking given her eye-catching figure and pretty face.

    ¡°Ah, well, I¡¯ve still got many years ahead of me before I even leave the Academy,¡± Joram deflected politely.

    The redhead, Caroline Barrows, tossed her hair back with both hands and leaned forward slightly.

    ¡°That¡¯s more than all right.  We would prefer that anyone wishing to sing with us be thoroughly trained before being employed by the House,¡± she said, a confident smile on her face.  ¡°That said, we offer an annual salary of twenty High Rank, Tier 2 crystals plus discounted accommodations and board for newly signed Alchemists of the 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s OK,¡± Joram said, hiding his shock at such a low number, not to mention needing to pay- even in part!- for his accommodations and food.  ¡°I still have time to grow and explore my options.¡±

    Caroline¡¯s cheeks reddened slightly as her expression darkened at his polite refusal.

    ¡°Don¡¯t squander a good opportunity that¡¯s landed in your lap!  Our offer is amongst the best out there; you¡¯d be short-sighted to refuse such an amazing offer,¡± she said as she leaned forward, wagging her finger in his face.

    - - -

    Joram was impressed with the agonizingly stereotypical and gorgeous demon princess in front of him.  He was reasonably sure that she was a succubus, or a descendant of one.  Her red/black hair was long, full, and glossy.  It was tied back by two thin braids on each side of her head that started just above and just below her obsidian horns, joining together as they passed the horns to the third one that came from the top of her head.

    Her horns weren¡¯t ridged like an animal¡¯s, but were smooth and polished to the point that he was sure he could see his reflection in them.  They started high on her temples, right at the hairline of the top of hear forehead.  Her horns initially rose up, but then swept back before once more curving upwards before they reached the back of her head.

    He tried to concentrate on what she was saying about alchemy by looking into her amethyst eyes, but her very cute, elongated incisors were more than a little distracting behind her full lips.  He was very glad that, even though she could have flaunted her ample charms, she¡¯d dressed professionally for the interview.

    ¡°So, then, you¡¯d like some help with breaking through to a 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier Alchemist, is that it?¡±  Alicia asked from beside him, staying remarkably calm given how poorly he was concentrating on the interview.

    ¡°Yes, but I wouldn¡¯t want to impose.  I am willing to share some of the techniques of my homeland in exchange for your help,¡± she replied, sweetening the deal by actually offering something in return.

    ¡°That sounds reasonable Miss Kassandra,¡± Joram said, nodding.  ¡°We¡¯ll be in touch,¡± he said as he stood, offering his hand.

    Kassandra took his hand delicately and stood without applying pressure on his hand.  He couldn¡¯t help but glance at her ¡°devil wings¡± as they unfolded slightly when she stood.  Much like a traditional succubus, her wings exited her back not from her waist, but from just above midway between her shoulder blades.

    ¡°I look forward to it,¡± Kassandra replied with a smile, then turned and shook Alicia¡¯s hand.

    - - -

    Joram and Alicia went through to more interviews, another elf and another human.  The first failed not because she was trying to hard, but had resorted to hardcore flirting in the end.  The second was dismissed as soon as it became evident that she wanted a ¡°private tutor¡± to help her at home.

    Which brought them to the second to last applicant.

    ¡°You¡¯re already a Teir 5 Alchemist Miss Fairfir,¡± Joram said as he glanced at the application.  ¡°What do you hope to learn from a junior such as I?¡±

    Renna Fairfir regarded him for a moment with her shockingly silver eyes.  They weren¡¯t just a light grey that reflected the light well, but actually looked like polished silver.  Combined with her hair that looked like spun gold, he very much understood why she was ranked so high.

    He was, once again, glad that the elves of this world had pointed ears along the lines of LotR rather than WarCrack or popular comics from the East.  Her ears just poked out of her hair instead of jutting out like fins.  On the other hand, she very much held to the more stereotypical body type.

    That wasn¡¯t to say that she was flat as a board or anything.  No, if anything, he supposed that she was just below average in that area.  Which, really, would have made her obscenely busty according to most mangakas.  Renna was also slender, stood under five and a half feet tall, was as lithe as a professional dancer, and looked no older than sixteen¡­ if he was being generous.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± she said, touching her cheek delicately with one slender finger.  ¡°I wouldn¡¯t normally inquire about a study group created by first-years, but I¡¯ve heard many interesting things about you.¡±

    ¡°Oh?  Do tell,¡± Alicia asked as she got that subtle look that told Joram that she was ready to toss the elf out the door.

    ¡°Oh, let¡¯s see,¡± she said, now tilting her head slightly, giving her an incredibly cute look.  ¡°You¡¯ve brought strange new instruments to the Academy and play them exceptionally well.  You¡¯re also able to slip away from a watching crowd from behind a screen with not a single person noticing.  You rub elbows with the Dean and the President of the Heavenly Trove.

    ¡°Not to mention that you¡¯ve been tutoring several of the children on the Goddess Ranking over the past two months without the slightest negative comment from them.  On the contrary, when asked about those sessions, they speak nothing but praise about not only how well those sessions are conducted, but also how well you¡¯ve conducted yourself around them,¡± she said, listing each one off and raising a finger to illustrate her five points.

    ¡°All true,¡± Joram said, fighting off a blush due to the praise at the end.  ¡°But why would you want to join out study group?  A 5<sup>th</sup> Tier Alchemist must surely have better things to do than participate in a low-level study group.¡±

    Renna smiled at him, showing her remarkably white, straight, and perfectly formed teeth.

    ¡°Are you trying to recruit me or chase me off?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just wondering what you hope to learn from us,¡± Joram said with his second-best smile.

    To her credit, his smile didn¡¯t phase her at all.

    ¡°I am an assistant to the instructors for the fourth and fifth years,¡± she said, scoring a point on him when he couldn¡¯t hold back his blink of surprise.  ¡°I enjoy helping my juniors, especially ones who seem promising.  And if the rumours are true, then you¡¯re very promising indeed,¡± she finished with a mysterious smile.

    Which just made her impishly cute, honestly.

    ¡°Well, then I look forward to learning from you,¡± Joram said as he stood up and extended his hand to her.

    Renna accepted his hand in much the same way that Kassandra had, though she didn¡¯t seem to care if she pulled on his hand as she stood up.  A warm smile replaced the adorable one, causing her eyes to actually glisten a bit in the light as she looked up at him.

    ¡°Likewise,¡± she said, then turned to Alicia and offered her hand to her.  ¡°It will be fun teaching promising students.¡±

    ¡°I look forward to your guidance,¡± Alicia replied with her own warm smile.

    Once Renna stepped out, Alicia turned to him and nodded.  But before she could speak, the front door of the manor swung open again to admit the last applicant.

    Joram quickly took the application from the white-haired cat beastkin as she practically danced up to them.  From the tips of her ears that stood up above her pixie cut to the tip of her long and sleek tail, her hair was as white and shimmering as newly fallen snow.

    If it weren¡¯t for the progress he¡¯d made over the past two months with keeping his hormones under control, he would have definitely been staring at Emily Hornwood.

    She stood just a bit shorter than Renna had and was gorgeous enough to land solidly on the Ranking.  But that¡¯s where the similarities ended between the two.

    Where Renna had a lithe body any professional dancer would envy, Emily managed to keep a fit look while being incredibly busty with hips that could mesmerize a blind man if she walked him.  Her tail swayed gently behind her as she swayed slightly in place as she waited for him to quickly read her application before handing it off to Alicia.

    If it were just her figure and stunningly good looks, it wouldn¡¯t have been too bad.  But since the school week had just ended, students were allowed to dress in casual clothes.  And she had gone all-in on the casual.

    She wore a body suit that clung to every part of her body, something one would see on a superhero that the artist had drawn naked, but then added lines here and there to give the illusion of clothing with some embellishments to make her ¡°outfit¡± a bit fancier.

    Emily had a thin cloth choker that attached to the body suit at the neck.  There was a bit of white trim on the bottom edges of the body suit that barely went down to the tops of her shapely thighs.  Her back was almost completely exposed, but stopped just before her tail, which popped out of the outfit just two inches later.

    He had no idea how she considered what she wore to be appropriate outside attire.  Even though ever inch of the front of her torso was covered in cloth, it also left absolutely nothing to the imagination as it clung to her like plastic-wrap.

    ¡°Um, Emily?¡±  He said, concentrating very hard on her very red eyes.  ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be taking any of the courses that our study group covers.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm, I kneow,¡± she said, almost breaking his brain.  ¡°I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about since Renna-chi actually came by,¡± she said, smiling a smile that showed her own elongated incisors.

    ¡°Ah, then, I hope that I haven¡¯t disappointed,¡± he said with another one of his second-best smiles.

    He almost backed up when Emily slid closer to him, going on tiptoes as she breathed in deeply through her nose.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll have fun,¡± she said with a smile that sent a shiver up his spine.  ¡°After all, you¡¯re not quite a prude, are you?¡±

 Chapter 081 - Fight!

    Joram hadn¡¯t felt such a sense of imminent danger and death since he¡¯d hidden away from that titan crossing the valley shortly after he left his lone mountaintop.

    He could feel not just Alicia¡¯s eyes on him, but also those of Bai Lian and Mo Yu from where they stood near the kitchen.  The weight of those stares combined with Emily¡¯s breasts lightly brushing his chest as she stood on tiptoe to stare at him nearly made him shift away right then and there.  Screw the consequences.

    The next urge that he had to beat down with a crowbar was the urge to snatch Emily up and carry her away so that he could relieve the insane amount of tension she¡¯d generated in him.  It was very hard staring into her huge, cat-like eyes as she looked up at him, a provocative smile on her face.

    It was so bad that he pulled M3 from cultivation duty to help him regulate his pulse along with everything else.

    ¡°I¡¯m flattered Miss Hornwood,¡± he said, holding his ground for some stupid reason.  ¡°The only thing that I could possibly tutor you in is hand-to-hand combat.  Unfortunately, since you¡¯re two years ahead of me, I¡¯m not sure how much you¡¯d get out of it.¡±

    If anything, his response seemed to excite her further.  He watched as her smile grew wider, turning slightly predatory with a hint of eagerness, as her eyes dilated bit by bit until she looked like a cat that had gotten into the bag of catnip.

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that,¡± she said as she reached her arms up so that she could place her hands on his shoulders, giving him a light squeeze.  ¡°It seems that you¡¯re very fit for an Alchemist.  Why don¡¯t we try going a few rounds to see how well you do?¡±

    Joram then pulled M4 off [Genesis] duty to do something he very much didn¡¯t like doing, but might just save his life.

    M4 manifested [Read Thoughts], a much lower level power than [Mind Probe] which he¡¯d been about to use.  [Read Thoughts], though, wasn¡¯t invasive at all, merely allowing him to read the surface thoughts of anyone within range.

    What he read from Emily¡¯s surface thoughts made him grin, then pass along his findings to Alicia, Bai Lian, and Mo Yu.

    ¡°Then if you have some time, why don¡¯t we head to one of the sparring grounds right now?  I¡¯m all done with the interviews for today,¡± he asked with a smile as he tilted his head down slightly so that their faces were just inches apart.

    ¡°Then follow me,¡± she said, swaying forward first to press herself a bit more into him before swaying back, spinning on her heel, then making her way out the front door.

    A few minutes of running later, he found himself across from Emily in one of the sparring arenas, surrounded by a cheering crowd.  Alicia, Bai Lian, Mo Yu, and Wentian had followed him out the house.  What surprised him was Renna¡¯s presence, on the other side of the arena standing behind Emily, until the words ¡°Renna-chi¡± came back into his mind.

    He hoped that Renna wouldn¡¯t hold this spar against him.  He was sure that Emily was a late Tier 3 Mage, though one who seemed to specialize in melee combat if her excitement for the match and the long Wolverine style claws she was putting on here any indication.

    ¡®Are you sure that this is a good idea?¡¯ Avi asked as she saw the claws literally go on.

    ¡®I don¡¯t think that they¡¯re adamantium, nor are they enchanted above Tier 3,¡¯ he sent as he squinted as the lethal-looking blades.  ¡®It shouldn¡¯t be too hard to finish this without shredding my clothes,¡¯ he finished, sending Avi a wink.

    ¡®Har-har,¡¯ she sent back.  ¡®If you hadn¡¯t used [Read Thoughts] on her, I was about to skin that frisky cat for getting too close.  I¡¯m also sure that the girls would have joined me,¡¯ she sent with the image of a hungry grin.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to take out a weapon?¡±  Emily called over, holding up her claws to show them off.

    ¡°I told you, I¡¯m only really proficient in hand-to-hand combat,¡± he yelled back, getting not a few people in the crowd to yell for him to go home and stop bothering their goddess.  ¡°But you won¡¯t have to worry about me using any combat spells or arrays.  Let¡¯s just keep things physical,¡± he finished with a smirk, finally getting a reaction out of her.

    It wasn¡¯t a blush for his blatant inuendo, but a frown.

    ¡°You should use any body strengthening spells you know,¡± she said seriously.  ¡°I also practice a body refining technique, so I¡¯m much stronger than I look.¡±

    His opinion of the battle junky improved after hearing her say that.  Most people would keep their cards close to their chest so that they could surprise their opponent.

    What an honest/dishonest kid, he thought as a smile unknowingly crept onto his face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I do too,¡± he said, then started walking to the middle of the arena as she gawked at him for a moment before she started to move.

    Emily shot forward, her left arm extended in a simple thrust, likely to test his words.

    Joram easily side-stepped the thrust before grabbing at her extended left arm.  He stopped just before her other claw could connect with his hand, drawing them back to narrowly avoid her parry.

    He slid back to avoid a back-handed claw to the midsection, then continued dodging left and right as she did her best impression of Wolverine¡¯s ¡°Berserker Barrage¡±.  He was impressed with the speed of her attacks, guessing that her body refining technique focusses on speed and dexterity.

    At the end of her attack sequence, she surprised him by leaping forward into a combination of a forward flip and an ax kick aimed at his head.  He barely had time to slide mostly out of the way, her heel still connecting with the edge of his shoulder.

    The astonishingly heavy impact knocked him off balance, allowing Emily to perform as sweep kick as she landed, taking out his feet from under him.  He watched her as he fell, the world feeling like it was in slow motion.  She came up after the sweep kick using her centripetal motion to add power to her two-armed upward slash aimed at his kidneys.

    Did I manage to really piss her off, or is she always this crazy during a spar?  He asked himself as he began to twist in the air.  As the claws came closer, he could see that they were dull.  Well, given how hard she was swinging, he was sure that she could still cut through a normal Tier 3 Mage with that strike.

    Joram shot a hand out and slapped the side of her left arm, making it divert into her right arm and causing not only her attack to fail, but it also made her lose her balance.  He used his other hand to spring off the ground, flipping over Emily as she regained her balance.

    He could feel his blood rising now, the call of a fight making it surge.  He didn¡¯t know, but his smile got wider.

    He dashed forward as Emily finally spun to face him, bringing her claws to bear.  Instead of allowing her to regain the initiative, he began throwing out jabs and kicks so fast that it put her on the back foot.

    * * * * *

    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that the kid who fought the honour duel on his first day?¡±  Avi heard someone off to her left ask his friend.

    ¡°Now that you mention it, he does kind of look like that guy.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t he take down a Tier 4 Magic Swordsman?¡±

    ¡°Nah, the guy tripped before getting to the kid and stunned himself.  The kid just needed to pick up the Swordsman¡¯s fallen blade to end the fight.  Heard he decapitated the guy.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that still hard to do to someone a whole Tier above you?  Their bodies are a lot stronger.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± the guy trailed off as he watched Joram¡¯s mid-air counter and dodge.  ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mean that our White Princess is in trouble?¡±

    Avi noticed that the crowd around the two grew very quiet as they processed that information.  In the meantime, she could see Joram¡¯s smile growing wider and wider as he attacked Emily.  She could also feel his fighting spirit growing by the second.

    From what she¡¯d read, Emily was only in Tier 3.  Sure, she seemed like a very talented woman, but she was no match for Joram, even before his most recent assimilation and training.

    Now?  She was sure that Joram could end the fight at any time given the vast disparity in their raw power.  But as she studied his attacks, she found that he was keeping the speed of his attacks just a bit faster than her own occasional counterattack.

    From the way he baited her into attacking to how he kept her every-so-slightly off balance, she came to the conclusion that he was doing exactly as he¡¯d promised her.  He was training her.

    With that thought came the release of any tension she¡¯d unconsciously been holding onto as she watched the fight.  Even though she¡¯d told Joram that she¡¯d been about to skin Emily for her audacious flirting, she¡¯d been genuinely worried for the girl when she both saw Joram¡¯s smile and felt his rising fighting spirit.

    They hadn¡¯t yet tested the legendary battle lust of their new heritage.  She¡¯d worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold back as the fight progressed, resulting in Emily being seriously injured.  It was no joke for a Tier 5 cultivator who also refined their body to spar with a mere Tier 3 cultivator.  One wrong move and the lower Tier combatant would instantly die.

    She refocussed on the fight then, resolving to intercede should things get out of hand.

    The attacks they were exchanging were so swift and powerful that the near hits started to fray their clothing due to the wind pressure created by the attacks.  Joram looked the worst of the two, probably because of Emily¡¯s blades allowed for more efficient air compression than Joram¡¯s fists did.  Not that she¡¯d complain at seeing Joram¡¯s shirt being torn off during the fight.

    That said, Alicia might step in soon anyway just to save Emily¡¯s modesty.  Her body suit had more than a few holes forming along her sides and hips, their edges fraying more and more as the wind pulled at the edges.

    The two spectators who¡¯d identified Joram suddenly started yelling for their ¡°White Princess¡± to finish off Joram.  Soon, the spectators surrounding them picked up the chant, filling the arena with their devotion to their White Princess.

    Bai Lian and Mo Yu had their eyes glued to the fight along with Wentian.  Alicia looked over to where Renna was watching and found that she was staring back at her.

    Alicia grinned at the woman before turning back to watch the fight.

    Her grin slowly faded as she watched Emily slowly start to emit a visible aura that looked like blood-red flames.  As she launched attack after attack, Alicia saw that her eyes were slowly growing redder and redder until they, too, started to glow slightly.

    Alicia started to unconsciously chew her bottom lip as she tried to keep up with their increasing speed.  What was worse was that Joram was also starting to emit a visible aura, though his looked like fire made of jade lightning.  Not only that, but their attacks were getting so fast that they were blurring in her vision.

    There was no way that she could stop an accident from occurring now.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡®Joram?¡¯  She sent him urgently, now very worried that he might accidentally kill the young woman.

    ¡®Joram?!¡¯  She sent again, this time more urgently than before, now getting very scared of what might happen.

    She looked over to Renna and found that she, too, looked incredibly worried.

    ¡®Kinkade?!¡¯  In desperation, she tried Kinkade and almost fell over in relief when he responded.

    ¡®Hey, yeah, this is a thing,¡¯ he sent, sounding a bit concerned.  ¡®I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s in some for of intense battle focus or if he¡¯s lost himself in the fight.  Either way, he¡¯s not responding.¡¯

    ¡®That¡¯s a bad thing!¡¯

    ¡®Well, maybe.  That girl seems to have an interesting bloodline that¡¯s allowing her to fight well above her weight-class,¡¯ he sent, pointing out the obvious.  ¡®If I was the one fighting, I¡¯d likely choose to exhaust her instead of trying to break away as she¡¯s more than likely to just follow him anywhere he went.¡¯

    ¡®And that might get people hurt or killed,¡¯ Alicia finished the thought for him, getting a mental nod of acknowledgement in return.

    ¡®So, we just pray that he doesn¡¯t slip up?¡¯  She asked, still worried about Emily.

    ¡®Yup,¡¯ Kinkade replied in a blas¨¦ tone.  ¡®But don¡¯t worry, we can easily keep up with this pace and jump in if needed.¡¯

    Alicia heaved a sigh of relief, catching Bai Lian and Mo Yu¡¯s attention in the process.

    ¡®Do you know something we don¡¯t?¡¯  Mo Yu sent, her concern also plain to see and feel.

    ¡®He¡¯d going to try to tire her out,¡¯ she sent back, refocussing on the fight.

    ¡®That could work,¡¯ Wentian piped in.  ¡®But that kid isn¡¯t going to stop for a while.  May as well make ourselves comfortable then.¡¯

    Then, much to the astonishment of those watching the fight across from him, he retrieved a chair from his storage ring along with some snacks.  She was about to join him when she remembered something.

    She looked back to the two battle maniacs and saw what she¡¯d feared would come to pass.

    Joram was fighting in the remnants of his pants that now looked more like Daisy-Duke¡¯s than shorts, his shirt entirely gone.  Not only that, but even his shorts wouldn¡¯t last long as his aura was now so potent that the shorts were smouldering.

    She focussed on Emily and saw that she was in almost the same state of undress as Joram.  The only stiches of clothing remaining on her was the bottom portion of her skin suit that also happened to be smouldering from her own fiery aura, leaving the rest of her exposed to the hungry eyes of the audience.

    Then she started to get mad at Joram.  Couldn¡¯t he have stopped this long before it got to this point?  So what if he¡¯d said that he would tutor/train her.  That the fight progressed to the point that a young woman was exposed to the lecherous gazes of the audience was beyond unreasonable to her.

    Joram and Emily didn¡¯t have some great animosity between them.  No, it was just a stupid sparring match.  How would Emily be able to show her face after this?

    ¡®Kinkade.  Why didn¡¯t Joram stop this before it got to this point,¡¯ she asked, keeping her rising anger under control¡­ for now.

    ¡®Yeah, we tried that.  It seems that she¡¯d got one hell of a will save in that state,¡¯ he sent back, sounding distracted.

    Ah.

    * * * * *

    Jae-Eun couldn¡¯t believe her eyes.  Well, what she could see when she dodged around Aya¡¯s hand to catch a glimpse of Joram¡¯s spar with Miss Hornwood.

    Not that she was trying to sneak a peak at Joram¡¯s naked form.  Well, mostly not.  But she was genuinely invested in the fight.  She hadn¡¯t seen something like this since before she¡¯d come to the Academy.

    Well, not like this.  People sparring back home had the presence of mind to wear clothing that could stand up to a spar.  And their auras.

    That she was seeing aura manifestation right now shocked her more than a little bit.  As far as she knew, the phenomenon was primarily found amongst practitioners, not cultivators.  Well, people with unique bloodlines could also manifest an aura when they grew powerful enough.  But seeing Miss Hornwood¡¯s aura when she as only in the Human Realm astonished her.

    And if that was enough to shake her, seeing Joram with such a unique aura nearly made her faint.

    She looked to Aya again and found that her eyes were glued to the blur of a fight in front of her.

    ¡°What do you suppose his bloodline is,¡± she asked her guardian as quietly as she could in the cacophony made by the spectators.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Jae-Eun nearly ground her teeth together in frustration.  Not only wasn¡¯t Aya going to answer her, but she was still trying to block her view of the amazing fight.

    After another moment, she managed to dodge around Aya¡¯s hand just in time to see the last two seconds of the fight.

    She couldn¡¯t quite make out what happened, but she definitely saw the results.

    Miss Hornwood had leapt forward and as Joram started to step back, his foot slipped slightly.  This not only caused him to miss the timing of his dodge, but resulted in him dropping down slightly, coming even with Miss Hornwood¡¯s face.

    The resulting collision of her head meeting his cracked through the arena, instantly silencing everyone present.  She watched as her head snapped back while her body continued on to slam into Joram, sending them both flying.

    She winced as Joram landed on his back and slid across the damaged stone floor of the arena, Miss Hornwood laying on top of him for the ride.  She was glad that Miss Hornwood wouldn¡¯t have to go through the pain of having her skin peeled off by the stage like Joram¡­ but still felt sorry for him.  Better that he got a few good-looking scars than Miss Hornwood suffer the same fate.

    Scars just look better on men, she thought, the blushed furiously as she saw how the two of them were laying on the stage.

    ¡°Time to go,¡± Aya said, clapping her hand over Jae-Eun¡¯s eyes and hauling her away.

    * * * * *

    Man, what a blunder, Joram thought as Emily¡¯s face smacked into his, knocking her out cold.  He would have been glad that the fight had finally ended if Newton¡¯s First Law hadn¡¯t gotten involved.

    No, instead he found himself flying through the air with Emily¡¯s body pressed against his in a way that almost nobody else would appreciate, especially Emily.  So, as they flew through the air, he had Kinkade sent an augmented [Mend Body] into Emily to heal her cracked scull before they landed.  Which brought up another good point.

    If Emily were to land by herself, she¡¯d suffer some epic road rash.  Which might lead to a disfiguring injury, which also might then lead to her insane fanboys coming after his head.  Not to mention how Emily might feel about such an injury.

    So, he subtly adjusted his posture and the placement of his hands before he landed, ensuring that he would cushion her fall and protect her from further injury.

    He was about to congratulate himself on a job well done when Kinkade piped in.

    Kinkade: Hey, you realize that we¡¯re both naked, right?

    Well, shit.

    Now that Kinkade pointed out that inconvenient fact, he couldn¡¯t not feel her skin on his.  Just as their slide across the arena floor ended, he saw the looks on Alicia¡¯s, Bai Lian¡¯s, and Mo Yu¡¯s faces and knew that he was in for it.

    So, doing the right and good thing, he summoned a sheet from his miraculously intact storage ring and draped it over them.  Then, as he rolled over with Emily in his arms, he summoned another to cover his backside as he quickly wrapped Emily up like the most delicate thing in the world before wrapping his sheet around his waist like a sarong.

    All told, it took less than two seconds to get them both wrapped up, giving him plenty of time to see the stunned faces of the audience as he picked Emily up in a princess carry.

    The girls were still mad at him, so that wasn¡¯t a surprise.  But seeing Renna¡¯s astonished look was more than a little bit gratifying.  He started walking over to her before the audience had recovered from their shock.  But seeing him approach her, Renna managed to snap out of it and got moving.

    They met halfway and stopped there to awkwardly stare at each other for a moment before he cleared his throat.

    ¡°Um, she said you were friends,¡± he started, then cleared his throat again.  ¡°Could you, ah, take her home or something?¡±

    Renna soon got over her own awkwardness and nodded, accepting Emily into her arms.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later then,¡± Renna said before she turned and hurried off, Emily held tightly in her arms.

    ¡°Are you going to put a shirt on?¡±  Alicia asked kindly from behind him.

    Not bothering to waste time by answering, he retrieved a spare lace-up shirt and pulled it on, then a pair of cargo shorts that he quickly wiggled into under the sheet.  By then, the audience had grown more than a bit heated, so he allowed Alicia to pull him through the gathering crowd as the Trio acted as wave cutters.

    Once they¡¯d broken through the encirclement, Joram scooped Alicia up and ran the rest of the way home with the Trio.  He was very glad that they¡¯d all reached Tier 5, as they were all able to run at the same speed.

    A minute later, they were all sitting in the living room quietly sipping tea.

    ¡°So,¡± Alicia said, shedding her disguise and appearing as Avi.  ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°I have no excuse,¡± Joram replied immediately, hanging his head in shame.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I asked,¡± Avi said quietly as she looked at him.

    ¡°Looks like I¡¯m not the only battle junky here,¡± Wentian said with a grin, then wilted under the combined glares of the three women present.

    ¡°So?¡± Avi asked, now leaning back in her chair, arms crossed across her chest and legs crossed at the knee.  With her raised chin, she very much looked like a tsundere queen passing judgement on him.

    ¡°I,¡± he started, but stopped to gulp back the words he was about to say for he didn¡¯t want to admit it.  ¡°I¡­ I think that I¡¯m a¡­ a battle maniac,¡± he finally managed to say, shamed beyond belief.

    Even back on Earth, he¡¯d prided himself on his levelheadedness.  Even when being mugged one time after work, he¡¯d kept his cool to the point where the two muggers were so flustered, they eventually just took off.  Heck, even when drunks picked fights with him, he hadn¡¯t bothered to do anything to them, instead choosing to persuade their friends to have a good talk with the drunk after they¡¯d sobered up.

    But now?

    He¡¯d been so intent and focussed on the fight that he¡¯d gotten tunnel vision; he hadn¡¯t even realized that they¡¯d literally blown each other¡¯s clothes off during the fight.

    He was sagged so low that his elbows rested on his knees as his head hung limply.  But he could still ¡°see¡± their reactions.

    Wentian looked like the cat who proudly brought back a kill for their beloved master.  Bai Lian and Mo Yu both looked¡­ conflicted.  There was a mix of weariness, disbelief, and oddly understanding.  For Avi, well, she looked more guilty than anything else, even if she was trying to keep an angry expression plastered to her face.

    ¡°I¡¯ll also go apologize to Emily later,¡± he said to the floor, feeling especially bad about how she¡¯d ended up.

    That¡­ didn¡¯t get the reaction he expected.  All three women¡¯s eyes suddenly light up with a fiery intensity as they glared at him again.

    What the hell?  Am I not supposed to apologize?

    ¡°We¡¯ll take care of the apology,¡± Avi said cooly.  ¡°You just need to work on¡­ curbing your battle-lust.¡±

    The way she said that made it sound dirty to him, but he agreed with what was said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll begin training more,¡± he said, still feeling like crap even though the fight had made him feel so alive just a little while ago.

    ¡°I can help with that,¡± Wentian courageously piped in.  ¡°Even though I saw your evaluation at the Quest Hall, I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d reached such a level yet,¡± he said, nodding to himself.  ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll be a good enough to push you, but I do specialize in hand-to-hand combat.¡±

    ¡°Ah, perfect!¡±  Bai Lian said happily, clapping her hands together.  ¡°I was going to offer, but I¡¯m not very good with that sort of thing,¡± she said sheepishly.

    Mo Yu looked over at her, an appraising look in her eye, but said nothing.

    ¡°Good!¡±  Joram said, glad to have some help.  ¡°I¡¯ll even make some training gear so that¡­ incident won¡¯t repeat itself¡­¡± he said, trailing off when the image of Emily flashed across him mind.

    ¡°Please do,¡± Avi said lightly, though her frosty look told him everything.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just head off and get to work!¡±  He announced as he stood up and gave them a quick salute.

    The Trio looked confused before he shifted away, but that didn¡¯t matter.

    In his workshop once again, he started going through his stock of materials.  It had been a long time since he¡¯d made something new, so he was looking forward to the challenge.

    * * * * *

    She watched her friend slowly rousing, hands coming up to rub her eyes as she yawned.

    It was a bit surreal to her.  From the sound their heads had made when they¡¯d rammed together had made her think that Emily¡¯s brain would have been jellied from the impact.

    But not only did she not have anything more than a slight bruise on her forehead, that was fading already due to the salve she¡¯d administered, but Emily was already waking up.

    ¡°What happened?¡±  Emily asked drowsily as she looked around.

    ¡°You lost control,¡± she stated seriously.

    Emily¡¯s already milky-white skin lost even more of its colour as her eyes widened in fright, then drooped with guilt.

    ¡°How many?¡±  She asked listlessly.

    ¡°None.¡±

    ¡°I see.  I¡¯ll apolog-,¡± Emily started to reply automatically until her response sunk in.  ¡°Wait!  How?!  Wasn¡¯t I fighting with that first-year?¡±

    Renna could understand Emily¡¯s confusion.  The last time that she¡¯d lost control in a spar, not only had her sparring partner been grievously wounded, but also several others when they¡¯d gone to recue their friend.  In the end, one of the Martial Combat instructors had needed to intervene and subdue Emily.

    Even then, it was a narrow victory for the Tier 5 Pugilist.

    ¡°It seems that our junior isn¡¯t as simple as he seems,¡± Renna thoughtfully replied as her head tilted to the side, her index finger now tapping her lips.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he supposed to be a Mentalist?¡±  Emily asked, confusion written all over her face.

    ¡°He is, isn¡¯t he?¡±  Renna said, a smile growing on her face.

    ¡°So,¡± Emily said slowly, quickly working through her thoughts as she spoke.  ¡°If he¡¯s a Mentalist, he must be strong.  Wait, didn¡¯t he say that he¡¯s also a body refiner?  What a weird kid,¡± she finished with a shake of her head.

    ¡°That he is,¡± Renna said, then got a mischievous twinkle in her eye.  ¡°He also seems to be more gentlemanly than I¡¯d initially assessed him at,¡± she finished with a teasing smile.

    ¡°What¡¯re you on about?¡±  Emily asked, a suspicious look settling on her face.

    ¡°Well, your¡­ exchanges were so energetic and vigorous that your clothing, and his, didn¡¯t survive the fight.¡±

    Emily gave her a weird look before speaking.

    ¡°And?  Clothes usually get ruined in a fight like that,¡± she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

    ¡°True,¡± she said, her smile growing wider, causing Emily¡¯s eyes to start to widen.  ¡°I was shocked to see both of you manifesting such intense battle auras.  They were so strong, in fact, that both of your outfits disintegrated, leaving you both completely naked for all to see!¡±

    ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re saying that he didn¡¯t try anything funny while we were both naked?¡±  Emily asked bluntly.

    ¡°Not only that, but I¡¯m certain that he used his body to protect you from the fall at the end,¡± she said, then described how the fight had come to an unexpected end.  ¡°Not only that!  But he also covered you up as fast as he could!  Ah~~~, how gallant!¡±  Renna sighed happily as she clutched her hands close to her heart.

    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that I won¡¯t likely be able to distract him with a ¡®wardrobe malfunction¡¯ during a fight,¡± Emily asked flatly, bringing Renna back to the moment like ice water to the face.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Damn, that usually works,¡± she muttered to herself, looking vexed.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just have to fight him fair and square then,¡± she continued mumbling to herself.  ¡°Yeah, nothing else would do for someone respectable like that.¡±

 Chapter 082 - Taking Responsibility

    *1346.06.06*

    ¡°Joram,¡± Avi said, then paused as he turned, looking like the child who¡¯d been caught stealing a cookie.  ¡°Why are you dressed like Wolverine from X-Force?¡±

    He snatched off his cowl, shifting uncomfortably under her examining gaze.

    ¡°Ah, well, you see.  There¡¯s a good explanation to that,¡± he said, his rambling speeding up.  ¡°As you know, wardrobe malfunctions are a serious concern during a spar or a fight.  So, I¡¯ve worked hard to make something that¡¯ll prevent what happened yesterday from happening again any time soon!¡±

    Avi nodded, the incident still fresh in her mind.

    ¡°So, why¡­ that?¡±  She asked, motioning to Joram¡¯s costume.

    He¡¯d done a marvelous job with it, all told.  It was pretty much all black, but had a couple places where a very dark grey provided suitable contrast.  As much as it looked like it might be one piece, though the belt around his hips likely meant that it was actually two separate parts.

    His boots, though, needed work.  She hadn¡¯t ever been a fan of boots with weird parts coming off them, like a good deal of the costumes Wolverine had been drawn in over the years.  Give her a nice, clean and snug boot top any day.

    ¡°Kinda been a bit of a fantasy since I was a kid,¡± he replied sheepishly.

    Avi took a deep breath to remind herself to keep breathing steadily.  The fact that she¡¯d gotten so angry with him the day before hadn¡¯t sat well with her after she¡¯d had time to cool down.  Even after reflecting on it, she still hadn¡¯t managed to pinpoint the source, which meant that she was still dealing with those feeling rearing their ugly heads every now and then.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for getting so angry with you yesterday,¡± she suddenly blurted out.  ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly why it bothered me so much, but it did.  And it happened.  And it¡¯s done.  But, it still bothers me- the anger part.  The situation, well, if it hadn¡¯t been you, I¡¯d have probably laughed at it.  But since it was you-,¡± she was cut off by Joram placing a finger across her lips as he stepped in close to her.

    ¡°Over all, it wasn¡¯t the best thing to have happened,¡± he said softly as he gazed into her eyes.  ¡°As for your anger, I trust that you¡¯ll figure out its source,¡± he said, then changed the subject.

    ¡°That said.  Have you sent my apology yet?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she said, annoyed with herself all over again for insisting that she do it instead of him.

    Again, that anger had flashed in her, and she¡¯d spoken without thinking.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said, then leaned in for a kiss.

    She briefly considered declining, but the only thing preventing the kiss was her stubborn pride.  So, she leaned in and accepted it.

    ¡°It seems that it¡¯s almost time to head off to Dawn Star for my weekly performance,¡± he said breathlessly once they¡¯d separated.

    She took a moment to breath before she reluctantly spoke.

    ¡°I guess the regulars would get mad if you skipped a week,¡± she said, her business sense not allowing for such a thing to happen.

    ¡°Well, Alyraele is getting pretty good with the piano.  I think she¡¯d be able to take over in not too much longer,¡± he said, looking thoughtful.  ¡°And with how well Mo Yu is doing with the guitar, I think they¡¯d make a decent pairing for the stage.  After that, maybe if Bai Lian does anything with the drums, she could be added too.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to make a girl band?¡±  Avi asked dryly.

    It really wasn¡¯t all that different than her making a team comprised solely of women on the Goddess Ranking.  But at the same time, they¡¯d likely become a different type of idol for the students.  Though, thinking about it, at least they¡¯d get attention for their skills and not just for their looks.

    ¡°Hah, that¡¯d be funny,¡± Joram said, doing his odd grunt/chuckle.  ¡°Nah, I know better than anyone how hard it is to get up in front of people like that.  If they want to, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll ask.  But wouldn¡¯t it be funny to start the world¡¯s first Idol Band?¡±  He asked with a chuckle.

    Avi snorted out a laugh.  She couldn¡¯t believe that he was thinking that.  Well, maybe it would be a good thing.

    ¡°I could be the lead vocalist,¡± she said with a teasing grin.  ¡°I can just swap places with Alicia whenever, so that could work.  But let¡¯s see¡­.  You¡¯d have to pick another instrument if Mo Yu is on guitar and Alyraele on piano.  Maybe you could play the bass?  Yeah, that¡¯d work well.  It¡¯d work with the image people have of you now, too.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡±  He asked, starting to look concerned.

    ¡°Ah~~,¡± Avi started, drawing the word out.  ¡°The savage beast that defeated the White Princess in furious combat of epic proportions!  So strong!  So fierce!  Embracing like that, do you think they¡¯ll get married?  Who knew that the polite, quiet, and shy musician would be such a beast?!¡±  She said, pitching her voice high as she mimicked young women gossiping.

    Avi watched as his face grew two shades darker than what would have been healthy for a non-cultivator.  Well, it probably wasn¡¯t too health for anyone to have their blood pressure rise that high.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bury myself now,¡± Joram said, his voice devoid of all emotion as he pulled his cowl back on and walked away.

    Ah, that was too much, she thought as she quickly caught up to him and grabbed his arm.  She was then unceremoniously pulled off her feet as he continued to trudge along.

    ¡°Joram, it¡¯s fine!¡±  She said, tugging for all she was worth.  ¡°There¡¯ll always be rumours when someone stands out.  You know that!  Just embrace them!  Make it yours!  Or just blow them out of the water with who you really are!  Because they don¡¯t matter!  I know who you really are.  Those close to you know how good of a person you are.  Just be yourself!¡±

    ¡°Did you know?¡±  Joram said as he came to a halt, her arms still wrapped around his.  ¡°When I had to be somewhere, a social gathering so something with lots of people.  Being so shy, I always stuck to the sides.  It was hard to approach people.  So, I would read a book, or write something in a notebook.

    ¡°I always had my backpack with me.  Didn¡¯t matter where.  It was kind of like a security blanket for me.  I could bring a book, notebooks, a walkman or something.  I¡¯d usually have a snack or two and a water bottle just in case I was out longer than I¡¯d anticipated.  You know, busses being unreliable and all that.

    ¡°I thought that I wasn¡¯t really noticed.  People would generally just pass me by, or at best, they¡¯d politely say ¡®Hi¡¯ as they passed by.  Then, one day a buddy of mine told me something that changed my forever.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t some tripe or regurgitated pep-talk that someone gives you when they¡¯re trying to get you out and ¡®having fun¡¯.  No.  He decided to tell me the truth.

    ¡°He said: ¡®Hey, you should really try to talk with more people, because everyone thinks that you¡¯re stuck up.  A snob that thinks he¡¯s too good to talk with anyone¡¯,¡± Joram said as he continued looking forward, his jaw now clenched.

    ¡°I was being myself.  No one likes me when I¡¯m being myself because they can¡¯t understand my true self.  So, I started faking it.  Started being more social.  Started to pretend to enjoy being out there and talking to random strangers because that¡¯s what everyone expected of me.  It felt so hollow and pointless.

    ¡°My ¡®true¡¯ self is an introvert with the self-esteem of a fruit fly.  I¡¯d rather be at home, working on a project, reading a book, playing a video game, or even writing more of my stupid stories.  Sure, gathering with a few friends every week or two is fun, but not what I need all the time.

    ¡°I enjoy doing things for my family and close friends.  Making something for someone who genuinely appreciates it?  That¡¯s awesome.  Helping someone move?  Yeah, I¡¯ve always been somewhat large of stature, so I was more than happy to help them move something large or heavy; it was easy for me.

    ¡°Helping someone get up when they¡¯ve tripped on the ice.  Paying that extra buck someone is sort of at the cashier.  Making funny faces at the crying child on the bus because their parent is too burned out to do more than half-heartedly shush them every now and then.  Getting up to hold the door for someone with a walker.

    ¡°As sedentary as I was before coming here, I did enjoy pushing myself.  I was actually pretty good, you know?  My first time playing paintball, I could see the paint ball coming for my face; and I could dodge it and then shoot them right back.  I would climb trees to find the perfect branch on which I could take a nap, and not fall out of the tree.

    ¡°I¡¯m more competitive than just about anyone I know, but I had to curb that hard because I¡¯ve always been very strong for my size.  If I wasn¡¯t careful, people would get hurt.  So, I dropped that part of who I was.

    ¡°Growing up, people thought I was on cocaine because they couldn¡¯t keep up with my thought process.  School was so boring because it catered to the masses.  I got crap marks because I refused to do homework, because schoolwork is for school, not home.  Being at school all day was bad enough that I didn¡¯t want my home time taken up with more pointless work that I¡¯d already learned and filed away.

    ¡°People never cared for who I was, but what they either wanted me to be, or expected me to be.  A relatively tall man with broad shoulders and a solid build, who people called handsome.  For twenty years, people even told me that I should be in radio because of my voice.  Hairdressers always complimented my hair.  A few people even said I should model.

    ¡°None of those people had any idea who I was.  I don¡¯t even think they really cared to even get to know me, content to keep their preconceived image of me in their minds as we interacted with each other.  And so, once again, I would become the social chameleon.

    ¡°It was exhausting,¡± he said, his head now bowing as he spoke. ¡°It¡¯s still exhausting.  You¡¯ve been with me the longest of anyone in this life or my last.  You understand.  But them,¡± he said, gesturing vaguely off to the side.  ¡°They have no idea.  Bai Lian?  Mo Yu?  I haven¡¯t refused them because I¡¯m stuck on monogamy- but because they don¡¯t actually know me.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°All they see is this crazy powerful Reincarnator who can do things they¡¯ve never heard of; who¡¯s on a quest to take his family and friends back from their kidnappers.  Do they even understand how hard it is for me to have to wait to get strong enough to challenge their Sects without it becoming a suicide mission?  How hard it is to let go of the hatred still deep in my heart?

    ¡°I understand Grammy¡¯s thirst for vengeance more than any of them realize.

    ¡°When I eventually get to their Sects, do they realize that I¡¯m likely going to have to kill people they know?  People they¡¯ve grown up with, trained with, ate their meals together with?  What happens if one of their masters or a beloved teacher comes to stop me with the intent to kill?  What will they think of me when I kill those people?

    ¡°And what about everyone at the Academy?  It¡¯s not that I¡¯m completely oblivious to the possibility of women falling for me.  It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t see why they would want to be with me beyond the initial draw of their curiosity.  Or wanting to recruit someone for their business, family, clan, or whatever.

    ¡°Or is everyone on this damn planet so na?ve that just a few acts of kindness win them over?  And what do they expect from me after that?  Do they think that I¡¯m just doing those things because I¡¯m trying to woo them or get into their skirts?

    ¡°Yeah, your friends are gorgeous.  Before coming to this world, I¡¯d never have imagined even being in the same room as nation-shaking beauties like them.  My parents seem to think that they¡¯re more than a little bit interested in getting to know me biblically, so what am I supposed to do about that?

    ¡°I¡¯m ecstatic that we¡¯re together; it¡¯s like a dream come true.  But am I supposed to respond to all of their feelings by going along with them?  I¡¯ll admit, I was one of those guys who fantasized about having a harem full of beautiful, adoring women in the past.  It¡¯s even crossed my mind since I learned that polygamy is more common than monogamy here.

    ¡°But getting to know someone well enough to form that kind of relationship with nearly scares me to death.  Even with Bai Lian and Mo Yu, who I¡¯ve spent a lot of time around, scare me.  I don¡¯t want to fail and lose their friendship.  I don¡¯t want them to be disappointed in me.

    ¡°The study group?  I¡¯d like to think that we¡¯ve become friends over the past two months.  I¡¯m certainly happy that they¡¯ve joined your team and that you¡¯re all getting along so well.  But what¡¯ll happen if I respond to Daleira¡¯s flirting?  Or Gabrielle¡¯s obvious infatuation with me?

    ¡°Would that break up the group?  Would that make things incredibly awkward for everyone?  Let alone you?  I know that you¡¯ve mentioned that you don¡¯t care if other women attach themselves to me, but I didn¡¯t fail to notice how you reacted when Emily was so obviously and aggressively flirting with me,¡± he said, finally turning his head so he could look her in the eye.

    Avi couldn¡¯t help but blush then, as she finally realized that she¡¯d been well and truly jealous.  She¡¯d also been angry with Joram for having gone along with it, and especially for what happened during the spar.

    She realized then that she hadn¡¯t been only angry at Joram for having exposed and embarrass a young woman in front of such a large audience like that, but because he¡¯d been sparring with a beauty like Emily and had not only seen her in her fully glory, but had also embraced her while they¡¯d both been naked.

    Her chin dropped, lowing her gaze.  She¡¯d had such confidence in herself when telling Joram that she didn¡¯t mind if she wasn¡¯t his only wife, but had it just been na?ve bravado?  Would she really be OK with not just Bai Lian and Mo Yu, but also more women?

    If his scenario of the study group was used, would she be all right with any of her five friends getting close to Joram like that?  Would any of them be OK with that?  Would it truly destroy their budding friendships?

    But.  Did it matter?

    She would be with Joram no matter what.  She was very firm in her love for him and knew that she would always feel that way.  Bai Lian and Mo Yu, though.  She liked them well enough. They were two genuine and studious young women who¡¯d decided to be with Joram no matter what.  Even if that meant that they¡¯d never have a romantic relationship with him.

    No, if a woman wanted Joram, she would go with her original decision.  She would have to first get to know her, uncover any hidden motives she might have.  Effectively, she¡¯d be the one to filter out those who weren¡¯t genuine or compatible.  She¡¯d be the one to protect Joram from anyone who wouldn¡¯t be able to understand him, and thus hurt him.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she finally said, raising her head again to meet Joram¡¯s eyes.  ¡°I am sure that was jealousy.  I¡¯m not proud of that, especially after what I¡¯d said.  If a woman truly wants to be with you, and is willing to share you with others, then I¡¯ll stick by what I said.  But if they¡¯re anything but genuine, I¡¯ll chase them away.

    ¡°I want you to be happy.  I want us to be happy.  Anyone else who wants in on that will have to also accept me and anyone else who¡¯s willing to share in that happiness,¡± she said as she reached up and cupped his face in her hands.  ¡°Just don¡¯t be an idiot about it, and I¡¯m sure things will work out.¡±

    His hands came up to cover hers, a tender expression softening his eyes through the cowl.

    ¡°Avi?  Have you met me?¡±  He asked softly, a smile growing on his face.  ¡°Of course I¡¯m and idiot.  My emotional intelligence is at the level of a rock in the field blocking the plough.  But I know that I¡¯ll get through this because you¡¯re with me,¡± he said, then leaned forward and tenderly kissed her on the forehead.

    His arms dropped to drape over her, engulfing her in his vast embrace, his head going over her left shoulder so that their hearts could be closer together.

    Yeah, he¡¯s got a long way to go¡­ but he¡¯s learning, she thought as a smile crept onto her face.

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re a bit dense when it comes to romance, but I¡¯ll help you through it,¡± she said as she enjoyed his warmth.  ¡°But you still need to play your sets tonight,¡± she said as she held him a bit tighter, anticipating his desire to flee.

    Sure enough, he tried to pull away again.  It must have just been reflexive with no real intent to actually flee, because she was able to hold onto him.

    ¡°That said,¡± she leaned back a bit to once again look him in the eye.  ¡°You¡¯ll have to get changed, I don¡¯t want to have to start beating the fangirls back with a bat yet,¡± she finished with a flirty grin that made him blush.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll get on that,¡± he said, looking off to the side.

    * * * * *

    Joram couldn¡¯t believe how light he felt after sharing all that with Avi.  Some of it he¡¯d shared with people over the years, but there were more parts that he¡¯d never spoken out loud to anyone.  It was¡­ freeing to let it out.  He was by no means better, nor had it fixed all his problems.  But it was a start.  It felt as though he¡¯d been carrying a backpack full of lead this whole time and now it had finally been dropped.

    Which made his current situation worse.

    He¡¯d just finished up his last set when Alicia had announced last call.  He had intended to grab something to drink at the bar, probably a fruit juice blend, when he¡¯d been cut off.

    ¡°So~~~,¡± Emily said from her seemingly normal distance of too close.  ¡°That was an amazing fight yesterday.  I can¡¯t remember the last time I¡¯ve had so much fun,¡± she said as she practically rubbed up against him.

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m glad that I didn¡¯t disappoint,¡± he said, trying to edge to the side as Renna watched.

    Even though her ears weren¡¯t anime-level long, they were still almost an inch longer than a human¡¯s ears with a point that tapered elegantly.  That said, her ears were actually vibrating as he watched them.  He didn¡¯t know what that meant, as he hadn¡¯t spent any time around elves yet.  But if the popular tropes had any base in reality, then she was definitely experiencing an intense emotion of some sort.

    ¡°Ah~~~, about that,¡± she said, now actually pressing up against him in her skin-tight outfit.  ¡°That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve experienced such a thing, and I think that you¡¯ll have to take responsibility for me neow~,¡± she said as her eyes went misty and her pupils dilated, giving her that sad and begging kitten look.  Though, it was ruined slightly by the slight curve of her lips.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that it would be good to create any misunderstanding here,¡± he said, once again trying to slip away from her surprisingly soft body.

    ¡°There¡¯s no misunderstanding,¡± she said as her arms snaked around his waist, hugging him tightly.  ¡°You¡¯ll have to play with me whenever I want neow~,¡± she said, practically purring.  ¡°In my tribe, when a man and a woman embrace like we did, they¡¯re considered to be life-long mates.¡±

    Joram¡¯s heart nearly stopped then.

    No, no.  From what I got from [Read Thoughts] yesterday, this should just be more crazy flirting.  She uses her sex appeal as masterfully as a Sword Saint uses their blade.  She¡¯s just trying to throw me off balance.

    ¡°Ah, well, where I come from, people understand training accidents; even those as disastrous as ours.  Not only that, but any potential spouse must first be approved of by one¡¯s family.  Usually the Matriarch.  So: not life-long mates,¡± he said, impressed with how well he was spouting so much bullshit.

    ¡°Ah~~, that¡¯s problematic,¡± she said, still glued to him and staring up at him with her neck craned.  ¡°You see, I¡¯m a princess, and my tribe, my kingdom, takes this sort of thing very seriously~~~,¡± she said, a glint forming in her eyes.

    ¡®Seriously, Joram?  Already?¡¯  Alicia sent when she noticed his predicament.

    ¡®What kind of apology did you send her?!¡¯  He demanded in a panic.

    ¡®Oh, just a couple of coupons for Dawn Star and Starfall,¡¯ she sent back, dismissing that.  ¡®I guess you¡¯ll need to do a bit of cultural research to see if what she¡¯s saying is true.¡¯

    ¡°So, ah, which kingdom do you hail from?¡±  Joram asked, not sure where to rest his hands.

    His arms had gone up to avoid having them pinned to his sides when she¡¯d suddenly hugged him.  But now he felt more than a little ridiculous with his elbows up and Renna staring at him with that weird look in her eyes.  Not to mention the growing number of stares fixing on them.

    ¡°The Eternal Snow Kingdom,¡± she said, now actually purring, causing her breasts to vibrate against his torso in an excruciatingly distracting way.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to look it up,¡± he said, fighting his treacherous body.  ¡°In the mean time, I think Dawn Star is closing soon, so I should get going,¡± he said as he reached down, intending to pry her arms from him.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true,¡± Renna spoke up for the first time.  ¡°Then, I suppose we¡¯ll need an escort home,¡± she said with a smile that could win the hearts of millions.

    Joram didn¡¯t buy it for a second.  Not only was Emily a ridiculously dangerous martial artist, but Renna herself was a Peak 4<sup>th</sup> Tier Mage and a 5<sup>th</sup> Tier Mentalist.  Anyone intent on causing that pair trouble was intent on flirting with death.

    Then he had a thought.

    He quickly counted the number of people giving him a death glare and found a good twenty-three people.

    ¡°Oh, that shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± he said with his third-best smile, causing the pair to relax and look gratified.

    More importantly, Emily loosened her grasp on him, allowing his to slip out of her arms.

    ¡°Fellas!¡±  He called out, catching them by surprise.  ¡°These young women need an escort home!  Would any of you be willing to help these young maidens in their hour of need?¡±  He asked, instantly dissipating their hostility, turning it instead to youthful eagerness.

    The shocked looks that Emily and Renna gave him were priceless as the small mob of young men gathered the two of them up and hurried them out of the bar/lounge/thingy.  He waved at them before they were hurried out of sight, silently applauding his ingenuity.

    ¡®Well played,¡¯ Alicia sent, clearly amused.  ¡°But we both know that she¡¯ll be back.  So, study hard!¡¯

    ¡®What happened to your unwavering support?¡¯  He asked, feeling more than a little betrayed.

    ¡®I do support you,¡¯ she sent, still amused.  ¡®It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t need to step in until she tries to get into your pants.¡¯

    ¡®Damn.¡¯

    * * * * *

    Renna exchanged looks with Emily as they closed the door on their ¡°escort¡±.

    ¡°Well played, Joram,¡± she said as her eyes narrowed.

    Emily still looked shocked and a little more than a little bit outraged, her tail swishing back and forth energetically.

    ¡°Yes, he won tonight.  But there¡¯s also tomorrow, and every day after that,¡± Emily said with determination.

    ¡°Ah, but I think that there¡¯ll be competition to claim that gallant young man,¡± Renna said teasingly.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see who else was there?¡±

    ¡°¡­ No?¡±

    ¡°Well, I suppose that his study group being there shouldn¡¯t come as a surprise,¡± she said dismissively.  ¡°But more than a few of the ¡°Goddesses¡± were in attendance.  I¡¯m reasonably sure that most of them were ones who were interviewed by Joram and Alicia yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Are you implying that they¡¯re also after Joram?¡±  Emily asked, her eyes narrowing at the thought of competition.

    ¡°Even I, my dear Emily, am more than a little tempted by that young man,¡± she once again teased.

    Emily¡¯s jaw dropped as her eyes nearly popped out in shock.

    ¡°You¡¯re over a hundred!  That¡¯s practically robbing the cradle!¡±  Emily exclaimed as she grabbed her shoulders and began shaking her.

    ¡°One: it¡¯s rude to mention a young woman¡¯s age,¡± she said, removing Emily¡¯s hands and holding them in her own.  ¡°Two: for us elves, I¡¯m barely considered old enough to leave home.  Developmentally, I¡¯m younger than you,¡± she said sternly, getting another shocked stare in return.

    ¡°Does that mean that you¡¯re still growing?¡±  Emily finally asked, her gaze going to Renna¡¯s chest, causing her to blush.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I¡¯m considered well endowed amongst my people,¡± she replied indignantly as she folded her arms across her chest defensively.

    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±

 Chapter 083 - Lingerie

    *The next day*

    Joram was once again uncomfortable.  Which, really, shouldn¡¯t have been a thing given that he was in his workshop, creating new outfits to prevent training related wardrobe mishaps.  No, that would have been fine all by itself.  Crafting was one of his great passions in life.  But not in front of an audience.

    Bai Lian and Mo Yu had insisted on accompanying him today, stating that they wanted to spend more time with him to get to know him better.  He was more than a little bit suspicious about where their argument had come from, but had ultimately acquiesced to their seemingly innocent request.

    ¡°Young master?¡±  Bai Lian spoke up after raising a hand as though she was attending some sort of workshop at school.

    ¡°Could you please just call me by name when we¡¯re alone?¡±  He asked as he turned to the pair.

    ¡°Then, Joram?  What sort of clothing are you working on?¡±  She asked, her gaze intensely curious.

    ¡°Something that¡¯ll survive a spar,¡± he said simply, then looked at Mo Yu.  ¡°Do you have a question?¡±

    ¡°Are you planning to make artifacts out of them?¡±  She asked, one delicate eyebrow rising slightly.

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t need to,¡± he said, waving that off.  ¡°The materials should be good enough on their own with just a bit of an adjustment to their molecular bonds.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±  Mo Yu asked politely.

    ¡°Ah, well, that¡¯s part of how I see everything,¡± he said, then waved it off.  ¡°Anyway, with these I should be safe from being accidentally disrobed during a fight.¡±

    The pair blushed slightly at the reminder of his blunder.

    ¡°Then,¡± Bai Lian started, then obviously gained courage before continuing.  ¡°What about your training partner?  What if Miss Hornwood challenges you again?¡±

    Joram found it very hard to meet their intense gazes at that point, remembering his brief contact with Emily.

    ¡°I, ah, suppose that she¡¯ll need one too,¡± he said, hoping that that was the right answer.

    ¡°Then if you¡¯re going to make one for her, could you make some for us?¡±  Bai Lian asked nervously, but still managed to keep her eyes on him while she spoke.

    ¡°I¡¯d be happy to,¡± he said with a smile.  If that was all it took to make her happy, he was more than willing to make a few outfits for her.  ¡°I¡¯ll just need some measurements to make sure they¡¯ll fit properly,¡± he added as an afterthought.

    Bai Lian and Mo Yu exchanged looks before Bai Lian practically threw her clothes off as she began disrobing.  Mo Yu, though, was much more elegant about how she began undressing, one hand sliding her robes off one shoulder then the next.

    ¡°What are you doing?!¡±  Joram practically yelled as he tore his eyes away from them.

    ¡°We have to undress to have our measurements properly taken,¡± Mo Yu said casually.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way around it,¡± Bai Lian added breathlessly.

    Joram manually turned off his field of perception as the last of their clothes came off.

    ¡°I can take accurate measurements while you¡¯re still fully clothed!¡±  He yelled, holding up his left arm and waving it in the air.  ¡°My omni-tool can do that easily!¡±

    ¡°Your what?¡±  Bai Lian asked in confusion.

    ¡°Please get dressed!¡±  He practically begged.  ¡°I¡¯ll only proceed then!¡±

    After not a few sighs of disappointment, grumbling, and several minutes¡¯ worth of dressing, they were finally done and sitting on a pair of chairs.  He explained the functions of his omni-tool to them, expounding on how wonderful and varied its functions were.

    When he mentioned the omni-blade option, however, they both turned ghost-white.  It was only then that he remembered how they came to be with him.  Of how Avi had killed them.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for bringing up unpleasant memories,¡± he said, feeling genuinely guilty for not having remembered that before expounding on things.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± Mo Yu said, her hand on her chest.  ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for¡­ that, then we wouldn¡¯t be here with you,¡± she said faintly.

    Bai Lian nodded vigorously to that.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way,¡± she said, her voice firming up.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± he said, changing the uncomfortable subject.  ¡°I¡¯ll just give you a quick scan, then that¡¯s it,¡± he said, slipping on his AR glasses and turning them on.

    A moment later, he had their forms scanned and converted into wire-mesh models along with their exact measurements.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get started on your outfits as soon as I finish adjusting the schematic for the material,¡± he said with a nod.  ¡°I think that I¡¯m pretty close to getting the fabric to where I want it.¡±

    They both nodded before he turned back to his samples of Viridian Iron Bamboo and Bloodmoon Reaver Silk he¡¯d been using.

    Both materials were Tier 5 resources which he¡¯d picked up when he¡¯d explored the mountains before he¡¯d been interrupted by that Old Fart.  He hadn¡¯t known how valuable they were at the time, much like just about every other thing he¡¯d picked up during that time.

    In retrospect, he was impressed that he¡¯d survived meeting the Bloodmoon Reaver spiders considering how strong they were.  It was pure luck that they were vulnerable to psionic attacks, specifically mind-based attacks.  If not, he was sure that he¡¯d have died his second day out exploring.

    As it was, their spider silk was amazingly flexible while also remaining incredibly strong.  After removing the adhesive coating on the silk, it proved to be a dream to work with.

    Then there was the bamboo.  It was another material that proved easy to harvest with psionics, specifically [Modify Matter].  With how good he was with that Power, he was able to manipulate things as the atomic level, rendering the bamboo¡¯s coveted durability moot; especially now that he could sense Tier 3 mana and adjust things accordingly.

    Even with Viridian Iron Bamboo¡¯s unusual strength, it was still ultimately bamboo, which meant that he could work with it.  He had, after all, processed tonnes of bamboo while learning to weave.  Part of that process was learning to, well, process various fibres into workable materials.

    The last step that he was actually working on was getting the bamboo/spider silk ratio just right.  Too much spider silk and the cloth would be way too elastic.  Well, that in and of itself wasn¡¯t an issue if he wanted to make ¡°fun time¡± costumes for Avi¡­.

    Anyway, he also found that too much bamboo added in made the cloth closer to denim in its elasticity.  Again, that wasn¡¯t terrible because he kind of missed having some blue jeans to wear.  That said, just using cotton would be easier and almost infinitely cheaper.

    It took almost another full hour of experimentation before he found a combination that he felt was just right.  It provided enough elasticity for comfortable range of motion and possible bulging of muscles while also remaining stiff enough to feel like you were actually wearing something.  Even the texture was fantastic, a combination of the finest silk and the highest thread-count bamboo linens he¡¯d ever felt.

    It was so nice, in fact, that Bai Lian and Mo Yu gushed over it; even going so far as to rub it on their cheeks with expressions of bliss.

    A moment of foresight stuck him then.  He immediately re-tasked M3 to quickly set up a pair of change rooms off to the side before he started working on mass producing the¡­ what would he call it?

    The spider silk was nearly translucent once the adhesive layer was removed, while the fibres made from the bamboo were white with a green hue to it.  Combined, the resulting cloth kind of looked like a pale jade that seemed to shimmer slightly in the light.

    Well, since he recognized that he was terrible at naming things, he just went for simple.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call this Viridian Silk,¡± he said, holding up a bolt of the fabric to show them.

    They nodded to that, still too distracted by the samples they were fawning over.  He shrugged, then placed the bolt of cloth off to the side before turning again to his pile of raw materials.

    Joram was pretty sure that the base viridian silk would hold up well enough in a fight between people in the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier, but wasn¡¯t quite happy with that yet.  He was already in the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier, so he¡¯d likely outgrow its usefulness sooner rather than later.  Even though he enjoyed the process of making things, and new things at that, he knew that he shouldn¡¯t be taking time away from his studies and cultivation.

    So, he messed around with psionically strengthening the various bonds in the cloth with [Matter Manipulation], a Power designed to increase the harness, or durability, of and object.  The nice thing about the Power was that it didn¡¯t make the resulting item into a ¡°magic item¡± or anything; it was an ¡°instantaneous¡± Power.  Meaning: that the modifications couldn¡¯t just be dispelled, nor would they go away if he somehow found himself in an anti-psionic or magic field, or something similar.

    Again, it took him a bit to get the adjustments just how he liked them.  But it was worth it.  After a bit of experimenting, he found that the cloth¡¯s resistance to being cut or pierced had increased significantly, while its resistance to heat and cold were amazing.

    Even more experimentation revealed that it was amazingly hydrophobic as well as oleophobic.  The finished cloth was, therefore, impossible to dye.  Which bothered him a bit.

    As much as he liked the colour, he didn¡¯t think he wanted to be seen in a pale jade green body suit.

    After even more experimentation, he found that he could infuse different colours into the emerging cloth as he created it with [Matter Manipulation].  Simply put, he needed to decide on the colour before he finished making the cloth.

    Now, with an amazing matt-black bolt of cloth in hand, he was ready!

    ¡°Umm, Joram?¡±  Mo Yu caught his attention.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±  He hmm¡¯d, turning to see that she and Bai Lian looked a bit nervous.

    ¡°Would you be able to make some¡­ undergarments for us with this?¡±  She asked, holding up the sample she¡¯d been gushing over.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Joram blinked.  Then had to blink again a few times to rid himself of the images of the pair modeling various designs of undergarments for him.

    ¡°Ah, yes, I could,¡± he said, clearing his throat.  ¡°I would imagine that this might become a popular material for such things.¡±

    ¡°Joram,¡± Mo Yu said, suddenly becoming very serious.  ¡°If we could make a lingerie store that exclusively used this viridian silk, I am sure that we¡¯d be the most successful store in the world,¡± she said with great conviction as Bai Lian nodded along vigorously.

    ¡°That would be lovely, but do you know what this is made of?¡±  He asked, nudging the first full bolt of cloth he¡¯d made.

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s made from Viridian Iron Bamboo and Bloodmoon Reaver Silk,¡± he said much to their astonishment.  ¡°If I were to sell a single brazier made from viridian silk, it would likely cost a couple High-Grade T2 Crystals.¡±

    Their reactions weren¡¯t the same, but the shock on both their faces was plain to see.

    ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to make a killing, I¡¯m not sure how¡­ accessible the products would be to the general public,¡± he said, not quite so keen on setting up a business that only the wealthy and well-to-do could afford to shop at.

    That thought gave him pause, though.  He was planning on becoming an Alchemist and Artificer, both of which would basically have him doing just that: providing products that only the rich could afford.

    ¡°¡­ I guess that¡¯s no different than setting up an alchemy shop or something,¡± he said, mumbling it out as he rubbed his jaw.

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Bai Lian said, seemingly taking courage from his worlds.  ¡°I¡¯m not sure how aware you are of things, but having undergarments as durable as what these would be¡­.  Well, I¡¯m sure that every female cultivator and practitioner from millions of miles around will come to purchase them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Mo Yu agreed, a fire lighting up in her eyes.  ¡°Not only does this viridian silk feel heavenly, but if it is as durable as you say, then the problems women have been facing for millennia will be greatly mitigated by it!  Do you know how many women are humiliated by ¡®accidents¡¯ during spars or fights?  Or even just by accidents during training or crafting.  Selling undergarments or even body suits made of viridian silk will gain you the love of almost every woman on Dovaynia¡­¡± she said, trailing off at the end.

    Then her eyes widened, followed by Bai Lian¡¯s as they started to look panicked at the thought of women flocking to him demanding lingerie custom made for them.  Because, well, it really would need to be custom-made due to its durability.

    He was reasonably sure that he¡¯d need to use shears that were a Peak Tier 6 artifact just to cut the fabric, let alone the needles needed to sew the stuff.

    ¡°Bah, don¡¯t worry about that,¡± he said, waving it off, much to their indignation.  ¡°I won¡¯t be opening a shop like that any time soon.  I can make some for my friends and family, but that¡¯s it for now.  I just don¡¯t have the time to invest in such a project¡­¡± he said, trailing off at the end as another thought occurred to him.

    Wait, I can have one of the Minds run the shop¡­ he thought, suppressing a huge grin.  Even with having four Minds running constantly, he was still well above his ability to regenerate what was needed to keep the Power running.  Heck, at this point, he could have another four Minds running and still be at a net positive.

    Why haven¡¯t I been doing that already?!

    Kinkade: Because you¡¯re distracted?

    Joram sighed, then saved M4 & M5¡¯s progress as he made sure that M2 wasn¡¯t doing anything critical, ended [Schism], then re-manifested it to get more Minds running.  He was now up to M9, which astonished him.  He¡¯d never imagined having more that one additional Mind running back when Altaea had been teaching him as the strain it would have put on him was immense.

    Now?  Now, he was infinitely more appreciative of the cultivation methods for Mental Strength that were practiced here.

    Then another thought occurred to him, so he started re-tasking his Minds.

    M3 and M4 were tasked with his Psijic Star and cultivation.  M5-7 were tasked with the new [Genesis], while M8 and M9 were set to converting all of his known Powers.  Well, not converting, per se.  Creating would be a better word.  He tasked them to create new Psijic Powers/Spells based on his Psionic Powers that he knew.  In fact¡­

    ¡®Hey, Avi?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Joram?¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯m going to need access to the directories that Altaea left you on everything psionic,¡¯ he sent, getting excited.

    ¡®Why¡­?¡¯

    He then explained what he was going to do with what he already knew, getting excited at the possibilities that spread out before his imagination.

    ¡®That could work,¡¯ she said, consideration heaving in the sending.  ¡®All right, let¡¯s do it!¡¯

    He blinked at that, then felt A3 connect with M8 and M9 in their very own ¡°chat room¡± as access was granted to him.  He felt the vastness of the knowledge left by Altaea then.  He couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of overwhelming awe and gratitude for such a priceless trove of knowledge freely gifted to him.

    ¡°Are you OK, Joram?¡±  Bai Lian asked from his side, her hand resting lightly on his left shoulder.

    He noticed that Mo Yu was also there, but on his right, one hand also resting on him.  Both looked concerned, and he realized that tears had started to fall down his cheeks.

    ¡°Nah,¡± he said, wiping the tears away gruffly.  ¡°I¡¯m good.  Just had a moment.¡±

    His two friends exchanged uncertain looks before nodding to him and taking their hands off him.

    ¡°If you¡¯re sure,¡± Mo Yu said, sounding anything but convinced.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good,¡± he said with a warm slime as he placed a hand on each of their shoulders in return.  ¡°Just had an epiphany, as it were.  Now, let¡¯s get some clothing made for you girls,¡± he said, smiling wider at their enthusiastic smiles.

    ¡°But you¡¯ll need to use the changing rooms over there,¡± he said, throwing a wet blanket on their growing excitement.

    *1346.07.12- Late afternoon*

    Ah, I still hate exams, Joram thought as he left his final one for the term, freeing him from that hellish week.

    Still, it wasn¡¯t as bad as it had used to be for him.  With his exponentially increased memory and processing speeds, things like exams were a breeze.  It was just the psychological factor that bothered him.  He¡¯d never liked the restricted nature of exams, it having played hard on his anxiety in the past.  And, truthfully, in the present.

    Well, it was done and over with, leaving him time to enjoy Summer Break!  He needed it, given how¡­ eventful the past five weeks had been.

    After making Bai Lian and Mo Yu their requested garments, and still having had to endure their wanting to show them off to him, he¡¯d made some for others.  Avi had been over the moon for hers, thanking him repeatedly and with much enthusiasm when they were alone, resulting in them getting much closer.

    That said, Mo Yu and Bai Lian had also grown closer to him in that time.  He wasn¡¯t sure if it was more gratitude for his gifts or what, but they¡¯d started acting more naturally around him.  Which, in turn, resulted in him being more comfortable around them.  All told, he was actually glad at how close they¡¯d all become.

    On the other hand, his stress levels had increased when Emily started following him around when they weren¡¯t in class.  She¡¯d show up with Renna for the study sessions, insisting that he ¡°take responsibility¡± for her.  The first time that had happened had resulted in less than optimal study time.

    It had taken him hours to calm things down, all while he was trying very hard to ignore what the reactions of the first five members, Alicia not included, of the study group might mean.  The only one who hadn¡¯t reacted was Aya, who merely looked on with a faint combination of disapproval and amusement on her face.

    The next week had seen Emily constantly pestering him for more sparring sessions, claiming that she, too, needed to be tutored.  He wasn¡¯t sure if she was still aiming to marry him, just spar with him, or if she was more than a little masochistic.

    He¡¯d only finally agreed to another spar if they had a private stage that they could use.  Surprisingly, there were some available to rent.  It was an enclosed building that could accommodate up to a thousand people if needed.  The capacity wasn¡¯t needed, as only their study group was in attendance.

    He understood why Alicia, Bai Lian, and Mo Yu wanted to be there, and wholly approved.  Even Renna being there wasn¡¯t a surprise, seeing as how she and Emily were good friends.  That Jae-Eun and Aya, along with Sophia, Alyraele, Gabrielle, and Daleira, along with the two other newcomers Faenwyn and Kassandra, were there was both a surprise and an annoyance.

    Faenwyn, the Silver Wolf Beastkin, was studios and direct, but seemed to have little interest in martial arts normally.  Kassandra, the Succubus, had also shown very little interest in martial arts, but was also there for some reason that he didn¡¯t want to guess at.

    Anyway, for that spar he¡¯d consciously held back as they fought.  Emily had clearly noticed and had tried to push him further, but he¡¯d refused to engage.  Until she¡¯d bagged him.

    At that point he¡¯d once again lost to his battle lust and an almost identical repeat of their first spar occurred.  The main difference was that he had been wearing his viridian silk body suit underneath his regular clothing.  It was almost identical to the one he¡¯d been wearing when Avi had come to talk with him that day, sans-cowl though.  That would have been weird.

    So, after once again draping an unconscious Emily in a sheet, he took the time to give Emily a quick scan before having Kinkade quickly fabricate a body suit for her.  Joram grinned at the ice-blue body suit with silver trim and highlights once it was in hand.  It would look pretty good on her.

    Then he gave himself a mental slap before presenting it to Renna for Emily to wear the next time they sparred.  The look Renna had given him had sent a slight chill down his back when she accepted the garment.  Not because she frightened him.  Well, the look frightened him, but it didn¡¯t intimidate him.

    After having felt it, Renna proceeded to insist that he make one for her, causing the others in the study group to take interest in the conversation.  Soon enough, everyone was politely demanding their own body suit.  Even Aya.

    Which startled him more than a little bit.  But after she¡¯d tested the fabric herself, her eyes had lit up.

    It had taken him a good ten minutes to explain the ¡°difficulty¡± in making the material, as well as the cost to procure more of it before he was suddenly presented bank card after bank card.  They were more than willing to pay for their own body suits.

    Then Bai Lian let slip that he¡¯d made her some undergarments of the stuff when she was gushing over how amazing the viridian silk was.  After that, he was inundated with orders for their own undergarments.  The following hour had been a mix of heaven and hell as he not only took their measurements, but also had to go over their individually requested designs.

    By the end of it, Emily had woken up again and had joined in on the ¡°fun¡±.  She¡¯d dropped her sheet to slip on her body suit right in front of him, causing no small commotion that she just shrugged off, not seeming to have the slightest bit of modesty.  Again, he was unsure if it was because she was surrounded by other women and was trying to snare him, or if she really didn¡¯t have a spec of modesty when it came to nudity.

    Either way, he was so emotionally drained that night that he couldn¡¯t even muster the strength to do anything more strenuous than cuddle with Avi.

    After that, the time went quickly.  Classes, study group, then sparring took up almost every day of the week.  He had also begun giving guitar and piano lessons to the interested study group members after hours at Dawn Star.

    A good chunk of Sundays were devoted to Alchemy and Artifice with Gabrielle, Renna, and Kassandra.  He was surprised that Kassandra was as enthusiastic about alchemy as she was.  He was also happy that Renna was true to her word about enjoying helping juniors with their alchemy.

    That said, the standard method of Alchemists was still infuriatingly inefficient.  Nevertheless, he still memorized their methods and theory so that he could play along with them.  About the only thing that he took away from any class or session were the recipes that he¡¯d later modify for his own personal method of alchemy.

    It was still a bit weird for him to have Renna watching over his shoulder though.  She still looked to be in her mid-teens.  She still had what he¡¯d call baby fat in her cheeks for crying out loud.  And he¡¯d learned that she was one hundred four years old, but still considered a ¡°youth¡± by other elves.

    Which, considering her Peak Tier 4 cultivation as well as having recently become a 5<sup>th</sup> Tier Mentalist, he was sure that she was a prodigy.  Sure, she was ¡°old¡±, but considering that elven developmental stages were much longer than that of most other races, she really was ¡°young¡±.

    All that said, and for as busy as he was, he found that it was astonishingly fun.  He remembered his long monologue to Avi about him being an introvert and needing his own time to himself.  And he still got it in the night because he only needed two hours of sleep to fully replenish himself.

    Maybe it was because of Avi¡¯s support, or the fact that their study group was relatively small.  Or perhaps it was because everyone got along so well together, apart from all the flirting aimed his way.  But he found that their genuine desire to be there helped to relax him.  Helped him to drop his walls bit by bit.

    Even with Emily.  He¡¯d gone and studied the customs and culture of the Eternal Snow Kingdom and had found that she¡¯d only fudged their customs a bit.  Yes, it was pretty much mandatory to get married if the couple engaged in sexual relations, but not for something as minor as a training accident.  That said, the royal family seemed to take things a bit more seriously than others.

    As such, he¡¯d received a formal letter from the crown requesting an audience during summer break.  Which he more or less planned to avoid.

    After that, the study group once again astonished him by expressing their interest in learning martial arts.  Most pitched it as a way to keep themselves safe should they be accosted, while others just looked like they wanted to get more ¡°Joram Time¡±, as he started to hear them call it.

    So, for the past three weeks, he¡¯d rented a smaller sparring arena than that first one for them to practice in.  Again, he was surprised at how¡­ easy it was for him to spend so much time with other people.  He mostly attributed it to his love of helping and teaching others, but had to admit to himself that it didn¡¯t hurt that he was surrounded by so many stunningly beautiful women.

    All dressed in their body suits.

    Contrary to what he¡¯d initially expected, he didn¡¯t leave those training sessions hornier than a rabbit in spring.  No, he left¡­ content.  It was almost like a balm to his soul to be surrounded by such beauty.  That may have seemed incredibly superficial to some while others might view it as lecherous, lustful, lascivious, indecent, immoral, objectifying, or any similar thing.  But to him and his incredibly low self esteem, it helped to heal the damage done to him in his youth.

    Sure, some of them argued from time to time, fighting over his attention and silly things like that.  But even after all that, he was glad to have made more friends.  Not just flatterers trying to exploit him, but people who genuinely- however hidden some of them might try to keep it- wanted to spend time with him and the others.

    I guess even I change, he thought with a wistful smile as he headed home, ready to start his summer vacation.

 Chapter 084 - In-Laws...?

    As he arrived home, Joram was interrupted.

    M3: Hey, I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯re done.

    Joram: Wooo!!

    He couldn¡¯t help but do the Victory Dance once inside, the door closed behind him.

    ¡°Something good happen?¡±  Wentian asked from where he was messing around with the drum set off to the side of the living room.

    ¡°Ah, just a project that¡¯s finally done,¡± he said as he stopped dancing.

    ¡°Anything I can help with?¡±  He asked, setting his drumsticks down.

    ¡°Hmm, nah.  Well, maybe.  I¡¯ll need to empty the Realm for a couple of days, so maybe getting your help to look after them would work out well,¡± he said, quickly going through what might be needed.

    ¡°Yeah, no worries.  Where¡¯ll everyone be dropped off?¡±

    ¡°Good question,¡± he said, thinking.

    The mansion that his family owned in Stormhaven was admittedly huge, but not quite big enough, or staffed, to handle several hundred guests for a couple of days.  Maybe he could split the group?

    There was enough room for about a hundred at the mansion, while he supposed that if Kinkade expanded the number of dwellings in the cultivation cave, they could fit the rest in there.  Not a few had already moved back to the growing New Brightside, as they were calling it, so he didn¡¯t really have to worry about displacing too many people.

    After a few conversations over the Network, he, Avi, Grammy, and his mum had everything sorted and were starting with the arrangements.

    While all that happened, he sat on the couch and went over the new [Genesis] Power, tentatively called [Genesis, Greater].  He was once again astounded with the progress that had been made, as well as the added functionality it contained.

    Not only would he have almost total control of every aspect of the demiplane, but the augment options that had been added were fantastic.  Sure, the new Power was incredibly expensive to manifest, both in terms of energy and resources.  But the growth of his Realm would skyrocket.  Not only that, but he¡¯d be able to start new ¡°planets¡±!

    His planning and anticipation came to a halt when Grammy connected with him.

    ¡®So, Joram.  I heard that you¡¯ve made a wonderful new fabric,¡¯ she sent, stopping his heart.

    Well, shit.

    *The next morning*

    Joram looked around his Realm with a smile.  It didn¡¯t look appreciatively different than it had previously.  But he could feel just how different it was.  It had not only grown almost instantly by about 40%, but he could still feel the borders expanding.

    With the new parameters of [Genesis, Greater], he had unparalleled control over the growth and attributes of his Realm.  It still wasn¡¯t to the point where it was a morphic demiplane that he controlled every aspect of, but he really didn¡¯t want that much control anyway.  As much as he enjoyed a good builder game, he really didn¡¯t like micromanaging things.

    With the update to his Realm, he¡¯d also added the seeds for a couple of moons and a few new planets when the current borders were sufficient to accommodate the additions.

    As it was, he¡¯d set the growth limit for his current¡­ planetoid to be about ? the size of Dovaynia.  It would still be a crazy-huge planet though.  Having come from Earth, that was plenty big enough for him.  As it was, he was sure that it¡¯d take a very long time to get up to size, then for the moons to start forming, never mind the rest of his planned solar system.

    It still felt good, though.  He could feel his Realm drawing in the raw ectoplasm from the Astral Plane needed to fuel its growth.  He¡¯d not only made it so that his first world would grow, but that it would also grow to include heavier chemical elements.  Meaning that one would fine a seam of ore or a deposit of precious gems as they dug around.

    He¡¯d also incorporated various geological features in its growth like mountains, valleys, canyons, deserts, plains, lakes, rivers, oceans, and seas.  Everything that would make a world interesting and diverse.  All told, it would be very much like Dovaynia, but smaller and with more than two major continents.

    Joram took another deep breath, enjoying the view.

    ¡®Hey, how¡¯s it going?¡¯  Avi sent, probably having sensed his contentment.

    ¡®Ah, it¡¯s great,¡¯ he sent back, smiling.  ¡®I may need to start setting aside resources so that I can remanifest [Genesis, Greater] again, and more often.¡¯

    ¡®It¡¯s not too bad, resource-wise,¡¯ she sent musingly.  ¡®And if the girls have finally managed to convince you to open that lingerie store, I¡¯m sure that the money will come rolling in.¡¯

    Joram sighed again, remembering how insistent his family had been that he open up a store in Stormhaven.  He was reasonably sure that Grammy would make sure it ran well and made a huge profit.  It was just that he didn¡¯t want to be stuck making the stuff forever more.

    He shared his thoughts on that with Avi, and was once again impressed by how on point she was.

    ¡®I thought that that would be the case.  So, I started drawing up plans for a replicator specifically used to produce the fabric.  I was thinking of starting with a simple unit that just made bolts of the cloth, allowing for a selection of colours, then moving on to one that could make the finished garments,¡¯ she sent, further stoking the love he felt for her.

    ¡®Well, with [Genesis, Greater] all done, I can have M3 start working with you on that,¡¯ he sent back, happy as could be.

    ¡®Awesome,¡¯ she sent happily.  ¡®But, as much as I wanted to get that sorted, there¡¯s something else.  Guests have arrived for you.¡¯

    Joram paused there, now a bit nervous.  Avi wouldn¡¯t have left it vague like that if it was someone he knew, nor if the ¡°guests¡± weren¡¯t important.  Which led him to the conclusion that whoever had arrived, he¡¯d need to shave, get changed, and generally get more presentable than he was currently.

    ¡®I¡¯ll be there shortly,¡¯ he sent back.

    He shifted over to his apartment in his Realm and got to work.  Within minutes he was showered, shaved, coifed, and dressed in his best clothes.  Best, as in ¡°not something he wore every day¡±.

    He¡¯d chosen one of the robe/suits that were in fashion, a well-cut garment that combined the dress pants of a suit with a coat that was more an open robe than anything.  It came down to his ankles after the sides split just after his hips.  The charcoal grey was complimented by a dark purple trim that matched his hair, something he¡¯d taken from growing up in the Clan.

    As for a tie, well, he left that out.  They were annoying and he preferred to keep the top button of his shirt undone.  Underneath it all, he wore a white body suit so that it wouldn¡¯t show through his shirt.  This one, though, he¡¯d actually enchanted.

    Nothing too crazy at what he¡¯d consider a +8 AC bonus with very high elemental resistances, but still the highest quality that he could make.  Combined with the deflection bonus that came with unlocking his ability to fuse his forms, he was as prepared as he could be without actually buffing himself before heading out.

    He took one last look at himself through his perception, then shifted back to his room in his manor at the Academy.

    Through his perception he could ¡°see¡± the Trio downstairs in the living room as they waited off to the side.  He noticed that they¡¯d already served refreshments to the ¡°guests¡±, though, so that was good.  The only other people present aside from the guests were Alicia and Renna.

    The guests looked too much like Emily to be anyone other than her family, never mind the woman who was sitting beside her.

    He suppressed another sigh before opening his bedroom door and heading downstairs.

    ¡°I apologize for my tardiness,¡± Joram said once he¡¯d entered the living room, and everyone had turned to look at him.

    Alicia sat in the chair closest to the piano with the Trio lined up along the wall to her right.  Taking up the two couches were those he¡¯d assumed to be Emily¡¯s family.

    On the couch closest to the Trio sat Emily, a woman who he assumed was either her older sister or mother, for she looked so much like Emily that he¡¯d had to check twice.  Beside that woman sat a lithe, but well muscled man with a silvery-white diadem with an impressive star sapphire set in the centre of it.  Lined up, the man was closest to Alicia while Emily seemed happy to be further away from her.

    They were all dressed like, well, royalty.  Even Emily was in a dress instead of her preferred body suit, her hair coifed and held in place by a delicate tiara made of the same metal as the diadem her¡­ father?, wore.

    On the other couch sat two young men and a young woman, all of whom were obviously Emily¡¯s siblings even though their colouring differed from hers.  The three of them all had the same shape ears as their father, while also having a slightly bluish hue to their hair and tails.  The only ones who didn¡¯t have that bluish hue were Emily and her mother.  Well, he guessed that she was her mother given where she was sitting and all.

    Along the wall behind where the other kids sat, stood two guards that he was reasonably sure were in the 6<sup>th</sup> Tier.  And if Emily was any indication, they were likely martial artists, which might prove more than a bit annoying for him if anything happened.

    ¡°No, I apologize for the unannounced visit,¡± the man said, standing up and offering Joram his hand, much to the displeasure of the aforementioned guards.

    ¡°Ah, no bother,¡± he said, taking the man¡¯s hand and noting the impressive grip strength.

    ¡°I am King Corinthus Icewood of the Eternal Snow Kingdom,¡± he said, standing tall.  ¡°This is my concubine, Sasha Hornwood, Emily¡¯s mother.  These three are Reduin, Sylana, and Galamir, Emily¡¯s siblings,¡± he said, motioning to each one, from closest to Alicia to farthest from her.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    From their appearances, he guessed that he¡¯d introduced them from oldest to youngest.  That was only a guess, though, as they all appeared to be the same age.  Likely due to their cultivation.  He was impressed that the first two were in the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier while the last one seemed to be just into the 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier.

    ¡°A pleasure,¡± he said with a slight bow.  ¡°As I¡¯m sure you know, I am Joram Aneath.  This is Alicia Seraphina, while these three are Li Mo Yu, Ren Wentian, and Qin Bai Lian, my good friends,¡± he said, motioning to each as he spoke.  ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure on the etiquette, so I¡¯ll also introduce Renna Fairfir, Emily¡¯s good friend.¡±

    A few more pleasantries were shared before everyone once again took their seats and settled.

    Joram noticed that Galamir didn¡¯t seem to be too pleased with things, while his other two siblings were better at hiding their displeasure.

    ¡°So, let me get to the core of things,¡± the King said, leaning back slightly on the couch as though he were still in court.  ¡°I¡¯ve heard of the training incident from six weeks back.  Although I¡¯ve heard that my daughter has been less than¡­ reserved during her studies here, she had hitherto fore retained her dignity during her time here at the Academy.

    ¡°Hearing about what happened, especially given her status as a princess of the Kingdom, I¡¯m afraid that I must insist on personally investigating the matter,¡± he said with great sternness.

    Joram just raised an eyebrow, causing the three siblings and two guards to bristle.  For her part, Sasha seemed entertained at his reaction, nearly as much as Emily was.  Well, what amusement he could see behind the embarrassment she was trying to hide.

    ¡°So, please, explain,¡± the King commanded more than said.

    It was probably a habit to speak like that given his station, but Joram was nonetheless irked by being told what to do, especially in that tone.  He took a moment to suppress his annoyance before recounting what had happened, leaving out Emily¡¯s outrageous flirting to avoid adding fuel to the fire.

    ¡°¡­ and that¡¯s that,¡± Joram finished.

    The lot of them looked at him as though he¡¯d just spouted an impressive amount of bullshit all over the table.  He could see their disbelief written all over their faces, likely because they couldn¡¯t sense any magical cultivation from him.  For their part, Emily¡¯s parents hid their shock and disbelief the best, followed by the guards.  But her siblings weren¡¯t so practiced.

    ¡°Are you telling me that my sister lost to¡­ you?¡±  Galamir demanded, half getting up from the couch as he spoke, very obviously angry.

    Joram looked over to where Renna sat, who just shrugged at him.

    ¡°Yes?¡±  Joram said, not quite understanding where the hostility was coming from.

    ¡°You, with no cultivation?  Impossible,¡± Galamir scoffed as his elder siblings nodded fractionally.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, is it customary in your kingdom to show such disrespect to one¡¯s host?¡±  Joram turned and asked the King, trying very hard to remain pleasant.

    He didn¡¯t know the situation with Galamir and his siblings, so he was trying very hard not to label Galamir as an entitled prat of a princeling.

    ¡°Hmm, indeed that was rude of Galamir.  Apologize to our host,¡± he said with the stern tone he seemed to use by default.

    Galamir looked like he¡¯d eaten a pickled plum, but impressed Joram by apologizing.

    ¡°I apologize for my rudeness.  I was unable to hide my shock,¡± he said while looking down at the floor.

    Joram nodded to that, then turned back to the King.

    ¡°So, why does everyone think it¡¯s so shocking that I won?¡±  He asked, genuinely curious.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± the King hmm¡¯d, sounding more like a growling feline.  ¡°That would be because none of her siblings have been able to do so as yet due to Emily¡¯s unique bloodline,¡± he said.

    ¡°And?  Is it that hard to believe that she could lose?¡±

    Again, the five reactive guests bristled at his casually spoken blunt words.

    ¡°Even though Emily is still only in the 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier, once her battle aura is released, she can challenge even someone who¡¯s begun stepping into the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier.  That a person with no cultivation was able to not only survive such an encounter, but defeat her is more than perplexing,¡± the King explained.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t she tell you that I¡¯m also a body refiner?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the King replied.  ¡°But so is she.  The difference in strength should allow her to easily overwhelm anyone below the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier.¡±

    Joram gave up on that, instead asking another question that needed to be answered.

    ¡°So, ignoring all that for the moment, and forgive my bluntness.  But, why are you even here?  I¡¯m sure that there are more than a few accounts to be found of what happened, never mind those of your daughter and Renna here.¡±

    The King nodded at that, seemingly appreciative of his directness even if his children and guards looked like they wanted to give Joram a thrashing.

    ¡°I would like to see you fight,¡± the King said, startling everyone present.  ¡°From there, I can decide what must be done.¡±

    Joram couldn¡¯t keep his eyebrow from twitching when he heard that.  Why the hell should he go along with this?

    ¡®Chill, Joram,¡¯ Alicia sent him, likely both reading his body language and the emotions coming through the Network.  ¡®Just play along.  It won¡¯t hurt to see what he has to say after that.¡¯

    ¡®And if he insists on something ridiculous like me marrying Emily?¡¯

    ¡®Meh, we¡¯ll see how it goes,¡¯ she sent back, the very personification of chill.

    ¡°Fine,¡± he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose just under his brows.  ¡°But please tell me that I¡¯m not just fighting for fun,¡± he said, now looking at the King.

    ¡°Hmm, an interesting point,¡± the King replied, rubbing his cleanshaven chin.  ¡°How about this.  Win or lose, I¡¯ll pay for your tuition for your entire stay at the Academy,¡± he said, looking pleased with his offer.

    Joram saw Alicia¡¯s lips twitch slightly at that.  Not only her, but the Trio had to hide their own smiles.  Emily blushed furiously at the suggestion, while Renna kept the best poker face of them all.

    He suppressed another sigh before replying.

    ¡°Yeah, I guess that¡¯s fine,¡± he said, then stood up.  ¡°There¡¯s an arena that we usually use for spars, so let¡¯s head there.¡±

    None of his guests had missed their varied reactions to the offer, from the slightly confused look the King had to the outraged glares of the kids.  They all didn¡¯t quite get it.

    Joram didn¡¯t bother explaining things to them as he guided them out of his house and down to the arena.  On the way, they attracted considerable attention from those around them.  The ones who were Emily¡¯s fans going so far as to start following them at a distance, mostly because of the two guards trailing behind the group.

    He took note that it wasn¡¯t just Emily who was short, but also the rest of her family.  Her father was the tallest, though still stood an inch shorter than Joram, with the two boys just a bit shorter than their father.  Sylana, who he took to be the first princess, stood just a bit shorter than her brothers, but still taller than Emily and her mother, who were practically identical.

    That said, Joram noticed that Sasha had a confidence to her that Emily lacked, probably due to position and accumulated life experience.  That said, he could understand why the King had taken her as a concubine.

    By the time they arrived at the arena, not only had Emily¡¯s fan club swarmed to follow her, but the study group had also gathered for some reason.

    Joram nodded to the attendant in charge of taking payment and handed him his student card.  A minute later, not only was their little group inside, but also a good number of Emily¡¯s strongest and most ardent fans.  Then came Grammy followed by his grandparents and parents.  Then the Dean.  And a few of his teachers, and probably some of Emily¡¯s as well.

    He stood there, dumbfounded as people kept on coming.  As the small arena filled, the juniors were first sent out, then up the line it went until everything seemed to be settled.  That was until the Dean stood up and approached the announcer¡¯s box where two enthusiastic students waited to give a running commentary.

    ¡°Thank you all for coming today,¡± the Dean announced with much dignity.  ¡°I apologize for the limited seating available to those in attendance.  With that in mind, recordings will not be permitted of this gathering, so please put them away before I¡¯m forced to confiscate them, along with levying a heavy fine,¡± he finished by looking several people in the eyes, causing them to pale and shift uncomfortably.

    ¡°Due to this involving not only two of my students, but a foreign power, I will be presiding over this friendly spar,¡± he said, sending a smile the King¡¯s way.

    For his part, King Icewood seemed quite dignified in his composure.  He nodded back to the Dean, who then continued.

    ¡°Due to the rumours that have spread regarding the last eventful match between these two, I will have a privacy screen ready should something similar occur this time.¡±

    There were a few grumbles from the few students in attendance, but most were wise enough to keep their mouths closed.

    ¡°There will be no time limit for the match, but I ask that you keep your movements confined to the arena floor.  I also ask that no spells of either Mana or Mental Strength be used during the spar.  It is a friendly match, so there¡¯s no need to escalate things.¡±

    The Dean paused for the murmurs of approval before starting up again.

    ¡°The match will start once the two participants have had time to change into something more suitable.¡±

    Joram looked over at Alicia and raised a brow.

    ¡®I couldn¡¯t help but call your family, as this might have an impact on them too,¡¯ she sent with a mental shrug.

    ¡®And they happened to call the Dean?¡¯

    ¡®Nah, I¡¯m pretty sure that he started paying attention to things once Emily¡¯s family showed up.  Rather prudent of him, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡¯

    Joram just grunted before summoning a few standing screens to change behind.  His clothes vanished before being replaced by his combat clothes.  The design was pretty much the same as the one Avi had caught him posing in, but he left off the cowl.

    His top was a long-sleeved one that ended halfway down his forearm, the neck going up to just under his chin.  It also had a bit more padding in vulnerable spots in the from of stiffer viridian silk, making it look a bit like strategically placed armoured plates.

    His pants were pants, also with strategically placed ¡°plates¡± on his knees, thighs, and shins, but on the front and on the back.  His vulnerables were also protected, though a bit more traditionally than his jockstrap of holding.  An actual jockstrap was incorporated into the pants as he didn¡¯t want to look ridiculous due to a conspicuous lack of what ¡°should have been there¡± that the jockstrap of holding would have caused.

    Finally, his boots and gloves were made of slightly thicker viridian silk.  The soles of his boots had been made almost entirely of textured Viridian Iron Bamboo so that he could keep traction as he leapt about.  His gloves were just that: gloves.  Well, ¡°fingerless¡± gloves that left the last two joints of his fingers bare.  Nothing special, but something to cover his knuckles.  Mostly for decoration considering the durability of his skin.

    Once done, he stored the screens away again and waited for Emily to finish.

    He almost facepalmed when her screens vanished, revealing her clad in the body suit he¡¯d made for her.

    The students began to cheer her while her family looked resigned.  It seemed as though her preference in attire wasn¡¯t new to them.  Oddly enough, it was her mother that looked most proud of her daughter as she sat beside the King, a large smile on her face.

    ¡°If the participants would enter the stage,¡± the Dean suddenly spoke up, quieting those gathered.

    Joram nodded, then walked onto the stage at the same time as Emily.  He couldn¡¯t help but notice how excited she looked as she strode onto the stage beside him.  Their group hadn¡¯t separated when they¡¯d arrived, so they were practically shoulder to shoulder as they walked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you this time,¡± Emily whispered to him as they came to a stop and faced each other.

    ¡°Just give it your best,¡± he said, not wanting to trash talk or anything stupid like that.

    Emily¡¯s smile grew wider, revealing her elongated incisors.  She took up her fighting stance, focussing on him so intensely that her pupils constricted, leaving her irises almost entirely red save for a small black dot at the centre.

    Despite himself, Joram¡¯s excitement started to build.  It was one thing to spar with Wentian, him being in the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier as well as a body refiner.  But¡­ it just wasn¡¯t as exciting.  It was more like fighting that doll back at the Quest Hall assessment.  It was almost predictable.

    Emily, on the other hand wasn¡¯t.  Well, she was relatively easy to read until she started losing herself to her battle lust.  At that point, her attacks became more¡­ opportunistic.  Not a series of kata that someone has practiced thousands of times and altered a bit when it came to a real-life fight.

    Yeah, opportunistic described it very well.  Not random or flailing about.  But if she was in the middle of spinning around and saw an opening, even something small and insignificant, she¡¯d take it.  The typical exchange of attacks, deflections, feints, dodges, and blocks came so fast that a lapse in reaction speed resulted in immediate exploitation.  Even if it meant stopping her current attack to switch targets.

    Yeah, maybe it was just that she was more adaptable.  Or a natural talent.  Probably both.

    Joram smiled, then raised his hands, left one out slightly more and a bit higher than the right, which was closer to his chest.  His hands were open, but with the fingers slightly curled.  His kneed were slightly bent, his torso leaning back ever so slightly.

    He¡¯d first been introduced to the style as he¡¯d been going through kung-fu movies.  After that, he¡¯d watched the movies over and over again throughout the years.  He¡¯d even picked up a book on the forms, but hadn¡¯t ever picked up a training dummy.  Yet, he¡¯d tried going through the forms for a full year back on Earth before realizing he didn¡¯t have time to keep practicing, nor would he make any meaningful progress without an instructor.

    So, he¡¯d only picked it up again these past couple months as the thought of what to teach the girls who wanted to learn martial arts for ¡°self defense¡±.  He¡¯d been working on it again, but hadn¡¯t yet had time, or the confidence, to teach it to them.

    ¡°I¡¯m not as familiar with this style,¡± Joram said with an apologetic smile.  ¡°But I¡¯d really like to practice Master Ng Mui¡¯s art.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know who that is,¡± Emily said, a bit confused as she shifted subtly.

    ¡°That¡¯s OK,¡± he replied, his smile now growing larger.  ¡°Please, instruct me.¡±

 Chapter 085 - Round 2... Fight!

    Just as Emily dashed forward, Joram reassigned Kinkade all the way through to M6 to go through the forms to refine what he knew as he used Emily as a live practice.

    Her first trike nearly caught him in the gut, but a quick flick of his right wrist came down and deflected the jab.  From there, she put him on the back foot as she began to unleash a blistering onslaught of attacks.

    There were several times when he needed to shift stances to keep from being kicked off the stage.  Each time, he quickly made distance and recovered his stance to try again while his Minds worked overtime.  Analyzing, observing, visualizing how every move could be used in the most efficient way possible.

    It was hard.

    Even with the minor cheat of having enchanted clothing, Emily was able to land an incredible number of blows in the first few minutes of their spar.

    But he was learning.

    * * * * *

    Galamir was disgusted.  Not only had that round-eared commoner managed to ¡°defeat¡± his sister, but his father had also dragged them along to ¡°investigate¡± the matter.

    Now, after having had to suffer many humiliations at the round-eared bastards¡¯ hands, he was gloating.

    It still disgusted him that his Joram not only had the audacity to ask for instruction from his sister, but also had no shame in his terrible skills.  It was obvious that Emily was much better than Joram, the dozens of blows she landed each attesting to her superiority.

    He could see Joram running away from Emily each time she threw him off balance with her perfectly executed attacks.

    So, why was she prolonging the fight?  Couldn¡¯t she have already ended the fight any time she wanted?  Or was it because of her rising battle lust?

    He looked over to his brother and sister, intent on asking them what they thought, but stopped.  His elder brother and sister were intently watching the ¡°match¡±.  Having grown up with them, he knew that interrupting their entertainment came with dire consequences, so he turned back to watch the match, wondering when Emily would end the farce.

    * * * * *

    Corinthus Icewood considered himself a tolerant man.  He ruled not only with logic, but also with compassion.  Taxes were fair across the board.  He even made sure that healers were accessible to everyone regardless of their station in life.

    Even in his own life, he kept things as simple as possible.  He had one wife and one concubine.  A ridiculous thing according to the various nobles in court.  They argued that he should have many more to make sure that the royal line would be secure.

    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t care, because he really did love his kingdom. No, he was just a person who was a bit more focussed in things. He had one wife because he truly didn¡¯t want to divide his focus.

    He¡¯d taken Emily¡¯s mother as a concubine because- at first- of political expediency.  It didn¡¯t hurt that she was a stunning beauty.  But it had taken a few years for love to properly blossom in his heart.

    Now, he cherished her dearly.  As well as their daughter.

    So over the years, he¡¯d more than doted on his third child.  He¡¯d taken great care to nurture her, to give her the best cultivation techniques the royal family kept.

    When she¡¯d not only expressed interest in martial arts but had proven to be a prodigy like her mother, he¡¯d done everything to nurture and develop that talent for her.

    She¡¯d even inherited the ancestral bloodline of her mother¡¯s clan, the Ice Phantom bloodline.  Which made really pushing her growth a hazardous endeavour, at best.  And so, with great reluctance and much urging from her mother, he¡¯d finally agreed to send her to the Grand Waeryn Academy.

    It was said that they were the best institution in the world to nurture talents.  Then, as the months passed by, the progress reports he received put his mind at ease.  She was learning, slowly mastering her frighteningly powerful and berserk bloodline.

    Then he¡¯d received a report that had chilled his blood.  She¡¯d been almost fully taken by her bloodline during a spar with a junior.  He¡¯d made arrangements to visit her as soon as he could get away from his duties and there he was.

    He¡¯d been exceedingly dubious of the report that claimed that her sparring partner had been the one to end her berserker state, thinking that maybe the Dean had intervened from behind the scenes.

    Then, after interviewing young Mr Aneath, he¡¯d retained his doubts.  Yes, the boy surely carried himself well.  His manners could use more than a little work, but that was the case for most youth, so he didn¡¯t mind it too much.

    But to not have a cultivation base and still claim that he¡¯d defeated his daughter was surely beyond credence even if he was a body refiner.  Yes, he was respectably strong, likely due to his being an Artificer, but even if his daughter claimed that he¡¯d defeated her, along with her friend, Renna¡­.

    He didn¡¯t want to doubt his daughter and one of the ancient folk, but there was a limit to what he was willing to swallow.  And after meeting young Mr Aneath, he suspected that maybe her opinion was¡­ slanted.

    When he¡¯d arrived at Mr Aneath¡¯s manor, he¡¯d been treated by two beautiful young women, then a third one showed up a moment later, claiming to be part of Mr Aneath¡¯s study group.  Emily and Renna corroborated that story though, so he had no further grounds to doubt it.

    But having two ¡°servants¡± and a ¡°friend¡± who were on a level with his daughter was more than suspicious in his mind.  Especially when he noticed their varied reactions during his conversation with the boy.

    Because he¡¯d already suspected that his daughter¡¯s opinion was biased, he wasn¡¯t surprised by her antics.  But to see even Emily¡¯s friend, Renna, react minutely had shocked him.  Was his precious daughter involved with a playboy?

    That was when he suggested the match... which hadn¡¯t gotten the reaction he¡¯d been expecting.  It wasn¡¯t Emily¡¯s obvious embarrassment, as that was expected, but Mr Aneath¡¯s ennui that had struck him.  Then to demand recompense just to agree to it had nearly pushed him over the edge and allow his guards free reign.

    But he¡¯d reigned in his instincts and had even offered a generous sum. It was, simply put, an amazing offer for anyone not of nobility, which his people reported that he was not.   So, why the varied looks of amusement at the offer?

    Mr Aneath¡¯s condescending acceptance was even worse, but he held his piece and followed the boy out of his manor.  The walk proved to be pleasant regardless of the stranglers following along drooling after his daughters.

    When the small arena began filling with spectators, he nearly had them removed, but then the thought of Mr Aneath losing to his daughter stayed his words.  When various faculty members started to arrive, his pleasure at the thought of Mr Aneath¡¯s public defeat started to grow.

    Then the Dean had arrived, which also pleased him greatly.  The man was surely a political beast, knowing that it was proper to greet a king.

    He¡¯d been mildly surprised at Mr Aneath¡¯s choice of combat attire, but supposed a pugilist would find the outfit accommodating.  He was almost floored when Emily came out wearing such a scandalously revealing outfit and almost called for a moment so that he could get her something more appropriate to wear.

    But the moment passed before he could act.  The two of them strode onto the stage and exchanged quiet words before Emily started.

    He was¡­ disappointed.  He thought that Mr Aneath would at least put up a better showing than he was; given how confident he¡¯d been. Instead, Corinthus was shown a level of amateurish incompetency on the level of initiates.

    His forms, as unfamiliar as they were to him, were sloppy and ill executed.  Emily was constantly pushing him back, continually breaking his stance.  Not only that, but he saw tens of her attacks land each minute, making him wonder just how easy she was going on the boy.

    Was she feeling pity for him?  Was she holding back just so that she could give the boy some face?  Surely that was the case, for with how many times she¡¯d struck him he should have been a bloody mess by now.

    Instead, the boy seemed to be¡­ improving as they fought.  His forms were slowly tightening up, his footwork¡¯s efficiency increasing.  Even the number of attacks landing on him decreased.

    Was she taking the time to train him?  Surely that was going too far, even for her.  Did she like him that much?  Was that why she¡¯d sent him the message saying that she¡¯d found ¡°the one¡±?

    His eyes sharpened and he refocussed on the match, studying the boy¡¯s movements with new eyes.  If his daughter had chosen this lad, there was surely something about him other than his looks and demeanour.

    Corinthus¡¯ eyes followed every step, every subtle movement of the pair.  It wasn¡¯t difficult for his Tier 6 eyes that had been refined with his family¡¯s secret body refining technique.

    He would thoroughly investigate the boy and if he found him lacking, well, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to scare the boy off.  But, what was this feeling in the back of his mind that kept nagging at him?

    He shook that feeling off, once again focussing on the match.  Emily practiced the same techniques that he did, that the entire royal line had for generations.  Their pride was on the line, so he hoped that she would end the match soon.

    But it wasn¡¯t so.  As he continued to watch, the boy¡¯s technique continued to visibly improve.  Soon, Emily wasn¡¯t unilaterally dominating the match, their techniques soon matched for efficiency.

    His hackles rose as the realization dawned on him that it hadn¡¯t been Emily who¡¯d been going easy on him.  No, with how fast the boy¡¯s martial art was improving, he began to suspect that he¡¯d started himself off with a handicap.  There was no other explanation.

    It was when Mr Aneath started pushing Emily that his suspicions were confirmed.  Not only had he given himself a handicap for the match, but he was also growing at a monstrous rate.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    As he watched, the lad began landing more blows than Emily.  He saw as she grew frustrated even as her smile grew to the point where he was truly getting worried.  Her bloodline wasn¡¯t something that just came out right away during a fight.  It built up, grew as the person fought; and grew excited.

    It wasn¡¯t long before Emily¡¯s aura started to show, once again confirming his instincts.  Even Sasha by his side was growing tense, knowing better than most how dangerous the match was becoming.

    He quickly glanced over to where the Dean was sitting with the announcers and frowned.  For even as excited as the announcers were becoming in their commentary- one that was highly in favour of his daughter- he seemed¡­ calm.

    Corinthus turned back to his daughter to see her aura growing at an alarming rate.  But what concerned him more was Joram, specifically: his own budding aura.  His aura looked jade lightning playing around in flames.  It gave him the chills just looking at it.

    His eyes turned back to his precious daughter as she began to growl at him as they fought.  Again, he glanced at the Dean to gauge his reaction only to find the man as placid as ever.  Was he just that confident in his ability to stop Emily¡¯s rampage?  For surely that¡¯s what it had turned into.

    Even as he looked back at the intense battle taking place on the stage, he saw just how powerful their movements had become.  The stage was starting to crack in places where Emily launched herself at the boy.  With increasing worry, he watched as her aura manifested to the point where it began to solidify.

    He saw claws form from the backs of her hands, mimicking her favoured weapon.  He was just about to call the match when he saw Emily land a slash across Joram¡¯s chest, knocking him back with a splash of crimson.

    He was already thinking of ways to comfort his daughter, for she¡¯d always taken it hard when she injured someone when in that state, when his eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.  To his utter astonishment, Joram¡¯s chest didn¡¯t show even a scratch as he shot back into the fight with Emily.

    That was when he realized that, even in the intense heat given off by their auras, their clothing was perfectly intact, even after the punishment they¡¯d been subjected to.  Was this the source of his confidence?  A defensive artifact that could withstand blows that could even injure a Tier 5 cultivator?

    But that wasn¡¯t right.  He could see just how fast the boy was as he fought.  Looking closer, it now appeared as though Joram was the one coaching his daughter as they fought.  His practiced eye spotted feints that were obvious to him, but lured his daughter¡¯s attacks as surely as flies to honey.  His counterattacks weren¡¯t light either, connecting with enough force to make Emily¡¯s face twitch even when consumed by her bloodline.

    Yet, they weren¡¯t hard enough to end the fight.

    Corinthus watched as Joram¡¯s form continued its astonishing refinement.  As his movements became more fluid, he pushed Emily ever further.  Her aura had strengthened to the point where it was now covering her in a protective layer, softening blows where it didn¡¯t outright deflect them.

    He¡¯d only ever seen that aura on one person before.  A man that had become consumed with grief and rage when a wave of demonic beasts had decimated his town, killing almost everyone, including his family.  He¡¯d been in such a berserker rage that he¡¯d even turned on those who¡¯d come to help, and it had only been the intervention of his royal guards that had stopped his rampage.

    Again, he was about to intervene but stopped when, once again, the Dean seemed unconcerned with the state his daughter was in.  Did he not know just how far gone she was?  Even the faculty observing the match were showing signs of nerves as they watched.

    He looked to the people who¡¯d arrived and sat with Joram, presumably his family.  From what he felt, none of them were particularly strong.  But the only thing he could read from them was an intense¡­ interest in the fight.  Their eyes were glued to the fight as they leaned forward.  Even the young women who¡¯d come with Joram, and had been joined by yet more stunning beauties, seemed more interested than worried.

    He turned back yet again and saw that Joram¡¯s aura was now getting stronger.  What really caught his attention though, was the huge smile on the boy¡¯s face.  It showed such and intense¡­ joy that he nearly lost his composure at the sight of it.

    Is a mere Mentalist such a battle maniac?  He wondered, then felt another shiver run down his spine when another wave of Joram¡¯s aura hit him after it had risen to another level, shining brighter than even his daughter¡¯s blood-red aura.

    It was then that a thought occurred to him, one that he wasn¡¯t sure if it should please him¡­ or terrify him.  For what he felt from that aura wasn¡¯t something you¡¯d normally ever feel if you lived several lifetimes, reminding him of stories from his family¡¯s archives that he¡¯d been privy to growing up.

    He¡¯d never experienced it himself but knew the signs of it.  The pressure described.  How his instincts told him that the person fighting his precious daughter was a monster.  How he should take her far away from this place and hide her away.  Of how the other beastkin in the audience were now visibly sweating, even his children, even Sasha.

    It was the suppression from a higher bloodline, a much more powerful one.

    As he continued to watch, Joram¡¯s aura continued to grow in strength.  He could see vibrant jade scales made of his aura forming along his arms even as he could swear that Joram¡¯s incisors seemed a bit longer than before.  The boy¡¯s eyes began to shine as Corinthus watched.

    Their movements became so fast that he was sure that they¡¯d reached the equivalent of the peak of Tier 5 in their speed alone.  And yet, they continued on as though their energy had no limits.

    Stunned, he could only watch as his little girl continued her onslaught against the monster of a boy she¡¯d taken an interest in, his heart growing tight in his chest.

    * * * * *

    As he watched his son fight, Ivaryn would only marvel.

    It had taken Joram less than nine years to surpass him.  The thought both made him incredibly proud and depressed at the same time.  That he¡¯d come such a long way in such a short time truly proved that he was not only a Reincarnator, but one with great talent.  It was no wonder that he¡¯d been the Founder¡¯s First Disciple.

    But where and when had he acquired his bloodline?  From everything that he knew, and that was considerable given the fact that he¡¯d married into Sulia¡¯s Clan, neither of their lines had such a bloodline as that.  Which meant that he¡¯d gained it somewhere in the past few years.

    The fight was already at the point where none of them could stop it.  They could only rely on the Dean, a Tier 7 Mage, to stop it before one of them got seriously hurt.

    His jaw clenched as he thought of how weak he was compared to even his son.  He hadn¡¯t been sure of his wife¡¯s choice to become what she¡¯d called a High Elan, reportedly not only what their ancestors descended from, but what Joram had been before his death.  The same race as their Founder.

    Now?  Now he wondered.  It would surely take monumental effort to regain his cultivation if he chose to go the same route that not only his wife had, but also the Matriarch had taken.  But seeing their stunning growth was more than tempting him.

    The desire to protect his family warred with his pride for having reached the peak of Tier 4 just after thirty years of age.  Seeing his son, who¡¯s cultivation was odd beyond belief, but reportedly already in the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier, was a powerful motivator to get stronger.

    As he watched, he continued to ponder the pros and cons of joining his wife on her path.

    * * * * *

    Aya was, once again, torn.

    When her ward had heard that Joram was going to be tested by Princess Hornwood¡¯s royal father, she¡¯d instantly run off to watch.

    So there she was watching a fight that, by every metric and ounce of common sense that she had told her what she was seeing should have been impossible, was happening before her very eyes.

    She¡¯d long known that Joram was more than he seemed.  From his unusual knowledge to his martial arts to his ability to draw others to him.  There was a¡­ magnetism to him that she couldn¡¯t deny.  Something that made a person want to get closer to him that drew even her, her duties notwithstanding.

    But then his opening stance had caught her attention, nearly causing her to exclaim in shock.  Jae-Eun had also noticed, growing more somber and focussed as she intensely observed the match.

    Aya grew instantly guarded against the ¡°young¡± man.  For what she was seeing wasn¡¯t a martial art that someone could just stumble upon if they visited their local training hall.  It was the ancestral martial art of the Heavenly Guard that protected the Emperor and his family.

    Even though his form was crude, juvenile at best, it was unmistakable.  As she watched the match progress, it was as clear as day to her that he was improving and polishing his movements as they fought.  The rate of improvement she saw shook her to the core.

    As their auras began solidifying on them in the form of armour, Joram¡¯s mastery of Everlasting Spring was at the level of veterans in the Heavenly Guard.  Soon, Joram stopped jumping around with the princess, instead preferring to reduce his movements even further as they fought, his footwork so elegant that he seemed to glide over the arena floor.

    Aya was heavily tilting towards once again forbidding contact with Joram when the match came to its climax.

    Princess Hornwood¡¯s aura suddenly exploded outwards, sending a wave of such intense bloodlust that it caused not a few of the students faint dead away.  She reflexively extended her own aura to protect her ward as she watched, her interest peaking.

    The Princess¡¯s aura had now taken the form of a great cat around her.  Not only that, but her hair had visibly grown along with the nails on her hands and feet, turning them into deadly claws.  Her aura was so intense that Aya could hear angry feline growls coming from it.

    She thought that the Dean would step in then, but was shocked by Joram¡¯s response.  He calmly reached out a hand and placed it on the Princess¡¯s head like someone patting the head of a beloved child... or pet.

    Time seemed to stop then as everyone¡¯s breath froze in their chests.

    Joram¡¯s aura flared out stronger than even the Princess¡¯ had been, knocking out even more students unlucky enough to be standing too close.  What was the most shocking to her was the sight of the Princess¡¯ eyes rolling up into her head before her aura winked out.

    She then collapsed into Joram¡¯s arms before he shifted to scoop her up in a traditional princess carry.

    Appropriate, that.  She thought wryly as the stunned audience watched in silence.  But just who is Joram Aneath?  Is he a friend or foe?

    And so, she continued to be torn.  On the one hand, he was a mysterious existence with knowledge that she couldn¡¯t explain, especially his knowledge of Everlasting Spring.  On the other, she hadn¡¯t observed any untoward behaviour from him.

    Even Jae-Eun had finally started showing an interest in martial arts as she continued to attend Joram¡¯s study group.  The other members also seemed to enjoy their time studying which, given their ages, shouldn¡¯t have been a normal occurrence.  Far from it.

    Yet, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder at the mystery that was Joram Aneath.  A Mentalist, Alchemist, Artificer, Marial Artist, and Body Refiner.  Someone who¡¯d created a new fabric that could not only withstand such ridiculous conditions as she¡¯d just witnessed, but also proved to be the most comfortable material she¡¯d ever experienced when it was used to make undergarments.

    Aya cleared away that last thought, not being terribly proud of herself for having succumbed to her curiosity after having heard Jae-Eun sing the ¡°viridian silk¡¯s¡± praises for days on end.

    She watched as Joram slowly made his way to where King Icewood was standing, sweat still coating his face.

    Aya wondered what would come of this as she watched Jae-Eun out of the corner of her eye.  Her ward seemed conflicted, and rightly so.  But for all that, her expression told Aya that she was still leaning in favour of Joram.

    So, what would she do?

    * * * * *

    It had been a monumental risk, but Joram was glad that it had paid off.

    M4 had noticed that after Emily¡¯s aura had flared, every beastkin in the audience had reacted.  Not only that, but even the weaker member of the audience had been affected, some even fainting at the pressure.  Then, when his own aura had spiked, even more people had been affected.  But most importantly, the King and his family, along with Emily, had flinched.

    Given that Emily was so resistant to mental influence while in her berserker state, he¡¯d been seriously wondering how he was going to safely bring the spar to a close.  M3 had reported that the Dean seemed chill, so that line of thought went out the window.

    But M4 had posited that a sufficiently powerful blast of his battle aura might well render Emily unconscious, and thus end the spar.

    It had taken several more seconds of M4 experimenting with his aura before they¡¯d thrown caution to the wind and just went for it.

    So, the fact that it had worked had greatly relieved him.  He was also glad that their clothing had survived the spar, as he was sure that he¡¯d have been murdered if the results of their first spar had been repeated in front of her parents.

    After he shifted Emily into another princess carry, he quickly [Delve]d her to check on her condition.  He found that her cellular regeneration was slowing even though she still suffered from tears in every muscle in her body.  Her tendons and ligaments were also tearing, her bones showing microscopic stress fractures.

    It hurt him more than a little to find that he¡¯d pushed her so far, so hard that she¡¯d sustained so much damage to her body.  So, as he slowly walked to where her family was staring at him in open shock and not a little fear, he forced her into the Network so that he could manifest [True Metabolism] on her.

    By the time he reached her parents, her internal wounds were gone, leaving her sleeping in his arms.

    ¡°So, was that convincing enough?¡±  He asked the King as he passed Emily off to her mother¡¯s waiting embrace.

    Joram could see the man visibly reign-in his emotions, his face quickly returning to what Joram supposed was his ¡°King¡± face before speaking.

    ¡°We will discuss things further, young man.  For now, I need to see to my daughter,¡± he said before gathering up his family with a glance.

    As the royal family walked past Joram, he didn¡¯t miss how Emily¡¯s siblings stayed as far away from him as they could manage in the tightly packed arena.  The two guards glared as they passed him, which didn¡¯t bother him.  What really affected him was the look Sasha gave him as she had gone by.

    It had sent a chill down and right back up his spine.

 Chapter 086 - Tender Care

    She dreamed of strange things.  She couldn¡¯t tell what had been chasing her, but she instinctually knew that it was dangerous, so she¡¯d run and run until her legs refused to respond.  She¡¯d collapsed then, in a forest she recognized.

    It was where she¡¯d played growing up, where she and her siblings had played before they were old enough to be taken away to more and more lessons.  But the forest was familiar, its scents, sounds, and even its aura relaxed her until she remembered that she needed to flee.

    But her body wouldn¡¯t respond to her desperate need to flee.  Her eyes searched this way and that, frantically looking for her pursuer.  Then she spotted it.

    It was a massive white/blue cat, easily dwarfing a two-story house.  She could see the muscles below it¡¯s short fur ripple as it slowly stalked towards her, seemingly confident that it had finally run its prey to the ground.

    She watched its approach, heart pounding in her chest.  But as it drew closer, she found that it didn¡¯t loom over her, but seemed to oddly stay the same size.  By the time it was upon her, their eyes were level to each others¡¯.

    Her heart nearly stopped as the cat¡¯s nose nearly touched her own before it sniffed her.  Was it only now wondering if she¡¯d taste good?  But as she watched, the cat did something unexpected.

    It turned around in a circle a few times, shrinking even more as it did, then curled up in her lap and started purring.

    She was so shocked by that that her eyes popped open, causing her to squeeze them shut again as the light blinded her, sending needles of pain into her brain.

    ¡°She¡¯s awake,¡± she heard her mother say, greatly increasing her confusion.

    Emily heard feet shuffling across the floor before she felt the auras of her father and siblings approach.  She could smell that she was home, no longer in the arena she vaguely remembered sparring with Joram in.

    She opened one eye a hair and saw that her mother was sitting at her bedside, a relieved expression warming her already welcoming visage.

    ¡°What happened?¡±  She asked her mother, who just shook her head slightly before turning to the door.

    That was when her royal father entered, closely followed by Reduin, Sylana, and Galamir.  They soon crowded around her bed, causing her to feel more than a little self-conscious.  She may have technically been the second princess of the Eternal Snow Kingdom, but she was only the daughter of a concubine.  That her royal father would appear so anxiously before her, not to mention her normally aloof brothers and sister¡­ it was hard to take.

    ¡°Did,¡± she started, then swallowed.  ¡°Did something¡­ bad happen?¡±  She asked, dreading the answer.

    She vaguely remembered bits and pieces of the fight.  She recalled being angry at Joram for messing around in front of her family, embarrassed that he would make light of their fight.  She also remembered flashes of Joram as he started pushing her back with his new combat style.  She also had the faintest sense that she¡¯d fallen even further into the battle lust that her bloodline brought out than she¡¯d ever gotten.

    Her parents exchanged a look, but it was Reduin who answered for them.

    ¡°No, no one was hurt,¡± he said, then looked out the window, seemingly embarrassed as his cheeks coloured slightly.

    Emily looked over to her other two siblings and saw that they, too, looked embarrassed, but also a little bit¡­ angry.  Yes, that was it.  From the way their ears were angled to how the hair on their tails stood up slightly, the signs were there.

    Then a thought occurred to her and her hands when to her covers and quickly lifted them.

    She sighed in relief at the sight of her body suit, still intact and looking as new as the day Joram had made it for her.  So, her clothes hadn¡¯t disintegrated in this fight after all.  Which then got her wondering why her brothers and sister were angry.

    ¡°What happened?¡±  Emily asked, looking from one parent to the other, brows furrowed in confusion.

    It was her mother that spoke next, relaying what she¡¯d seen.  She went over the fight, which helped to jog her own memories to a point.  It was around the time when her mother said that her aura had manifested into claws that things grew too hazy for her to remember anything.

    It was when her mother described Joram¡¯s own battle aura that she grew more serious.

    ¡°Such a potent aura only comes from someone who has a very strong bloodline,¡± her mother said, passing briefly to add weight to her next words.  ¡°Not only that, but we all experienced an overwhelming suppression from him.¡±

    Emily regarded her mother dumbly for a minute, trying to consolidate her words with her experiences with Joram.  Ultimately, it didn¡¯t matter to her.  She¡¯d finally found someone who wouldn¡¯t get hurt when she sparred with them.

    Added to that, he was surprisingly easy to get along with.  For as much as it didn¡¯t make her uncomfortable to have people ogle her everywhere she went, it still got annoying.  Especially when it got in the way of her everyday life.

    But as much as she teased and flirted with Joram while bugging him to ¡°take responsibility¡± for her, he didn¡¯t react beyond chasing her away.  Not that that bothered her, as she knew just how annoying it was when others bothered her like that.  It was just¡­ fun.

    ¡°So?¡±  She asked as she sat up in bed to look at her family from a better vantage.

    Emily¡¯s parents exchanged another look before her father spoke.

    ¡°Do you understand what his existence might mean?¡±  He asked in his King voice as the looked her in the eye.

    ¡°Does it matter?¡±  She asked, not quite getting what he was getting at.

    ¡°Mr Aneath is a monster, dear,¡± her mother spoke up from her side, surprising her with her words.

    ¡°So am I,¡± she said, now getting annoyed with the conversation.  ¡°What of it?¡±

    She saw both her mother and father wince slightly at that while her brothers nodded solemnly.  Having gotten beaten up by her growing up must have left their pride bruised.

    ¡°Dear,¡± her mother started.  ¡°That¡¯s like comparing a house cat to a winged tiger,¡± she said as delicately as she could, which still felt like a gut punch to Emily.

    It was one thing to know that she wasn¡¯t able to beat Joram, but another for her mother to say it so bluntly.  She felt her ears droop as her chin fell a bit.  Then a gentle hand on her head made her look up.

    ¡°My little kitten,¡± her father said, astonishing her so much that she instantly forgot her dismay.  ¡°Do you think it is wise to continue being around such an existence?  What would happen if he took offence to you one day?  Would it end there, or would he come looking to end things by removing the problem at the root,¡± he asked, his hand still on her head.

    ¡°What would happen if his clan took offence?  Given his bloodline, I am confident that he comes from a formidable people.  Even though I sense no cultivation from him, he still managed to defeat you with his aura alone.  How much more terrifying would his clansmen be if they were cultivators or practitioners?¡±

    Emily wilted more and more as her father spoke, his words too sensible to refute.  She¡¯d also wondered just how powerful Joram would be if he, too, cultivated.  Would he have even entertained her selfish demands on his time?

    A few minutes passed like that until she finally murmured.

    ¡°But I thought I¡¯d made a friend,¡± she said so quietly that only her parents heard.

    She missed the look her parents shared before herding her siblings out of her room so that she could be alone for a while.

    Another few minutes passed before her father also left, leaving her mother to stay with her.  More minutes passed before her mother spoke.

    ¡°Is he a good friend,¡± her mother finally asked as she leaned forward, elbows on her knees with her chin cupped in her upturned palms.

    ¡°He made this for me so that we could practice together more,¡± she said, feebly plucking at her body suit.

    Her mother got an odd look on her face as she took in her body suit.  It covered more skin than the ones she¡¯d originally had, but still clung to her form.

    Emily looked up again when she felt her mother¡¯s fingers plucking at her top.  She frowned more as her mother then tugged a bit harder, then used her nails in an attempt to poke a hole through it.

    Fed up, she gently slapped her mother¡¯s hand away.

    ¡°Stop that,¡± she said, scowling.

    Her mother sat up more, then quickly scooted into the bed with her.

    ¡°What¡¯s this, now?¡±  Her mother asked, now intensely interested in her outfit.

    Seeing an angle to attack, Emily pounced on it.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it great?¡±  She asked, practically purring.  ¡°Not only is it comfortable, but it is amazingly durable.  It hasn¡¯t once been damaged in our spars since he gave it to me,¡± she said smugly.

    ¡°How?  It¡¯s not even an artifact¡­¡±

    ¡°He is an amazing Artificer,¡± she said, still as smug as could be.  ¡°Not only that, but he didn¡¯t even charge me for it.¡±

    Sasha¡¯s eyes blazed with interest then.

    * * * * *

    ¡°So, are we really doing this?¡±  Asura asked, looking around the large space.

    Kinkade nodded absently as he used a modified omni-tool, one that hadn¡¯t been designed to function as an implant, to scan the space.  Because their ¡°eyes¡± didn¡¯t work like an organic¡¯s did, using the AR glasses wasn¡¯t an option, so they¡¯d need to work with the scans afterwards.

    ¡°I know that Joram wasn¡¯t keen on devoting time to this project.  So, why?¡±  Asura asked curiously.

    ¡°Hmm, well.  I¡¯m pretty sure that we¡¯ll need more Crystals than we¡¯re already bringing in, so this¡¯ll definitely help things,¡± he said, returning to where the real estate agent was waiting at the front of the building.

    ¡°Wonderful space, isn¡¯t it?¡±  She said, a wide smile on her face.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± he hmm¡¯d.  ¡°Not bad, but do you have anything a bit wider?¡±

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    She thought about it for a moment before giving him an appraising look.  He responded by giving her his second-best smile, causing her to become a bit flustered, but admirably keep her professionalism.

    ¡°Properties larger than this tend to be quite expensive,¡± she said, motioning around them.  ¡°May I ask what you¡¯re planning to use the space for?  Depending on that, our selection will greatly vary.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, well.  I didn¡¯t want to let the news out yet.  But, we could say that it will be a bit of a¡­ department store,¡± he said, trying to keep things on the down-low.

    Again, the real estate agent- Ms Palamine Ephyra- tapped her tablet absently as she thought about potential locations.

    ¡°Are you needing something more centrally located, or a location a bit further out?  How much foot traffic do you anticipate having?  Will you need space for your customer¡¯s transportation, like carriages, palanquins, and such?¡±

    Kinkade paused, not quite sure about acquiring a parking lot for his store yet as that would likely come with quite the price tag, never mind maintenance and everything else.  But foot traffic?  That was pretty much all that he¡¯d been na?vely anticipating.  If what he sold really became popular, then there¡¯d likely be more than a few people with transportation that¡¯d need to be taken care of while their owners shopped.

    ¡°Seeing as how the items to be sold will be more¡­ exclusive, I¡¯ll likely need a parking lot eventually.  How about we look for something less centrally-located that has access to parking.¡±

    Ms Ephyra nodded as she quickly started scrolling through her magi-tablet, going through the available listings that might match.

    It took another couple of hours of looking through what was available for Kinkade to finally find what he felt would work best for his plans.

    It was further out, nearly at the suburbs of Stormhaven.  He was impressed with it at first sight.

    It was its own building, no other units attached to it with four stories, large grounds, and even a large stable out back.  Even if he only used the first floor, it had more than enough space to accommodate every aspect of his planned department store.  And if their store grew sufficiently, then he¡¯d have more than enough room to grow.

    ¡°So,¡± Ms Ephyra said, now looking a bit hesitant for the first time since they¡¯d met.  ¡°Even though this property is listed, its purchase requires a letter of recommendation.  It can come from a noble or a reputable business owner,¡± she said, regaining her usual comportment at the end.

    That was¡­ unusual.  Not that he could argue the point, as the property was listed at costing over one hundred forty T3 Cards to purchase outright.  Given how much it would be to rent, the purchase sum was outrageous.  He wondered if the owner was more interested in residual income over outright profit.  Hmmm, that was probably the case, given that they could afford to put a property like that up for rent.

    Then the thought about who he could get a letter of recommendation from.  The Dean was out, as he didn¡¯t want the man to blab to his family about the venture yet, as was the President of the Heavenly Trove Bank for the same reasons.

    ¡®What about Miss Layla?¡¯  Asura suggested.

    ¡®Ah, good call,¡¯ he sent back happily.  Miss Layla was far enough removed from his family and daily life that she would be the perfect choice.

    ¡°Would a manager of the Heaven¡¯s Bounty Auction House work?¡±  He asked hopefully.

    Ms Ephyra looked startled for a moment before nodding.

    ¡°That should do,¡± she said, then held up her magi-tablet and pointed at the reference number for the property.  ¡°Just have them included the reference number in the letter, and all should be well.  In the meantime, I¡¯ll make sure that there is a hold on the property.  We wouldn¡¯t want your efforts to go to waste, after all,¡± she finished with a smile.

    ¡°Great, we¡¯ll be in touch shortly,¡± Kinkade said as he shook her hand.

    - - -

    ¡®So, do you think she¡¯ll say yes?¡¯  He sent Asura as they were led to Miss Layla¡¯s office by Aenwyn.

    ¡®Well, I¡¯d be astonished if she didn¡¯t, seeing as how we¡¯re Emperor-Class VIPs and all,¡¯ Asura sent, reassuring him.

    They were soon seated across from Miss Layla in a more comfortable couch, being served tea by Aenwyn.  Across from the ornate coffee table sat Miss Layla herself, as stunning as ever.  He idly wondered if she¡¯d attended the Academy and, if so, if she¡¯d been on the Goddess Ranking.

    After Aenwyn finished serving them all tea she sat beside Miss Layla, teacup and saucer in hand.  Come to think of it, she too was right up there with Miss Layla for looks.  He wondered if there was some kind of beauty requirement for someone to be employed here, considering that almost every female employee he¡¯d seen had at the very least been very pretty.

    ¡°So, what can I do for you both today?¡±  Miss Layla asked after delicately taking a sip of tea.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to purchase a property in Stormhaven, but it seems that the purchase requirement includes getting a letter of recommendation from someone of great repute,¡± he explained, a small one-sided grin tugging at his lips.

    ¡°Oh?  That¡¯s unusual,¡± Miss Layla said, now even more curious than she¡¯d been.  ¡°Could you please give me the details?¡±

    He obliged.

    A small frown marred her countenance for a moment before Aenwyn passed her a mag-tablet.  After flicking through some pages, she looked up at him with her usual smile that could floor most men.

    ¡°It seems that this in an old property of the Auction House,¡± she said.  ¡°I don¡¯t know why it¡¯s been left vacant for so long, let alone why it hasn¡¯t been sold yet.  But I¡¯ll be more than happy to make the arrangements for you.¡±

    Kinkade was a little bit more than a little bit shocked at her revelation.  Why the heck wouldn¡¯t the auction house have just sold the property off?  If it wasn¡¯t making them money and, on the contrary, probably costing them significant property taxes every year, it made no sense to just hold onto it.

    ¡°Oh,¡± he said, remembering Ms Ephyra¡¯s most competent assistance.  ¡°Would that prevent our realtor from collecting her commission for helping us to purchase the property?¡±  He asked, not wanting to be ungrateful to the helpful realtor.

    ¡°It would, but I can arrange for your realtor to be appropriately compensated,¡± Miss Layla replied with a slightly warmer smile than usual.  ¡°Now, how were you wanting to pay for the property?  We have several options that might help you,¡± she said, then proceeded to explain.

    Option 1 was to just hand over the entire sum.  Bam.  Done.

    Option 2 was effectively getting a mortgage, with various maturation dates.

    Option 3 was to just lease the property, but he really didn¡¯t want to have to worry about rent.

    Property taxes, business taxes, and paying the employees he¡¯d need to eventually hire would be more than enough to worry about.  Even then, it would take him a good month or so to get everything he needed to open the department store.  Stock, employees, renovations, security, utilities, banking, the whole nine yards.

    ¡°There is, however, another option,¡± Miss Layla said with another charming smile on her face.  ¡°Seeing as how you¡¯re one of the very few Emperor-Class VIPs we have, we can also just deduct portions of each of your sales to cover the purchase cost.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that could work,¡± he said, looking over to Asura to see what she thought.  After getting a slight nod from her, he continued.  ¡°Then that would indeed be the best choice for us.  That said, would we still be able to make payments towards the principal if we want to pay off the debt sooner?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about there.  You can even pay off the principal next week if you¡¯re so inclined,¡± Miss Layla said, waving off his concern.  ¡°Aenwyn?  Could you please start on the arrangements?¡±

    Aenwyn nodded, taking the magi-tablet back before excusing herself and leaving the office.

    * * * * *

    Joram lay on his bed in the manor, sprawled out and prone.

    The number of people who¡¯d not only followed them home could have easily been a mob.  The number of people who¡¯d tried to get past the defensive arrays they¡¯d immediately turned on after arriving astonished him.  They ranged from Emily¡¯s enraged fanboys to his own considerable followers/fangirls.  He was very glad that he¡¯d opted to splurge on their accommodations, as he was sure that a lesser array that came with a less expensive rental property wouldn¡¯t have been able to keep them all out.

    Anyway, he was currently drained from having been interrogated by Grammy and the rest of his family, his mother being even more intense than Grammy had been.  The questions varied wildly.  Anything from political considerations to if he was already having sex with a princess and if they should expect a child soon.

    During the latter questions, he could feel Avi¡¯s mirth flowing across their connection.  As attractive as he found Emily, he still didn¡¯t really know her that well.  So, even if Avi ¡°approved¡± of her, things weren¡¯t likely to ¡°happen¡± as things were currently.

    The questioning had taken almost two hours before they were satisfied.  Before leaving, they¡¯d taken their time in admonishing him to keep focussed on school.  ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush things,¡± they said.

    The worst part was having to endure the pouting he¡¯d felt coming from Bai Lian and Mo Yu the entire time.  He was sure that if anyone looked at the pair that they¡¯d have looked as placid as a lake in winter¡­ and just as cold.  He could practically taste their dissatisfaction with him.

    So, as he lay there in bed, he¡¯d planned.

    There was a whole month off for summer break, which meant that they¡¯d have plenty of time to do things together.  He really wanted to do more questing with everyone.  He felt that they¡¯d all gotten along quite well each time he had taken out his team.  Heck, even the joint ventures with Alicia¡¯s team were well received and executed.

    He was glad that The Untouchables proved to be so successful.  Alicia had managed to sign on then entire study group, consisting of Jae-Eun, Sophia, Alyraele, Gabrielle, Daleira, Faenwyn, Kassandra and Renna.  Surprisingly, Emily had opted to join his team, N7.  He¡¯d been afraid that Bai Lian and Mo Yu would object, but they¡¯d been more than happy to accept her into the team.  Wentian had just shrugged.

    The Untouchables were gaining recognition for their efforts, never mind their members.  At a total of nine beauties on the Goddess Ranking, the number of teams that showered them with offers to work together was ridiculous.  The Quest Hall had had to allocate The Untouchables a much larger mailbox to hold the never-ending flow of requests.

    Yeah, some questing would do nicely, he thought, thinking of the rejuvenating effect of nature on him.

    Some time outdoors.  Maybe checking to see if I can find those Bloodmoon Reavers again to top up my stocks.  Yeah, an outing would be fantastic.

    As he was blissfully planning his summer vacation, his student card pinged at him.

    Message from Emily Hornwood:

    Can I come over to talk?

    He sighed.

    - - -

    Across from him sat Emily, once again in her usual body suit, though with a new addition: a white shawl.  It was draped across her shoulders to hang down her torso, likely in an attempt at modesty.  Probably at her mother¡¯s insistence, and who was currently sitting beside her daughter on the couch.

    Wentian had already served more tea and snacks, so they¡¯d taken the time to politely sip their tea and nibble before Sasha spoke.

    ¡°I must say, we are very impressed with you Mr Aneath,¡± she said with a smile that was likely the origin of Emily¡¯s.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said with as much dignity as he could muster while still being emotionally drained from the day.  ¡°But please, just call me Joram.  Everyone else does.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel that that would be appropriate considering-,¡± she paused as Emily surreptitiously elbowed her in the side.  ¡°- you¡¯re such an amazing Artificer,¡± she finished smoothly, obviously changing what she was going to say.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that if your daughter can manage it, then someone of your standing can also honour me by just using my given name,¡± he said, managing to give his second-best smile.

    ¡°Then I shan¡¯t be polite,¡± Sasha murmured as she briefly bowed her head before continuing.  ¡°I¡¯ve spoken with the King, and more with Emily, and we¡¯ve come to a decision.  In light of your amazing talent, as well as gifting Emily with an artifact of great value, we¡¯ve decided to accept your gift as her dowry,¡± she said, her smile so pleased that he nearly bailed right there.

    He took a moment to calm his nerves, recruiting a few Minds to help.  He looked over to where Emily sat and saw something that he¡¯d never beheld since he¡¯d first met her.  It was a combination of embarrassment, uncertainty, and more than a hint of shyness.

    Her rosy cheeks complimented her eyes so well that he was briefly taken by her beauty.  In fact, her blush was so intense that even her ears appeared to be a bit pink.  As he looked at her, she began fidgeting in place ever-so-slightly, upping her cuteness factor to the point of lethality.

    He quickly turned back to Sasha and saw a knowing look in her eyes that sent another shiver down his spine.

    ¡°So,¡± he said, then cleared his throat.  ¡°You¡¯re saying that I¡¯m now engaged to Emily?¡±

    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want to impose on someone of your great standing,¡± she said, confusing him a bit before realizing that they probably thought that he was already a 6<sup>th</sup> Tier Artificer, a great addition to any world power out there.  ¡°But the fact that she¡¯s taken with you hasn¡¯t passed our notice.  Not only that, but if we are able ensure that she is with someone as exceptional as you, we won¡¯t have to worry about her bloodline causing her undue heartache,¡± she finished by turning to gaze fondly at her daughter.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that she has many suitors, all with a much better cultivation than I have,¡± he said.  ¡°Couldn¡¯t they also ensure that no¡­ mishaps occur?¡±

    Sasha looked as though she¡¯d anticipated his question.  He watched as her smile grew softer as she glanced at Emily.  When she turned back, the smile was the same, but there was now a sparkle in her eyes that set off alarm bells in his head.

    ¡°Yes, there are,¡± she said as she leaned forward slightly.  ¡°But none, I feel, more suitable than you.  You¡¯ve been exceptionally kind to my daughter, even going so far as gifting her the equivalent of a Tier 6 defensive treasure.  Not only that, but by all accounts you¡¯ve behaved quite chivalrously when presented with the opportunity to take advantage of her.

    ¡°You¡¯ve also entertained her remarkably selfish and stubborn self by accepting her dozens of requests for martial exchanges.  You¡¯ve accepted Emily into your questing team when I¡¯m told that Renna had tried have her join The Untouchables with her.  Quite persuasively, I¡¯m told,¡± she said, her smile turning into one of amusement briefly before becoming soft again.

    ¡°From what I¡¯ve been able to learn, you¡¯re a young man of reasonable character.  If what I¡¯m told is true, you don¡¯t even charge for your tutoring services.  Not only that, but you also treat the many young women that almost constantly surround you with dignity and respect.  Even with the amount of flirting Emily tells me that those very same young women throw your way,¡± she said, her eyes once again twinkling as that last statement nearly broke his brain.

    ¡°I am also told that you¡¯re in a relationship with Miss Seraphina.  As a concubine myself, I understand that your attention would be divided between them.  But we don¡¯t mind.  As long Emily continues to be treated as well as she has been, not only will that give her father and I much joy, but it will also make her very happy,¡± she said, causing Emily¡¯s embarrassment to skyrocket.  He could swear that steam was starting to rise from her head.

    ¡°So, young Joram,¡± she said, her expression turning to one of utmost sincerity with a hint of pleading as she slid forward on the couch, leaning forward into a seated bow.  ¡°We entrust our daughter into your tender care,¡± she said, head bowed.

    Is the whole damn family so stubborn?  He thought as he regarded the two women, wondering what he was going to do now.

 Chapter 087 - Serious

    Fortunately for his sanity, Alicia chose that moment to show up.

    Sasha and Emily looked over as the front door opened to admit Alicia, her sapphire blue hair shimmering in the mid-day light like spun gemstones. Emily looked a bit panicked while her mother remained as calm as before. He suspected that such composure came naturally when you were royalty. Though, her Peak Tier 5 cultivation likely added to her confidence.

    ¡°Ah, I see that I might be a bit late for the conversation,¡± she said, her usual bubbly tone replaced by a more serious one as she smoothly walked to where he sat on the couch and took her seat beside him, so close that their hips and legs touched.

    ¡°May I ask a question?¡± Sasha spoke, her tone now one of curiosity as she once again took in Alicia with sharp and searching eyes.

    ¡°You may,¡± Alicia replied simply.

    ¡°Why are you gathering the young women on the Goddess Ranking?¡±

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t Emily told you that already?¡± Alicia asked, her head tilting to the side slightly as though confused.

    ¡°She has, but I would like to hear it from you as things can be lost in the retelling of something,¡± Sasha replied, her smile once again turning kind.

    Alicia studied Sasha for a moment before she softly sighed, then spoke.

    ¡°I don¡¯t agree with the whole concept of the Goddess Ranking,¡± she said firmly. ¡°By every metric, the Ranking is only there to quantify the ¡®desirable¡¯ traits of young women and their ¡®eligibility¡¯ as potential wives or trophies. It demeans every woman everywhere by reducing the most ¡®beautiful¡¯ of us to mere objects of desire,¡± she said, a slight frown forming as she spoke.

    ¡°I formed my questing team, The Untouchables, to show that we¡¯re more than three measurements and a pretty face. We¡¯re intelligent, capable, have our own dreams and desires, and personalities deeper than a puddle. My goal is to show those who write, promote, and distribute the Goddess Ranking that we¡¯re not just women to be desired and placed upon a pedestal, but real women who also have feelings.¡±

    Sasha took that all in for a moment before nodding.

    ¡°Those are commendable goals and sentiments,¡± she said with a smile of approval. ¡°But, if you pardon an outsider¡¯s perspective, it almost looks like you¡¯re gathering those very young women around young Joram here,¡± she said, motioning delicately at him. ¡°One might even think that you¡¯re secretly gathering future wives for him.¡±

    Both he and Alicia¡¯s jaws dropped, their eyes nearly bugging out at her words. Alicia¡¯s jaw worked as she tried to say something as he turned to stare at her with a mix of astonishment and horror, much like how Emily was staring at her mother.

    Their expressions must have been so priceless that Sasha burst out laughing, her voice melodic and enchanting.

    ¡°Oh, that was worth it,¡± she said, wiping away her tears of mirth. ¡°I can see the truth of the matter, especially after having spoken with both my daughter and Renna and comparing your reactions.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a person who criticized others, nor am I one to find fault. But being a mother to one of the ¡®study group¡¯ members, I do hope that you will continue treating every one of those young women fairly,¡± she said, fixing them with a stern look.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Joram said, waving away the concern with a dismissive hand as his brain tried not to think of any hidden meanings in her words.

    ¡°Joram,¡± Sasha said, once again fixing him with her stunning red eyes. ¡°I only have my daughter to go by, but if you treat the others as well as her, are considerate of each of them as you are with Emily, then I am sure that those young women are more attached to you than you think,¡± she said, causing Emily to once again turn red.

    Joram stared at Emily for a moment before slowly turning to regard Alicia, who was coincidentally studying her teacup with the intensity of a collector looking for treasures at a garage sale. He continued to stare at her until she started to fidget, then finally gave up trying to ignore him.

    ¡°You¡¯re kind of awesome,¡± she said, still looking down at her tea. ¡°I hadn¡¯t exactly expected something like this happening,¡± she said, motioning to the Hornwoods with her off hand. ¡°Sure, there was a possibility of that happening, but with how fawned over everyone on the Goddess Ranking is, I didn¡¯t give it higher odds than successfully navigating an asteroid field,¡± she said, confusing the mother-daughter duo in the process.

    The reference, however, nearly made him laugh out loud because of the stress of the day.

    Joram leaned back on the couch, resting his head on the top of the couch at the same time so that he could stare up at the ceiling. He took long and slow breaths to help calm him as the thought about things. To be precise, as nine of him thought about things due to his emergency re-tasking of his Minds.

    He went through hundreds of pros, cons, and scenarios as he breathed, all surrounding his study group as well as those closer to him. After a few minutes of that, he sat back up and regarded Sasha and Emily a moment before he spoke.

    ¡°I¡¯m not as awesome as all that,¡± he said, resigned. ¡°I have more flaws than I¡¯d care to count. I¡¯m also more introverted than you¡¯d imagine. I have dreams and goals that I can¡¯t share with you yet, if ever,¡± he said as he looked Emily in the eye. ¡°I may die pursuing those goals only to leave you, or anyone else who¡¯s decided to be with me, alone.

    ¡°I¡¯m not perfect. I¡¯m terrible at telling what women are thinking, needing things to be clearly spelled out for me. As is evident by what¡¯s been revealed to me just now,¡± he said, a self-deprecating grin on his face.

    ¡°I¡¯m definitely not as pure and gentlemanly as you make me out to be,¡± he said, not quite able to meet anyone¡¯s eye. ¡°It¡¯s the hardest thing in the world for me to be surrounded by such stunning beauties almost all the time and not have dirty thoughts about them,¡± he said, now blushing in embarrassment at the admission before turning to look Sasha in the eye.

    ¡°I have a perfect memory with perfect recall. Do you understand just how torturous that is?¡± He asked, motioning towards Emily who was now in danger of having an aneurism with how much blood had rushed to her head. Even Sasha blushed faintly at that.

    ¡°Anyone with eyes to appreciate just how beautiful your daughter is would be filled with such joy at being able to marry her that I suspect they¡¯d instantly fall over dead and transcend the heavens,¡± he said, causing Emily to finally faint due to having too much blood rushing to her head.

    ¡°But am I worthy of that? Of any of their affections?¡± He finished quietly as his heart raced; his eyes locked with Sasha¡¯s as she held her daughter up with one arm.

    She regarded him seriously for a couple of minutes before speaking.

    ¡°Probably not,¡± she said bluntly, but with a smile spreading across her face. ¡°But I don¡¯t think there is anyone alive who is,¡± she said, her eyes twinkling once again. ¡°You¡¯re good to my selfish daughter. You treat her well, are kind and understanding. You¡¯ve proved that you care enough for her to give her something like this,¡± she said, plucking Emily¡¯s body suit with her thumb and forefinger. ¡°So, answer me this. What more can a mother ask for when leaving her daughter in the care of a man?¡±

    ¡°Love?¡± He asked, brows going up.

    ¡°Bah, that¡¯s something the develops over time,¡± Sasha said brusquely. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as ¡®love at first sight¡¯. More like ¡®lust at first sight¡¯,¡± she said, repeating something he often said. And by doing that, convinced him how sincere she really was about all this.

    ¡°Alicia?¡± He said, turning to the woman in question.

    She had been quiet the whole time, taking it all in. Finally, she turned to him and spoke.

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect something like this to happen, you know,¡± she said quietly before continuing. ¡°I¡¯m not against it if you aren¡¯t,¡± she said simply.

    ¡°Well, I guess things¡¯ll be a bit more complicated now,¡± he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger before turning back to a beaming Sasha. ¡°So, how¡¯s this going to work? Are we just considered married? Are we going to have to attend a lavish wedding that would beggar a kingdom? Will there be some sort of engagement announcement with a marriage date set sometime in the future?¡±

    Sasha continued to shine her radiant smile on him as he saw her tail gently waving back and forth, pleased as a cat in a creamery.

    ¡°We don¡¯t need anything fancy,¡± she said, waving those concerns away. ¡°As a matter of a fact, we can perform the wedding tonight. With my husband, the King here, as well as Emily¡¯s siblings, we have everyone we need,¡± she said, almost causing him to fall off the couch in shock.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little too fast?¡± He asked, looking over at the still fainted Emily.

    ¡°Hmm, then maybe just some vows would work,¡± she said as she gently stroked Emily¡¯s forehead. ¡°We can settle for an engagement while your feelings grow for one another. We can set a wedding date later.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯ll be an order to the weddings though,¡± Alicia suddenly piped in. ¡°I¡¯ll be the first wife-,¡±

    What about Xiora?!

    ¡°- but there are others to consider. Bai Lian and Mo Yu have already confessed their love for Joram. Though they¡¯re all taking things slowly, one should consider the feelings for all those involved,¡± she finished, causing Sasha¡¯s eyes to widen in shock as she turned to regard Joram.

    ¡°Nothing¡¯s happened between us,¡± he said, raising his hands defensively. ¡°I¡¯m still sorting things out,¡± he said, reflexively pinging the two women to get a feel for where they were.

    Sasha looked at them with more than a little disbelief.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that my daughter won¡¯t be your first wife?¡± She asked, then seemed to catch herself as her eyes flickered slightly. ¡°Well, I should expect nothing less given your stature,¡± she said, taking on a more meek bearing. Which really confused him.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®stature¡¯?¡± He asked, reminded of her referring to him as someone of ¡°great standing¡±.

    ¡°Why, your noble bloodline, of course,¡± Sasha replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

    Joram wasn¡¯t following. Did this have something to do with his draconic and phoenix heritages?

    Wait. Is this another trope that¡¯s true here? A more powerful magical beast being able to suppress ¡°lesser¡± bloodlines? Was that why my aura was so effective? Damn, I just thought that beastkin were more sensitive to battle auras than others¡­

    ¡°Ah, well, that¡¯s something¡­ different. I had a fortuitous encounter and was able to refine some dragon blood,¡± he explained as he tried very hard not to show his nervousness.

    If this was all due to their mistaking him for a dragon clan member or something, then he¡¯d better come clean before the misunderstanding went too far. No need to make the whole situation into one of those poorly written manga/manhua/manhwa/anime/sitcoms. Because damn, he hated that shit!

    Sasha regarded him oddly for a moment before shrugging.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± she said as she let out a sigh. ¡°The fact that you¡¯re strong enough to be the man that my daughter needs¡­ well, that¡¯s enough for me. That said, any children she bears for you will also inherit your bloodline. There are no downsides for her,¡± she finished, turning to Emily as her smile turned tender again.

    ¡°Ah, well. Glad that was cleared up,¡± he said, not knowing what else to say.

    ¡°On another note,¡± Sasha said, turning back to him with a predatory glint in her eyes. ¡°Emily tells me that you make wonderful things with your viridian silk,¡± she said, emphasizing her words by running a finger over Emily¡¯s body suit-covered clavicle.

    Ah, this¡¯ll be awkward, he thought before Sasha truly made it more awkward.

    - - -

    ¡°So, she left her here, huh?¡± Alicia asked after everything wrapped up. Pun intended.

    ¡°Yup,¡± Joram said, looking lost.

    ¡°You going to be OK?¡± She asked, noting his thoroughly drained countenance.

    ¡°I think we need another bedroom,¡± Joram said, still staring vacantly at where Sasha had been seated.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got spares if you need,¡± she said, placing a hand on his shoulder in a gesture of support.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s good,¡± he said vaguely.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be OK staying at my place,¡± she said, trying to get through to her semi-catatonic boyfriend.

    ¡°How many more?¡± He asked, his gaze still far away.

    ¡°More?¡± She asked, knowing what he was asking about but was unwilling to go there yet.

    ¡°Gabrielle? She¡¯s like a puppy following me. Alyraele is always asking for more private lessons. Daleira is always lightly touching my arm, or anywhere else convenient, and seems to be in a bit of a rivalry with Kassandra over getting my attention.

    ¡°Faenwyn is nice, though kinda tsundere. She¡¯s got psionic talent, but isn¡¯t nurturing it as she should be. Maybe she¡¯ll come around? Sophia is also nice. I don¡¯t think that she¡¯s after me like that. Renna is Renna. I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s just one of those people who are hopeless romantics, always yearning and chasing after the next show. Or is she one of those types who is always pushing romances on others but secretly wanting to be the target of affection?

    ¡°Will the entire study group become my harem?¡± He finished, looking nothing like she¡¯d expect most normal young men to look like at the prospect of having so many beautiful women attached to him.

    ¡°Hmm, probably not,¡± she said musingly. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that even though they don¡¯t talk about their families that Renna, Kassandra, Faenwyn, and Aenwyn are nobles. Their families likely already have plans to marry them off to someone or another for political reasons.

    ¡°Sophia is a merchant through and through, so unless you can help her and her family increase their profit and connections, she¡¯s not likely to pursue you. Though Gabrielle and Daleira seem to be free, so that could happen,¡± she reported analytically.

    ¡°That¡¯s not very reassuring, you know,¡± he said, finally leaning back again to stare up at the ceiling.

    ¡°So? Are you really that determined to keep people away? If they¡¯re genuinely interested in you and are OK with everything, what¡¯s wrong with that? Sure, I¡¯m not happy that I¡¯ll have to share your time with even more people, but I understand.¡±

    ¡°But what about me? Can¡¯t we take things¡­ slow? Slower? Does it have to go that way at all? Why can¡¯t things stay the same?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re an idiot,¡± Alicia said, leaning over to lay her head on his shoulder. ¡°The only true static things are those that are dead. Life progresses. If things don¡¯t change, they¡¯ll end. They¡¯re all very talented, capable, and intelligent young women. They know what they¡¯re doing. But if they don¡¯t see a desirable future with you, they¡¯ll leave to find one that¡¯ll make them happy,¡± she said softly.

    ¡°I really do like everyone,¡± he said equally softly, still staring up at the ceiling. ¡°They¡¯re fantastic girls. Anyone would be thrilled to be with any one of them. But would they really be happy with someone like me?¡±

    * * * * *

    She¡¯d woken up before her mother left, though hearing her words had embarrassed her so thoroughly that she¡¯d decided to pretend to still be asleep. That the first thing upon waking that she heard her mother speak of was children, well¡­ that wasn¡¯t a conversation that she was willing to step into just yet. Especially not this early in her¡­ relationship with Joram.

    Then came her mother¡¯s request for lingerie form Joram and she¡¯d wished she could have disappeared on the spot. Thankfully, Joram had been quick about it and soon her mother had gone after leaving her a kiss on the forehead.

    That her mother had also left her in his ¡°care¡± had also set her heart fluttering and emotions swirling so much that she hadn¡¯t had the courage to ¡°wake up¡± yet.

    And now. Now, she was hearing Joram¡¯s heartfelt words. Sure, she hadn¡¯t been thrilled to hear that she¡¯d be staying with Alicia, but at least she would be much closer to him than she was currently.

    But hearing just how deeply he felt about them all had set her heart aching. But in a good way. She¡¯d noticed everyone else¡¯s advances on Joram, from incredibly direct to so subtle that she¡¯d almost missed them. She still wasn¡¯t sure about Renna, but for someone who¡¯d been at the Academy for nine years already to have stayed with their study group so long¡­ there was surely something there.

    That Joram was worrying so much about their feelings, about their own thoughts and considerations cemented her own feelings about him. Yes, she thought that he should be less wishy-washy about them, but she found that it was oddly endearing. Which was weird, because she¡¯d always thought that she preferred firm and assertive men who knew what they wanted and went for it.

    Which got her thinking of all the boys who¡¯d chased after her these past few years. Anyone from her ¡°preferred type¡± to boys so scared to approach her that they¡¯d just hand her a letter of confession and run away. Heck, she¡¯d even had a few young women give her a letter of confession, but that hadn¡¯t interested her.

    What ultimately swayed each of her refusals had been the fact that each of them were¡­ boring in their own way. They couldn¡¯t keep up with her. Sparring, for her, was more important than what they looked like or how they acted around her.

    A good spar told her everything that she needed to know about a person. Everything from how they stood to how they attacked. Their exchanges told the story of their training and their philosophy surrounding their chosen martial art. It revealed their thoughts to her, what their intentions were during the spar.

    Their fists were more honest than their mouths were.

    But when she¡¯d first sparred with Joram, things had been different. At first, she¡¯d felt that he was another condescending and overconfident boy who¡¯d agreed just because of her looks. For what young man hadn¡¯t ogled her, their lust plain as day for her to see.

    As the minutes had gone on, her opinion of the boy who¡¯d smelled subtly of sex to her keen nose, her impression of him had changed. He hadn¡¯t tried to ¡°brush¡± up against her while they exchanged moves. Her bouncing breasts hadn¡¯t provided her the openings that she was so used to, which had actually put her on the back foot for a time.

    For the first time when sparring another student, she¡¯d¡­ been happy. The exchanges were so direct, so honest, that she¡¯d been thrilled. He¡¯d kept pushing her, leading her along in the fight to draw out more of her ability. The pure exchanges had triggered her loved of the fight, heating her blood until her bloodline had awoken.

    Then she¡¯d awoken in her apartment with Renna, who¡¯d then filled her in on things.

    After that, every time she sparred with Joram, she¡¯d given it her all. Well, not quite her all, for she didn¡¯t want to lose any of those fights to the oblivion that came from her bloodline awakening, even after he¡¯d gifted her the viridian silk combat clothes.

    She¡¯d wanted to savour every moment spent sparing with him. She¡¯d wanted to learn, to continue pushing herself to greater heights. Their sessions had proved so fruitful that she felt that she was getting a feel for his combat style, that she was finally catching up to him.

    Then their spar this morning had initially disappointed her; his choosing to engage her, in front of her parents, with another martial art had been embarrassing. His grasp of its forms had been terrible. She¡¯d been so angry that she¡¯d gone all out to vent her frustrations on him, striking every opening she found.

    But the honesty she felt in his form and technique, as horrible as it had been at first, had eventually gotten through to her. So, she¡¯d chosen to do for him what he¡¯d done for her dozens of times in the past. She began to train him.

    Emily had been sure that her parents and siblings hadn¡¯t understood what she was doing or, rather why she was doing it. Especially because the match had been meant to show off how strong Joram really was. But that was precisely why she¡¯d chosen to do it.

    Her love of the fight had come out in spades as she watched Joram¡¯s form and technique improve as their exchanges continued. Her heart began to soar as he began to push her as she pushed him. Her battle lust had awoken, sending a feeling of such exhilaration and life through her that she hadn¡¯t cared that her bloodline had started to awaken.

    Then she¡¯d woken up in her bed and disappointment had flooded in because the fight had ended.

    After her talk with her parents, then her mother, then back to both her parents, they¡¯d gone to see Joram again. But the direct and blunt way that her mother had spoken had struck her blows so hard that they¡¯d thoroughly knocked her unconscious.

    Which brought her back to the moment. To the silence that came after Joram¡¯s last question revealed that he wasn¡¯t the confident young man that he seemed to be in front of everyone. She recalled her mother¡¯s words about him being what she needed and couldn¡¯t help but blush, especially the words following those about their future children.

    ¡°Ah, I think she¡¯s up now,¡± Alicia said, outing her.

    Emily cracked an eye open to peek at the pair on the couch and felt a sudden surge of emotion that she couldn¡¯t quite place. What she got from it though, was that she too wanted to cuddle up to Joram, which made her blush even more than before.

    ¡°¡­ and I think she also wants cuddles,¡± Alicia said, a sly smile tugging at her lips.

    ¡°Just cuddles are fine,¡± Joram said, still looking up at the ceiling. ¡°But there¡¯s lots to talk about, so I think we¡¯ll be here for a while. So, yeah, may as well get comfortable,¡± he said, not unkindly.

    As used to being an outrageous flirt who loved teasing people just to see their reactions as she was, the thought of cuddling up to Joram now sent an inexplicable fright through her. Instead of hopping over like she would have done yesterday, she instead just sat up straight on her couch as she rearranged her shawl.

    ¡°Yes, lots to talk about!¡± She said, her heart now racing as she saw Joram¡¯s lips briefly twitch into a grin.

    ¡°How serious are you about wanting to marry me?¡± He asked as his chin dropped so that he could look her in the eyes.

    So many unfamiliar emotions began swirling about her chest that a lump formed in her throat to contain them all. The crazy urge to deny everything and say that it was fine to continue on how they¡¯d been surged to the top of the pile.

    Her lips opened to speak, but then the thought of not getting to know him better quickly strangled that first impulse dead. She wanted to be around him more. Wanted to see what heights they could achieve together as they continued to spar whenever they could.

    Then, when they¡¯d spent much more time together, would he start looking at her like a woman and not just a friend? Like someone whom he wanted to spend more intimate time with, like Alicia?

    That last thought nearly stalled out her brain. She¡¯d grown up the daughter of a concubine, so seeing her mother sharing the attention of her man had been normal for her. Until she¡¯d gone to the Academy and found that there was something called monogamy where a woman didn¡¯t share her man with other women.

    She¡¯d thought it odd at first, but then the idea had started to grow on her. Being put up onto a pedestal by the makers of the Goddess Ranking had further pushed her in that direction, for she found that she could choose any one of her fans and not have to share him with anyone else.

    Emily realized then, that that was when she¡¯d started her over-the-top flirting. Then another realization struck. Since that first spar with Joram, she hadn¡¯t been flirting like she used to. Instead, it had all shifted onto Joram.

    Her cheeks heated up so much at that thought that she grew light-headed. She was groggily wondering what she should do when she felt a cool sensation run through her body, leaving her clear-headed and refreshed. She looked up to see Joram standing in front of her, his hand extended. It was then that she realized that his hand was resting on her head.

    ¡°Yes. Yes, I am very serious,¡± she suddenly blurted out as her cheeks heated once again. But oddly, as the words left her mouth, the tumultuous emotions in her chest calmed.

 Chapter 088 - Team Joram

    Teatime was hard.

    It got exceptionally harder when one included others.

    It got demonically torturous when his brain kept reminding him that his host was his fianc¨¦.

    Joram looked over at Xiora and managed to squeeze out his third-best smile as she seriously served him tea while they sat under the flower laden boughs of an impressively huge cherry-like tree.

    He¡¯d missed last week¡¯s teatime due to finals.  Make up dates hadn¡¯t been possible until now due to¡­ headaches.

    Even after having lived with his new family for so many years, he¡¯d been long used to making his own life choices without consulting with his family.  That he¡¯d accepted a fianc¨¦ without his mother¡¯s, or his foremothers¡¯ permission hadn¡¯t gone well for him.

    Not that they disapproved of Emily herself.  No, it was the fact that he hadn¡¯t even consulted them beforehand.  Then the lectures of not taking Xixi into proper consideration had come.

    He watched as Xixi then served Zanth some tea, then passed him some dainties and a napkin.  He wondered how their relationship was going?

    As much as he loved Xixi, he really felt that it wasn¡¯t anything close to romantic.  Nor did the think that it would become that way no matter how much time passed by.  He¡¯d spent his first years with her, had watched as she grew up¡­ mostly.

    The point was that she more felt like a sister to him or if he stretched it, almost like an adoptive daughter.  It felt all levels of weird to think that, if he didn¡¯t do anything, they¡¯d wind up being married one day.

    Hence Zanth¡¯s presence today.

    Joram was certain that they were spending much more time together than they had before the fall of the Clan.  From everything he¡¯d heard, Zanth still helped with Elodea and Seldanna even with the return of Xixi¡¯s parents.

    So, knowing how close they had become, the thought struck him that maybe they¡¯d be a more suitable couple.  They were the same age.  They¡¯d spent more time together that he and Xixi had over the years, let alone the trying times of this past year and how little time he¡¯d spent with either of them.

    As he observed them, he became sure that they¡¯d make a great couple.  Yes, Xixi seemed to wear the proverbial pants, bossing Zanth around as she pleased.  But he was sure that Zanth would become a good match for her as his personality further developed and his confidence grew.

    Though, given how slowly boys grew at this age, Xixi was almost ten centimetres taller than he was.  Well, that was fine.  He was sure that Zanth would get taller as they grew up.

    He wondered how their own school life would go when they started attending the Academy.  The Academy wasn¡¯t only for university-aged people.  They also had what he¡¯d consider middle and high school programs¡­ just not on their main campus, but in Stormhaven proper.

    He really hoped that school didn¡¯t have their own Goddess Ranking.  Because if they did, he suspected that he might have to go have a good talk with some kids¡­

    Though, given their unparalleled cultivation for their age, he was confident that they¡¯d at least be able to hold their own.  Especially if Xixi continued to be as.. direct as she¡¯d been these past few years.

    ¡°¡­ is great!  It¡¯s so much better than my old sword,¡± Zanth gushed as he once again patted the Viridian Iron Bamboo boken Joram had made for him.

    Well, it wasn¡¯t just a length of bamboo, but a restructured piece made to look like a traditional boken.  He¡¯d broken the bamboo down to its base fibres then rebuilt it so that it would have a bit of flexibility when Zanth struck something¡­ or someone.  No need for broken bones after all.

    After adding a ¡°merciful¡± enchantment to it he was reasonably sure that it was quite non-lethal, even for an eight-year-old who was already midway through Tier 1.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Joram said, genuinely happy that he liked his gift.  ¡°I made it full-sized so it should keep up with your growth.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Joram!¡±  Zanth replied, once again touching the boken fondly.

    ¡°Well, someone will need to be there for Xixi when you guys start school next year,¡± he said, giving Zanth a wink.

    Which completely flew over the poor boy¡¯s head.

    ¡°I can deal with anyone!¡±  Xixi proudly declared as she furiously circulated her mana to show how powerful she was.

    He was still impressed that her cultivation was already higher than most people entering the Academy as ¡°first years¡±.  Not only that, but her psionic reserves, her pool of Mental Strength was already in the 2<sup>nd</sup> Tier.  He could feel that she¡¯d been practicing various powers, further increasing the control she had over her psionic might.

    ¡°Yes, and I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re more than enough to deal with anyone who¡¯d want to bother you,¡± he said, nodding as seriously as he could manage.  ¡°But it¡¯s always nice if someone wants to stand up for you, isn¡¯t it?¡±  He asked, giving her a significant look that made her jaw set in stubbornness.

    ¡°If you say so¡­¡± she pouted, then turned away.

    The rest of teatime went reasonably well and, after more promises to keep visiting, he was once again in his workshop back in his Realm.  Not that he minded being in the Prime, but he had more solitude in his Realm, especially since most of the residents had moved to New Brightside.

    Once there, Joram took mental note of Minds 3-9¡¯s various progress.

    M3 and M4 were now exclusively on cultivation duty, with M3 working on integrating T3 Mana into the Psijic Star while M4 focussed on absorbing ambient mana, circulating it, and then on building his Cores.  They also both shared the responsibility of building up his Knowledge/Psionic Star.  Even though it had already reached the 6<sup>th</sup> Tier, he wanted to it be as strong as he could possibly get it.  Well, not just strength, but also in capacity.

    M5 and M6 were working away at figuring out what had initially sparked an interesting idea in him when he¡¯d been taking his basic arrays course.  He¡¯d gotten the nagging feeling that there was so much¡­ missing.  If his hunch proved correct, then he was sure that he¡¯d reach the proverbial sky in the Dao of Arrays.  And, well, just about every other mana-dependent field.

    If he was right, and the recurring fragments of patterns that he was seeing were actually there, and not a figment of his overactive imagination, well¡­.  It meant that, much like in the various media he¡¯d consumed, there was an underlying¡­ language for mana.  Or there was at least one language for mana.

    His other thoughts on mana and its various grades were a bit¡­ unorthodox to most.  To him, Tier 1 Mana was the basic stuff of existence.  It helped in just about every way imaginable, from strengthening the beings that absorbed it to giving them fantastic properties that would have otherwise been impossible.

    Tier 2 Mana, now that was where people started looking at him funny.  The Practitioners of Zhizun Zhanshi referred to it as Earth Qi, probably for good reason.  He¡¯d found that T2 Mana was very much tied to things material.

    Using Tier 1 mana to make an artifact/magic item resulted in a decent enough item.  But using Tier 2 Mana to create the same thing strengthened the end product beyond the expected jump in potency that a higher Tier of Mana account for.  The resulting artifact was simply physically stronger and more durable.

    Now, Tier 3 Mana seemed to be tied to things more ethereal in nature.  Using the same example of creating an artifact, using Tier 3 mana made the enchantment more stable and potent than using either T1 or T2 mana would.  Again, the results were beyond what he expected due to the potency of the Tier 3 Mana.

    So, in short, Tier 1 mana was a good starting point, an all-rounder if you will.  While Tier 2 Mana was synergized well with things tied to the physical realm and Tier 3 Mana synergized well with things incorporeal.

    All that said, he suspected that each Tier of Mana had its own ¡°language¡± that it spoke best.  Which meant that, if he was correct, the current diagrams and ¡°language¡± used for arrays and enchanting/artifact refining was a hodgepodge of each of the languages that each Tier of Mana spoke best, resulting in the inefficiency in their methods that was driving him up the wall.

    If getting all things psionic translated so that he could use Psijic Energy instead of Psionic Power wasn¡¯t such a priority for him, he¡¯d have also devoted M7-9 to that project.  As it was, even working with Avi, it was taking a long time.  There was just so much to go through that it was taking ages.

    Well maybe when he was able to get more Minds going, he¡¯d be able to devote more of them to those two major issues.

    For now, though, he was happy to note the M3 was making good progress in integrating T3 Mana into the Psijic Star.

    Then another thought struck him, though this was felt like a thunder bolt.

    What if he could make several different Psijic Stars?  He¡¯d need to keep his original one going, but if he could draw in some mana specifically to try to make another core with which he could integrate psionic power, then¡­ would it be possible?  Could that work?

    He agonized over that for a while, then started running the numbers on how much of a drain adding another couple of Minds to the mix would add.  Currently, he was still in the black running an additional eight minds.  Adding an extra two would certainly put him in the red.

    Given that he could run into an unexpected situation at any time, he was loath to have his psionic power pool at anything less than full.  But if he could get a Psijic Star for each Tier of Mana, then it would be an overwhelming gain on par with having dozens of Cores.

    Which, at this point, wasn¡¯t playing a factor in his daily life.  When he¡¯d read through Encompass the Universe, he¡¯d been taken by fantasies of being a supreme cultivator that could tear through any situation because his foundation was vastly superior to anyone else¡¯s.

    Now?  Well, he was effectively a university student.  Not too many life-or-death situations could be found in university life.

    But when he made his way over to Zhizun Zhanshi, well, that¡¯d likely change.  So, having his many Cores, and making sure that he kept up with their development was incredibly important.  Just stupidly expensive at the moment, and likely to get much worse when it came time to draw in Tier 4 Mana.

    He sighed.  Cultivation would get so much slower once Tier 4 Mana became a factor since T4 Crystals were a limited currency.  Effectively cheating with money would stop being a thing.

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Welp, can¡¯t pay-to-win forever!

    Coming back to the moment, Joram looked at Kinkade¡¯s completed lightsaber and smiled.  He checked the Crystal Mind taped to the hilt and found that Kinkade had indeed finished and had included the [Delve]¡¯d schematic for it.  Which, really, was a bit pointless seeing as how they were the same person, but he supposed that it would prove useful for anyone else wanting to make one.

    He hefted the hilt and smiled as the feel of it in his hand.  It¡¯s case, or sleeve, looked to be made of woven metal with a magnetic clip/locking mechanism on the base of the hilt; likely so that he could attach another one to make a staff out of connected pair.

    The emitter was, well, an emitter.  The lens looked like a diamond to the naked eye.  It was, in actuality, a Tetra-II crystal.  Tetra-II was incomparably harder than a diamond and had a much higher, what he called, Disintegration Point; the point where a substance would be destroyed under an extreme condition.  Be it with temperature, shearing, crushing, shattering, or fracturing, Tetra-II had the highest Disintegration Point that he¡¯d measured so far.

    That wasn¡¯t to say that it was the strongest material around, no.  But for now, it was the best material he had for the job.

    The focussing crystal was yet another Tetra-II crystal, but his one tinted a deep indigo.  He inspected the power source and smiled weakly.  If this thing somehow went critical¡­.

    Did all Jedi go around with something that crazy?  He wondered, shaking his head.  If that was the case, then he¡¯d very much prefer working on a Psijic battery of some sort.

    He sighed again.  Maybe he really should get a couple extra Minds going¡­.

    At length, he decided to just suck it up and get an additional two minds up and going.  Decision made, he quickly ¡°saved¡± his progress, dismissed the current [Schism], then remanifested it with an additional two minds.

    M10 and M11 were then promptly assigned to work in parallel with M3 and M4 with cultivation.  They¡¯d research and experiment with collecting mana into his dantian, or rather, where it used to be.  While doing that, they¡¯d also experiment with solidifying that collected Tier 1 Mana into a new Core that they would then try to pull into his Knowledge Sea.

    Given that his current cultivation method was a bit odd due to where his Cores were located, it wasn¡¯t too different from what most people did.  That said, the way that mana came into his body and circulated basically the same.  The major difference being that instead of stopping in the dantian, it was instead sent up into his Knowledge Sea.  So, really, he would just be adding an additional step before sending the mana up to his Knowledge Sea.

    He sighed, glad that he wasn¡¯t going to be actively working on that himse- with his Primary Mind.  He had way too many things that he wanted to do, to the point where he was seriously considering cloning himself.  Which would likely result in disaster, hence why he hadn¡¯t tried yet.  Yet.

    Joram shrugged, then placed the modified lightsaber back on the workbench, though he did bring up Kinkade¡¯s research and schematics for it in his mind.  After a few minutes of contemplating the information, he filed it away again with a satisfied nod.  If he was in a pinch, he could produce one easily enough¡­.

    Then he shrugged again.  If he was in a situation where he needed a ¡°sonic¡± lightsaber, he was sure that he would be screwed anyway.  Really, it was just a hobby/vanity project.  Something that he¡¯d longed for, for most of his life.  Now, it was effectively off the bucket list.  Not that that would stop him from playing around with it in the future or anything.

    He looked around again and wondered how long he could avoid the gals.  If Avi got annoyed enough with him, she¡¯d just bring Bai Lian and Mo Yu to the Realm.  He wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d go so far as to bring Emily there, but he wouldn¡¯t put it past her at this point.

    Her approving Emily had thrown him off more than a little bit.  He still wasn¡¯t sure why she was OK with a polygamous relationship, as he was pretty sure that Altaea had been monogamous herself.  Ultimately, though, it didn¡¯t matter at the moment.

    Joram took another look around, at a loss.  He wanted to just dive into another project, but he knew that that would just be him running away from things again.  He needed to get things sorted before the next half of the year started up and his time once again vanished.

    He also really wanted to go questing to improve his ranking as he hadn¡¯t been able to take that many quests.  The ones N7 had participated in hadn¡¯t added much to their ranking points since it had been the Untouchables that had accepted the quests.

    Maybe they could take a bunch of non-priority quests and head out for a few weeks to build up their points.  That way they¡¯d get some good practice as a team, get some loot, and build up their points.  Yeah, that was looking like it could work¡­.

    If he could build up the courage to have that sit-down with the four women responsible for his retreat.  Well, that wasn¡¯t fair.  He¡¯d agreed to all of it, so there was that.  But he also sucked when it came to all that serious talk.  Well, at least he was better than Kazuya.  That guy couldn¡¯t step up to save his life.

    Like, really.  Firm up already!

    *Ahem*

    Maybe he¡¯d make it a goal to get back to Earth one day just so that he could catch up on the many series he¡¯d been missing out on while on Dovaynia.  Yeah, that sounded good.  He just needed to figure out how to manipulate space/time and the boundaries between universes.  Not too bad.

    Damn, I really hope that there¡¯s some good stuff from the Time Lords in there besides sonic tech, he fervently wished.  If he could get a working time-and-relative-dimension-in-space up and running, then he might just stand a chance of getting back to Earth¡­ and maybe finding Altaea.  One day.

    ¡®Hey, Avi?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Thinking about sonic tech from the Time Lords, I was wondering if Altaea left anything about their other tech?¡¯

    ¡®Yeah, she did,¡¯ Avi sent, sounding a bit curious as her sendings arrived.  ¡®The whole ¡°bigger on the inside¡± stuff, their tech in general, as well as everything they knew about space/time.  Heck, even everything about the energy of that vortex spewed and how it affected millions of different lifeforms.¡¯

    ¡®Anything actionable right now?¡¯

    ¡®Well, I could probably have Asura and Kinkade start gathering samples of coral that might be a suitable substitute for the one the Time Lords used,¡¯ she sent with a mental nod.

    ¡®That¡¯d be good,¡¯ he sent back with his own mental nod.  ¡®I was also wondering how useful a lightsaber would be here, on this world.  Would a mindblade be more useful?¡¯

    ¡®Ah, well, that¡¯s a good question.  You¡¯d have to practice with a mindblade, forming it, altering it, and all that.  While a lightsaber would be an immensely powerful tool right off the hop.  That said, you¡¯d definitely need to learn the lightsaber arts Altaea left so that you don¡¯t self-amputate in a fight.¡¯

    ¡®Yeah, that would suck,¡¯ he agreed with a slight shudder.  ¡®Since Kinkade finished the lightsaber modifications, could I access the saber arts?  For that matter, can I just have access to what I need at any time without asking you?¡¯

    He got a ¡°lol¡± package from her before her words came.

    ¡®I was wondering when you¡¯d finally ask.  Short answer: yes, but with provisions.  Altaea set up the datapacks so that they¡¯d become available as we progressed in our understanding.  There were some caveats about emergencies, like when Sulia was dying just as you were reincarnated, but they don¡¯t currently apply.  That said, I already have the datapacks for the Soulknife and Jedi related stuff, so here you go,¡¯ she said, granting him access to everything currently available to her- now them.

    ¡®That said, I think that having the team finish translating the Soulknife datapack into its psijic-compatible form would be best,¡¯ she sent, all business.  ¡®For something combat-related, having to rework formed habits later on isn¡¯t a great idea.  Maybe just wait before you start experimenting with it.¡¯

    ¡®Good call.  I¡¯ll get working with the various saber forms first then,¡¯ he sent with much gratitude.  ¡®But, that¡¯ll also have to wait.  We all need to have a sit-down and iron things out.¡¯

    ¡®That we do,¡¯ she sent cheerily.  ¡®When should I come over with Emily?¡¯

    ¡®Well, the two of them should be done their shifts soon,¡¯ he mused.  ¡®I¡¯m already done with teatime with Xixi and Zanth, so I can head over right away.  We¡¯ll also have to discuss what¡¯s appropriate to share with Emily, and what not.¡¯

    ¡®True.  Then I¡¯ll sneak over with Emily in the next half-hour or so,¡¯ she sent, reminding him of the picketing in front of his manor.

    ¡®I wonder if I can get teleportation arrays up and running,¡¯ he sent, thinking of how much easier it¡¯d be to just teleport around campus and town without worrying about people finding out about his psionic version.

    ¡®That would indeed help,¡¯ Avi sent along with images of the picketers.

    - - -

    Joram heard the back door open and close before he started to pay attention to his field of perception.  He relaxed again as he found that it was Alicia and Emily and not some B&E Picketers.

    ¡®I¡¯m in my office, but I¡¯ll be right out,¡¯ he sent to Alicia as he took note of where he was in the master¡¯s course textbook on arrays and put it away.

    He¡¯d been hoping to find something that¡¯d help with teleportation arrays, but was suspecting that he¡¯d need to start studying the various Laws, specifically Space, before he¡¯d make much headway with them.

    Again, he could just do all of this with psionics, but he once again didn¡¯t want to reveal too many of his abilities.  Especially when he was still as weak as he was.

    He pondered that last thought as he got up and made his way to the living room.  By most standards, he was far beyond most people on the planet.  Having a 5<sup>th</sup> Tier magical cultivation while also being in the 6<sup>th</sup> Tier as a Psion was incredibly rare to the point of nations trying to headhunt others¡¯ people.  If he wasn¡¯t strong enough, then he¡¯d basically be kidnapped and forced to work for them.

    That was the best-case scenario.  Worst-case, they¡¯d make him a slave.

    He¡¯d been disgusted to learn that this world not only had enchanted slave collars, but also slavery techniques that were even harder to deal with than a physical collar.  Those techniques were just¡­ vile.  He¡¯d studied up on the most popular ones in case he ran across them, but ultimately hadn¡¯t gotten very far with them due to his lack of general education.

    Well, he¡¯d be able to rectify that soon enough.  He was reasonably sure that with the knowledge base the masters¡¯ texts provided, he¡¯d be able to understand those techniques.  Which got another shudder from him.

    He was tempted to go to the mainland and visit the slave auction house so that he could study the slavery techniques in-person.  If he did that, though, he was sure that he¡¯d wind up spending a fortune on slaves just so that he could free them from their fates.  But he didn¡¯t have enough money to do that.  Nor did he think that he¡¯d be able to refrain from [Decerebrate]¡¯ing the slavers.

    ¡°Thanks for coming back over so soon,¡± he said as he took his customary seat near the grand piano.

    Emily smiled at him from her spot on the couch to his right.

    ¡°It was a good opportunity to get my things moved into Alicia¡¯s place,¡± she said with her usual smile, then a frown.  ¡°But I¡¯m sorry that all those pests are making trouble outside your house.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll go away eventually,¡± he said with more confidence than he felt.

    The three of them continued to chat, passing the time until Bai Lian and Mo Yu returned home looking slightly annoyed.

    ¡°Is everything all right?¡±  Joram asked as they came into the living room.

    ¡°There should be laws about annoying people making themselves more annoying by chanting ridiculous and annoying things outside of someone¡¯s house,¡± Bai Lian grumped, glaring out the window at the crowd gathered out front.

    ¡°Well, at least the privacy arrays work well,¡± he replied, making a mental note to ask the Dean about the best way to get rid of the pests.

    ¡°So, Joram,¡± Alicia said, getting everyone¡¯s attention.  ¡°What would you like to speak to us about?¡±

    Ah, no more distractions¡­ damn it.

    ¡°Well, in consideration of recent developments,¡± he said, gesturing for Bai Lian and Mo Yu to sit to his left.  ¡°I feel that it¡¯s time we discuss exactly what¡¯s happened, what is happening, and both what we want to happen and what might happen in the future,¡± he said, then proceeded to lay out exactly what was happening.

    Specifically, in the realm of his¡­ ¡°relationship¡± status.

    For everyone¡¯s benefit, he went over his relationship with Avi, revealing to Emily who she really was.  Which went surprisingly well, all told.  Apparently, it wasn¡¯t too uncommon for someone to disguise themselves, taking on an alter ego to get something done.  That came a bit close to his true nature, but he decided not to share that just yet.

    He then went over Bai Lian¡¯s and Mo Yu¡¯s Oath to him, getting raised brows from Emily.  Again, she was accepting of their Oath, claiming that such words were relatively common for marriage vows.  Which turned their cheeks a lovely rose colour.

    Next was Emily.  He explained the conversation he¡¯d had with her mother, Sasha, and her family¡¯s decision to leaver her in his ¡°care¡±.  He also explained his engagement to her, with Emily¡¯s help.

    All told, the four young women reaffirmed their desire to be with him.  Not just with, but as romantic partners.  He¡¯d hoped that at least Bai Lian and Mo Yu had cooled down a bit or had had more time to reflect on their feelings for him.  Well, they¡¯d indeed reflected more on their feelings and had decided that they were firmly on Team Joram, as it were.

    He shuddered at the reference.

    With that part out of the way, they went on to discuss what they thought of the study group¡¯s members and their¡­ advances on him.

    He was again shocked that not only Avi seemed to not care, but also Bai Lian and Mo Yu.  For their part, they claimed that something so insignificant as other women attaching themselves to him wouldn¡¯t shake their commitment and feelings for him.  Emily, however, just claimed that so long as she had a position as a wife that she would be OK with it.

    That said, they also reiterated that he would need to continue treating them, at least, the same as he had, but hoped that he¡¯d get more¡­ intimate with them as they grew more familiar with each other.

    After everything was said and done, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder at the values of this world.  Yes, it wasn¡¯t Earth.  Yes, significant changes in cultures and morals in general were to be expected.  But it was still a culture shock for him.

    His personal morals were changing, and he wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about that.  At the same time, having so many people wanting to be with him for being¡­ him, felt more than a little bit wonderful.  So, he decided that he would tone down his ¡°act¡± more, to be a bit more himself around people from now on.  Not that he was faking his kindness, but his extroverted-ness.  If he could do that, and the study group still wanted to hang around, then it would take an emotional load off his shoulders.  It would make things more natural.  It would make him happier.

    With that talk out of the way, and his decision made, the next thing to talk about was their summer plans.

 Chapter 089 - Packing

    Seeing as how it was only, what he called, Saturday, he was reasonably sure that most of the study group was still on campus, so he had Avi call them over to her manor.

    Avi changed back to Alicia, then slipped out to meet the study group at her place.  After that, she would sneak them over through their connected back yards to avoid the protesters in front of his place.

    After she¡¯d gone, he realized that he hadn¡¯t brought up the topic of his Network with Emily yet, so he got on that.

    ¡°So,¡± he said, a bit nervous.  ¡°There¡¯s something else you should probably know about me,¡± he said, then went on to describe his Network to her.

    He explained the telepathy, how one could either speak with everyone at the same time or create smaller ¡°chatrooms¡±, or even speak individually with someone.  He also explained that he was able to affect any willing member of the Network with several of his ¡°abilities¡±.

    He didn¡¯t go into full details about his psionic abilities, but did share things like the improved coordination that could be had to how he was able to remotely heal someone, to a certain extent.  Again, he didn¡¯t want to share everything, especially since he wasn¡¯t sure if their engagement would work out.  But, he decided that if she were to stay, if they got married, that he would tell her everything about himself.

    Which scared the hell out of him.  But was also fair.  He didn¡¯t want to keep those kinds of things from people so close to him.  Especially someone who was trusting themselves to him.

    After a few more questions from Emily about the Network, like range and just how deep the connection was, Alicia arrived with the rest of the study group.

    He was happy to see that everyone was there, including Jae-Eun and Aya.  Though, the murder machine was back to giving him evaluating looks when she thought he wasn¡¯t looking.  Which, really, was all the time due to his field of perception.

    ¡°All right,¡± he said once everyone had settled into their preferred seating arrangement.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the short notice, and for not asking what everyone¡¯s plans are for the summer break.  So, please, share your plans, for I was thinking of taking both of our teams out for a few weeks to do as much questing as we can.¡±

    That got a few startled looks from them, but soon enough they were all sharing what they¡¯d had planned for the summer break.

    Sophia had wanted to head back to Avilia so that she could work in her family¡¯s store for more experience, one of many that they owned in several cities.  Having caught wind of Kinkade¡¯s plans, Joram then suggested applying to work at Kinkade¡¯s store.  She was hesitant until he revealed what would be sold there, and the general business plan.  After that, she was eager to head over and get started as soon as possible.

    Alyraele had planned on staying for the break, claiming that her family had planned on visiting her as a kind of vacation.  She claimed that it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to arrange their visit for when they returned from their questing, so she was in.

    Gabrielle had planned on just cramming over summer, wanting to get every minute of practice in that she could.  But if her team was going, she said that she would also go along with them.

    At that point, seeing how the others reacted when Gabrielle mentioned cramming, Joram put it out there that he was still planning on holding study sessions while out in the field.  Well, when it was safe to do so anyway.  After he¡¯d shared that, subtle looks of relief settled on everyone, making him glad that he¡¯d spoken up about it.

    After that, Daleira, Faenwyn, Kassandra, and Renna all agreed to come along.  At that point, Sophia looked as though she was regretting her decision to remain, so he once again put the offer out there for her.  Once again, she leaned towards working until he also mentioned that he would put in a good word with Asura and Kinkade, saying that he was sure that they¡¯d still need someone as capable as her before the next term started up.

    So, Sophia joined in, seeming happy that she could come along with everyone.

    Jae-Eun expressed that she, too, would like to join them as going back home wasn¡¯t exactly practical for her.  Aya didn¡¯t seem very happy with her decision but, she surprisingly stayed quiet.  Which, really, was something, because she wasn¡¯t hesitant to disagree with her ward¡¯s decisions, even going so far as vetoing anything that she didn¡¯t agree with.  And to Joram¡¯s eye, she clearly didn¡¯t agree with her choice.

    So, that made for the full ten members of Untouchables as well as his five-member team.

    While they spoke, he studied their varying reactions, their body language, and their tones.  He wasn¡¯t sure if he was being paranoid, or prideful as he tried to read each of them there, trying to suss-out their intentions.

    Ultimately, he gave up.  He wasn¡¯t quite willing to use [Read Mind] on any of them given that none of them were strangers he wasn¡¯t sure of.  They were all¡­ friends.  Well, he wasn¡¯t sure about Aya, but he¡¯d respect her privacy so long as she didn¡¯t turn hostile towards him.  As for the others, even though he was intensely curious, he would let things happen when they wanted them to happen.  He was in no hurry to speed things along, as it were.

    ¡°All right,¡± he said, quieting the several conversations that had popped up after everyone had decided to come.  ¡°Since I was the one to invite you all, I¡¯ll make sure to bring enough supplies for us all.  No, it¡¯s OK.  I¡¯m the one inconveniencing you all, so I¡¯ll make the arrangements.

    ¡°I¡¯ll also arrange for transportation, though it might seem a bit weird to you all.  As you may have noticed, I have a¡­ peculiar eye for design, so please don¡¯t make fun of things,¡± he said, giving them a wincing smile that provoked a round of assurances from them that they¡¯d be just fine with things.

    ¡°Also, for the sake of safety, I¡¯ll hand out some items that will allow us to not only speak telepathically with one another, but also be able to tell where each of us are.  It¡¯ll be dangerous out there, so I want to make sure that everyone is as safe as possible,¡± he said, getting varying looks of shock, awe, and surprise from them.

    ¡°How?¡±  Was basically what all their questions boiled down to.

    ¡°Well, Mental Strength spells that allow for silent communication between people aren¡¯t difficult to learn, nor are basic tracking spells.  Putting them together, well, it wasn¡¯t too hard to do,¡± he said, trying to brush it off.  ¡°Going from there, I just kind of converted those spells into enchantments, and here we are,¡± he said with another shrug.

    That got another round of astonished exclamations, congratulations, and a sales pitch from Sophia.

    ¡°Seriously!¡±  She said, her eyes shining like Crystal Coins.  ¡°If you could sell those to the Quest Hall, then to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, you¡¯d make a fortune!  Imagine the utility!  Adventurers everywhere would pay a fortune to get an artifact that would help keep them safer!¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah, it may be a product that I could have Asura and Kinkade sell for me,¡± he said, hedging.  He really didn¡¯t want more of a drain on his crafting time, or resources, though.

    ¡°Ah~~~!  Imagine the Crystals flowing!  I¡¯ll definitely make sure to wow Miss Asura and Mr Kinkade during my interview!¡±  Sophia said, getting fired up.

    It took another few minutes for everyone to settle back down after that, but he eventually managed to speak again.

    ¡°So, with that said, I hope to set out tomorrow morning.  All you have to do is pack what you¡¯ll need for clothing and personal care items.  Like I said, I¡¯ll provide the transportation and the food.  I¡¯ll also provide an artifact that¡¯ll make sleeping a lot safer,¡± he said, getting more excitement from the group.

    ¡°So, let¡¯s separate for now.  Everyone needs to get ready, and I still need to grab some quests that we can do while away,¡± he said, ending the meeting.

    ¡°Should we bring along our textbooks, then?¡±  Alyraele asked after raising a hand, which made him smile.

    ¡°Bring whatever you were planning on studying over the break,¡± he said with a smile.  ¡°I also plan on bringing some books and textbooks along.¡±

    A few more questions followed, all easily taken care of, then they parted.  Joram smiled again at just how¡­ nice it was.  Friends.  People who got along with one another, even with the occasional petty or silly argument.  Which, really, showed just how much they truly got along; how comfortable they were with everyone else.

    He let that content feeling linger for a few minutes before getting up and sneaking out of the manor to the Quest Hall.

    Unsurprisingly, the Quest Hall was packed when he arrived.  That it was the first official day of summer break meant that anyone wanting to make money over summer break was there, competing for the most lucrative quests available.

    Things like gathering quests were obviously taken first, as they tended to not only be safe, but also paid fairly.  The next most popular quests to go were the errand-types.  Sure, they were a bit more boring than gathering quests, but they were safer.  And safer quests meant that they¡¯d live longer, which was important to everyone involved, really.

    The ones that were left were the extermination quests.  They were the most dangerous.  The pay also, surprisingly, varied the most.  If the quest was an F-Rank one, then the pay was pretty low given the comparatively higher danger involved.  For his C-Rank, they paid more, but were also much more dangerous than anything else out there.  Well, there were B-Rank quests, but he didn¡¯t qualify for those because of his permit.

    He was sure that he could easily take care of B-Ranks quests alone, but still wanted to keep a low¡­ low¡¯ish profile.  After his very public fight with Emily yesterday, he was getting more than a few looks as he perused the quest boards.

    After a while, and having grabbed seven requests, he made his way to the lines and waited.

    Eventually Collette called him over.  She¡¯d been the one to take on his and Alicia¡¯s teams, replacing Mikzel soon after their registration.

    ¡°What can I do for you today, Joram?¡±  She asked with her usual bright smile that caught the gaze of many people around them.

    ¡°Hi Collette,¡± he said in greeting.  ¡°I¡¯ll be taking N7 and The Untouchables out for some training and wanted to take these quests,¡± he said, then handed over the requests.

    ¡°Hmmm,¡± she hmm¡¯d as she looked over the requests.  ¡°These shouldn¡¯t be a problem if N7 will be taking point, as The Untouchables are still only D-Class,¡± she said, then got a glint in her eyes and a mischievous smile on her lips.  ¡°But, from what I hear, you¡¯ll soon be a B-Class after the performance you put on yesterday.¡±

    Joram quickly checked to see if anyone was listening to their conversation and nearly sighed out loud.  Of course, they were.

    ¡°Ah, well, it¡¯d be nice to be able to take some higher-level quests then,¡± he said, realizing that he had no chance of keeping things on the downlow.

    ¡°True.  We can arrange for a quick assessment to make it official.  That way, you can take some B-Class requests while you¡¯re at it.  Though, I¡¯d still be careful if The Untouchables will be with you,¡± she said, once again all seriousness and concern.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to keep them away from anything dangerous,¡± he replied with a reassuring smile.  ¡°Will we be able to take the assessment today?  I was hoping to head out first thing tomorrow, you see.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll be easy enough,¡± Collette replied confidently.  ¡°Just let me know when you¡¯ll be available, then we¡¯ll go from there.¡±

    ¡°What about Emily?  Do you think that she¡¯ll need a new assessment given her combat capabilities?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Collette said, nodding.  ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to add her in as well.¡±

    ¡°All right,¡± he said, nodding along.  ¡°I¡¯ll give her a call right away so that we can get started as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± she said, waving as he stepped away from the counter.

    ¡®Emily?  Could you come to the Quest Hall?  I¡¯ve arranged for an assessment to update your Quester Class.¡¯

    ¡®Yes, I¡¯ll be there shortly,¡¯ she replied quickly.

    Joram nodded to himself as he made his way back to the request boards.  This time, he looked through the B-Class requests and found that they were much less picked through than the others had been.  He passed over most of the extermination requests and instead focussed on the gathering requests.

    There weren¡¯t many, and almost half of them involved harvesting various magical beasts for their parts.  After a few minutes, he grabbed three requests: two for herbs and one for monster parts.  Even though B-Class gathering requests for herbs didn¡¯t look that hard on the surface, they were likely to be just as hard as a magical beast harvesting request since magical beasts liked to hang around powerful magical plants.

    As he turned away from the request board, he spied Emily entering the Hall, so he made his way over to her first.  After a quick greeting that had many students practically burning with jealousy, they made their way back to Collette¡¯s line and waited.

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    After a few minutes, they were at the counter and speaking with Collette.  The requests were quickly approved (pending official class-up) before they were guided to the training area for their assessments.

    It was much easier for Joram this time around, as he now knew what to expect.  This time, he released enough psionic might to get him classified as a C-Class Mentalist.  Then, with the combat assessment, he was sure to just get into the B-Class when fighting the combat doll.

    Emily, however, stayed in D-Class as a mage, but easily made it into C-Class as a fighter.  And given that she was a front-liner, her permit was successfully upgraded to C-Class.

    So, with that done, N7 officially became a B-Class Team.  Their ranking still wasn¡¯t very high due to how few quests they¡¯d been on, but he was still happy that they¡¯d made it to Rank 2.  No longer considered green, but still ¡°rookies¡±.  Which meant that the truly profitable requests were still out of reach.  But with taking the requests that he had, he hoped that the points they¡¯d get from them would be sufficient for them to get to Rank 3.

    With that done, they left the Quest Hall and went about gathering supplies that he didn¡¯t already have on hand, or in his Realm.  Which, really, wasn¡¯t much.  But it did give them time to chat.

    ¡®Is your family OK with you heading out while they¡¯re still here visiting?¡¯  He asked over the Network, not wanting to discuss it out loud.

    Emily gave a great start, her eyes widening, before blushing furiously.

    ¡®Sorry, not used to this yet,¡¯ she sent, embarrassment plain in her tone.  ¡®Father wasn¡¯t very happy that I¡¯ll be heading off before them, but calmed down when I told them that I was going for training with you,¡¯ she sent, now a bit shy.

    ¡®Ah, sorry about that,¡¯ he sent, not quite sure what to say.

    ¡®Don¡¯t worry about it.  They left me¡­ in your care, so they can¡¯t complain that I¡¯m going to be spending more time with you,¡¯ she finished, now leaking a combination of shyness and warmth through their connection, if not her expression.

    He nodded to that, understanding her logic.  But also understanding the other side of it.  If his daughter were heading off after he¡¯d just arrived for a long-awaited visit with her, he¡¯d be a little miffed.  But, given his ¡°gifts¡± to Sasha the day before, he hoped that she¡¯d play interference, as it were.

    ¡®Well, it¡¯ll be nice to spend some quality time with everyone.  As nice as studying is, it¡¯ll be nicer to do something else together for a change,¡¯ he sent musingly.

    Emily gave him the side-eye after receiving that, but he pretended not to notice as he slung a huge bag of rice over a shoulder, then another one over his other shoulder.  He was pretty sure that fifty kilos of rice would be good enough for fifteen people over three weeks, replicators or not.

    ¡®Well, so long as I still get my time with you,¡¯ Emily sent, sounding awkward and shy.

    ¡®Don¡¯t worry about it, we¡¯ll all have time together.¡¯

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m worried about¡­¡± she murmured to herself, so quietly that he would have missed it if his senses weren¡¯t as sharp as they were, resulting in a slight blush from him.

    ¡°Well, this should do.  Let¡¯s pay and get going,¡± he said out loud, not wanting others to wonder why they were so quiet.

    They then paid for the rice, stored it away, then went on to their next destination, idly chatting all the while.

    * * * * *

    ¡°But Princess, going out with Mr Aneath¡¯s team for so long wouldn¡¯t be appropriate,¡± her attendant said, looking very nervous as she spoke.

    Kassandra could understand where she was coming from.  As the third princess of Starfire Empire, her status wasn¡¯t something to be taken lightly.  That she¡¯d been permitted to join Joram¡¯s study group had been a difficult argument to win.  But after she¡¯d shown the results of her participation, she¡¯d managed to ease her minder¡¯s worries.

    Being allowed to join a questing team hadn¡¯t been easy either, but she was glad that she had.  Not only did it provide her valuable real-world experience, but it was another way for her to gather various alchemical ingredients that she could experiment with.

    That she¡¯d gone so far as to accept a three-week long outing with not just her team, but with Joram¡¯s had pushed things a bit far in the eyes of her minders.

    ¡°We¡¯ll hardly be alone,¡± she replied, suppressing her exasperation.  ¡°There will be fifteen of us, only two men included.  Besides, from what I hear, Joram now has a fianc¨¦, so I¡¯ll hardly have to worry about anything on that front.¡±

    Her attendant, Jezira, gave her a flat look.  Which, really, was par for the course.

    What Kassandra hadn¡¯t told Jezira was that she wasn¡¯t about to let a mere fianc¨¦ stop her.  She¡¯d thought she¡¯d been forward enough with her flirtation, but it was now clear to her that she¡¯d need to be even more direct with Joram.

    She¡¯d been curious about the new curiosity on campus that was Joram Aneath.  She¡¯d been present for his remarkable debut, watching his ¡°honour duel¡± with much interest.  She¡¯d felt a burst of Mental Strength from him before his opponent had even moved, then another one that had caused his foe to fall face-first in front of him.

    From there, she¡¯d kept up to date on his doings.  Learning that he wasn¡¯t just talented as a crafter, but in music as well, had further increased her interest in him.  Then after hearing that he¡¯d formed a study group with several of the Rankers, well, nothing else would do but for her to join his study group.

    It had taken a while, with not a few hints to Alicia; the one who¡¯d not only approached her to join her team, but who¡¯d also helped create the study group.  She¡¯d wanted to approach Joram directly, but he¡¯d proved to be remarkably¡­ elusive.  Not only that, but the rumours that he was incredibly shy when it came to women had made her pause.

    That he could study with a large group of beauties and still be called shy was, in her mind, more than contradictory.  Indeed, there were also rumours that he was the most vile and lascivious of degenerates on campus.  But after investigating those rumours, she¡¯d found that they were almost exclusively spread by men.  The few that had been spread by women happened to be done by those who were well-known to be infatuated with one of the women in the study group.

    Not a single bad rumour could be traced back to the members of the study group.  On the contrary, she could find nothing but varying degrees of praise for not only the study group, but for Joram himself.

    So, when Alicia had finally agreed to see if Joram would be OK with opening up a few more spots in the study group, she¡¯d been ready.  As much as her instincts told her to snatch Joram up with direct flirting and a confession of love, her reasoning won in the end.

    If Joram wasn¡¯t ¡°playing¡± with any of the study group, then he must have an iron will when it came to the fairer sex.  Instead, her plan was to interest him intellectually.  That he was able to tutor students a year or two ahead of him told her that the intellectual approach would work best.

    Then, after the interview, she¡¯d silently congratulated herself on her perfectly executed delivery.  After interacting with Joram and Alicia, it was evident that she was attached to him.  So, she¡¯d adapted accordingly and included Alicia as much as she could in her responses.

    After all that, she¡¯d been quite happy when she¡¯d been accepted as a new member of the study group.  Things went as expected after that.  Study sessions, Emily pestering Joram, and more studying.  She was impressed with how fast Joram picked up new concepts and the insights he provided.

    Even Renna, the Eternal Student, had been impressed, which said something.  As one of the three Alchemists in their group, Kassandra found that she became even more taken with Joram.  Sure, she had to split her time with Renna, the other Alchemist, but she found that it wasn¡¯t as odious as she¡¯d thought it would be.

    She was sure that Renna was also aiming for Joram, but wasn¡¯t quite sure in what way.  Elves were weird that way.

    ¡°Yes, well.  When a young man gives a young woman such¡­ wonderful garments,¡± Jezira said, holding up her viridian silk body suit.  ¡°I imagine that things could get¡­ heated.¡±

    Kassandra was far past the point where such talk could embarrass her, so she merely shrugged.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re quite jealous of my garments,¡± she replied, plucking the body suit from Jezira¡¯s fingers.

    The lesser succubus gave her a flat look that didn¡¯t quite hide that she¡¯d hit the mark.

    ¡°That isn¡¯t the point,¡± she said, picking up a matching panty-bra combo waiting to be packed.  ¡°That he could make something so¡­ delicate, tells me that he is likely more interested in you than you think.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that each one of us helped design everything that he made for us,¡± she said, retrieving her undergarments from Jezira, then proceeded to place all of them into her storage ring before Jezira could play with any more of them.  ¡°He was quite the gentleman when taking our measurements and helping us with everything.¡±

    ¡°¡¯A calm surface often hides a strong undercurrent¡¯,¡± Jezira quoted the old saying before sitting on the edge of Kassandra¡¯s bed.  ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll have to insist on accompanying you this time,¡± she said, her tone brooking no arguments.

    Kassandra sighed.  Even though she¡¯d expected such a thing given that she was a princess and all, she¡¯d hoped to be able to get away from her minders for a time.  But, again, that was impossible for a princess.

    ¡°Fine.  But keep out of the way.  This is meant to be a team-building outing and having you interrupting things would be counterproductive,¡± she said, letting Jezira know how reluctant she was with her tone.

    ¡°Good,¡± she replied happily.  ¡°Then, I¡¯ll help you pack.¡±

    * * * * *

    Alyraele hummed to herself as she sorted what she¡¯d bring with her.

    Having a storage ring was proving to be immensely useful.  Not only would she be able to pack lightly, but she¡¯d also be able to bring a few instruments with her.

    It was hard to decide which ones to bring, but in the end, she decided that the guitar that she¡¯d convinced Joram to make her was a good choice.  Not only would it allow her to get some practice time with it, but she¡¯d also be able to get more tutoring from Joram while she was at it.

    The other instrument that she packed was a long wood flute that she thought would be a good compliment to a guitar.

    Nodding to herself, she made sure to write a letter to her family letting them know that she¡¯d be off on a field trip with other students.  That way, they wouldn¡¯t arrive for their visit before she returned.

    She just hoped that they wouldn¡¯t come with another marriage proposal for her this time.

    Alyraele sighed.  She¡¯d enrolled in the Academy to get away from all that nonsense.  She wanted to live her own life.  But the duty to her family that had been instilled in her from the time she¡¯d first started her lessons all the way to when she¡¯d left home, was hard to ignore.

    It was common for nobles to marry off their daughters to improve relations with other houses.  In fact, it had been one of the core lessons she¡¯d been taught growing up.  But those lessons hadn¡¯t ever sat well with her.  Now?  Now that she¡¯d been away from home for a few years, the sentiment had grown.  Especially after being placed on the Goddess Ranking.

    She sat on the edge of her bed as she thought, idly playing with the body suit Joram had given her.

    ¡°What to do¡­ what to do¡­?¡±  She murmured to herself as thoughts of her duty to her family swirled around thoughts of living her life for herself.

    It wasn¡¯t that she was an only child, but that she was the firstborn.  Which meant that until her little brother, the thirdborn child, came of age, she would need to lead by example.  Even after Toran came of age in another eight years, she¡¯d still need to be there to help guide him even with her parents there.

    Alyraele sighed as the thought of being stuck at home weighed on her shoulders.

    But if she could get closer with Joram, then maybe things could work out.  Not that she was using him to escape her life or anything.  No.  But he was quite handsome, talented, and above all: kind.

    Having to deal with the lustful gazes of the suitors her parents occasionally brought to meet her hadn¡¯t been the most pleasant of experiences.  Sure, there were some young men who seemed genuine enough, but none had had enough substance to them to catch her interest.  They were all just so¡­ boring.  Typical young lords with the expected pride to go with their station in life.

    Not that she wasn¡¯t a prideful person.  But after living on campus for the last few years, her horizons had been broadened.  That she rubbed elbows with actual princesses now had done much to temper her pride.  Even interacting with Alicia and Joram had done so much for her state of mind and worldly views.  That a pair of Mentalists, and quite accomplished ones at that, could be so¡­ humble and relatable had further rooted her.

    Not only that, but being treated like any other girl out there had endeared them greatly to her.  That Joram treated everyone like people had almost been more than she could believe.  Especially after having met her fair share of Alchemists and Artificers whose egos could fill a stadium.

    Alyraele found that she was once again humming to herself as she played with her body suit, then stopped dead, her eyes widening in shock.  She looked down at the body suit, then spread it out on the bed, smoothing it flat with her hands.

    She then did the same for the many undergarments she¡¯d bought from Joram, pairing them up and arranging them by colour.

    Then her mind went to her various lessons over the years that focussed on courting and what various gifts might mean from the one giving them.  Her cheeks slowly filled with colour as her hands came up to cover her mouth.  Her golden eyes grew wider as her mouth opened behind her hands, thankfully muffling the embarrassing squeak that escaped her throat.

    Her head then dipped down, causing her sea green hair to fall over her face, thankfully hiding it from the world.  One hand slowly reached out, grasped the body suit, then pulled it to her chest as she thought of a young man who¡¯s dark purple hair would compliment her own sea green hair when they stood together.

    * * * * *

    As well organized as she was normally, her room was very much a disaster.

    Sophia went through all of her clothing, trying to decide what to bring.  She¡¯d need several outfits, not to mention nightwear.  She¡¯d also need clothing suitable for questing, but considering the body suit she¡¯d received from Joram, most of those clothes would probably just be peripheral accessories to it.

    With that thought in mind, she quickly stripped and changed into the body suit so that she could better match things to it.

    She looked at herself in her full-length mirror.  The body suit did an amazing job at accentuating her strong points.  Her long legs, bottom, and hips were highlighted by simple seams in the viridian silk.  Even her breasts were made to look amazing with how the lines and supports worked in the top, making her feel a bit less self-conscious around the others in the study group whose breasts were significantly larger than hers.

    She¡¯d always been told that she had a dancer¡¯s build, given her long legs and a lithe physique.  But given that she wanted to be a merchant, those compliments hadn¡¯t meant very much to her.

    But after convincing Joram to begin teaching her and the study group basic techniques for self defense, she¡¯d been over the moon when he¡¯d complimented her ¡°athletic¡± body.  That he¡¯d said it in the context of assessing her for an appropriate martial art hadn¡¯t mattered to her nearly as much as the words had.

    Now, though, she was once again over the moon with thoughts of strengthening her relationship with Joram during their outing.  Not only would she be able to learn more about him, and from him, but she might even be able to get in on the ground floor with the department store that he was helping to get going.

    ¡°So many upsides!¡±  She squealed as she did a little happy dance, her arms and tightly closed fists held close to her chest as her legs pumped up and down where she stood.

    * * * * *

    Finishing with the call to her family, Faenwyn stored it away again in her ring.  She didn¡¯t want them to worry about her if they couldn¡¯t reach her, or if they came for a sudden visit during the break, so she¡¯d told them that she would be out on a joint field exercise with her team and another team.

    She looked around her room, at the weapon stand that held her glaive.  She hadn¡¯t bothered with it pretty much since she¡¯d arrived since she hadn¡¯t enrolled in any combat type classes.  But now that the study group was also venturing into the realm of martial arts, she considered taking it up again.  Maybe she¡¯d try using it while they were out¡­.

    Faenwyn shrugged.  She¡¯d already packed everything that she needed, but was considering what she¡¯d wear when they met up in the morning.

    She wasn¡¯t sure if her usual attire would suit the occasion, or if she should start off in her questing gear.  Not that it was much different, but with the new body suit that Joram had made her, it had changed.  Very much changed in a direction she¡¯d consider scandalous.  Downright inappropriate for others to see.

    Faenwyn couldn¡¯t understand how Emily could go around dressed like that every day.  Yes, Emily had what most anyone would consider a stunning figure, but Faenwyn didn¡¯t think it was appropriate to flaunt it like that.

    One should be more dignified in their dress and attire.  But she supposed that she shouldn¡¯t expect more from one of the cat beastkin.  They were well-known for their¡­ relaxed standards.

    Not like her noble Silver Wolf beastkin line.  Her kin were reserved, refined, and, well, noble.  Her people didn¡¯t flaunt their bodies for all to see and ogle at.  Proper attire for the right setting.

    It wasn¡¯t that she was afraid to wear the body suit that Joram had made for her, far from it.  But there was a time and a place for such things.  Everything had its time and place, after all.

    She held up the body suit and looked at herself in the mirror.  It was hard not to blush imagining someone seeing her in it.  So, what could she wear with it so that it wasn¡¯t so¡­ scandalous?

    She quickly changed into it, taking a moment to appreciate the exquisite craftsmanship and attention to detail, then got to work.

    Faenwyn couldn¡¯t be seen to appear as though she was trying to attract anyone¡¯s gaze after all.  Especially not the gaze of the other team¡¯s captain.  Nope.  That wouldn¡¯t do at all.

    But if she did manage to do that, however inadvertently, she supposed that there wasn¡¯t anything she could do about it.  Things like that happened, after all.

    As Faenwyn prepared, going through her wardrobe, she failed to notice the faint smile creeping onto her face.

 Chapter 090 - Beskie

    ¡°Ahhhh~~~, why¡¯d I have to play it cool?¡±  Joram moaned from his traditional position at his desk.

    ¡°Because you wanted to be cool?¡±  Avi asked, patting the back of his head which caused his nose to mush into the desk slightly.

    ¡°¡­ at least they¡¯re easy enough to make,¡± he mumbled into the desk.

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of Dust to use, though,¡± Avi commented as she pulled a chair over so that she could sit beside him.

    ¡°Nah, not too bad,¡± he said.  ¡°The expensive part is the whole tracking thing.  So, to save some Dust, I¡¯ll just insert a pseudo-psicrystal into each ring.  The telepathy enchantment won¡¯t even really be needed at that point either.  Hmmm¡­.  Maybe I can just make pretty rings¡­¡± he mused, then got a poke in the side.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Sigh.

    ¡°All right, all right.  The telepathy thing isn¡¯t too hard anyways.  But I¡¯m going with the pseudo-psicrystals,¡± he said, still facedown on the desk.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Avi replied.  ¡°But wouldn¡¯t it be great to be at the point where you could just leave an actual psicrystal with everyone you know?¡±

    ¡°Nah, just adding them to the Network would be much easier,¡± he said as an ingot of metal appeared on the desk above his head.

    ¡°True,¡± she mused.  ¡°But do you really want to add anyone to the Network before you know if they¡¯ll tell others about it?¡±

    ¡°True,¡± he mimicked her.  ¡°Hence the pseudo-psicrystals.  They¡¯re easy to make, count as me being in contact with them for any Powers I might need to use on them, and act as a homing beacon, not to mention that I¡¯ll still be in contact with them if the Network goes down since the pseudo-psicrystals are a part of me.  All around, just what I need to use to save Dust,¡± he said, lifting his right arm so that he could touch the small ingot.

    ¡°Yeah, but do you think they¡¯ll think that the tracking feature will be creepy?¡±

    ¡°Nay, for Sophia quickly dispelled any such concerns by lauding the benefits of such a feature to the other fair maidens,¡± he said in an almost perfect imitation of the 10<sup>th</sup> Doctor¡¯s accent.

    ¡°Why are we talking about this?¡±  Avi asked suddenly.

    ¡°The potential for invasion of privacy and the ethics surrounding anything that can track a person?¡±

    ¡°No, but that¡¯s a fair point,¡± she said, shaking her head.  ¡°What I was trying to get at is this: will they read more into getting the rings than you intended?¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t concern you in any way?¡±  Avi asked, her eyebrows rising.

    ¡°Sure, it does,¡± he said, then rolled his head to the side so that he could look at her directly.  ¡°But if I give everyone the same ring, it won¡¯t really matter, will it?¡±

    Avi stared at him for a time before her head dropped and her face landed into her open hand.

    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot.¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    - - -

    ¡°So, this is what you decided to make for us to bunk in while we¡¯re out?¡±  Avi asked as she poked a small cube.

    ¡°Much more believable than me manifesting [Dimensional Shelter] or something every night.¡±

    ¡°So, your solution to that was to just make a relative dimension in space attached to a die?¡±  She asked, her tone flat.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be useful,¡± he said listlessly.

    ¡°What¡¯s got you so drained?¡±  Avi asked suddenly as she once again sat beside him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve just got the terrible premonition that I¡¯ll have many ¡®fortuitous encounters¡¯ while we¡¯re out,¡± he said, even doing the air quotes.

    ¡°Wha-.  Ohhhhhhh,¡± she said, the realization dawning on her.

    ¡°Yeah.  If people are as na?ve as we think they are, then I¡¯m sure that anyone with any thoughts of getting together with me have either already made plans or are making them right now.

    ¡°That said, I really don¡¯t want any ill-thought-out plans or actions to ruin this trip for anyone,¡± he said with a slight frown.  ¡°The tracking feature is to partly help prevent that.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be easy with your sphere of perception?¡±

    ¡°Normally, yes.  But I tend to filter out areas for the sake of privacy.  Or if things are particularly bad, I just turn it off.  But being able to tell where people are, should be enough,¡± he finished with a shrug.

    ¡°Anyway, was the runabout upgraded?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I had an improved sensor suite added as well as better shielding.  Well, a more potent deflector shield anyway.  I still want to get a good all ¡®round shield installed, but I¡¯m still working on the tech tree for that.¡±

    ¡°Nice,¡± he said, nodding.  ¡°Anything I can help with?¡±

    ¡°Nah.  It¡¯s mostly just getting the factories built or upgraded to produce what¡¯s needed,¡± she said, shrugging one shoulder.

    ¡°It¡¯ll just take a bit longer.  As you¡¯ve probably guessed, I¡¯ve got Asura mostly working on the orbital station.  It¡¯s getting close to the point where I¡¯ll be able to get a good materials convoy going to mine the asteroid belt.¡±

    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s pretty fast.  Well, if you need anything, just let me know.  I¡¯m sure it wouldn¡¯t slow things down too much if I re-task M10 or M11 to help you,¡± he said, working at keeping his excitement down.

    ¡°Anyways, I think we might need a bit more bunk room in the runabout for the trip.  Would it be difficult to add six more beds?¡±

    ¡°Not really.  The issue would be in recalibrating the systems to account for the added size and weight, not to mention the deflector shields,¡± she said.  ¡°If we need a bit more space, why don¡¯t we use the Defiant class ship?  It¡¯s got more room and is more durable than the runabout.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t think people would freak out at the sight of it?¡±  He asked, genuinely curious as to why she suggested something so large and conspicuous.

    ¡°Well, from what I¡¯ve heard, the eastern parts of the peninsula aren¡¯t very safe.  Specifically, there¡¯re rumours that a Tier 7 magical beast lives out that way.  Having the extra protection and firepower might come in handy,¡± she said, looking a bit excited.

    Well, he couldn¡¯t blame her.  The thought of taking a Defiant class ship out for a spin was kind of a dream of his, on par with taking a certain Corellian freighter out for a joyride.

    ¡°How many people does it take to crew it?¡±  He asked, coming back to himself.  It wouldn¡¯t be a very good trip if they couldn¡¯t pilot the ship.

    ¡°Oh, I made adjustments for that,¡± she said, her smile widening.  ¡°I¡¯ve simplified most systems¡¯ controls to the point where you can use the equivalent of a ¡®pro controller¡¯ to pilot the ship, use its weapons, and all that,¡± she said, her smile now looking a bit mad.  Mad as in ¡°mad scientist having a blast playing with tech.¡±

    He really couldn¡¯t blame her.  Not at all.

    ¡°It¡¯s combined with an AR helmet to make the whole process easier,¡± she said smugly, making him want to kiss her.

    So, he did.

    ¡°You¡¯re the best,¡± he said once they¡¯d separated again.  ¡°We¡¯ve still got a handful of hours before the meeting time, so let¡¯s take it out for a spin,¡± he said, taking her hand in his and leading the way out of his workshop.

    - - -

    Joram was in awe.

    The attention to detail that Avi had when re-creating the ship was breathtaking.  Now, there were subtle differences to be seen, but nothing that he¡¯d consider immersion-breaking.  The chairs weren¡¯t leather, the replicators weren¡¯t tech but were instead psionic items, and the general comfort level was improved drastically.

    Not that they¡¯d be living on the MCEV-Aurora or anything, but at least they¡¯d be comfortable while they were there.  On a side note related to its name, the ¡°MCEV¡± stood for ¡°multiverse-class experimental vessel¡±.  He supposed that its designation would change when Avi had all the kinks worked out and constructed the production version.

    He checked out the various systems, from sanitation to propulsion.  They were all fantastic.  The ship¡¯s weapons were limited, but he wasn¡¯t going to complain that there were only two phaser banks.  Avi was still working on photon torpedoes, never mind the proton torpedoes.

    The controls were indeed similar to a pro controller, but split in two, each coming from its respective arm of the captain¡¯s chair.  The two sides worked like something you¡¯d expect to see in a flight simulator, or an FPS.  The various buttons were paired with various functions one would need when piloting the vessel, from firing weapons to targeting to scanning.

    All told, it pretty much reduced the minimum required crew to pilot the vessel to just one person.  It was pretty sweet.

    So, after flying the Aurora around for a good hour, he was confident that he could maneuver sufficiently well to not crash it two minutes out.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me that you¡¯re working on getting an actual hyperdrive working?¡±

    ¡°Yup, but it¡¯s taking a while.  Some of the materials needed for it aren¡¯t available right now, while others are just too hard to make with my current level of manufacturing,¡± she said as he was bringing the Aurora back to the hangar.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that the impulse drive was easier?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, much easier.  The warpdrive isn¡¯t as bad as the hyperdrive, but still needs the dilithium crystals and antimatter to work.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I can see how that could be a problem,¡± he said, landing the Aurora with only minor jostling.  ¡°I¡¯ll access the atomic structures of the materials and see if I can¡¯t manage to get some made,¡± he said as he took off the AR helmet and placed it back on its stand that came up from the backside of his chair.

    ¡°No rush,¡± Avi said as they made their way to the airlock.  ¡°I¡¯ve still got lots of circuitry and such to fine-tune, not to mention the software needed to run the hardware.¡±

    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe just how much you¡¯re getting done,¡± he said, shaking his head as the airlock opened, letting in the cool night air.

    As they hopped down the last couple feet, they noticed Megami rushing over, looking like a cat who¡¯d gotten into the catnip.

    ¡°What is that?¡±  She asked, her eyes completely round and sparkling as she clasped her hands together in front of her chest.

    ¡°That¡± took a while to explain to the enthusiastic Artificer and Smith.  It took another half hour to answer her subsequent questions sufficiently so that he could find out the reason for her visit.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    ¡°Oh, that,¡± she said dismissively.  ¡°I think I¡¯ve figured out about as much as I can about that metal Asura dropped off last year,¡± she said, her eyes still glued to the Aurora.

    ¡°Oh?  Do tell,¡± Avi said, her interest suddenly peaked.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a bit odd¡­¡± She started, then went on to explain most of her findings.

    In short:

    <ul>

    <li>It absorbs Mana and acts as a capacitor.

    <ul>

    <li>Once saturated it will glow a soft blue.</li>

    </ul>

    </li>

    <li>A sufficiently strong impact on a saturated sample will release the stored Mana in a sphere.

    <ul>

    <li>Very destructive.</li>

    </ul>

    </li>

    <li>Takes to enchantments very well.</li>

    <li>When alloyed with adamantium, the properties change significantly.

    <ul>

    <li>The alloy gains a property that allows it to disperse any mana that comes into contact with it.

    <ul>

    <li>Great anti-magic applications.</li>

    </ul>

    </li>

    <li>Becomes impossible to enchant with Mana.

    <ul>

    <li>Making it impossible to shape unless traditional blacksmithing methods are used, which is very difficult to do.</li>

    <li>*Note: experiment with [Modify Matter] to see if that works.</li>

    </ul>

    </li>

    <li>Nearly as strong as Adamantium, but as heavy as standard steel.</li>

    </ul>

    </li>

    <li>Alloyed with Tetra-II, it becomes an almost perfect Mana insulator.

    <ul>

    <li>Mana doesn¡¯t pass through it.</li>

    <li>Not as strong as the adamantium alloy, closer to high-grade steel.</li>

    <li>Seems better suited in magitech applications.</li>

    </ul>

    </li>

    </ul>

    There were a few more combinations, but they weren¡¯t as exciting.

    ¡°So, I shall call the adamantium alloy ¡®Beskie¡¯,¡± he said with his arms folded across his chest, nodding to himself.

    Avi groaned at that while Megami just gave him a blank look.

    ¡°Anyways, thank you for your hard work Megami,¡± he said with his best second-best smile that caused the blacksmith to grow flustered.

    ¡°No, it was my pleasure to work with such an amazing sample!¡±  She said, once again growing excited.  ¡°The potential applications that this metal provides are wonderfully diverse and insanely useful!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already planning out how I can use Beskie in armour and protective plating on various vessels,¡± Joram said, his eyes also beginning to shine.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Avi said, interrupting the pair of crafting maniacs.  ¡°I¡¯ll get some simulations going after doing a few experiments with the¡­ Beskie,¡± she finished with a slight grimace.  ¡°You¡¯re still terrible at naming stuff,¡± she finished with a Look at Joram.

    ¡°Well, it kinda reminded me of mando iron.  So, there it is,¡± he said with another shrug.  ¡°Maybe I can make some good bracers of the stuff¡­?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out,¡± Avi said, once again getting Joram¡¯s attention.  ¡°I¡¯ve only got a little bit of the stuff right now, so there¡¯s that to consider,¡± she said, then turned to Megami.

    ¡°Thank you.  You¡¯ve helped us incredibly with your work,¡± she said with a big smile, causing the shorter woman to look abashed as she scuffed the ground with one heel.

    ¡°It really was my pleasure,¡± she said shyly.  ¡°But now that I¡¯m done with that project, is there anything else you¡¯d like me to work on?¡±

    ¡°Not at the moment,¡± Avi replied after a short pause to think.  ¡°Would you like to head to New Brightside with the others who¡¯ve moved there?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I like the quiet,¡± Megami replied right away.  ¡°Though, I do feel that I¡¯m at the limits of my current knowledge, so I¡¯d appreciate anything you could give me that could help with that,¡± she said, looking from Avi to Joram as she spoke, a hopeful spark in her eyes.

    Joram and Avi exchanged a look then shrugged, almost perfectly sync¡¯d.

    ¡°If you¡¯d like, I have a study group at the Academy that you could join,¡± he said, getting her attention instantly.  ¡°There¡¯s an artificer that I¡¯m working with, along with a couple of alchemists.  Most of our focus is on arrays and such, so there¡¯s that too,¡± he explained as Megami¡¯s eyes grew increasingly sparkly.

    ¡°The Grand Waeryn Academy?¡±  She asked reverently, eyes shining.

    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to go!¡±  She practically squealed in delight, bouncing slightly in place.

    ¡°You¡¯ve never been?¡±  He asked, surprised at the revelation.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve just gotten by on my clan¡¯s teachings,¡± she said as she shook her head, causing her rich auburn ponytail to swing back and forth.  ¡°I was saving up before¡­ stuff happened,¡± she said, trailing off at the end.

    Joram nodded, his mood dropping to somber.

    ¡°Well, you can participate in the study sessions if you¡¯d like.  I¡¯m sure that you¡¯d learn a lot.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±  Megami asked, now looking uncertain.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Avi said, laying an arm across Megami¡¯s shoulders.  ¡°You¡¯ll fit in quite well with the others, I think,¡± she finished with a wolfish grin that made Joram more than a bit nervous.

    ¡°Really?¡±  Megami asked, still not quite convinced that it truly was OK for her to come along with them.

    ¡°Really-really,¡± Avi said, nodding.  ¡°By the way, are you registered with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±  Megami said, confused at the sudden change of topic.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯ll work out well,¡± Avi said, then explained the study group¡¯s planned field trip to her.

    ¡°Oooooh!¡±  Megami exclaimed, now getting bubbly-excited again.  ¡°That sounds wonderful!  What do I need to bring?  Should I pack light?  Bring some tools?  Should I bring introduction gifts?¡±

    Joram gave up shaking his head in response to her questions and just placed a hand on the top of her head, right between her vibrating ears.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of supplies and such,¡± he said as he looked down at the excited smith, then frowned.  ¡°On another note.  Do you have appropriate safety gear for the forge?¡±

    Megami looked confused for a moment before looking down at the scars on her arms, a testament of how hard she worked.  But also a testament of her lack of safety gear while working.

    She quickly hid her arms behind her back as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she said, not quite looking at either of them.

    Since his hand was still on her head, he tightened his grip enough to turn her head back so that he could look her in the eye.  Given how she resisted, he wasn¡¯t surprised to see a look of shock on her face when she failed to stop the motion.

    ¡°Stubborn girls won¡¯t get a boyfriend,¡± Avi said with a smirk before Joram could say anything.

    Megami¡¯s face turned scarlet as Joram felt her head noticeably increase in temperature.

    ¡°Anyways,¡± he said, clearing his throat and getting back on topic.  ¡°I¡¯ll give you appropriate gear to work in.  I¡¯ll also help you remove the scars, if you¡¯d like,¡± he said, giving her his best look of understanding and solidarity.

    He didn¡¯t think giving sympathy would work with such a stubborn and independent person.  On the contrary, he was reasonably sure that it would have the opposite effect with her.

    ¡°You can do that?¡±  Megami asked, a look of wonder in her large, blue eyes.

    ¡°Yeah, but don¡¯t tell anyone,¡± he replied, now adopting a serious expression.

    ¡°I promise!¡±  She said, now practically bouncing in place again.

    He was amused by just how fast her expressions changed, her mood bouncing around faster than kids in a candy store.

    In reply, he just nodded, then used one of his innate spells, [Greater Restoration].  It was a bit better than using something like [True Metabolism] because it didn¡¯t just repair damage, but also removed things like scars.

    It only took a few moments for the scars that he could see to shrink then vanish entirely, leaving Megami gawking down at her arms.  It took another minute of her passing her hands over her arms, face, and chest before she once again calmed down enough to communicate with them coherently.

    ¡°That¡¯s beyond amazing!¡±  She exclaimed as she jumped up and wrapped her limbs around him in a full-body hug, her tail swishing back and forth happily.

    Not having expected her reaction, he was more than a little caught off-guard by the¡­ hug.  He was even more distracted by the feel of her pressed up against him, causing a physical reaction to occur that he quickly tried to suppress as he shifted the excited woman into a princess carry before placing her on the ground.

    ¡®I forgot to mention that she was so grateful to work on that sample that she said she¡¯d happily bear a few children for you,¡¯ Avi sent, a huge smile on her face as she watched his reaction to her words.

    He was suddenly very glad that he¡¯d already detached Megami.  He also had to turn away from the still bouncy smith lest she see his reaction.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re happy,¡± he said, then had to clear his throat before he could continue.  ¡°Just get what you¡¯d need ready to go questing for a few weeks.  But, again, I¡¯ll provide the food and shelter, so take that into consideration when you¡¯re preparing.  We¡¯ll also be leaving in about an hour, so you should get to it,¡± he said, reminding her of the field trip.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back shortly!¡±  She said, then turned to run off.

    Before she started running away, Joram quickly scanned her with his omni-tool to get her measurements.  He wanted to make her a good body suit that would protect her while she not only crafted, but also for while they were out questing.

    ¡°You¡¯ll need another ring too,¡± Avi piped in from the side, sounding incredibly amused.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll get on that too,¡± he said with a sigh as he started walking towards his workshop.

    - - -

    ¡®All right,¡¯ Alicia sent him as they waited for the rest of the study group to arrive.  ¡®Do we use the Soyokaze first, then transfer to the Aurora?  Or do we immediately start with the Aurora?¡¯

    Joram thought about his back yard and how little actual open space it had before responding.

    ¡®Probably the Soyokaze first,¡¯ he replied.  ¡®Maybe we¡¯ll hold off on the Aurora until it¡¯s actually needed.  Like, if someone gets queasy using the dimensional safehouse or something.¡¯

    ¡®That¡¯s pretty rare¡­¡¯ Alicia sent back, not bothering to hide her doubts.

    ¡®True, but still a possibility.  That said, having it as a backup would probably be a good thing.¡¯

    ¡®Surrrrrrrre,¡¯ she sent back cheekily.  ¡®That, or we can go for a joyride at the end or something.¡¯

    ¡®Or that,¡¯ he agreed.

    As much as he wanted to fly around in the Aurora, he knew that it wasn¡¯t exactly the most incognito thing around, camouflaging enchantments/tech notwithstanding.

    If didn¡¯t take long for everyone to arrive via the hole in the fence leading to Alicia¡¯s manor.  The picketers were still out-front making life annoying for everyone, necessitating the workaround.

    He¡¯d been curious when Kassandra had arrived with another young woman, another succubus if he didn¡¯t guess wrong.  As per their shared race, Kassandra¡¯s guest was almost as stunning as she was.  She, Jezira, stood slightly shorter than Kassandra, but was just as shapely.  Her horns, however, weren¡¯t nearly as long as Kassandra¡¯s were, only being a few inches in length, but just as smooth and angled the same way.

    What really peaked his curiosity was that her colouring was also a bit different than Kassandra¡¯s.  Well, her skin tone was a bit lighter, but just as perfect.  Her hair, though, was more crimson than black while her eyes were closer to wine red than the amethyst of Kassandra¡¯s eyes.  Other than that, her wings were slightly smaller, though their thin tails were pretty much the same.

    He wondered if their differences were due to lineage or something else.  From what he ¡°knew¡± of those particular demons, they should have been almost identical in their colouring even though their individual features would differ.  That said, his knowledge did come from another universe entirely, so he didn¡¯t let it bother him.

    When Renna finally arrived, her look of surprise at seeing Megami waiting with him wasn¡¯t the first such look.  Nor was the shrewd look of assessment that followed her surprise.  He¡¯d begged off introductions until everyone was there, telling them that he really didn¡¯t want to have to repeat himself ten times.  Which happened anyway with him needing to tell each new arrival the same thing.

    ¡°All right!¡±  He said, getting everyone¡¯s attention by clapping his hands.  ¡°It¡¯s great to see everyone and how prepared you all are for this field trip,¡± he said, then got confused looks for calling their questing time a field trip.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± he said after coughing into his hand.  ¡°This is Megami, an Artificer and generally amazing Smith that works for my Clan.  She¡¯ll be coming with us, helping us, as well as joining our study group to further her passion: crafting.

    ¡°Seeing as how we study many things relevant to Artifice, I thought it would be a great help to include her.  She is also a peak Tier 3 Mage, as well as a peak Tier 4 Mentalist, so I¡¯m sure that she¡¯ll be a great asset in the field,¡± he said, finishing the introduction and causing Megami to suddenly grow very shy at all the attention focussed on her.

    ¡°Hello,¡± she said meekly, throwing off his image of her quite thoroughly.  ¡°As the young master said, my name is Megami, of the fox-kin.  I look forward to working and learning with you all.  I¡¯ll be in your care,¡± she finished by giving a formal bow to the study group.

    The person most affected by her words was surprisingly Wentian.  The man looked absolutely twitterpated, on cloud nine, shot with Cupid¡¯s arrow, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.  For how many beauties that Wentian was constantly around and gave little reaction to, Joram had started to think that the man only had training in his head.

    Learn something new every day, he thought, pleasantly surprised.

    The next most extreme reactions were from Emily and Faenwyn.  Sure, Emily and Faenwyn weren¡¯t the closest pair in the study group, but their subtle looks of¡­ unease?  Well, the weird looks they had on their faces weren¡¯t what he¡¯d call normal.

    The rest of the study group, on the other hand, seemed happy enough to make her acquaintance as they all approached and introduced themselves.  Though, Renna¡¯s eyes going to Megami¡¯s fluffy and silky-looking tail repeatedly made Joram think that she might have a thing for fluffy tails.  Especially when Renna had to clasp her hands together after her left hand twitched one too many times towards said tail.

    After the introductions were finished, with Joram nudging Emily to join in, which prompted Faenwyn to also step up, he brought their attention back to the topic at hand.

    ¡°So, we¡¯ll fly out directly from here all the way to our starting point in the Pensat Forest,¡± he said, getting a couple of reactions from that.  ¡°Once there, we¡¯ll prepare our base camp and start planning.  If we¡¯re lucky, we might even do some hunting today,¡± he finished with a smile.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the transport?¡±  Daleira asked after raising her hand.

    ¡°Oh, right here,¡± he said, then shifted the Soyokaze to the garden, just managing to fit it between trees.

    Everyone¡¯s jaw dropped as they beheld the runabout.  Well, not the Trio, Alicia, or Megami as they¡¯d either seen it before, made the runabout, or had seen the Aurora.  So, basically just Alicia¡¯s team were shocked to see the small spaceship with N7 painted on the ¡°hood¡±/nose, along with the obligatory stripes extending over the top of it.

    He smiled at the sight.  It was his own addition and something that many geeks/nerds/fans would probably have lynched him for back on Earth.  Still, he didn¡¯t care.  Combining some of his favourite things would always make him smile.

    ¡°This is the Soyokaze,¡± he said, getting a weird look from Aya.  ¡°Let¡¯s board!¡±

    That said, he quickly made his way to the hatch and opened it before stepping aside for Alicia to head in.  After a few more moments of people ogling the shuttle, they followed Alicia¡¯s example and headed in.  Well, Megami and the Trio went in right after Alicia, which was probably why the rest of them boarded so soon.

    Once everyone was on board, he hopped in, touched the panel to close the hatch and made his way to the cockpit where Alicia was already waiting for him at her station.

    ¡°Ask Quinn, Moyra, or Wentian, they¡¯ll answer your questions,¡± he said, deflecting the questions to the Trio as he made his way past the study group.

    Once in his chair, he relaxed a bit.  It would be nice for fly for a little while.

    He quickly went through his pre-flight checks.  He activated the ¡°cloak¡± and atmospheric shields before turning on the intercom so that everyone would hear him.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be lifting off shortly.  Please take a seat if you¡¯re not comfortable with flying, or would just like to relax during the flight,¡± he said, curbing his urge to go through a full pre-flight speech.

    When he saw that everyone was where they wanted to be, he activated the inertial dampeners and eased the Soyokaze off the ground.  It only took a few more seconds to get above the surrounding manors, then a few more to get to a good cruising altitude.

    There were a few murmurs about butterflies, but otherwise they seemed to be focussed on the view through the windscreen.

    Joram¡¯s hand paused above the throttle control, his lips curing into a smile.

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t,¡± Alicia murmured, facepalming.

    ¡°Engage.¡±

 Chapter 091 - "Roughn it"

    Aya looked around the space inside the¡­ vehicle that she found herself, and her ward, in.  As she listened to Ren Wentian explaining the various features of Soyokaze, she couldn¡¯t help but be impressed¡­ and extra paranoid.

    Normally when inside a flying artifact, there were at least a couple of easy ways to exit it should it fail in some way.  Ways to easily escape should the worst occur.

    But in Mr Aneath¡¯s flying artifact, there were no such convenient escape routes.  She¡¯d taken note of just how well the odd door had sealed itself once they¡¯d all entered.  But what really threw her off was that she felt very little Qi from the artifact, making her wonder if it had been created with Mental Strength instead of Qi.

    She poked one of the chairs and was impressed by its firm plushness.  She wasn¡¯t familiar with the materials, but found that they were amazingly high quality.

    As Ren Wentian continued his explanation, favouring Miss Megumi¡¯s questions she noted, Aya explored.  The ¡°kitchen¡± was¡­ odd.  She found the stored food under the counters in cooling spaces.  But no dinnerware anywhere.

    She wandered to the back, past the partition for the kitchen.  There she found a dormitory with eight bunks, the mattresses also unfamiliar to her.  But, once again, impressive.  Not only were the materials unfamiliar to her, but were obviously of very high quality, on par with what royalty had if she was being honest.

    She pressed a hand down on the mattress and found that it was firmer than she was expecting.  Well, she wasn¡¯t sure what to expect, but down-filled mattresses were the height of luxury where she¡¯d grown up, not to mention the palace Jae-Eun had grown up in.

    Aya quickly looked around and found that she was alone.  Thus confirmed, she turned and sat on the edge of the bunk and almost sighed in relief as the mattress gave way just enough, but also managed to support her bottom just right.

    She quickly glanced at the doorway before laying down on the mattress, a bit tense at the thought of someone seeing her laying down on the job.

    The Divine Artifact gave way as she laid down, then started to resist in just the right spots.  It felt like a glove made specifically for her body, hugging her just enough to comfort, but not enough to restrict her.  She rolled over onto her side and found that the mattress once again responded to her, shifting to accommodate her new position.

    In her haste, she¡¯d missed the pillow.  But now she reached over to it and pulled it close.  It was heavier than she¡¯d expected, but felt very similar to the mattress.  Shifting onto her back again, she slid the pillow under her head and relaxed.

    She didn¡¯t know what sorcery was involved, or if the bed and pillow were indeed Divine Artifacts.  What she did know, though, was that she needed to acquire a set from Mr Aneath.  The sensation of the mattress and pillow was so perfect that she rated them on par with the viridian silk that he¡¯d made.

    And that was a legendary accomplishment, in her humble opinion.

    * * * * *

    Jae-Eun was speechless.

    She¡¯d seen many things growing up in the imperial palace, surrounded by the best-of-the-best.  The newest artifacts were showcased and bragged about almost every week.  Alchemists, Artificers, and various craftspeople were constantly called in to work on one project or another, usually a custom order.

    Being surrounded by talents from across the Empire had dulled her sense of wonder over the years.  It had gotten to the point where she¡¯d even been bored at the Academy.  It wasn¡¯t until she¡¯d visited Starfall Caf¨¦ that she¡¯d come across something new.

    Something new, new.  Not just a slightly altered version of something that someone else had in turn modified and called ¡°new¡±.

    The concept of a flying artifact with such a design¡­ well, she hadn¡¯t seen one before, nor had she ever heard of such a thing.

    Every feature that Wentian went over astonished her to one degree or another.  Not that things were so different from what she was already familiar with, but their implementation wasn¡¯t what she¡¯d expected.  Having the lighting be controlled by voice was a bit bizarre.

    Then Wentian explained just how fast they were going, drawing everyone to the front where Joram and Alicia sat, engrossed in¡­ controlling their flight?

    She looked at what Joram was doing, but didn¡¯t recognize anything about what he was doing, nor did she understand what Alicia was doing when she looked over to her¡­ workspace.

    Then she looked out the front window and saw just how fast the ground was passing under them.  It caused such a weird sensation in her head when she looked down at the blurring terrain without feeling herself move.  It was so bad, in fact, that she had to close her eyes and cover her mouth for fear of shaming herself in front of her peers.

    ¡°Right, I almost forgot!¡±  Joram suddenly exclaimed, silencing the conversations around her.  ¡°Here¡¯re the items I promised,¡± he said, then pressed a long and wide, but flat, box into her hands.

    Well, she saw that it was him when she opened her eyes.

    ¡°Could you hand those out for me?¡±  He asked, motioning to the box then back at the¡­ controls.

    ¡°Yes, gladly,¡± she said with a grateful smile, realizing what he was doing for her and appreciating in greatly.

    She carefully avoided looking out the window again, which helped her to regain her composure, and headed to the kitchen-like area and placed the box on the table.

    The rest of the study group followed closely, even Joram¡¯s ¡°servants¡±.  She waited until everyone was crowded around, then opened the lid.  Gasps echoed out in the relatively small space when they all saw what was inside.

    Row after row of rings of varying size, design, and colour greeted their eyes.  The only themes that stayed the same were the metal that the rings were made of, and the shape of the gems set into the rings.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Gabrielle breathed, neatly summing up all their thoughts with that one word.

    Jae-Eun reached out and picked up the ring closest to her.  Upon closer inspection, she realized that the gemstone¡¯s colour had an unusual pattern to it.

    It was Kassandra leaning over her shoulder to peer at the ring that spoke up first.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that look like¡­ an iris?¡±  She asked, sounding unsure of her observation.

    Everyone gathered closer to the case of rings, each ring standing upright in a sort of cushion-holder.

    After a minute of examination, Renna spoke up.

    ¡°That one looks like my eye,¡± she said, pointing at a ring with a silver gem in it with subtle lines radiating out from the centre of the gem.

    Just like the colours in an eye.

    ¡°That one matches your eye colour, Kassandra,¡± Gabrielle said, pointing at a rich, violet/purple gem.

    Soon, everyone had found a gem that matched their eyes.  Jae-Eun looked at the one in her hand, turning it over and spied something on the inside surface of the band.

    ¡°Ah, this would be Daleira¡¯s ring,¡± she said, handing it over to the green-eyed woman.

    Daleira seemed non-plussed by the observation until Jae-Eun pointed out her engraved name on the ring.  After that, everyone quickly picked out their ring and stood admiring them until Joram spoke up.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad that you were able to match them up before finding the names on them,¡± he said, obviously pleased with them, causing no few of them to smile in response to the praise.

    ¡°So, put them on already,¡± he said with mock sternness.  ¡°Because we¡¯re almost there.¡±

    Jae-Eun¡¯s attention slid back to the window before she could stop herself.  Fortunately, the view didn¡¯t invoke the same response she¡¯d had earlier.

    She then looked around but couldn¡¯t find Aya anywhere.  So, she picked up Aya¡¯s ring and headed to the back area of the¡­ vessel.  She rounded the corner to find Aya inspecting a wall very studiously, her face a little red.

    ¡°Aya?  Is something the matter with the wall?¡±  She asked, a bit concerned for her guardian.

    ¡°I was just appreciating the craftsmanship,¡± Aya said, turning to her as she ran her fingers through her hair to sweep it out of her face.

    Jae-Eun gave her an odd look, but let her unusual behaviour go.

    ¡°Come,¡± she said, motioning for her to follow.  ¡°Joram gave us the artifacts he told us about.¡±

    Once back at the table, Jae-Eun presented Aya her ring with a flourish.  Aya¡¯s eyes went wide at the sight of the ring.  The metal band¡¯s design was similar to Jae-Eun¡¯s, but the ¡°gem¡± matched Aya¡¯s own golden-brown eyes perfectly.

    ¡°How can someone find a tiger¡¯s eye so¡­ perfect?¡±  Aya asked in awe as she took the ring to inspect it closer.

    ¡°Artificer,¡± Jae-Eun said flatly as she pointed at Joram over her shoulder with a thumb.

    Aya gave her a Look, one she recognized as telling her ¡°don¡¯t be so na?ve¡±.  She flushed slightly, but didn¡¯t take back what she¡¯d said.  If Joram would make viridian silk, and had at least probably helped make the flying artifact they were in, along with everything else he¡¯d made, then she would continue believing that something as simple as modifying a gem wasn¡¯t beyond his capabilities.

    ¡°All right,¡± Joram piped up from the front.  ¡°We¡¯ll be landing soon, so anyone not comfortable with flying, please take a seat or at least hold onto something.¡±

    Jae-Eun sat down.

    It didn¡¯t take long for them to touch down, though.  She only noticed the landing because she was so focussed on not looking out the window that she noticed the very slight vibration that went through the floor when they touched down.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    She quickly got up again and made her way to the door that led outside and waited for Joram and Alicia to get there.  She was anxious to set foot on solid ground again after the weird feeling she¡¯d gotten.

    It only took a minute for the pair to reach her then open the ¡°hatch¡±, as they called it.  Soon enough, everyone was outside and taking in the scenery.

    They¡¯d landed in a small glade about two hundred feet across in the middle of the forest.  She looked up at the ridiculously huge trees that surrounded them, each one several hundred feet tall and tens of feet wide, some almost a hundred feet across.  And from what she could see, these weren¡¯t the largest ones around.

    Due to the height of the trees, there wasn¡¯t much direct sunlight that reached them, especially so early in the morning.  If her estimates weren¡¯t off, they¡¯d only taken about half an hour to reach their destination.

    ¡°All right, gather ¡®round,¡± Joram said, waving to them as a table appeared in front of him at the same time that the flying artifact vanished.  ¡°Let¡¯s go over a few things,¡± he said as a large map appeared on the table.

    It was made in a style that she didn¡¯t recognize, its detail astounding.  The colours used were exquisite, having such sharp definition that she was sure that a master cartographer and a master illustrator had jointly created the masterpiece.

    ¡°So, we¡¯re about here,¡± Joram said, pointing to a spot on the map that was about two thirds¡¯ the way to the eastern end of their island, getting not a few looks of surprise.  That they¡¯d travelled so far in such a short period of time, and so comfortably, was a revelation.

    ¡°I don¡¯t sense anything around here, so I think this¡¯ll be a good spot for our base camp.  Any questions or concerns?¡±  He asked looking around at them.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t an open space like this be a popular area for magical beasts to pass through or rest in?¡±  Daleira asked curiously.

    ¡°Good point,¡± Joram acknowledged.  ¡°But from what we were able to see, there are no signs of large tracks going through here,¡± he said, motioning to Alicia as he spoke.  ¡°It could be that, due to the open space, most animals and magical beasts don¡¯t like the area,¡± he posited with a shrug.

    When there were no other questions, he continued.

    ¡°Now, the next question that I¡¯d like to ask is this.  Would everyone prefer to set up a more traditional camp, or use a dimensional treasure that I brought along?¡±

    ¡°What sort of dimensional treasure?¡±  Kassandra asked, her eyes growing keen.

    ¡°Ah, might be easier to just show you,¡± he replied, then retrieved a small cube from his picket that looked like a gambler¡¯s die made of white marble, but with odd runes or symbols on each face.

    He turned to the side, motioned for Emily and Mo Yu to step to the side, then placed his thumb on one face of the marble die.  A shimmering portal appeared in the space the two women had just vacated, large enough for someone to easily pass through, even someone of Joram¡¯s or Wentian¡¯s height and stature.

    ¡°I can make the entrance invisible, so there shouldn¡¯t be any worry of anything wandering in while we¡¯re inside.  Well, I can also bar the way, so there¡¯s that,¡± he said with a slight grin tugging at his lips.  ¡°Come,¡± he said, then stepped through the portal just after the map and table vanished.

    Jae-Eun¡¯s eyes were still wide at the sight of a portal appearing, and she could see that she wasn¡¯t the only shocked person present.  Truthfully, only Alicia didn¡¯t appear as shocked as the rest of them, including Joram¡¯s staff and Megami.  Was this new even to them as well?

    Emily seemed to recover first.  With a slight shake of her head, she stepped through the portal, soon followed by Joram¡¯s staff, then Kassandra.  Watching so many people go through, the rest of them shook off their hesitation and followed, with Aya being the last of them through.

    Once inside, Jae-Eun stepped out of the way of the portal and just stared at everything around them.

    She really hadn¡¯t known what to expect, truly.  She¡¯d heard about dimensional treasures in the past.  The descriptions of their interiors varying from one to the next, but all having a common theme.  They were all relatively small, enclosed, spaces that could accommodate at most thirty people.

    This one¡­ well.  It didn¡¯t fit that mental image she¡¯d had.

    Not only did she not find herself in a large room but was instead in an open space.  The ¡°sky¡± was as blue as the one in the outside world.  The ground as firm and grass covered as Joram¡¯s back yard.  In fact, the entire space felt like a leisure garden.

    There was a small stream that went from one end of the¡­ plateau they were on to the other.  She paused as she looked at the edges of the grassy area.  The plateau was a few hundred feet across, giving them ample space.  There was even what looked like a manor in the style of Aya¡¯s homeland off to one side.

    ¡°So, this should be a nice enough space to relax in after questing for the day,¡± Joram said, waving a hand to indicate their surroundings.  ¡°Lots of space to relax outside, as well as for physical training,¡± he said, motioning to a pavilion that could easily seat them all as well as a paved area that she assumed was intended for sparring.

    ¡°The house,¡± he said, waving that way, ¡°is large enough for everyone to have their own room,¡± he explained, then led the way to the ¡°house¡±.

    Jae-Eun was impressed.  She could see that Aya was also trying to hide how impressed she was, but could also see the growing suspicion in her eyes as Joram gave them a tour.

    From the main floor that primarily consisted of a communal space for them to socialize in, to the kitchens, it was an open concept space that was oddly¡­ relaxing.  She¡¯d never been in such a living space.  Being able to see into the kitchen wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d ever experienced.

    There were also a few rooms on the main floor that Joram explained could be used as offices.  The second floor had hallways that branched off from the main one that ran the length of the front of the house.  There were six rooms on each side of each of the two hallways, giving them a total of twenty-four rooms.

    Joram quickly showed them a room, saying that each one was the same so they wouldn¡¯t need to worry about anyone getting a nicer room than someone else.  Which got him a few looks, especially from Aya and Kassandra¡¯s friend, Jezira.  She understood Aya¡¯s reaction, but then suspected that Jezira might be Kassandra¡¯s attendant since she¡¯d long suspected that she, at the least, came from a powerful and influential clan.

    The tour didn¡¯t end there.  When Joram took them back downstairs and to the back door, everyone was curious.  Jae-Eun saw a growing light in Aya¡¯s eyes as they approached the back door, making her think that her guardian was growing excited.

    When they exited the house, they found themselves on a stone paved path that led to another low building that had the same design elements as the house.  She glanced at Aya and saw that her excitement was still growing.

    ¡°So, I think that this last part might be the most popular feature,¡± Joram said with a knowing smile that confused her a bit.  ¡°These are the baths,¡± he said, then led them inside.

    ¡°There¡¯s a side for men and a side for women, as this isn¡¯t a mixed sex facility,¡± he said, motioning to the signs on the walls that told them where to go.  ¡°Since there are only two men here and the layout is just mirrored, I¡¯ll show the women¡¯s side first.¡±

    He then brought them through the curtained doorway into a changeroom.  There were spacious cubbies built into the walls for them to place their clothing into, as well as eight mirrors with small stands in front of them.  From there, he led them to the next room with wooden stools and buckets placed around the room in stalls.  Each stall seemed to have a tap for water with two handles above it, one coloured red and one blue, presumably to control the water.

    Aside from that, there were several areas where one could grab fresh towels and wash cloths, as well as two [Cleanse] stations where the used ones could be refreshed.  It was a simple set up, likely due to there being no staff to attend to such things.  Even then, she thought it novel to have the bathers clean up after themselves.

    Jae-Eun again noticed Aya¡¯s growing excitement.  Her guardian was so agitated that she was looking flushed, her eyes starting to sparkle.

    ¡°And this is the last area,¡± Joram said, bringing them through one last curtained doorway, ¡°is the hot spring.¡±

    At this point, Jae-Eun could see that Aya was nearly overcome with emotion.  Her eyes were wide and quite literally sparkling as she looked at the huge bathing area.  Aside from a small stretch where she assumed people were meant to enter the bath, the entire thing was lined with rough-hewn stone.

    The hot spring bath was so large that whoever had built the place had included a large, decorative, boulder in the centre of the bath.  In fact, upon closer inspection, she could see that low seating ringed the boulder under the water.  She then went up to the edge with the other study group members and peered into the water.

    Sure enough, there were a series of shallow steps that led deeper into the water.  Off to the sides, she saw a ridge going around the circumference of the bath, likely also for someone to sit on while soaking in the steaming waters.  She looked up and saw that there was no ceiling, leaving them open to the sky above.

    She imagined that bathing under the open sky, breathing in the fresh air as she bathed, would be very relaxing.

    However, the whole thing was overshadowed by a subtle smell that caused her nose to wrinkle.  It vaguely smelled of brimstone, but had other elements to it that she couldn¡¯t quite place.  Glancing around, it was evident that she wasn¡¯t the only one to notice the smell.

    That said, Aya didn¡¯t seem to care about the smell.  On the contrary, she was breathing deeply with a look of such nostalgia and longing on her face that Jae-Eun was shocked into silence.  Then others started noticing Aya¡¯s¡­ condition, and started murmuring to each other.

    ¡°This is fed by a natural hot spring,¡± Joram said, drawing their attention away from Aya and back to him.  ¡°I am told that the minerals and energy found in such things are wonderful for the skin, not to mention how relaxing a hot bath is after a long day¡¯s work.¡±

    Jae-Eun nodded at the last part, but didn¡¯t know anything about hot springs, let alone bathing in them.  Aya, however was nodding along fervently at his explanation, making the others take a greater interest in the hot spring.  Well, seeing Aya¡¯s reactions also stoked her curiosity, if she was being honest with herself.

    Joram then led them back out into the ¡°lobby¡± of the bathhouse and showed them another one of the curious devices she¡¯d seen in the kitchen area of his flying treasure.

    ¡°This works a bit like the tablets you¡¯ve all seen before,¡± he said, pointing at a tablet inset into the surface of the device.  ¡°Just select an option here, then choose the beverage that you¡¯d like to try, then tap the confirmation there, and you¡¯re done!¡±  He finished as a crystal-clear glass appeared, then filled with what looked like pink-tinted¡­ milk.

    As soon as the tall glass of milk appeared, she saw condensation form on the glass.  Here eyes widened at the sight, for it surely meant that it was pre-chilled.  Yes, it was common for drinks to be served at temperatures far above or below room temperature, especially at home or in restaurants.  But having such a luxury inside of a dimensional space was, well, luxurious.

    She turned to say something to Aya, but found the woman¡¯s eyes fixated on the cold glass of milk, her hand unconsciously reaching towards it.  Joram also noticed, so he picked up the glass and presented it to her.

    ¡°Give it a try,¡± he said with a smile that had her guardian, her normally stone-faced guardian, flushing in embarrassment.

    That didn¡¯t, however, stop her from taking the glass in slightly trembling hands.  It took her a moment to calm herself as the others watched with rapt attention.  The glass slowly came up to her lips, paused a moment, then she drank.

    Jae-Eun panicked for a moment when she saw the tears appear in Aya¡¯s eyes before she realized that the woman was overcome with happiness.  Her interest and curiosity shot through the roof then as she wondered what could cause her guardian to react thusly.

    She quickly turned to use the drink-dispensing device, but found that Alicia had beaten her to it.  But then six drinks appeared in the small space, all exactly like the first, and she understood.  The glasses of pink-hued milk were handed out, then more ordered and handed out again and again.

    Once everyone had a glass in hand, Alicia raised hers up with a smile and spoke.

    ¡°Cheers!¡±  She said, then proceeded to take a long draw from the glass, which opened the floodgates, as it were.

    Everyone proceeded to take a sip from their glass.  Jae-Eun¡¯s eyes widened at the wonderful sweetness that flooded her mouth.  The rich creaminess complimented the sweetness wonderfully, providing a fantastic medley as she hungrily swallowed the milk.

    All too soon, the glass was empty, leaving her regretting drinking it so fast.  She looked around and saw similar expressions, as well as pink milk moustaches on them all.  Thinking quickly, she rubbed at her upper lip, wiping away the evidence of her indecorous consumption of the ambrosia-like milk.

    ¡°What¡¯s it called?¡±  Alyraele asked, still staring at her own empty glass.

    ¡°Strawberry milk,¡± Joram replied with a huge smile on his face.  ¡°I¡¯ve also got banana milk, blueberry milk, chocolate milk, raspberry milk, and a hazelnut and coffee flavoured milk.  I¡¯m told that drinking a glass of milk after a good soak in a hot spring helps to rejuvenate the body and mind,¡± he finished, making everyone practically salivate at the thought of the other flavours.

    ¡°Now, we should get back and start planning,¡± he said, then turned to go.

    He stopped when he noticed that Wentian was the only one to follow him.

    Jae-Eun exchanged glances with Aya and everyone else before they nodded, almost as one.

    ¡°Sorry, Joram,¡± Alicia said, shaking her head.  ¡°But I think that we¡¯ll all be in much better form after a good soak in the hot springs,¡± she said to the approval of every woman present.

    ¡°Ah, sure, why not?¡±  He said, then turned to Wentian.  ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said, then went off to the men¡¯s side.

    ¡°This place must surely have been made by the gods,¡± Aya said reverently, still clutching the empty glass of milk in her hands.

    As confused as everyone looked at her statement, none chose to argue with her guardian before Aya placed the empty cup on the counter then hurried back into the changeroom.

    ¡°Huh,¡± Renna said, snapping them out of their own thoughts on the dimensional space and the amazing milk.  ¡°Well, let¡¯s go,¡± she said, copying Joram¡¯s words as she pulled Emily along with her.

    That was all that was needed for the rest of them to eagerly follow along, chatting excitedly.

 Chapter 092 - Belladonnas

    ¡°This is more relaxing than I thought it would be,¡± Wentian said as he reclined at the edge of the pool.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad we can use it,¡± Joram said, a faint smile on his face.

    ¡°Where¡¯d this place even come from?¡±  Wentian asked curiously.

    ¡°Ah, not too sure,¡± Joram lied.  ¡°But I thought it would be useful, so I brought it along.¡±

    ¡°Added a few features, eh?¡±  Wentian asked, giving him the side eye.

    ¡°Yup,¡± he replied cheerily.  ¡°As nice as it was when I first entered it, I figured a few upgrades wouldn¡¯t go amiss.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Wentian hmm¡¯d in thought.  ¡°I must say, though, that I don¡¯t mind the modern amenities,¡± he said, obviously not believing his lie, but letting the subject drop.

    Joram just nodded, then leaned back to relax.

    ¡®So, not going to try to peep on us?¡¯  Alicia sent, sounding oddly put out about the prospect.

    ¡®I quite value my life, thank you,¡¯ he replied as he banished the thoughts that invaded his mind at her question.

    ¡®Hmmm, wise,¡¯ she sent back, still not sounding convinced.

    ¡®We can have plenty of time together later,¡¯ he sent back.  ¡®Besides, every room is soundproofed as well as warded against any form of scrying, so we won¡¯t have to worry about being interrupted.¡¯

    There was a pause before Alicia replied, sounding a bit uncertain.

    ¡®That could actually backfire spectacularly,¡¯ she sent.  ¡®What happens if one of them traps you in their room or something?¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯ll put them to sleep and escape,¡¯ he sent back instantly.

    ¡®Well, if you think things¡¯ll be fine¡­¡¯ she sent, reluctance heavy in her tone.

    ¡®It¡¯ll be fine,¡¯ he sent back, then reached out to knock on wood.

    No need to jynx things.

    - - -

    He didn¡¯t stay for more than twenty minutes, finding that with his immunity to fire- and thus heat-, the water wasn¡¯t as relaxing as he¡¯d been anticipating.

    Joram wasn¡¯t surprised that he was the first one out.  So, while he waited, he returned the glasses to the replicator and selected the recycle option, repeating the process until every glass was taken care of.  From there, he went back into the house and started arranging things.

    He placed the maps on the wall, pinning them in place on the cork-like surface he¡¯d prepared.  Next, he pinned up the various requests in order of listed difficulty.  He then placed coloured pins on the map, marking out the estimated locations of each request.

    When he was done, he looked at the map and its many coloured pins.  With the improved sensor suite that Avi had installed, it hadn¡¯t been difficult to get a relatively accurate map compiled then printed off in the Realm.  He still wasn¡¯t happy with its resolution, but he was nonetheless grateful to have the map.

    Their base camp was located in almost the centre of the pinned-out area.  From there, they¡¯d be able to easily finish a few requests per day, leaving them at least a week¡¯s worth of time to relax and have fun either between quests or at the end.  Personally, he was partial to taking all the time off at the end, but he¡¯d ask the others anyway.

    He retrieved the gate cube from his pocket and pressed two of its other sides.  The first one made the entrance invisible, while the other locked it into a one-way portal.  In this case, only those inside the space could exit the space, while those outside the space were barred from entering.  The outside lock didn¡¯t stop a person like a physical barrier would when they tried to pass through the portal, but instead the would-be intruder would just pass through the space the portal occupied as though it weren¡¯t there.

    With that done, he sat down to wait, retrieving the textbook he¡¯d been reading.

    * * * * *

    The figure stopped before entering the large clearing in the forest, rechecking a small tablet in their hand.  Sure enough, the clearing was where the last signal had come from.

    They crept up to the edge, keeping low in the ferns to optimize their cover.  Once at the very edge of the foliage, the figure stopped and scanned the area with their eyes.

    Not finding anything in sight, the figure slowly crept forward on their belly, pausing every few feet to listen and look around to see if anyone had noticed them.  Once convinced that their stealth hadn¡¯t been seen through, they would continue their slow approach.

    The figure could only shake their head as they thought about the absolutely insane speed Joram and his group had flown at, leaving them almost an hour behind in their arrival.  That someone had a flying artifact that was faster than theirs was impressive, to say the least.

    The person stopped their slow crawl forward and sniffed the air.  Between the last location recorded on the tracker and the scent they¡¯d just caught, they were sure that this was where they landed.  With even greater caution than before, they crept their way across the area, looking for tracks.

    The shrouded figure eventually came across the indents from the table, then followed the tracks until they suddenly vanished in front of them.  Very similar to how their tracks had first appeared when leaving Joram¡¯s flying artifact.  Except, this time, there were no tell-tale signs of a large vessels touching down.

    The person looked around again, then went over the entire site another time, making sure to get an accurate count of the footprints left behind.  Oddly, there were seventeen pairs of tracks, one more than there should have been.  Was the intel wrong?

    But, where were they?

    The figure stood up where the tracks vanished and looked around.  Just as they summoned their flying treasure, an exquisitely crafted broadsword, they felt a pair of hands grab them from behind as everything went black.

    * * * * *

    Having finished the master¡¯s textbook on array theory, Joram got up and went outside.  Since the girls were still in the bathhouse, he went out the front.  No need to get closer to a potential death flag.

    His meandering led him to the portal back to the prime.  From this side, it was like looking through an open door.  So, when he saw a shadowy figure skulking about on the other side, he immediately grew wary.

    Joram watched as the person crawled this way and that across the ground, going from place to place.  After a few minutes of observing the person, he realized that they were going over his landing site, then where he¡¯d set the table up for the map.  Finally, the person got to where the portal was standing and stopped dead.

    He tensed then, wondering if they somehow had a way to see the portal.  He was about to [Decerebrate] the person when they got up and harumphed.  The person looked around, trying to spot anything, but didn¡¯t have any luck.

    Joram wondered just who they were, and why they were following his group.  The thought crossed his mind that perhaps Emily¡¯s parents were angrier than she¡¯d reported and had sent someone after them.  But then he was reminded that a few of the study group came from the nobility, so the possibility that one of their families had sent someone was there.

    When the person retrieved an amazing-looking broadsword, he acted.

    M3: [Psychic Crush <sup>A</sup>]

    M4: [Microcosm]

    M5: [Sleep <sup>A</sup>]

    M6: [Natural Healing]

    As his Minds were in the process of manifesting those powers, Joram stepped forward and grabbed the person from behind, wrapping one arm around their torso to pin their arms while his other hand tightly clamped over their mouth.  He felt the person stiffen just before the Powers went off.

    Joram smiled at a job well done and he slung the person over his shoulder, picked up and stored the broadsword, retrieved the gate cube from his pocket, and unlocked the portal so that he could step back through.  Once back inside, he reactivated the lock and made his way back to the house¡­.  Honestly, it was a mansion considering the size and number of rooms it had.

    He walked past the circle of couches and bean bag chairs near the front of the room all the way to the centre of the room where he gently deposited the person onto the tatami-like floor.  He took a moment to once again take in their attire.

    They looked like a ninja.  For as much as he wracked his brain, he couldn¡¯t come up with a better description of their outfit.  It wasn¡¯t quite like the Clan Protectors he¡¯d seen growing up, having a different cut to the outfit.

    Still, they were wearing all black and dark charcoal greys, basically a monochromatic camo.  Heck, they even had the bracers, shin guards, and a little heart plate on their chest.  Well maybe not so little, as it covered a good deal of their ribcage.  Their headwrap and face cover were pretty generic too, leaving out any embellishments that might give someone a clue as to where they might have come from or who they might be affiliated with.

    He crouched down and gave them a pat-down, searching for any hidden weapons or magical items.  As he did, he noticed a few things.  One, they had an impressive number of hidden weapons, poisons, and such.  Two, they also carried three different storage-type items.  Three¡­ well.

    The person was a female.

    He retrieved his glasses then gave the woman a quick physical scan while also searching for anything he might have missed.

    The results were interesting.

    For one, her genetic profile wasn¡¯t one he¡¯d come across yet.  Another interesting feature was that her ears were not only pointed, but a good three centimetres longer than Renna¡¯s.  The last thing about her physiology that he found was that the skin around her eyes hadn¡¯t been blackened with makeup.

    Yet another thing he found was that the small breastplate contained a very minor spatial enchantment that allowed for the backside to contain a bit more room than the armour looked like it should.  Lastly, he had also found a few more items he¡¯d missed on his first pass.  But, in his defense, they were hidden in places that he hadn¡¯t wanted to touch, for propriety¡¯s sake.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Well, not that she¡¯d be waking up any time soon.  [Microcosm] sent the target of the Power into their own permanent dreamworld.  Aside from manifesting the Power on them again, only something like [Psychic Chirurgery] or [Reality Revision], both peak level powers, could take her out of that dream world, for not even [Dispel Psionics] or [Unravel Psionics] would dispel the dream world.

    That said, he¡¯d also used [Sleep] on her because anyone in a [Microcosm] made the same kind of noises that someone would if they were having an especially emotional dream.  So, [Sleep] because it put the target into a restful, and disturbance-free slumber.

    He considered his options as he sat back on his heels, watching her breath.

    The three main categories he could think of were: interrogation, death, or letting her go on her merry way after removing [Microcosm], wiping her recent memories, and dumping her somewhere relatively safe.

    The interrogation had a few avenues of pursuit.  He could just mundanely torture her to get that he wanted to know.  But that had more than a few drawbacks that he didn¡¯t like.  Like his aversion to such a thing and its inherent unreliability.

    The other route for interrogation was to just rifle through her mind to get what he wanted to know.  Again, it wasn¡¯t something he wanted to do given his views on privacy and such.  But he could definitely do it.

    The death route was pretty straightforward.  He could either dump her somewhere and let nature take its course, in the form of her dying from dehydration or being eaten by something that came across her that decided that she¡¯d make a good snack.

    The last option wasn¡¯t one he was likely to choose given that she had been sent after one of them.  Sure, he might do it after he got what he needed from her, but not before.

    All that taken into consideration, he had a few more considerations to go through.

    Would he hide her away from the others to interrogate her in secret?  Should he tell them about her, what he¡¯d found on her, and what she¡¯d been doing when he¡¯d found her?  Would he make it a group discussion?  Let them all decide what to do with the ninja?  Or should he just keep it to his inner circle?

    He felt that any route he took came with its own problems.

    Shaking his head, he drew her into the Network and promptly muted her so that nothing could leak from her connection into the rest of the Network.  Once she was in, he also manifested [Sustenance] on her and set a mental reminder to renew the Power every day until she could once again care for herself.  He didn¡¯t want to accidentally kill her, after all.

    Joram then paid attention to his field of perception and found that the study group was slowly leaving the changeroom to gather in the lobby of the bathhouse to have a glass of milk.  Which meant that he needed to decide what to do with the ninja sooner rather than later.

    He quickly stored away her many items into his Realm, including her storage items.  He hadn¡¯t bothered taking off her breastplate, as that seemed a bit much for the moment.  As the first person, Sophia, started heading back to the house, Joram made his decision.

    It took another ten minutes for everyone to gather in the living room.  He had to, once again, beg off their questions until everyone was present.

    ¡®Why didn¡¯t you tell me about this before?¡¯  Alicia asked, sounding both a bit angry and a bit hurt.

    ¡®I was still contemplating what to do about her,¡¯ he sent back apologetically.  ¡®This is kind of a first for me.¡¯

    ¡®Fine.  But immediately tell me if something like this happens again,¡¯ she sent, sounding only slightly less annoyed with him.

    ¡®Promise!¡¯

    Once everyone was present, and after having noted everyone¡¯s reactions to seeing the ninja, he spoke.

    ¡°So, I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on, but I found this person literally sniffing around out base camp,¡± he said, motioning vaguely at the supine woman.  ¡°Does anyone have any ideas as to where she came from or why she¡¯s here?¡±

    Of them all, only the nobles and princesses seemed to show the most reaction, or distinctly no reaction, to his question.

    Alyraele only frowned and shook her head, seeming to be genuinely at a loss even though she seemed to recognize a spy/assassin when she saw one.

    Renna had been frowning most of the time.  He wasn¡¯t sure if it was due to the woman being a ninja, or because her eyes were drawn to the ninja¡¯s exposed shin around her eyes.  If the popular narrative of elves back home had any basis from here, then that would explain the frowns and slightly furrowed brows.

    Both Faenwyn and Kassandra shook their heads, though Kassandra seemed more curious than afraid of the ninja.

    Emily, though, looked uncertain.  She was chewing her lower lip as she looked at the ninja.  Her agitation went so far as to cause her tail to twitch slightly every now and then, while her ears were slightly turned back from how they normally sat.

    Jae-Eun also appeared shocked when she first saw the ninja, but soon calmed when Aya placed a hand on her shoulder.  That said, Aya had stared daggers at the ninja at first, but had quickly regained her work face.  Which meant that she once again looked like a murder machine ready to get to business at the drop of a hat.

    ¡°Any ideas, Emily?¡±  He asked as he turned to look at her directly.

    ¡°Well, if my father was annoyed enough at my leaving, he might have sent someone to either watch over me or bring me back,¡± she said a bit uncertainly.

    ¡°Is that likely?¡±  He asked, prompting her to continue with her thoughts.

    ¡°Not very, no.  Given that they placed me in your care, I don¡¯t think that mother would allow such a thing,¡± she said, getting more than a few reactions from the other young women present.

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± he said, trying very hard to ignore the pointed looks he was getting.  ¡°Does anyone else have any ideas?¡±  He asked, looking directly at Aya, who then turned her gaze away from him.

    There were a few comments, but all basically said that they had no clue why that person was there.

    ¡°What about you?¡±  Kassandra asked, redirecting the question at him.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± he said, once again going through the possibilities in his head.  ¡°Well, there was that prat who tried to frame me after he broke his hand punching me.¡±

    ¡°You mean Garros Arabanise?¡±  Alyraele asked, trying not to look shocked at his words while also trying not to show her amusement.

    Joram looked over to Mo Yu and got a nod.

    ¡°Yeah, that would be him,¡± he said, nodding.  ¡°Now that I¡¯m out of the Academy for a while, he may have taken the opportunity to finally try to exact revenge for his but-hurt pride,¡± he said, getting a few snorts of laughter from them.

    ¡°From what I know of him, that would make sense,¡± Alyraele said musingly.  ¡°But, why wait so long?¡±

    ¡°Considering that he¡¯s got a faulty personality, I can¡¯t even guess,¡± Joram said with a shrug, getting a few giggles this time, which led him to believe that he was relatively well-known and not much liked.

    ¡°Well, why don¡¯t we ask this¡­ person ourselves?  Couldn¡¯t we at least get some information from her?¡±  Gabrielle asked, voicing the obvious question for everyone.

    ¡°That probably won¡¯t work,¡± Aya piped in reluctantly.  ¡°It¡¯s a common practice to make any spies or assassins like these a slave.  Which means that they¡¯ll be bound to not share anything about their owner, organization, clients, or missions to anyone that their owner doesn¡¯t approve of.¡±

    He noticed Kassandra, Jezira, and Jae-Eun nod to that.

    ¡°Anyone familiar with slavery seals?¡±  He asked, hoping that someone else would be.

    He¡¯d studied them a bit, but he didn¡¯t consider himself to be very proficient with them.  Especially since he¡¯d never experimented by casting those spells on anyone.

    Joram would have liked to say that Kassandra¡¯s raised hand surprised him, but given the stereotypes surrounding Succubae, he really wasn¡¯t.  Once Kassandra had her hand raised, Jezira also raised her hand.

    ¡°All right,¡± he said, running a hand through his hair.  ¡°I know that most slavery seals leave a visible mark on the target for easy identification.  But I also know that some can be hidden, which makes things more complicated,¡± he said, getting nods from a few others.

    ¡°So, do you know any spells that can detect a slavery seal?¡±  He asked Kassandra.

    ¡°Hmm, one.  But I would need to create an array first, then place her inside for it to work,¡± she replied.

    Joram looked around, noting that the living room wasn¡¯t exactly the best place to draw an array given the tatami flooring.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head outside,¡± he said, then stood up while slinging the ninja over his shoulder.  ¡°There¡¯s a flat area out there that might work.¡±

    As they went, Joram questioned Kassandra about the ritual.  It wasn¡¯t terribly complicated, but it would require T3 crystals to work.  And since she hadn¡¯t reached Tier 5 yet, nor was he willing to come clean about his own cultivation, he would need to provide the seven T3LGCs.

    It wasn¡¯t that she, or any of the other nobles, were poor, but none of them carried any currency on them, preferring to use their student/bank cards.

    He briefly wondered at the parallel with how people dealt with money back in his hometown on Earth.  Most people no longer carried anything more than pocket change on them, also preferring to ¡°tap¡± for their purchases.

    Coming back to the moment, he summoned the seven coins and placed them in their designated spots around the magic circle.  Yeah, when an array was drawn out for a ritual, it very much looked like the popular magic circles portrayed in pop culture. If one just manually cast a spell, then you didn¡¯t get the circle.

    But seeing as how Kassandra couldn¡¯t cast the spell herself, the ritual circle/array was needed.  It was actually very useful for someone who had the knowledge of a spell but lacked the power to cast it.  Which, once again, got him thinking.

    But he quickly stopped.  Mostly because of the situation, but also due to how crazy expensive it would be to fuel any spells he couldn¡¯t cast himself with Crystals.  Tier 4 Mana was no joke.

    One thing that he appreciated as Kassandra started the ritual was that there was no ¡°chanting¡± requirement.  Not that people didn¡¯t do so when casting spells.  On the contrary, most people did.  But it wasn¡¯t a requirement of casting spells.  It was more a mnemonic aid.

    Spells got very complicated as they went up in Tiers, and having something to help a person remember the spells they learned, and to help visualize the desired outcome, was very helpful.  To most.

    He came back to the moment once more when Kassandra finished activating the ritual and saw a glowing spot on the woman¡¯s abdomen just below her navel.  It was so bright that it shone through her clothing, giving her monochromatic clothing a crimson hue.

    Joram stepped forward and crouched down beside the woman and tugged her shirt aside so that he could see the mark.  As he took in the strange symbol, he also perceived the reactions of his companions.

    The young women who he knew had a ¡°thing¡± for him all frowned when he revealed the woman¡¯s belly.  Renna frowned, her brows lowering as her mouth opened briefly before closing again.

    The non-nobles looked curious, though also a bit scandalized at his actions.  Faenwyn practically started to snarl, her lips pulled back so far that almost every tooth in her mouth could be seen.  She had some impressive incisors.

    Both Emily and Kassandra frowned at the sight of the slavery mark, probably recognizing it.

    For his part, Joram was a bit beside himself at meeting his first dark elf.  Sure, seeing the dark skin around her eyes had been one thing.  It could have very well been a tattoo or something.  But seeing the same skin tone on her abdomen confirmed it for him.  A dark elf.

    Also, a slave.

    He peered at the mark and its placement.  It was surely tied to her core, making the slavery seal the most insidious of its kind.  If a slavery seal was placed on a person¡¯s core, it gave the ¡°owner¡± unparalleled control over the ¡°slave¡±.  With that kind of control, for the ¡°owner¡±, it was easier than farting to kill the ¡°slave¡±.  Or just torture them.

    You know, typical bad-guy stuff.

    Looking at the slavery seal, Joram found that he was much angrier than he thought he¡¯d be.  Freedom to live one¡¯s life how they chose was so ingrained in him that he was becoming nauseated looking at the seal.

    * * * * *

    Emily looked down at the Belladonna and found that her first meeting with one wasn¡¯t as lethal as she¡¯d imagined it would be.  Their reputation of being almost perfect assassins and spies was certainly well-deserved.  Since their first appearance, the organization had grown tremendously.

    As far as she knew, the Belladonnas¡¯ reach now spanned across both continents.  They weren¡¯t cheap to hire, nor were they, supposedly, easy to get in contact with.  There were no few powers out there that wanted their organization wiped from existence, so contacting one of their representatives was understandably difficult.

    That Joram had captured one was beyond remarkable.  She couldn¡¯t get a feel for the woman¡¯s cultivation level, which either meant that Joram hadn¡¯t removed an aura shroud, or she was in the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier.  Which also raised many questions.

    Just who could afford to hire a 5<sup>th</sup> Tier Belladonna?  Who had she been sent after?  Was her mission to just gather information on them?  Or was she sent to kill one of them?  All of them?  Their questing expedition, or field trip as Joram called it, was the perfect time to get rid of one, or all, of them.

    Joram had reminded them of his¡­ dispute with Garros Arabanise.  But was that silk pants canny enough to get in contact with the Belladonnas?  Or had it been his father?  They were surely in a financial position to be able to hire the Belladonnas, but a Tier 5 agent should have cost a fortune, even for House Arabanise.

    She glanced over at Kassandra and wondered if the other princess¡¯s position in her empire was secure.  Surely, a third princess wasn¡¯t a threat to anyone actually vying for the throne.

    Then a chill went up her spine as she felt a familiar aura spike in intensity.  She looked over to where Joram crouched beside the Belladonna, her eyes widening in shock as she reflexively took a few steps back with everyone else.

    Joram¡¯s battle aura had sprung to life, his jade fire/lighting aura more intense than she¡¯d ever seen it.  But that wasn¡¯t what had caused her to step back.  It was the murderous intent that flooded his aura that scared her.

    * * * * *

    The chill that ran down Mo Yu¡¯s spine was both familiar and alien to her.  She¡¯d felt Joram¡¯s murderous intent back on the ship when Garros has accosted her.  She¡¯d also felt his battle aura twice now.  But to have them combined scared her more than she¡¯d thought possible.

    Amongst them all, only Alicia stood her ground when the aura hit them.  She knew that they were close, and that they shared a deeper connection than any of the rest of them.  But she still feared for her safety.

    On the ship, Joram¡¯s fury had been a cold and calculating thing.  This time, it felt more¡­ primal.  As though the very heavens were about to open and rain destruction down upon their heads.

    Mo Yu tried to swallow, but found that her mouth was too dry.  She wanted to approach Joram, but couldn¡¯t make her legs move.

    She wanted to ask Joram what had pulled such a reaction from him, but found that she couldn¡¯t speak.

    Then his aura changed, and her stomach clenched.  She couldn¡¯t say what it was that she felt, but she suddenly felt very, very small and incredibly vulnerable as the energy washed over her.

 Chapter 093 - Fire control

    Alicia would say that she was more than familiar with Joram and his various quirks.  Get him talking about one of his passions and she could be stuck with him for days.  Confront him with a technical problem that was in one of his fields of expertise?  Easy enough.  Present him with an emotionally charged situation that he needed to deal with?  He¡¯d more likely run than deal with it.

    But when something out of the blue like what was unfolding before her eyes occurred, well, she was at a loss.  Not only had she failed to predict that he¡¯d react the way he was, but she felt that she was entirely powerless to deal with it in a way that wouldn¡¯t ¡°out¡± more than either she or Joram would likely be comfortable with.

    That Joram was reacting so viscerally to a slavery seal on someone¡¯s Core was unexpected and concerning.  Such a strong reaction was likely due to his most recent change in physiology and nearly caused her to shrink back in shame.  The added aggression that came from his new saiyan bloodline was likely¡­ resonating with his draconic bloodline, each one playing off the other, strengthening the reaction more than what would have been possible for just one or the other to do alone.

    Then she felt his psijic energy burst out, causing most of the study group to fall to their knees, expressions of utter terror appearing as sweat started pouring down their faces.  It was only Renna, Aya, and Jezira who managed to stay standing, with the former¡¯s knees still shaking like leaves in the wind.

    Aya looked to Jae-Eun before her gaze steeled, a glint of murder appearing in them as she turned back to Joram.

    Before she could act, Alicia reached for her connection to Joram.  Through that connection their souls shared, she activated his [Planeshift] protocol, sending him to the Realm to cool off at the same time that she sent Asura to the same place to try to calm him down.

    Then, through the connection that each of the pseudo-psicrystals on each of the study group¡¯s rings gave her to them through the Network, she sent a pulse of [Empathic Condition Relief], augmenting it to include every member of the study group as well as maximizing its effects, then used [Calm Emotions] on Aya.

    She felt as the group of stunned students relaxed, their conditions returning to normal as they looked around at each other.  They were still shaky from the residual adrenaline in their systems, but that was to be expected.

    ¡°What, was that?¡±  Faenwyn asked, her voice still unsteady.

    Everyone turned to her, their expressions a mixture of worry, caution, and intense curiosity.  As Faenwyn shrugged under their combined gaze, Aya looked to her.

    Alicia could feel the weight of her gaze before she turned to the older woman to meet her eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about anyone else, but I think that we should get back inside before anything comes to investigate what just happened,¡± she said, drawing their eyes to her.

    She quickly steeped over to the unconscious woman and slung her over her shoulder before stepping through the portal.  Alicia didn¡¯t bother to check if the members of the study group were following as she hurried to the mansion where she dropped the woman on the floor where she¡¯d been when she¡¯d first seen her.

    Sure enough, the other young women quickly returned to the dimensional space.  She passed them by as she quickly returned to the portal, intent on blocking the way.

    * * * * *

    Joram looked around the gravity room, not understanding why he was there.  Nor why he was laying prone, with the mother of all headaches.

    ¡°¡¯Bout time you woke up,¡± Asura said from the side, a rather large¡­ blaster carbine hanging from a shoulder harness strapped to her torso.  Pointed right at him.

    ¡°I-,¡± he started, the stopped as he recalled his loss of control.  ¡°Shit.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you could put it that way,¡± she said, still eyeing him.

    He looked down at his chest and saw slightly reddened skin through the large holes in his shirt.  And through his body suit.

    ¡°How bad?¡±  He asked, sure that she¡¯d understand what he was asking.

    ¡°Alicia sent you away before your aura could more than drop most of them to their knees,¡± she said, then shook her head.  ¡°But I¡¯m pretty sure that Aya was about to kill you for hurting Jae-Eun.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Fuck.¡±

    ¡°Yup.  Now, hand over the gate cube.  We need to make sure that nothing dangerous comes to investigate your mess,¡± she said, holding out a hand.

    Joram retrieved the cube from his pocket and tossed it to her.  Asura then shifted it to Alicia before shaking her head again.

    ¡°What was that, anyway?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not sure,¡± he said, searching for words to describe how he¡¯d felt.  ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of slavery, which you know.  But then I got to thinking about just how vile slavery seals are.  How they put a person under the control of another.  Then that led to thinking of those who¡¯d been taken, of Tillia.  And I wondered if they¡¯d been made slaves.

    ¡°Thinking about that, I¡­ kind of snapped,¡± he finished, shaking his head as guilt welled up inside his belly.

    It was so strong that he became incredibly nauseated, nearly throwing up.  It took him a few minutes to fight down the nausea and guilt to the point where he could breathe properly again.  It took another minute before he could talk through the lump in his throat, but Asura beat him to it.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Kinkade do anything?¡±  She asked, now looking curious.

    ¡°I was¡­ also affected,¡± Kinkade said from the side, surprising both of them at his appearance.

    ¡°Not only him, but most of the rest of the Minds as well,¡± Joram said, shaking his head.  ¡°The only one not affected was M11, and he was the one who kept me from completely losing it.¡±

    ¡°What?  You didn¡¯t completely lose it?¡±  Asura asked in disbelief.

    ¡°No.  If I had, I¡¯m sure that things might have been¡­ worse,¡± he said, shaking his head.  ¡°As it was, it was all M11 could do to lock down my motor functions.  Thanks, man,¡± he said out loud.

    ¡°No worries,¡± Kinkade replied, his tone slightly different than usual.

    He then realized that M11 had just spoken using Kinkade¡¯s psicrystal and shook his head.  He really needed to pay more attention to things if he hadn¡¯t realized that the Minds could swap between themselves like that.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot of explaining to do,¡± he sighed.

    ¡°Eeeeeuyup,¡± Kinkade Big Mac¡¯d.  ¡°But wait until Avi calls you back.  I¡¯m sure that there¡¯s considerable fire control needed before you can safely return.¡±

    ¡°Stay put,¡± Asura reiterated.  ¡°We need to get back to the store.  So.  Stay.  Right.  There.¡±

    Joram just nodded as he contemplated his navel.

    The pair vanished, leaving him to his unwelcome thoughts, and the peanut gallery¡¯s comments from the Minds.

    He looked around, nodded, then manifested [Reconstruction] on his clothes.  He took off the normal clothes on top, set them aside, then cranked up the gravity.

    If he was going to be there for who knew how long, he may as well get some training in.  Heck, if he really went at it, he might even be able to forget things for a while.

    M3-11: Good luck with that.

    * * * * *

    Bai Lian watched as the other girls chatted amongst themselves nervously.  She was sure to keep Matsui Aya in sight at all times.  Even when she was under the incredible pressure from the young master, she hadn¡¯t missed the murderous intent coming from the woman.

    She didn¡¯t know what had happened with the young master, but she was glad that he wasn¡¯t there at the moment.  And not just because of Matsui Aya.

    As a whole, the study group looked more than a little bit shaken.  Even Mo Yu and Wentian didn¡¯t seem themselves.  Mo Yu was currently speaking with Jae-Eun, trying to calm and reassure her that everything was going to be fine.  Even Wentian was doing his best¡­ by preparing and serving snacks and tea for them all.

    Which, really, was a brilliant move on his part.  Not only were they all spooked by what had just happened, but having a man just sitting around with them probably wouldn¡¯t have been the best idea.  That he took a subservient role, one many of the study group would instinctually respond to by accepting the service like they had countless times before¡­ well, it was well played.

    She looked over to see how her newest rival was taking things¡­ and frowned.

    Emily was chatting like nothing special had happened, trying to get Renna and Kassandra to engage in conversation.  Although both women were in the Earth Realm, Renna was near the peak while Kassandra had only recently stabilized her foundation.  She could see just how shaken Kassandra was.  Even Renna wasn¡¯t having an easy time keeping up her end of the conversation.

    Honestly, if she hadn¡¯t sworn her eternal devotion to the young master, she might have been as shaken as they were.  Well, if she were being honest with herself, she¡¯d also been frightened by the inexplicable energy that had washed over her.  Even with her Heaven Realm cultivation, she was unsure of what it had been.

    As frightening as the energy that she could barely feel was, she hadn¡¯t been afraid for her life.  It wasn¡¯t that she knew that the young master could bring her back to life should something happen.  It was that she trusted him with her life.

    That feeling had been reinforced when Mo Yu had told her about what had happened with Garros, then again when the young master had defended her from his Matriarch¡¯s wrath.  There were many more little things that reinforced her faith in the young master, but those two times were the biggest, most memorable ones.

    With the new members of the study group taken care of, she approached the original four.  Alicia was already speaking with them softly, so she felt that she might be able to put in a good word or two with them.

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    But when they flinched slightly at her approach, she stopped, an inexplicable feeling of hurt welling up in her chest.

    What was that?  She asked herself as their eyes found other things to look at.

    ¡®Let me take care of them,¡¯ Alicia sent warmly.  ¡®They¡¯re still spooked, and having one of ¡°Joram¡¯s people¡± join them, well, they¡¯re uncomfortable right now.  Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of them.¡¯

    ¡®Ah, yes.  Certainly,¡¯ she sent back as she turned around again and made her way to the back of the manor.

    Wentian waved at her as she passed by the kitchen, so she waved back as she made her way outside.  Once on the stone path that led to the bathhouse, she paused and looked up at the blue sky.

    Was there no way that she could help?  Was her leaving really all that she could do?  She wasn¡¯t a great cook like Wentian, nor was she as close with anyone as Mo Yu was with Jae-Eun.  She turned back and looked at the door for a time before shrugging.

    ¡°He can deal with this himself,¡± she said, a smile now on her face as she started walking to the bathhouse.

    * * * * *

    *Later that evening*

    ¡°[True Metabolism],¡± Joram murmured to himself as he panted in the gravity room, sweat dripping off his face.

    Even though he didn¡¯t need to, he took a long draw of water before swishing the last bit around his mouth and spitting it to the side.  [Cleanse] got rid of it, as well as his accumulated sweat and B.O..

    He looked at the holo-display that wrapped over his forearm to check the current gravity level and grunted.  It wasn¡¯t anything to write home about, but at least Goku wouldn¡¯t have mocked him too badly for his progress.  He may not have had any senzu beans, but he could still easily heal the damage done to his body by pushing it too hard.  Which, in the end, had the same effect on his progress.

    He looked at himself in his field of perception and nodded.  Even though he¡¯d been a beanpole after his most recent growth spurts, he¡¯d now managed to fill in decently well.  He twitched his pectorals and laughed out loud.  He¡¯d not done that since before he¡¯d died.

    Heck, even in his High Elan form, he¡¯d only done it once due to the embarrassment of Altaea catching him in the act.  She hadn¡¯t let that go for weeks afterwards.

    As [True Metabolism] ran its course, he made another decision.  He¡¯d already put on a respectable amount of muscle, so it was time to change his routine.  He would now concentrate on endurance and stamina.

    He looked around, then frowned.  As large as the room was, a good twenty by thirty metres, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to just go all-out running.  Laps, maybe?  Yeah, that would do.  Though, he¡¯d need to change direction every so often to avoid building up one side more than the other.

    Joram quickly adjusted the gravity a bit higher, then started running.  Which turned out to be a brisk walk with the new gravity setting.

    During it all, he circulated his Psijic Energy through his body, strengthening and nourishing it as he went.

    * * * * *

    She watched the study group as they chatted around the dining room table, eating dinner.  She¡¯d long since tucked the dark elf away into one of the rooms upstairs so that they wouldn¡¯t be constantly reminded of what had happened earlier that morning.

    Alicia sighed as she took a portion of the wonderful dinner Wentian had whipped up for them.  She was glad that the girls weren¡¯t as awkward around him anymore.  They¡¯d even warmed up to Bai Lian after a bit, realizing just how irrational they¡¯d been.  Well, it had taken lots of chatting and not a small amount of her wine to get them to relax again.

    Even Aya seemed to have calmed down after everything, though she still shot her the occasional look as though she were still trying to figure her out.  Alicia really couldn¡¯t blame the woman.

    One moment Joram had been there, his aura pressing down on them so hard that most of them couldn¡¯t even stand.  The next, he was gone, and they¡¯d suddenly felt much better.  It just wouldn¡¯t make sense to anyone who¡¯d been around for more than a couple decades, especially someone who¡¯d see a lot of combat.

    Well, at least the wine had gone over well, even if Aya hadn¡¯t approved Jae-Eun¡¯s enthusiastic participation.

    Then, the elephant in the room was once again addressed, this time by Kassandra¡¯s maid.

    ¡°When do you suppose Mr Aneath will return?¡±  She asked no one in particular, just seemingly putting it out there.

    Which, really, wasn¡¯t the case.

    Alicia had noticed Jezira¡¯s subtle manipulation of any conversation she¡¯d been in since the incident.  It all seemed innocent to those who heard her, but after the second time, Alicia had started using [Read Mind] on the maid.  She didn¡¯t have Joram¡¯s reservations with listening in on someone¡¯s thoughts, so she¡¯d managed to glean quite a bit from her surface thoughts.

    The ¡°maid¡±, really a highly trained royal guard sent to keep Kassandra safe, didn¡¯t approve of Kassandra¡¯s interest in a ¡°commoner¡±.  It didn¡¯t matter that Joram could have easily taken out the Tier 6 Mage.  Nor did it matter that Joram had been nothing but a gentleman when meeting with Kassandra and the rest of the study group.

    What mattered to the maid was that Kassandra wasn¡¯t spending as much time with her as before.  The fact that it was simple jealousy didn¡¯t matter to Alicia.  That she was actively trying to sabotage things meant that she wouldn¡¯t go easy on the bitch.

    ¡°He¡¯ll be returning a bit later,¡± Alicia said with a smile.

    ¡°Oh?  No one has been able to contact him this whole time, so how do you know?¡±  Jezira asked, feigning polite confusion.

    ¡°Maybe I just know him better,¡± Alicia said, holding her smile in place.  ¡°As shy and introverted as he is, he has a strong sense of responsibility.  That¡¯s why I know that he¡¯ll not stay away long before coming to apologize to everyone.¡±

    ¡°But really,¡± Jezira said, tilting her head to the side as though she was just thinking of what she was about to say.  ¡°Will it truly be safe for him to return?  That was quite the frightful display,¡± she said, now looking for all the world that she was scared of seeing Joram again.

    ¡°Well, if you¡¯d like to return, I won¡¯t stop you,¡± Emily suddenly spoke up, a look of disgust on her face.  ¡°I, for one, am glad that he¡¯s my fianc¨¦.  Someone as strong as him will certainly be a blessing for our future family,¡± she said, only blushing a little at her earnest words.

    ¡°And I¡¯m sure that his¡­ outburst was due to how he feels about slavery,¡± Mo Yu added delicately, gaining her a few points in Alicia¡¯s books.

    ¡°That¡¯s certainly the case,¡± Bai Lian said, taking up the torch.  ¡°The young master isn¡¯t even comfortable having someone swear a Heart Oath to him.  So, something like slavery would certainly disturb him greatly,¡± she said, nodding to herself.

    Alicia wanted to swat the girl for bringing up Heart Oaths, especially when a good half of the girls¡¯ interests seemed to be ignited by her words.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Alicia said, bringing the attention back to her.  ¡°There are more than a few considerations when it comes to Joram, but I¡¯ll not speak of them because they¡¯re his own to share if he chooses to when he gets back,¡± she said firmly.

    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you biased?  You¡¯re his girlfriend, aren¡¯t you?¡±  Jezira asked, revealing to Alicia just how much she¡¯d been spying on them.

    ¡°So?¡±  She asked bluntly.  ¡°Isn¡¯t your concern Joram¡¯s lack of control?  If you¡¯re not comfortable being here, you¡¯re more than welcome to leave.  In fact, I insist that anyone who¡¯s faith in Joram has been shaken to the point of doubting him because of what happened this morning to please leave after eating.

    ¡°I will not excuse what happened, nor will I try to explain things that aren¡¯t mine to explain.

    ¡°I think that you¡¯ve conveniently forgotten our guest from this morning, Jezira.  Are you so sure that things will go well for you if you alienate Joram?  He¡¯s the one who captured the Belladonna.  Not only that, but having a Tier 5 Assassin coming after our group isn¡¯t something to take lightly.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Mr Aneath say that it might have been Lord Arabanise who sent the Belladonna after him?¡±  Jezira pressed.

    Alicia regarded the succubus for a moment before speaking.

    ¡°That¡¯s certainly a possibility,¡± she said, watching the smile on Jezira¡¯s face widen.  ¡°But I think that you¡¯re once again forgetting that you¡¯re serving a princess.  In fact, there¡¯s another one right here.  What about the nobles in our group?  Could they have political rivals that decided to act now that we¡¯re well away from the protection the Academy provides?

    ¡°Quite frankly, your feeble attempts to sabotage Joram¡¯s reputation are getting old.  I don¡¯t care for your jealousy.  I don¡¯t care for you.  So, if you don¡¯t stop right now, I¡¯ll have to have you removed from Joram¡¯s safe haven,¡± she said, fixing the succubus with a death glare.

    For her part, Kassandra¡¯s eyes had kept widening as Alicia had torn into her maid.  By the end, she was so alarmed that she finally spoke up.

    ¡°I, for one, am not going anywhere,¡± Kassandra said, her jaw setting stubbornly as she turned to her maid.  ¡°If you have any problems with Joram, you can leave.  I¡¯m certain that I¡¯ll be more than safe enough with my present company, let alone when Joram returns.¡±

    Jezira¡¯s jaw worked for a moment before she decided to retreat, hoping to save some face.

    ¡°I was just worried for your safety, princess,¡± she said hurriedly.  ¡°If Mr Aneath¡¯s aura bursts out like that again, it would be dangerous for anyone standing too close to him.  What if it happens when you¡¯re all fighting a magical beast?¡±

    ¡°Since Joram is a martial artist who fights at the front, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine since I¡¯ll be well away from the action,¡± Kassandra said, holding her ground admirably, her feelings solidifying.

    Alicia took a moment as Jezira continued to backpedal to get another feel for those gathered.

    Of the original four study group members, Daleira still seemed to be the most uncertain.  That said, she was still determined to learn more about Joram and still had idle thoughts of seducing him.  The other three were¡­ varying degrees of confident that their ¡°friend¡± wouldn¡¯t purposely harm them.

    Gabrielle was still very much taken by Joram, having fallen to his kindness very quickly.  Alyraele was still on the fence, though it seemed that she¡¯d realized that her feelings for Joram were growing towards romantic rather than friendship.  And Sophia, well, she reminded Alicia of Tendo Nabiki; profit, profit, profit¡­ and maybe a little crush, but nothing solid, nor firmly romantic.

    Jae-Eun was a bit more complicated.  It seemed that Joram¡¯s display of ¡°Everlasting Spring¡±, Wing Chun, had a profound impact on both her and Aya.  But for Jae-Eun, it was closer to a nostalgic feeling than Aya¡¯s feeling of threat.  And Jae-Eun still viewed Joram as a close mentor-type¡­ man, someone who she could trust to either listen to her or help her if she needed.  But someone a bit hard to approach due to how ¡°handsome¡± he was.

    Joram had made amazing headway with gaining Aya¡¯s trust with the hot spring and flavoured milks, but had taken a few steps back by accidentally hammering everyone with his released aura.  Alicia felt that if Joram was able to sufficiently explain what had happened, and what his aura had been about, then he had a good chance of repairing that bridge with Aya.

    Faenwyn was less complicated.  She seemed to be a ¡°left or right¡± kind of person, but she seemed to be stuck at the crossroads of staying or leaving.  Alicia saw that her own declaration for people to either stay or go had pushed her further to the ¡°go¡± side due to her stubborn nature, though.  But Alicia could also see that if someone gained her trust, that she¡¯d be as loyal as her beastkin heritage suggested she would be.  After all, the Silver Wolf tribe was still a wolf tribe.

    Kassandra was much more complicated compared to most of the others.  Sure, she had some sexual attraction to Joram, as almost all of them did to one degree or another, but her interest in Joram was deeper and more intellectual than mere physical attraction.

    She¡¯d really become taken with Joram¡¯s insights into alchemy and crafting in general.  Not just that, but she also recognized how genuinely Joram wanted to teach everyone, not just her.  And, amusingly enough, she found that trait more attractive than the rest of his many traits.

    Renna, though¡­.  Given that she was an elf of one hundred four years of age, her mental and emotional development was equivalent to a fifteen-year-old girl.  Sure, she¡¯d been at the Academy for nine years now, but Alicia supposed that that was the equivalent of just entering high school for an elf.

    She was also a bit complicated.  She shared many of the same likes for Joram as Kassandra, but she was still very much in the¡­ infatuation stage of how she viewed potential romantic interests.  She was also very much a romantic and taken with thoughts of romance, whether they might involved her directly, or if she was watching it unfold for another couple.

    Emily was Emily.  She was firmly on Team Joram, as were Bai Lian and Mo Yu.  She was reasonably sure that they were there for the long haul, as it were.  Especially after Emily¡¯s talk of starting a family with Joram.  Which had also sparked those thoughts in Bai Lian and Mo Yu.

    Megami was pretty nervous about everything, but trusted Joram well enough.  That he¡¯d taken her into the Realm, and hadn¡¯t pressured her with his status, or power, had meant a lot to her.  Then his invitation to join the study group, and bringing her along on the field trip, had further endeared him to her.  Something like a leaking aura wasn¡¯t something that bothered her over much; it had just surprised her with its intensity.

    Wentian was just nervous around so many emotionally charged women.  He was surprisingly timid in that regard.  That said, he was also a bit more on guard against Joram, but that was due to having an unknown quantity as your boss than anything else.  He still trusted Joram¡­.  Well, as much as he¡¯d begun to trust him anyway.

    He was still a stubborn man, and had lingering feelings of loyalty to the Diamond Jade Lotus Sect he¡¯d grown up in.  Which, really, shouldn¡¯t have been a surprise to anyone.  But Wentian was growing to like and trust Joram more, so there was progress there.eH

    And Jezira.  As jealous of her mistress¡¯s time as she was, she really did want the best for Kassandra.  Nevertheless, that didn¡¯t excuse her behaviour.  Trying to slander and ruin someone¡¯s reputation for one¡¯s own gains was reprehensible in Alicia¡¯s books, and she would have none of it.

    ¡®Hey,¡¯ she sent to Joram.

    ¡®Hey¡¯s for horses,¡¯ he joked back, trying to hide his sudden apprehensions.

    ¡®I think now would be a good time to come back and apologize.¡¯

    ¡®Ah, OK.  I¡¯ll just tidy up first,¡¯ he sent, sending along an image of him running and being all sweaty.

    ¡®Hmm, no, I think that them seeing you like that might actually help things,¡¯ she sent back musingly.

    If Joram returned looking like nothing had happened, she was reasonably sure that it wouldn¡¯t have near the same effect as him showing up looking like a hot mess.  Her decision might have also been swayed by the thought of seeing him like that in person.

    ¡®Gotcha,¡¯ he sent back, then sent an image of him standing outside the portal, waiting to be let into the safe haven.

    She was about to release the lock on the portal when she felt a surge of adrenaline flood Joram¡¯s system.

    ¡®Well, shit,¡¯ he sent along with an image of something that chilled her blood.  ¡®Looks like I¡¯ll be using the Soulknife stuff sooner than expected.¡¯

 Chapter 094 - Of friends and slavery

    M3 checked their psionic reserves and sighed.  He was effectively running on fumes due to having so many Minds active as well as his intense training up to this point, and seeing as how he might need to use most of those minds in this fight, he didn¡¯t want to dip into what little psionic power he had left.  Hence his need to use an ability or two that wouldn¡¯t actively drain his power pool.

    M4 reported that the Psijic Star was doing well, so there was at least that.  Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have very many translated psionic powers that could use Psijic Energy yet.  At least they¡¯d gotten through most of the first level Powers, which meant that he could use [Astral Construct] to help give him openings in the coming fight.

    So, Joram had M5 and M6 draw on the knowledge of Soulknives and of the Aegis.  The former allowed him to create tremendously powerful psionic weapons, while the latter would increase his defense.  And defense would surely be needed.

    Joram looked up at the rapidly descending aquamarine dragon.  It looked like it should be in the water given that its neck spines connected to look like a giant fin, or neck frill.  Even its tail was made for swimming, being narrow and tall like an oar.

    As he quickly dashed to the side, he transitioned into his fused form.  He gained another ten centimetres in height, as well as some more muscle mass, but it was the wings that he really needed for the fight.

    The dragon wasn¡¯t letting him go, though.  As he ran, the dragon followed, opening up its maw wide before a torrent of steaming liquid sprayed out in a wide cone, with him at its centre.

    Acting on reflex, Joram spun and twisted out of the way, very glad for Altaea¡¯s insane training.  The acid narrowly missed him.  He looked at the ground around him and frowned.  The acid dissolved every plant in the glade and even began eating down into the ground.

    By this time, M5 had summoned a mindblade in the form of a pair of gloves, and M6 had managed to form their astral suit, ¡°skin¡± type, giving him a huge boost to his defense and outright damage reduction.  And, due to his picky nature, the astral skin¡¯s appearance had been altered to make it look like his normal combat suit, colour, texture, and everything.

    Joram flapped his wings and shot into the dragon¡¯s side, crashing into it hard enough to break its scales and shove it back a few dozen feet.  He grabbed the broken scales that were still attached to the dragon and held on as they spun through the sky.

    The gargantuan dragon roared in pain as Joram took the opportunity to start ripping out its scales one after another once its flight stabilized.  He¡¯d had M7 focus on their field of perception, so when the massive claw bore down on him, he was able to brace before impact.

    The blow rattled him, but didn¡¯t manage to dislodge him from the dragon¡¯s side.  Holding on with his left hand, he raised his right hand, fingers extended and squeezed tightly together, then brought it down in a flurry of slashes that opened up the dragon¡¯s side.

    Blood gushed out of the wound, faintly sizzling on his astral skin.  M8 reported that the acidic blood wasn¡¯t strong enough to penetrate the astral skin.  So, M6 willed the suit to completely cover his exposed skin while M3 dismissed his wings of light.

    From there, Joram unleashed another flurry of slashes that opened the wound even further.  Before he could do more, though, he felt the mana in the dragon surge.  His eyes widened as he recognized the spell.

    The mana disjunction spell washed over him, managing to dispel his gloves and astral skin.  He barely held onto [Schism] though.  As his astral skin faded away, he felt the potent acid of the dragon¡¯s blood start to eat at his skin.  Making a quick decision, he released his grip on the dragon at the same time as he kicked away from it.

    As he fell, M7 re-summoned their wings, halting their descent while M5 and M6 brought back the gloves and astral skin in their previous forms.

    By the time he halted his fall, the dragon had turned, bringing its head around to bite him with its massive teeth.  Not wanting to see what that felt like, M3 manifested [Dimension Hop], shifting them roughly ten metres to the right of the dragon¡¯s head.

    Once he was out of the way, M4 manifested [Mind Thrust <sup>A</sup>] at the same time that M8 started manifesting [Astra Construct <sup>A</sup>], both using as much Psijic Energy that he could augment them with.

    As the [Mind Thrust <sup>A</sup>] took effect, Joram¡¯s mouth dropped open.  The amount of energy contained in that Power was enough to send blood gushing from the dragon¡¯s nose, ear holes, and eyes, soon followed by its grey matter.

    The aquamarine scaled dragon fell from the sky, sending a visible tremor through the ground when its thirty-metre-long body smashed down.

    A moment later, the Astral Construct popped into existence, hovering ten metres away from him.

    He looked over to it and sighed.  He¡¯d done an amazing job with this one.  He¡¯s shaped it in the form of the phoenix he¡¯d seen fighting the Heavenly Lightning Jade Dragon.  Every feather of the Astral Construct was identical to what he remembered, even the colour.  Which was something, for standard Astral Constructs were the silvery-white of shaped ectoplasm, making it obvious what they were.

    But this one really looked like a phoenix, down to its fiery aura.

    ¡°It¡¯d be a shame to dismiss you right away,¡± he murmured to his creation.  ¡°Maybe just go sit over there for now,¡± he directed it vocally even though it wasn¡¯t necessary because Astral Constructs were controlled mentally.

    He quickly landed beside the aquatic dragon and dismissed his fused form along with his astral skin and mindblades/gloves.  He regarded the dragon for a moment, contemplating just how easy it had been to take down a Peak Tier 6 magical beast by attacking its mind.

    Sure, if it had been anyone else, they might have become a pile of dissolved flesh after that first breath attack.  Even his resistance to acid from having used the Adamantium Body Technique hadn¡¯t been enough for him to go unscathed.  He looked down at his pitted skin and manifested [Natural Healing <sup>A</sup>] with Psijic Energy.

    He watched, awed, as his skin quickly repaired itself, the wounds closing without leaving a trace.  No scars, no different tone of skin that would tell someone that it had recently healed.  It was perfect.

    He then had each of his Minds gain their psionic focus, then had them all use [Repair] to mend his clothes and body suit, then used [Cleanse] to rid himself of the gore from the fight.  Once that was under way, he shifted the dragon¡¯s corpse into his stasis storage space in his Realm, then turned around.

    ¡®Hi,¡¯ Alicia sent, then physically waved at him from the other side of the portal where she stood with the other members of the study group.

    * * * * *

    Jezira was beyond terrified after witnessing Mr Aneath¡¯s fight with the mutated flood dragon.  She had immediately recognized its Peak Tier 6 strength and had thought that he was done for.  But contrary to her expectations, the fight had been relatively short and incredibly brutal.

    She¡¯d heard all about Mr Aneath¡¯s and Princess Hornwood¡¯s latest spar, but hadn¡¯t given it much thought due to them being so low Tier.  But one thing that she¡¯d taken away from her princess¡¯s account of the spar was her description of the auras that had been used.

    That Mr Aneath hadn¡¯t gotten worked up enough for his aura to appear during his fight with the mutated flood dragon made her more than a little wary.  That he¡¯d just punched through its scales like they were boards, terrified her.

    Mr Aneath was definitely not what he claimed to be, and as she sat at the table they¡¯d been supping at not five minutes ago, she wondered what she could do.

    She looked over to the other guardian present, Matsui Aya, and wondered what she would do.  They were both in the 6<sup>th</sup> Tier, but they were also just into it.  She felt that Aya was a bit stronger than her.  The problem was, if Mr Aneath could destroy a Peak Tier 6 mutated flood dragon like that, she was sure that they wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against him in a straight-on confrontation.

    Jezira was brought out of her musings when Mr Aneath finally spoke.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for earlier this morning,¡± he said, looking for all the world like a child apologizing to someone he¡¯d hurt.

    ¡°Never mind that,¡± Faenwyn broke in.  ¡°What was that just now?!¡±

    ¡°Ah, hmm, I¡¯ll get to that in a moment, if you¡¯d all be so patient,¡± he said, then looked around to see if anyone would say anything.

    Jezira was more than tempted to say something, but a pinch from her princess stopped her.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that the topic has never come up before¡­ our guest showed up this morning.  But, I have very strong views and opinions when it comes to slavery.

    ¡°When I saw what kind of slavery seal was on that woman, my mind went to¡­.  Well, I thought of some important people who¡¯d been taken away and wondered if the same thing had been done to them,¡± he said, then paused to take a few breaths.

    This was news to her, if it was true.  But judging from Alicia¡¯s, and Mr Aneath¡¯s servants¡¯ reactions, she was reasonably sure that it was true.

    ¡°That said, I seem to have a bit of a¡­ an anger management issue,¡± he said, getting a few surprised reactions from the young women present.  ¡°My¡­ unique bloodline comes with the downside that I get much angrier than I used to,¡± he said, then looked around at them all.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to say anything more on that, as there are some people here who aren¡¯t likely to stay with the study group after today, and I¡¯d rather not have sensitive information about me spread about,¡± he said, then specifically looked her in the eye.

    Jezira¡¯s blood pressure spiked before she realized that he wasn¡¯t likely to kill her to keep his secrets.  He just wouldn¡¯t share those secrets where she could hear them.  Was he too soft?

    His words caused the study group to start babbling, assuring him that they would never do such a thing, which amused Jezira more than a little.  It wasn¡¯t hard for a secret to slip out when chatting with someone else, especially if that someone was trying to get information from them.  But she supposed the ideals of youth were still ingrained in the young women present.

    ¡°So, I apologize for releasing my aura around you.  I¡¯m very sorry for the hurt and distress that I caused,¡± he said, then bowed at the waist to everyone.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    He stayed bowed until, of all people, Gabrielle stood up, walked over to him, and pulled at his shoulders until he stood up straight.

    ¡°Accidents happen,¡± she said quietly, but firmly.  ¡°We were just startled at how strongly you reacted, that¡¯s all,¡± she said, the others nodding to her words.

    Though, Jezira noticed that Aya wasn¡¯t nodding along with her princess.

    ¡°From what Alicia told me, it was a near thing,¡± he said, shaking his head and looking as sad as a kicked puppy.  ¡°Any loss of control is still ultimately on me.  So, once we return, I¡¯ll be going into seclusion for a while to try and work things out,¡± he finished.

    That stunned the group, but pleased Jezira greatly.  If he wasn¡¯t around for a while, she¡¯d be able to talk some sense into her princess without worrying about his presence erasing any progress she made every time the study group gathered.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary,¡± Alicia said, shaking her head.  ¡°If anything, the fight just now proved that your reaction to the slavery seal was an anomalous event.¡±

    Mr Aneath shot her a frown, but didn¡¯t argue the point.  Jezira very much wished to do so, but another pinch from her princess stopped her.  She looked to her princess and found that she had that Look on her face that meant that if Jezira stepped out of line, that she¡¯d soon find herself in an unemployment line.

    ¡°So, about the fight?¡±  Princess Hornwood prompted, looking more interested in the details of the fight than an apology from her fianc¨¦.

    ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t explain that until I know for sure if everyone will keep it to themselves,¡± he said, looking around the room, pausing on Matsui Aya, then on her.

    His gaze once again told her that he knew that she wasn¡¯t someone he could trust.  Though she was now reasonably sure that he wouldn¡¯t kill her to keep his secrets, she was also sure that he wouldn¡¯t say anything sensitive in front of her.  And, it seemed, Matsui Aya as well.

    After more words were spoken by the study group saying that they¡¯d keep his secrets, and that he could trust him, he shook his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust your words,¡± he said, looking at each of the study group members one-by-one.  ¡°But telling you won¡¯t just affect me, but my family and friends that are relying on me.  I won¡¯t ask anyone to take a Heart Oath, for I don¡¯t like them at all, but I can¡¯t share things unless I know of a certitude that those things won¡¯t be shared with others.  Ever.¡±

    That caused the study group to quiet down and exchange looks.

    Jezira was pleased to see more than a few frowns, especially Kassandra¡¯s.  She didn¡¯t know if Mr Aneath was purposely pushing them away, or was just incompetent when it came to dealing with people.  Either way, his words would make any future efforts to distance her princess from him much easier.

    ¡°Alicia told me what she said to you all while I was gone.  As much as I¡¯d hate to lose any friendships that I¡¯ve made with you all, I can¡¯t help but agree with her.

    ¡°When I consider someone a Friend, they¡¯ve already become like family to me.  I¡¯d never betray them, never reveal their secrets to another without their permission.  I¡¯ll do everything that I can to help them when they need,¡± he said seriously, his words and tone even managing to catch her up.

    ¡°I respect my friends.  I value the time I spend with them.  I think of ways to help them even when that help hasn¡¯t been asked for.  I¡¯m there when they need comfort or support.  I¡¯m also there to tell them when I think they¡¯re about to do something¡­ unwise.  I¡¯ll tell them when they¡¯re being an idiot, or when they¡¯re just plain wrong.

    ¡°I do all of that, and more, because of that friendship, that love that I have for them.  That¡¯s who I am.

    ¡°But I¡¯m also insecure.  I fear disappointing my family and friends.  I¡¯m an introvert, contrary to what you may be thinking right now.  Social situations like this are very hard for me.  I¡¯m burning through Mental Strength just to keep talking; just to keep myself from running away,¡± he said, looking down at the end of that.

    Alicia put a hand on his shoulder then, giving him her silent support.

    Jezira still wasn¡¯t sure if this wasn¡¯t just an act, though.  She¡¯d met her fair share of Mentalists in the past, from one trade or another, and every single one of them had been proud.  Proud to the point where they had to be threatened to admit a mistake or a fault.  Sure, most had been amiable sorts on the surface, but that amiability had only hidden their immense pride.

    That someone of Mr Aneath¡¯s talents and power would lower his head in front of a bunch of kids, even though there were three princesses amongst them, wasn¡¯t believable to her.  If she wasn¡¯t wrong, Mr Aneath¡¯s talents would have him at the peak of the crafting world sooner rather than later.  That level of ability, in her experience, always came with an equal measure of pride.

    Was he just working them?  Trying to snake his way into their good graces so that he¡¯d have plenty of contacts for when he graduated from the Academy?  Or was he looking to go further than that?  He was already dating Alicia, the top beauty on the Goddess Ranking, not to mention that he¡¯d just been engaged to Princess Hornwood, another stunning beauty.

    Was he trying to get more solid attachments with them?  If he could marry or make them concubines, then he¡¯d surely have a profound foundation in the future.  Three princesses, a few nobles, as well as other talents would be tempting for anyone, let alone an up-and-coming talent like him.

    ¡°So,¡± Mr Aneath said, raising his head then taking another breath before going on.  ¡°If you think that you can be a friend to me like I¡¯m a friend to you, then say so now.¡±

    Jezira glanced around quickly and saw that there were many sympathetic expressions to be seen.

    ¡°Hah, that more sounds like a spouse than a friend,¡± Sophia joked, laughing a bit as she looked around.

    To her dismay, her princess nodded at that, looking entirely too serious for her comfort.

    ¡°I¡¯m OK with that,¡± Gabrielle said quietly from Mr Aneath¡¯s side, a blush turning her cheeks a charming rose colour.

    ¡°As am I,¡± Kassandra said, breaking Jezira¡¯s heart in the process.

    Faenwyn spoke up next with a firm look of determination.  Then Alyraele, then the others.  Only Sophia and Matsui Aya stayed silent.  She could see that Matsui Aya was less than pleased with her princess, but still kept her mouth shut.

    Sophia, though, looked more torn than anything.

    Mr Aneath turned to regard Sophia for a moment before speaking, his tone soft.

    ¡°What¡¯s bothering you?¡±  He asked.

    Sophia squirmed in place for a moment when her peers looked over at her, their gazes curious.

    ¡°I¡¯m a merchant,¡± she said, then finally managed to look at Mr Aneath directly.  ¡°Merchants aren¡¯t supposed to get tied down with one person.  They¡¯re supposed to be ready to move on to the next business deal when it proves to be the better, more profitable one,¡± she said, then looked down at her lap.

    ¡°But I also want good friends,¡± she said, quietly.  ¡°I want to have a friend like you.  I want to be someone like you described.  But I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯m not,¡± she finished quietly.

    Alyraele reached over and clasped her friend¡¯s shoulder before speaking.

    ¡°Sophia, you¡¯re one of the most reliable people that I know,¡± she said kindly.  ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have started speaking with you, then spending time with you, if that wasn¡¯t the case,¡± she said, their eyes finally connecting as Sophia turned her head towards Alyraele.

    ¡°Who isn¡¯t at least a little afraid that they¡¯re not a good friend to someone important to them?¡±  Daleira asked from Sophia¡¯s other side.  ¡°That you¡¯re worried about being important to someone says a lot about you,¡± she finished, also reaching out a hand to clasp Sophia¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°You can take your time,¡± Mr Aneath said kindly.  ¡°I won¡¯t kick anyone out who isn¡¯t able to decide right now.  I know that this isn¡¯t something to take lightly.  So everyone, please, take your time thinking about this.¡±

    ¡°I can appreciate that sentiment,¡± Kassandra said, stabbing Jezira¡¯s heart again.  ¡°But I¡¯m already decided.  I like you Joram, and I don¡¯t want to leave,¡± she said with a beautiful smile that showed just how sincerely she felt about what she¡¯d just said.

    That got more than a few reactions from everyone gathered.  From blushes to wide eyes, not a one of the study group that weren¡¯t already with Mr Aneath one way or another didn¡¯t react.

    ¡°I-I-I-I-I- really like Joram too!¡±  Renna shouted out; her face so red that Jezira worried about her bursting a blood vessel.

    ¡°I liked him first!¡±  Jae-Eun suddenly shouted as she suddenly jumped to her feet, also redder than a tomato and shocking everyone into silence.

    For his part, Mr Aneath looked stunned, his face also starting to turn red.

    Jezira looked over at Matsui Aya and found that the woman looked like she was about to murder Mr Aneath right then and there.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad that I¡¯ve made such good friends!¡±  He suddenly yelled out, looking up at the ceiling the whole time.  ¡°Howaboutweallheadtothehotspringsandtakeaminutetothinkthingsover!¡±  He yelled before dashing off so fast that even she had a hard time following his blurred form.

    ¡°Huh,¡± Jezira said, looking around at the stunned faces of those present.

    Maybe he really wasn¡¯t lying about being incredibly shy, she thought, also a bit stunned at his sudden departure.

    Is that really the same young man that punched a hole into the side of a Peak Tier 6 dragon?  She asked herself, then shook her head.

    * * * * *

    ¡®Why are people so hard?  Why can¡¯t they be easy like psionically rearranging molecules?¡¯  Joram asked as he reclined in the onsen.

    Onsen, because it was easier to think of the hot spring like that.  Also, because the whole design of the bathhouse was taken from Japanese hot spring resorts.  Well, the ones from manga and anime, anyway.

    ¡®For as awkward as you made your apology and appeal to them,¡¯ Alicia replied, ¡®I¡¯m glad that you did it.  You¡¯ve made progress.  I¡¯m proud of you,¡¯ her sending full of warmth.

    ¡®Ah~~~, it was truly embarrassing.  Opening up is <u>hard</u>!¡¯

    ¡®True.  But when you do, others then feel comfortable enough to do so as well,¡¯ she replied sagely.

    ¡®Are you sure that you¡¯re not aiming to get me a huge harem?¡¯  He asked suspiciously.

    ¡®If it happens, it happens.  I know that I¡¯ll always be with you, so why not share your awesomeness with others who¡¯re willing to explore your awesomeness,¡¯ she said teasingly, causing him to flush.

    ¡®Like I said, I¡¯m not that awesome,¡¯ his sending practically mumbled.

    Thankfully, Alicia let it go with just that this time.  He was still very unsure of everything, even though his body reacted to the possibility of being with so many beautiful women.  Physically, he was ready.  Especially with his¡­ vigorous bloodlines urging him to reproduce.

    Intellectually?  Emotionally?  He was scared shitless.  The possibility of so much commitment and emotional attachment and sharing of feelings¡­.

    Joram took a deep breath then let it out slowly.  Then repeated that a few more times before his heart calmed down enough that he was no longer in danger of passing out.

    What will be, will be, he thought, resigning himself to the future.

    He was in another world with different values, and especially cultures.  Not accepting his new world would only lead to unhappiness and frustration.  He first needed to accept it before he could properly move on.  Only then could he, for him, really start to make changes that he hoped would be far-reaching and enduring.

    Like abolishing slavery.

    He looked over to where he knew Alicia had tucked the Belladonna away.  He would have to deal with that soon enough.  For as much as he disliked invading the privacy of another individual, he would have to.

    The biggest problem was the slavery seal.  When placed on the Core, it became incredibly powerful.  It could draw on the power of the one sealed to do a myriad of things to the host, as well as anyone trying to mess with the seal.  They could be simple or incredibly complex, depending on the one who made the seal.

    At the least, most seals had anti-tampering scripts incorporated into them.  From what he¡¯d read, those ranged anywhere from causing wracking pain in the host to killing the host all the way to causing an explosion that could wipe out anything within a radius of many kilometres around the host.

    Seeing as how the dark elf was from an assassin/spy organization, he was confident that she wouldn¡¯t have been given one of those kinds of seals.  That said, he was almost sure that her seal was of the lethal variety that would not only kill her, but also the one tampering with the seal.

    If he were evil, that¡¯s what he¡¯d do, after all.

    The next question was: how sensitive was the seal to magical probing?  However inadvertently, they already found out that it wasn¡¯t so sensitive that a simple detection ritual hadn¡¯t set it off.  But.  Would the seal react of another form of probing?

    He was woefully underprepared to handle this, but at the same time, it was a situation that was a bit time sensitive.

    Then he facepalmed.

    ¡®I¡¯m headed to the Heavenly Archive for a bit,¡¯ he sent Alicia.  ¡®Let me know if anything happens.¡¯

    ¡®Gotcha.¡¯

    That done, he quickly got out of the onsen, dried off, and got dressed before shifting to his Realm.  Once there, he looked down at the transfer platform he¡¯d made the year before.  It hadn¡¯t gotten much use in the past year.  He shrugged, then stepped on and infused it with Psionic Power to activate it.

    Once inside the Archive, Joram headed off to the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier section.  It was there that the Clan had stored away the various slavery techniques they¡¯d gathered over the millennia.  Not just because they were dangerous, but because Tier 3 Mana had the highest affinity for creating such seals.

    Joram looked at the disturbingly large section for a while before shaking his head.  Knowledge was just knowledge after all.  It was what you did with that knowledge that mattered.  The intent you had when exercising that knowledge was what determined if you were good or evil.

    But some knowledge was just so repulsive to one¡¯s very being that it was hard to deal with, let alone learn.

    He shook his head again, more vigorously this time.

    There was a good chance that the people of Brightside and his Clan had been made into slaves, having such seals placed upon them.  If he was truly serious about finding and freeing them all, then he would have to do this.  He would probably also have to do other things that he didn¡¯t want to do.

    Like picking fights.

    Like killing or crippling people who weren¡¯t actively trying to kill him.

    Like using the knowledge he was about to acquire to place slavery seals of his own.

    That last thought nearly made him throw up.  But he swallowed hard, took a few more slow, deep breaths, and got to work memorizing every page in that abominable section of the Heavenly Archive.

 Chapter 095 - Friends? Part 1

    Joram closed the last scroll and sighed.

    It truly had been a revolting task, but he couldn¡¯t deny that the subject had been fascinating in its own way.

    Thy myriad methods recorded were incredibly varied in their execution, but all came together to do pretty much the same basic thing. Most of the methods described were terribly inefficient, as was the case with most spells he¡¯d come across so far.

    Some were¡­ more efficient than the rest. It was clear to him that those techniques came from organizations that had refined their methods over thousands of years. The complexity in those kinds of seals was the most profound, with the greatest flexibility in their creation.

    As much as he hated to admit it, he¡¯d learned a lot more about the Languages of Mana in his overnight study session. So much so that M5 and M6 had made several breakthroughs in their research into the Languages of Mana. For those advanced sealing techniques also incorporated Tier 1 and Tier 2 Mana in their creation.

    Joram could feel how close he was to understanding the Languages of Mana. He was very close to understanding the various characters of the Language, as well as the necessary syntax to properly write it out so that Mana could understand him perfectly.

    He was sorely tempted to pull M10 and M11 away from their experiments with creating new Psijic Stars to help. But he also needed to get stronger as soon as he could. So, there was that to consider.

    He looked at the time and sighed. If they weren¡¯t already awake, everyone would be up soon enough, and he needed to be there to deal with¡­ stuff.

    He involuntarily remembered Gabrielle¡¯s and Kassandra¡¯s confession-like declarations of friendship from the evening before. He¡¯d been suspecting that Gabrielle had been crushing on him since their first meeting, but had dismissed it due to his lack of understanding of women. Kassandra, though, had been outright flirtatious.

    He¡¯d also dismissed her flirtatiousness due to her being a succubus. That said, he realized that that dismissal was based on a stereotype from his world. Which, really, was unfair to her, but had helped to save his sanity by finding an alternate ¡°reason¡± for her behaviour.

    Heck, even Daleira¡¯s flirting had been dismissed when he¡¯d learned that she had a nymph bloodline in her family.

    But having Renna suddenly stutter out that she really like him had been a shock. The nail in his proverbial coffin had been Jae-Eun¡¯s awkward declaration followed by Aya¡¯s murderous intent.

    He really didn¡¯t know how he was going to deal with Aya. She bounced from accepting him to wanting to murder him like a hyperactive child playing with a yo-yo. He was certain that he needed to have a sit-down with her to calm her nerves, to explain more than a few things about himself that he could see bothered her.

    He sighed at the thought of how draining the day would be on his emotional reserves. Depending on just how taxing each conversation was, he might have to spread it out over a few days. Which would also increase the drain on his emotional reserves.

    Firming up, he left the Archive and got to it.

    * * * * *

    ¡°Aya? Can we speak?¡±

    She turned and regarded Mr Aneath for a moment before nodding. She was done with breakfast anyway, and leaving Jae-Eun with her friends was fine because she¡¯d be with Mr Aneath.

    She studied the ¡°young¡± man as she followed him outside. If she wasn¡¯t mistaken, he¡¯d put on more muscle mass recently. Also, after his shocking match with Princess Hornwood, his gait had slightly changed. Not that it had been bad before or anything. But it was just different now. Fewer flaws.

    Aya again reached her senses out to try to get a feel for his cultivation, but once again found nothing but a bit of Qi, what they called Tier 1 Mana here, swirling about where his dantian was.

    She was sure that she¡¯d felt a bit of Qi when he was fighting the dragon, though. Well, something that felt a bit like Qi when he was fighting. It had been an odd sensation. Like hearing the fifth echo in a wide canyon; familiar, but not something you could understand any more.

    Mr Aneath led them to a small gazebo meant only for two people, a small table separating two chairs the only furniture in it. He pulled a chair out and motioned for her to sit. She considered that for a moment before acquiescing. He then sat across from her and deposited a lined board and two small baskets onto the table from his storage ring.

    ¡°Shall we have a game while we talk?¡± He asked, removing the lids from the small wicker baskets to reveal black stones in one and white stones in the other.

    ¡°I did not realize that you played,¡± she said cautiously.

    ¡°I babbled a number of years ago,¡± he said with a weak smile, then passed her the basket of black stones.

    ¡°And how many years ago was that?¡± She asked pointedly, hoping to get a straight answer out of him.

    Before answering, he waved a hand, causing a slight shimmer in the air around the gazebo before it faded.

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not have anyone else listen in,¡± he said by way of explanation when he noticed her raised brow.

    ¡°Hmm, I should probably start at the beginning,¡± he said, looking serious and not a little bit nervous.

    She could understand that. Revealing one¡¯s secrets to a person who you knew wasn¡¯t terribly friendly to you wasn¡¯t an easy thing. But, given that Jae-Eun was so taken with him, she was at least willing to listen to what he had to say.

    ¡°I¡¯m an outworlder,¡± he said, then paused.

    She was glad for that, because her mind began to whirl about. His oddities, how he acted, how he spoke, and even how he treated people suddenly made more sense to her.

    ¡°I was brought here by accident, along with the woman who¡¯d become my mentor, teacher; the most important person to me¡­¡± he said, then continued his story.

    She was shocked to learn that they were the same age¡­ spiritually? Intellectually? Either way, he¡¯d cumulatively lived as long as she had. That said, she was sure that she was much more mature than he was, given how easily he¡¯d been scared off the night before.

    But now that she knew why he knew so much and why he seemed so strange, she relaxed. At no point in him explaining his origins had she detected any deception from him. She was sure that he wasn¡¯t telling her everything about his time with his mentor, or what she¡¯d taught him. But she could also tell that it was just that: not telling. No intent to deceive, but to keep things private.

    That he¡¯d been reincarnated after having been killed after leaving his mountain wasn¡¯t a surprise to her. She¡¯d already suspected such a thing, though she¡¯d initially thought that he had been an old master trying to live out a lascivious life at the Academy. But that last image of him had been somewhat¡­ shattered when he¡¯d run away from the young women confessing their feelings to him last night.

    Then he told her how he¡¯d found a legacy left behind for him by his mentor, and that was why he knew so much more than he should for his age. She wondered then, if his mentor was still around, and what she¡¯d do if anyone messed with her disciple.

    ¡°¡­ and that leads to my¡­ unusual cultivation,¡± he said, placing another stone. ¡°I¡­ had an accident when stepping into the Qi Gathering Realm,¡± he said, looking a bit¡­ rueful. ¡°That said, I¡¯ve always been more powerful with Mental Strength, so when it appeared that I was going to fail, I sort of pulled everything in my dantian into my Knowledge Sea to help stabilize things.¡±

    Aya dropped both the stone she was about to place as well as her jaw as her eyes widened in shock.

    ¡°How are you still alive?¡± She asked, stunned.

    ¡°Ah, well, that¡¯s a bit of a story, but I¡¯ll just say that I managed to stabilize things due to my fine-tuned control of Mental Strength,¡± he replied, obviously not wanting to speak about it.

    ¡°Is that why I can¡¯t feel any cultivation from you?¡± She asked, regaining her wits and picking up the dropped stone.

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s also why I¡¯ve had to studiously pursue body refinement,¡± he said, nodding. ¡°But that wasn¡¯t the end of it. There was another accident where my Core came into contact with what I call my Knowledge Star, causing near catastrophic results.¡±

    That was when he explained how, to survive the violent surging of the rampaging energies, he¡¯d refined the blood of the dragon and the phoenix he¡¯d collected shortly before dying. The added vitality of those bloodlines had helped him to survive, as well as to stabilize the energy. Which resulted in a new kind of energy.

    The very energy that she¡¯d felt coming from him.

    ¡°All told, I¡¯m just one ridiculously lucky guy to have survived all that,¡± he said, shaking his head.

    She couldn¡¯t argue with that.

    Aya could only shake her head at just how lucky Joram was. From not dying when a mysterious object smashed into his apartment, to meeting his mentor, to everything else that followed¡­. It was on the level of the most fantastical tales she¡¯d ever read. It was so preposterous that she was having a hard time processing it all.

    That many things of his original world paralleled so many things here was also hard to believe. Just how much of a coincidence was it that so many aspects of her own culture were the same as those on his world? Let alone everything else? From the food to the very game they were playing, it was just too much.

    Then she got back on track, returning to his explanation of his cultivation.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me that not only do you have the strength of a Tier 6 Mentalist, but that you¡¯re also a Heaven Realm practitioner?¡± She asked dubiously.

    For answer, he circulated mana through his body, letting her feel the Heaven Qi in his body.

    ¡°I had to create a new way to circulate the Qi, and that new energy, through my body without it killing me after those accidents,¡± he said, shaking his head at the memory.

    ¡°And what equivalent realm would you say that your¡­ new energy is at?¡± She asked hesitantly, though unsure why she was hesitant about that.

    ¡°I would say that it¡¯s at the Peak of Tier 5,¡± he said, rubbing his chin.

    ¡°And that allowed you to beat a dragon at the Peak of the Mystic Realm?¡± She asked incredulously.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s very potent stuff,¡± he said with a helpless shrug.

    Aya took a moment to go over all that, from his amazing luck to what he¡¯d just claimed.

    ¡°How do you expect me to believe all this?¡± She asked after several minutes of deep thought. ¡°You spin a fanciful tale, but what proof do you have?¡±

    Joram nodded at that, as though expecting her words of doubt, then held out a hand, palm up.

    ¡°Then, won¡¯t you come, and see?¡± He said, a smile softening his face.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    She studied him, taking in every aspect, every subtle tell she knew of. That he appeared completely genuine and honest could have been an act. But what she read in his eyes lowered her guard enough that she reached out and took his hand.

    He smiled, then the world changed around them.

    No longer were they in the tiny, Small World they were using as a portable shelter, but somewhere else much more impressive.

    She looked around, taking everything in in a matter of moments. They were now standing in a decorative garden with tables paired with chairs here and there. Her eyes widened further when the plants she was seeing registered. Each and every one of them was a medicinal plant, from the herbs to the flowers to even the trees.

    Aya saw the two tall castles in the style of her homeland, what he called ¡°Japanese¡±, standing in the distance. There was a sprawling manor off to her left, with many miles of gardens, vineyards, and orchards spread out in front of her.

    ¡°This is the Realm, what you call a Small World, that I told you about,¡± he said, gesturing around them. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll show you more of the proof you want to see,¡± he said, then started walking, still holding her hand.

    She was so overwhelmed by what she was seeing that she didn¡¯t bother taking her hand back as he led her about.

    He first showed her the impressive wine-making facilities. The equipment there was enough to make her gape. From there he brought her to his ¡°workshop¡± and showed her the various ¡°technological¡± devices that had come over with him when he¡¯d first arrived.

    Next came the absurdly high-quality books in a language that she¡¯d never seen before. Then the food. Then his collection of ¡°movies¡± that were also in a language she didn¡¯t recognize.

    At the end of the tour, she was feeling as though the very foundations of what she knew had been shaken. She looked at Joram in a new light. No more was he some unknown master hiding his true nature in the Academy, but was instead so much more than that.

    ¡°This is why you¡¯re so good with crafting?¡± She asked, motioning vaguely towards his workshop as they sat at a small table with tea cooling in their cups.

    ¡°Hmm, yes. It seems that the fundamentals I learned where I came from apply reasonably well to crafting here,¡± he said with a nod.

    ¡°I can see why you asked Jae-Eun not to share your insights,¡± she said, her thoughts going back to the conversation they¡¯d had on their first outing as questers.

    ¡°Yes, but it was mostly because I don¡¯t want to attract too much attention,¡± he said, shrugging.

    ¡°You¡¯re doing a wonderful job of that,¡± she said, taking out her frustrations on him.

    ¡°Yeah, I kinda suck at holding back sometimes,¡± he said, not at all apologetically. ¡°I just feel that staying true to yourself is the best course of action.¡±

    ¡°Does that include seducing many young women?¡± She asked, now feeling as though she needed to understand where he was coming from.

    ¡°No, I just enjoy teaching,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°As you may have noticed, I tend to treat everyone the same. I don¡¯t care about noble lineages or humble stations in life. Everyone is a person. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect until they prove that they deserve otherwise. Even then, there is a bottom line to things.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure Alicia explained to you why she¡¯s gathering the young women on the Goddess Ranking. The study group originally formed to help us all get a better foundation. To empower us all, but more importantly, so that they could stand out for their accomplishments rather than their beauty. I agreed with her, that¡¯s why I agreed to the study sessions with them.

    ¡°That the people here react to basic human decency and compassion- to the kindness that everyone fundamentally deserves to be treated with- with such strong feelings was beyond my expectations. It is also more than a little bit sad,¡± he said, looking just that: sad.

    She took a moment to take all that in and process it. Such sentiments weren¡¯t entirely foreign to her, but to have someone live their life like that was beyond rare and into the realms of myth. Like those ancient sages who¡¯d ascended after achieving enlightenment after a long life of perfecting and living their philosophies.

    ¡°So, what are your intentions? What are your intentions towards those young women who¡¯ve fallen for you?¡± She asked when she came back to the moment.

    Joram took a moment to think that over, possibly to go over how he felt about that.

    ¡°As you might know, or have guessed, I suck at dealing with feelings, or expressing them,¡± he said, looking up into the boughs of the Thunder Persimmon Tree they were sitting under. ¡°As I said, I like them all. I would also like to consider them all friends.

    ¡°They¡¯re all incredibly beautiful,¡± he said, then seemed to pick up on her slight frown even though he wasn¡¯t looking. ¡°Not just them, but you, too. Even Jezira, even though she¡¯s kind of a jerk willing to throw me under the¡­ cart to keep Kassandra away. She¡¯s also quite stunning,¡± he said, then cleared his throat.

    She couldn¡¯t help but feel oddly gratified that he also included her in his praises of the study group¡¯s beauty. She didn¡¯t know how that made her feel, so she filed that away for later so that she could pay attention to what he was saying.

    ¡°The point is, anyone would be over the moons to have so many beautiful women around them. That some of them are even interested in me romantically is beyond a doubt flattering. But at the same time, terrifying,¡± he said, once again shaking his head.

    She couldn¡¯t blame him. Having just one of those young women interested in pursuing him romantically would have been dangerous, especially one of the nobility. That more than one was expressing such interest would have not only their families up in arms, but the desperate young men of the Academy as well.

    Is that why the Belladonna was sent? Did one of their families catch wind of things and thus decided to remove the problem at the root?

    ¡°Anyways. I¡¯ll not actively pursue any of them. But if they express their interest in me, I¡¯ll not turn them away. They¡¯re each, even Jae-Eun, special people. They have it in them to become what this world needs. So, if they decide that they want more than just ¡®friendship¡¯, I¡¯ll oblige them. But I¡¯ll also continue teaching them, for that is what we all need.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t pleased with him including Jae-Eun in there, but understood that her princess was exceptionally willful. Nothing good would come of trying to keep her away from Joram. Nor, did she think, would it serve anything other than to alienate her from her ward.

    ¡°What if I told you that I was interested in you romantically,¡± she asked suddenly, now wanting to see what he¡¯d say.

    ¡°I¡¯d first be flattered that such a beautiful and accomplished person as you would think of me that way,¡± he said, an odd grin on his face. ¡°Then I¡¯d probably run because you¡¯re kind of scary when you get angry,¡± he said, very much looking anywhere but at her.

    Despite herself, she smiled at that. Not because of his compliments, well, mostly. No, it was because that wasn¡¯t the first time that she¡¯d been told something like that by a man.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad that you have some self-awareness,¡± she said, nodding. ¡°But don¡¯t you think that your attitude is somewhat self gratifying? Does that mean that you¡¯ll take in any young woman, who proves to be a talented beauty, who throws themselves at you?¡±

    ¡°Ah, no,¡± he said, turning his head to once again look at her. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe the people Alicia and I rejected when we decided to open up a few more spots in the study group,¡± he said with a little shudder. ¡°That was scary.¡±

    Taking her raised eyebrow as a prompt to explain, he told her of the very¡­ cringeworthy interviews he¡¯d had. Which answered that question for her quite neatly.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re not just some playboy,¡± she said, nodding to herself and getting an indignant look from Joram. ¡°I will still keep an eye on you, though, as I don¡¯t want anything inappropriate to happen between you and Jae-Eun,¡± she said, giving him a firm look.

    ¡°Ah, no worries there,¡± he said, raising his hands defensively. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that I¡¯ll have my hands full sorting things out for the foreseeable future,¡± he said, eyes wide.

    ¡°No innuendo intended?¡± She asked, raising her eyebrow again.

    The look of panic on his face was worth it.

    From there, their conversation veered away from that topic and bounced around for a while. She was glad that she¡¯d agreed to come with him to his ¡°Realm¡±. It was a strange place, but very peaceful. In fact, she felt that it would be a wonderful place to get away from the worries of the world and relax in.

    Well, maybe if there are more onsen here, she mused, thinking of just how relaxing the one in his ¡°safe haven¡± had been. Then she thought of the flavoured milk and almost drooled.

    Well, maybe he isn¡¯t such a bad person after all. Maybe even worthy of getting to know better, she thought, not at all thinking about how getting to know him better might lead to easier access to such luxuries.

    * * * * *

    She couldn¡¯t help but fidget a bit as she sat across from Mr Aneath in the small gazebo he¡¯d led her to. That she was alone with him, even in such a wide and open space, still made her nervous. She¡¯d seen what he could do, and knew that she wouldn¡¯t stand a chance if he decided to act.

    Jezira looked down at the Go board, then back up at Mr Aneath.

    ¡°I don¡¯t play,¡± she said meekly as he was opening the small wicker baskets of stones.

    ¡°Ah, then I¡¯ll not worry about it,¡± he said, then waved a hand and stored the board and baskets away again.

    A moment later, Ren Wentian stepped out of the mansion with a heavily laden tray in hand. He quickly served them, left the tray in the middle of the table, then left again.

    ¡°So, what do you wish to speak of, Mr Aneath?¡± She asked after sipping her delicious tea.

    ¡°I would like to clear the air, as it were,¡± he said, then took a sip of tea before continuing. ¡°I would like to know why you would presume to insult me in my own home. Why you would think it was a good idea to try to push Kassandra away from me. And what makes you think that removing Kassandra from the study group would be good for her? Please, explain,¡± he said, fixing her with a stare that felt like it came from a dangerous beast rather than a young man.

    Given how he¡¯d fled from the gathering last night, she hadn¡¯t expected him to rally so fast, let alone take the initiative to take her aside to speak with her. Because of that, she hadn¡¯t been prepared for this conversation.

    What should she say? That she was jealous of her princess¡¯s time? That she thought that he was too dangerous to be around? That she had also been assigned to the princess to make sure that she didn¡¯t get involved with anyone while she was at the Academy? That her Royal Father was more likely to skin Mr Aneath alive than to approve of him?

    Those thoughts quickly ran across her mind, then were summarily dismissed as being too open with the young man that she knew almost nothing about. If the Emperor discovered that his daughter had fallen for a human, and a commoner at that, never mind that the Princess wouldn¡¯t even be his first wife, she was sure that things would go terribly for him in the future.

    She looked down at his folded hands and saw one of the rings that he¡¯d made, though his gem was a dazzling emerald. Thinking about the rings, and how her Princess now wore one on her wedding finger, she prepared herself to comfort her Princess in the near future; a prospect that Jezira was likely to enjoy even though her Princess¡¯s heart would be broken.

    ¡°How were you even assigned to Kassandra in the first place?¡± Mr Aneath suddenly asked, a puzzled look on his face.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked, startled by the question.

    ¡°I mean, didn¡¯t they have any personality screening tests for the position? How¡¯d someone like you pass?¡±

    Jezira¡¯s heart nearly stopped when she heard his question. She quickly reviewed his expressions while she¡¯d been thinking, and nearly choked. Lining up what she¡¯d been thinking, and the changes of his expressions, she could only surmise that he¡¯d somehow been reading her thoughts.

    She began circulating her mana through her body, getting ready to fight for her life, then he spoke again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t even try,¡± he said, raising an open hand. ¡°If I thought you presented even a moderate threat to me, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered having tea with you,¡± he said, his eyes going cold at the end.

    ¡°What are you planning,¡± she asked as a trickle of sweat made its way down her back.

    He sighed then, looking tired.

    ¡°I just spent the night reading over every text I could about slavery seals. If I really wanted to do something nefarious, I¡¯d have already done it,¡± he said, shaking his head.

    Jezira gulped at that. She didn¡¯t just take his words at face value, but also took in his body language. It didn¡¯t reassure her.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± She asked quietly, afraid that her voice would tremble too much if she spoke louder.

    ¡°Guard her. Make sure she¡¯s safe. But please, don¡¯t meddle in her personal life. I don¡¯t care who her father is, or what he¡¯ll think of how she spends her time. She¡¯s a grown woman, a very capable one at that.

    ¡°If she wants to leave the study group, then let her. If she wants to stay, let her. If she decides to yield to the wants of her family, then let her. If she decides to be her own person, let her. If you can¡¯t do that, for one reason or another, request a replacement who can.

    ¡°Stifling her growth in any way isn¡¯t something that I¡¯ll allow; she has too much potential for that,¡± he said, his gaze weighing heavily upon her.

    Jezira took a sip of tea to wet her throat before she spoke.

    ¡°Do you have any idea how terrifying her Royal Father can be?¡± She asked in all seriousness.

    ¡°I¡¯ve read a book,¡± he said dryly, irking her.

    ¡°He is at the Peak of Tier 6, a half-step away from Tier 7. Not only that, but there are rumours that other Tier 7 existences back the throne. Will you be able to defy them all?¡± She asked, getting heated.

    Mr Aneath regarded her for a moment before replying in his same nonchalant tone that nonetheless carried a great deal of confidence in it.

    ¡°I¡¯m not too far away from being a 7<sup>th</sup> Tier Mentalist, you know.¡±

    Jezira nearly dropped her teacup in her shock. Her mind wanted to deny his words, but the memory of him slaying the dragon the night before silenced any denials that came to mind. The impossibility of it went away when another thought occurred to her.

    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± he said, confirming that he was indeed reading her thoughts, which sent more sweat trickling down her body. ¡°But, don¡¯t tell anyone else. Or I might get mad.¡±

    She gulped then, trying very hard not to show just how rattled she was. That a Reincarnator had taken an interest in her Princess was something that most people would celebrate, given how high they tended to rise. But she still didn¡¯t really know who Mr Aneath was. Was he a good person? Was he a villain waiting to ravage the young women of the study group?

    Would he be a threat to the Empire if they angered him?

    ¡°Yes, I would,¡± he said, once again scaring her. ¡°I tend to take things personally when people try to mess with me, my family, or my friends. On the other hand, if people treat me with sincerity, I tend to reciprocate.¡±

    Thoughts of a Tier 7 Mentalist tearing through the Empire, slaughtering anyone who¡¯d offended him ran through her head. She thought of her hot-headed Emperor and the cunning concubines and shuddered. If any of them caught wind of her Princess¡¯s romantic interest, anything could happen.

    Then she remembered the Belladonna and nearly wet herself. If the Belladonna had been sent by someone from the Empire, what would happen to them? Would the imperial family be exterminated, the nobility annihilated?

    But then his last words came back to her, what he¡¯d said about sincerity. That then brought to mind his words on friendship from the night before. Of how sincere he¡¯d been when speaking, of how she¡¯d doubted his words, and sincerity.

    But did someone who was personally powerful enough to rule his own kingdom need to fool them? Could he not just take what he wanted? Who among them could stop him if he chose to do something?

    Was he really as good a person as he came off as? Was there really a young man such as him in the world who hadn¡¯t been corrupted by his personal power? Would he really treat others well if they were sincere with him, and not take advantage of them?

    Could her Princess really be with the person she¡¯d chosen? Did Jezira not have to worry about the Emperor sending someone to erase his perceived problems? Would Mr Aneath really be able to keep Kassandra safe from the machinations of the Empire¡¯s schemers?

    Jezira took a deep breath, then a long draw of tea before looking Mr Aneath in the eye and speaking.

    ¡°Can I be your friend, too?¡±

 Chapter 096 - Friends? Part 2

    ¡°Eh?¡±  Joram asked, dumbfounded.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d heard that right, so he stuck his pinky into his ear and wiggled it around for a bit.

    Jezira actually blushed before she spoke again.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious,¡± she said, keeping eye contact with him.  ¡°If you¡¯re the kind of person you claim to be, then you¡¯re a person worth knowing.  A person worth being friends with.¡±

    That made him pause and examine her thoughts more, once again having Kinkade relay to him what [Read Mind] revealed.  Shockingly, she was being completely serious.

    It seemed as though the thought of having a Tier 7 Mentalist running rampant through her home empire had sobered her somewhat.  Well, that was an understatement.  She¡¯d been scared straight, as it were.

    ¡°How can I trust you, though?  You spent a good deal of yesterday trying to sabotage my relationship with the study group,¡± he asked, wanting to get more information from her.

    Especially after what she¡¯d done.  He wasn¡¯t a Buddha that would forgive at the drop of a hat, but he wasn¡¯t one to hold grudges either.  Especially if no lasting harm had come from what she¡¯d done.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just have to prove myself from here on out,¡± she said, sitting up straight as her wings flexed slightly behind her.  ¡°Words are cheap, so I¡¯ll convince you through my actions.¡±

    ¡°All right,¡± he said, still a bit taken aback by her sudden one-eighty.

    ¡°I¡¯ll even fully devote my self to you,¡± she said, then got up, stepped around the table, then slid into his lap faster than he could process her intentions.

    She twisted in his lap so that she could drape her arms over his shoulders, her face mere inches from his.  He could feel her breasts pressed up against his chest as her tail played up and down his lats.

    ¡°Um.  What are you doing?¡±  He asked, temporarily re-tasking M5 to keeping his body¡¯s reaction under control.

    ¡°I¡¯m showing you how sincere I am about wanting to be your friend,¡± she said, Kinkade confirming her words.

    ¡°As flattered as I am, I¡¯m sure that you also know how many young women I turned away when interviewing for the study group,¡± he said as seriously as he could with a literal succubus in his lap who was pressed up against him.

    ¡°Then,¡± she said, thankfully drawing back until her hands were on his shoulders.  ¡°How should I show my sincerity?¡± She asked, genuinely at a loss for what to do.

    Holy shit, this woman is dangerous!!

    Kinkade & M3-M11: No shit!

    ¡°How about clearing up your mess from yesterday, for a start?¡±  He asked as he placed his hands on her narrow waist and lifted her off his lap.  ¡°Part of showing me your sincerity is trying to right any wrongs you¡¯ve done me,¡± he said as she extended her legs so that she could stand beside him, her wings flapping slightly to help her balance.

    ¡°I will certainly do that,¡± she said, nodding.  ¡°I¡¯ll also strive to help the young master to the best of my abilities when I¡¯m not caring for the Princess,¡± she said, a gleam sparking in her eyes.

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m good,¡± he said, once again terrified at the thought of yet another person wanting to share his bed.

    As much as his body wanted to respond to her, he very much didn¡¯t want to ruin any of his relationships because he couldn¡¯t keep his hormones in check.

    ¡°I¡¯m good whenever,¡± she said with a smile that could have been entered into an encyclopedia¡¯s entry for a succubus.

    ¡°Well, good talk,¡± he said as he stood up and extended a hand for her to shake.

    He noticed again that she was also quite tall for a woman, just a tad shorter than Kassandra and with a body that made her succubus heritage proud.  Jezira took his hand in her much smaller, more delicate, and soft hand and gently shook it.

    ¡°I look forward to getting to know you better,¡± she said with another smile as her tail gently swayed behind her.

    ¡°Until later, then,¡± he said, letting go of her hand.

    He sat back down on his chair as she walked back to the house and took a sip of cool tea.  He didn¡¯t quite manage to not pay attention to his sphere of perception as Jezira walked away.  Her languid movements and swaying assets reminding him of how she¡¯d felt sitting in his lap, pressed up against him.

    ¡®Avi?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Joram?¡¯

    ¡®I think I need your help in the Realm for a bit,¡¯ he sent along with the image of his bed.

    ¡®I¡¯ll excuse myself and meet you there,¡¯ she sent back happily.

    *Two hours later*

    ¡°OK, ready to continue speaking with everyone again!¡±  He announced happily once he was finished dressing.

    ¡°I take it that the talk with Jezira wasn¡¯t easy?¡±  Avi asked, slipping into her combat suit in a way that tempted him to take another two-hour break.

    ¡°Succubae are dangerous,¡± he said, shaking his head as he briefly recounted his talk with Jezira.

    ¡°Well, just let me know when you need to relieve your stress again,¡± she said, leaning in close to kiss him.  ¡°No need to stress you out, after all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad I have you,¡± he said, pulling her into a firm hug.

    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for your bloodlines, I¡¯d have gotten mad at you though,¡± she said, looking up at him.  ¡°As is, you still need to work on your impulses more.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± he said with a deep sigh.  ¡°And yet you¡¯re encouraging me to take in those beautiful women,¡± he said, fixing her with a stare.

    ¡°They¡¯re different,¡± she said with a sniff.  ¡°Remember, only the ones I approve of,¡± she said returning his stare.

    ¡°And what if Jezira proves to be as sincere as the rest of them?  She¡¯s quite loyal, you know,¡± he asked, making Avi shift a bit in his arms.

    ¡°Then she¡¯ll still need my approval.  Especially after what she tried yesterday.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I set her to righting her wrongs,¡± he said, then blanched.  ¡°No, I mean, I didn¡¯t get her to do that so that you¡¯d approve of her!  I did that to see if she could be someone trustworthy!¡±

    Avi stared back at him blankly for a minute before bursting out laughing.

    ¡°I know what you meant,¡± she said, then tried to pinch his sides, but failed due to his body cultivation.  ¡°Hmm, maybe I¡¯ll also need to start on the Adamantium Body Technique,¡± she mused with a frown.

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve yet to step into the 2<sup>nd</sup> Tier, you should be good to start now,¡± he said, growing serious again.

    ¡°True, but it¡¯s just so expensive.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather you be happy than worry about money,¡± he replied, giving her a light squeeze as he continued to hug her.

    ¡°Hmm, then maybe,¡± she said, giving it more thought.  ¡°I¡¯ll still need your help when I try to condense my Cores.¡±

    ¡°Any time,¡± he said, then gave her a quick kiss.  ¡°But right now, I need to make sure that everyone¡¯s OK.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, take off,¡± she said, slipping out of his arms.  ¡°I¡¯ll continue speaking with everyone.  But, Joram?  You¡¯ll still need to speak with Bai Lian and Mo Yu about things.  They¡¯re still waiting.¡±

    His heart sank again.  He was still unsure of how he should respond to their feelings given how they¡¯d initially formed.  Was it really the Reverse Nightingale Effect?  Or was it more than that?

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll speak with them,¡± he said, then clarified when Avi gave him a look.  ¡°One at a time.  I don¡¯t want things to get even more awkward with us,¡± he finished.

    ¡°Good,¡± she said, nodding.  ¡°I¡¯ve found that I rather like them, regardless of the circumstances of how we all met.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later,¡± he said, then shifted back to the gazebo and sat down.

    Thinking about who he still needed to meet, he was glad that the hard conversations had already been taken care of.

    For as much as he avoided confrontation, his meeting with Jezira had gone remarkably well.  Sure, he¡¯d needed to leave a few things unsaid, like how he¡¯d never make her a slave just to get what he wanted from her.  Or the fact that he wasn¡¯t very likely to go on a bloody rampage, wiping out the Starfire Empire in his wrath because Kassandra¡¯s dad pissed him off.

    He just hoped that when Jezira got to know him well enough to know that he wasn¡¯t that kind of person, that she wouldn¡¯t be too angry with him for letting her think those things.

    The next few hours proved to be much less emotionally draining for him.  That said, it was still a lot.

    Gabrielle proved to indeed be quite taken with him.  It had taken a lot more conversation to determine that her quiet crush on him was a bit more serious than he¡¯d thought.  Gabrielle was unsure is she was OK with a polygamous relationship, and that was why she¡¯d been so quiet for so long.

    But she was very much confirmed that no matter what, she always wanted to be friends with him.  The well-toned, auburn haired young woman¡¯s dark brown eyes were so full of sincerity when she told him that, that he¡¯d gone in for a hug.  Not one of those super close, bodies pressed up against each other hugs, but one of quiet joy and gladness.

    It had gone well.

    The conversation with Alyraele had been a bit formal at first, the sea-green haired young woman still seeming in the process of sorting out her thoughts after what had been said the night before.  After a bit of small talk, she opened-up to him a bit more.

    ¡°Coming from a minor house, I was prepared to be politically married off to another house to improve relations with them.  Given our relatively low status, I was also resigned to the fact that I¡¯d likely be a second or third wife.  Depending on the house, maybe even a concubine,¡± she said, shaking her head at that.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that I¡¯d be the one to consider such a relationship,¡± she said, then looked him in the eye as she continued to speak.  ¡°I don¡¯t know if what I¡¯m feeling is genuine love, or something else.  But I do know that I want to be close to you.  I know that I don¡¯t want to get married off for political reasons.  I know that I want to choose my own fate.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°But can being with you help my family?  Would they approve of me staying with you?  Would they try to take me away to marry me off to someone they think will get them ahead?¡±

    He watched as the normally collected lady grew agitated and frustrated as she spoke.  He could tell just how much those question weighed on her as she spoke, opening her heart to him.

    ¡°At the very least,¡± he said, reaching out to take her hand that was clenched tightly on her lap.  ¡°I can say that if you want to stay with me, I¡¯ll not let them bother you.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±  She asked as her golden eyes searched his, looking for the answers that she needed.

    ¡°I¡¯m strong,¡± he said with a shrug that got him a glare for his efforts.  ¡°If they want to treat you like a trade commodity, then I¡¯ll make it worth their while to let you decide your own fate,¡± he explained.

    ¡°Again, how?¡±  She asked, leaning forward, her golden eyes sparkling intensely.

    ¡°That would depend on what they try,¡± he said with another shrug.  ¡°I¡¯ll not let my friends be bullied by anyone, even their families.¡±

    ¡°But what power do you have to do that?¡±  She asked, again wanting- demanding, to know more.

    Joram placed his other hand on top of her hand, cupping it between his hands.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that you¡¯re my friend?¡±

    ¡°Always,¡± she replied, blushing, then murmured.  ¡°And maybe more, in time.¡±

    As much as that last statement got his heart beating, he was happier to hear her first word.

    ¡°I¡¯m at the Peak of Tier 6 as a Mentalist,¡± he said, making her eyes nearly pop out of her face.  ¡°Not just that, but due to an accident in my cultivation early on¡­.  Let¡¯s just say that I¡¯m still a cultivator, and I¡¯m already in the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier.¡±

    He waited for her mind to restart after that revelation.  The procession of emotions that rode across her face told him almost as much as he would have gotten from [Read Mind] if it were still active.  As it was, he enjoyed the adorable show until she regained her composure.

    After a few more questions, and a demonstration, Alyraele was much relieved and considerably more comfortable around him.  She¡¯d always been serious and proper around him, but never quite relaxed.  The change in her demeanor also gladdened his heart.

    Then came his talk with Daleira, which went considerably faster than any before it.  She was very upfront in telling him how she felt about him, and that she hoped that they could indeed be fast friends like how he¡¯d described until after she graduated.  Where, after that, she wanted to take the time to explore her feelings for him, with him.

    That she wanted to help her home village, and repay the debt to them for sending her to the Academy, was something that he could understand.  After suggesting that she also help with the department store to make some money to help repay her village, she gave him a very ¡°happy¡± hug in thanks.

    She¡¯d been hesitant to get a job at the Academy, worrying that her studies might fall behind.  But with how well the study group was helping her to understand the course materials, she was now confident that working wouldn¡¯t interfere with her grades.

    It had taken him a few minutes after she¡¯d left to settle down again.  Having Daleira suddenly hug him like that had been on par with what Jezira had done.  After calming himself, he used [Cleanse] to make sure that no lingering scents remained, then [Cleanse]d again for good measure.

    Faenwyn had come a few minutes later at his telepathic invitation.  The Silver Wolf beastkin woman strode right up to the gazebo before bowing, then taking a seat.

    Amongst them all, Faenwyn was the most straight-laced.  She was always proper, always courteous and thoughtful.  He would have described her as tsundere, but wasn¡¯t quite sure due to lack of data.

    ¡°I will be your friend,¡± she said with no preamble, her face stiff.

    He saw her tail twitching behind her as her ears vibrated slightly.

    OK, now there¡¯s the proof, he thought, trying hard to keep the smile off his face.

    ¡°I¡¯m happy to hear that, my friend,¡± he said with his second-best smile, making her ears and tail vibrate faster even as a slight blush started to stain her stiff cheeks.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s get along,¡± she said, stood up, and presented her hand for him to shake.

    ¡°I would like that,¡± he said, taking her strong, but slender hand in his.

    Faenwyn nodded, then drew a dagger and quickly ran it cross the back of their hands, drawing blood.

    He blinked at that, staring at the white line on her hand that began to overflow with blood a moment later.

    She, too, stared at their hands, specifically his.  Her mouth dropped open when she realized that her dagger hadn¡¯t even left a scratch on his skin.

    ¡°Um¡­ what was that?¡±  He asked, a bit worried about her.

    ¡°In my tribe, sworn friends exchange blood like this,¡± she said after a moment more of staring at his hand.  ¡°We let the blood mingle, then each licks the other¡¯s wound, signifying that they¡¯ll be there for one another through thick and thin,¡± she said, then got a worried look on her face.

    Before she could begin panicking, he retrieved an enchanted dagger from his storage and cut the back of his hand, following the same line that her own dagger had.  He quickly stored the dagger away again as she once again gaped at his hand.

    ¡°Friends,¡± he said, then leaned over and quickly licked the back of her hand, shocking her nearly senseless in the process.

    It took another minute for her to start functioning again, but she slowly leaned down and licked the back of his hand before her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and passing out.

    He quickly caught her as he pulsed healing through his connection to her.  He then forcibly added her to the Network, and checked her health.  Her heart was racing as her temperature began to rise.

    M3 [Delve]d her as he tried to figure out what had happened, then a realization hit him.

    It was his blood.

    Using what he found with [Delve], he [Extract]ed the blood she¡¯d liked up.  He then used [Bend Reality] to try to remove any of his lingering energy in her system.

    After doing so, her heart rate and temperature began to decrease.  Soon enough, her vitals were back to normal, allowing him to heave a sigh of relief as he dropped her from the Network again.

    It only took her a few moments more to regain consciousness, and her cheeks to flood with colour as she slowly began stiffening up.  He had sat down on the gazebo floor when he started to work, cradling her in his arms, hence her need to look up at him.

    ¡°Glad you¡¯re up now,¡± he said with a gentle smile.  ¡°It didn¡¯t occur to me that my bloodline might affect you like that,¡± he said, not hiding it from her.

    ¡°I¡¯m OK now,¡± she said very quietly, her ears almost laying flat as her pupils dilated.

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± he said as he effortlessly stood up with her in his arms.  ¡°Maybe you should still go and rest for a bit,¡± he suggested as he used another [Cleanse] to get rid of their blood.

    ¡°Mmnmm,¡± she nodded, then hurried away, her tail clutched in her hands as she went.

    He sat back down at the table and sighed.  He really hoped that Faenwyn wouldn¡¯t turn out to be one of those tsundere who turned violently reactive after realizing how much they liked their crush.

    ¡®Umm, Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Avi?¡¯

    ¡®What happened with Faenwyn?¡¯  She asked, her tone curiously neutral.

    He explained their remarkably short conversation, then the ¡°sworn friend¡± ritual as Faenwyn had explained it to him.  Once he was done, Avi was quite for a bit before she eventually spoke, a mixture of exasperation and amusement heavily lacing her tone.

    ¡®Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Avi?¡¯

    ¡®That was basically a marriage ceremony.  She pulled a fast one on ¡®ya.¡±

    He took a few minutes to process that before snapping out of it.

    ¡®You really have to watch out for the quiet ones, huh?¡¯

    ¡®Yup.¡¯

    After that, he¡¯d needed to take a few more minutes to process everything, then compose himself.

    When Renna came out, he could see just how nervous she was.  With how she¡¯d blurted out that she liked him last night, he supposed that her nervousness was well founded.  Especially after he¡¯d run away like that.

    ¡°Good to see you, Renna,¡± he said with a soft smile.  ¡°I¡¯m also sorry for running away last night.¡±

    ¡°N-nothing to apologize for,¡± she said, trying to look stoic.  ¡°I hope that we can be g-g-good f-f-f-friends!¡±  She finally managed to blurt out as she ducked her head low, sticking out a tiny hand for him to shake.

    He took the High Elf¡¯s hand in his and gave it a gentle pump up and down.

    ¡°I am truly happy to have you as a friend,¡± he said.

    Renna quickly pulled her hand back with a quiet squeak before nodding, her head still down.

    He wondered where the cool-headed girl had gone.  Had that all just been an act?  The stereotypical elven aloofness presented to the world?  Or was it that she wasn¡¯t very good when it came to speaking about emotions and such?

    ¡°M-m-m-me too!¡±  She finally said, her face going very red.

    So, he got up, stepped over to her, then gently helped her to stand.  He marvelled at her slight frame, not even half his width, probably closer to a third.

    He leaned down and gave her a quick hug, careful not to accidentally injure her.  She stiffened again, but soon relaxed enough to give him a couple pats on the shoulder before he stood up straight again.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care, my senior,¡± he said jokingly.

    To his surprise, she seemed to take courage from his words.  She puffed out her chest, making him quickly look away as she planted her hands on her hips.

    ¡°That¡¯s right!  I¡¯ll be sure to take good care of my junior!¡±  She said, then laughed out loud theatrically.

    He nodded happily, then exchanged a few words before Renna quickly hurried off again.  He stood there for a minute after she¡¯d gone inside, then shook his head.  Was she just shy, or another tsundere?  Either way, he was glad that he¡¯d managed to lighten the mood for her and relieve some of her stress.

    Of those that remained to speak with, Sophia was the one he was most nervous about.  Given her reservations with becoming a fast friend, he wasn¡¯t sure how their conversation would go.  So, instead he contacted Kassandra and asked her to come speak with him.

    As he watched her through his sphere of perception, he began regretting not sending for her last.  She practically glided out of the back door, all grace, and sensual fluidity.  Now that he knew for a fact that most of the study group were interested in him that way, it was very hard not to watch her more closely.

    When she finally sat across from him, he heaved a mental sigh of relief.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you said to Jezira, but thank you,¡± she opened.  ¡°Not only did she apologise to me for her conduct, but she also apologised to the others for sowing doubt.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah, no worries,¡± he said, very much paying attention to her amethyst eyes.

    Kassandra had dressed in her body suit today, though wore a sarong to keep¡­ modest?  He didn¡¯t know, but the sarong was worn low enough on her hips to allow for her tail, making the normally attractive garment almost criminally sexy.

    Kassandra watched him a moment before speaking again.

    ¡°She has also, quite vocally, declared her intention to support me should I decide to pursue you,¡± she said, dropping quite the bomb on him.

    ¡°Ah, really?¡±  He asked, swallowing hard.  ¡°That¡¯s much farther than I thought she¡¯d go.¡±

    ¡°What, exactly, did you expect?¡±  She asked, leaning forward, straining his willpower further.

    ¡°I just asked her to apologize to everyone for what she¡¯d done yesterday,¡± he said, leaning back to stare up at the ceiling.  ¡°I also may have asked her to let you make your own choices without trying to meddle in them.¡±

    He saw her study him again, this time much more shrewdly than before.  As a small smile curved her lips, revealing her sexy incisors, he had to concentrate very hard on the ceiling.

    ¡°Oh?  I didn¡¯t realize that you cared so much about my life,¡± she said, her voice suddenly turning silky-smooth.

    Many, many, things flew through his mind after that statement, most of which weren¡¯t appropriate.  So many attacks against his willpower, even unintentional ones, where stressing him too much.

    M3: [Barred Mind, Personal <sup>A</sup>]

    Joram: Thank you!!

    M3: I¡¯ve got your back.

    With the added boost of [Barred Mind, Personal <sup>A</sup>], he was once again able to focus properly on the conversation at hand, the buff to his Will Save saving the day.

    ¡°Like I said, I go a long way for my friends,¡± he replied as his chin dropped down again so that he could look her in the eyes.

    ¡°Ah, I see,¡± she said, her small smile remaining.  ¡°I, too, wish to be your friend,¡± she said, leaning forward a bit more.  ¡°Someone who can set Jezira straight, while also looking out for my best interests, is someone worth getting to know¡­ much better.¡±

    He smiled at her flagrant flirting, but also saw that it wasn¡¯t just her usual act.

    ¡°Then let us continue to get to know one another better,¡± he said, reaching out a hand for her to take.

    ¡°I would like that very much,¡± she replied with a genuinely happy smile on her face as she took his hand.

    After a few more minutes of her flirting with him as they spoke of his plans for their quests, she headed back inside.  This time, it wasn¡¯t as hard to not pay attention to her walking.  With that in mind, he made sure to add [Barred Mind, Personal] to the daily powers he needed to upkeep.

    Jae-Eun was next.  He was surprised to see that she came out alone, though.  But just like Kassandra, she was wearing her body suit.  He wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d been wearing it all along in preparation for questing, or if she¡¯d changed into it after having seen Kassandra¡¯s attire for their meeting.

    The difference was that Jae-Eun hadn¡¯t bothered to cover herself further like Kassandra had with her sarong.

    Either way, the princess with long, tied back, black/violet hair and deep blue eyes was a sight to behold.  She was the shortest of the study group, standing at probably 162cm or so.  Like Renna, she was slender, but managed to be curvier than the already shapely elf.

    The look of fierce determination in her eyes as she approached the gazebo had him worried that Aya might wind up coming out, katana in hand.

    ¡°Good to see you, Jae-Eun,¡± he said before she could speak, causing her to mentally stumble a bit.

    ¡°Yes, good to see you too,¡± she said automatically, then sat in the same way before a look of frustration briefly flashed across her face.  ¡°We need to talk,¡± she said, once again serious.

    ¡°Please,¡± he said, indicating for her to start as he poured fresh cups of tea for them from the enchanted teapot.

    ¡°I can¡¯t marry you,¡± she said bluntly through a fierce blush, then continued when he nodded.  ¡°Because I¡¯m the third princess of the Maehwa Empire, I cannot marry into a position that might put me at a higher standing than my elder siblings,¡± she said, staring him intently in the eyes.

    ¡°OK?¡±  He said, not quite getting where she was going with that, but still got a tingle on the back of his neck that made him double-check his surroundings in his FoP- field of perception.

    ¡°So, when I am eventually paired with someone, I must become their concubine,¡± she said, her face going even redder.

    ¡°I see,¡± he said, now panicking quite fiercely on the inside, but still managing a calm nod.

    ¡°Given the requirements by the Emperor, anyone who can be an asset to the Empire, is strong enough to be a general of the Empire, and *cough*cantreatmewell*cough* is qualified to¡­ have me,¡± she said, suddenly losing her courage at the end, turning quickly to face away from him.

    He took a moment to confer with the Minds, then to get Avi¡¯s opinion on what she¡¯d said.  After all that, Jae-Eun had indeed said what she¡¯d said, and everyone agreed with his initial understanding of her words.

    ¡°Are you saying that you want to be my concubine?¡±  He asked slowly, paying very close attention to not only Jae-Eun¡¯s reaction, but also to his FoP.

    ¡°I accept!!¡± she yelled out, then got up and ran away so fast that he was sure she¡¯d kill someone if they collided.

    ¡°What, was that?¡±  He asked, then looked around to see if someone had put the poor girl up to that.

    No one answered.

 Chapter 097 - Friends? Part 3

    She was too nervous. If she was in a negotiation, she knew without a doubt that she¡¯d be at a massive disadvantage. Her heart rate was up, and she was allowing others to distract her.

    After Renna- quite possibly the most mature and collected of them all before this trip- had returned from speaking with Joram, her heart had sunk. The calm, cool, and idolized High Elf of the Academy was¡­ anything but calm and cool.

    Sophia watched as Renna tried to pretend that nothing was amiss, but after the third time someone mentioned Joram¡¯s name in passing had caused her to stutter and blush slightly, she ran off claiming that she needed a nap.

    When she had seen what Kassandra came downstairs dressed in, she nearly fainted. That the number three on the Ranking was dressing like that just to speak with someone didn¡¯t bode well for what might happen afterwards.

    What was worse, was that Jae-Eun had taken one look at Kassandra and had rushed off with such a look of determination on her face that she wondered if the girl was going to the gallows. Not long after she, too, had gone to speak with Joram once Kassandra returned looking like a well-fed cat¡­. Which wasn¡¯t fair to Emily when she really thought about the comparison.

    At that point, her palms were sweaty. She hadn¡¯t even been this nervous for her first shift at her first job! She took a few moments to breath, cycling mana through her system to help calm her nerves. But when Jae-Eun flashed by like lightning, looking redder than a tomato, she nearly lost her breakfast.

    ¡®Hey, I think it¡¯s your turn to speak with Joram,¡¯ Alicia¡¯s voice rang out in her head, causing her to jump like a¡­. She stopped there; her mind too frazzled to think of an appropriate simile.

    She could only nod, having somehow forgotten how to speak through the ring.

    Sophia got up, straightened her combat attire, which just so happened to include the body suit that Joram had made her. But she was much better covered than the others had been!

    ¡°Are you OK?¡± Alyraele asked, concern heavy in her gentle voice.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be good,¡± she said mechanically. ¡°Just like any job interview. Nothing to worry about,¡± she finished as she began walking to the back door.

    Sure, it was a good sixty feet away, but to her it felt like hundreds of miles. Each of her steps didn¡¯t seem to take her anywhere, yet before she knew it, her hand was on the back door, ready to slide it open.

    She took another few steadying breaths to help calm her heart as she once again circulated mana through her body. After another few minutes of that she opened the door and strode to the small gazebo where Joram sat.

    When she got there, she realized that the walk hadn¡¯t been as bad as she¡¯d feared. Joram hadn¡¯t stared at her as she approached, leaving her able to collect herself even more on the short walk.

    In fact, Joram continued to stare off into the distance, looking a million miles away.

    She wasn¡¯t sure if she was supposed to wait to be invited to sit, or if she was supposed to just do what she wanted. Another minute passed by like that before she decided to just sit, and to hell with what he thought about it.

    That seemed to snap him out of whatever daydream he¡¯d been in, a startled look replacing his faraway one.

    ¡°Ah, sorry about that,¡± he said, looking more than a little embarrassed and nervous.

    ¡°It¡¯s all good,¡± she said as nonchalantly as she could manage. ¡°So, what did you want to talk about?¡± She asked, throwing the ball to his court.

    She very much didn¡¯t want to broach the subject with how nervous she felt. So, she fell back on her training in negotiation. Step one: take the initiative. Make the other person reveal what they wanted so that you could be in a better bargaining position.

    ¡°Oh, right, that,¡± he said, shaking his head slightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for how last night ended. I¡¯m rather terrible with that sort of thing,¡± he said, not quite looking at her.

    ¡°The friendship thing,¡± she said, pretending to just remember what had kept her on edge the whole night.

    ¡°Yeah, that,¡± he said, nodding along. ¡°Have you decided if you¡¯d like to stay in the study group?¡± He asked, looking for all the world like he didn¡¯t want to talk about it.

    Which threw her for a loop. Why wouldn¡¯t he want to know? Didn¡¯t he want them all there? Wasn¡¯t that why he¡¯d brought up all that stuff about friendship and all that?

    ¡°Yes, I would like to stay with the study group, but¡­¡± she said, but couldn¡¯t get the next words out.

    ¡°But? Is there something I can help with?¡± Joram asked, now looking at her directly, his green eyes practically staring into her soul.

    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to sleep with you!!¡± She finally yelled, getting the thing off her chest that had been weighing so heavily on her. ¡°I¡¯m not that kind of girl! If that doesn¡¯t work for you, then I¡¯ll find my own way!¡±

    She nearly got up and ran away after finally managing to blurt out her feelings and fears, but stopped at the absolutely stunned, poleaxed, astonished, shocked, and amazed look on his face. His eyes were wide open, his jaw hanging low. He was so pale that she thought she was seeing a ghost for a moment.

    Then he was just¡­ gone.

    Gone, as in not there. Not gone as in ¡°a faraway look¡± in his eyes. One moment he was sitting there, the next¡­ nothing. She felt her heartrate skyrocket and her adrenaline spike before a scream tore its way out of her mouth, and she started running.

    Before she knew it, Alyraele and Daleira were holding her and saying things that she couldn¡¯t quite make out over the blood roaring in her ears. Then, just as suddenly as the panic attack had come on, it was gone, leaving behind only calm and peace.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Alicia asked from just a foot away, her hands on Sophia¡¯s shoulders as the looked her in the eyes.

    ¡°Ah,¡± she said, now beyond embarrassed and into the territory or mortification. ¡°I, talked to Joram.¡±

    ¡°And¡­?¡± Alicia prompted gently, her eyes soft and understanding.

    ¡°Well, I cleared the air with him,¡± she said, suddenly not wanting to look Joram¡¯s girlfriend in the eyes anymore.

    ¡°Please, tell me exactly what you said,¡± Alicia asked softly, now looking a bit worried.

    Sophia didn¡¯t understand where she was coming from. What did it matter what she¡¯d said? But the Look that Alicia was giving her prompted her to speak.

    ¡°I told him that I still wanted to stay in the study group,¡± she said, finally noticing that almost everyone was gathered around her, listening to her every word. ¡°I told him that I would stay, but there was a condition,¡± she said, then swallowed hard when their gazes sharpened.

    ¡°And what was the condition?¡± Again, Alicia¡¯s prompt was so kind and caring that she answered before she knew it.

    ¡°I told him that I didn¡¯t want to sleep with him,¡± she blurted out, causing every face present to turn crimson, even Alicia¡¯s.

    ¡°And then?¡± Alicia asked, her voice straining to stay calm and caring.

    Sophia gulped then, remembering what had happened and how freaked out she¡¯d been.

    ¡°Then he turned into a ghost and vanished¡­¡± she said, her voice nearly failing her as she finished speaking.

    It seemed that their ears weren¡¯t for show, because everyone looked at her dumbly for a moment before Alicia spoke.

    ¡°A ghost?¡± She asked, her voice light.

    ¡°He was so white,¡± she said, going pale at the memory. ¡°Then he was gone. He didn¡¯t move. There was no sound. Nothing. He just vanished.¡±

    Alicia facepalmed.

    Sophia didn¡¯t understand why she did that, finding the reaction odd given what everything might mean. She firmed her resolve, cleared her throat, then asked Alicia what had been eating away at her since Joram¡¯s disappearance.

    ¡°Alicia? Is the reason why no one can feel Joram¡¯s cultivation¡­¡± she gulped again, building up the courage to ask. ¡°Is¡­ Joram actually a ghost?¡±

    There! I asked! Ahhhhh~~~~!!!! I hate ghosts!!!

    Alicia looked at her blankly for a moment, as did everyone else present.

    ¡°I mean! The reason why he¡¯s so strong with Mental Strength! Ghosts are said to not have a cultivation, and!, he¡¯s such a strong Mentalist! Ghosts are strong Mentalists!¡± She blurted out, babbling to try and explain herself.

    Alicia squeezed her shoulders tight, her head dropping so that her chin rested on her chest. To Sophia, she looked so downtrodden and depressed that she was about to comfort Alicia, letting her know that it was understandable to be fooled by such a powerful ghost. Then Alicia started to shake, and she panicked. But before she could say anything, Alicia burst out in laughter.

    In fact, she was laughing so hard that only her grip on Sophia¡¯s shoulders kept her from falling over.

    ¡°Oh, I needed that!¡± Alicia wheezed, barely able to get the words out as she gasped for breath.

    ¡°What?¡± Sophia asked, looking around at her friends who were also trying very hard not to laugh.

    Her face turned crimson, not sure what they were all about, but absolutely sure that she was missing something important.

    Because Alicia was too¡­ preoccupied, Aya spoke up, surprising them all.

    ¡°Joram isn¡¯t a ghost,¡± Aya said, astonishing Sophia with her use of his first name. ¡°He was probably mortified by your statement and fled to a Small World that he has access to,¡± she said simply, but her words pierced deep into Sophia¡¯s chest.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked, narrowing her eyes as she regarded Jae-Eun¡¯s protector. ¡°With all of his weird talk yesterday, and how everyone constantly flirts so outrageously with him, isn¡¯t all this talk of becoming ¡®friends¡¯ with him another way of him demanding ¡®extra benefits¡¯ from us?¡± She demanded as her face turned very red with how embarrassing the words were for her to speak, not to mention how she felt about her claims of Joram being a ghost.

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    Not a single one of them didn¡¯t blush in one way or another, confirming her thoughts.

    ¡°Sophia,¡± Alicia finally spoke, looking her dead in the eye. ¡°I don¡¯t know where this misunderstanding has come from, but Joram isn¡¯t like that,¡± she said, then proceeded to explain how they¡¯d specifically weeded out the young women who¡¯d basically thrown themselves at Joram during the interviews for the extra spots in the study group.

    Sophia stared at Alicia for a while, mulling things over. Even Aya nodded along when Alicia had told the story. Then she noticed Jezira nodding along as well, and that gave her pause. She was almost certain that Jezira wasn¡¯t just a ¡°maid¡±, but was instead a protector for her princess like Aya was for Jae-Eun.

    So, if someone as strong as them, and presumably well-versed in investigating any would-be associates of their princesses, then their opinions would hold weight¡­.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s with all the weird talk?¡± Sophia asked suspiciously as she looked at her friends. ¡°Why¡¯s everyone acting so weird?¡±

    It took a while before someone spoke.

    ¡°It was the first time that¡­ I spoke with someone of the opposite sex so candidly,¡± Alyraele said, her face still rosy. ¡°It was much more pleasant than I had anticipated. Speaking of my familial difficulties with Joram was very liberating¡­ and reassuring.¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Sophia said, scrutinizing the young woman who just so happened to be one of her best friends.

    What she saw wasn¡¯t the fa?ade that Alyraele normally wore, but the more vulnerable one she had when they spoke quietly with one another when it was just the two of them. She then wondered what sort of sorcery Joram had used to crack Alyraele¡¯s shell. It had taken her many months of getting to know the young noblewoman before they¡¯d started being able to speak of topics closer to the heart.

    ¡°I can say without a shred of doubt that Joram wasn¡¯t trying to get any ¡®extra benefits¡¯ from his talk with me. On the contrary, he was extending an offer of friendship. A friendship strong enough that he would help me walk my own path, regardless of what my family wants,¡± Alyraele said, her chin rising slightly in the way that Sophia knew meant that her pride was out in full force.

    ¡°Oh? And how would he do that? You¡¯re a noble. As far as I can tell, he¡¯s a commoner like me, Gabrielle, and Daleira,¡± she said, her own pride getting kindled.

    ¡°How many commoners do you know that can punch a hole in a dragon, then literally blow its brains out of its skull?¡± Jezira spoke up, surprising everyone present with her light, but mocking words that further irritated Sophia.

    ¡°There are plenty of independent cultivators out there,¡± she said, digging her heals in.

    ¡°How many are there that can do that, but are younger than you?¡± Jezira pressed, an elegant eyebrow arching as she spoke.

    ¡°How is he younger than me?¡± She spluttered. ¡°Have you seen him?!¡±

    ¡°Hmmm. In our homeland, there are techniques one can use to determine the age of a cultivator. It¡¯s very useful when doing background checks on people, especially with the added youth granted by breaking through the Tiers as a cultivator progresses,¡± she said with a faint smile on her lips.

    Everyone¡¯s attention was suddenly fixed on the woman, their eyes practically shining with interest. Her friends knew that she was only nineteen this past year, though she¡¯d soon be twenty years old. Of her three friends, Alyraele, Daleira, and Gabrielle, she was the youngest. She was certain that Jae-Eun was younger than her, though. Faenwyn and Kassandra were definitely older, but she wasn¡¯t sure about Emily.

    ¡°So, given that Joram isn¡¯t a young lord with resources handed to him on a golden platter,¡± Jezira said, also shocking everyone when she used his first name. ¡°And that he is also younger than you; why wouldn¡¯t he be able to protect his friends with his personal strength?¡±

    Sophia couldn¡¯t help but stare at the woman for a bit as thoughts spun around in her head. It was true that Joram was exceptionally talented and ridiculously strong for his age. Almost everyone had taken him for being much older than the rest of them even though he was only a first-year student.

    After all, it wasn¡¯t unusual for a talented crafter to enroll at the Academy later in life to progress their stagnating craft.

    ¡°Just how old is he?¡± Sophia asked, once again getting everyone¡¯s attention that then turned back to Jezira.

    ¡°I¡¯m not at liberty to say,¡± she replied, causing not a few looks of disappointment. ¡°Suffice it to say, even Princess Sung is older than he is. Though, I¡¯m sure that his appearance has to do with the unusual body refining technique that he uses.¡±

    That dropped almost every mouth in the room, including hers. If even Jae-Eun was older than Joram, just how young was he?!

    ¡°I think we¡¯re getting a bit off topic,¡± Alicia piped in, drawing their attention back to her. ¡°Suffice it to say, Joram certainly has the means to keep his friends safe. But given how sensitive any information about him is, I can¡¯t speak to most everything. If he chooses to open up to any of you, I hope that you¡¯ll each keep what he shares with you to yourselves, much like he does for each and every one of us,¡± she said firmly, but with more than a hint of passion in her voice.

    ¡°So,¡± Alicia continued after a brief pause. ¡°To sum things up. Joram doesn¡¯t require any special ¡®privileges¡¯ from anyone who wants to stay in the study group. The only thing that he asks for is your firm friendship and trust.

    ¡°I know for a fact that the very idea of demanding such ¡®benefits¡¯ from someone is against almost everything that he stands for. Even stepping into a relationship with someone who he¡¯s had authority over in the past is almost too much for him,¡± she said, looking around at them all, her gaze lingering just a bit longer on Moyra and Quinn before moving on.

    ¡°So, Sophia,¡± Alicia said, locking eyes with her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you¡¯ve so completely misunderstood not only the situation, but also Joram¡¯s character. Given that it was a misunderstanding, I hope that you¡¯ll apologize to Joram¡­ when he eventually returns,¡± she said, the last part reminding Sophia of how he¡¯d so suddenly fled.

    Her pride surged up, making her want to dismiss the need to apologise to Joram. She had been very clear about where she wanted to stand, of what her bottom line was. But then her reason kicked her pride aside.

    It was true that she shouldn¡¯t feel bad about setting proper boundaries with people. In fact, that was right and good. What had prompted her reasoning to intervene was that she¡¯d gone into the situation and based her actions around a misunderstanding.

    The remorse that was starting to set in wasn¡¯t for being assertive, but for inadvertently insulting and hurting Joram by implying that she thought he was aiming for sexual compensation for his tutoring. That she now knew she¡¯d been wrong, as well as now knowing that Joram¡¯s wasn¡¯t like that, well. That came as an astonishing relief to her.

    Sophia needed to take a few breaths before she could speak, also taking a moment to circulate her mana to help calm herself down.

    ¡°Everyone,¡± she said, not quite able to meet their eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the misunderstanding. I can see that you all like Joram that way, and he really is a great guy. But I don¡¯t think I see him that way,¡± she finished.

    Gabrielle and Daleira scooted forward to wrap her in hugs, prompting many more of her friends to join in as well. It felt great to have them comfort her, to feel how much they loved and cared for her. She also found that her love of the study group, of its members, had grown over the months.

    She¡¯d been afraid of losing the extra time with her friends as well as the extra boost the group provided for her studies. The thought of being kicked out for not¡­ doing that, had started to shrivel her love of the study group, had made her start to question everything surrounding it.

    But now that things were made clear, she found that not only had her love of the group stopped shrivelling, but it had also grown larger than it had been.

    It took her another few minutes to clear the lump in her throat before she could speak.

    ¡°So,¡± she started, then paused to calm her racing heart. ¡°Just how Joram described what friendship means to him¡­. Would you all be willing to be friends like that for me?¡± She asked, her voice growing so soft at the end that she was practically whispering again.

    Once everyone had parsed what she¡¯d said, she was overwhelmingly inundated with affirmations and support. The talk then went to each of them expressing something similar. By the end, they¡¯d all sworn friendship with one another on the same level that Joram had spoken of, even Faenwyn and Emily.

    ¡°Ah~! This is what I was talking about!¡± Joram suddenly exclaimed from behind the group, making everyone jump in surprise; even Aya and Jezira. ¡°Group hug!!!¡± He yelled, his arms going wide as a huge smile spread across his face.

    Sophia was so shocked that her heart had nearly stopped. But Alicia, Moyra, and Quinn acted almost as one and rushed to embrace Joram in his ridiculous pose. But then Emily sped over, closely followed by Kassandra and Jae-Eun. Once they were on the way, everyone else got up and joined in on the ¡°group hug¡±.

    She was beyond shocked that even Aya and Jezira joined in, though they more hugged their respective princesses than anyone else. Slowly, she got up and made her way over. She hesitantly raised a hand, then squeaked as Daleira grabbed it and pulled her over, adding her to the group.

    After a few moments of panic, she relaxed.

    It wasn¡¯t so bad.

    * * * * *

    Ah, harmony, Joram thought as he watched the study group settle down after the group hug.

    He¡¯d been this close to not saying anything after he¡¯d returned from his brief panic-attack induced timeout. But seeing them come together to help reassure their friend had been too heartwarming. He¡¯d been a hugger since he could remember, so he¡¯d just gone with what he knew.

    But, nine hells, had it been scary! If they¡¯d not joined in, he would have probably ¡°lost all face¡±, as it were. He wouldn¡¯t have known how he could have faced them in the future.

    Man, I love Avi, he thought as he looked over at his oldest friend on this planet. Now his lover.

    He quickly fought down a blush before getting up again.

    ¡°Are we going to start planning out the quests now?¡± Emily asked when she noticed him standing up.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°It would probably be a good thing if we actually did what we came out here to do.¡±

    Emily smiled at that and sidled up closer to him so that she could take his hand, lacing her fingers with his. She then pulled him to the wall where he¡¯d pinned the map. That drew everyone¡¯s attention, and soon the whole study group, along with the two chaperones, was gathered around them in a semicircle.

    ¡°So,¡± he said, still a bit uncomfortable with so many eyes on him, especially theirs. ¡°You might have noticed the coloured pins and the requests¡­¡± he started, then went on to explain things.

    The explanation went very quickly since they¡¯d mostly guessed everything based on the simple layout. What made things take a bit longer was their¡­ requests to join his party for some of the higher difficulty quests.

    It wasn¡¯t that he was against the idea, but everyone wanted a turn to ¡°spend more time getting to know¡± him better. Which made it so that he had to divide the four Class C quests amongst them. He had needed to plan with them which ones best suited their combat abilities to reduce the risk to each of them as much as he could.

    He¡¯d outright refused to bring any of them on the Class B quests, though. Those would be dangerous for even the Trio, let alone Emily unless she was able to release her battle aura to its limits. Even then, the only reason why he let her come was because she was an official member of N7, and he didn¡¯t want to deny her the Ranking Points that the rest of the team would be getting from the quests.

    That said, Aya and Jezira both nearly floored him when they volunteered to accompany his team for the Class B quests. Their reasoning had been that their wards would be as safe as could be while inside the safe haven. Both Jae-Eun and Kassandra had given them suspicious looks while the two protectors argued their point.

    The argument that sealed their participation was a good one.

    ¡°Besides,¡± Jezira said. ¡°If I am to trust our princesses¡¯ safety to you, I feel that we should get a better idea of your team¡¯s capabilities,¡± she finished, getting a nod from Aya.

    ¡°Well then, I look forward to working with you both,¡± he said, nodding slightly to each of them.

    What he hadn¡¯t said, or protested, was that Aya still scared him and that¡¯s why he didn¡¯t want her to come. But also, he was afraid that Jezira would hit on him more, getting him into trouble with everyone. And with Aya there, he very much suspected that the trouble he feared would be the immediate sort of trouble.

    Since the day was still young, before noon, he suggested that they take lunch before they started questing. He pushed through the minor objections, asserting that they¡¯d need it for the long day ahead.

    By the time they left, it was decided that the first quest would be a gathering one with Alyraele and Sophia as the add-ons. As they left the portal of the safe haven, Joram remembered the astral construct that he¡¯d left outside to ¡°guard¡± the entrance.

    He¡¯d been particularly proud of that one. He¡¯d packed in a lot of damage reduction, the ability to add fire to its attacks, and some impressive maneuverability given its size. The phoenix-shaped astral construct stood a good fifteen metres tall, with a wingspan almost double that. It had also been quite active over the last day.

    He looked around at the plethora of bodies laying around the very ruined glade. Some of the bodies were nothing but bones and ash, others were just burnt horribly or mashed to near paste.

    When the others stepped out, their jaws dropped at the sight of the carnage. Wentian whistled, quite impressed. Bai Lian and Mo Yu just shook their heads. But Alyraele, Sophia, and Emily, for as calm as they kept their faces, held each other¡¯s hands very tightly.

    ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± Alyraele asked lightly as she looked around.

    ¡°Oh. Do you remember that phoenix I made last night?¡± He asked, looking to where said construct was standing behind the portal, then continued when they nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t bother dismissing it. I left it out here to guard the area. Seems it did pretty good,¡± he said, nodding to himself.

    ¡°So, ah, how long will it be here if it¡¯s a summon?¡± Sophia asked, noticing where he was looking.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯ll stay until it¡¯s either destroyed or I dismiss it,¡± he explained. ¡°Though, it¡¯s not a summon; it¡¯s a construct I made,¡± he added as an afterthought.

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± The two of them asked in tandem.

    He smiled at how in sync they were with each other.

    ¡°Just one of the things that I can do,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°There¡¯s a reason why I¡¯m confident in being able to help my friends,¡± he finished with a smile.

    ¡°Should we get someone to harvest any of this?¡± Wentian asked, motioning at the carnage around them. ¡°At the least, it would probably be good to clear this away so that more beasts aren¡¯t drawn here.¡±

    ¡°Good call,¡± he said, once again nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll let Alicia know. She¡¯ll likely organize something,¡± he said, then started walking north.

    The team stared at him a moment before hurrying after him. For the Trio, any common sense they¡¯d known before meeting Joram had long since been thrown out the window. For the three who¡¯d basically just met him, they were slowly learning to do the same, just to cope.

 Chapter 098 - Moonfall

    The rest of the afternoon was relatively uneventful.

    The seven of them proceeded to the area where the request had indicated was the most likely to contain the herbs they needed.  On the way, they ran into a few magical beasts that had been ¡°hiding¡± from the commotion caused by his Astral Construct the night before.

    The magical beasts had generally not wanted to deal with the seven of them, especially with three very noticeable Tier 5s amongst them.  The one that had caused a fuss had been a badger-like beast that was moss green, shaggy as a 70s den, and grumpy as all hell.

    That said, it gave up quickly after Wentian gave it a kick that sent it a hundred feet through the air, somehow managing to miss every tree during its involuntary flight.  After it rolled to a stop, and got its bearings, it had evidently come to the conclusion that a strategic retreat was in order.  After that, it had burrowed into the earth so quickly that it had appeared to just dive into it like water.

    For their part, the three new additions to the team were varying shades of bored.  Emily was practically chomping at the proverbial bit to fight something.  Alyraele was more reserved, staying in the middle of the group with Sophia, calmly taking everything in.

    Sophia was still distracted.  It wasn¡¯t hard to tell that she was still thinking about everything that had happened.  That said, she was still in the game, as it were.  She was the first to spot many herbs and plants that could fetch a decent price if they were brought back and sold.

    Given her¡­ mercantile ways, it was a bit hard for him to say no to gathering everything they ran across.  But he still did, reminding them that they were still on a schedule.  Though, he still made a few exceptions if the plant was exceptionally valuable or useful in alchemy.

    Once they¡¯d gathered what they needed, and stored it away properly, Joram started looking out for level appropriate challenges for everyone to test their coordination in combat.

    All told, it wasn¡¯t bad.

    Alicia had taken them out on quests a fair number of times and had gone over team strategy with them.  Since Alyraele and Sophia were pretty classic ¡°caster types¡±, they stayed in the back while he and Wentian took the front while Bai Lian and Mo Yu took care of the sides.  Emily turned out to be a good rover.  She¡¯d pop in at the front to make opportunistic attacks, while also drawing back when Alyraele and Sophia needed a bit more support.

    That said, the encounters that Joram chose weren¡¯t a challenge for the regular team.  But Tier 4 magical beasts weren¡¯t anything to scoff at for the tag-alongs.  Even then, they were done before sunset and back in the once ruined clearing that contained the portal to the safe haven.

    ¡°Are you sure this is the right place?¡±  Emily asked, looking around with a combination of doubt and wonder on her face.

    He could understand her doubt.  In the relatively short time they¡¯d been away, the landscape had been transformed.  Gone were the myriad corpses, craters, and burnt-out vegetation.  Instead, they found themselves in a glade similar to the one they¡¯d initially found the morning before.

    Well, similar in that it was once again green.  Instead of the long wild grass that had been there, he found a short, domesticated grass.  Where the portal would be, he found a small stone square, roughly ten metres by ten metres.  He wasn¡¯t sure where the stone had come from, but it was a nice granite grey, polished smooth enough to not scrape a knee if someone tripped and fell on it, but not a mirror finish.

    ¡°Well, I guess Alicia cleaned up well,¡± he said with a grin as he walked to where the portal would be.  ¡°Let¡¯s head in and have dinner.¡±

    The group followed behind him, shaking their heads at just how ridiculous his statement was to their sensibilities.

    Once inside, they all split off to get cleaned off, grab a bath, and get into some clean clothes.  He couldn¡¯t blame them, for he did the same thing before going to the living room and updating the request board and its accompanying map.

    The evening passed well enough, the conversations revolving around the day¡¯s questing and cleanup.  It seemed as though the ones who¡¯d stayed had been treated to Alicia¡¯s efficiency.  Since he and Alicia were still connected, she could use any of the Powers that he could, using his psionic power pool to manifest those powers.

    She could also co-opt any of his still-active Powers if she wanted.  Hence why the cleanup had gone so quickly.  That said, the group thought that Alicia was in possession of several epic quality storage items due to her having sent all of the useful corpses into the storage area of the Realm.

    Well, if the group proved to be as tightly knit as he hoped they were, then they¡¯d eventually come to learn the truth.  As it was, he was happy that Sophia had calmed down over the course of the day, relaxing more and more as they helped each other overcome the various challenges he¡¯d set up for them.

    Night came quickly, and soon everyone settled into their rooms for the night, leaving him alone in his room.  He sighed in relief.  Finally getting time to himself, where he hadn¡¯t run away for one reason or another, was nice.

    Then his mind tuned to the catatonic Belladonna in the room across the hall from him, and he frowned.  There was a problem he could have done without.  And thinking of that, his thoughts once again turned to Tillia and the taken children of the clan.

    He still wasn¡¯t sure how he¡¯d find them all, but there were more than a few options that might lead to a solution.  For example, if he could boost the power of [Hypercognition] or [Metafaculty] then he might get somewhere.

    [Metafaculty] would be the best option, as the had too little information regarding those who¡¯d been taken to get much use out of [Hypercognition].  Maybe once he¡¯d gotten a few of them rescued and¡­ debriefed, then he could rely on [Hypercognition].

    As for the problem at hand, and what made him think of Tillia again, was how he was going to remove the slavery seal from the Belladonna.  He wasn¡¯t very sure of his success yet.  He would still need to do more reading on the subject, and possibly research in the form of live testing¡­.

    He really didn¡¯t like that last part.  But if he was to get a better handle on how to deal with slavery seals, then he¡¯d need to be around slaves.  Specifically, slaves that wouldn¡¯t get him in trouble for examining them.

    For now, he sat back and retrieved another volume and got reading.

    * * *

    The following few days were much like the first questing day.  The second group consisted of Gabrielle and Faenwyn, as they were primarily melee types.  The day after had Daleira and Jae-Eun, along with Aya.  The last group had Kassandra and Renna.

    He was impressed with how powerful Rena¡¯s psionic ability was considering she was effectively a teenager still.  She was just into the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier as a Mentalist, while also being in the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier as a Mage.  In fact, both of her cultivations were very close to one another.  He could feel that it wouldn¡¯t be long before she stepped into the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier as a Mage.

    Considering how much ¡°younger¡± Kassandra was compared to Renna, she was also doing amazingly well.  In fact, he was reasonably sure that the two of them would be considered ¡°peerless geniuses¡± back in their homelands.  Which made their interest in him all the more uncomfortable given how jealously such geniuses were nurtured and guarded.

    Renna had casually mentioned that elves normally didn¡¯t mingle with the other races, not because they were snobbish, but because it was difficult to watch friends age, grow old, and die in ¡°such a short period of time¡±.  Instead, they were more likely to befriend higher Tier cultivators since their lifespans were closer to their own, natural, lifespans.  Of course, this came with a significant power imbalance, as the elf befriending the cultivator was usually a ¡°mortal¡±, giving the other party immense power over them.

    Which led to Renna mentioning that elven cultivators finding talented youths to nurture was, in fact, quite common amongst her people.  That said, it was still almost staggeringly difficult to find someone with the innate talent to reach the 7<sup>th</sup> Tier, the Immortal Realm.  So, most made do with a cultivator around Tier 5, as they were much easier to come across.

    Which then led to Renna mentioning just how rare an existence he was; him being a Reincarnator notwithstanding.  That he¡¯d reached Tier 5 as a cultivator and Tier 6 as a Mentalist by ¡°his age¡± meant that he¡¯d be ¡°pursued¡±.  A lot.  And not just by talent hunters.

    The look in her eyes when she had told him all that had sent a bit of a chill up his spine.  He couldn¡¯t be sure, as she¡¯d had much longer to study diplomacy, and thus how to control her body language, than he¡¯d even been alive¡­ in both lives.  But the impression he got from her was that she was very much considering ¡°staying¡± with him long-term.  Which kind of aligned with what she¡¯d been like during their talk.  Which, really, wouldn¡¯t be a terrible thing¡­ if everyone got along well.

    Not that they weren¡¯t.  Not at all.  In fact, they were getting along so well that he was shocked.  Under any other circumstances, he was sure that having so many young women ¡°confessing¡± to him and staying in the same building on a trip, should have resulted in- at the very least- a cold war.  He¡¯d been more expecting outright hostilities, especially directed at him.

    But what he got was over a dozen young-to-youngish women bonding.  Chatting, studying together, comparing notes, and even doing each other¡¯s hair at night.  Alicia, Megami, Aya, and Jezira had even formed their own little clique when the others started their bonding time.  He wasn¡¯t sure why Alicia had joined them, but he had suspected that it was because Alicia wanted to make sure that the three other women didn¡¯t feel left out or something.

    As it was, the first week of their outing passed well enough.  Sure, there was some flirting that even he managed to notice, especially when a few of the study group started suggesting that he make a mixed gender hot spring for them all.  What had really thrown him off was that neither Aya nor Jezira had objected to the suggestion.  Even Megami appeared unconcerned.  Likely because they¡¯d likely still just use the women only bath should he acquiesce to the requests.

    The second week passed much like the rest of the first week, though with more of an emphasis on studying at night after they finished questing for the day.  Though, he started to divide the study sessions into two larger parts.  One for magical theory and practice, the other for psionic instruction.

    Which meant that Gabrielle, Kassandra, Renna, and Faenwyn joined in on those sessions.  Alicia didn¡¯t bother, instead preferring to keep studying with the others.

    For her part, Faenwyn wasn¡¯t very enthusiastic about being pulled into the ¡°Mental Strength¡± group.  Nevertheless, Joram wanted to make sure that she was at least properly trained given that she had natural talent.  It was rare enough to find someone with the talent, so he didn¡¯t want her to waste it by ignoring it in preference of magical training.

    Not only that, but being able to properly use psionic power, and being able to adequately recognize when it was being used, was invaluable.  Especially for someone who was going into public works like she planned to do.  Not only would it help her to better memorize and learn her course materials, but it would also give her the ability to effectively resist any mental intrusions or influences that she might come across.

    As for Kassandra and Renna, they were so close to breaking through to their next Tiers that he spent a bit more time tutoring, coaching, and instructing them than with Gabrielle who was still a bit away from breaking through to the 2<sup>nd</sup> Tier.  That said, the four of them made wonderful progress that week, each of them getting much closer to breaking through to the next Tier, even Faenwyn.

    That she was close to breaking through to the first Tier, well, it was something to behold.  As she got closer, he could see how excited the tsundere noblewoman was.  That she¡¯d been indifferent and dismissive of her innate talent for psionics at the beginning only further accentuated her new enthusiasm.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    By the end of the second week, they¡¯d gone through all the quests that he¡¯d accepted for them, now leaving them with another full week of leisure time¡­ if he wasn¡¯t still so focussed on the Belladonna and how to deal with her slavery seal.

    During the second week, he¡¯d read through everything that the Library and Archive had on the subject.  He¡¯d learned more than he cared to when he¡¯d dived into the subject.  What he eventually determined was that he needed to get live subjects for experimentation.  Which meant that he needed slaves.

    He shuddered.

    According to his research, if he visited the lower-end slave markets, they¡¯d have lesser versions of the slavery seals that he could examine.  From there, he¡¯d need to go up the chain, as it were, buying more and more expensive slaves to examine as he got more and more practical knowledge.

    He really wasn¡¯t looking forward to that.

    In the meantime, everyone was getting up for their first truly free day.  Having spent the last two weeks questing and studying hard, everyone was looking forward to just relaxing.

    ¡°So, why don¡¯t we head to Avilia and do some shopping?¡±  Emily asked as they all sat around the breakfast table.

    Her question got more than a few nods and words of agreement from everyone, except for the scholarship students.

    After a bit more discussion, they decided to go anyway, Joram offering to foot the bill considering the shares he expected everyone to receive after he turned in the quests.  They had, after all, all participated in the quests, and he didn¡¯t feel right not giving any of them their fair share of the rewards.

    ¡°It¡¯s settled then,¡± Alicia said with a smile.  ¡°We¡¯ll get all packed up and leave within the hour.¡±

    That got everyone moving.  It wasn¡¯t more than half an hour before everyone was outside and waiting in front of the portal leading back to the glade.  He noticed that they¡¯d all somehow managed to dress up as though they were preparing for a fancy dinner.

    He looked down at himself and sighed.

    ¡®I¡¯ll be right back,¡¯ he sent to Alicia as he headed back inside and changed into non-adventurer attire.  When he came out again, he was dressed in a casual/formal ¡°suit¡±.  It was a dark charcoal grey, with thin pinstripes.  It was one of those fitted cuts that followed his lines, with only two buttons on his jacket¡­ that hung unbuttoned.

    The shirt was pristine white, left unbuttoned at the neck, leaving the collar open enough to show a bit of the origin of his clavicles.  His shoes were more designed along Earth fashion, being a black loafer-like design.  The last thing to make up the outfit was the belt.  It was black with an ¡°N7¡± buckle.

    He couldn¡¯t help that one.

    ¡°He cleans up well,¡± Kassandra teased from where she stood at the portal, getting a few murmurs of agreement from the study group.

    What made him a bit nervous was that Jezira nodded along with the rest of them¡­ along with Aya.  Could it be that she didn¡¯t approve of his normal attire?  Was it not good enough for a princess?

    He filed those thoughts away for later examination and just smiled and nodded to them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head out,¡± he said, passing the group and stepping out of the portal and into the early morning of the glade.

    He really liked how well Alicia had cleaned up and repaired/replanted the previously destroyed vegetation of the glade.  The morning mists were just starting to dissipate, leaving the morning dew to sparkle in the dawn light.  It was still cool out, which made him smile.  Early morning cool air was one of his favourite things.

    Once everyone was out of the safe haven, Joram retrieved the gate cube and closed the portal entirely.  Once done, he turned and was about to summon the Soyokaze when he felt a chill run down his spine.

    Joram felt a veritable wave of projectiles bearing down on not only him, but everyone in the group.

    ¡®Incoming!¡¯  He sent to the entire group as he quickly manifested [Force Screen <sup>A</sup>], forcibly adding the Network descriptor to the fully augmented Power, using Psijic Energy to do so.  He was in such a rush that he didn¡¯t have time to remove the auditory component of the Power, resulting in a loud snap-hiss sound to be repeated for each member of the study group that had a [Force Screen] appear for them.

    It was just in time.  Just as the [Force Screen]s appeared, they shimmered slightly as several waves of¡­ darts impacted them, causing shouts of surprise, alarm, and pain as a few of the darts managed to find flesh.

    Sophia and Faenwyn cried out as each took a dart, one to an arm, the other to the leg.  Through his SoP- sphere of perception-, Joram saw the wounds immediately begin to turn black, leading him to believe that the darts were poisoned.

    ¡®I¡¯ll take care of them,¡¯ Alicia sent along with an image of the two poisoned girls.

    ¡®Take them all back to the Realm,¡¯ he sent back as he dashed towards the closest spot to where another wave of darts was coming from.

    Before the darts could arrive and cause more issues with his friends, Joram felt Alicia pulling them into his Realm, causing a sigh of relief to escape his lips.  He really didn¡¯t want to have to fight whoever these people were while having to worry about his friends being hurt or killed.

    Just as his SoP reached the edge of the glade, and thus registered two of their assailants, the second wave of darts pinged off his [Force Screen].  He could tell that the attackers were shocked that their attacks were ineffective, but he perceived that they quickly recovered.

    M3: [Inertial Armour <sup>A</sup>].

    M4: [Biofeedback <sup>A</sup>].

    M5: [Telekinetic Maneuver <sup>A</sup>].

    M6: [Mindblade], glove form.

    M10: [Dimension Hop <sup>A</sup>], first enemy.

    Joram popped into existence right beside the first identified attacker, causing them to give a great start of surprise before his fist connected with their mask-covered face, sending them flying with the sound of breaking ceramics and bone.

    M11: [Dimension Hop <sup>A</sup>], second enemy.

    His position shifted about ten metres to his right, placing him beside yet another enemy, who was also sent flying with yet another punch.  Both enemies had been too shocked to react, making for easy wins.  He also noted that both enemies felt as though they were in the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier, about midway through.  Which meant that this was not just a random encounter.

    As he dashed to the next set of targets that were now reacting to his sudden counterattack, he pulled Kinkade over to retrieve and incapacitate those he¡¯d just downed.  He wanted answers, and it wouldn¡¯t do to have any of the ambushers either die or escape.

    The next targets were backing up with great leaps and bounds, agilely maneuvering through the underbrush as they drew their weapons to either defend themselves or attack him.  Probably both, as weapons were usually used for such.  Not that he cared overly much, as they¡¯d only likely prove a minor delay in their fates.

    M3: [Battlesense <sup>A</sup>], all augment options.

    M4: [Dimension Hop <sup>A</sup>], third enemy.

    Joram nodded as he arrived before the third one, this one defending herself with what looked like a Chinese longsword.

    M5: [Delve <sup>A</sup>].  Checking their weapons when you deflect their attacks.

    He didn¡¯t have time no nod at that thought as he deflected her first attack with the back of his hand, getting the rough specs of the weapon.  It seemed to be a Tier 3 artifact with a wounding ability that would cause any injuries inflicted by it to continue bleeding if magical intervention wasn¡¯t used.

    Joram brought up his left hand and flicked her forehead, shattering her mask and dropping her.  As she crumpled into an unconscious heap, M4 brought him to the fourth assassin.

    This one brought what looked like a shaolin spade to bear on him.  He narrowly ducked a thrust meant to decapitate him before diving forward to shoulder tackle the woman.  He heard her breath explode from her mouth as his shoulder connected with her stomach.  He felt her grip on her weapon release as they flew through the air, so he snaked his arm around her waist, twisted, then flung her at the fifth assassin once his left foot connected with the ground.

    The woman shot out like a giant cannonball, clipping the fifth assassin as they tried to dodge the human(?) projectile.

    M5: [Dimension Hop <sup>A</sup>], fifth enemy.

    Just as the fifth assassin was staggering, Joram appeared behind her and gave a rabbit punch to the back of her cervical spine.  He winced at the sound of shattering bone, then quickly instructed Kinkade to stabilize her as M4 brought him to the sixth assassin.

    This one had been closing in on him with three others, all holding various weapons as they closed the gap between them.  He could feel that they were a mix of Peak Tier 5s and some Low Tier 6s.  He then felt another group approaching, this one six strong.  All were in the 6<sup>th</sup> Tier.

    He really didn¡¯t know who could afford to send that many assassins after him, or someone from the study group, but he was certain that they weren¡¯t poor.  Sending Tier 5 and Tier 6 cultivators after him was the equivalent of sending a kingdom¡¯s elites after him.  Those Tiers were prestigious enough to get someone the rank of general or great general in a kingdom.  In a sect, they¡¯d all be at least instructors, most likely elders.

    Hiring so many 5<sup>th</sup> and 6<sup>th</sup> Tier cultivators, especially Belladonnas, would beggar any country.

    So, just who in the hells is responsible for this?  He asked himself as he slipped past the guard of the sixth attacker, giving her a punch to the sternum that shattered her ribs.  He was impressed with her fortitude when she didn¡¯t immediately drop, but managed to jump back in time to prevent her collapsing ribcage from piercing her lungs and heart.  He was also glad at how fast she reacted, as he hadn¡¯t wanted to kill her.

    He was having a bit of a hard time adjusting his strength.  The last Tier 6 enemy he¡¯d faced was that dragon, and its scales had been significantly more durable than the bones of the Belladonna¡¯s.

    M4: [Dimension Hop <sup>A</sup>], seventh enemy.

    Just as he arrived before her, she called out.

    ¡°Fifths, back away!  Sixths, to me!¡±  She yelled as her left leg flashed out at him.

    He wasn¡¯t being figurative there.  Her left leg had actually started to glow a bright yellow as it approached him.  He wasn¡¯t sure what he was feeling from it, but decided that it wasn¡¯t the time to analyze things.  He deflected the kick with his right palm as he sidestepped to avoid another thrown dart.  He wasn¡¯t sure if they¡¯d pierce his defenses, nor did he want to chance being poisoned in the middle of a fight.  Sure, his defenses were sufficient to fight another mutated flood dragon, as Jezira had called it, but he didn¡¯t want to risk it.

    The seventh assassin proved to be more adept at hand-to-hand combat than the others had.  Not only that, but the other seven Tier 6 cultivators that joined the fight made things more complicated than he liked, especially given that the Tier 5s were supporting them with thrown darts and the occasional spell when an opening presented itself to them.

    But all that was just getting his blood going.

    He felt as his battle aura started to leak out, then saw in his SoP the jade green fire/lightning as it grew in strength and intensity.  Not only that, but he could see the smile on his face was growing with each passing second.

    * * * * *

    She couldn¡¯t believe how wrong their source had been.  In just a few seconds, the target had somehow managed to protect his entire group and sent them away somewhere she couldn¡¯t feel.  Then he¡¯d taken out five of them before she could intercept him.

    What worried her as they fought was just how strong the boy was.  She¡¯d been given the information package on Joram Aneath and had been shocked.  The boy was reported to be around the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier as a mentalist at his age, something almost unheard of for someone his age.  Not only that, but he was a body refiner.  She hadn¡¯t been present for his duel with that princess on his team, but the information package had covered that too.

    So, given that the organization had sent a Tier 6 agent after him had felt like overkill to her.  The Belladonnas prided themselves on using the right person for each job, efficiently completing each assignment.  But when Imressa had failed to report back, they¡¯d gotten wary.

    That was when the higher-ups had decided that the target was too unpredictable to risk sending individual agents after, so they¡¯d assigned a full squad the task of bringing him down.  Eight Tier 6s and twelve Tier 5s had been sent this time.  Something that would normally be done only for the most difficult targets, like a king or emperor.  Perhaps even the leader of a sect or clan.  She¡¯d felt that it was overkill, but had complied.

    Now¡­.  Now, she understood just how ill-prepared they were.

    She¡¯d been assigned as the leader of the squad because she was one of the rare dual cultivators in their region.  Not only was she a Tier 6 Mage, but she was also a Peak Tier 6 Mentalist.  It had taken her over two centuries to get to her level of power, meticulously nurtured and brought up by the organization as their trump card.

    The fact that the child she was currently fighting could resist her mental field of paralysis, as well as keep up with her physical attacks, was mind boggling.  Not only that, but even with the support of her sisters, she was being put on the back foot as they fought.

    When she noticed the smile growing on the child¡¯s face, she felt a chill run down her spine.

    When the first flickering of the battle aura she¡¯d read about came into being, she paled further.  If he was already such a handful before his battle aura manifested, she knew that she¡¯d soon be overwhelmed once it fully manifested.

    ¡°Moonfall Formation!¡±  She cried out, causing her sisters to briefly pause in shock.

    She couldn¡¯t blame them.  The Moonfall Formation was one of the strongest attacks that the Belladonnas had.  It required, at minimum, five Tier 6 Mages to initiate.  With seven of them to initiate the formation, and another seven Tier 5s to support them, the attack would be devastating.

    ¡°Hurry!¡±  She yelled as Joram Aneath began speeding up as his aura¡¯s intensity increased, causing sweat to start rolling down her back.  ¡°[Leaf on the Wind],¡± she said, activating her trump card.

    She didn¡¯t know why Joram Aneath snorted in laughter then, but didn¡¯t care.  With the increase in speed that the technique provided her, she was finally able to start counterattacking.

    But what infuriated her the most was that smile of his.  Not only had it not vanished when she started pressing him, but it had somehow grown.  As she felt the power of the Moonfall Formation build, so too did Joram Aneath¡¯s aura.

    In fact, it was now so powerful that his clothes had burnt away, revealing a black body suit underneath that did little to hide his impressive physique.  Not only that, but she found that her own clothing was starting to vaporize whenever one of his attacks came too close, her innate resistances not able to protect her clothing.

    Soon, her clothing was so burnt away that she had more skin showing than clothing.  Even her blade was showing scorch marks, its Tier 5 construction not able to handle the fight.  Just as most of the rest of her clothing finally went up in smoke, she smiled.

    From above, she felt a massive burst of mana as a huge meteorite came into existence.  She could feel the heat of the magical construct as it quickly bore down on them.  She wasn¡¯t sure if she would survive, but was reasonably sure that Joram Aneath would not.

    When she once again focussed on Joram Aneath, her heart dropped.  The smile on his face had, somehow, gotten even larger.  Not only that, but she could see his battle aura spike in intensity as she felt a wave of such powerful Mental Strength wash over her that she felt her consciousness begin to fade.

    Just what kind of a monster did they send us to?  She thought just before everything went black.

 Chapter 099 - Hadvar?

    Avi wasn¡¯t having a good time of it.

    Not only had Sophia and Faenwyn been poisoned, but Joram had just dumped them all into the Realm without a second thought.  Sure, it was an emergency, but there had been other options available.  Like summoning the Soyokaze, pulling up a bulwark of earth and stone while they opened the portal for the safe haven, or even just teleporting them all somewhere.

    But no, his first instinct was to protect others the best he could.  Which meant that they were now in the Realm.  The poison had been relatively easy to treat, but the questions were a bit more poignant.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°Was it the Belladonnas again?¡±

    ¡°Is Sophia going to be all right?¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t he keep us there to help him?¡±

    And many more questions along those lines.  In favour of keeping the two girls alive, Avi hadn¡¯t answered their questions yet.  But now that the two were stabilized and the poison neutralized, she couldn¡¯t not answer them anymore.

    ¡°From the appearance of the ones being dropped in here with us, I¡¯d say that it is indeed the Belladonnas again,¡± she finally said, catching their attention fast.

    ¡°In here with us?¡±  Aya asked, now looking around the large garden they¡¯d arrived at.

    ¡°In secure holding cells, yes,¡± she replied with a shake of her head.  ¡°They¡¯re not a threat to us, though.  Joram incapacitated them before sending them in.  That said, and to answer a few more questions, Joram sent us here to keep us safe because he determined that the attack was too much for us to help with.

    ¡°In fact, we¡¯d just be in the way,¡± she said with a shake of her head when Aya and Jezira gave her weird looks.  ¡°From who¡¯s arriving, the attackers are all Tier 5 and Tier 6.¡±

    ¡°All the more reason to let us help,¡± Jezira said with a frown.  ¡°A group of assassins of that calibre shouldn¡¯t be underestimated.  Fighting a mutated flood dragon is one thing, but a group of trained assassins is quite another case entirely,¡± she finished, Aya nodding along to her words.

    Avi cocked her head to the side, then spoke.

    ¡°Seeing as how a Mid-Rank Tier 6 just arrived, I¡¯d say that Joram¡¯s decision was sound.¡±

    ¡°By the way,¡± Emily piped in.  ¡°How do you know who¡¯s being¡­ sent here?¡±  She asked curiously.

    Avi smiled, appreciating that someone had the presence of mind to ask, even though the question had a sensitive answer.

    Before she could answer though, Kassandra spoke.

    ¡°Also, why¡¯d your hair change colour?¡±

    Avi wanted to [Mind Wipe] the lot of them, but held back due to what Joram would say about that.

    ¡°It¡¯s my natural hair colour,¡± she said with a shrug.  ¡°It¡¯s a little too eye-catching though, so I changed it to be one colour while at the Academy.¡±

    ¡°Sapphire blue isn¡¯t eye-catching?¡±  Alyraele asked with her hand half-raised as though they were in class.

    ¡°Less eye-catching,¡± she amended.  ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m glad that everyone is all right now.  For the time being, we should just sit tight until Joram lets us know everything is good out there,¡± she said, pulling out a chair to sit on.

    * * * * *

    Being a half-step Immortal, Ixarys was normally sent on the more dangerous assignments.  Like removing a sect leader or assassinating a powerful political rival of this kingdom or that empire.  Or its leader.

    That she was assigned to oversee this assignment in secret was what she would consider beneath her.  That little Imressa had failed her assignment even though she should have been overkill for it, had surprised the leaders enough to put together this squad.

    And for them to assign her as its shadow.

    Ixarys had been scornful of the assignment until she saw Joram Aneath act.  That wasn¡¯t someone without cultivation, even though he was reported to be a body refiner on par with a Tier 5 cultivator.  He moved too fast, his attacks too heavy.

    Her suspicions only grew as she watched the boy start pressing little Isabel.  When Isabel called for the Moonfall Formation, Ixarys nodded in approval.  Sure, little Isabel wasn¡¯t likely to survive an attack that even she, Ixarys, wouldn¡¯t.  But sometimes that is what the mission called for.

    The requestor would just get a larger bill.

    Then Isabel vanished like the others Joram Aneath had attacked at the same time that she felt an overwhelming surge of Mental Strength blast out of Joram Aneath that caused her jaw to clench; even as far away as she was from the fight.

    Once she¡¯d fully opened her eyes again, after having instinctively squinted, she saw that the rest of the squad was now missing and Joram Aneath¡¯s aura was twice as bright as before.

    Her eyes widened further when she saw the scales on his exposed skin.  They weren¡¯t physical scales in the sense that he¡¯d somehow managed to grow them.  No, they were a solidification of his battle aura.  Not only that, but his hair started to turn violet, lightening significantly from its normal dark purple.  It also now looked a bit¡­ feathery as he stood there, waiting for the meteorite to fall.

    Ixarys couldn¡¯t understand why he was just waiting there, but mentally shrugged at his foolishness.  The power that had gone into that spell¡¯s formation was enough to kill an early Rank Immortal.  That he was just waiting there proved how foolish the young could be.

    Maybe the report had been correct, and he truly didn¡¯t have a cultivation base, as anyone with one would feel just how terrifying the attack was and would flee.

    Just before the meteorite the size of a manor house landed, she saw Joram Aneath¡¯s aura flare even brighter, causing her to blink.  A moment later, she was hit with the sound of the impact, soon followed by the shockwave, sending her tumbling in the air for a moment before she regained her stability and looked to see what the results were.

    There was now a large mushroom of dust and smoke where the battle had taken place.  Her budding divine sense couldn¡¯t feel any presences within many miles of the site.  Presumably because everything had either been wiped out from the attack, or had fled.

    She stood there for some time, watching as the dust and smoke cleared away.  She didn¡¯t know why she felt the need to stay, as Moonfall wouldn¡¯t have left anything behind of Joram Aneath.  But she had a feeling in the back of her head, an inkling that she should stay.

    It took another hour for the dust to settle sufficiently for her to finally see the crater formed by Moonfall.  Her jaw dropped.

    Standing in the middle of the crater, naked as the day he was born, was Joram Aneath.  Sure, all of his hair was gone, presumably burnt away by the intense heat of the attack.  That, and his skin still seemed to be regrowing along with the rest of his right hand.

    But it was regrowing at a rate visible to the naked eye.  In fact, as she watched, the rate of his regeneration sped up, making her eyes go wide in fear.

    Just what kind of monster is that?  She asked herself as she stared at Joram Aneath as his healing finally finished, leaving him looking like a random naked person in a crater.

    ¡°Hmm, indeed a monstrous existence,¡± someone said from beside her, nearly causing her to soil herself as she jumped away in a panic.

    ¡°Who, are you?¡±  She asked warily, taking in the man¡¯s stature, but mostly trying to feel anything at all from him.

    ¡°Hadvar?¡±  The man asked, then shook his head.  ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡±

    ¡°Then what should I be worrying about?¡±  She asked, looking for any clue as to who this person was, or if he was even actually there.  She couldn¡¯t feel anything from him, no cultivation, no Mental Strength, not even a breath.

    ¡°That I¡¯m on ¡®Team Joram¡¯?¡±  The man asked, shaking his head.

    Before she could do more than register what he¡¯d said, her head exploded in pain.  Blackness began to envelope her world, her breathing suddenly locking up as she felt herself starting to fall.  Before everything was overcome with darkness, she could have sworn that she felt someone¡¯s arms around her.

    * * * * *

    ¡°Are you starting a collection?¡±  Avi asked when he finally returned to the Realm.

    He really didn¡¯t know what to say to that.  It was true that he hadn¡¯t killed any of the assassins, instead choosing to capture them alive.

    ¡°I thought that it might be preferable to buying slaves,¡± he finally said, looking at the other members of the study group as they all watched him like hawks.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that you¡¯ll still need to do that,¡± Avi replied dryly.  ¡°Their slavery seals are far too complex for you to work on right now.¡±

    Joram sighed, knowing full well that Avi knew him best.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll just have to see,¡± he said, not wanting to say it out loud.  ¡°Let¡¯s get cleaned up and head to Alivia.  There¡¯s still plenty of daylight left, after all.¡±

    That got the study group chatting again.  Even though he got the side-eye more than once, from more than one person, he didn¡¯t let it bother him too much.  Since he¡¯d made the decision to become real friends with them, and not just convenient study partners, he¡¯d made the resolution to share more.  As in, to share at all.  He was normally quite terrible with sharing things about himself.

    That he¡¯d been able to speak so candidly with everyone was a minor miracle in and of itself.  That he was still there, still putting himself out there was yet another miracle.  It was different with family, as they tended to accept you more than others would.  At the same time, family also tended to be the least accepting of things they didn¡¯t approve of.  Like life decisions, personality traits, or of mistakes a person made.

    All that said, strangers were also a bit difficult.

    On the one hand, you had a clean slate with which to work.  They knew nothing of you or your past, nor did they usually come with any preconceived notions of how they thought you should be or act.  On the other hand, first impressions mattered a lot.  As did anything the person heard about you before your meeting.

    He was lucky, then, to have met such a fantastic group of people.  Jae-Eun was one of those who¡¯d met him before any rumours had spread about him.  Sure, their friendship had gotten off to a bit of a rocky start with his little lecture about respecting people and their secrets and such.  But she¡¯d adjusted well and had, he thought, learned the lesson well.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    While the next four had been interested in meeting him due to his musical ability and the little bit of fame that had come with it.  That said, they¡¯d not had too many preconceived notions going into their first meeting.  As such, they¡¯d all managed to get to know each other well enough.

    As for the last four, well, it had taken some time to get to know them very well.  At the same time, he was astonished that they¡¯d all basically ¡°fallen¡± for him.  Yes, he was now very aware of how the others felt, and how everyone wanted to get to know him better one way or another, but he was still astonished.

    Being a lifelong- two, at this point!- introvert, not to mention having a relatively low self esteem for most of his existence, having so many wonderful people genuinely interested in him was shocking, to say the least.  Sure, Sophia didn¡¯t seem to see him in a romantic light, but that didn¡¯t bother him in the least.  Actually, it relieved him more than he thought possible.  If anything, he was glad for it, as he was sure that she¡¯d make a wonderful friend that he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about having romantic complications with.  Someone he would be able to just talk with without worrying about anything else.

    ¡®Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Avi?¡¯

    ¡®Don¡¯t overthink things,¡¯ Avi sent, giving him a bit of mental whiplash.

    ¡®What?¡¯

    ¡®The fact that most of the study group confessed to you,¡¯ she started, then paused for effect.  ¡®They like you.  You like them.  Just let things develop naturally.  Continue to speak with them like you usually do.  Continue treating them like you¡¯ve always treated them.  Just.  Just take your time.  There¡¯s no rush.¡¯

    ¡®What would I do without you?¡¯  He sent warmly after a moment of thought.

    ¡®Probably implode or something,¡¯ Avi sent back cheekily.

    Joram just nodded to that, knowing how true that statement was.  He was indeed prone to overthinking things, a bad habit from his previous life on Earth.  Well, if he was being honest with himself, it was still a bad habit, and one that he truly needed to rid himself of.  Or, rather, one he needed to fully master.

    Then he remembered the first Belladonna, so he reached out through his connection to her and pulled her into the Realm, depositing her in one of the empty cells not taken up by the other twenty-one Belladonnas.  Then he remembered how Kinkade had captured that last one and sighed.

    It had been more than a little bit risky revealing himself like that.  But the fact that they¡¯d been able to take down someone who was so close to reaching the 7<sup>th</sup> Tier was eye-opening.  He had known that Psijic Energy was incredibly powerful stuff.  But seeing it in action was quite another thing.

    Sure, he¡¯d seen the results when he used it to fuel [True Resurrection], but that was different.  But using [Ego Whip <sup>A</sup>] x 3, [Crisis of Breath <sup>A</sup>], and [Mind Thrust <sup>A</sup>] to take down such a high-level target was beyond ridiculous.  Yes, he¡¯d augmented them to their limits, having a separate Mind manifesting each of those powers to make the best of the opening he had.  But.  Psijic Energy was definitely OP.

    If he was calculating it right, then he was currently enjoying quite the multiplier in his powers¡¯ effects after having converted a Power to use Psijic Energy.  And if what he posited was correct, then the multiplier would just increase as his Tiers increased.

    Sure, he had an absolutely ridiculous mana pool given that he still had sixty-three cores in his little solar system¡­. What had he called it again?

    *Shrug*

    ¡®Mind Space¡¯ would work for now.  Anyway.  Even with his ludicrous mana reserves, it was still limited to Tier 3 Mana, which wasn¡¯t nearly as effective against someone with Tier 4 Mana.  The gap between Mana Tiers was fairly significant, to the point where someone cultivating a higher Tier of Mana could easily crush someone cultivating a lower Tier of Mana.

    But Psijic Energy seemed to bridge that gap rather well.  Even though he was still working on integrating Tier 3 Mana into his Psijic Star, its current¡­ potential was staggering.  Deadly, even.  Once he got the higher-level Powers translated into Psijic Spells/Powers, then he was sure that he would be able to take on a 7<sup>th</sup> Tier Cultivator/Practitioner.  He just wasn¡¯t sure where the limit in that Realm lay.  Would he just be able to deal with an early-stage Immortal, or would he be able to handle a mid-stage Immortal?

    He shook his head, not wanting to get ahead of himself.  Hubris was the cause of death of too many people to count.  Too many up-and-coming talents had their lives ended too soon because of excessive pride.  So, he¡¯d take a page out of the Book of Wisdom and take things slowly.

    Joram came out of his musings when he noticed that everyone seemed ready to go.  Mostly because everyone had started to stare at him expectantly.  So, he shifted the Soyokaze to the small plaza-like area attached to the seating/eating area of the garden and called everyone over to start boarding.

    ¡°How¡¯re you doing?¡±  He asked Sophia and Faenwyn as they passed him on their way to the ship.

    ¡°It really sucked,¡± Sophia replied, but then shrugged.  ¡°I¡¯m just glad that we¡¯re friends,¡± she finished with a half-smile.

    ¡°I¡¯d have still helped you regardless of our ¡®friendship¡¯,¡± he said, a bit disappointed by her response.

    He must not have hidden his reaction well enough, for Sophia then hurried to clarify.

    ¡°No, what I mean is that I¡¯m glad that we know each other, and you were able to help me.  You and Alicia.  It just¡­ sucked.  I¡¯ve never been in so much pain before,¡± she finished quietly, now looking down at her feet.

    Faenwyn nodded along, not quite looking at him as she put a hand on Sophia¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°That was indeed the most unpleasant thing I¡¯ve every had the displeasure of enduring,¡± Faenwyn said coldly.  ¡°I do hope that our attackers will be suitably punished.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah, they¡¯ve been dealt with,¡± he said, not wanting to get into a discussion about what they thought might be ¡®appropriate punishment¡¯.

    ¡°Good, then let¡¯s go shopping,¡± Sophia said, obviously trying to be cheerful.  ¡°I¡¯ve had my eye on a few things, and this is the perfect time to pick them up!¡±

    Joram nearly winced at that.  Considering that Sophia was the daughter of a successful merchant, he was sure that she had more than enough spending money to get anything that caught her eye.  So, if it wound up being something that she¡¯d been eying, then it must have been expensive.

    That got a round of approval from the rest of the study group as they boarded the Soyokaze.

    ¡®Yup, you¡¯re screwed,¡¯ Avi piped in, not helping his sudden financial distress.

    - - - - -

    ¡°That¡­¡± Joram said, tallying up the costs of the day.  It was now early evening, the sun only an hour away from setting.  They¡¯d stopped their massive shopping spree and had managed to get a private dining room at a large restaurant recommended by Alyraele.

    ¡°Was fantastic!¡±  Gabrielle chimed in excitedly.  ¡°I¡¯ve never been to so many high-class shops before!¡±

    ¡°Me neither,¡± Daleira said, a huge smile on her face.  ¡°But I must say, I can get used to such treatment,¡± she said, a mischievous glint shining in her eyes.

    ¡°I must say, it was indeed enjoyable,¡± Faenwyn agreed from a few seats down from him.

    ¡°Well, if we all ever visit my home, I¡¯ll personally take everyone around to some of the high-class stores in the capital,¡± Kassandra said, looking smug.

    ¡°I shall do the same if we visit my home,¡± Renna said airily.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to do more quests together,¡± Emily said, a big smile on her face.  ¡°It was fun!¡±

    That got a general murmur of approval from the group.  Joram looked around, taking a mental tally of just how much it would cost him in the future based on their reactions.

    It wasn¡¯t looking good for his bank account.

    ¡°Well, so long as we get some higher-level quests, that should be fine,¡± Alicia said, her hair once again all blue.  ¡°With how well everyone did, I¡¯m sure that we¡¯ll be raking in the money in no time.¡±

    Most of the group had the presence of mind to look a bit embarrassed by Alicia¡¯s words, knowing full-well that N7 had carried them through the quests.  Even then, he didn¡¯t mind.  Getting the others some combat experience, as well some more practical knowledge was invaluable.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see what we can do when everyone is free again,¡± Joram said with a soft smile.  ¡°The weekends seem to be a good time to gather, even if some of you might need to work.¡±

    There was general agreement to that as several servers entered their room to bring out the dishes, the wonderful scent distracting him from a fuss he heard when the door opened.

    The conversation slowed as everyone started serving themselves.  He was happy to see that Megami had adjusted well to their group, not hesitating to chat with Gabrielle as she spooned something that looked like fried greens onto a bed of rice.

    As tempted as he was to dig in with everyone, he really didn¡¯t need to eat, so he just took a sampling of the various dishes.  The food really did smell fantastic, so he wanted to see what it tasted like.  But he also [Delve]d each one so that he could reproduce them later; be it with [Modify Matter] or mundane cooking.

    ¡°So, I hear that Kinkade and Asura are almost ready for their grand opening,¡± Alicia said, daintily sampling what looked like some sort of baked fish.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯ll be good,¡± he said, nodding.

    ¡°You¡¯re sure that I¡¯ve got a position there?¡±  Sophia asked, now seeming a bit nervous.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Joram said, waiving it off.  ¡°They¡¯ll need the help.  Besides, I look forward to the business you¡¯ll help bring to the department store,¡± he finished with a grin.

    He could tell that she didn¡¯t know quite how to take that.  It could be taken as him complimenting her beauty but could also be taken how he intended it.  That she was a very capable young woman who¡¯d learned a lot from her family business, and how that experience would be a tremendous asset for the budding business.

    He was about to say something else when the door opened again.  This time, though, it was slammed open to reveal an irate-looking young man who was followed in by a few others, including one of the staff.

    ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t care,¡± he said, obviously speaking to the attendant.  ¡°This is the room that I normally reserve, so any plebeians who want to use it can just leave,¡± he finished, directing his last words at Joram and the study group.

    But when he eyes landed on the women of the group, which really wasn¡¯t hard seeing as how Joram and Wentian were the only men there, his eyes and posture changed remarkably.

    ¡°But if these fine women want to accompany us, I won¡¯t argue,¡± he amended, a sly look replacing his previous contemptuous one.

    ¡®How many clich¨¦d scenarios are we going to run into here?¡¯  He sent to Alicia, wondering at just how some people were brought up.

    ¡®This¡¯ll probably happen a lot, given the status of the study group¡¯s members,¡¯ she sent back dryly.

    Joram looked over at Wentian and nodded.  But before the man could stand, Bai Lian beat him to it.

    ¡°We don¡¯t want any company,¡± she said, now only a metre from the brown-haired youth.

    Joram supposed that he would be considered attractive enough.  His hair came down past his square shoulders, framing an aristocratic face.  He wasn¡¯t very tall, just about average for the region, standing at about 170cm tall.  His robes were of fine quality and draped over his slender figure well.

    Probably a minor noble, the thought as the young man began speaking again.

    ¡°Ah, but with so many beauties present, how could we not stay to get to know you all better?¡±  He asked, a confident smile spreading his lips wide.

    Bai Lian looked as though she was about to punt the kid out the door, but then Wentian stepped up.

    ¡°This is a private party,¡± he said, folding his arms across his chest as he practically towered over the young man.  He was amused to see that even Bai Lian was taller than the silk pants.

    ¡°Get this servant away from me,¡± he replied, waving a hand at one of the men accompanying him.

    Joram just about laughed out loud when the man stepped up.  He was only a couple centimetres taller than the entitled kid.  What really got Joram was that he seemed to have only just stepped into the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier.

    Then he realized that his perspective was more than a little skewed.  That he had been surrounded by high Tiered Mages his whole life, not to mention having already advanced to the point where a country would consider him a national asset, really wasn¡¯t normal.

    A Tier 4 cultivator was normally considered a powerhouse outside of the military.  Heck, even in most militaries, they were at least captains, and more likely to be division leaders.

    ¡°Please, step over here with me,¡± the man said, motioning to the side.

    Wentian raised and eyebrow at the man then turned back to the young man.

    ¡°Please leave, or don¡¯t blame me for being impolite,¡± he said calmly.

    Joram just about sprayed his sip of water when he heard that.  Not because he was worried about any trouble that might come of it, but because of the line itself.

    The young man¡¯s patience ended at that point, his face darkening in anger.

    ¡°I am Cedric Arabanise,¡± he said, making Joram wonder if mental deficiencies were a family trait.  ¡°I am the first young lord of the house.  Leave, or I won¡¯t go easy on you,¡± he said, looking at Wentian and Bai Lian, then panning his gaze across the room.  He stopped when his eyes landed on Alyraele, a malicious glint coming to his eyes.

    ¡°Ah, I see that Miss Erhice is here as well.  Please convince your plebeian friends to leave, and I¡¯ll not make things difficult for your father,¡± he said, then turned to regard Sophia.  ¡°Miss Rearden, I hope that our families can continue cooperating well.¡±

    Joram noticed how pale both women became at Cedric¡¯s words, and his anger started to smoulder, allowing his aura to start leaking out.  Which got Cedric¡¯s attention.

    ¡°I recognize you now,¡± he said, turning fully to Joram.  ¡°You¡¯re that peasant that cost us a Tier 4 underling,¡± he said, now practically sneering.  ¡°I¡¯ll regain some of the honour that you caused us to lose by dealing with you here,¡± he said, circulating his mana, letting everyone in the room feel his peak Tier 4 cultivation.  In fact, Joram was sure that he was close to stepping into the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier.

    ¡°You speak of plebeians, yet you don¡¯t recognize your betters,¡± Aya said from where she sat beside Jae-Eun, who had adopted a frosty expression.

    Not only her, but everyone was more or less looking at the youngish noble with varying degrees of distaste, disdain, or outright disgust.  Even if he hadn¡¯t threatened Alyraele and Sophia, he was sure that they would have been looking at him the same way.  As is, Alyraele¡¯s and Sophia¡¯s slightly ill expressions only angered Joram further.

    ¡°Now, since things ended and I haven¡¯t been bothered by your family since, I had considered the matter closed,¡± Joram began, not even bothering to turn his physical eyes towards the prat.  ¡°But seeing as how you¡¯re so willing to invite catastrophe upon yourself and your house by threatening not only me, but my dear friends¡­.   Well, I¡¯ll no longer turn the other cheek, as it were.¡±

    ¡®Abolish his cultivation.  If any of his friends interfere, do the same for them as well,¡¯ he sent to the Trio, getting a smile from them in return.

    ¡°Oh, what can a peasant do?¡±  Centric asked, then stepped back as Mo Yu joined Bai Lian and Wentian.  He was about to speak again when all three of them released their Tier 5 auras and directed them at Cedric.

    He immediately dropped to his knees as a dark stain started to spread down his thighs.  Joram ¡°watched¡± as all colour left Cedric¡¯s face as his mouth dropped open, though no sound came out of it.  Cedric¡¯s ¡°friends¡± stepped back; their faces suddenly covered in sweat.  The unlucky guard didn¡¯t look any better than Cedric¡¯s friends, but showed a remarkable amount of courage as he stepped forward, interposing himself between his employer and the Trio.

 Chapter 100 - Me too

    The guard dropped to his knees, then proceeded to bow so low that his forehead thunked loudly on the floorboards, his hands pressed flat on the floor beside his head. A kowtow, or dogeza, if you will.

    ¡°We failed to see Mount Togah before our eyes. Please forgive us!¡±

    As the combined auras of the Trio pressed down on the group, Joram was once again impressed with the sheer grit the guard showed. But he was also perplexed by the colloquialism.

    ¡®Mount Togah?¡¯ He sent to Alicia, thoroughly confused.

    ¡®Think of it as their version of Mount Tai,¡¯ she sent back, amused. ¡®Though, here, Mount Togah is considered a Death Zone. It¡¯s a Level 5 Mana Zone, so only someone of Tier 9 or higher can be there without the mana density killing them.¡¯

    ¡®Huh,¡¯ he sent back reflexively.

    ¡®So?¡¯ Wentian sent him, obviously wanting to know what he should do with the prostrating man in front of him.

    ¡®Let the guard go,¡¯ Joram sent, then added a bit more. ¡®We can let Cedric off, if he makes a Heart Oath to never bother us, or any of our families, friends, or business partners and affiliates again.¡¯

    He could feel the curiosity and slight disappointment from the Trio through the Network. He could understand the curiosity, but why were they disappointed? Had they been secretly chomping at the bit to get into a fight?

    ¡°You¡¯re lucky today,¡± Wentian said, taking the lead once again. ¡°If your young lord is willing to take a Heart Oath to never bother any of us, their families, friends, business partners, or affiliates again, then we¡¯ll let you go,¡± Wentian finished, easing up on his aura enough so that Cedric could respond.

    ¡°Please!¡± The attendant who¡¯d come in with the group finally found his voice. ¡°Please, no fighting in here!¡± He pleaded frantically, wringing his hands in front of him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there will be no ¡®fight¡¯,¡± Mo Yu said, giving the middle-aged man a small smile to reassure him.

    Joram was then privy to the sight of what Mo Yu¡¯s smile could do to a man. The attendant¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he blushed, his mouth bobbing open and closed as he tried to say something.

    The guard stayed where he was, likely knowing that his boss was the one expected to speak up.

    It took another half a minute before Cedric could gather himself enough to speak.

    ¡°I will-¡°

    * * * * *

    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again,¡± she said, taking Kinkade¡¯s hand to shake, then Asura¡¯s.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to be back,¡± Asura said, giving her one of her dazzling smiles.

    ¡°Please, sit with me¡±, Layla said, directing the pair to the comfortable seats arranged around the small round table off to the side in her office. After they¡¯d all taken their seats, Aenwyn returned with a tray of tea and light snacks for them all. Once everyone was served, Layla continued.

    ¡°To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit today?¡±

    ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to say that this is a social visit,¡± Kinkade said, placing his teacup back on its saucer, ¡°it isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°There are a couple of matters that we wish to discuss with you,¡± Asura said, taking over for Kinkade.

    Layla was thrown off a bit by the sudden change in their normal interactions. Normally, they just visited any time they brought in an item for auction, speaking of this and that. That they were taking the initiative to speak with her about something else could be an important opportunity for her to deepen the pair¡¯s connection to the Auction House.

    ¡°Please, we¡¯re all friends here,¡± she said, giving them a genuine smile. ¡°Speak, and I¡¯ll certainly do what I can for you.¡±

    Kinkade and Asura exchanged a startled look, giving Layla both a bit of hope that what they wanted to discuss was something that she could help with, but also giving her a bit of pause. If what they wanted to talk about turned out to be something difficult for the Auction House, then her position might not be enough to shield her from any potential repercussions that her helping the pair might bring.

    ¡°Well, the first is regarding a business matter,¡± Kinkade said, then proceeded to lay out their plans to open a small department store on the outskirts of Stormhaven.

    It sounded intriguing, and as she got more details from the pair, she came to a quick decision.

    ¡°I¡¯d be more than happy to help you out with recruiting and passing along the details of your store to valued customers,¡± Layla said, her money sense exploding. ¡°Would it be possible to get a sample of this ¡®viridian silk¡¯ to use when I speak of it with others?¡± She asked, very interested in the new material.

    ¡°I can do one better,¡± Kinkade said, retrieving a measuring tape and holding it up in a motion that asked if he could take her measurements.

    Suppressing a sudden blush, Layla nodded. It took Kinkade less than a minute to take her measurements, a consummate professional when doing so. She noticed a heavily suppressed look of envy on Aenwyn¡¯s face, and couldn¡¯t help but mentally nod.

    ¡°Miss Aenwyn?¡± Asura spoke up, startling both her and her assistant. ¡°Would you like to be measured too?¡± She asked, a soft smile on her face.

    ¡°I would never presume, miss!¡± Aenwyn said quickly, shaking her head as her hands raised as though she were trying to push back such a thought.

    ¡°It¡¯s no bother,¡± Kinkade said, his smile like that of a tolerant older brother, making Aenwyn slump in defeat as she stood up to be measured.

    Layla suppressed a smile as she watched her assistant fight her own blushes as her measurements were taken before once again sitting as though all the energy in her had been drained.

    ¡°Here,¡± Asura said as she reached out and passed each of them a handkerchief-sized piece of silk.

    They took the offered pieces and marvelled at its texture. Normal silk was smooth, but this was almost like touching water, or like running her fingers over wet ice, but without the cold or wet to get in the way of the sensation. Remembering the qualities they¡¯d expounded upon, Layla proceeded to tug the cloth from its edges, testing its resilience.

    Now, she had been very studious in her cultivation over the years, especially after she¡¯d started dealing with Asura and Kinkade. The bonuses she¡¯d enjoyed for the continued sales she facilitated with the pair had allowed her to purchase a steady stream of effective and valuable cultivation resources, letting her reach her current strength. As a late Tier 3 Mage, and one who didn¡¯t forget to train her body as well, she was astonished by the fact that she couldn¡¯t even fray the edges of the silk, no matter how hard she tugged.

    ¡°This¡­ is impressive,¡± she said, once again looking back at the smiling pair. ¡°Not just for how¡­ luxurious it feels, but that it is so strong without having been made into an artifact first.¡±

    ¡°The source materials are Tier 4 and above,¡± Kinkade said, now looking serious again. ¡°Part of why we¡¯ve approached you is to obtain more of one of the key components of the silk.¡±

    ¡°Bloodmoon Reaver Silk,¡± Asura said, getting her attention. ¡°We have some, but would need much more, and a steady source of it, to be able to keep up with the foreseen demand.¡±

    Layla nodded, understanding their dilemma. As a Tier 6 magical beast, it wasn¡¯t easy to deal with, never mind domesticating the beast to ensure a steady supply of its silk. The few businesses that specialized in the very dangerous field of magical beast husbandry that she knew of didn¡¯t deal with magical beasts of that Tier, nor in arachnids.

    ¡°That¡­ will be difficult,¡± she confessed, then explained why. ¡°That said, we can start looking into anyone who might be willing to start up such a venture¡­¡±

    Kinkade nodded at that, then spoke.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll find someone,¡± he said with a smile that warmed her heart to see. ¡°If you¡¯re in need of funds, as I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re personally offering to help or it it¡¯s an offer that¡¯ll be backed by the Auction House, we can help. Either way, we¡¯d very much like to have a share in that business,¡± he finished, giving her a keen look as Asura gave him an amused look in turn.

    Layla nodded, appreciating how on point they were. Even though she was now in the upper management of the Auction House, such a high-risk venture was something that she¡¯d need to draw up a proposal for, then present it to the board of directors for approval. If she was willing to take on the risks involved in such a venture, then she could try to help fund it with her own personal savings.

    Thinking about it a bit more, she was sure that personally funding the project with Asura and Kinkade would lead to enormous profits for them all. She was reasonably sure that she could convince the board of directors to fund the project, but such an amazing business opportunity was hard to pass up. Given what the viridian silk would be able to sell for, she was sure that they¡¯d soon be swimming in Crystals.

    ¡°For now, I would like to personally head this project,¡± she said, nodding. ¡°I would be very happy to work with you both to get everything going and running smoothly.¡±

    Asura smiled at her before speaking.

    ¡°With that sorted, there¡¯s another issue we¡¯d appreciate your help with,¡± she said, then proceeded to explain some issues centred on a friend of theirs, as well as his friends and their families, and smiled.

    That¡¯ll be the easy part, Layla thought as she listened to Asura and Kinkade. For such a small family, in such a small kingdom, they sure don¡¯t know how high the sky is.

    * * * * *

    *1346.08.11*

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, but the card had been declined.¡±

    Cedric paused his conversation to look over at the source of the new voice, as it wasn¡¯t who he¡¯d been expecting.

    ¡°Sorry? Come again?¡± He said, not quite believing his ears.

    ¡°The card has been declined,¡± the man replied, taking the card off the small tray he¡¯d been carrying it on and placing it on the table in front of Cedric.

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ¡°Absurd. This is a Silver Card from Heaven¡¯s Bounty Auction House.¡± He said, wondering if the restaurant¡¯s card reader was malfunctioning.

    ¡°Yes, and I have confirmation from the local branch of Heaven¡¯s Bounty that this card has been cancelled. Please provide another method of payment,¡± the man said, bowing slightly at the end.

    Neither the bow nor the courteous tone the man used eased Cedric¡¯s seething anger. He didn¡¯t know why his card had been cancelled, but the humiliation he was feeling because of that was almost as bad as what he¡¯d felt kneeling before that cur, Joram.

    One of his friends offered to pay, alleviating the tense situation slightly, but then Samart, his cowardly guard who¡¯d begged Joram to spare them, spoke up.

    ¡°The patriarch wishes to speak with you,¡± he said, lowering his communications card. ¡°He is currently at Heaven¡¯s Bounty. He expects you post haste.¡±

    Cedric frowned, getting a sinking feeling in his stomach. What could his father want now? Was his father¡¯s presence at Heaven¡¯s Bounty related to why his card was cancelled? And, as far as he knew, there weren¡¯t any auctions of note today, so why was he there at all?

    After the bill was sorted, they entered his flying artifact, a luxurious coach that could fit him and his friends with room to spare. As a Tier 3 Artifact its speed was top-notch, so they soon arrived at Heaven¡¯s Bounty. It only took them a few more minutes before he found himself waiting outside of one of the administrative offices, alone but for Samart waiting by his side.

    A minute later, the door was opened by one of the stunning beauties employed by Heaven¡¯s Bounty, distracting him briefly before Samart nudged him. Cedric gave the man a glare before stepping into the room where his father was waiting along with another stunning beauty who he recognized as Miss Layla, one of the top auctioneers of the auction house. If she¡¯d been in the Academy, he was sure that she would have been at the top of the Goddess Ranking.

    From what the rumours said, she was a prodigy when it came to business, finding, and signing very profitable deals for the auction house. Not only that, but she was one of the most sought-after bachelorettes in the kingdom, let alone in others. He¡¯d heard that she¡¯d transferred here to get away from the many suitors constantly vying for her attention. And he could see why.

    Her black hair was long, but tied up in a neat bun that allowed for a short waterfall of her hair to fall down to the nape of her long neck, catching the light in such a way that violet highlights could be seen shimmering in and out of existence as her hair shifted in morning light. Her skin was like alabaster, smooth and perfect, while her eyes were like pure amethyst. So enthralled was he that he couldn¡¯t tear his eyes away from her gorgeous mien to admire the rest of her stunning figure.

    His breath caught in his throat as her large eyes locked onto his, causing his step to briefly stagger before he caught himself. Cedric broke eye contact first, suddenly aware that the rumours of how formidable this young woman was were indeed true.

    ¡°Sit,¡± his father said curtly, breaking him out of his stupor.

    Cedric quickly did as he was instructed, taking the chair to his father¡¯s left; something that should have caused a warning flag to rise if he hadn¡¯t been so distracted.

    ¡°Shall we continue?¡± Miss Layla asked, her voice so smooth and melodious that he was once again distracted when his father replied.

    ¡°Yes, please do,¡± Careth Arabanise said, sounding as diplomatic as usual.

    ¡°Well then,¡± Miss Layla said, her gaze sweeping over them both. ¡°Due to the House finding alternate suppliers, we¡¯ve decided to cut ties with the majority of your businesses. Due to that, your account no longer qualifies as a Silver Tier Account, so you¡¯ve been downgraded to Bronze Tier,¡± she said as though she were discussing tea.

    What she¡¯d said took Cedric a moment to process and realize just how significant her words were. To him, Miss Layla no longer sounded like a divine being who¡¯d descended to the mortal realm to grace them with her presence. Now, she sounded like a cold-hearted demon to him.

    ¡°But, why?¡± Careth asked, trying to sound anything but strangled as he spoke.

    ¡°It is business,¡± Miss Layla said nonchalantly, picking up her teacup to take a sip before continuing. ¡°We found a better opportunity, so we went with it. Perhaps, with some savvy business acumen, you might be able to find other buyers and partners to deal with before things get out of hand for your businesses.¡±

    Another moment passed before Cedric¡¯s father replied, sounding angry now.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been in business for centuries. What changed? If it¡¯s cutting costs, we can look at that. I¡¯m sure that we can find a mutually beneficial balance between us,¡± he said, working hard to remain calm.

    But Cedric knew his father well, and the fact that a vein in his neck was throbbing meant that there would be hell to pay for everything that was happening here.

    ¡°Well, due to certain opportunities opening up in the market over the past couple of days, we¡¯ve decided to take advantage of them in lieu of continuing dealing with House Arabanise and its subsidiaries,¡± Miss Layla said, her tone not changing even slightly. ¡°Some people¡¯s abandoned business ventures are other people¡¯s gains.¡±

    Cedric was shocked by just how blas¨¦ Miss Layla was being about all this. He was being trained to take over the family holdings and businesses, so he knew that the number of Crystals flowing between House Arabanise and Heaven¡¯s Bounty amounted to tens of thousands of Tier 2 HGCs per year. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to put their yearly income in the realm of Tier 3 Crystals; something that only a few in the kingdom could brag about.

    Then his thoughts turned to his encounter the other day and how he¡¯d reacted to it.

    ---

    ¡°I will not,¡± he¡¯d said, spitting at the feet of the tall foreigners. ¡°I am a noble of this kingdom, I will not bow to plebeians! Mark my words, if you do anything to me, I¡¯ll make sure that each and every one of you suffers. Then, I¡¯ll make sure to ruin your families to the point that they¡¯ll be sold into slavery to pay off their debts.¡±

    He watched in satisfaction as many of the beauties paled at his words, especially that bitch from House Erhice. He¡¯d once wanted to pursue her, as she was considered a beauty amongst their peerage, but now he could see that she was just another dog.

    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want, then leave,¡± Joram Aneath said, still not looking at him when he spoke.

    Ah, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be sure to take care of you along with the others, he¡¯d thought, already planning how he was going to disgrace and humiliate the young whelp.

    ---

    After that, he¡¯d gone home, bathed, then immediately went to the finance department of House Arabanise. There, he¡¯d taken the time to go through the books. He¡¯d then spent more time going through their various contacts and had come up with a plan.

    From what he¡¯d researched, it hadn¡¯t been too difficult to cut ties with House Erhice, then with the Rearden Consortium. From there, he¡¯d gotten into contact with other companies dealing with those two and had pulled in some favours, made some subtle threats, and had ended those business relationships as well. It had taken a bit of work, but he¡¯d been proud of how he¡¯d gone about ruining House Erhice and the Rearden Consortium.

    ¡°Wait, I know these businesses,¡± his father said, holding a sheet of paper dense with writing. ¡°We¡¯re already working with them. What¡¯s going on?¡± He asked, shaking his head as the vein in his neck grew in size.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say, but now that they¡¯re no longer dealing with House Arabanise, it was a simple matter to scoop them up, along with many others who were willing to take advantage of better business opportunities,¡± Miss Layla said, then took another sip of tea.

    ¡°But, how?¡± Careth Arabanise asked as his left hand that was holding the paper fell to his side, allowing Cedric to see what was written there.

    He paled then, his stomach sinking down into his boots. Miss Layla caught sight of his reaction, then spoke.

    ¡°Maybe ask your son? He seems to have realized something,¡± she said, a small smile forming on her lips for the first time that meeting.

    Careth Arabanise looked over to him, frowning as he beheld his son¡¯s sickly visage.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Cedric took a moment to swallow, trying to wet his very dry throat before speaking. It didn¡¯t work.

    ¡°Recently, I restructured a few business deals,¡± he croaked out, not able to look at his father, nor the demon sitting at the desk across from him.

    ¡°What?¡± His father asked again, this time in a tone so cold that Cedric was sure that the tea in his cup had gained a few ice crystals.

    ¡°House Erhice and the Rearden Consortium insulted me and the family a few days ago, refusing to apologize. So, to punish them, I cut off some business dealings with them and¡­¡± he stopped dead as the look his father was giving him told him that if he continued speaking, he¡¯d die.

    ¡°I find that I have a few matters to attend to,¡± his father said, turning his attention back to Miss Layla. ¡°If we could continue this discussion at a later date, I would be much obliged.¡±

    Miss Layla stood up, prompting them to also stand.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that that will be necessary,¡± she said, then motioned them to the door. ¡°Please, forgive me for not seeing you out,¡± she said as her assistant opened the door for them.

    Cedric was feeling so ill that he missed what else was said before he was dragged out of the office and out of Heaven¡¯s Bounty to stand with his father, his retinue, and Samart outside near their flying artifacts.

    ¡°What did you do?¡± His father asked as he activated a privacy array in his ring.

    ¡°Well, when I went to visit the Azure Crane the other day, I found that my room had been taken by plebians. So, I went in to dismiss them,¡± he said, then swallowed at the look his father gave him. ¡°They then proved to be more than mere plebians, though. Alyraele and Sophia were there with friends from the Academy. As was that Joram Aneath,¡± he said, then stopped dead as his father¡¯s hand clamped onto his neck faster than his eye could track.

    ¡°What. Did. You. Do?¡±

    Cedric tried to swallow before speaking, then finally succeeded when his father¡¯s grip loosened just enough for him to speak.

    ¡°Joram sent people to attack us, but backed off once he knew how much trouble harming us would bring him,¡± he wheezed out, causing his father¡¯s look to change.

    ¡°How do I have such imbeciles for sons?¡± Careth asked himself, obviously not wanting an answer from Cedric. ¡°Did I not tell you, and everyone else, to leave Joram Aneath alone?¡± He asked coldly.

    ¡°He¡¯s just a kid¡­¡± he managed to say before the look of such utter disgust and contempt on his father¡¯s face silenced him.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Careth said, shaking his head. ¡°He¡¯s just a youth. Who happens to already be a Tier 3 Alchemist as well as a Tier 3 Artificer. Just a ¡®youth¡¯ who killed a mid-Tier 4 Battlemage with one swing of a mundane sword. Just a ¡®youth¡¯ who happens to be in his first year at the Grand Waeryn Academy. Just a ¡®youth¡¯ who now happens to be engaged to a princess of the Eternal Snow Kingdom. Just a ¡®youth¡¯ who just so happens to have organized a ¡®study group¡¯ of some of the most influential young women in the Academy. Who happens to have turned in dozens of requests at the Academy¡¯s Quest Hall, all ranging from D-Class to B-Class,¡± he said, listing off things that Cedric would have normally said were impossible.

    ¡°So, tell me. Why would you think it was a good idea to antagonize Joram Aneath? Especially when I directly forbade anyone doing such a thing?¡±

    Cedric couldn¡¯t find the words to reply to his father. Instead, he could do nothing but stare down at his feet, his mind spinning.

    ¡°Congratulations,¡± his father said, sarcasm dripping from every word. ¡°You¡¯ve successfully destroyed House Arabanise. Samart? Take Cedric and lock him up,¡± he said before dismissing the privacy array and walking off.

    Cedric watched numbly as his father, accompanied by his retinue, left in his flying artifact. He felt someone grab his elbow and turned to see that it was Samart holding his arm. He followed along numbly, getting into the flying coach, and sitting.

    His mind was still spinning as he was led out of the coach, through the estates, and into his House¡¯s jail cells.

    What happened? Was all he could think to ask himself, still not registering where he was.

    * * * * *

    Alyraele read through the message from her family again, not believing what her eyes were telling her. Sophia, at her side, was doing the same with a letter that she¡¯d just received as they sat at Starfall with the rest of the study group.

    ¡°Good news?¡± Joram asked, a curious look on his face.

    Alyraele looked over at him, taking in his youthful appearance. Even after accepting his ¡°friendship¡±, she¡¯d still had doubts about just what he could do by himself. Yes, he was incredibly powerful, but that came with being a Reincarnator. They were all abnormal existences who seemed to flaunt common sense. Even then, she hadn¡¯t quite believed that he could do anything if her family got involved.

    She still wasn¡¯t sure if what she was reading had been caused or influenced by him. Two days ago, when her family had contacted her regarding their business dealings, telling her that she wouldn¡¯t likely be able to continue attending the Academy next year, she¡¯d been crushed.

    It looked like Cedric had followed through with his threats of ruining her family. Not only her, but also going so far as to cut ties with Sophia¡¯s as well. Not only that, but even several other families and businesses had been targeted.

    Alyraele hadn¡¯t had the stomach to meet with the study group since then, preferring to discuss things with Sophia instead. Even with their business acumen, and Sophia¡¯s contacts, they hadn¡¯t been able to figure out a solution before Joram had called them all to meet today.

    She¡¯d almost refused the invitation given how angry she¡¯d been with Joram for his part in what had happened. But ultimately, she knew that it was on Cedric¡¯s head. Even though Joram had played a part, Cedric¡¯s decisions were what had caused the financial ruin of their families, so she¡¯d agreed to the meeting.

    To say that the atmosphere was awkward to start would have been a gross understatement. For his part, Joram seemed¡­ oblivious to it all, chatting quietly with Renna about growing trees, of all things. But then a messenger came to deliver the physical letters from their respective families, confusing them both terribly. Why they¡¯d chosen to send a physical letter when they could have sent a message to their student cards had been beyond her, but then they¡¯d read through the contents of said letters.

    Now she knew why. Something that sensitive shouldn¡¯t be entrusted to message spells. Even with the heavily warded letters, she still wondered why she hadn¡¯t just been summoned home to speak with the family.

    ¡°Mhmm,¡± she mumbled before continuing. ¡°It seems that our¡­ financial difficulties have been resolved,¡± she said, not quite sure if she should explain it further than that given the public setting.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad things worked out,¡± Joram said with a soft smile, but the glint in his eyes suggested to her that he had known something about all this before hand.

    ¡°Was it you?¡± Sophia asked bluntly, storing the letter away in her storage ring.

    Joram looked at her, surprise evident in his expression.

    Alyraele placed a hand on Sophia¡¯s shoulder, stopping her from speaking.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad we¡¯re friends,¡± she said, a small smile spreading on her lips as she realized just how heartfelt her words actually were.

    Joram smiled back at her, then waved a server over and ordered a round of juice cocktails form them all. After the server had gone, he looked back to her and smiled again.

    ¡°Me too,¡± he said.

 Chapter 101 - Increased social batteries

    *1346.08.15*

    ¡°Ahhh~,¡± she sighed as she went to her first class of the semester.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡± Renna said from her side, once again dressed as an assistant instructor.

    ¡°You keep saying that, but aren¡¯t you done with your classes?  Aren¡¯t you just here to tutor students?¡±  She asked, giving her friend a mild glare.

    ¡°In a way, isn¡¯t that harder than learning new materials?¡±  Renna asked rhetorically.  ¡°Joram said something really interesting yesterday.  ¡®You don¡¯t really know a subject until you can explain it simply to another person in a way that they can understand.¡¯  I thought about it more after we separated for the night¡­¡± Renna said, trailing off at the end.

    ¡°¡­ and?¡±  She prompted, hoping to get the whole story before she needed to get to class.

    ¡°¡­ and I decided to retake a few courses to deepen my understanding,¡± she finished, nodding to herself.

    ¡°Wait¡­.  Does that mean that you¡¯re coming to class with me?¡±  She asked, not sure how she should feel about that.

    ¡°No, Emily, I will not,¡± Renna said, shaking her head.  ¡°I will, however, be retaking courses from the Master level and up to see if there is anything new that I can learn; new ways of looking at things.  Joram hinted at more than a few things that aren¡¯t as¡­ efficient as he thought they should be.  So, I¡¯ve decided to deepen my knowledge!¡±  Renna finished, her eyes practically blazing with fervor.

    Once again, Emily was unsure of just how she should feel about the ¡°Eternal Student¡± retaking courses.  Renna was almost universally acknowledged as one of the top students in the Academy.  She¡¯d also gotten that nickname because, aside from the professors, instructors, and staff at the Academy, she had been there the longest amongst anyone else there.  It was partly a title that was designed to mock her, but others also used it in a respectful way.

    That someone so dedicated to learning was still there, and even helping out as an assistant instructor¡­.  Well, many people respected that thirst for knowledge and the desire to share it with others.  Which led to any class Renna assisted in having a much higher enrolment rate than other classes.  It had gotten to the point where the professors and instructors had started to contend with one another to see who could get her as their assistant.  They¡¯d even gone so far as to offer her increased pay and signing bonuses.

    To say that Renna was being paid to attend the Academy wasn¡¯t a stretch.  She was the only person Emily knew of that didn¡¯t have to pay tuition, rent, or even pay for her books.  About the only thing she used her money for was to eat out, buy research materials, and clothing.

    Even though she was a princess, Emily still had to keep to a budget while she was there.  Being the daughter of a concubine meant that her monthly stipend wasn¡¯t nearly as much as that of her ¡°direct line¡± siblings.  So, that was why she was especially happy to have not only moved in with Alicia, but also ecstatic that she was able to go on missions with Joram and everyone else.

    Well, she was also very happy to have been able to have met Joram.  Her whimsical decision to follow Renna to her ¡°interview¡± had been one of the best decisions of her life.  Sure, she hadn¡¯t ever thought that she¡¯d find herself in the same position as her mother when it came to finding¡­ love?  She wasn¡¯t sure about that yet, but she did know that she really like Joram.  She also knew that he was someone that she could have seen herself with even without her parents practically gift-wrapping and presenting her to him.

    ¡°Emily?¡±  Renna queried, gently poking her in the side, making her jump in surprise.

    Smoothing out her tail with gentle strokes, Emily glared at her friend.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to be late,¡± Renna said, pointing at Emily¡¯s classroom.

    Without another word, or even looking back at her friend, Emily dashed into class just as the instructor called the class to order.

    It wasn¡¯t one of her favourite classed, but musical theory was important, in its own way.  But after having met Joram, and having spent more time with him and everyone else, she¡¯d come to a greater appreciation of music as a whole.  The various instruments that Joram had at his place, not to mention the new ones like the ¡°guitar¡± and ¡°piano¡±, had kindled a deeper desire in her to learn more.  To get better than she had been.

    Sure, those desires might have come in response to her wanting to get closer with Joram.  To get a connection with him outside of sparring.  Yes, she really enjoyed their sparring sessions and just how far he could push her fighting skills while also teaching her at the same time.  But knowing that sparring was just a small part of Joram¡¯s life, even though he was exceptionally good at it, made her want¡­ more.  She wanted more for herself.  She wanted to be more than just a ¡°battle junky¡±, as others called her.

    Emily also wanted to just¡­ be better.  Better than who she¡¯d been just a few months ago.  Better than what others thought of her as.  Better than even her family thought she could be.  Just¡­ better.  Perhaps¡­ ¡°more¡± was the better word for it.  She wanted to be more than just a number on the Goddess Ranking.  More than just a brawler.  More than just the flirty persona she put out there to distract people from who she really was.

    So, when it came time for everyone to practice on their chosen instruments, she retrieved the instrument that Joram had said would fit her well.  He called it a ¡°bass guitar¡±.  It needed to ¡°pair¡± with an ¡°amp¡±, so she retrieved that too.

    She took her time fiddling with the several ¡°dials¡± on the amp that adjusted anything from the volume to resonance to ¡°gain¡±, ¡°bass¡±, ¡°mids¡±, and ¡°treb¡±.  She hadn¡¯t quite gotten the explanation of how it all worked, but she knew that she¡¯d get it once she played with it for a time.  Book learning was good and all that, but practical experience was where it was at for her.

    Emily smiled as she activated her isolation array, just like everyone else in class.  The instructor would be able to use the key for the arrays in class to listen in on their individual playing, which meant that no one student could disturb any of the others as they practiced.  Which, really, was just what she needed because this was the first time that she¡¯d really sat down with the bass guitar.

    It was so different from the guzheng that she had difficulty adjusting to the new ¡°play style¡±, but she was confident that she¡¯d get it down.  And impress Joram.

    Not only that, but she could- reluctantly- admit to herself that she also wanted to impress Alicia, Mo Yu, and Bai Lian.  That she was the 4<sup>th</sup>¡­ wife?  Anyway, that she was 4<sup>th</sup> in line meant that three others were ahead of her and that she¡¯d need to cultivate her relationship with the others if she wanted to develop a good relationship with Joram and a harmonious home-life with everyone else.  That, and she could also admit that the three of them impressed her greatly.

    Alicia because she had the same level of talent as Joram, and was just plain stunning.  Mo Yu and Bai Lian because, even though they were only a year or two older than her, they were already in the 5<sup>th</sup> Tier.  Which, really, was just astounding.  Back in the Eternal Snow Kingdom, they¡¯d have been given priority no matter where they went.  They¡¯d practically have cultivation resources thrown at them because of their ¡°genius¡±.

    Emily smiled to herself.  Not only was she in the company of terrifying geniuses, but they were also good people.  Nice.  Caring.  Genuine.

    At that moment, Emily determined that she¡¯d give it her all.  That she would become someone better than she¡¯d been so that she could stand tall with her new¡­ family.

    Yeah, that sounds good.  ¡°Family¡±, she thought with another smile as she finally finished playing with the dials.

    - - - - -

    Several days later, Alyraele was still in shock.

    The start of the new semester had proved a useful distraction for the first few hours, but hearing the gossip in class before her latest business class started up had thoroughly reminded her of the incident last week.

    As a member of the ¡°Study Group¡± involved in the incident, there was considerable gossip involving her too.  Anything from her being Joram¡¯s mistress to his fianc¨¦e to shady dealings between his unknown house/backers and even the Academy itself.

    She knew that Joram had a connection with the Dean, and even the President of the Bank.  She was also reasonably sure that he hadn¡¯t used those connections to deal with the Arabanise Family, as she¡¯d done more than a few discrete inquiries over the past few days.

    From what she could find, Joram seemed to have a connection with Heaven¡¯s Bounty Auction House.  What that connection was, or how strong it was, she hadn¡¯t been able to find out.  The new business partnerships that had formed after House Arabanise had cut ties with them and House Erhice¡¯s business partners had almost all reported that they¡¯d come across the new opportunities when someone from Heaven¡¯s Bounty had said something.  Or even strongly hinted that it would be a good venture.

    Thankfully the class started and the gossip ended, letting her once again put those annoying thoughts and speculations aside.  Unfortunately, they returned in her musical theory and applications class.

    Most of it, she was sure, had been prompted when they saw the ¡°acoustic guitar¡± that Joram had gifted her.  She was very pleased with the instrument, even though she preferred the ¡°piano¡±.  That said, pianos were incredibly inconvenient to transport, let alone take out in class.   The silence arrays weren¡¯t quite large enough to accommodate a ¡°grand piano¡¯s¡± size.

    Alyraele idly strummed her guitar as she waited for class to start, adding to the background noise of the class.  As she let her mind wander, she noticed that the mostly random idle playing of the class started to synchronize.  Even her idle strumming had shifted to go along with the flow.

    It took her another moment to realize that it was an odd adaptation to a song Joram called ¡°November Rain¡±.  He¡¯d claimed that to do the song justice he¡¯d need at least a piano and an ¡°electric¡± guitar.  He¡¯d still played it for them, and even sang for them at Dawn Star- which had been a treat!

    That said, she wasn¡¯t quite sure what she thought of the current adaptation.  Fortunately, she was saved from that line of thought when class started.

    The rest of her day went a like that.  Gossip.  Distraction.  Gossip.  Distraction.

    She was happy to get back to her small apartment and kick her shoes off.  She was even happier to start studying and working on the assigned homework from the day.  She wasn¡¯t as happy to get a call from Sophia to continue discussing the various findings and speculations surrounding their families¡¯ change of fortune.

    Why can¡¯t things just settle down again?  She asked herself with a sigh.

    * * * * *

    Captain¡¯s log, star date: 1346.13.21

    It¡¯s been¡­ hectic.  The past few months have seen me on more dates than all of my lives combined.  Each and every one of the Study Group who¡¯d confessed to me, or just plain showed interest in getting to know me better, insisted on spending more time with me¡­ alone.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Avi, for her part, threw me under the bus, as it were.  Due to the growing tensions amongst the Study Group, she suggested that I go on a ¡°date¡± with each of them.  Well, they seemed to have taken quite the liking to spending time with me, one-on-one.  So, after that, I found that six of my evenings each week were then devoted to ¡°date night¡±.

    I can¡¯t believe I managed to survive.

    But, according to Avi, I seem to have ¡°firmed up¡± after the many months of constant dating/getting to know each of them better.  My social batteries seem to have expanded as I no longer get home and immediately crash.

    I guess that¡¯s a good thing?

    Anyways¡­.

    Fall Term came and went.  The courses weren¡¯t anything to write home about and I once again got top marks in each of them.  Even Winter Term was simple enough, though since they haven¡¯t posted the marks yet, I don¡¯t know exactly how I did¡­.  But I very much suspect that I passed with flying colours.

    Welp, Winter Break starts now.  I¡¯m not sure if I want to take the group out again on another field trip, seeing how the last one went and all¡­.

    That said, I¡¯ve made great progress in figuring out the slavery seals on the Belladonnas.  I¡¯m confident that I can now remove them with little to no side effects for them.  I just don¡¯t know what¡¯ll happen after that.

    I¡¯ve had each of the captured Belladonnas incapacitated like the first one I caught, meaning that I¡¯ll need to wipe away the mental trauma from each of them due to being stuck in their own dreamworlds for the past several months.  That¡¯s not hard, given that the Minds have managed to translate all the way up to the eighth level Powers, and then some.  Heck, they even prioritized the Healing Powers needed to take care of that, so I don¡¯t have to worry about waiting for those Powers to be finished before finally getting on with things.

    That said, I¡¯m¡­ hesitant.  Sure, they were- probably- sent to kill me¡­ but.  Given that their probability of succeeding in their mission was- unbeknownst to them- slim to none¡­ well.  Avi constantly reminds me that I¡¯m too soft.  That I shouldn¡¯t consider people who¡¯ve tried to kill me as people, but pests to be exterminated.

    But if I went along with that way of thinking, then I wouldn¡¯t have the¡­ friendship?, that I currently enjoy with the Trio.  Sure, it¡¯s still a bit weird for me to have Bai Lian and Mo Yu still interested in me romantically, even after all this time.  Especially given the circumstances surrounding how we met.  I¡¯m still not sure if their interest in me is due to the Reverse Nightingale Syndrome or not.  But they¡¯re still insistent on staying by my side and even getting their ¡°fair share¡± of dates.

    Anyways, I digress.

    As I said, I¡¯m confident in removing the slavery seals from the Belladonnas without harming them.  The problem in that they were likely indoctrinated during their training, and likely continued to be indoctrinated after that on a regular basis.  Sure, slavery seals can force compliance, but they¡¯re not very good for developing devotion to a cause.  Hence why I suspect indoctrination of some sort.

    Which leaves me with my current dilemma.

    I¡¯m not very comfortable changing someone¡¯s mind without their informed consent.  But in this case, would their opinions be considered unbiassed?  Or, rather, would their decisions be in their best interests given their ¡°brainwashed¡± state?

    I know that the ethics of this world are significantly different from Earth, let alone where I grew up in Canada.  Heck, I¡¯ve let go of many of the norms and mores I grew up with on Earth over the past several years that I¡¯ve been here.  But some things are hard to let go.  Like my very profound belief in the sanctity of the mind.  I still have issues just reading the surface thoughts of an enemy, let alone anyone else.

    But, once again, Avi has pointed out just how ridiculous that is.  If I have a tool that can help me, and those close to me, then why not use it?

    Well, that¡¯s not just a can of worms, but a whole palette full of them¡­.

    That said, most of those cans originate from Earth, so there¡¯s that.  ¡°The strong rule¡±, and ¡°might makes right¡±, are very much the dogmas of this world.  Sure, Waeryn is more geared towards academic supremacy than Zhizun Zhanshi, but that¡¯s just another type of strength that¡¯s respected here than over there.  Ultimately, personal power very much determines what people are allowed to do, on either continent.

    Sure, there¡¯ll be some blowback if someone does something especially egregious, but unless that person makes it their life¡¯s goal to continue doing such things, they¡¯re very likely to ¡°get away with it¡± if they¡¯re strong enough.

    So, even though it¡¯s frowned upon here to mess with someone¡¯s mind, it¡¯s generally considered OK to ¡°help¡± someone by forcefully subjecting someone to Healing of any kind if the people around that person deem it necessary.  And removing any sort of brainwashing/conditioning/indoctrinations falls under that category.

    Which just means that I need to ¡°get over myself¡±, as Avi so eloquently put it last week.  ¡°With great power comes great responsibility,¡± and ¡°Noblesse Oblig¨¦¡±, and all that.  Not that Avi believes that second part as much as the first, but she still threw that at me because she knew that it would be as impactful as the first part.

    Yeah, I¡¯ve heard many arguments about how ridiculous noblesse oblig¨¦ is and all that.  But a lifetime of being taught to be selfless, and helping others who I could help, is a bit hard to let go, especially when it¡¯s part of one¡¯s nature.

    So, I¡¯ve come to the conclusion that that I will indeed help those women- as every Belladonna that I captured is indeed a woman- by removing their¡­ conditions.

    I know that I made the resolution to buy and use slaves to practice these techniques on, but¡­ it was hard.  I did wind up buying almost four dozen slaves of varying races.  But.  I only studied their slave seals.  That¡¯s it.  As for what I did with them afterwards, well¡­ Grammy is a bit annoyed with me.

    On another note, the department store has been quite the success!

    Sophia and Daleira have been working there part-time and have been such amazing employees that I¡¯m sure that a great deal of the success the department store is enjoying is due to their efforts.  Miss Layla was true to her word and sent a few people to help out, and they¡¯ve also done quite well.

    I¡¯m not sure where she got them from, but I am reasonably sure that they must have been long-time veterans of Heaven¡¯s Bounty.  For one, the women are all stunning, on the level of the Goddess Ranking, while the men could have been on the Hero Ranking.  Not only that, but they were more than happy to suggest being live models for the viridian silk products.  Which was both an amazing success and caused more than a few issues with customers wanting to grope- ¡°feel the product¡± that the models were wearing.

    Anyway.

    Both Mom and Grammy finally caught up with Avi in their cultivation efforts, so during the Fall Break, I supervised their core formations.  I would like to say that I was surprised when they told me that they were all practicing Encompass the Universe, but that would be a lie.  Their drive and determination to get stronger is very strong.

    So, I modified [Metaconcert] a bit to allow for everyone to draw strength from me at the same time.  That, combined with the utility of the Network, and each of them were successful in not only forming multiple cores, but also pulling off my stunt in drawing their cores into their Knowledge Seas.

    Mom and Grammy both succeeded in forming thirty-two cores each, while Avi matched me with sixty-four cores.  It took another day or so to stabilize their new ¡°solar systems¡±, but it was more than worth the effort.  After passing along my personal cultivation method, they¡¯ve more or less been in secluded cultivation, leaving most of the work of keeping the Clan going to my Dad.  Who is also annoyed with me¡­.

    That said, I¡¯ve continued to revive several Clan members every few days.  As hard as it was to do the first several times with my close family, it¡¯s gotten easier over time.  I¡¯m not sure if it is due to repetition or due to me not knowing them as well.  Probably both, if I¡¯m being honest with myself.  That said, my ¡°divine¡± reserves that let me use [True Resurrection] seem to have been expanding quite considerably.

    Now, I¡¯m truly not sure if that¡¯s because of my growing cultivation, or due to my using [True Resurrection] as frequently as I have been.  Either way, I¡¯m glad for it.  Given my initial reserves, it would have taken decades to revive the Clan, even working at it every day.

    Related to that, Xixi and Zanth are doing much better.  I¡¯m sure that having their parents back has helped tremendously with that.  But, their parents still have their own issues to work through.  Like Selussa losing Nozomi shortly after she was born.  Selussa shared with me what she did with the topaz she¡¯d been given, and I could have kissed her.

    Not that I did, as that would have been beyond weird, not to mention highly inappropriate.  No, but her action will allow for me to find Nozomi much easier than the rest of those who¡¯ve been taken.  Which leads to the next thing I¡¯ve been working on.

    The ring I¡¯d given Tillia contained a¡­ primitive form of the pseudo psicrystal.  I can¡¯t connect someone to the Network with it, but it does allow for me to find the person.  If that person isn¡¯t shielded from any form of divination that is.  What I¡¯ve been working on, is a way to circumvent the wards Tillia seems to be under.  Well, that, or the ring was taken from her and thrown into a shielded vault or something.

    Either way, finding the ring should, at the very least, give me a clue to her whereabouts.  Not that I¡¯m anywhere near strong enough to raid a Sect right now.  No, that¡¯ll still take time.  Even though I can survive an attack that I¡¯m reasonably sure would seriously cripple a Tier 7 Mage, if it didn¡¯t outright kill said mage, I¡¯m also certain that I would suffer many such attacks when attacking a long-established Sect.

    Even though Tier 7 Mages, or Immortals, are rare, I¡¯m sure that there are more than a few in Sects as old as the ones over there.  Which means more studying and a lot more cultivating and training.  Even with M3 and M4 working on my cores and stars, things aren¡¯t going as fast as I would like.  M10 and M11 are still helping by trying to make new Psijic Stars, but their success has been limited.

    So far, with both of them working on the project in tandem, they can only get a¡­ proto-Psijic Star formed.  Without them both focussing on keeping the Star stable, it destabilizes within a few seconds and vanishes.  I¡¯m sure that I¡¯m missing something, but what that might be, I¡¯m not sure.  There¡¯s been nothing like the Psijic Star in the past, so there¡¯s predictably nothing to study to help me with the problem.

    That said, I¡¯ve reached T5R9 already, while my Psionic side has reached T6R10.  I feel that I should be able to break through to the 7<sup>th</sup> Tier at any time, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s wise to let my two cultivation bases be so far apart.  Sure, there¡¯s plenty of writing on the subject, but my unique situation isn¡¯t covered.  I¡¯m not sure if having my two foundations being more than 1 Tier apart will cause issues for my Psijic Star, so I¡¯ll wait until I break through to the 6<sup>th</sup> Tier as a Mage first.

    Which, really, shouldn¡¯t be too far in the future, especially if I can iron out the translation for [Schism].  With the many modifications and improvements that I made to that Power, it¡¯s proving to be even harder than the level 8 Powers were, and are, to translate.  But!  When that happens, I wonder just how many Minds I can have up and running, helping with¡­ everything!

    *Ahem*

    Anywho¡­

    To sum things up.

    The Study Group feels even closer than ever, very likely due to us getting to know each other better.  Avi, Mom, and Grammy are doing quite well with their cultivation efforts, though getting the adamantium and resources needed to help them all along is cutting into the profits from the Department Store, but that was kind of the point of the store to begin with.  That said, I¡¯m hoping that Avi¡¯s extraplanetary mining efforts provide some good materials, especially more adamantium.

    I¡¯ll be starting with the Belladonnas tomorrow, and we¡¯ll see how that goes¡­.

    Oh!  The Realm is doing amazingly well!  The growth of the new [Genesis], [Genesis, Greater] as I¡¯m calling it, is both amazing ridiculous!  In just this half year, the Realm has grown to a diameter of just over 7,900km!  That¡¯s bigger than Mars, and two-thirds that of Earth!  And there¡¯s still another half-year of growth before it slows down!  Which means that in just one use of [Genesis, Greater], I can make a planet about 14,324km in diameter!  That¡¯s insane!

    *Whew!*

    Back on topic!  Another neat feature of the Realm- which I¡¯m pretty sure that I¡¯ve mentioned- is that it pulls in the same kinds of mana from the Astral Plain that I¡¯ve been able to cultivate so far.  What I¡¯ve come to discover, is that it also pulls in any mana with the affinity for any of the Laws that I have an affinity for.  From what we can tell, Avi and I, the extra attuned mana coming in is affecting the local flora.  Some are being nourished very well, while other plants that didn¡¯t have an affinity to a particular Law before are now showing signs of gaining an affinity.

    Now, that would normally be kind of awesome, but I need much of those unattributed plants to keep practicing my Alchemy, so it¡¯s causing a bit of a problem right now.  We¡¯re working on some isolation arrays to keep the various plants from gaining unwanted affinities, but it¡¯s slow going.

    Ah, well.  Such is life.

    At least the store is doing well, and we¡¯ll be able to buy new plants and seeds which we can use to resupply the gardens.  Well, we¡¯ll probably go with a type of greenhouse given the number of wards we¡¯ll need to use to keep various Laws away from the new plants.

    Ah, so much to do, so little time¡­.  Well, I very much look forward to [Schism] being fully translated soon.  That way things can progress much better, and faster, than they¡¯ve been.

    Oh, right!  Damn, I¡¯m getting forgetful.

    M5 and M6 have been working on what I call the Language of Mana.  They¡¯ve been doing quite well.  From what I¡¯ve learned from reading as many of the available sources on arrays, artifact refining, and all that, the people of this world have only uncovered about 13% of the Language of Mana over the millennia.  Not only that, but I am reasonably sure that their inefficiencies when using mana for¡­ anything, stems from that.

    Now, I can see why their mistakes were made, and continue to be proliferated and accepted.  The little information they have on the Language of Mana all points to the way that they¡¯re currently doing things.  How do I know that?

    I¡¯ve managed to suss-out a bit more, maybe a half of a percent more than they have.  But that seems to have been enough to make a breakthrough in the language¡¯s syntax.  Well, I also went at it with the issue of efficiency in mind, so that might have helped.

    Anyway, after that breakthrough, things have been going much smoother than before.  But, frustratingly, I¡¯ve had to keep my insights to myself for fear of not being able to leave the Academy ever again.  Not that the Dean would do anything, but if word got out, I¡¯d likely be hunted down and enslaved.

    I wonder if Altaea knew any of this?  There are still areas of the Heavenly Archive that I can¡¯t access yet, so there¡¯s a very real possibility that she left more things behind for me.  Or maybe for the Clan.  Who knows?

    Given that, I wonder if anything will open up for me when I reach Tier 6 as a Mage?  Maybe something will open when I reach Tier 7 in Psionics?  Again, who knows?

    Kinkade: *Ahem*

    Crap.

    End of log.

 Chapter 102 - Finally meeting

    Chapter 102

    ¡°You know,¡± Emily said, leaning in close enough for her chest to brush up against his torso, her ears angled slightly back. ¡°We only agreed to put off celebrating your birthday due to exams,¡± she said, giving him quite the annoyed look.

    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m still only ¡®9¡¯ years old,¡± he said, not quite understanding why they were making a big deal of it. According to what he was used to, only birthdays that doubled your age were ¡°important¡±, and thus celebrated.

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m turning sixteen or anything,¡± he said slowly, trying very hard to get where she was coming from.

    It wasn¡¯t just Emily, but the rest of the Study Group as well. They¡¯d all gathered at his place after they¡¯d taken a detour to their own residences to get prepared for what was planned.

    ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± Kassandra asked, looking genuinely puzzled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t people normally only throw a big party¡­¡± he started, then explained the celebratory customs of his Clan.

    ¡°Joram?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Alyraele?¡±

    ¡°Your clan is¡­ exceptionally¡­ odd,¡± she said, trying to be as diplomatic as she could be.

    ¡°They¡¯re just plain weird,¡± Sophia piped in. ¡°Who does that anyway? Birthdays are supposed to be celebrated every year until you reach twenty-one,¡± she said, nodding to herself sagely.

    ¡°Fifty,¡± Gabrielle piped in quietly.

    ¡°One hundred for us,¡± Jae-Eun said, raising her hand as though she was still in class.

    Joram looked around at the confused beauties around him, then shook his head.

    ¡°But heading off to the Heaven¡¯s Bounty Restaurant is a bit much, isn¡¯t it?¡± He practically pleaded, not wanting to go to the sister-company of the Heaven¡¯s Bounty Auction House.

    ¡°No helping it,¡± Alicia said from the side, shaking her head. ¡°Once Miss Layla learned about you from Kinkade and Asura, there was no going back.¡±

    Joram really didn¡¯t want to be seen as ungrateful to Miss Layla, as she¡¯d been the one- outside of his immediate family and Avi- to help him the most over the years. Not that she knew it at the time, but that didn¡¯t negate how indebted he felt towards her and her generosity towards them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll kick Kinkade later,¡± he grumbled.

    ¡°Are you sure you can take him?¡± Daleira taunted. ¡°He¡¯s built much more solidly than you are.¡±

    Joram just gave her a blank look. He hadn¡¯t as yet shared that Kinkade was effectively just his ¡°clone¡±, nor that Asura shared the same connection to Avi/Alicia. He was about to spill the beans when his aforementioned girlfriend poked him in the side.

    ¡®No,¡¯ she sent, her tone indicating that he had no room to negotiate the point.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± he said, clearing his throat. ¡°If you¡¯re all so set on going, then let¡¯s just get going,¡± he said, heading for the door.

    Before he got two steps, his arms were caught by Emily and Kassandra, both holding on for dear life as they were nearly pulled off their feet.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He asked suspiciously, his eyes narrowing slightly.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going dressed like that,¡± Kassandra said, looking up slightly so that their eyes could meet.

    ¡°It¡¯s the school uniform. What¡¯s wrong with it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not formal wear,¡± Kassandra explained, sounding slightly exasperated. ¡°We¡¯ve been over this. Appropriate attire for the venue.¡±

    ¡°What do you have in mind¡­?¡± He asked slowly, suddenly having a premonition of things to come.

    ¡°We just need to get some formalwear,¡± she said, a glint in her eyes telling him that this had been premeditated.

    - - -

    Joram felt like an overworked runway model.

    The whole cohort had come along, along with Bai Lian, Mo Yu, Wentian, Aya, Jezira, and even Megami. They¡¯d spent the last hour at Francois¡¯ Finery, one of the capital¡¯s most sought-after and expensive clothing stores. He very much suspected that someone had either made an appointment ahead of time, given just how busy the place was normally, or they had pulled some strings.

    Either way, he had been forced to model outfit after outfit for the Study Group and any employee ¡°lucky¡± enough to be passing by at the time. Which happened to be a suspiciously large number of them.

    ¡°Is this one good?¡± He asked, hoping that they¡¯d let him off the hook soon.

    ¡®Nah, it¡¯s their way of ¡°paying¡± you back for helping all of them with their viridian silk clothing,¡¯ Avi sent, amusement thick in her tone.

    ¡®It was done in seconds! Why the prolonged torture?!¡¯

    The Study Group hummed and hawed, exchanging opinions amongst themselves for a few minutes before Emily spoke up for the group.

    ¡°This one should do,¡± she said, nodding to herself.

    Joram took in the outfit he found himself in and sighed a bit.

    It seemed as though fashion had veered towards ¡°well fitted¡±. The pants were almost ¡°skinny jeans¡± in how they fit, something that he¡¯d openly mocked back on Earth. The shirt wasn¡¯t much better, but was a weird cross between a dress shirt and a skin suit. It had a collar, cuff, and buttons. But was so well fitted that if it weren¡¯t made using a very stretchy material, he could have torn it to shreds with a sneeze.

    The jacket was slightly better, but was still well-fitted. Fortunately, the shoulders were a bit looser, so that saved the article of clothing from a short life.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I like you guys so much,¡± he murmured with a sigh.

    That got him varied reactions from a tongue stuck out at him to a mild glare.

    ¡°Really, you look great,¡± Alyraele said, fussing over his lapels. ¡°But with how much your personal style stands out, I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll blend in better this way,¡± she finished with a smile.

    Joram was glad that Alyraele was back to being herself again. After the debacle with House Arabanise, she¡¯d withdrawn a bit, seemingly nervous about him. But after a few, obligatory, dates, she¡¯d warmed up again. Now? Now she practically fussed over him whenever she had the chance.

    Which, really, wasn¡¯t that bad. That is, if the others hadn¡¯t started acting like a stereotypical girlfriend as well. He was beyond astonished that they didn¡¯t act jealous of each other; probably a throwback from his Earthly upbringing. No, in fact they had become the best of friends, even Bai Lian and Mo Yu. He wasn¡¯t sure what was behind it all, but was glad that he¡¯d at least be spared the ridiculous drama normally portrayed in popular media back on Earth.

    That said, he was surprised that even Magami had started to hang out with them when she wasn¡¯t practicing Artifice. At first, he¡¯d thought that she was just getting to know everyone better, but soon found that she spent just a little bit more time with Wentian than anyone else. Not only that, but he soon found that Wentian, himself, started to dress just a bit better than he normally did.

    Compared to the veritable avalanche he¡¯d been subjected to, Megami and Wentian seemed to be taking things a bit slower. Probably because they weren¡¯t as ¡°sure¡± as the Study Group had been about wanting to pursue Joram. But, that was a good thing for the couple.

    Joram was still unsure of how to proceed with things. Yes, they¡¯d all grown closer over the past months. Yes, he¡¯d gotten more comfortable being in social situations and even with opening up more with others. But. He was still working out his (irrational?) fears regarding serious relationships, let alone with more than one person!

    As it was, he only shared a close and physically intimate relationship with Avi so far. It didn¡¯t matter to him that over the past few months almost every one of the young women¡¯s families had practically ¡°given¡± them to him; more than suggesting starting up his own house and line with them.

    Yes, it was exceptionally hard to reign in his bloodlines-fueled libido when around such beautiful women. Yes, [Barred Mind, Personal] had been doing more than a little bit of heavy lifting. If not for the added boost to his willpower that came with that Power, he was sure that he¡¯d have started copulating with them long ago, the emotional consequences be damned.

    ¡°One time,¡± he said, looking down at his pants that must also contain some elastic materials in them, and frowned. It was one thing to wear a combat suit that was skintight, but quite another to wear ¡°formalwear¡± that also happened to fit similarly.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure that we can convince you otherwise,¡± Daleira said, a wickedly mischievous smirk twisting her lips.

    He looked around, and got a general sense of approval for what Daleira had said, then shook his head.

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    Now, even though they paid, left and made their way to the restaurant, the conversation didn¡¯t end there. It just shifted to the Network where others couldn¡¯t overhear it. Given their insistence that he comply to their demands, he eventually just muted the channel as he presented his student card to the staff at the restaurant to confirm his identity.

    Soon enough, they were led to a large, roped-off section of the restaurant¡­ on the third floor. It seemed as though the various membership tiers of the Auction House correlated with the floors of the restaurant and which you were allowed to access.

    As soon as he saw the section, he knew that it was meant for them. Miss Layla, Aenwyn, Kinkade, and Asura were already there, dressed to the nines, as it were.

    Asura was, well, Asura. She¡¯d turn heads in a paper bag. Kinkade, cut a fine figure in his wonderfully not skintight suit. Miss Layla and Aenwyn, however, proved to be even more stunning than what they normally wore for work.

    Which explained why he felt the guards of every member of the Study Group go up over the Network when they saw who was waiting for them.

    ¡°It is so good to finally meet you, Mr Aneath,¡± Miss Layla said, extending her slender hand for him to shake.

    ¡°Please, just Joram,¡± he said, then took her hand in his and gave it a quick pump, conscious of the group of young women behind him.

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t stand on ceremony if you won¡¯t,¡± Miss Layla replied with a dazzling smile before turning to the rest of the group. ¡°Please, sit. We can speak freely here.¡±

    It didn¡¯t take long for everyone to be introduced, even the Trio. Miss Layla treated everyone like a friend, which surprised Joram a bit. Every time he¡¯d met her in the past, she¡¯d always treated both him and Avi, well, Kinkade and Asura, very professionally. Sure, she¡¯d been warm with them, but always professional. Now?

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    Now, she seemed to have¡­ thawed a bit. Come out of her professional shell, as it were. Even Aenwyn, who was amused at hearing Faenwyn¡¯s name, seemed more relaxed than while at the Auction House.

    Dinner passed reasonably well, the conversation light, but still engaging. Then came dessert.

    ¡°~Happy Birthday, to you,~¡±

    Joram froze, his perception focusing on the staff members bringing out a very large cake, flanked by yet more staff members who were singing.

    Now, the words weren¡¯t exactly the same as what he¡¯d grown up on Earth hearing, but he chose to translate it that way, especially when his whole party took up singing as well. He was also pleasantly surprised to find out that everyone could sing well. Sure, most wouldn¡¯t be able to make a career of it, but Jae-Eun, Alyraele, Kassandra, Renna, and even Emily sounded fantastic to the point of him seriously considering making a girl-band with them as the main vocalists.

    When the singing finished, and he managed to clear the embarrassment from his face, he thanked them all, not quite able to meet their eyes.

    * * * * *

    Layla was having much more fun than she¡¯d initially thought she would.

    Even though she¡¯d ¡°done her homework¡± and had each of the ¡°Study Group¡± thoroughly investigated, she hadn¡¯t expected them to be as amiable as they were. Sure, their collective guard had been up when they¡¯d first met, but they¡¯d all soon relaxed when Joram continued to act as though nothing was wrong. As though he wasn¡¯t in the company of many stunning women, let alone her and Aenwyn.

    For her part, she¡¯d been a bit nervous to finally meet the one responsible for creating the Viridian Silk, and its subsequent production. She had honestly wondered if she¡¯d get the same¡­ vibe as she got from Kinkade and Asura, but had very pleased when taking Joram¡¯s hand in hers.

    He wasn¡¯t some sort of projection. He was a real live person.

    Yes, his body seemed beyond weird to her, especially given what she¡¯d ¡°learned¡± about him through the investigations she¡¯d ordered be conducted on him. At first, she felt that her people had gotten it right, that he didn¡¯t have a magical cultivation beyond what body refining had done to him. But as the night progressed, and she¡¯d found the opportunities to casually touch him for one reason or another, made easy by him sitting to her right, she¡¯d started to feel that there was more to him than what people knew.

    Even though she usually worked at a problem until it was solved, she let it go for now. She¡¯d have plenty of time in the future to figure things out, after all. Especially since they were business partners.

    Layla smiled when she saw Joram stiffen up when the staff came out singing. She didn¡¯t stop smiling even as he thanked everyone for their kindness, his face still a bit red.

    ¡°A gift for both our first meeting, and for your birthday,¡± she said, then handed him a golden envelope.

    Joram regarded her for a moment, seeming to almost look into her soul with how intensely he searched her eyes. It was all that she could do to keep her face calm and cool. She hadn¡¯t felt such an intense gaze in a long time; not since meeting the Chairman of Heaven¡¯s Bounty Auction House.

    After what felt like much longer than it really was, Joram broke eye contact to carefully open the golden envelope. He then extracted the crystalline card inside and held it up for inspection.

    As expected, almost everyone reacted in one way or another when they saw the card. Anything from a gasp of surprise all the way to exclamations were heard. It took a few minutes for them to quiet down, but when they did, Joram once again looked at her with his intense green eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this is too much,¡± he said, even going so far as to twist in his chair to present the card to her with both hands.

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± she said casually, waving it off. ¡°You¡¯re a very important young man; someone to cultivate a good relationship with. A mere membership card could be said to be an insufficient gift,¡± she said, unconsciously sliding back into her professional persona.

    ¡°Hmm, well, then I should reciprocate meeting such an important person as well,¡± he said, making her eyes widen slightly, catching her by surprise. ¡°It¡¯s not much, but maybe you can have a jeweler set it into something,¡± he said, then handed her something small and cool.

    When his hand came away, it was her turn to gasp in shock.

    At first she thought he¡¯d given her an amethyst that seemed to perfectly match her eye colour. But then her keen appraisal skills kicked in and she nearly gasped again. It wasn¡¯t an amethyst, but a topaz. Even though it was larger than the ones she¡¯d seen in the past, and again more recently, she recognized the cut and nearly gasped yet again.

    Her eyes slowly made their way up to Joram¡¯s, stopping several times along the way as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. Eventually their eyes met and she was sure that he¡¯d deliberately given her that gem, if the mirth in his eyes was anything to go by, just to shock her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this is far too valuable,¡± she said, trying hand the priceless artifact back even though she was certain that he¡¯d refuse her refusal.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about such trivial things,¡± Joram said, waving at her as though he was trying to wave away her protests.

    Aenwyn had leaned over to see what had caused such a reaction from her, studied the gem for a few moments, then nearly fell out of her chair when Joram finished talking.

    Before she could say anything, Joram forestalled her by raising a palm to her.

    ¡°You¡¯ve treated Asura and Kinkade well over the years, so this really is nothing to worry about,¡± he said, a soft smile intruding into his amused expression.

    The room was much quieter than she thought it should be, but she didn¡¯t break eye contact with Joram for a few minutes as she studied him in greater detail.

    For as young as he looked, and for what was written on his application to the Academy, he had a maturity about him that belied his age. Now, there could have been many reasons for that. Anything from lying on his application to him being¡­.

    Her eyes widened again, but this time she managed to control herself enough to not be considered ¡°gaping¡± at Joram. From her side, Aenwyn noticed her reaction, but kept her own expression from changing.

    ¡°I should very much like to speak with you another day,¡± she said, putting on her best smile for him. ¡°Would it be possible to meet with you soon?¡± She asked, hoping that her pounding heart couldn¡¯t be heard by everyone in the ridiculously quiet room.

    ¡°Sure, I think that¡¯d be good,¡± he said, then nodded towards Asura and Kinkade. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll all have a productive meeting,¡± he finished, deftly framing their future rendezvous as a business meeting.

    ¡°Excellent,¡± she said, still smiling. ¡°Now, who¡¯s up for some cake? I hear that this recipe is quite popular these days,¡± she said, then motioned for the staff to start serving everyone up.

    When everyone started to smile to one degree or another, Layla grew curious. Especially after everyone had taken at least one sampling of the cake. She knew very well just how amazing the ¡°chocolate¡± cake was, so their lack of reaction raised a few flags.

    ¡°Oh, have you tried chocolate cake before?¡± She asked mildly, inserting just enough curiosity into her tone so that her question wouldn¡¯t be taken the wrong way.

    ¡°Does the restaurant make it here?¡± Alicia asked instead of answering, her tone equally mild and curious.

    ¡°I believe so,¡± she said, nodding.

    ¡°My caf¨¦ specializes in chocolate desserts. I¡¯ll have to be sure to keep an eye out for culinary¡­ scouts,¡± she said, frowning slightly at the end.

    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know,¡± she said, silently cursing the hole in her intelligence on Joram¡¯s girlfriend. ¡°I¡¯ll have to inquire with the staff.¡±

    Alicia nodded her appreciation, then retrieved an absolutely decadent looking slice of¡­ cake?, from her storage ring and sent it over to her with a bit of telekinesis.

    ¡°You should try our ¡®death by chocolate¡¯,¡± she said with a twinkle in her eyes.

    Layla looked down at the slice of ¡°death¡±, activating a few spells that checked for poisons and such. Then, to her great surprise, Joram burst out laughing.

    ¡°It¡¯s just called that because of how rich the dessert is,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°Nothing to do with actually dying or anything like that.¡±

    Layla supressed a blush before taking up her fork, giving Joram a slight nod, then taking a small sample.

    She didn¡¯t know how to describe the riot of happiness and joy that assaulted her tongue, but it was fantastic. The layers of frosting¡­ or something that she¡¯d initially taken as frosting, melted in her mouth. It wasn¡¯t heavy, but light and airy. The cake itself was fluffier than anything she¡¯d had to date, while retaining just the right level of moisture.

    She found that there were slivers of hard¡­er chocolate that nevertheless melted away as they touched her tongue. The chocolate slivers ranged from light and sweet all the way to almost bitter. But they all played so well with each other that the contrast just made the cake that much better.

    Layla looked down at the slice of cake she¡¯d had a few forks of, then back at the ¡°death by chocolate¡±.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ve thoroughly ruined me,¡± Layla said, looking Alicia in the eye. ¡°I don¡¯t think that anyone will be able to compare.¡±

    Alicia beamed at the compliment before speaking.

    ¡°Well, if you like it that much, why don¡¯t you drop by Starfall Caf¨¦ sometime? We¡¯ve got plenty of comparable dishes that I¡¯m sure you¡¯d enjoy.¡±

    Layla perked up at that, her years of negotiations kicking in so that both her tone and body language weren¡¯t seen as too eager.

    ¡°I would enjoy that, thank you.¡±

    From there, the evening wound down; the conversations turning less ¡°social gathering¡± and more personal. Talk of classes, assignments, work, and business started taking place. She enjoyed listening in whenever she wasn¡¯t speaking with Joram, or one of his many¡­ ¡°friends¡±.

    She wasn¡¯t sure what to make of that, as both her reports and her own observations corroborated one another. The ¡°Study Group¡± was pretty well enamoured with Joram, and she could see why.

    But what really caught her interest was how Joram and Alicia interacted with each other and those around them.

    As the night wore one, she was more convinced than ever that her suspicions were correct. For, no one surrounded by that many beautiful women, and being so young, would behave the same way that Joram was.

    Eventually, everyone took their leave. Joram¡¯s group leaving just her, Aenwyn, Asura, and Kinkade behind. Not that they lingered much longer, but they did spend a few minutes confirming a few business-related issues.

    Once home, Layla lay back on her bed after having changed into something more comfortable and started really going over her time with Joram Aneath in her head. The whole evening played through her mind¡¯s eye, then replayed again and again. Sometimes she¡¯d go over one part dozens of times, but mostly just a few repetitions was good enough for her.

    Except for her handshakes with Joram.

    Those, she went over hundreds of times.

    Every detail was gone over. From the texture of his hand, the solidity of the ¡°shake¡± and his grasp, all the way to how it almost felt like shaking hands with someone wearing a gauntlet for how much give his skin had. Then there was his cultivation.

    Over the years, due to her stubborn nature and genuine curiosity, she¡¯d made some minor progress in Mentalism. Now, said progress wasn¡¯t anything to write home about, nor would she ever find a career as an Artificer, Alchemist, or Array Master. But it had been enough to allow her to know if Mental Strength was being used around her, on her, or even if the person she was meeting was a Mentalist.

    Yes, both her personal findings and the reports on Joram confirmed that he was indeed a very strong Mentalist. But between sensing for his cultivation as a Mentalist and her checking to see if he was a Mage, she¡¯d gotten a¡­ weird feeling from him.

    Yes, he was a body cultivator and refiner, so the low-levels of mana in his system were to be expected. But the odd¡­ resonance, she¡¯d felt as her own mana and Mental Strength came into contact with him was, well, odd. She¡¯d never felt anything like it before.

    So it was that Layla lay in bed all night thinking, worrying at the problem; trying to figure out what it all meant.

    * * * * *

    Ivaryn was vexed.

    Not only had his wife and her grandmother gone off to cultivate, but they¡¯d also left him in charge of the Clan. Sure, many in the Clan had expressed interest in changing the Clan from a matriarchal one into a merit-based one. One where your achievements, learning, and cultivation determined who led the Clan, not lineage.

    He was sure that lineage would play a role in the selection of the Clan¡­ leader? Whatever they¡¯d wind up calling the position, he was sure that lineage would indeed play a not insignificant role in determining the person¡¯s eligibility.

    He looked out his window, taking note of the overcast sky. It was the rain season now, so that meant less sunlight. Less sunlight to encourage the gardens to continue growing and blooming without external aid. Just another thing to think about, keeping up appearances and all that.

    The Clan¡¯s property in Stormhaven was very large compared to many of the others in the mid-sized city. That it was now re-occupied, many people had been stopping by to pay their respects, try to get to know them, or anything else that crossed their minds.

    Ivaryn looked back at the stack of paperwork he was procrastinating tackling. He sighed.

    Sulia was the academic. He was the fighter. A man of action. Decisiveness. Getting covered in the blood of his enemies to protect his wife, family, and Clan.

    Not paperwork.

    He very nearly got up to go find Joram and dump the mess of headaches on him and escape to cultivate alongside his wife.

    But he didn¡¯t.

    That Joram had dumped several tens of slaves in his lap over the course of the last several months wouldn¡¯t have been too much of an issue. Except his¡­ unique son hadn¡¯t done anything else. No instructions. Nothing.

    From speaking with that Avi girl, he¡¯d found out that Joram was very much against slavery. Sure, that was all fine and good and all that. So, why had he gone and purchased so many slaves? There wasn¡¯t even a commonality between them besides being relatively young.

    ¡°¡¯Just take care of them¡¯, he says. Like that¡¯s easy with how things are in the Clan right now,¡± Ivaryn muttered bitterly.

    ¡°At least some funds seem to be coming in to help with things,¡± he said, continuing talking to himself. ¡°But what about the many branches of the Clan? I was hoping that he¡¯d help with re-establishing the teleportation network. But noooooo~. He¡¯s out there spending his time with all those young women. Geeze, where¡¯d he get that from?¡± Ivaryn finished, shaking his head.

    ¡°Spending time with other young women, Uncle?¡±

    Ivaryn froze, then looked over to see that Xixi had slipped into his office while he¡¯d been distracted.

    He couldn¡¯t believe how tall she¡¯d already gotten, now looking like a tall willow tree, all lithe and slender. Her hair had darkened, just like everyone else¡¯s in the Clan as they grew up, now a deep indigo bordering on purple. The green loch of hair in her bangs had also darkened, now much closer to her mother¡¯s deep forest green hair.

    *Ahem*

    ¡°He¡¯s busy with the study group that he and Avi organized shortly after starting at the Academy,¡± he said, hoping that she¡¯d accept that explanation.

    ¡°Studying is important¡­¡± Xiora said, eying him as though she suspected he was trying to hide something. ¡°So, are the preparations for the celebrations coming along?¡±

    Ivaryn was once again stunned at just how mature, and how well-spoken Xiora had become in the past half year. That she was speaking like an adult already wasn¡¯t too odd given how focussed the Clan was on education. But the level of maturity he could see in her personality was weird.

    Well, he guessed that Joram had been weird like that too. But Joram was a Reincarnator, so that explained that. For all they could tell, Xiora was ¡°normal¡± in that respect. Just¡­ advanced for her age.

    ¡°The preparations for the New Year¡¯s Celebration, and all of your birthdays, is well in hand,¡± he said, nodding.

    ¡°Do you think that Joram will attend?¡± Xiora asked calmly, but Ivaryn could tell that she was very much looking forward to having everyone there. Especially his son.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure he¡¯s there,¡± he replied with a smile that didn¡¯t seem to convince Xiora.

    ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it,¡± Xiora said, then gave a polite bow before leaving his office.

    ¡°That little brat had better make it,¡± Ivaryn grumbled to himself as he once again looked down at the pile of paperwork waiting for him. ¡°Demons¡¯ balls! This sucks,¡± he said, then got to work.

    Someone had to do it after all.

 Chapter 103 - Kebabs, not kababs

    *1346.13.22**

    Joram watched as the Belladonnas began to rouse.

    The purging of the slavery seals had gone relatively well.  Relatively.

    The first one he¡¯d worked on had proven to have a hidden feature that he¡¯d somehow missed before it had activated.  He hadn¡¯t been fast enough to prevent the liquefaction of her brain, but a [True Resurrection] fixed that minor issue.

    After that, he¡¯d been prepared for the trap and had not only been able to stop further activations but had also managed to eventually find how it was hidden.  After that, it had been easy sailing, as it were.

    He wondered, not for the first time, who these women were.  Had they had lives before joining the Belladonnas?  Or had they been inducted as children?  That last one was a popular choice amongst groups that instilled fanaticism in their¡­ people.

    He knew just how insidious organizations like that were.  Snatch up a destitute child, give them food and shelter, and then the indoctrination started.  Soon enough, the child was fighting for their ¡°benefactors¡±, willing to die for the ¡°cause¡±.  But usually, they just killed for that cause.

    He supposed that worked well most of the time, but adding the slavery seals was icing on the cake.  That way, they would not only remain loyal, but anyone who managed to break the shackles of their upbringing would still be stuck.  The only way out would be death.

    So, he wondered how each of them had come to be where they were in life.  Well, not right now, but what had led them to his doorstep, as it were.

    They roused slowly, likely still trying to throw off their months of dreaming and determining if they were truly waking or not.  Each and every one of them was in their own cell though, as he had no illusions that any of them would either be happy with their current situation, or the forced ¡°rest¡± that they¡¯d endured.

    Heck, he wouldn¡¯t put it past them to try to off each other in a misguided attempt to prevent questioning or something like that.

    He wasn¡¯t surprised that the first one to wake was the one who¡¯d been the centre of that crazy array that had left him ragged.  Between his natural regeneration provided by the Adamantium Body Technique and his Minds working overtime on the healing, he¡¯d managed to survive that encounter.  Though, it had still sucked.

    Joram watched as her eyes finally opened.  He was impressed with just how calm she was as she took in her surroundings.  Well, her tiny cell.  Not much to see there.

    Given the number of hidden weapons he¡¯d found on every single one of them, he¡¯d chosen to have them stripped and dressed in simple ¡°prison¡± clothing.  Well, old cartoon style prison garb; white with horizontal black bars.

    She didn¡¯t seem phased by her change of attire, nor the attire itself.  If anything, she seemed more surprised to be wearing anything at all.  Which, upon further reflection, shouldn¡¯t have surprised him.  The lack of basic human rights on Dovaynia was¡­ a thing.

    Eventually her gaze made its way to where he stood outside of her cell.  She took a moment to process her shock at seeing him alive and well before she visibly steeled herself.

    ¡°Why am I alive?¡±  She asked, sounding as calm as could be; almost as though she was having tea with a co-worker or something.

    ¡°Well, that would be because I would like some answers,¡± he replied, equally casual in his tone.  He even smiled pleasantly.

    * * * * *

    She was at a loss.  No, perhaps ¡°stupefied¡± would have been a better description for her current state of mind.

    She knew for a fact that the Belladonnas had a reputation for not blabbing, as it were.  Not only that, but even if she had been inclined to reveal any information regarding¡­ just about anything, her ¡°contract¡± would prevent that.

    Deciding to play with the young and ignorant child, she smiled at him, then spoke.

    ¡°What would you like to know,¡± she asked pleasantly, keeping up the charade.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±  He asked, appearing genuinely curious.

    She just about fell over, having more expected him to get right down to business, as it were.  Instead, he¡¯d already managed to throw her off balance.

    ¡°Isabel,¡± she replied with a shrug, relying on her years of training that every Belladonna went through to remain composed.

    ¡°Hmm, nice name,¡± he said, nodding to himself.  ¡°I am Joram, as you likely already know,¡± he finished with what appeared to be a rueful grin.

    Isabel was reasonably sure that he was acting the ¡°good guy¡±.  Anyone capable of being able to survive Moonfall should at least be in the Immortal Realm.  And to get to the Immortal Realm, well, you wouldn¡¯t be as young and na?ve as Mr Aneath presented himself to be.

    ¡°All right, next question,¡± he said, his eyes twinkling.  ¡°What¡¯s your favourite food?¡±

    Now Isabel was certain that he was both not taking this seriously and mocking her.

    She settled for a mild glare and a slight frown.

    Mr Aneath stood there for a minute before his mask cracked and he laughed out loud.

    ¡°Yes, I was mostly just messing with you there,¡± he said, shaking his head.  ¡°That said, I am actually curious.  So, please.  Do tell,¡± he said, still sounding amused, though she could tell that he was very serious as he asked this time.

    Isabel pondered the pros and cons of lying to the young man, but ultimately decided that it would be pointless.  Pointless to lie, as she wouldn¡¯t benefit from it in any way.  Pointless to exert the effort to remember the little lie that would have to be spoken.  Ultimately, it didn¡¯t matter if he knew or not, as trying to torture her using her favourite food wouldn¡¯t work.  Every Belladonna had been trained quite thoroughly when it came to resisting torture.

    ¡°Kebabs,¡± she said with a shrug.

    ¡°Kebabs, not kababs,¡± Mr Aneath asked, emphasizing the difference in pronunciation between the two very different dishes.

    ¡°Indeed, kebabs are better than kababs,¡± she said, then for some reason decided to expand on that statement.  ¡°Kababs, for as tasty as they can be, are ultimately a simple skewer.  Now, a good kebab has many more variables that can, and do, enhance the experience.  From the vegetables chosen to go into the pita with the meat, to the seasoning of the meat and how crispy or tender you choose to make it all the way to which sauces you choose to compliment those earlier choices,¡± she said enthusiastically, then reigned herself in.

    She panicked slightly, wondering if she was under the effects of an array that brought out truth for its target, or maybe affecting her with a compulsion to speak, or be helpful.

    Mr Aneath, for his part, just nodded along as though what she¡¯d said, and how enthusiastic she¡¯d been, had been completely normal.

    ¡°Hmm, good choice,¡± he said, nodding again.  ¡°I prefer getting the crispier cuts of meat to go along with a nice and spicy sauce.¡±

    Despite herself, Isabel nodded her understanding of his viewpoint.

    ¡°But sometimes more tender cuts go well with a milder sauce,¡± she said, now fully engaged in the conversation.  Because, if she had to look forward to being tortured for information in the near future, why not have a pleasant memory to fall back on when going through hell?

    ¡°True,¡± he said, now rubbing his chin.  ¡°Have you tried mayonnaise yet?  It goes really well with the tender cuts,¡± he asked, looking her in the eye with such curiosity that she was taken aback for a moment.

    Just what was this all about?

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve never heard of that before,¡± she said, shaking her head.   But now she was intensely curious, her desire to try that ¡°mayonnaise¡± stronger than she thought it should be.

    ¡°Hmm, that isn¡¯t surprising,¡± he said, then nodded to himself as though he¡¯d come to a decision.  ¡°Reach into that slot on the wall and put that collar on and we can go have some kebabs,¡± he said, motioning to a panel on the wall that she hadn¡¯t noticed yet.

    Isabel hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was a trap of some sort before just shrugging off the worry.  If Mr Aneath wanted to harm her, there were much more direct ways to do so.

    Once the panel was opened, she saw a simple black band that was sized for a neck.  If anything, it looked more like a decoration than the temporary slavery collars she¡¯d seen used countless times before.  After another moment of though, she shrugged again, wrapped the band of fabric around her neck, and latched the simple clasp.  She didn¡¯t feel any different than before, which confused her slightly before realizing that the cell that she was in was likely an artifact designed to suppress her cultivation bases.

    She turned to see Mr Aneath smiling at her and had to fight the urge to both snap at him and to not blush.  She hadn¡¯t realized just how handsome the young man was.  She then found that it helped to remind herself how old she was.  Then found that that also depressed her, so she stopped.

    Mr Aneath held out a hand to her, passing through the threshold of her small cell.  With yet another shrug, she took his surprisingly strong and warm hand in her much smaller one and stepped out of her cell.  From there, she could see many more cells, each one containing one of her sisters.  Their gazes varied remarkably from staring blankly at the wall to avid curiosity all the way to venomous as they glared at her.

    She felt a sudden sense of shame for¡­ colluding with the enemy.  Being cooperative?  Not resisting to her last breath?  For finding her captor handsome and being oddly happy with the physical contact with him?

    That last thought brought her up short.  She didn¡¯t stop walking beside Mr Aneath, but she did start examining her feelings with greater scrutiny.  Since she¡¯d woken, she¡¯d noticed more than once that her thoughts and emotions seemed more¡­ free.  As though a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders, or tight bands across her chest had been released for the first time in¡­ she didn¡¯t know how long.

    As she walked, she observed her surroundings, taking everything in.  But she also diverted not a little attention to the feel of Mr Aneath¡¯s hand enveloping hers.  He hadn¡¯t let go of her hand longer than it took to shift their hands into a more comfortable grip so that they could walk side-by-side while still holding hands.

    She was no stranger to physical intimacy as, once again, every Belladonna was also trained in the arts of seduction in case their contract demanded such a thing.  She even found herself trying to find any openings she could, out of sheer habit.  Not that it would do her any good even if he¡¯d been on guard.  In fact, he was walking, relaxed as could be as they left her prison.

    Once outside, her breath caught at the sight of fields upon fields of crops, then vineyards, and even what looked like an orchard in the far distance.  She couldn¡¯t see the sun, as it was fairly cloudy, but she guessed that it was early in the morning given the moisture she could see on the plants around her.

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    But that wasn¡¯t all.  The smell of countless medicinal herbs on the gentle breeze that stirred her silvery-white hair nearly floored her.  That so many valuable medicinal herbs were just out in the open was more than a little astonishing.  That she could see several rare herbs and trees treated like common decorations said a lot about where she might be.  Well, not where, but where.  As in: a controlled location that she didn¡¯t likely stand a snowflake¡¯s chance of surviving in an inferno of escaping.

    ¡°We¡¯re in a Small World¡­¡± she murmured to herself as she finally realized just how screwed she- and the others- was.

    ¡°That¡¯s what people call it,¡± Mr Aneath said, nodding as he continued to walk, gently pulling her along for the ride.

    Isabel thought about her life, how it had gone, and her many years with the Belladonnas.  It hadn¡¯t been all that bad, really.  Certainly, there were times when she¡¯d wished to end it all, to just die and not have to go through the training, and even some missions.  The training had been the worst thing she¡¯d ever experienced, and it had taken years to finish.  And finish she did, as her slave seal hadn¡¯t allowed anything else.

    Her free hand unconsciously went to just below her navel where the seal was located.  After another few moments of walking, she suddenly stumbled to a halt, shocked to the very Core.

    ¡°Wha-¡° she started, but stopped, not quite able to finish the question as her brain practically locked up, panic threatening to completely paralyze her breathing.

    She didn¡¯t know how long she had frozen up for, but Mr Aneath was now standing in front of her, her hand still in his when she snapped out of it.  Before she could even begin to articulate her questions, or sort out how she felt, he spoke.

    ¡°Yes, the slavery seal is gone,¡± he said simply, a faint smile ever-so-slightly lifting the corners of his mouth.

    Isabel was proud that she didn¡¯t let herself get distracted by how close he was, most likely because she was old enough to be his great-grandmother.  Or her decades of training.  Either one.

    ¡°How?¡±  She asked simply, now staring into his very green eyes, searching for any clue she could get that might tell her more.

    ¡°Hmm, well,¡± he started, bringing his other hand up to rub his chin in thought as though he had a beard.  ¡°I studied.  I experimented.  Then I disjoined the enchantment,¡± he said simply before turning and leading her to a small table with two chairs that wouldn¡¯t be out of place on the patio of a fancy restaurant.

    She didn¡¯t resist as he gently pulled her along, her mind whirling with the few words he¡¯d said.  For nine words, they sure said a lot while leaving out a ridiculous amount of information.  Like: HOW?!  How does a kid come along, beat down a Belladonna kill squad, then casually rid her of a slavery seal that countless people had tried and failed to do?!

    Before she knew it, she was seated under a lovely tree with aquamarine and white blossoms that reminded her of morning glories.  Her shocked mind briefly registered them belonging to the Mountain Dame tree, a shockingly potent medicinal plant who¡¯s blossoms and fruit were highly sought after by Alchemists.  Is it being used as a shade tree?!

    Then that thought led to another, which then had her eyes seeking out the next tree in the park-like seating area.

    Weeping Whiskeria, Vermillion Persimmon, Sage¡¯s Tangerine, Liyue¡¯s Lucky Lime¡­ Isabel looked at and named as many of the incredibly expensive and sought after fruit trees that she could.  Unfortunately, she was no Alchemist, or even remotely close to an herbalist.  For as many as she managed to identify, nine more eluded her.

    ¡°It is indeed quite a collection,¡± Mr Aneath said from across the table, looking both proud and amused as he regarded the many trees.

    Isabel could only shake her head.  She¡¯d been about to ask if some ancient alchemist had left this Small World behind but, to her, the answer was obvious.  Just how lucky was this kid?

    ¡°It¡¯s quite stunning,¡± she said instead, choosing one path of honesty over the other one that would have made her out to look like an idiot.

    Mr Aneath nodded to that, a faint smile lifting the corners of his lips.

    ¡°I imagine you have a few questions,¡± he said, once again turning his gaze back to her.

    Isabel nodded, the decided to ask the question that she felt was the most important one to both her and her sisters.

    ¡°What are you planning to do with us?¡±

    Joram seemed to have expected that question.  Which, really, was quite predictable of her to ask.  But he still took a moment to think on it, or to pretend to think on it.  She was under no illusions that Mr Aneath was a simple teenager, by any stretch of the imagination.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± he began, looking thoughtful.  ¡°I guess that would mostly depend on what your intentions would be,¡± he said, giving her a serious look.  ¡°If I were to let everyone go, what would you do?  Would you go and try to make new lives for yourselves?  Would you go back to being assassins?  Would you try to exact revenge on me and mine for some reason?¡±  He asked, listing off the many worries that anyone in his situation might have about just letting them go.

    ¡°More importantly: what would the Belladonnas do to you?¡±  He asked, leaning forward slightly as his eyes seemed to catch her own and hold them through sheer will.

    She¡¯d already thought of many possible outcomes of what would happen to them should the Belladonnas find them alive, well, and without their slavery seals.  None of them appealed to her, nor were they pretty.  The simple fact was the Belladonnas would send someone to investigate.  They would then have someone watch Mr Aneath, and possibly try to fulfill the contract if they still thought that it would be profitable.

    But give it up entirely?  As professional and dedicated to their work as they were, the Belladonnas were also practical.  If the client refused to provide extra pay or compensation, the Belladonnas could, and would, drop the contract.  It was one of their clauses after all.  If the target was more¡­ difficult than the client let on, or if the losses grew too large, then they had a right to renegotiate the remuneration for their work, or to end the contract entirely.

    Doing the second wasn¡¯t optimal, but it had been done.  If the client became unreasonable due to the cancellation of a contract, they¡¯d start getting marks against them.  Marks increased the cost of any further requests from that client, and if enough marks accrued, they¡¯d eventually be blacklisted.

    The major problem that Isabel saw was this.  She didn¡¯t know who¡¯d hired them.  Nor did she know how affluent they were.  If they were your average client, the loss of a Tier 6 scout like Imressa would have been bad enough.  The loss of a combined Tier 5 and Tier 6 kill squad would be ruinous.  But if the client was established enough, then the Belladonnas might just continue with the contract.

    Which brought her back to her now missing slavery seal.  How many of her sisters would be sent after Mr Aneath?  Would he still have the luxury of capturing them alive the next time they went after him?  Or would she be possibly left mourning a sister she¡¯d known for decades?

    Isabel shook her head, knowing that she¡¯d be very unlikely to be able to live a normal life after this.

    ¡°If they even suspected that any of us survived, at the very least, they¡¯d try to recapture us.  ¡®Rescue¡¯ us,¡± she said, once again shaking her head.

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± he said, not looking terribly pleased with what he was thinking.  ¡°What would you do with your new-found freedom?¡±  He asked, suddenly looking very interested in her answer.

    Once again, she was both struck with her instinctual reaction and just how handsome the youth was.  Her instinctual reaction was to lie to him, to tell him everything that she thought he¡¯d want to hear.  On the other hand, the rational thought of lying to the boy sent shivers down her spine.  And not the pleasant kind, either.

    That he¡¯d both managed to capture her entire kill squad, and survive an array that could kill Immortals really put things into a weird kind of perspective for her.  A greater clarity, as it were.

    Which led her to seriously start thinking about what he¡¯d asked.  What did she want to do with the rest of her life?  Even though she¡¯d had the occasional thoughts over the years of what it would be like to be a ¡°normal¡± woman, nothing had ever really taken hold.  The very notion of being able to live her life for herself was mostly just a dream, and not one that she¡¯d even remotely considered possible.

    What could she do?  She was very good with killing arrays.  Her Mentalist side was mostly focussed on subterfuge and bending minds.  She¡¯d even been half-decent when it came to seduction missions.  Killing various demonic beasts had been¡­ fun?  Fulfilling, at the very least.

    Then it dawned on her that she was really only good at killing, and for some reason, that depressed her more than she thought it would.

    She was brought out of her ruminations by Mr Aneath¡¯s hand gently squeezing her own.  Her eyes fixed on his hand, so much larger than hers, and so strong for someone his age.  Well, maybe she was being uncharitable with that assessment considering many youths started their martial training early in life.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you have to make the decision right now,¡± he said, once again bringing her back to the moment.  ¡°You can take your time.  Relax.  Explore.  Sample from the various restaurants here.  I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll find something,¡± he said quietly as he looked her in the eyes.

    Isabel was, once again, taken by the strange young man.  For as much training as she¡¯d had over the years, and conditioning designed to help her ignore pesky things like feelings, she found that none of that mattered now.  Now that her slavery seal was gone, she felt¡­ light.  Free.  As though her lungs had only been at half-capacity this whole time and she could finally now take a full breath.

    ¡°You mentioned restaurants?¡±  She asked, a small smile unconsciously touching her lips.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk,¡± Mr Aneath said as he stood up, her hand still in his.

    * * * * *

    Nonna Serandour knew that she¡¯d been a lucky woman.  Not only had she been in the right place at the right time for many things that had occurred in her life, but she¡¯d also managed to survive calamity.  In the form of a Zhizun Zhanshi extermination squad.

    Sure, some might say that she¡¯d been terribly unlucky when it came to that.  But the fact that she¡¯d survived when so many other hadn¡¯t¡­ well, she knew that she was pretty lucky.  Too many of her friends had lost just about everyone in their various lives.  She¡¯d been an orphan, picked up by one of the Aneath Clan at some point and brought back to Brightside¡­ and left with a family there.

    Yes, they¡¯d been a kind family, but elderly.  The couple had passed away, with no other family, not long after Nonna had entered the age of majority.  Adulthood.  They¡¯d left her everything, including their small food cart that she¡¯d helped with as she grew up.  Heck, she¡¯d even decided that she¡¯d wanted to pursue the culinary arts due to how much her adoptive parents had loved food, as well as seeing how happy people had been to eat their food.

    Now, she¡¯d never gotten around to opening her own restaurant, the food cart being almost too much for her to handle on her own.  But the thought had always been there, nestled in the back of her mind.  But after the attack, she¡¯d honestly wondered if her dream would ever come true, not to mention if she¡¯d ever get another food cart to work.

    But then she¡¯d survived, as well as hundreds of others.  Not too many of the survivors knew how to prepare and make food for large numbers of people.  And they had needed the food.  Too many people had been in shock after the attack, not able to even take care of themselves, let alone their surviving families.

    So, Nonna had stepped up when the young Miss had called.  She¡¯d gotten back to cooking, preparing the food with as much care and dedication as she could.  Good food was a balm to the soul, and she had fully intended on healing as many people as possible.

    She¡¯d then been pleased by how many people had stepped forward.  Yes, there had only been about a dozen or so of them, but there had been a couple of people from the Clan Home that had stepped up to help.  Bless them for their efforts, but she¡¯d needed to help them along.  At least they¡¯d been willing, and able, to help.

    Now?  Almost two years had passed since then.  A good deal of the survivors had chosen to settle in New Brightside.  But enough had chosen to stay in the safe haven that the young master had brought them to.  Not that she could blame them, as she was also counted amongst those who¡¯d chosen to stay behind.  There were enough people in New Brightside to take care of the food situation there.

    But here, though, too many people still carried the emotional and psychological wounds from the attack.  So, Nonna had chosen to stay behind in an effort to help heal them through the power of good food.  And ice cream was indeed a powerful tool to help lift the spirits of those who consumed it.

    It had only taken a few months to transition back to her, relatively, new dish.  That she¡¯d won the right to be the exclusive producer and vendor of ice cream in Brightside before the attack had made her a fortune.  She¡¯d even had magical tools to help her keep her product frozen.

    And now she once again had those tools that allowed her to ply her trade.  She couldn¡¯t express just how thrilled and grateful she was to the young master for everything that he¡¯d done for them, not to mention Miss Avi.  Between the two of them, they¡¯d saved both Brightside and whoever had remained from the Clan.

    So, for the past year and a half, she¡¯d been working hard to produce the best ice creams that she could.  Even going so far as to experiment with new flavours that she thought people would enjoy.  Some had been irrefutable failures, while others had been great successes.

    Even when Miss Avi had started showing around the prisoners of the attack, the perpetrators, she¡¯d taken a sort of grim pleasure in seeing how much they enjoyed her ice creams.  She wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d ever be able to forgive the people behind the destruction of her home, and the deaths of countless others.  But even then, she took pride in the fact that they enjoyed her food.

    Nonna also like Miss Avi, so there was that to consider.  Miss Avi was a local hero, one that she¡¯d been very pleased to see spending more time with the young master.  Having grown up in Brightside, knowing that the young master would have to marry at some point, and that the person he would marry would have a prominent position in the Clan¡­.  Where was she going with that?

    Nonna shook her head.  The matriarchal Clan she¡¯d grown up under had been a good one.  She really didn¡¯t remember her life before Brightside, except for being alone and hungry most of the time.  So, she really hoped that the young master would be able to take the Clan and New Brightside to a brighter future.  Especially with Miss Avi.  She was a good girl, that one.

    Then Nonna brightened as she spied the young master enter the ¡°food court¡±, as he liked to call it.  He was getting tall, taller than she thought he should be for his age, but apparently the body tempering technique that he was using had caused him to mature much faster than a nine-year-old should have.  But, he was a handsome lad, one she could have seen herself chasing after in her youth.

    Well, not that she was old, per se.  She was only in her thirties, after all.

    Then she noticed the dark elf following along beside him, but also slightly back.  Then she noticed him holding her hand, almost like they were on a date.  Her eyes narrowed, taking in everything in a moment.

    The dark elf¡¯s somewhat shy posture, her youthful appearance, as well as how stunning she was with her obsidian skin and silvery-white hair and large purple eyes.  Sure, she was wearing clothing similar to what the Trio had been wearing when she¡¯d first laid eyes upon them almost a year ago¡­.  But.

    ¡°Hello, young master!¡±  She called out to him when they got close enough.

    ¡°Ah, hello,¡± he replied with a gentle smile as he looked over to her.

    ¡°What can I get you today?¡±  She asked, smiling for all she was worth.  For if the young master was taking another young woman around, what did that mean for Miss Avi?

 Ariel 001

    Ariel, also known as Avi Process Number 5, was exploring.

    It wasn¡¯t particularly exciting, though. Sure, the horizon was constantly expanding. Sure, it was neat to watch as raw ectoplasm was pulled from the ¡°sky¡± and converted into physical matter before her eyes as she walked to keep up with the process.

    The sight was akin to those disintegration effects you¡¯d see in the movies, but in reverse. The ectoplasm was very shiny and colourful, like rainbows given physical form as they neared, then transitioned and converted into the landscape that she was currently walking on. The ground, covered in soil, rocks, and budding flora looked as though it had always been there. Someone not familiar with the nature of the Realm would assume that everything they beheld had been there for eons.

    Nope.

    This was all new. She was very impressed with just how¡­ potent [Genesis, Greater] was. From the archives that Altaea had left in her¡­ databanks, the version of [Genesis] that was taught before Altaea¡¯s unfortunate eviction from her original world was¡­ lame in comparison. Ariel was glad that Altaea had retained the traditional teachings of the ¡°ancients¡± because the¡­ nerfed versions taught to the public just plain sucked.

    Ariel shook her head, enjoying her new body. Yes, she was almost identical to Altaea, but she¡¯d made a few adjustments. The primary one had been to reduce her bust size. Again, she couldn¡¯t understand how Altaea had managed with her 36GG bust, but she had mad respect for her. Anyone able to fight as a Paladin, for years on end, to save her universe with her friends while carrying such a massive burden was beyond impressive.

    Ariel shook her head. She¡¯d reduced her bust by several letter grades. Sure, she would still be considered ¡°busty¡± back on Earth, but nowhere near as attention-grabbing as Altaea would have been over there.

    Another change that she¡¯d made was the hair colour. She¡¯d become rather enamoured with the purples of the Aneath Clan, so she¡¯d chosen a deep purple that verged on black that had a few lighter highlights here and there. Her hair was still long, with slight helix-like waves to it, though. She very much enjoyed having long hair, even though it wasn¡¯t practical at times.

    She¡¯d kept her height, coming in at just over 182cm. Tall by most standards, but it was what she was familiar with. Ariel grinned. Sure, the rest of her figure might look ¡°willowy¡±, but she¡¯d kept the hourglass figure. Was that vain? More than likely. But since Altaea had given Avi- and thus her- her own form, she wanted to stick to that¡­ except for the impractical parts though.

    Well, maybe she could have kept the large bust given how well Viridian Silk performed¡­? Nah. That size was still impractical, even with the body of a High Elan.

    She looked down at herself, taking in the Mass Effect style armour. It was that ¡°carbon black¡±, though it did sport her favourite ¡°N7¡± logo on the left side of her chest, and again on her right pauldron. It was very much not the same as what Altaea had left for them.

    The armour may have looked like N7 armour, but it incorporated technologies from several different universes. As fantastic and ahead of its time as the original materials were, she¡¯d gone with a few alloys from the Star Wars universe as they were surprisingly durable. The plating would undergo another revision once they were able to start producing the ¡°Beskie¡± that Megami had made in larger quantities.

    They¡¯d also discovered that Beskie wasn¡¯t just good at dissipating and scattering mana, but it also worked with directed energy. Energy like condensed/beam energy. Like lasers, blaster bolts, phasers, plasma, and whatnot.

    If it weren¡¯t so damn heavy, it would make wonderful armour plating. Well, they¡¯d figure something out. Probably just making it much thinner or something. Which would work pretty well if the stuff weren¡¯t so damn hard to shape with the equipment they had on hand.

    Ariel shrugged as she hopped over a narrow crevasse that appeared in her path, landing lightly on the other side, her maneuvering jets taking most of the credit for that. For as physically strong as she was, that was only comparing her to ¡°mortals¡±. If she¡¯d started cultivating, or even body refining, then she wouldn¡¯t have needed the extra boost that her armour gave her.

    She shook her head, just glad that she even had a body. Asura did well enough with the pseudo psicrystal body that she used most of the time, having done miraculous things with [Holographic Projection], but that wasn¡¯t for her.

    Ariel grinned. They were all just different aspects of Avi¡¯s personality. They were one and the same, and they each actively shared the memories and experiences of the others, all at the same time. They were one mind, but working at different tasks. She understood why Kinkade kept most of what he was doing from Joram, as Joram was a bit more than a little bit¡­ distractable. Sure, the ADHD had been ¡°fixed¡± when Altaea had remade him, but decades of living with it had very much set the stage, as it were.

    Quick processing had been a strong point for Joram back on Earth, especially given his inability to stay focussed on something that didn¡¯t truly interest him. Well, he¡¯d not only kept his ability to quickly process things, but he¡¯d kept the habit of working, or thinking, on several things at once. So, given that Joram was trying to go to ¡°University¡±, as it were, not to mention the many other worries on his mind, they¡¯d all agreed to let Joram just focus on what was in front of him.

    And by ¡°they¡±, she meant Avi and Joram¡¯s extra Minds. She was very much pleased that it had worked rather well. Sure, Joram still had a ways to go, but he was making progress; and that was what mattered.

    Ariel idly scanned a new mineral deposit with her built-in omni-tool as passed by, adding it to the growing database. It wasn¡¯t that she was needed out here or anything. No, she was just out for a walk, taking time getting used to her body and the new armour that Avi had made. Or, rather, that she¡¯d had produced.

    Given how fast the cycle of production went for the replicators, they¡¯d managed to get them to produce items with a resolution of 13pm, or 1.3*10<sup>-11</sup>m. And the cycle of ¡°make something that can make something incredibly tiny, that can then make something that can make things that are even smaller¡± just kept going. Nano bots were very much a thing now, not to mention the even more refined Pico Bots that were starting to be produced.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Replicator technology had very much been a game-changer for production in the Realm, not to mention Avi¡¯s own personal Realm. It wasn¡¯t as large as Joram¡¯s, but given that Avi had used [Genesis, Greater] to create hers, well, it would just be a matter of time before their Realms were basically the same size.

    That said, Avi¡¯s production had very much ramped up. Various flora had been transplanted, replicators procured, and facilities built up. Compared to Joram¡¯s Realm, which was mostly raw and untouched, Avi¡¯s wasn¡¯t.

    Ariel grinned as she stopped and looked back at where the mega-structures of Avi¡¯s production city stood. Given that all of the energy produced in the Realm was ¡°clean energy¡±, the expected clouds of smoke and smog weren¡¯t to be seen here. Just massive research, refining, production, manufacturing, and storage warehouses could be seen jutting up from the horizon. It was quite the sight to behold given that it had only taken a few months to build up. That was mainly due to Avi redirecting resources from the orbital space station hiding behind the second moon that orbited Dovaynia, but still. The influx of construction materials, various droids numbering in the tens of thousands, and a drive to ¡°Get it done!¡± had worked miracles.

    Ariel, being a shard/facet of Avi¡¯s personality, and thus given to having a slightly different perspective than the other Minds she had running, thought that it might do some good to have Joram contributing to things over here, just as Avi had done for Joram and his Realm. She understood not distracting that easily distracted man, but¡­.

    She sighed as she scanned another mineral deposit before sitting down on it.

    Ariel knew that she and Joram were connected, practically the same being. But Avi¡¯s tendency to just hare off and do something were very much in line with what Altaea would have done. Which she didn¡¯t agree with. Not having been there, or having been given the memories surrounding Altaea¡¯s departure, Ariel very much disapproved of they way Altaea had left things, and how she¡¯d left Joram.

    Sure, Altaea had left him with Avi, and thus her, but the damage that it had caused had been profound. Joram went about his life as though it hadn¡¯t affected him that much, but she knew better. From his reluctance in trusting people to his inability to easily form connections with them all the way to how long it took for him to finally get together with Avi¡­ she saw how damaged he was, even if he couldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t see it.

    Heck, even his getting together with Avi had been the result of the Saiyan DNA that they¡¯d assimilated. Well, that had probably been what they¡¯d both needed, really. That extra¡­ confidence had gone a long way to getting Joram ¡°out there¡±, as it were. As much as Avi didn¡¯t admit to herself, Ariel could admit that Avi had inherited a bit too much¡­ caution from Joram when she¡¯d been formed.

    She was very much glad that Avi was now getting laid on a regular basis. She was equally annoyed that Joram was still unable to form other intimate connections, but she supposed that decades of monogamy being drilled into his head was a bit hard to get around. Though, he was starting to, albeit slowly. Very slowly.

    If she¡¯d been one of those poor girls, she¡¯d have likely¡­ pushed a bit harder. Well, it was probably a good thing that she wasn¡¯t one of them, because she knew just how stubborn Joram could be. Heck, she was too. But. She was more open-minded than he was.

    She was aware of the double standard latent in polygamy and harems. Each woman was expected to be devoted to just one man, while the man could have multiple women that he expected to remain faithful to him. Well, there was also the female version, but that was effectively the same. She really didn¡¯t care about all that. Sure, she, being Avi and all, was very much in love with Joram as well as his Minds, as they were all still him. Probably much how Joram¡¯s Minds were also in love with every Mind that Avi had; Kinkade and Asura being a prime example of that.

    But she could also admit to herself that, after having gotten to know the others, she was more than OK with having fun with them. Now, Ariel wasn¡¯t sure if any of the other wife candidates would be interested in physical relations with the other wives/wife candidates, but she didn¡¯t have a problem with it. They were all in the same boat, as it were. They all liked/loved Joram. They all, pretty much, liked each other. So, why not get closer, as it were?

    Ariel looked over her shoulder at the receding line of creation. It was very beautiful. She wondered if Joram would bring his future wives here, or to his Realm, to see it one day. Not just the sight of the line of creation, but also to watch how the already created horizon as it changed. The¡­ city, had been build on segmented platforms. Each structure had its own platform, and those platforms had been built with adjustable supports that could alter their length. Why? Well, when the planet¡¯s curve was constantly changing to accommodate its new size, well, building didn¡¯t like that much. She wasn¡¯t sure when the anti-grav units would start being produced but when they were, it would make things so much easier. Well, that and when the Realm got large enough to finally allow for ¡°space¡±, then making a series of orbital stations would solve a lot of those issues.

    Ariel shrugged again. All of that was for the eggheads, as it were. Her personality was more geared toward¡­ activity. Upon reflection, she was very likely to have come into being due to the added aggression that came with the Saiyan heritage that Avi now enjoyed. Sure, there were crazy and quite frankly OP benefits to it, but Avi hadn¡¯t enjoyed the added aggression and competitiveness that came with it.

    So, that led to Ariel¡¯s ¡°creation¡±. Well, that sounded a bit more dramatic than it actually was. Anyways. Ariel didn¡¯t really care as, again, she and Avi were the same being. She was just a facet of the whole¡­ given autonomy of thought¡­ that was still part of the whole.

    Ariel shook her head again, not wanting to bother with all that. Yes, she had all the same knowledge and capabilities as Avi, but that didn¡¯t matter. She was closer to being a ¡°Marine¡± than anything, so she felt as though she should go with it. Hence the armour. And Harrier and Black Widow on her back mag-strips and the M5 at her hip. And the lightsaber on the other hip¡­.

    Yeah, she was kitted up. Her amour even sported shield generators akin to those from the ME Universe, though they¡¯d been upgraded significantly. Now, she just needed to get out and have some fun¡­.

    One day.

    She was aware that Dovaynia wasn¡¯t Earth. The local fauna was considerably more robust than what was found on Earth. For as kitted out as she was, she was under no illusions of grandeur. Tier 0 creatures would be easy enough to handle, but once they passed into Tier 1, well, it would get harder. Tier 2 would be even more difficult, and fighting anything in Tier 3 was almost guaranteed to go poorly for her.

    The reason why Avi had enjoyed the tremendous success she¡¯d enjoyed in hunting down the extermination squad members was that they¡¯d all underestimated a ¡°mortal¡±. The various creatures she might run into wouldn¡¯t likely suffer from the same hubris. What was the saying? ¡°A lioness will use all of her strength even when hunting a rabbit¡±.

    Yup. In some ways, animals were much smarter than people were.

    Hence why she wasn¡¯t out hunting or something like that. Even though she would have happily done so, and probably would at some point, she also found waste downright stupid. When she eventually started hunting, she wouldn¡¯t just ¡°take a picture and leave the beast behind to rot¡±. No, she would store her kills away for later use. There were many beasts that had parts like claws, fangs, and their hides that were very useful to the various crafters, not to mention the meat that would go to keeping Brightside fed.

    Ariel adjusted her AR visor as she checked the time- Dovaynian, not local. Joram was scheduled to start working on the Belladonnas soon, and she wondered if he¡¯d appreciate some company, as solitude tended to allow for imaginations to run wild.

    She nodded, smiling. Yup, she¡¯d pop on over and keep him company. And if something more were to happen while she kept him company, well, she was still Avi.

    With a wicked grin that Ariel hadn¡¯t noticed forming, she shifted over to Joram¡¯s Realm for some fun.

 Kinkade 001

    ¡°So, this is the orbital station, eh?¡± He asked, looking around.

    ¡°Yup, it should be complete in another couple of years,¡± Asura replied with a proud smile. ¡°With how well the mining teams have been doing, not to mention the upgrades to the mining ships¡¯ drives, things are going much faster than what was originally estimated.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s awesome,¡± he said, nodding in appreciation of what he was seeing.

    As much as he¡¯d joked with Asura about it being another Death Star, it wasn¡¯t. Sure, it would rival Earth¡¯s Moon- or Luna, as he liked to call it- but the iconic single divot where the planet-destroying beam was shot from was missing from its surface. Instead, there were a dozen.

    ¡°So, between the Star Wars tech and the Time Lords¡¯ tech, I¡¯m assuming that this station will put the original to shame?¡±

    Asura beamed at him as she replied.

    ¡°It sure will! Normally, a station this size could only support a single main weapon. But, given the level of spatial and temporal mastery, and the associated knowledge, the Starfall can easily support twelve main weapons, along with shielding that can weather a super nova,¡± she finished with a broad smile, gesturing grandly at a display that showed the core of the station.

    Kinkade nodded, familiar with how the Time Lords could harness stars for their energy. Said core, though, was currently lacking a star, though. It its place, there was a ¡°traditional¡± power core used in the SW-verse.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that you haven¡¯t found the right star yet,¡± he asked with a grin, noting the slight pout his teasing engendered.

    ¡°No,¡± Asura said with a sigh. ¡°We still haven¡¯t gotten to the point where we can capture one yet, let alone get to other star systems. It¡¯ll take a while yet to get our production lines upgraded to produce that level of technology.¡±

    ¡°No kidding,¡± Kinkade said with a smile and a slight shake of his head. ¡°But when you do, we might all be able to finally head back to Earth.¡±

    Asura nodded to that, but didn¡¯t seem to be particularly enthusiastic for that eventual day.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    Asura paused a moment before speaking, letting her thoughts be known as she slowly described her worries.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been thinking about that a lot,¡± she started as she led him over to the comfy couches in her office. ¡°We now know that the multiverse theory is correct. There are an infinite number of universes out there.¡±

    Kinkade nodded to that, encouraging her to continue.

    ¡°Given the number of destinations, it¡¯ll be an astronomical undertaking.¡±

    Kinkade continued to nod along, aware that she was leading up to something.

    ¡°Not only that, but we also have to consider other things like contamination. You and I have both read many ¡®fictions¡¯ where someone going over to another universe brings catastrophic consequences with them. Sometimes it¡¯s a virus that wipes out all life in the new universe, other times it¡¯s cultural contamination, or uplifting a species that wasn¡¯t ready for it.

    ¡°A more recent example of that would be the Krogan Wars. Not to mention just how applicable the Prime Directive is,¡± she mumbled the last part. ¡°That said, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of stories where Mana is suddenly brought to your home universe, causing untold death and devastation.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, wasn¡¯t one of the more recent ones I was reading before¡­ coming here about that?¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± Asura said, happily nodding. ¡°I still want to know how that Divine Feline Overlord turns out.¡±

    Kinkade nodded to that, fully appreciating the sentiment. Before coming to Dovaynia, he was one of those ¡°cursed souls¡± who had been allergic to cats, thus preventing him from enjoying a cuddly kitty.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Asura said, bringing the conversation back around. ¡°The point is this: what happens if those stories actually have merit?¡±

    Kinkade paused to mull that over.

    The thought had occurred to him before, but he hadn¡¯t entertained it beyond that. Given the fact that Altaea was living(?) proof that he¡¯d had a connection outside of his home universe, able to see and know what was happening elsewhere¡­ then there was a very real possibility that the other stories also had more than a possibility of being true.

    Heck, given the knowledge that Altaea had left in his head in the form of the Altaea Virtual Intelligence, and the associated troves of data, he was more that sure that he couldn¡¯t possibly be the only one who¡¯d had a connection like that. The Star Wars Universe, the Star Trek Universe, the Dragonball Universe, the ME Universe and Time Lords, the MCU, DCEU¡­ heck, even the Minecraft Universe! They all pointed to the solid conclusion that Earthlings, somehow, had connections to entirely different Universes out there.

    How that happened, or how to explain it, he couldn¡¯t even begin to guess. But with the very real possibility that Mana could¡­ infect his old home if he returned, he wasn¡¯t so sure that he wanted to go back there, his family and friends notwithstanding. Did he really want to be responsible for bringing Mana there? For what would, very likely, be the spark that ignited the apocalypse for Earth.

    ¡°That said,¡± Asura continued, breaking him out of his whirling thoughts. ¡°There could very well be a countdown already in place,¡± she said, looking very serious now.

    ¡°What?¡± He asked, then nearly facepalmed. ¡°Altaea¡¯s arrival,¡± he said, shaking his head.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Asura let him process that for a moment before she continued.

    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure, but neither would I discount the possibility that her arrival brought Mana with her to your old homeworld.¡±

    ¡°That¡­ could suck,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°Then there are all of the other questions that go with that,¡± he said, still shaking his head.

    ¡°Yes, if the Mana is just spilling in, gushing in, self-replicating and perpetuating. If there¡¯s a ¡®System¡¯ that¡¯ll come with it, or even if said ¡®System¡¯ will even be beneficial to the residents of your old universe.¡±

    He¡¯d read a considerable number of fictions/fantasies that revolved around an alien ¡°System¡± that governed the spread and use of Mana. Not only that, but the vast majority of those ¡°Systems¡± boasted video game-like mechanics. There had also been a disturbingly large percentage of those stories that revolved around an alien species or multiple species, that controlled said System and used it to their benefit, often to Earth¡¯s detriment.

    So, the question he was now wrestling with was: did he go home anyway? Did he risk ¡°bringing¡± Mana back with him, especially Mana that wasn¡¯t governed by a System of some sort. Could he risk that?

    ¡°Systems,¡± was all he said, but Asura nodded as though she¡¯d expected him to say that.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± she said with a brilliant smile. ¡°If Altaea¡¯s arrival didn¡¯t bring a System along for the ride, or even Mana for that matter, then our going to Earth might bring Mana with us. And given that there isn¡¯t some mystical System here to govern Mana and all that¡­. Then we might just have to design our own System.¡±

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Kinkade had begun suspecting where she was leading the conversation to, but it still caught him like a medicine ball in the gut.

    ¡°Do you have any idea just how complicated that would be?¡± He asked even though he knew the answer to that almost rhetorical question.

    ¡°Yup!¡±

    ¡°Where would we even start? We can¡¯t just start messing with Mana on Dovaynia. I don¡¯t know how many beings down there would object to that. Not to mention the very real likelihood that they¡¯d just kill us outright.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Asura said with a sparkle in her eye that told him that she had already thought of that and had planned accordingly. ¡°But what if we can experiment in a closed environment?¡±

    ¡°Genesis,¡± he breathed out softly.

    ¡°You got it,¡± she said with a brilliant smile that still caused his stomach to flutter even though he was just a psicrystal using a holographic body. ¡°If we can set up a new demiplane once you¡¯ve reached Tier 7, so that Tier 4 Mana can infuse it, then we¡¯ll have a perfect testing environment.¡±

    ¡°That could actually work well,¡± he said, now going through tens of possibilities in a few seconds. ¡°We could even set up a few new demiplanes to see which versions work best, then pare it down from there.¡±

    ¡°Great minds think alike,¡± Asura said, still smiling that fabulous smile of hers that he never got tired of seeing. ¡°It¡¯ll just take a while to set up and get going.¡±

    ¡°Which means that I should push hard for Tier 7,¡± he said, nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll get M3 and M4 working harder, and when M7, M8, and M9 get finished with their work, I¡¯ll make sure they are redirected to cultivation as well.¡±

    ¡°They should be done pretty soon, as I don¡¯t think Joram is particularly interested in the other Psionic Classes right now.¡±

    ¡°True, but there¡¯s still a lot that he wants worked on. The various ¡®Feats¡¯ and psionic ¡®Skills¡¯, not to mention learning how to ¡®Enchant¡¯ with Psijic Energy,¡± he said, shaking his head.

    ¡°I see your point,¡± Asura said, nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can get a few minds working on things on my end too. I know that A4 is working with the Minds, but maybe I can get Alicia working with A4 when Avi doesn¡¯t need her for something.¡±

    ¡°That would be fantastic,¡± Kinkade said, smiling. ¡°I know that Avi doesn¡¯t have the reserves that Joram has, but with [Schism] almost done being translated, then I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ve have much more help soon.¡±

    ¡°That would be nice,¡± she said wistfully. ¡°As much as I enjoy research, development, and making things, not to mention our outings, I could very much use more help up here.¡±

    Kinkade smiled as he thought about their ¡°outings¡±, what he preferred to call ¡°dates¡±.

    ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t Avi recently add another Mind?¡±

    ¡°Ah, Ariel,¡± Asura sighed. ¡°She¡¯s very much there to help Avi concentrate.¡±

    Kinkade raised an eyebrow at that.

    ¡°Avi has been having a hard time reigning in the¡­ urges that came with assimilating that Saiyan DNA,¡± she explained, causing Kinkade to show his ¡®Oh¡¯ face. ¡°So, Avi pushed out a new Mind, using the more¡­ aggressive personality traits that were distracting her.¡±

    ¡°I would love to assume that ¡®aggressive¡¯ only refers to her disposition to fight things, but¡­¡± he said, trailing off.

    ¡°You guessed it. It also applies to her libido.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean that there¡¯s a battle maniac out there who¡¯s just as interested in sex?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    Kinkade was at a loss for words.

    ¡°Ariel also grabbed one of Avi¡¯s backup bodies,¡± she said, seeming to enjoy his panicked expression. ¡°She went with purple hair, so people shouldn¡¯t confuse us too much,¡± she said, then stopped to let him speak.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the issue!¡±

    ¡°True,¡± she said, cutting him off. ¡°I¡¯d put more weight behind her raiding the armoury and taking a few things.¡±

    Kinkade sat there, his mind going through the many reasons why that was a bad thing, not to mention the problems she could cause them all.

    ¡°But it really doesn¡¯t matter,¡± she said, this time obviously enjoying his indignant expression. ¡°Because, one: Ariel is still Avi, and she wouldn¡¯t do anything too outrageous. Two: Avi can always just pull her back into her realm and deactivate that particular Mind. Three: Ariel is still Avi; she¡¯s very much in love with Joram. So, there¡¯s nothing to worry about on that front.¡±

    Kinkade just about sighed, then blamed Joram for that bad habit. He didn¡¯t even have a biological body!

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s that at least,¡± he said, shaking his head again. ¡°Did you just bring that up to make me panic?¡± He asked suspiciously. Given that Ariel shouldn¡¯t be an issue, or a problem, he was heavily leaning towards that conclusion.

    ¡°Well, in part,¡± she said, then gave him a sassy wink. ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t put it past her to look for Joram when he¡¯s in his Realm to have some fun,¡± she finished with a wicked look, her grin positively succubus-like in how it expressed her inner thoughts.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯ll be his problem then,¡± Kinkade said, shaking his head, then changed the subject. ¡°We should probably get back to the shop soon and get things ready for the day.¡±

    ¡°At least the wife-candidates are working out well,¡± Asura said as her own [Holographic Image] shifted from wearing a white lab coat to that of the store¡¯s uniform.

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± he said, taking a moment to change himself. ¡°I get that he¡¯s socially awkward and all, but holding onto monogamy like he is isn¡¯t going to work when there are so many amazing women wanting to be with him.¡±

    ¡°Well, he could make it work,¡± Asura said, then paused as they shifted to their office in the department store. ¡°But truthfully, he does have a big heart. Not that that has anything to do with polygamy, but he does hold people he¡¯s befriended dearly in his heart. Not to mention how he tried to make his failing marriage work out just for the sake of his daughters.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that didn¡¯t turn out well,¡± Kinkade muttered as he shuddered at the memory.

    ¡°No, it did not,¡± Asura agreed. ¡°But, once he lets a person in, they¡¯re there until they do something to get themselves ejected. That, and given his faith before coming here, and how in ancient times polygamy was a thing, not to mention that in wasn¡¯t forbidden in canon, but those who ruled over those people, well¡­. There¡¯s precedent in the back of his mind.

    ¡°And we both know who things can sit in the corner of one¡¯s mind and grow,¡± she finished, grinning.

    ¡°That I do,¡± he said, shaking his head yet again.

    ¡°That, and even though Altaea was monogamous, polygamy was just as common in her world. All that put together, and Avi¡¯s encouragement of Joram taking multiple wives makes sense.¡±

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t possibly be aimed at getting him out of his shell, would it?¡±

    ¡°That too,¡± Asura admitted. ¡°But in the long run, it¡¯s good for everyone involved. He gets much more practice being around people, even though it¡¯s primarily women, as well as having amazingly talented people that are very much committed to being with him for the long haul.¡±

    ¡°And you don¡¯t think that she¡¯s taking advantage of those young women?¡± He asked, giving her a flat look.

    For as different as he acted compared to Joram, he was still Joram, in every way possible. The thought of taking advantage of those young women still didn¡¯t sit right with him, even after spending months going on dates with them all, individually or with two or more at a time.

    ¡°Kinkade,¡± Asura said seriously, stopping him before he opened the office door and breaking the circuit for the privacy ward on the office. ¡°Those women are fully grown, responsible adults. Each and every one of them has ¡®grown up¡¯ in every sense of the word.

    ¡°None of them, even the princesses, were coddled like the youth of Earth. They¡¯ve experienced more in their short lives than all but a fraction of a percentage of those on Earth would in a similar timeframe. They know what they¡¯re doing, they know what to expect. They¡¯re not some na?ve young girls being tricked into marrying into a polygamous relations ship on the sketchy basis of misplaced faith,¡± she said, holding his gaze with her own.

    ¡°Each and every one of those young women is intelligent, informed, and most importantly, very much willing to pursue such a relationship knowing what they¡¯re signing up for,¡± she said, the shook her head. ¡°If you are under any illusions that have you believing anything else, then you¡¯re just lying to yourself.¡±

    Once done, Asura slipped past him and out of the office, leaving him to think things over for a bit.

    It was true that, unless the person was incredibly sheltered, people here matured emotionally much faster than back on Earth. Not only that, but they were very much encouraged to become self-sufficient, or have learned those skills, by the time they were in their teens.

    Given that each member of the Study Group, except for Jae-Eun, was at least considered an ¡°adult¡± back in Earth, and he very much lacked any logical grounds with which to object to their pursuit of him. Even Jae-Eun was almost eighteen, taking even that argument away.

    He could object based on his psychological age, but he¡¯d been mocked not a few times for trying to use that argument. Their reasoning? Psychological age wasn¡¯t tied to biology. It was entirely one¡¯s own mindset. If you chose to think like an old person, you¡¯d very much wind up an old person. If you continued to think like a young person, then you¡¯d very much stay like that.

    Given just how long people here could live compared to Earthlings, well, their perspective was very different compared to what he¡¯d grown up with. Just because you were fifty here, didn¡¯t account for much considering everyone¡¯s longevity. Aya was only a bit younger than his cumulative years lived, but she looked the same age as most of the rest of the Study Group. He wasn¡¯t sure how old Jezira was, but was certain that she was older than him by a fair margin; and she still looked as though she could be Kassandra¡¯s slightly older sister.

    Heck, his own parents looked like they could be in his same age bracket!

    Kinkade shook his head, then left the office. This wasn¡¯t his problem. He was just responsible for running the department store, stocking it, and occasionally selling some stuff at Heaven¡¯s Bounty Auction House. He¡¯d leave that tangle to Joram.

    He had enough problems to deal with. Like entitled prats who thought that they could push around his staff to get what they wanted.

 Chapter 104 - The goal of reintegration

    Joram didn¡¯t know why Nonna seemed to be in such a great mood today, but he¡¯d take it. She¡¯d always made sure to give him a bit extra whenever he¡¯d seen her in the past, so he was looking forward to what she brought out after he and Isabel finished their meal.

    They¡¯d both gotten kebabs, though he¡¯d asked for the crispy cuts of meat, while she¡¯d gone for the more tender ones. At his suggestion, she¡¯d had mayo added to hers, while he¡¯d gone with the equivalent of harissa, to go along with their selection of veggies. And the meal had been going well, until Avi showed up, though her hair was a purple so dark that it bordered on black¡­

    Wait, that must be another mind of hers¡­ he thought as she sat down right beside him, the proceeded to lean against him in a very unsubtle way.

    ¡°What can I do for you?¡± he asked, not knowing this one¡¯s name or designation yet.

    ¡°I just stopped by for some fun,¡± she said, letting her hand slide down under the table to his lap where she proceeded to do things best not done in public.

    ¡°I¡¯m a bit busy right now,¡± he said, straining to keep his voice even. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when I¡¯m free so that we can talk,¡± he finished, giving her a Look.

    She looked like she was about to argue, but it seemed as though she¡¯d gotten a telepathic message and stopped.

    ¡°That would be great,¡± she said as she stood up, then leaned over and gave him a kiss before he could pull back in shock.

    Then she was off, stuffing her stuff as she went. Which wasn¡¯t hard, as she was only wearing a body suit, one of the ones that clung like a second skin.

    ¡°Who¡­ was that?¡± Isabel asked, face carefully neutral.

    ¡°That would be Avi,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°She loves changing her hair colour, so you¡¯ll see that often¡­ if you stay,¡± he said, getting back to the conversation.

    ¡°And you¡¯re certain that we would be safe here?¡± she asked, still not quite convinced.

    Well, he really couldn¡¯t blame her for her caution, having come from a world-wide organization of assassins and all.

    ¡°I¡¯d be beyond astonished if they could find you here,¡± he replied dryly. ¡°As I¡¯ve said, I¡¯ve removed everyone¡¯s slavery seals and all. With that, the weird compulsion that dampened your emotions was also removed,¡± he finished, noting her pupils dilating slightly at the news.

    ¡°Is that why¡­?¡± she asked, trailing off as her hand came up to lightly touch her chest.

    ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re probably experiencing more than a few emotions that you¡¯re not used to, hey?¡± he asked, more than suspecting that to be the case.

    Isabel gave him a sharp look as he could practically see her putting up her walls again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not trying to woo you or anything like that,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°I know how it can feel when emotions start flowing again after a long drought. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll give you and your ¡®sisters¡¯ plenty of time to adjust to things. Like I said, I don¡¯t like forcing people to do things that they don¡¯t want to.

    ¡°Well, most of the time, anyways. I¡¯ve gotta keep my people safe, after all,¡± he finished, shaking his head sadly.

    For her part, Isabel continued to regard him warily until he went back to eating, not wanting to waste the delicious bundle of goodness. It took her another half a minute or so of staring before she finally broke down and resumed eating. Once done, he just waited for her to finish, though he spent the time looking out the windows at the various blooming trees outside.

    ¡°You were right,¡± Isabel eventually said, bringing his attention fully back to her. ¡°The ¡®mayonnaise¡¯ did go well with the tender cuts.¡±

    Joram smiled at that, glad that she seemed to have worked something out in her head. Something that seemed to let her share a bit of her inner thoughts.

    ¡°Right? And it can be used in so much! Like¡­¡± he said enthusiastically, then went on at length about what it could be used in, or on.

    * * * * *

    *1346.13.24*

    Ah, he was a bit too stressed out.

    After his meeting with Isabel, he¡¯d assigned her an apartment, but had also given her access to return to the prison if she wanted to. To visit her sisters, of course. But not to let them out. That would be silly to do right then.

    But then he¡¯d properly ¡°met¡± Ariel, Avi¡¯s new mind. A5, if he was being rude. Which he¡¯d been more than tempted to be¡­ but had ultimately broken. Mainly because Ariel was still Avi, just her more aggressive and¡­ sexually driven side. Which hadn¡¯t helped his own efforts at controlling his own raging libido.

    Which had resulted in the loss of the rest of the day¡­ productivity-wise, that is. Creatively? That had gone to a whole new level that he¡¯d never considered before when Avi herself had shown up and decided that Ariel wasn¡¯t enough to deal with things for her.

    Ahem.

    Anyways, he was now racking his brain for a good gift idea for Xixi, as he was due to attend the small family gathering for her birthday that afternoon. Everything from dresses to dolls to other toys had been considered, the tossed.

    The biggest problem that he currently faced was that he¡¯d not spent nearly as much time around her as he had in the past. She was now nine years old, at that age where interests that had been so important to them just the year before were now ¡°old news¡±.

    He¡¯d tried to ask his mother, then Grammy, but they¡¯d just thrown him under the bus, saying that he should have spent more time around her.

    Which was fair.

    At the same time, he¡¯d been rather busy with his own life, and the many complications that he now had to deal with on a daily basis. But if he was being honest with himself, and for as much as he loved his little cousin, it still felt weird beyond belief that he was supposed to be engaged to her.

    Was she a wonderfully intelligent girl? For sure. Was she one of the most caring and fiercely protective people that he knew? And then some! But she was still just a child, and that weirded him out more than anything.

    If he could just be friends with her and not have to worry about being engaged with her, then that would have been a completely story, as it were. Friends were easy¡­ ish. Easier, anyway. Much easier.

    So, even though he¡¯d kept his word over the last half year, he still hadn¡¯t spent that much time with her. And now he was in a bind.

    ¡°Screw it,¡± he muttered, shaking his head. ¡°Jewelry it is¡­ again.¡±

    With that out of the way, he then considered what the jewelry should be. He¡¯d already given her that ring, so maybe a necklace? Would that work for her?

    But what would he enchant it with? Because, if he was going to give her something, letting it remain mundane wasn¡¯t an option. That would just be¡­ silly.

    So, he brainstormed for a bit, tossing out idea after idea until he sighed and placed his head on his work desk in his workshop. It was then that inspiration struck him.

    He sat up then, a smile on his face as he began retrieving the necessary materials for the project.

    ¡°Damn, I¡¯m glad that I¡¯ve got Dust Crystals,¡± he muttered as he piled everything into neat stacks in front of him.

    The largest one contained a few small bars of various ingots, all silvery to white in colour. Another was a few cylinders of gas, while the last was a pile of gems, with a larger one in the centre.

    OK, prep complete, he thought, grinning. This would be his most ambitious project yet. First, he needed to create the Tetra-III and Tetra-IV, which was the easy part, really. Well, easier than just using [True Creation] to make the stuff, anyway. Which he promptly did.

    A few minutes of [Modify Matter] and [Vacuum] later, and he was left with a several ingots of both Tetra-III and Tetra-IV. He still loved that his imagined metals could be made here, in this universe. Well, they might have been able to have been made back on Earth, but they technology hadn¡¯t been available to even try.

    The next step, however, was probably the easiest step. Once again, [Modify Matter] was used, this time to shape and ingot of each metal into the form of a necklace. He made the band wider, about two centimetres wide in fact, though relatively thing. It then widened further at the front until it connected with a stylized 2D lotus. He left ample space for the next part.

    Taking the Sky Nether Jade, he also shaped it. Soon, the largest petals were filled with the rich purple jade. Next, he filled in the spaces left for highlights with the pink topazes, shaping them to perfectly compliment and fit the design.

    A round of [Manipulate Matter] increased the harness of the whole, making them nigh unto invulnerable to physical damage.

    Next, he used some of the Dust Crystals to enchant the gems, adding a persistent [True Metabolism] effect to the lot of them. He linked them together, easing the burden of the enchantment over the many gems instead of putting the full burden on just one of them. But also, if one of the topazes was somehow damaged, the enchantment wouldn¡¯t outright fail, it would just reduced the efficacy a bit.

    Following that, he then enchanted the jade in the same way as the topaz, though this time with two effects. The first was, if he had to describe it to anyone from Earth, a Resistance enchantment like what would be found on a Cloak of Resistance. The second was a Sustenance effect. Both incredibly useful for anyone.

    Once done, he used the crystal-clear Tetra-IV to perfectly encase the gems, both jade and topaz. This would help protect them from any possible damage in the future, as well as from anyone trying to remove any of the gems.

    He then used [Manipulate Matter] once again, this time on the Tetra-IV, as it wouldn¡¯t work if he used it on anything that he¡¯d used it on before.

    That done, the final enchantments were ready to go. First up was the Storage enchantment, like what was used in storage rings and such. This one, though, would be significantly larger than the others he¡¯d seen in use. It was a bit tricky to pull off, but not terribly so given his increased understanding of space and dimensions.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    The second-to-last enchantment was deflection. Protection for Xixi!

    Lastly, he added a minor glamor effect, allowing the user to change its shape and size at will, but also allowing it to automatically adjust to the size of the wearer. No need to adjust it as she grew!

    Well, the last-last thing he did was to add a restriction to it. He tied it to their Aneath bloodline so that no one else could use it if they stole it. Upon further reflection, he quickly added Aloralla to the approved list. Who knew if she¡¯d ever need to use it? And she was, after all, his favourite auntie.

    When he was all done, he smiled. He glanced at the time, then just about fell over. He was cutting it a bit too close!

    Now in a rush, he quickly whipped together a gift box for it, adding some black satin as a lining and shifted over to the Aneath mansion in Stormhaven.

    * * * * *

    Xiora was, once again, vexed.

    Normally, Joram was early wherever he went. Be it for lessons with his grandparents, to practice, or for a ¡±play date¡±. He was early. Especially if it was something important, like her birthday.

    She¡¯d already greeted aunty Sulia and uncle Ivaryn and her little cousin Zaleria, who was almost two and getting ready for her own birthday party in a few days. Zanth had come with his parents, and even the Matriarch had come, looking so very different than she was used to.

    Her own sisters, Seldanna and Elodia, were busy playing with Zaleria, just enjoying their time together.

    Now that both the calendar year and the academic year were finishing or done, she hoped that she¡¯d get to spend more time with Joram. She really missed him and their time together. She wanted to show off how much she¡¯d improved too, as she¡¯d been working very hard these past months.

    Their little visits were just that, little. They had seemed so¡­ empty compared to what she¡¯d been used to. As though he¡¯d been distracted the entire time, even though he¡¯d been ¡°attentive¡± to their conversations.

    She was about to suggest that they start when she felt a faint¡­ ripple that she associated with Joram. As happy as she was, she was going to pretend to be wroth with him for being late!

    ¡°Joram, I¡¯m glad you could make it,¡± her mother said when he walked through the door to the small parlour they were using for the event.

    ¡°I¡¯ve missed too many of Xixi¡¯s birthdays already,¡± he said, sounding embarrassed. ¡°For her, I¡¯ll attend as many as I possibly can,¡± he finished, giving her mother, then her, his warm smile.

    A smile that broke her resolve.

    ¡°Joram!¡± she practically squealed as she rushed him, then jumped so that she could give him a flying hug.

    He caught her, then spun, whirling them about a few times much to her great delight.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too,¡± he said when they stopped.

    He tried to set her down again, but she wasn¡¯t having any of that, so she kept her arms tight around him and even wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her ankles together on the far side.

    ¡°Nope,¡± she pouted, clinging to him for all she was worth.

    ¡°Now, Xixi,¡± her mother started reprovingly, then stopped at a wave from Joram.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know she missed me, and I can¡¯t blame her. I¡¯ve missed out time together too,¡± he said, then patted her on the head, sending a warm feeling through her. ¡°But how can we eat like this?¡± he asked, directing that question to her.

    Gah, right on target, she thought, admitting defeat as she slowly let go of her favourite person¡­ aside from her parents and sisters, of course.

    Once down, Zanth was able to approach and say hi, then the three of them went off and started chatting. Zanth was excited to start school, and Xixi couldn¡¯t help but add in her own excitement regarding that as well. They then talked about what they might study. Surprisingly, Joram spilled the beans, letting them know what they¡¯d be studying.

    He also let them know that they¡¯d also get to choose a couple courses of their own, something that would fit their interests and affinities.

    Which, she learned, would be as Mentalists and Crafters, more than likely.

    She also learned that both she and Zanth would be in a smaller class than normal half the time due to their being Mentalists as well as Mages. It surprised her to learn that being able to use Mental Strength was so rate outside of the Clan, and grew a bit anxious thinking about being singled out like that.

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s nothing to worry about,¡± Joram waved off her worry. ¡°Your teachers and instructors will make sure that you¡¯re both well taken care of. Just don¡¯t let the special treatment go to your heads. I¡¯ve seen too many people get big heads because of that sort of treatment, and I won¡¯t have my cousins become like those spoiled brats,¡± he said, giving them an obviously mock glare.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Zanth said, shaking his head. ¡°Our parents would turn our bums red if that happened,¡± he said, shooting a glance at his parents.

    ¡°Well then, I have nothing to worry about,¡± Joram said with a laugh that they all joined in on a moment later, though hers was a bit more reserved. For as wonderful as her mother was, her hand could still shine her bottom like brass if she got into too much trouble.

    After that, their conversation turned to other subjects. She had truly missed this. But lunch was called too soon for her liking, bringing them away from each other so that they could sit with their own families at the table.

    But the food was wonderful, warm, and filling. She was glad that the conversations with the adults was light, not straying into boring topics like the reconstruction efforts of New Brightside and the Clan Home. Instead, they spoke about life in Stormhaven and her and Zanth¡¯s imminent school life.

    Then came the birthday wishes and presents. They were all quite lovely, but mostly revolved around clothing and accessories, ranging from simple to fancy enough to be worn to formal occasions. Then, once again, Joram presented his present last, handing her a pretty box, wide and long, but also relatively flat.

    ¡°Happy birthday,¡± he said with a smile as she took the box.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, feeling very happy to have him there, more so than getting something from him.

    Well, almost more than that. After all, he did give amazing presents!

    She took a moment to admire the box and its lustre before unlatching it and slowly opening the lid. She noticed that there was a ribbon on each side, then understood their function when they stopped the lid from opening too far, preventing it from touching the table.

    Then her eyes were drawn to the most beautiful necklace that she¡¯d ever seen, and her jaw dropped.

    As her mind whirled, she faintly heard the buzz of conversation around her as the adults started speaking almost all at once.

    She recognized the Sky Nether Jade, as she¡¯d had a plaque of authority made out of the precious jade. But she wasn¡¯t sure what the pink gems were, but they were also super-pretty! Everything was arranged like a flower, probably a lotus? She wasn¡¯t sure, but at the same time didn¡¯t quite care. It was beautiful.

    Xixi then reached down and lifted it up, and was astonished at how light it felt. With so much metal, she¡¯d expected it to be quite heavy. But no, it almost felt like it weighed nothing at all for its size.

    Joram then helped her put it on, then told her how she could change its size and shape if she wanted to. That led to her experimenting with her necklace as the adults began giving Joram weird looks. She didn¡¯t care, it was an amazing gift!

    ¡°Thank you!¡± she said, giving Joram another full-body hug that he returned gently.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± he said warmly, sending more warmth through her chest.

    After that, came dessert, the second best part of the party, bringing her happiness to its climax.

    * * *

    ¡°Joram, what was that?¡± she asked her great-grandson after they¡¯d left the party.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± he asked, seemingly distracted.

    ¡°The necklace,¡± Tatia prompted, nudging him in the ribs with the elbow of the arm he held in his as they walked.

    ¡°Oh, that,¡± he said, apparently not noticing her elbow. ¡°I just wanted to make sure that she¡¯d be OK when out and about,¡± he said, shrugging off the fact that he¡¯d given a child a powerful Artifact.

    ¡°Joram, that¡¯ll get too much attention drawn to her,¡± she replied calmly, knowing that sometimes you had to lead the boy to the proper conclusion.

    ¡°Hmm? Nah. With how I tied the enchantments, it would take a strong Mentalist to even notice them, and only if they handled it,¡± he said, waving off her concern. ¡°Even then, it won¡¯t work for anyone but our family, and auntie,¡± he finished, probably referring to Xixi¡¯s mother.

    ¡°Well, that was at least wise of you,¡± she said, a bit relieved at that, but not fully. ¡°Still, could you perhaps scale your gifts to the person a bit better than that? A nine-year-old really shouldn¡¯t have a Legacy Artifact like that,¡± she added, shaking her head at the ease with which he could produce such ridiculous things.

    ¡°Hmm, good point,¡± he said, nodding. ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll be sure to make something less eye-catching,¡± he finished, obviously coming to the wrong conclusion.

    Well, at least that¡¯s progress, she thought with a mental sigh.

    With how distracted the boy had been lately, it was a wonder that he was as present as he was. Normally, he¡¯d just send one of his doppelgangers to deal with things instead of coming in person. And from what she¡¯d learned, he¡¯d been spending a lot of time with the many young women she¡¯d met earlier that year.

    ¡°Joram,¡± she said, stopping them at a couch set opposite to one of the large paintings that lined the broad hallway that they were in. ¡°What¡¯s going on with you?¡±

    He stopped with her, then looked a bit panicked for a fraction of a second before relaxing.

    Then he shared. She was surprised at first, but then was glad that he¡¯d trusted her enough to open up to her. She¡¯d known that many of the young women that surrounded him were interested in him, but when she learned that a few more had been added to the list, and that they were all determined to get close to him, well.

    The weird combination of pride in her great-grandson for being so astounding, the warmth in knowing that he would be surrounded by people who genuinely appreciated and perhaps even loved him, as well as her own thoughts and feelings about monogamy and polygamy, left her silent and thoughtful.

    She had known that he was a person who valued quiet and his alone time, and could appreciate how hard it all was for him to deal with. But at the same time, she was relieved and glad for the growth that he was showing. Not only socially, but emotionally as well. She could still remember his less than dignified escape when confronted by his parents about those young women.

    Tatia still laughed about that.

    As much as she¡¯d initially disliked Avi, she was now glad that she¡¯d been there for Joram. The fact that she was basically a soul clone of the Founder had helped her better accept Avi¡­ a lot faster than she would have otherwise.

    ¡°Joram,¡± she said when he finally trailed off. ¡°I know it¡¯s not easy. Take your time. There¡¯s no rush. From what I¡¯ve seen of your ¡®Study Group¡¯, I can assure you that they¡¯re not likely to go anywhere.

    ¡°I¡¯m also glad that you¡¯re starting to trust others more,¡± she said, reminding him of his first years in the clan. ¡°At the same time, be careful. Especially of hurting Xixi¡¯s feelings,¡± she said, knowing how reluctant he¡¯d been to be engaged to her those years ago.

    ¡°I know,¡± he said, shrugging uncomfortably. ¡°It¡¯s just that she¡¯s more of a sister to me than my fianc¨¦.¡±

    ¡°Usually, that doesn¡¯t happen,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°Children growing up together with the expectation that they¡¯ll marry one day is quite normal. Except when a Reincarnator in involved, anyways.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I can see that,¡± Joram said, nodding. ¡°And I suppose that that would have been the case had I not retained my memories right from the start.¡±

    ¡°Be that as it may, we¡¯ll do something about the arranged marriage. I know that Lysanthir and Xiora have been spending much more time together, so perhaps that would be a better match for them in the long run,¡± she said, vocalizing the thoughts she¡¯d had regarding that whole mess.

    ¡°That¡¯d be good,¡± Joram agreed with a sigh of relief. ¡°I know that Zanth¡¯s had a crush on Xixi for ages, but hasn¡¯t said anything because of me.¡±

    ¡°Kids will be kids,¡± she murmured with a smile.

    From there, their conversation turned to less dense topics, for which Joram seemed appreciative. Well, she described them as ¡°less dense¡±, but that only qualified on the emotional side of things.

    When she learned of the Belladonnas that he¡¯d captured, she nearly tripped and face planted on the garden path they¡¯d made their way too. She quickly activated her privacy ward before grilling Joram.

    Halfway through, she¡¯d needed Joram¡¯s help to sit on one of the garden benches as he continued his ridiculous story. That he¡¯d gone and learned slavery magic had nearly caused her heart to explode, but that he¡¯d done so in order to learn how to break those cursed seals had relieved the pressure in her chest.

    ¡°So, what, you¡¯re just going to let them be? Just let them wander around your Small World?¡± she asked, not quite believing her ears.

    ¡°For now, yes,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°There¡¯ll be a lot of observation needed before I¡¯d feel comfortable letting them out by themselves. For now, they¡¯re confined. Though, I hope to get them reintegrated into society on the sooner side of things,¡± he said, gazing off into the distance.

    What a dreamer, she thought, taking in Joram¡¯s profile as she wondered if he really knew how hard it would be to unroot the training and indoctrination they¡¯d been under for who knows how long.

    ¡°In the meantime,¡± Joram suddenly said, turning to her again. ¡°I¡¯ll just keep them snug in the Realm. At some point, though, I would appreciate it if you could arrange to for someone to help dad with his workload,¡± he finished, making her once again appreciate how filial Joram was.

    ¡°I suppose that I could make some time between cultivating,¡± she grudgingly offered, secretly happy when Joram gave her a brilliant smile.

    ¡°Thanks Grammy,¡± he said, looking relieved. ¡°I swear, I could feel dad¡¯s resentment from class,¡± he said shaking his head.

    Knowing full-well how much Ivaryn hated paperwork, she was reasonably sure that Joram hadn¡¯t been imagining things.

    ¡°All right then,¡± she said, drawing his attention back to her. ¡°You head off and do what you need to do. Just be sure to be back in time for Xixi¡¯s and Zanth¡¯s first day at school. Also, be sure to take your time getting to know any of those young women before committing to more¡­ or getting roped in like you were with Emily,¡± she finished, mostly serious, but also hiding how funny she still found that situation.

    ¡°Har-har,¡± he fake laughed. ¡°Thank you for your concern, Grammy. I¡¯ll talk with you later,¡± he said, then leaned over and gave her a warm hug that she gladly returned.

    Then he was gone, vanishing like a ghost in the garden.

    ¡°Still completely ridiculous,¡± she snorted before heading back inside for a warm cup of mulled wine.

 Chapter 105 - The [Language of Psijic]

    *1346.13.25*

    ¡°So, you¡¯ve finally decided to remake your bracers, eh?¡± Avi asked as she leaned over his shoulder to look at the just-finished bracers.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s about time I did,¡± he said, remembering the damn Old Fart. ¡°Though, I wonder if any of my stuff survived? And if so, what happened to it,¡± he said, thinking aloud.

    ¡°Probably turned into legacy items for his family, clan, or sect,¡± Avi said with a shrug. ¡°Doesn¡¯t really matter, because you can make much more impressive stuff nowadays.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± he said, nodding. ¡°But it would be nice to retrieve anything that survived, and those bracers were made out of adamantium, after all. So, even if the enchantments weren¡¯t the best, it would still be nice to retrieve them.¡±

    ¡°So, are you finally starting to plan more for our trip to Zhizun Zhanshi?¡± she asked a bit more seriously.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said, nodding once more. ¡°Jae-Eun is sure to sponsor me, so that part is at least out of the way. The next problem is to find out who exactly might be supporting the Heavenly Fire Lotus Clan, and how powerful they are.

    ¡°I still can¡¯t quite believe that a middling clan like theirs just so happened to stumble upon my clan¡¯s workings and had the ability to track us down. Not only that, but had the ability to send such a powerful force after us. I¡¯m sure that the three sects under the Heavenly Fire Lotus Clan are hurting after their losses.

    ¡°Though, with how many of my family and other people they took, they might have been thinking that it might have been worth it, especially with Tillia thrown into the mix,¡± he said, suppressing his battle intent once more at the thought of his family being made into slaves. Especially Tillia.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll find them,¡± Avi said consolingly. ¡°Not only that, but you¡¯ll get them all back. With how well the orbital station is progressing, I should have it up and running at full power within a year,¡± she said with a wicked grin.

    ¡°Just make sure that it stays in the shadow of the moon it¡¯s behind. I don¡¯t want anyone spotting it before it¡¯s ready,¡± Joram said, smiling the entire time. ¡°But when it is, we¡¯ll be sure to give those assholes a surprise they¡¯ll never forget,¡± he finished, his smile becoming vicious at the end.

    Avi smiled appreciatively at that, glad that Joram wasn¡¯t planning on holding back.

    ¡°So,¡± he said, changing the subject. ¡°How¡¯s the progress on the coral? Found anything that¡¯ll absorb that vortex energy yet?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve narrowed it down to a few candidates that I¡¯m hopeful for,¡± she said, shifting gears to keep up with him. ¡°The problem hasn¡¯t so much been their ability to absorb the vortex energy so much as their longevity afterwards.

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit weird. Some seem to age much faster than they should, while others seem to regress to the point where they vanish. So, I¡¯m trying out a few things, hoping that I¡¯ll find something suitable soon.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Joram said, nodding yet again. ¡°If you can find more of that black metal, I¡¯d like to try to start making some defensive gear with it. Possibly some offensive gear, though I¡¯ve only got a few ideas for now.

    ¡°That said, I¡¯ve already gone and picked up a few dozen requests from the Quest Hall and sent everyone a message about this break¡¯s field trip. Yes, I was hesitant in doing another one, but with how quiet things have been, I¡¯m a bit more confident that we should be OK. And, surprisingly, everyone is able to attend, though I had to promise to get Gabrielle over to see her family for a bit afterwards.¡±

    ¡°Sounds reasonable,¡± Avi said, remembering what had happened last time. ¡°Will we be heading to the same area as last time?¡±

    ¡°A bit further east this time,¡± he said, nodding like a damn bobble head. ¡°Everyone has progressed very well over the past half-year, so I¡¯m looking forward to seeing how they perform with slightly tougher magical beasts,¡± he said, looking thoughtful.

    ¡°Well, I have too, so I¡¯m looking forward to it as well,¡± Avi said with a grin while lifting her right arm to flex, which got a smile from Joram. ¡°I¡¯m already at the peak of Tier 2 in both mana and psionics. I should be ready to try to create my own Psijic Star soon, too,¡± she said as her grin grew larger.

    ¡°That¡­¡± Joram said, looking a bit apprehensive at the thought. ¡°Are you sure? It wasn¡¯t exactly fun, or easy. Or pleasant in any way, shape, or form.¡±

    ¡°Well, just so long as I assimilate the Heavenly Lightning Jade Dragon¡¯s blood along with the Phoenix feather, I should be good,¡± she said confidently, more confidently than she actually felt due to having been there for Joram¡¯s mishap.

    ¡°Then, would you like to try that before or after this trip?¡± he asked, likely thinking of how it would affect their trip, or her second year at the academy if she missed the first few weeks, or months, of classes.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get on it right away,¡± she said decisively. ¡°I have made improvements over the past year and a half with containment and suppression, so I shouldn¡¯t have too much of an issue with all that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll still be checking in on you regularly,¡± he said, looking concerned.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect anything less,¡± she said, giving him a wink. ¡°But I suspect that you¡¯ll have your hands full in my absence,¡± she finished with another wicked grin, this one slightly more mischievous in nature.

    ¡°Ah,¡± he said, his expression deadpanning as he realized just how¡­ interesting things might get without her there to play subtle interference with his many suitors, his fianc¨¦e, and (tentative) wife.

    She still hadn¡¯t forgotten what Faenwyn had done, nor had Faenwyn. It had been all sorts of amusing and entertaining watching her since summer vacation. How awkward she¡¯d become around Joram as she tried to get closer to him with that tsundere personality of hers.

    ¡°Yeah, hmm,¡± Joram said, trying to figure out what to do.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much. I¡¯m sure that things will flow how they¡¯re meant to flow,¡± Avi said, waving it off. ¡°You¡¯re all much closer to each other now. Not only that, but everyone else has gotten to know each other better, and grown closer to one another.

    ¡°So, there shouldn¡¯t be anything to worry about on that front. Though, I have noticed how Jezira has been hanging around much more~~,¡± she said, now teasing Joram. ¡°I had originally thought that you¡¯d be making a harem with one of each of the races, but it seems as though you like succubae a bit more,¡± she finished, running a teasing finger across the back of his shoulders.

    ¡°Ha. Ha. Ha,¡± he said, exaggerating a bit too much. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that it¡¯s just because she¡¯s Kassandra¡¯s babysitter, much like Aya is for Jae-Eun,¡± he said, dismissing what she¡¯d said.

    ¡°Yes, and Aya¡¯s been much friendlier with you, too,¡± she countered, enjoying how uncomfortably awkward he was with all of that.

    She suspected that Aya more saw him as a younger brother, but you never really knew what another woman was thinking deep down. As for Jezira, well¡­ she was a succubus, and they very much tended to instinctually attach themselves to the strongest man that they could find, often resulting in large harems of succubae attached to one individual.

    Reflecting on the marriage practices of this world, a man- or woman- could have as many spouses as they wished- so long as they could provide individual rooms in the same house for each of them after the first spouse. As for concubines, well, so long as one could provide a large enough residence to house them all in, then one could have as large a harem of concubines as one wished.

    They separated wives and concubines here, leading to a slightly different definition of the word. Wives, or husbands, were indeed separated from their concubines. Which, really, seemed odd to her, but given the difference in legal rights for each group, she supposed that it would make sense that there¡¯d be a physical separation between the groups.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t add to my worries,¡± he said as his head dropped to his desk. ¡°You know just how many marriage and other proposals I¡¯ve received over these past few months,¡± he said, referring to the veritable mountain of confession and proposal letters he¡¯d received, and had promptly dumped into a bin in a corner of his office.

    She was reasonably sure that he¡¯d read through each and every one of them, though. He just wasn¡¯t callous enough to just toss them immediately upon receiving them. Which both endeared him to her and annoyed her slightly. Yes, she¡¯d given him permission to be with anyone he thought would be marriage material¡­ but.

    ¡°No thoughts about expanding¡­?¡± she asked lightly, noticing the subtle shiver run down his back at her words.

    ¡°Are you trying to kill me?¡± he asked, turning his head so that he could look at her from the corner of his eye. ¡°Physically, I¡¯d be fine with another hundred women added to the¡­ roster,¡± he said, frowning at the word. ¡°Emotionally and socially, I¡¯m still straining to deal with the current group.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± she said, leaning down to hug him. ¡°I¡¯m mostly just teasing,¡± she said, feeling a bit bad about having done so.

    ¡°Mostly?¡± he asked, looking annoyed as he obviously enjoyed the hug from behind.

    ¡°Well, I do have legitimate concerns over how many women will attach themselves to you,¡± she said, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the vocal admission.

    ¡°Well, the most they¡¯ll get is employment as maids or something,¡± he said, probably referring to the popular trope where an interested woman would offer to be the man¡¯s maid just so that she could at least see him on a regular basis.

    ¡°Well, given how large a house you¡¯ll need, you¡¯ll certainly need a lot of help,¡± she said, specifically referring to household help, like said maids, and butlers.

    ¡°Ah, life is too complicated at times,¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°Why can¡¯t it be easy like figuring out the Languages of Mana?¡± he asked, sounding a bit depressed.

    ¡°Have you made more progress on that?¡± she asked, perking up a bit at the thought.

    ¡°More, yes,¡± he said, the right side of his face still on his desk. ¡°I have indeed figured out that there are multiple languages for Mana. The problem is resolving what goes where.

    ¡°I think that I mentioned at some point that Tier 1 Mana is sort of you jack-of-all-trades stuff. It can do everything the others can, but isn¡¯t particularly good at any of them. While Tier 2 Mana is good with things physical. Like manifesting things, or making them more solid; that kind of stuff. Tier 3 Mana, however, if better with things¡­ intangible. Like enchantments, arrays, spells that don¡¯t produce physical phenomena, and the like.

    ¡°I¡¯ll need to get into Tier 7 before I can get any proper research confirmed regarding its specialty, but I do suspect that it¡¯ll be better at conceptual Laws like Chaos, Order, Life, Death, Creation, Destruction, Mind, and all of that.

    ¡°But, I have made some very good progress with Tiers 1 and 2. Fortunately, most of what¡¯s been discovered over the millennia has been centred around those two types of Mana. Which means that I¡¯m very close to having deciphered the Language of Tier 1 Mana, while I¡¯m getting a few good breakthroughs with Tier 2¡¯s Language.¡±

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    ¡°So, that means¡­¡± she asked, not wanting to jump to conclusions that she very much wanted to jump to.

    ¡°That any enchantment that I make, or spell that I use, using those Languages, will probably be exponentially better than what¡¯s out there right now. Heck, using those Languages as a base, I¡¯m wondering if there¡¯s an equivalent for Psionics,¡± he said, practically blowing her mind with the possibilities that lay ahead of them.

    ¡°Wait. Don¡¯t you already know the Language of Psionics?¡± she asked, now questioning the wealth of information that Altaea had left for them.

    ¡°Yeah, I should have said ¡®Psijics¡¯ instead,¡± he said, frowning slightly. ¡°The combination, or rather, fusion of those two energies has created something new that I¡¯m still fumbling around with. Sure, I¡¯ve been ¡®translating¡¯ everything psionic so that I can use Psijic energy to reproduce everything, but the further along I go, the more I¡¯m realizing that it should also have its own set of laws that it works under; its own Language, as it were.¡±

    As she mulled over those words, Avi telekinetically pulled over a chair to sit on as she finally released Joram.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a lot,¡± she said, then shook her head. ¡°I was kind of hoping that Psijic energy would be a, more-or-less, ¡®plug-and-play¡¯ type energy. Just use it for either spells or powers, you know?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± he said, then shrugged as he sat up. ¡°But the way it behaves has me thinking otherwise. So, I¡¯ll need much more brainpower to work through everything if I hope to unravel that mystery any time this century.

    ¡°Which is why I¡¯ve reassigned M7 to working the Language of Psijic,¡± he said, creating a proper noun for the energy. ¡°Well, not entirely. M7 will also be working on translating [Schism] at the same time, as once that Power is translated, I should be able to get many more Minds up and running to help with everything.¡±

    ¡°Good call,¡± Avi said with a smile. ¡°And once I¡¯ve got my own Psijic Star up and running, I¡¯ll be able to assign a Mind or two to help,¡± she said, very much looking forward to that day.

    ¡°Just¡­ be careful,¡± he said, looking more worried than she remembered him being in a long time. ¡°The process is¡­ violent. Just try to follow what I¡¯ve recorded as best you can, OK?¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± she said, her chest warming at how much he worried for her. ¡°You just keep those gals in line, and it¡¯ll be like a normal Christmas vacation,¡± she said with a smile and a pat on his shoulder.

    ¡°Ah, right. Merry Christmas,¡± he said, leaning forward to give her a hug. ¡°I completely forgot what day it was.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she said into his neck as she held onto him. ¡°Just make it memorable, OK?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he murmured into her shoulder happily.

    * * * * *

    ¡°You¡¯re sure it¡¯s a good idea to go out again,¡± Jezira asked, referring to Joram¡¯s invitation for them to attend another ¡°training camp¡±.

    ¡°Given how secure his shelter is, I¡¯m sure that we¡¯ll be fine,¡± Kassandra replied, as she packed for the trip.

    ¡°I was just asking,¡± Jezira said, raising her hands defensively. ¡°I¡¯m more than happy to attend with you,¡± she said as another one of the maids peeked into the room the two of them were in.

    ¡°We should come too,¡± Vylryss said as Nemora peeked in beside her. ¡°There¡¯ll be plenty to do with so many people together and constantly busy,¡± she said, giving a reasonable argument to their tagging along.

    Kassandra regarded her twin maids, wondering if they¡¯d become enamoured with Joram just as much as Jezira seemed to be. Not that she could blame them, especially due to their natures as succubae. But.

    ¡°He¡¯ll be my husband,¡± she said, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. ¡°But we¡¯ll certainly need maids, so maybe it would be all right if you came along to help out,¡± she said, remembering how she¡¯d missed having the twins around to help with things last time. ¡°But, while we¡¯re out on our quests, you¡¯ll need to remain in the shelter. No arguments,¡± she finished, pinning them with a stern look.

    ¡°Promise!¡± they both said at the same time, almost sounding as though only one person had spoken.

    ¡°Good,¡± she said, finishing packing away her clothing into her storage ring as she played with her ¡°study group¡± ring. ¡°Just make sure to not bother Joram, he¡¯s very shy and I don¡¯t want anything going wrong this trip.¡±

    ¡°Promise~!¡± they once again said in unison, though sounding as though they fully intended on breaking that particular promise.

    Kassandra just sighed. It was very hard to keep a succubus away from a strong person, let alone one who was still growing.

    Then she put that worry out of her mind, knowing full-well that Joram was more than capable of handling a pair of overly enthusiastic girls.

    ¡°Hurry and pack up, as we¡¯ll be leaving in twenty minutes,¡± she said, then shooed them away.

    Vylryss and Nemora quickly scurried away as Jezira gave her an appraising look.

    ¡°You¡¯re not worried about them?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m more worried about the Belladonnas trying to do something again,¡± she said with a helpless shrug. ¡°Not that we¡¯d be able to do much if they decided to attack again.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Jezira said, looking thoughtful. ¡°Because of their losses last time, they¡¯ll either send a full Tier 7 Mage, or cancel the contract. But I¡¯m afraid that they¡¯ll choose to go with the first option, as having a stain like that on their record isn¡¯t something they¡¯ll likely tolerate.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking the same,¡± she said, a bit worried. ¡°But we can¡¯t live our lives fearing something that may never come to pass.¡±

    ¡°We cannot live our lives recklessly, either. That there¡¯s a very real possibility that they¡¯ll send a 7<sup>th</sup> Tier asset at us should at least give us pause,¡± Jezira said, trying to be tactful.

    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to deal with what comes,¡± Kassandra said, then waved Jezira to silence when it looked like she was about to start up again. ¡°We¡¯re going. So, prepare as best you can.¡±

    Jezira nodded, then left her room, presumably to go pack. So, Kassandra sat at the end of her bed and started playing with her tail as she thought.

    ¡°Could it be this time¡­?¡± she quietly murmured with a small smile, then grinned.

    * * * * *

    Gabrielle was having a bit of a time deciding what to bring.

    She¡¯d already packed her viridian silk garments, both over and under varieties, a few changes of normal clothing, as well as several textbooks from both this past year and the upcoming year.

    ¡°Should I¡­?¡± she muttered, looking at a few fancier sets of clothing, unsure of how useful they¡¯d be.

    Well, she knew what she wanted them for. But would she get the opportunity to have a quiet moment alone with Joram? She was still a bit unsure of sharing Joram with everyone else, but she¡¯d also grown much closer with everyone else. She even found that she¡¯d been entertaining the idea of becoming one of his wives, which had shocked her the first few times it had happened. But lately?

    Lately, she¡¯d been more¡­ relaxed in her thoughts, in what she¡¯d been imagining for her future.

    Shaking her head, Gabrielle finished packing and got her shoes on.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be a good retreat,¡± she told herself as she locked the door behind her as she left. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to learning so much more,¡± she said happily as she head to Alicia¡¯s house, smiling all the while.

    * * * * *

    ¡°Young miss?¡±

    ¡°Mmm?¡± Faenwyn looked up at her attendant, Lucia, curiously.

    ¡°Are you ready? The meeting time is very close,¡± she said, glancing around her room as though looking for anything that she might need to take with her.

    ¡°Ah, yes, I¡¯ve finished packing,¡± she said, clearing her throat. ¡°We¡¯ll be away for three weeks again, so please take care of the place while I¡¯m gone.¡±

    Instead of agreeing like Lucia always did, she instead frowned slightly before speaking again.

    ¡°I think that it would be wise that I attend as well this time,¡± she said, more firmly than Faenwyn recalled her ever being.

    ¡°What? Why?¡± she asked, taken off guard by her usually mild and meek attendant.

    ¡°Young miss,¡± Lucia said, giving her a disapproving look. ¡°From what happened last time, it would be a dereliction of duty to allow you to be alone with Mr Aneath again,¡± she said, giving her a weird look.

    She was about to question Lucia about where all this was coming from, but then remembered her ¡°talk¡± with Joram, and what had come from that¡­ then blushed.

    Firming her jaw, she stood a bit straighter and addressed Lucia.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be worried about. It¡¯s just a questing mission with studying in between. Nothing at all to get worked up over,¡± she said, trying very hard to call upon her many diplomacy and negotiation lessons as she spoke.

    ¡°And that¡¯s why you smell more like him now?¡± Lucia asked with a raised eyebrow, making her feel as though she¡¯d been doused in cold water.

    ¡°What? That¡¯s preposterous,¡± she said, but then stopped when Lucia was having none of it.

    ¡°You¡¯ve Shared, haven¡¯t you?¡± Lucia stated more than asked, dropping her stomach into her boots. ¡°Have you told your parents yet?¡±

    ¡°¡­ no¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Faenwyn squirmed in place for a while before she finally broke.

    ¡°I had to! You have no idea how fierce the competition is between us all!¡± she practically yelled, though her tight throat made it more of a squeak.

    ¡°Why is it a competition?¡± Lucia asked, giving her an odd look. ¡°If he really likes someone, wouldn¡¯t he just take them?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not like us,¡± she said, lacing her fingers together as she began to fidget. ¡°He¡¯s so¡­ awkward with women. If I hadn¡¯t acted, then I¡¯m not sure that I could have, you know, gotten anywhere¡­¡± she trailed off, realizing how silly she must sound.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t spent any time around him, so I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± Lucia said, looking stern. ¡°The only thing I have to go off of is what you come home saying, as well as the abundant rumours around campus,¡± she finished, not sounding terribly pleased with her lack of impartial knowledge.

    ¡°Is that why you want to come?¡± she asked, hoping that it was just that.

    ¡°Partially,¡± she said, shaking her head, shifter her own long silver hair as she did. ¡°But I also have to determine if he¡¯s a suitable mate for the young miss. Your parents aren¡¯t terribly pleased with what you¡¯ve been up to,¡± Lucia said, leaving the rest up to Faenwyn to fill in.

    ¡°I have nothing to be ashamed of!¡± she said indignantly, her tail going straight.

    ¡°Besides unofficially marrying a human?¡± Lucia asked dryly, making her blush furiously.

    ¡°I¡¯ve also progressed very well with my cultivation bases under his tutelage!¡± she exclaimed, now desperate to show that choosing Joram had been the right choice. ¡°I¡¯m now Rank 4! I¡¯ve also broken through the to the first Tier as a Mentalist! Rank 3!¡±

    Lucia blinked at that.

    ¡°You¡¯ve decided to pursue Mental Strength as well?¡± she asked, shocked.

    ¡°Indeed I have,¡± she replied, proud of her decision. ¡°Joram has shown me just how useful Mental Strength is, and I fully agree with him,¡± she finished by crossing her arms over her chest.

    Lucia seemed to take that in and mull it over for a bit before she spoke once more.

    ¡°All the more reason for me to attend you on this ¡®field trip¡¯,¡± Lucia finished, nodding at her.

    ¡°¡­ Fine.¡±

    ¡°Good, because we need to leave or we¡¯ll be late,¡± Lucia said with a smile as she opened the door for her.

    * * * * *

    ¡°We¡¯ll have even fiercer competition this time,¡± Mo Yu said as she helped Bai Lian finish packing her things.

    ¡°Un,¡± Bai Lian affirmed as she tried to determine which outfits would be best to bring with them.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to made sure that none of the others bother the young master too much this time,¡± she continued, getting another ¡®Un¡¯ from Bai Lian that made her pause.

    ¡°Are you feeling all right?¡± she asked, now concerned for her junior sister.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Bai Lian started, then paused as she searched for the right words. ¡°It¡¯s just that you¡¯re all so beautiful!¡± she finished in a rush, not daring to look at her.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± she asked, wondering where that had come from.

    ¡°I¡¯m not as¡­ well endowed as everyone else¡­¡± Bai Lian said, looking down at her chest as she spoke.

    Mo Yu was at a loss for words. What does that have to do with anything? She wondered as she stared at her somewhat dejected junior sister.

    So, she asked.

    ¡°Where is this coming from?¡±

    ¡°Well, you see,¡± then Bai Lian went on to explain how she noticed that the ones who were the most¡­ enthusiastic at getting Joram¡¯s attention were the more¡­ busty of the study group, while the ones who weren¡¯t as busty didn¡¯t seem to be as ¡°ahead¡± as the rest of them.

    ¡°Bai Lian?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°That has nothing to do with how the young master treats everyone,¡± she said kindly, taking Bai Lian¡¯s hands in her own.

    In response, Bai Lian just stared at her- Mo Yu¡¯s- chest.

    Suppressing a sigh, Mo Yu continued.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed that Renna and Jae-Eun aren¡¯t very busty at all? Doesn¡¯t the young master treat them like everyone else?¡±

    ¡°What about Alyraele and Sophia? They¡¯re closer to my size, yet they¡¯ve not gotten very far.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because Sophia doesn¡¯t yet understand her own heart. She¡¯s still figuring things out for herself. While Alyraele is more traditional in her approach. She may be uncertain about things because she¡¯s still considering her family along with her own feelings,¡± Mo Yu patiently explained. ¡°Even Daleira is taking things slowly, and she¡¯s one of the ¡®busty¡¯ ones.¡±

    Bai Lian nodded at that, still not quite looking as though she¡¯d been convinced.

    ¡°What¡¯s made you think these things?¡± she coaxed, nudging her slightly as she helped fold some of her clothing.

    ¡°It¡­ well¡­ I¡¯ve noticed that the young master tends to glance at everyone¡¯s¡­ breasts¡­¡± Bai Lian managed to mumble out, staring at her feet the whole time.

    Mo Yu waited for something else for a couple of minutes, but Bai Lian didn¡¯t share any more.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± she asked, not quite believing what she¡¯d heard.

    Bai Lian finally looked up at her, glaring.

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®that¡¯s it?¡¯?¡± she demanded, now looking a little bit more than a little bit angry. ¡°He glances at all of your chests 82% more than the rest of ours,¡± she said, pulling out a term that Joram had taught them regarding ¡®percentages¡¯.

    Mo Yu was silent for a while after that. Not because she¡¯d taken the weird statistic as defeat, but because she was trying to figure out how to word her response so that it wouldn¡¯t hurt her junior sister¡¯s feelings.

    ¡°Bai Lian,¡± she started, taking her junior¡¯s hands in hers again. ¡°You do realize that that¡¯s perfectly normal for any young man, right? Have you failed to notice how he¡¯ll glance at your bottom as you walk?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I would venture to say that he appreciates every part of a woman, not just her breasts,¡± Mo Yu said wryly, going so far as to poke Bai Lian¡¯s hip as she spoke.

    ¡°Then¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say not to worry,¡± she replied firmly. ¡°You¡¯re also quite beautiful. Not only that, but you were the first one he brought back,¡± she said, emphasizing that fact to boost her confidence more.

    Bai Lian began nodding, then looked back at the clothing she¡¯d prepared.

    ¡°I¡¯ll need something to accentuate my bottom then,¡± she eventually said, nodding to herself as she blushed slightly.

    Relieved, Mo Yu began helping Bai Lian prepare fitting outfits.

    * * * * *

    Joram shivered a bit, then sneezed, then scratched at his suddenly itchy ears.

    ¡°You OK?¡± Wentian asked, giving him a weird look.

    ¡°Ah, I suddenly feel a bit nervous,¡± he said, looking around.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡± Wentian said, shrugging it off. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re harder to kill than a cockroach. What¡¯s there to fear?¡±

    Joram looked at Wentian for a moment before shaking his head.

    There were, after all, worse things than death out there.

 Chapter 106 - Honey trap?

    There¡¯s a few more people than last time, Joram thought as the Study Group gathered in his back yard.

    Kassandra seemed to have two maids wither her this time, not counting Jezira who seemed to stick to Kassandra like glue since the summer trip. He wasn¡¯t sure if it would be considered a clich¨¦ that the maids looked to be twins, but at this point nothing really surprised him anymore.

    Faenwyn also had an attendant of some sort with her and, from what he could see, also of the Silver Wolf Tribe. Once again, he was terrible at gauging someone¡¯s age, not only because of how a person¡¯s cultivation interfered with that, but also because of the various races. They all aged differently, so he was constantly second-guessing himself. Which, frankly, was par for the course.

    Megami had also come along, much to Wentian¡¯s obvious delight. Joram was happy for the guy, as he¡¯d seemed a bit lonely with every other woman he was surrounded by being on ¡°Team Joram¡±. Sure, he¡¯d claimed to be focussed on his cultivation and sparring, but he knew that Wentian was no celibate buddha who would forgo intimate relations for the rest of his life. He¡¯d just needed to find the right person, and Megami seemed to be that person for him.

    Nodding to himself, he quickly organized everyone, learning that the two maids¡¯ names were Vylryss and Nemora, while Faenwyn¡¯s attendant¡¯s name was Lucia. The maids seemed to be in the early stages of Tier 3, while Lucia was in the late 4<sup>th</sup> Tier, making him wonder what Faenwyn¡¯s family was thinking by sending such a powerful cultivator along with her.

    As far as he knew, Faenwyn was just from a minor noble house, so sending along a 4<sup>th</sup> Tier mage as an attendant was pretty extravagant. He shrugged.

    Once everyone was organized and off to the side, he brought out the Soyokaze and got everyone boarded. He couldn¡¯t help but take amusement from the three new people¡¯s reactions to everything, though. It was just so refreshing.

    It took him a few minutes to get used to the upgrades that Avi had made on the Soyokaze though. She¡¯d had the shields upgraded to a full deflector array, as well as getting a ridiculous upgrade to the ship¡¯s sensor array installed. The resolution was fantastic, allowing for a sharp image of something even several thousand kilometres away. Which make the VR helmet even more fun to use.

    Then something much closer caught his attention and made him gape in surprise at the waving figures standing in his back yard.

    * * *

    ¡°I¡¯m so glad that we caught you before you left,¡± Layla said, giving Joram a bright smile as Aenwyn stood at her side, smiling politely.

    ¡°I- ah, um,¡± Joram eloquently stuttered as he took them in. She really couldn¡¯t blame him, especially given how they were dressed.

    They¡¯d arrived in their adventuring gear, loaded up to the nines. Layla had come in black leather armour that had straps criss-crossing almost every part of it, including her greaves. She also had a narrow longsword at her hip that was balanced on the other side with a short sword of the same design. Her hair was tied up into a tight bun that allowed a bit of her hair to fall down the back of her slender neck.

    Aenwyn was similarly garbed, though she had an impressive bow somehow clinging to her back, though with no quiver in sight. Layla was proud of the weapon, as it would form its own ammunition as its string was drawn back. She also had a pair of m¨ºl¨¦e weapons on her belt, a short sword and long dirk in her case.

    ¡°Sorry for the late notice,¡± she continued, giving an apologetic smile this time. ¡°My vacation time was just approved, you see. I didn¡¯t want to raise expectations just in case I couldn¡¯t make it in time,¡± she finished, still taking in her surroundings.

    Joram¡¯s flight artifact was¡­ unique. She¡¯d never seen anything like it, proving to her that Joram was indeed an incredibly unique, powerful, and interesting person. Not only that, but given everything around her, she was now more convinced than ever that he was indeed a Reincarnator, and possibly an Outworlder given the strange design elements of¡­ everything.

    ¡°Ah, well, glad to see you too,¡± Joram said, still obviously caught off balance by their presence. ¡°But, why would someone of your stature want to come on a mundane questing excursion?¡± he asked, impressing her with how he¡¯d managed to phrase his question.

    ¡°Since we¡¯re business partners, I thought that we should get to know one another better,¡± she replied automatically. ¡°Besides, we still haven¡¯t had a chance to go over things, and I thought it would be best to get that done sooner, rather than later.¡±

    ¡°On a quest¡­?¡± Joram asked, obviously suspecting something was up, proving that he wasn¡¯t as simple as he tried to come off as.

    ¡°What better way to get to know someone?¡± she asked with another disarming smile. ¡°The thrill of the fight, entrusting your safety to those around you as everyone contributes to the ultimate victory. Each person constantly honing their skills, living on the edge as we struggle to survive out in the wild,¡± she said, getting a bit caught up in the moment as she imagined the struggles they¡¯d all go through together, then overcoming them with teamwork and coming out of it all as fast friends. Perhaps even bosom buddies, brothers and sisters for life! The romance of it nearly swept her away.

    Joram just blinked at her for a moment with an odd expression on his face before he eventually spoke.

    ¡°Ah, sure. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯ll be as exciting as all that, but I hope you¡¯ll enjoy yourselves,¡± he said, looking a bit unsure.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that we¡¯ll have a splendid time,¡± she said, giving him another winning smile.

    Joram nodded at that, then directed them to take a seat as they needed to take off.

    Layla took a seat at what appeared to be a kitchen table, followed closely by Aenwyn.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Alicia?¡± Aenwyn asked after looking around a bit more.

    ¡°She¡¯s in seclusion, trying to break through to the 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier,¡± Emily answered them as she took the seat on Layla¡¯s left, opposite Aenwyn.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s amazing!¡± she exclaimed, astonished at her progress given that she, herself, was already at Tier 3, Rank 8.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Emily asked, a smile curling her lips in a way that reminded Layla of a cat that was eyeing a treat. ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, she¡¯s also pushing for Tier 3 as a Mentalist as well.¡±

    Both Layla and Aenwyn blinked at that, astonished. It was hard enough to reach Tier 3 at her age in any sort of cultivation, but to be breaking through to Tier 3 in both areas at the same time was virtually unheard of, especially at her age.

    ¡°I suddenly feel as though I¡¯ve been slacking off all my life,¡± Aenwyn said dejectedly from her other side.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± Emily said, smiling enough to show off her pointy incisors. ¡°There¡¯s no use in comparing yourself to a monster like her.¡±

    ¡°Or Joram?¡± Layla asked slyly, then enjoyed Emily¡¯s brief look of surprise. ¡°Already being in the 4<sup>th</sup> Tier as a Mentalist is beyond incredible, especially at his age,¡± she finished, throwing Emily a proverbial bag of catnip to play with.

    From there, Layla was impressed with just how taken Emily was with Joram. She could admit, Joram was an attractive young man, more so than most of her unwanted suitors. Though, having had more time to get a better look at him, she realized that he and Kinkade shared a remarkable resemblance. It wasn¡¯t so much physical, as their features and physiques weren¡¯t at all similar, but how they stood, their mannerisms, and even their facial expressions.

    Grinning, Layla continued to speak with Emily, then Renna when she joined in on the conversation. She didn¡¯t fail to notice the looks she was getting, however. From the other two princesses and their escorts to the other members of Joram¡¯s ¡°Study Group¡±, she could practically feel them weighing her and Aenwyn, trying to decide how they should feel about their presence.

    Just as they were getting into discussing their preferred combat styles, she felt a minor tremor run through the vessel through the soles of her feet. She glanced over and saw that they were now in a forest, and from what she could see out the front window, surrounded by absolutely massive trees.

    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Joram announced as he removed an odd helmet and placed it on a stand on the back of the chair that he¡¯d been sitting in. ¡°Did anyone explain the accommodations to our guests?¡± he asked, looking around at everyone.

    After a few shakes of a few heads, Joram sighed as he led the way to the weird door and opened it by touching a smooth panel as he began explaining about his small dimensional shelter. They filed out of the vessel and into a wide and somewhat rocky clearing. The air was fresh and filled with the scent of the wet season, bringing out earthy elements that were more pleasant than not.

    She noticed Joram take another look around before retrieving what looked like a white six-sided die and tapping one side of it. She nearly gasped when an opaque portal appeared beside him even though he¡¯d explained what he¡¯d be doing.

    It wasn¡¯t every day that someone showed off a dimensional shelter like that, and her brain automatically started pricing out what such an artifact would fetch at auction.

    ¡°Come on, everyone in,¡± he said, waving the Study Group through the portal.

    Not that they seemed to need encouragement to go through, for they all seemed unusually eager to enter. She wondered at that, mostly because dimensional shelters weren¡¯t terribly well known for their appealing interiors, mostly consisting of a standard room with few features. And little comfort to be had.

    ¡°What about your flying artifact?¡± she asked, then turned slightly to indicate his vessel before gaping at the empty space where it had been a few moments before.

    ¡°Taken care of,¡± Joram said, shrugging. ¡°You should probably head in, as I¡¯m not terribly sure that the magical beasts in the area will stay away for very long,¡± he said, pointing over his shoulder with a thumb at the treeline.

    ¡°Thank you, Joram,¡± Aenwyn said as she gave him a slight bow, then took Layla¡¯s hand in hers and pulled her to the portal.

    Passing through it, she felt that familiar flipping of her stomach that indicated she¡¯d stepped through a dimensional portal. Then stopped dead at the sight in front of her.

    ¡°Whaaaaaaat?¡± she asked Aenwyn who also appeared to be just as stunned as she was.

    The place must have been several hundred yards on each side, though the space didn¡¯t end with the walls that she expected to see. Instead, she saw blue skies, as though they were on a floating island in the middle of the sky. The green grass looked to be well-cared for, the trees healthy and vibrant.

    Then the large manor house that reminded her of some styles found in Zhizun Zhanshi nearly took her breath away. It certainly wasn¡¯t something that would have been made with the space. No, it had been added afterwards, likely at another great expense.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    Joram began giving them a tour of the grounds as the others followed along behind quietly chatting amongst themselves.

    ¡°The front yard can be used to various activities. Practice, games, and all that. The back yard, here, is mostly for leisure,¡± he said, motioning as they came around the corner of the manor.

    A second building made in the same style as the manor greeted them, but also a small gazebo, paved paths, well cared-for trees, a small stream, a couple of low bridges over said streams, and even a small pond.

    ¡°This is the bath house,¡± he said as he brought them to it, then inside.

    It was quite the sight, blowing her expectations right out of the water with how well it was made, but also just how extravagant and massive the hot spring baths were. But her favourite was the flavoured milk afterwards.

    ¡°Can we sell these?¡± she asked, eyes sparking as she held and empty glass of chocolate milk in her hands, practically vibrating with enthusiasm.

    ¡°Ah, well, maybe we could add a small restaurant at the department store,¡± Joram replied, looking a bit embarrassed. ¡°Or maybe Alicia can add them to the menu at Starfall Caf¨¦ when she¡¯s all done.¡±

    Layla nodded at that, already making plans to visit the caf¨¦ in the near future.

    ¡°All right,¡± Joram said, leading them back to the manor. ¡°I¡¯m sure that everyone is likely to take the rooms that they used before, so just feel free to grab any open room and settle in. Once everyone is settled in, we¡¯ll go over the schedule before lunch,¡± he said, motioning for her and Aenwyn to follow the other young women.

    Layla followed Renna through the manor, then up the stairs. She was continually impressed by both how simple everything was, yet how much detail had gone into making everything. There were simple patterns carved into all of the woodwork, from the trim along the floor to the trim along the walls at the ceiling, all the way to the banister.

    Though, given how large the manor was, it still had a simple setup where the top of the stairs led to a long hallway with two other hallways interesting it, leading to the various rooms. Simple. Yet each room was large enough to be more than comfortable if more than one person chose to stay in a room.

    ¡°Why only one bed?¡± Aenwyn asked, looking around the room that they¡¯d chosen near the end of the second hallway.

    ¡°Perhaps he only expected one occupant per room?¡± Layla mused as she went around inspecting the well-made furniture.

    ¡°I guess with so many rooms, he assumed that everyone would just take one,¡± Aenwyn said, now looking at the bedroom door while thinking.

    ¡°Feel free to get your own room,¡± she said, encouraging her friend. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re in a foreign city and need to watch out for each other.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we, though?¡± Aenwyn asked, raising a delicate eyebrow.

    ¡°Oh?¡± she asked, wanting her friend to explain her thoughts.

    ¡°We¡¯re in a secluded space with a man that we arguably know very little about. Surrounded by others who¡¯ve attached themselves to him, rather aggressively, I might add. Who knows what they¡¯ll do if we say the wrong thing,¡± her friend said, shaking her head. ¡°Who knows what they might do if they perceive us as competition going after Joram?¡±

    Layla smiled as her friend laid out the very same thoughts that she¡¯d had, went over to her, and then gave her a light hug.

    ¡°You¡¯re the best,¡± she said, startling her friend. ¡°I¡¯ve had the very same thoughts, but have already discarded them,¡± she said, confusing Aenwyn further.

    ¡°But, why?¡±

    Before answering, Layla touched one of her rings, activating a privacy ward.

    ¡°Have you been paying attention to Joram?¡± she asked with more than a little bit of curiosity.

    ¡°In what way?¡± Aenwyn hedged, making Layla smile.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine if you were checking him out, he¡¯s quite handsome,¡± she said, eliciting a slight blush from her friend. ¡°But no, not in that way. Have you been paying attention to his body language? His mannerisms?¡±

    Aenwyn paused to think about what she¡¯d observed of Joram so far, applying the training she¡¯d received, and continued to receive, at Heaven¡¯s Bounty. Each employee was required to take, and pass, various courses related to interaction. Be it basic diplomacy or advanced negotiations all the way to body language and picking up on a person¡¯s various tones as they spoke.

    It was very comprehensive, and expensive, but the management had found that with a solid grounding in such training, their profits increased as their employees learned how to better accommodate their clients, and how to read them. Especially when it came to encouraging supplemental purchases. That¡¯s where the big money was at.

    ¡°He does remind me a bit of Kinkade, now that you mention it,¡± Aenwyn finally said, her brows coming down at the end. ¡°But, Kinkade isn¡¯t nearly as¡­ comfortable with so many beautiful women around him. Or, should I say, isn¡¯t as familiar with other women as Joram seems to be,¡± she finished, obviously preferring Kinkade¡¯s obvious devotion to Asura.

    ¡°Well, here¡¯s the thing,¡± she said, then explained how she suspected that Kinkade was merely an alter ego of Joram¡¯s. From how they both acted, spoke, and moved, all the way to how she thought that Kinkade was merely a projection that was controlled remotely.

    ¡°Then, Asura¡­?¡± Aenwyn asked, seeming a bit stunned at the revelation.

    ¡°Given how alike Alicia and Asura are, I¡¯m thinking that Asura is Alicia¡¯s alter ego as well,¡± she surmised, feeling very proud of herself.

    ¡°But, they were all at the dinner together. How would that work?¡±

    ¡°Remember, they¡¯re both very strong Mentalists. Something like having a projection going wouldn¡¯t likely be too hard for someone like that,¡± she said, nodding to herself.

    Aenwyn looked a bit stricken at that and had to take a seat to process things.

    Layla could understand the feeling very well. When she¡¯d finally come to her conclusions two nights ago, she¡¯d been too distracted to even sleep. In fact, she¡¯d only managed to get a bit of sleep the night before, but only because she¡¯d taken a sleeping pill. She¡¯d been too excited to calm down, especially with what the revelation likely meant.

    ¡°So, they¡¯ve been tricking us this entire time?¡± Aenwyn asked, sounding despondent.

    ¡°I don¡¯t blame them,¡± she replied, getting a sharp look from her friend. ¡°Given how old they are, do you think they¡¯d have been able to even enter the auction house in the first place?¡±

    ¡°Well, no,¡± Aenwyn replied, sounding a bit grudging in her admission.

    ¡°Not only that, but how likely would it have been that they¡¯d have been robbed after an auction? Or, perhaps even taken advantage of because of their age?¡±

    ¡°Well, things like that have certainly happened in the past,¡± Aenwyn admitted, not sounding happy about that at all.

    ¡°Especially given what they¡¯d brought for sale,¡± Layla added, giving her friend a significant look. ¡°And I very much suspect that Joram was the one who made those gems in the first place,¡± she said, dropping her last [Wall Breaker] on her friend.

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    Layla just waited a bit for Aenwyn to process things a bit more. It was understandable that she¡¯d be reeling from her words, as Layla herself hadn¡¯t taken those thoughts and realizations easily either.

    Eventually Aenwyn collected herself enough to look at her friend again, though she was still frowning.

    ¡°I still don¡¯t like being lied to like that,¡± she said, sounding cross.

    ¡°I don¡¯t either. But, again, I understand why they did. But. That they felt comfortable enough to meet with us in person, let alone start up a lucrative business together, tells me that they¡¯re at least starting to trust us more than they did at the beginning of our acquaintanceship.¡±

    ¡°But they still lied to m-us, a lot,¡± she said, now looking hurt.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s talk with Joram about it,¡± she said, sitting beside her friend on the bed while taking her hands in hers.

    ¡°You don¡¯t think that he¡¯ll, I don¡¯t know, freak out and kick us out or something?¡± Aenwyn asked, now looking more worried than hurt.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a possibility,¡± she said, but overtalked Aenwyn as she tried to say something else. ¡°But I doubt it. I very much suspect that his gift of that topaz on his birthday was a hint, one that he probably hoped that I¡¯d pick up on. Otherwise, why else would he have given me such a thing?¡± she asked, giving her friend an earnest, and searching look.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Aenwyn said, still frowning. ¡°But, if he wanted to share, why hasn¡¯t he done it sooner?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea. But I¡¯m glad that he gave that little clue that tipped things for me. I¡¯ve known for quite a while now that Kinkade and Asura are both projections, but I didn¡¯t want to risk alienating or pushing them away by bringing it up with them,¡± she said, giving her friend a rueful smile.

    ¡°But, why didn¡¯t you tell me?!¡± Aenwyn asked indignantly as her back straightened like a rod.

    ¡°Because, my dear friend, you¡¯re too honest,¡± she said, giving her friend her best smile. ¡°I wanted to make sure of things before I shared, because you wear your thoughts on your sleeve.¡±

    ¡°I do not!¡± Aenwyn protested, now looking as though she¡¯d been slapped. ¡°I was one of the best in my classes! Not a single customer has ever complained!¡±

    ¡°Well, be that as it may. I can, at least, read you like a book,¡± she said, then pulled her friend into a warm hug. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, but I couldn¡¯t risk letting them know that I suspected something; they¡¯re just too big a fish to risk letting get away.¡±

    Aenwyn harumphed at that, but eventually returned the hug before they both straightened out again to regard one another.

    ¡°So? What now?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, we do as we said we would,¡± Layla said, barely even thinking about it. ¡°We do requests with them, share meals with them¡­ explore that heavenly bath¡­¡± she said, now thinking about how lovely it would be to soak in such a spacious bath.

    ¡°Mmnmmm,¡± Aenwyn agreed, nodding more at the end. ¡°I suppose that I can give him the benefit of the doubt,¡± she said, then murmured. ¡°Especially for that bath¡­¡±

    Layla smiled, glad that she¡¯d calmed her best friend.

    * * *

    Joram stopped as he was heading to the hot springs after the strategy meeting and suppressed a sigh.

    ¡°Miss Layla, Aenwyn,¡± he said, giving each of them a nod. ¡°Are there any other questions that I can help you with?¡±

    Miss Layla smiled one of her usual devastatingly beautiful smiles as she stopped with Aenwyn. They were holding each other¡¯s hand while each carried a small basket in the other hand that looked to be filled with various jars.

    ¡°Would you mind chatting for a bit?¡± Miss Layla asked, motioning towards the bathhouse.

    ¡°Sure?¡± he replied, not quite knowing what was up with the bombshell auctioneer before starting off again.

    Once inside, he headed off to the men¡¯s changeroom and quickly changed into a pair of swim trunks, anticipating the pair wanting to chat while attending the ¡°shared¡± bathing area. Once done, he made his way into the shared area and quickly washed off before finding a good spot to relax in. He then leaned back and closed his eyes, enjoying the relaxing feeling of being in water. Ostensibly hot water, though his outright immunity to fire and incredible resistance to heat kind of ruined that part of the experience.

    A few minutes later, he noticed the women¡¯s changeroom door open through his FoP and nearly shifted away in a panic. They¡¯d both entered wearing just towels over their torsos, leaving their incredibly shapely legs in full view. Well, he supposed that that should have been expected given that they were in a bathhouse and all.

    But still. They were both incredibly beautiful women, so it made things a bit awkward for him. Though, given how much he¡¯d been inoculated over the past months, it wasn¡¯t as bad as it would have been just a year ago. He silently gave thanks to Avi for having helped him with that awkward part of his personality.

    ¡°Ooooh, it really is warm,¡± Aenwyn said, practically purring as she slipped into the pool-like bath just before Miss Layla.

    For her part, Miss Layla actually purred her approval of the temperature as she settled in just a few feet to his left, sending ripples to lap against his side due to his arms being extended out to the sides and resting on the lip of the bath, his head resting on the lip so that he could stare up at the open sky. Then he really did just about shift away as they both removed their towels, folded them, and used them as pillows as they, too, leaned back to enjoy the open sky.

    ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t¡­¡± he started, not at all sure what to say about the two¡¯s choice to in doing¡­ that.

    ¡°Mmm?¡± Miss Layla started, sounding sleepy already. ¡°Isn¡¯t this how it¡¯s done?¡± she asked as she tilted her head to the side so that she could regard him, then spoke, sounding a bit surprised. ¡°Aren¡¯t your eyes closed?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very perceptive, then,¡± Miss Layla said as Aenwyn nodded, looking to be a bit uncomfortable with the situation, though she was hiding it remarkably well.

    ¡°Hmmm, good proprioception,¡± he said, shrugging it off as best he could. ¡°That said, would you like more towels?¡± he asked, not quite sure of everything that was going on.

    What are they up to? Are they just doing this to try to fit in with the others somehow? Or are they doing it for another reason? Did Miss Layla figure things out and is trying the legendary ¡°Honey Trap¡±?

    ¡°That would actually be appreciated, thank you,¡± Miss Layla said after a moments¡¯ pause, sounding genuinely appreciative. ¡°I feel as though we¡¯re not on the same playing field, given your attire,¡± she said, referring to his swim trunks.

    Nodding fractionally, he just plain created a pair of ¡°towels¡± with [Ectoplasmic Creation], making them to mimic a soft cotton/poly mix. He didn¡¯t want to make them too absorbent, after all. By now, it was easy enough to make the ectoplasm resemble whatever he wanted, so the usual silvery sheen of ectoplasm was nowhere to be seen. For all intents and purposes, the towels were really made out of cotton/poly.

    He used a bit of [Telekinesis] to pass them over, keeping his eyes closed the entire time, though that didn¡¯t stop him from sneaking a peak with his FoP, much to his shame.

    ¡°Ohhhhh~~?¡± Miss Layla practically cooed, sounding like the cat who¡¯d gotten into the treat bag. ¡°So, you can still blush. I was starting to think that I¡¯d somehow lost my touch,¡± she finished with a musical laugh that deepened his blush.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯d have to be a eunuch to not react to two such beauties,¡± he hedged with a bit of honesty as he studiously kept his eyes closed.

    ¡°It must be easier to keep your cool when you¡¯re ¡®Kinkade¡¯, eh?¡± she asked, causing him to start slightly, then laugh at his reaction. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve figured it out. Though, I must say that your reactions in person are much more honest than when you¡¯re visiting as Kinkade,¡± she said, sounding full of mirth and¡­ happiness?

    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯ll make things easier, going forward,¡± he said, looking over when they were done wrapping themselves in the new towels. ¡°So, how¡¯re we going to proceed from here, Miss Layla?¡± he asked, not quite sure of how he wanted to proceed with the pair.

    ¡°Well, that all depends on you,¡± Miss Layla said, smiling at him. ¡°But first, you can drop the honorifics. Just call me Layla,¡± she said, giving him yet another one of her amazing smiles.

    This¡­ is going to get complicated, he thought as he fervently wished that Avi wasn¡¯t in seclusion so that she could help him navigate the minefield that he suddenly found himself blindly treading.

 Chapter 107 - It finally happens...

    Why, oh why, did I agree with this?!  Aenwyn asked herself for the hundredth time as she lay in the fabulously warm and spacious hot spring with Layla, exposed to all the world.

    Thankfully, Joram had kept his eyes closed the entire time, otherwise she¡¯d have likely died of shame even though she¡¯d assured her best friend that she¡¯d be fine supporting her.  That had lasted until they¡¯d taken off their towels.

    That even Layla had started to feel embarrassed at her bold play reassured Aenwyn, somewhat.  That her best friend hadn¡¯t completely lost herself in pursuit of strengthening her business relationship with Joram really gladdened her heart.  Then it nearly stopped a moment after Joram had somehow made two towels from thin air!

    ¡°Ohhhhh~~?¡± Layla teased after they¡¯d covered themselves again, ¡°So, you can still blush.  I was starting to think that I¡¯d somehow lost my touch.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯d have to be a eunuch to not react to two such beauties,¡± Joram said even though his eyes were still closed.

    ¡°It must be easier to keep your cool when you¡¯re ¡®Kinkade¡¯, eh?¡± Layla asked, causing him to start slightly, then laughed at his reaction.  ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve figured it out.  Though, I must say that your reactions in person are much more honest than when you¡¯re visiting as Kinkade,¡± she said, sounding oddly¡­ happy?

    What¡¯s going on there?!  Aenwyn thought furiously, not knowing why Layla had deviated from their plan.

    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯ll make things easier, going forward,¡± he said, rolling his head to the side to finally look at them.  ¡°So, how¡¯re we going to proceed from here, Miss Layla?¡± he asked, sounding a bit¡­ uncertain?

    ¡°Well, that all depends on you,¡± Layla said, smiling at him.  ¡°But first, you can drop the honorifics.  Just call me Layla,¡± she said, giving Joram yet another one of her disarming smiles.

    Aenwyn was about ready to just abandon her best friend when she saw Joram¡¯s smile.  Not because it caused her to fear for her safety or anything.  No, because of how it made her heart flutter as she took it in with the rest of his nearly naked form.

    Kinkade was¡­ quite the looker, she had to admit.  She¡¯d even wondered at one point if she could get to know him a bit better, much to her chagrin.  Joram, though, was also quite¡­ attractive.  Sure, he didn¡¯t have the same heroic proportions that Kinkade had- or, rather, what the projection of Kinkade had-, but she supposed that was because he was still growing.  Though he¡¯d never be quite as broad in the chest and shoulders as ¡°Kinkade¡±, she was sure that he would cut a striking figure when he finally finished growing.

    ¡°OK, Layla,¡± Joram said, sounding a bit awkward as he left off the honorific he¡¯d used for years now.  ¡°Then I¡¯m guessing that you¡¯ve come up with a few more¡­ conclusions?¡± he said, prompting Layla to share more of her thoughts.

    ¡°OK, then,¡± Layla said, turning slightly so that she could face Joram more directly, so she did the same.

    Even with Layla between them, she could see that Joram¡¯s face coloured again slightly at the movement.  As his eyes flickered over to her for a brief moment, she saw that his blush deepened slightly, which in turn caused her face to warm in embarrassment.

    Not because a man had blushed looking at her.  No, she¡¯d long since gotten used to things like that.  No, this was caused by a slight flutter in her chest.  A flutter that originated from her feeling¡­ vindicated?  That she¡¯d finally gotten a reaction from the stoic man that she¡¯d tried to get a reaction from when she¡¯d first met ¡°him¡± was¡­ oddly satisfying.  And, for some reason, nerve-racking.

    From every report she¡¯d seen since he¡¯d come to their attention, Joram was almost constantly surrounded by beauties on a level with Layla.  So, why had he reacted to them like he had?  Was it just a ploy?  Surely, a young man surrounded by so many beauties had gone further with at least a few of them.  So, why the reaction?

    ¡°You¡¯re not from here.  You¡¯re an Outworlder,¡± Layla said, bringing her back to her uncomfortable surroundings again.

    ¡°Hmm, that I am,¡± he said, nodding a bit as he turned slightly, brought up his left hand, and used it to lean his head on as he looked at them.

    ¡°Are you also a Reincarnator?¡± Layla asked, still focussed on Joram.

    ¡°Hmm, that I am,¡± he said, once more nodding slightly.  ¡°Though, before you ask, I¡¯m not one of those ancient masters who¡¯ve lived for countless years before reincarnating.  I was just in my forties when I was killed by that Old Fart,¡± he said, sounding more than a little bit salty about it.

    Aenwyn could understand that, though.  Who wouldn¡¯t be salty about being killed?

    ¡°Then, how do you explain your advanced cultivation?¡± Layla asked, not sounding convinced.

    Aenwyn couldn¡¯t blame her, for she was also very doubtful of his claim.

    ¡°Hmmm, that¡¯s much more complicated.  That said, I can¡¯t go into it very much, mostly due to needing to keep my family and friends safe,¡± he said, then waved his free right hand to stop their objections.  ¡°If even I know more than a few ways of getting information out of someone, other people and groups certainly know one or two.  So, it¡¯s best to keep that information secret, for now,¡± he finished, giving Aenwyn a bit of hope that he¡¯d eventually open up to them.

    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Layla said, nodding.

    ¡°That said, I basically have a knack for Mental Strength.  It comes easily to me, hence my advanced cultivation.¡±

    ¡°¡¯Knack¡¯?¡± Layla asked, prompting Joram to share more.

    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ve got a natural affinity for the Law of Mind, so I guess that helps,¡± he said, now rubbing his chin with his free hand.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Layla said, sounding as shocked as Aenwyn felt.

    Having any natural affinity for a Law was rare.  Having an affinity for a Peak Law like that was almost unheard of.

    ¡°So, is that your only natural affinity?¡± Layla suddenly asked, taking both her and Joram off guard with just how personal that was.

    ¡°No.  But once again, I can¡¯t really talk about that too much,¡± Joram said, giving Layla a slightly pained smile.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Layla said, nodding.  ¡°Then, tell me, what are your plans?  Surely you don¡¯t really need to attend the Academy with how accomplished you are already.  So, why have you stayed?¡±

    The water still on Joram¡¯s chest and arms suddenly vaporized as his aura briefly spiked as he closed his eyes, scaring both her and Layla enough to edge away from him.

    Did Layla just touch a sensitive topic?  She silently wondered, hoping that they hadn¡¯t just stepped into a dragon¡¯s lair.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Joram said a moment later, then took a deep breath and let it out before continuing.  ¡°You¡¯ve been more than good to me over the years, so I¡¯ll¡­ share.

    ¡°Almost two years ago, an extermination squad from Zhizun Zhanshi came and nearly wiped out my clan and home, killing almost everyone that I know,¡± he said, then paused as both she and Layla gasped, horrified at the news.

    ¡°They also¡­ took many of the younger generation, and someone very important to me,¡± he continued, obviously reigning in his anger.  ¡°I¡¯m here, at the Academy, to learn and to grow stronger.  Not only that, but I¡¯ve also been working at getting contacts.  Contacts to sponsor me so that I can get a passport to go over to Zhizun Zhanshi.

    ¡°But for now, I need to get stronger.  Because those who took my family are much stronger than I am.  I know my limits, and they are currently well below the threshold needed to challenge one of the ancient Sects over there.

    ¡°So, I study.  I cultivate.  I try to distract myself from the fact that I can¡¯t do anything at all to rescue my family from slavery,¡± he finished, still sounding as though he was suppressing untold wrath.

    Layla reached a hand back for Aenwyn to take.  She wasn¡¯t sure if it was to comfort her or Layla, but she gladly held on and squeezed back.

    Joram seemed to realize that he¡¯d made things beyond awkward and looked a bit ashamed.  After a few more moments of silence, Layla spoke up.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that,¡± she said quietly as Aenwyn shifted a bit closer to her best friend so that she could lean against her back to give her more support.  ¡°I¡¯ll continue to do what I can for you with Heaven¡¯s Bounty,¡± she finished, sounding resolved.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Joram said quietly, not quite looking at them.  ¡°But, are you sure?  I could have just made all that up,¡± he said, sneaking a glance at them from the corner of his eye before looking away again.

    ¡°I pride myself on being a good judge of character, and knowing when someone is lying to me,¡± Layla said, sounding confident.  ¡°All of my instincts tell me that you¡¯re a good person and telling the truth, however farfetched it sounds.¡±

    Joram turned his head again so that he could look at them.  Aenwyn nearly slipped past Layla to hug him when she saw the look of such raw gratitude on Joram¡¯s face.  She held back, though.  Mostly because of her warring feelings.  Partially because they were all still in the bath.  Well, mostly because they were all still in the bath.

    Layla, however, didn¡¯t seem to have such reservations as she scooted over to Joram, pulled him over, and gave him a great big hug.  From where she sat just a couple of feet away, she could see just how shocked Joram was, but she could also see the relief he tried to hide.

    After a moment, one of Joram¡¯s arms wrapped around Layla and the other beckoned to her.  So, swallowing her many reservations, Aenwyn also scooted forward to join the hug, though she mostly kept Layla between her and Joram.

    After another few moments of silent hugging, Joram let them go, a slight blush on his face.

    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s my first time giving a hug in such a situation,¡± he said, once more not quite looking at them.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s a first for everyone present,¡± Layla said with a smile.  ¡°Honestly, it was more comfortable than I thought it would be,¡± she said, laughing melodiously as Aenwyn nodded to that.

    She certainly hadn¡¯t ever hugged a man in a bath before, and the little bit of skinship had been¡­ exhilarating, in a way.

    ¡°Just ask us if you need anything,¡± Aenwyn impulsively blurted out, then blushed because she¡¯d unconsciously included Layla in her promise.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Joram said, giving them a smile that reminded her of Kinkade¡¯s, though much more¡­ dazzling.

    ¡°So,¡± Layla said, still practically touching Joram from where she sat.  ¡°Are we firm business partners, friends, or perhaps more?¡± she asked teasingly, running a finger along Joram¡¯s well-toned arm that brought more than a little bit of colour to his face.

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    ¡°Umm,¡± he said, looking more than a little bit stunned.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go with friends, for now,¡± Layla once more laughed melodiously as she shifted back slightly.

    Unfortunately, she hadn¡¯t accounted for Aenwyn being so close, so she collided with her and caused them to slip slightly on their seat/ledge thingy, which in turn caused them to fall over slightly¡­ and their towels to come undone.

    As Joram quickly covered his eyes and they scrambled for their towels, Aenwyn could have sworn that she heard Joram mutter: ¡°Hotsprings 101: towel mishaps.¡±

    * * *

    ¡°So, now that we¡¯ve gathered our first strategy meeting,¡± Emily said, looking around at the other members of the Study Group.  ¡°What does everyone think about Layla and Aenwyn being here?  What do you think they¡¯re up to?¡± she asked her friends as they sat in her room.

    More than a few uncomfortable looks were shared amongst the group, but finally Kassandra spoke up.

    ¡°Ostensibly, they¡¯re here to get to know Joram better and to go over their business dealings,¡± she said, then shook her head.  ¡°But I find it more than coincidental that they¡¯ve gone to take a bath at the same time that Joram has,¡± she finished, blowing Jae-Eun¡¯s mind in the process.

    Well, not just Jae-Eun¡¯s.  It was just that Jae-Eun had the most extreme reaction to that news as Jezira nodded at Kassandra¡¯s side.

    Surprisingly, Faenwyn was the one who had the next most extreme reaction as her ears nearly flattened on her head as a growl escaped her.  Though, Renna¡¯s reaction was almost precious as her face turned red, her hands coming up to cover her mouth as her eyes widened.

    For their part, Mo Yu and Bai Lian seemed to be calm on the surface, but Emily saw that they¡¯d become too calm considering Kassandra¡¯s news.

    ¡°But knowing Joram, they¡¯d have to literally jump in his lap in the bath to get through his thick skull,¡± Kassandra finished with a sniff.

    Emily could very much empathize with that, having done all she could to get closer to Joram over the past half-year.  Well, she also knew that the others had also done so, though to varying degrees.

    ¡°So, do you think that they¡¯re trying the honey trap method?¡± she asked, trying to keep things on track.

    ¡°Or it could be a bit of a shock tactic,¡± Aya suddenly piped in, shocking them all given that she normally didn¡¯t speak up.

    ¡°In what way?¡± Alyraele asked curiously.

    ¡°There are various tactics in war, especially when faced with a stronger opponent,¡± Aya started, looking around the room at the far weaker students.  ¡°Sometimes, using what you have can be more effective than relying on a treasure.  Namely, your body.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t an unknown tactic to distract men in combat by having a ¡®wardrobe malfunction¡¯.  It could be that they¡¯re planning on something like that while speaking with Joram, either before or after they finish in the baths,¡± Aya finished, shocking almost everyone present.  Kassandra, Jezira, Vylryss, and Nemora, however, took that all in stride.

    Succubae, she thought wryly.  Nothing like that really shocks them.

    ¡°Th-th-then!  Is Joram in danger?¡± Jae-Eun asked, looking incredibly concerned.

    ¡°If he reacts anything like how he reacted when I refused¡­ stuff, then he¡¯s in no danger at all,¡± Sophia said, still looking embarrassed over her misunderstanding from their last field trip.

    ¡°True,¡± Mo Yu said, nodding.  ¡°The young master isn¡¯t someone easily tempted by a naked body.¡±

    Bai Lian nodded along, but Emily could see that she was blushing slightly, making her think that something more had happened than they¡¯d shared with everyone else.

    ¡°So, are Layla and Aenwyn a danger?  Thoughts?¡± she asked, once more bringing them all back to the purpose of the meeting she¡¯d called once the aforementioned pair had stepped out of the house.

    ¡°Ultimately, no,¡± Alyraele said, seemingly taking the lead for the original Study Group members.  ¡°If Joram chooses to¡­ take them into his confidence, then that¡¯s his choice.  Ours, though, would be whether or not we accept them should they¡­ join us,¡± she finished, not quite able to suppress some heat from rising to her cheeks.

    ¡°Are they good people, though?¡± Gabrielle asked, looking a bit concerned.

    ¡°They certainly presented well at his birthday party,¡± Daleira said thoughtfully.  ¡°Now that we know that Kinkade and Asura are just projections made by Joram and Avi, and that Joram has been dealing with Heaven¡¯s Bounty Auction House for years now, I¡¯m sure that Joram has a decent grasp of both their personalities, as well as their character.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Renna said, tapping her lips with a finger, seemingly recovered from her shock.  ¡°Given how many people that didn¡¯t pass the interview process for joining the Study Group, and who did,¡± she said, giving Faenwyn, Kassandra, and her a significant look, ¡°I¡¯m certain that he wouldn¡¯t have allowed Layla and Aenwyn come along if he didn¡¯t at least trust them.¡±

    That seemed to put most of them at ease, much to Emily¡¯s surprise and pleasure.  They¡¯d all grown much closer after the summer break¡¯s training camp.  She was sure that everyone was much more comfortable with the thought of either becoming a wife, or a concubine, of Joram¡¯s now.

    Though, given how Jezira had been acting, Emily wondered if she, too, had unconsciously added herself to the pool, as it were.  Even Aya had been less¡­ intimidating, when it came to Joram since the training camp.  Which, really, was an overall plus in her books, as a Tier 6 wasn¡¯t something that any of them could handle if she got mad.

    ¡°So, what, they¡¯d join in on your fun?¡± Megami asked, breaking everyone out of their thoughts as well as making them realize that at least one person there wasn¡¯t a future wife or concubine.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Emily said, then remembered the most important person when it came to these sorts of things.  ¡°We¡¯ll just have to get Avi¡¯s opinion about all this once she¡¯s out of seclusion,¡± she said, deflecting the question to where it rightfully belonged.

    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe that that kid turned out to be such a Casanova,¡± Megami said, shaking her head.  ¡°I mean, yeah, he¡¯s cute and all. But, come on!  All of you?¡± she asked for what seemed like the dozenth time.

    With that question, they all fell back into the familiar pattern of assurances, joking, and laughing that that question inevitably brought about.  Which, in her opinion, was a good thing as she¡¯d really grown to like the other members of the Study Group.

    Now, if she could somehow find a way to limit Joram¡¯s exposure to other women, and thus the likelihood of more women attaching themselves to him, then she¡¯d be quite happy.  As it was, she was glad that he was still so¡­ shy, awkward, and reserved, even if it meant that things were going slower than she would have liked.

    With that thought in mind, she started directing the conversation towards resolving that issue.

    * * *

    Joram lay in bed that evening wondering how well this field trip would actually unfold.  With how Layla and Aenwyn had waylaid him in the bath, then with how everyone had started acting funny when he returned, he seriously had to wonder what was up.

    ¡®Joram?  May we come in?¡¯ Mo Yu asked, causing him to blink and start wondering what was up with them.

    Instead of responding through the Network, he used a bit of telekinesis to open the door for her and whoever else was with her.

    Mo Yu quickly slipped into the room, followed by Bai Lian who then closed and locked the door behind her, which caused many alarm bells in his head to go off.  Especially when he noticed that they were dressed in night attire.

    ¡®What¡¯s up?¡¯ he sent as casually as he could as they approached him.

    ¡®It¡¯s time,¡¯ Bai Lian sent back, determination thick in the sending, and evident in her body language.

    Joram blinked again as they arrived at his bed, though they didn¡¯t stop there.  They then dropped their nighties to the floor, revealing themselves to him, then climbed into bed with him.  Once they¡¯d flanked him, they then began taking off his clothing, turning the abject shock and confusion he¡¯d felt into a roaring blaze of passion.

    - - -

    The next day passed without issue, though he had more than a little trouble keeping his mind on the missions throughout the day.  With Bai Lian and Mo Yu by his side the whole day, it was no wonder that he was having a hard time concentrating.

    That evening, after dinner and a soak in the bath, blessedly free from the bountiful beauties, he had once again retired to his room to refill his social batteries when a knock came at his door.

    Having a premonition that came as a shiver running down his spine, he got up and silently stepped over to the door.  Once there, he took a few slow breaths to help calm himself.  He¡¯d been keeping his FoP off, not wanting to accidentally pay attention to the wrong place at the wrong time, so he could only guess at who¡¯d be on the other side of the door.

    Firming up, he opened the door and saw Emily as she was starting to turn away, a sad look on her face.  But when she noticed the door opening, she seemed to perk up again.

    Before he could say anything, she quickly slid into his room, dragging him along for the ride.  With a thought, he pushed the door closed with a thread of telekinesis before Emily tugged him into bed.

    ¡°It¡¯s been so hard today,¡± she said as she nuzzled into his chest, breathing deeply.

    ¡°Uh¡­ why?¡± he asked, hoping that his hunch was wrong.

    ¡°I could smell it,¡± she said, her ears going so red that he could see it through her white fur.  ¡°I¡­ want that too,¡± she said, so quietly that he almost missed it.

    Not quite knowing what to say to that, Joram wrapped his arms around her narrow frame and lay with her for a time, enjoying the quiet intimacy.  But sooner than he expected, Emily began wiggling up his chest, her body doing many interesting things to him, until she was face-to-face with him.

    He looked into her amazingly red eyes as she stared right back at him.  He noticed just how red her cheeks were, but didn¡¯t say anything as she slowly leaned down and kissed him.  He was amazed at just how soft her lips were, making him lose himself for a moment before she leaned back slightly to take several deep breaths, gazing at him all the while.

    He didn¡¯t know why, but having Emily stare at him while catching her breath like that nearly sent him over the edge.  She leaned down again, once more pressing her lips into his.  This time, he decided to use his tongue, surprising her in the process.

    But she soon adapted and astonished him with how enthusiastic she was to use her own tongue.  Soon, she was pulling off his shirt, and he hers.  Then he lost track of things¡­.

    - - -

    Joram was beginning to suspect that everyone who¡¯d confessed to him over summer break was determined to have a night with him after Kassandra had shown up the next night.  Not only that, but she¡¯d also brought along Jezira, nearly causing him to shift away in a panic.

    That said, he was now certain that he liked having more than one partner at a time.  He wasn¡¯t sure if he should feel as scummy as he did, though, for admitting that to himself.  But he did.  But he also very much liked it, so there it was.

    Well, after that, he was sure to push everyone as hard as he could throughout the day, hoping to exhaust them all before returning to the safe haven a bit later than normal.

    Alas, their energy seemed to be inexhaustible, for Faenwyn was the one who showed up the next night, looking fiercely determined.  So much so in fact, that he thought that she was there to stab him or something.  Well, that thought was then ironically reversed as she later rode him hard.

    The next day continued on like the previous, though he worked even harder to exhaust them.  When they returned that night, he was sure that he¡¯d succeeded when they all collapsed in the living room, complaining about how it had been too much and that he should be nicer to them all.

    Once more alone in his room, he was congratulating himself on a job well-done when another knock came at his door.

    Giving up, he just used a bit of telekinesis to open the door, showing Renna on the other side.  Without a word, she stepped inside, closing and locking the door behind her.

    ¡°How are you even still up?¡± he asked in wonder.

    ¡°I¡¯m also an Alchemist,¡± she said, producing several bottles of medicinal pills from her storage ring before making them vanish again.  ¡°Prepare yourself, Joram,¡± she said, then slowly stalked forward until she was standing beside the bed, looking down at him.

    He didn¡¯t say anything, but instead just stored his clothing away into his storage ring, causing Renna to turn a deep scarlet that went from the top of her forehead all the way  down to her chest.  He, too, felt incredibly embarrassed, but he managed to keep his blush at bay with a bit of autohypnosis.

    Then Renna¡¯s clothing also vanished, revealing surprising curves on such a slender frame.  As she crawled into bed with him, he idly noted that all of her hair was the same spun-gold colour.  Then she was in his arms, and he didn¡¯t think of much else beyond making sure that she felt good.

    The following night it was Daleira who showed up, surprisingly shy considering how much she flirted with him normally.  That night he found out just how much nymph blood she truly had flowing through her veins, impressing him with¡­ well, everything.

    Then came Gabrielle, even shier than Daleira had been.  That night went slower, but still wound up leading to sex as she finally gathered her courage and acted.

    The next night was when Alyraele came.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been busy,¡± she joked once inside, blushing slightly, making her golden eyes seem as though they were suns setting into the ocean, especially with her sea-green hair framing her face.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯ve been too¡­ reserved for everyone¡¯s liking,¡± he said with a wry grin.  ¡°I certainly didn¡¯t expect all this,¡± he said, both referring to her visit as well as the visits of everyone else.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re surprisingly dense sometimes,¡± she said, laughing lightly.  ¡°So, are you prepared to have yet another ¡®goddess¡¯ fall into your embrace?¡± she asked as she sat in his lap, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

    ¡°The question is: are you?¡± he asked, looking her in the eyes, wondering if this was truly what she wanted.

    ¡°I think so, yes,¡± she said quietly.  ¡°We¡¯ve been talking about it for a while now, you know?  We all want to be with you, and not just as a Study Group,¡± she said, then leaned over to kiss him lightly on the lips.

    The next day had him wondering if he¡¯d get skewered by Aya if Jae-Eun decided to knock on his door that night.  When the knock finally came, he used telekinesis to open the door, the promptly slammed it shut again when he saw Vylryss and Nemora standing outside.

    He finally got some rest that night, much to his relief.

    The following day was a bit more interesting, though.  While he was out with his teammates, as well as Jae-Eun and Aya, they ran into a rare sight, according to Aya, anyways.

    ¡®So, this is a colony of¡­ selkies?¡¯ he asked over the Network, in their own chat group, wondering if it was a translation issue.

    ¡®Indeed,¡¯ Aya replied, nodding.  ¡®They can be violent or benevolent.  It all depends on their prior experience with land-dwellers and, of course, how you approach them.¡¯

    Welp, let¡¯s just see how this goes, then, he thought as he started planning out how to approach the elvenoid settlement below.

 Chapter 108 - Calamari

    Chapter 108

    For this field trip, he¡¯d chosen to go much further east. In fact, they¡¯d only camped a hundred or so kilometres away from the eastern coast of the island. Having done so, he¡¯d anticipated much more challenging encounters, but also the possibility of finding something interesting.

    A village of Selkies was certainly interesting. For all they shared the same name with the mythological creatures of Earth, they weren¡¯t at all the same as the ones from Earth.

    For one, they seemed to be a descendant of the elves. Night Elves, in their case. Which, he was told, was an important distinction, because High Elves didn¡¯t produce Selkies when they interbred with Mermaids, they produced Sea Elves. He had absolutely no idea what Dark Elves would produce, nor did he really want to know at this point in time.

    So, Selkies were basically half Night Elf, half Mermaids. In their case, Selkies closely resembled their Night Elf ancestors in that they had the same skin tones- which basically varied from alabaster to having shades of blue, green, and purple that you¡¯d see at sea. Their ears were like Night Elf ears, which kind of threw off his expectations of them having those fin-ears you¡¯d see in most comics and stuff.

    What they did have however, were very fine scales along the backs of their arms, along the lateral aspect of their legs, and along their spines all the way up to the base of their necks. He was told that they could also transform their legs while in water to match their mermaid ancestors¡¯ tails. But on land, their legs and feet were pretty much elven, except the slight webbing in their toes.

    As for their hair, it was predominantly a silvery colour. Here and there, he spied the same hues he¡¯d seen in their skin tones as highlights in their hair.

    All-in-all, they made for a stunning people.

    Which, really, explained why they were preyed-upon by slavers quite often. Which made him wonder if this small colony of them were refugees, or if the Academy knew about them¡­.

    ¡®Hey, Dean,¡¯ Joram sent to the old man using his Student Card.

    ¡®Yes, Master?¡¯ the Dean replied astonishingly quickly.

    ¡®Do you know about a Selkie village on the east side of the island?¡¯

    ¡®I do not, no.¡¯

    ¡®Are Selkies normally allowed to settle wherever they want?¡¯ he asked, not quite sure what to ask, though.

    ¡®Normally, no. But given that the Grand Waeryn Academy is seen as a safe haven for many races, we don¡¯t usually remove anyone who isn¡¯t causing issues for us,¡¯ the Dean sent back, sounding almost eager to answer.

    ¡®Then, should I leave them alone, or should I see about contacting them on behalf of the Academy?¡¯ he asked, once more unsure of what to do.

    Normally, he¡¯d run from any situation that would require him to act as a representative of anyone. But given how sleepless his nights had been over the past week, he was willing to dive into some extra work to help avoid more sleepless nights.

    ¡®If you¡¯d like to, yes,¡¯ the Dean sent back, sounding entirely insouciant about the whole affair. ¡®Though, if you¡¯re going to contact them, you¡¯ll be the permanent liaison between them and the Academy because Selkies don¡¯t tend to like dealing with changing contacts,¡¯ the Dean explained, then went on to explain more about what he knew about Selkie relations.

    Selkies put great weight in their relationships with people. Be it their family, friends, coworkers, or casual acquaintances, they were very¡­ rigid. When it came to diplomatic relationships, they would often choose to only deal with one person, a person that they had acknowledged; though it was unknown how a person was able to gain their approval.

    ¡®Great,¡¯ he sent back, then thanked the Dean for his time before disconnecting the call, not wanting to deal with the whole ¡°Master¡± thing. That said, he would eventually have to take some time to teach the old man a few things just to get him to leave him alone.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡± Emily asked as she finally looked his way after studying the small village.

    ¡°I guess we could just do a standard approach? You know, just walk in and say ¡®hi¡¯¡­?¡± he said, not at all sure about any of that.

    He was certainly the sub-optimal choice when it came to the person making contact with another group.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s just head over,¡± Aya said, nodding.

    The others, Jae-Eun, Emily, Mo Yu, and Bai Lian all nodded in agreement, not seeming to see an issue with the plan. Well, considering that he and Aya were there, let alone Bai Lian and Mo Yu, they¡¯d be relatively safe. It wasn¡¯t like there were enough Tier 6 beings just wandering around for someone to trip over.

    He nodded then got up, brushed his knees off, then started heading towards the village with his¡­ friends in tow.

    * * *

    She was tired, so very tired.

    She looked out at the coastline, wondering if there would be another attack today. There had been one almost every day since they¡¯d arrived, trying to find refuge.

    She shook her head, trying to rid herself of those useless thoughts. Regret wouldn¡¯t change the past, nor would it do anything about the sahaguan that thought that they would be easy prey.

    Grimacing, she shifted her trident to her other hand before rubbing her neck with her now free hand. At least sahaguan weren¡¯t too hard to deal with. Much better than a juvenile kraken or something equally deadly. Well, deadly to the others in the village at least.

    As a Heaven-Grade cultivator, she could deal with most monsters this close to shore. She just wished that she wasn¡¯t the only Heaven-Grade cultivator they had. Sure, they still had almost a dozen Earth-Grade cultivators, but they weren¡¯t quite up to dealing with something like a juvenile kraken, even if those tentacle-bastards were only at the peak of Earth-Realm. There were just too¡­ cunning.

    She shook her head again, then brushed her silver hair out of her eyes and looked over her shoulder. Inland was just¡­ strange. Sure, she¡¯d been to a port or two growing up and while training, but land-dweller cities were very different from their wild places. Creatures she¡¯d never seen before stalked those places, creatures that she found difficult to deal with.

    Her combat style had been born from combat in the great oceans of the world. Such¡­ linear fighting was just too¡­ restrictive for her tastes. But she was getting better. She had to.

    Who knew when the slavers might find them?

    Now fighting back a headache, she once more pushed those thoughts out of her mind and returned to her vigil. Useless thoughts wouldn¡¯t keep her people safe. They¡¯d just prevent her from reacting in time, possibly causing another tragedy to occur.

    ¡°Phee!¡± someone yelled, making her turn around quickly, trident at the ready.

    It was then that she recognized little Caspir as he ran for all the was worth, already winded.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked after dashing closer and stopping him with a hand on his shoulder as she crouched down to look him in the eye.

    ¡°P-p-people!¡± he panted, pointing inland.

    ¡°Rest here,¡± she said before standing up from her crouch and hurrying in the indicated direction.

    She noticed that a few of the other defenders were also heading in the same direction and nodded to them when their eyes met. Thameda and Cherod were the two next strongest there, making her torn between sending them back to keep an eye on the ocean and accepting their help with the ¡°people¡± little Caspir had reported.

    She was about to send them off when they passed the last hut and saw the ¡°people¡±. At that point, she was suddenly glad to have the backup, but also regretted that they might die with her.

    She could feel the presence of a Mystic-Grade cultivator along with the presence of another two Heaven-Grades in the group. They were led by a mortal, of all things. A young human who stood much taller than the rest of them, though no less fit-looking than the cultivators at his sides, though slightly behind him.

    ¡°Hi,¡± the purple-haired human said, raising a hand and giving her a friendly wave.

    She studied them all, taking in their details as she could. There only seemed to be one non-human amongst them, as catkin if she wasn¡¯t mistaken. Aside from that difference, the human male was the only male present, making her wonder if he was another slaver. That was the only reason she could see that a mortal would be accompanied by so many strong cultivators.

    ¡°Umm, sorry to bother you,¡± the young human said, looking for all the world as though he¡¯d prefer to be anywhere else but there, confusing her more than a little bit. ¡°But I was hoping to speak with the person in charge of the, ah, village,¡± he said, motioning vaguely towards the refugee camp.

    ¡°What do you have to say?¡± she asked, taking a better look at the male.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you know, but this island is, ah, the property of the Grand Waeryn Academy, and I¡¯m told that they weren¡¯t aware of a new settlement here,¡± he said, still looking, and sounding, as though he didn¡¯t want to be there.

    Considering his lack of cultivation, she couldn¡¯t blame the boy, barely a man. He could seriously die before he knew anything. Especially when approaching an unknown like her and her people.

    ¡°So?¡± she said as she stared at the young man, though she didn¡¯t focus on him so much that she wasn¡¯t able to pay attention to those who¡¯d come with him.

    ¡°Well, ah, I was more or less wondering if you were in some sort of trouble?¡± he asked as his eyes focussed on the camp behind her, a slight crease on his forehead forming a moment later.

    ¡°Why? Would that inconvenience this Grand Waeryn Academy of yours?¡± she asked, probing the seemingly timid young man¡¯s intentions.

    ¡°Not really?¡± he said, shrugging. ¡°It¡¯s more that I¡¯d like to help if I can,¡± he said, then looked embarrassed at what he¡¯d said, turning to look up at the clear sky above as he placed his hands on his hips, fingers pointing down and hands a bit back as though he was supporting his back. Or perhaps his back hurt?

    Either way, she could understand why he sounded embarrassed when it would be his¡­ companions? When it would be them helping instead of him because he was just a mortal.

    ¡°Why would you care?¡± she asked, still very suspicious of him and his group.

    He gave her an odd look, then. She couldn¡¯t quite read it, but got the impression from it that she¡¯d asked if water was wet, or if the sky was blue. In other words, a stupid question. At the same time, his look seemed¡­ almost pitying. Which made her a little bit more than a little bit angry.

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    ¡°Because-,¡± he cut off when she spoke over him.

    ¡°If you¡¯re here to mock us, you can just leave,¡± she said derisively. ¡°Get lost.¡±

    He blinked at her before looking at the others in his group who just shrugged at him. He turned back to her, and something in look made her grip her trident tighter as she clenched her jaw, ready for a fight.

    No fight came, though. He just looked at her, then at Thameda, then at Cherrod before finally looking past them all. She watched him closely as his eyes went from hut to hut, and unreadable look settling on his face. She was starting to get more than a little bit impatient with the mortal, ready to yell at them if need be, when he finally turned his attention back to her and spoke.

    ¡°My name is Joram,¡± he said, nodding at her. ¡°Tell me what I can do to help you all.¡±

    He didn¡¯t say anything else. Just that. But the look in his eyes was unmistakable. Sincerity.

    If things could have been settled with sincerity, with honest and open communication, would they all be homeless right then? Would they have been attacked and enslaved? Would everyone have needed to die like that?

    Gritting her teeth, she swallowed those words, knowing that some rich mortal wouldn¡¯t- couldn¡¯t- understand.

    ¡°Sure,¡± she said, trying not to sneer at him. ¡°Just go and wipe out the sahaguan raiding us. After that, wipe out the other monsters trying to eat us. While you¡¯re at it, why don¡¯t you build us a proper village of our own? Something you rich land-dwellers enjoy, hey?¡±

    Despite herself, she couldn¡¯t hold back her anger and resentment as she spoke. Seeing another human hadn¡¯t been great, but seeing the pity in his eyes as he¡¯d looked over their camp, combined with his arrogance, had truly been the last shell that broke the net.

    She silently enjoyed his shock, hoping that he would give up and leave them alone. She could see that her words had also had an effect on the women at his sides. The slightly older woman of the group looked as though she was ready to kill anyone who got too close, making her a bit nervous given that she was the Mystic-Grade cultivator of the group.

    But the youngest-looking one at her side seemed almost¡­ unphased by her words. The catkin, though, looked as though she wanted to pounce while the other two women, though a bit surprised, seemed the calmest of the group.

    Joram, though, soon got over his initial shock and, of all things, grinned at her before speaking to the women at his side.

    ¡°Head inside and get whoever else wants to help out with exterminating the magical beasts in the forest around here,¡± he said before a¡­ portal appeared behind them.

    Both worried and intensely curious, she stared through the portal that seemed to lead to another sunny place. Soon, the four women who¡¯d accompanied him were gone, having passed through the portal as Joram stood there, seemingly deep in thought. A minute later, though, he looked up at her again and nodded.

    ¡°So, basically kill any creatures in the sea that attack me?¡± he asked seriously.

    She just stared at the crazy human.

    Is he volunteering to be the bait while the others fight? She wondered, at a loss for what to think.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Cherrod said, apparently trying to sound gruff.

    For his part, Joram just nodded before looking back at the ocean, his expression once more unreadable.

    Not quite knowing what to do, she continued to stand at the ready with her left and right hands, as it were. Thameda and Cherrod, though, seemed more than a little bit uneasy with things. She couldn¡¯t blame them, for she too didn¡¯t know what to think.

    On the one side, if this Joram was indeed a slaver, she estimated the chances of everyone escaping to be about the same as a wounded whale trying to escape an adult kraken.

    On the other, she¡­ still couldn¡¯t trust him. What would he gain by helping them? Did he hope to easily get his hands on hundreds of slaves? Or was it something more nefarious? Did he work for an evil cultivator? Would they all be sacrificed to help sate their hunger?

    Then movement through the portal caught her attention, drawing her out of her increasingly distressing thoughts.

    The case that Joram wasn¡¯t some rich slave owner took a dive when she saw who came out.

    Eighteen beautiful young women, and one man, exited the portal, nearly making her jaw drop. Each and every one of those women, no matter the race, were stunningly beautiful. Not only that, but they were all dressed similarly to Joram, with skin-tight body suits. They were also quite well armed.

    Looking at everyone, she wondered if Joram had a thing for non-humans. She could see a wolfkin, the catkin, a High Elf, a foxkin, as well as four demons! Her mouth now a bit dry when she realized that the weakest amongst them was still well into the Qi Gathering Realm, with the new human male being in the Heaven Realm, and one of the demons also being in the Mystic Realm.

    ¡°All right,¡± Joram said, getting everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Break up into three groups and start the extermination,¡± he said, then turned back to her when they split themselves up into three groups, though the foxkin stayed behind with two elegant-looking women dressed differently than the rest.

    ¡°I guess the three of you can help getting things organized here,¡± Joram said to the remaining three women once the three groups quickly vanished into the forest. ¡°I¡¯ll head to the ocean and get to work,¡± he said, nodding to himself as though he could do anything by himself.

    Now a bit concerned for the obviously delusional human, she couldn¡¯t help but speak.

    ¡°What can you do? Just let your¡­ people handle things,¡± she said, catching herself just in time to change what she¡¯d been about to call his slaves.

    ¡°Yeah, I am,¡± he said as he motioned towards the forest. ¡°I still need to do a few things, though,¡± he said, then walked past her as though he lived there.

    Cherrod nearly skewered the human before she stopped him with a glare. She quickly caught up with Joram, wondering if he had some artifact that a mortal could use that could help them.

    As they walked, she had Thameda and Cherrod keep the others away, not wanting them to get involved with the crazy human. It was hard, though, because most of the survivors were just children, hardly old enough to walk on their land legs. Others, a bit older, still wanted to see what the excitement was as they held the little ones who couldn¡¯t use their land legs yet, their tails unsuitable for moving about on land.

    They stopped at the beach, a wonderful thing of fine white sand. If they hadn¡¯t been there because they¡¯d fled slavers, or if they weren¡¯t constantly in fear of being attacked by various monsters, it would have been quite the sight. As it was, she somewhat regretted the easily sloping sands that led to the water, wishing instead that they¡¯d come to land at a much rockier place.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Thameda asked in shock, bringing her attention back to the crazy human as he stepped into the surf.

    ¡°I¡¯m taking care of a few things,¡± he said, not bothering to turn around as he spoke as he walked and waved lazily at them.

    ¡°You¡¯ll die!¡± she said, once more unable to keep silent as someone basically committed suicide in front of her.

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll be rid of me!¡± he called out over the sound of the surf, laughing, and already chest deep.

    Before she could say anything else, he dove and vanished from sight, leaving them to gape at the low and lazy waves.

    ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll blame us if he dies¡­?¡± Cherrod asked as he looked back towards the forest at the far side of their camp, worried as could be.

    ¡°I hope not,¡± Thameda said fervently as she fidgeted with her trident.

    She was about to say something when the three women who¡¯d stayed made their way to the beach, then veered over when they saw them standing there.

    ¡°So, I think we can put up a wall along the beach, there,¡± the foxkin said, pointing at the stretch of grass that bordered the sand.

    ¡°That could work,¡± the violet-black haired woman said, nodding.

    She could hardly believe how tall they were, standing almost as tall as Cherrod, or just as tall, though the foxkin was about her height.

    ¡°Wait. What are you planning here?¡± she asked, now slipping back into her guardian persona.

    ¡°Hello, miss. I¡¯m Layla, of the Heaven¡¯s Bounty Auction House,¡± the violet-black-haired woman said, presenting her hand to shake. ¡°May I have the honour of knowing your name?¡±

    She unconsciously took her hand, completely disarmed by the woman¡¯s aura.

    ¡°I¡¯m Phioria,¡± she replied, blinking.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Phioria,¡± Layla said, giving her a radiant smile. ¡°My friend here, Megami, will be helping to plan out a few things that should help your village,¡± she said, indicating the foxkin.

    ¡°What?¡± she asked, more than a little bit lost.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that Joram will help too,¡± the other woman said, nodding to herself.

    ¡°Yes, but he¡¯s got his hands full right now, so we¡¯ll have to start without him,¡± Layla said, though not unkindly. ¡°I¡¯m sure that we can get started soon. Would it be agreeable to use the surrounding terrain and resources to begin?¡± she asked, turning back to her for permission.

    ¡°Maybe I should start by helping them with their weapons,¡± Megami said as she eyed their weapons.

    ¡°Pardon?¡± she asked, now a bit taken aback as her guard went up again.

    ¡°Megami here is an accomplished Smith and Artificer,¡± Layla said, once more indicating the foxkin woman. ¡°If you need anything, just let her know.¡±

    Now more than a little bit dubious, Phioria eyed the young Artificer. She could feel that the young Artificer was at the peak of the Human Realm. Though, if she was indeed an Artificer, she would also be proficient with Mental Strength, which made her more than a little bit nervous.

    The conversation went on from there. They spoke of proper housing, sanitation, as well as actual streets!

    *BOOM-GUSH-WHOOSH!*

    She jumped as the sound rattled her ribcage, spun, and saw massive up-spouts of water rising from the ocean in no fewer than a dozen locations. Then more blasts and eruptions washed over them as the first plumes of water fell back into the ocean, practically rattling her teeth in her skull.

    She slowly backed away from the ocean, closely followed by Thameda and Cherrod as the ocean turned frothy with the violence occurring below its surface. The three women who¡¯d come with Joram also backed away, though for some reason they didn¡¯t look nearly as disturbed as she thought they should.

    As the spectacle continued, the other guardians of the camp came to help hold back the other refugees, though she noticed that they, too, were paying a great deal of attention to the ocean. She couldn¡¯t blame them.

    The surface of the ocean was now quite¡­ grim. The once white foam was now heavily tinged pink. Not only that, but she could see countless¡­ bits. Bits of sahaguan and other marine life floating slowly to shore on the ever increasingly large waves, leaving the beach looking as though a war had broken out there.

    I suppose that¡¯s actually the case, she thought numbly as her eyes took in the gruesome sight.

    It wasn¡¯t until the sun had gone well past its zenith that the explosions stopped and the ocean calmed. The silence was so profound that she grew increasingly tense again as the minutes slowly crawled by. When a swell in the ocean almost a mile out slowly grew in size, she was almost relieved.

    Then the swell grew as it also approached the shore. In fact, she could see that it was picking up speed at an alarming rate.

    ¡°Everyone! Get back!¡± she called out, now concerned that the stupid human had drawn the attention of an adult kraken or something equally dangerous.

    Everyone scattered, though they had the presence of mind to head inland, away from the incoming disaster. Gritting her teeth, she readied her trident, absently wondering if she could do more than scratch the aquatic titan with it as she clenched her jaw.

    Then she noticed that there was another woman standing with the foxkin, this one with long gem-like blue hair that was oddly¡­ pointy at the tips. She was sure that she would have noticed someone with such eye-catching hair as hers, but dismissed her as her attention turned back to the incoming tidal wave.

    Phioria gaped as the young woman stepped forward, hand raised so her palm faced the incoming wall of water. Just as she was about to yell at the stupid human to get to safety, she felt a surge of¡­ something. She didn¡¯t know how to describe it, but the potency of it made her involuntarily gulp down the words that had been forming, causing her to hiccup painfully.

    Then she saw.

    The great wave that had been forming was suddenly blasted away. She gaped, not quite able to process the sight. Sure, as a Heaven Realm cultivator, and one proficient in the Law of Water, she could manage the same, though it would leave her thoroughly drained afterwards. Which was why she hadn¡¯t been planning on dealing with the tidal wave, instead choosing to save her strength to fight the incoming titan.

    With the water gone, she saw that it was indeed an adult kraken. Her firm resolve shook when she noticed the gaping hole in its head, though, showing that it was quite thoroughly dead. It shook more when he saw that it was being physically dragged by one of its tentacles by¡­

    ¡°Joram,¡± the blue-haired woman said, shaking her head. ¡°You¡¯d think that he¡¯d think things through a bit more,¡± she finished with another shake of her head, setting her hair to wave like the rippling deep ocean.

    She turned back to the absurd sight, then suppressed an instinctual gulp. She tried to remember if she¡¯d been rude to the young man, then began wondering if he was as young as he looked. Surely not, no. No, someone that powerful must be an Immortal; a being who¡¯d lived for centuries, at the least.

    Lost in her thoughts, she missed the amused grin on Avi¡¯s face as they watched Joram approach with his prize.

    * * *

    ¡°So, I¡¯m not sure if these things are edible,¡± Joram said, motioning to the corpse of one of the ocean¡¯s most terrifying predators. ¡°But I thought that it could help with the food situation if it is,¡± he finished, shrugging.

    Layla looked at the trove of wealth and nearly sighed at the thought of just eating the kraken. Its skin could be used to make a myriad of defensive artifacts, while the barbs in its tentacles were capable of being refined into Tier 5 weapons, possibly Tier 6 if they found the right Artificers! Its blood was also highly sought-after by Alchemists for its many uses, all of which produced highly lucrative elixirs, pills, and potions.

    Then there were its eyes and brains¡­ what might be left of its brains, anyways.

    She sighed.

    Then she got to work educating Joram about simple things like economy, focussing on supply and demand.

    * * *

    Avi couldn¡¯t suppress her smile as she watched Joram get a talking to by Layla as Aenwyn enthusiastically added a few words from time to time.

    She could also sense that Phioria was also itching to join in, but was kept back by a healthy dose of both respect and fear. Which was fair, really. Who wouldn¡¯t be in awe of someone who could take down a kraken? From what she could feel, it had been at the peak of Tier 6 before its death.

    Shaking her head, she wondered just how powerful Joram had gotten.

    The various Tiers of cultivation were just there to set apart the various stages of cultivation, not to be a classification system where you could compare one thing to another. One¡¯s strength very much depended on one¡¯s experience and physical capabilities. Joram being the posterchild of that concept.

    A Tier 6 human was physically weaker than a Tier 6 magical beast. And a Tier 6 dragon was much stronger than your run of the mill Tier 6 magical beast. And something like the kraken was certainly stronger than your run of the mill flood dragon at the same Tier.

    Which got her wondering just how ridiculous the Adamantium Body Technique truly was. But then she recalled his Bloodlines and just dropped the issue with a quiet sigh.

    With dragon, phoenix, and saiyan bloodlines running through him, it was a wonder that he hadn¡¯t farted and blown away half of the Academy yet.

 Chapter 109 - J2

    *Whew*

    Joram wiped the mix of sweat and ocean water from his brow as he looked down at the kraken. He idly wondered if his tastes would be different here, with a new body. When he was¡­ human, the first time, he hadn¡¯t liked eating seafood with shells or tentacles. The tentacles were just¡­ wrong. The texture was just¡­ wrong.

    Shellfish, though, weren¡¯t really an issue beyond him not really liking the taste. Sure, he could eat them, but he hadn¡¯t liked them.

    So, looking down at the titanic¡­ squid, he wondered what it would be like if he roasted some of it. Bar-b-que, as it were. Then he started wondering which sauces would go best with it, especially since he¡¯d never had the chance to bar-b-que squid before.

    But seeing as how Layla was dead-set on being able to sell as much of the kraken as she could, it wasn¡¯t likely that he¡¯d get much of a chance to experiment¡­.

    Bah, screw it, he thought as he turned back to Layla as her in-depth explanation on the veritable crystal mine that was the kraken was wrapping up.

    ¡°So, I¡¯ll claim that small tentacle there,¡± he said, pointing to one of the shorter appendages. ¡°No arguing. I killed it by myself, so I can decide what¡¯s done with it,¡± he finished by putting on his serious face, which somehow managed to frighten the selkies into hurriedly backing off.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Layla said, practically pouting while managing to still remain inexplicably dignified.

    ¡°In the meantime,¡± Alicia said as she tapped the closest tentacle with her toe, sending it into his storage space in his Realm. ¡°We still need to help the villagers here.¡±

    He looked around again then sighed. He hadn¡¯t meant to frighten the selkies, far from it. That said, he could only go forward¡­.

    Then he briefly considered using [Reality Revision] to turn back the clock, as it were. He could at least go back and not frown and scare them all¡­. But then summarily dismissed that idea. He wasn¡¯t sure how¡­ strange the effects of that Power would be here, especially if he used Psijic Power to activate the Power.

    Is that what happened to Altaea? Did she need to use [Reality Revision] for some reason and was flung far into the past?

    He shook his head, clearing away the thoughts that would drag him down into an endless spiral of rumination and speculation. Now wasn¡¯t the time for that. Well, there really wasn¡¯t an appropriate time to get mired in one¡¯s own thoughts. Never mind when it would prevent him from helping a displaced people.

    He¡¯d gotten the lowdown from Alicia when he¡¯d gotten to shore, though the compressed version that could be shared through the Network. And seeing as how the selkies were effectively refugees who¡¯d had to flee slavers, he wasn¡¯t very comfortable leaving them alone.

    ¡°So, here are my thoughts on that,¡± he said, looking at everyone present. ¡°The Dean of the Grand Waeryn Academy has given the me the authority to act on behalf of the Academy,¡± he said, looking around at the selkies who¡¯d mustered enough courage to slowly re-approach them.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯ll kick you off the island or anything like that,¡± he quickly explained as he saw their panicked reactions to his words. ¡°On the contrary, I want to give you all a safe place to stay,¡± he said as he pulled out his second-best smile to reassure them all.

    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Phioria asked as she critically studied him from head to toe.

    ¡°Just what it sounds like,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°That can take the form of building up a settlement here for everyone,¡± he said, then paused as the selkies in the background started murmuring to one another.

    Which was honestly fair. That a random human wanted to help a bunch of strangers was, at best, an oddity, and at worst, highly suspicious. Given what they¡¯d just been through, though, he fully understood why they¡¯d all leant towards suspicion. Then the quieted down when Phioria gave them a stern look, which allowed him to continue.

    ¡°Or we could resettle you closer to Stormhaven, or even get you a more secure place to stay,¡± he said as calmly as he could.

    It wasn¡¯t easy, especially when every selkie present didn¡¯t look older than their late teens, even Phioria. If they¡¯d been an older crowd, then it would have been much easier for him. But effectively having a group his ¡°age¡± being the ones he needed to convince, it was surprisingly difficult to deal with.

    ¡®You¡¯re likely subconsciously associating them as peers, rather than strangers,¡¯ Alicia piped in with her words of wisdom, which he nodded to.

    ¡°While you decide,¡± he continued, looking around at them all. ¡°We¡¯ll stay for another day or two. I¡¯ve got a¡­ Safe Haven that we¡¯ll stay in, so you won¡¯t have to worry about finding a place for us. That said, I¡¯ll set up the entrance on the beach here so that I can keep an eye on the ocean,¡± he said, then retrieved the gate cube, showed it to them, then activated the portal, mentally setting the portal¡¯s direction to the ocean.

    That got quite the reaction from the gathering, even from his companions who were present. He studiously ignored their questions as he instead explained the Safe Haven to them. It took a good half-hour, but they were eventually¡­ content, though not satisfied, with his explanations. It would take a much longer block of time than he wanted to invest to completely satisfy their curiosity, though, so he put it off until after the bar-b-que. Which they, in turn, found fascinating.

    He found that he was once more immensely grateful for Alicia and her ability to organize and get things done. He gladly left all that to her while he mentally retrieved a small portion of the kraken and began experimenting with various sauces, herbs, and spices.

    He paired the meat with dozens of combinations, then hundreds, before the young, and incredibly curious, selkie taste-testers were satisfied with the taste. For his part, he¡¯d found something that he thought went well with the kraken meat, so he kept that recipe for later.

    By the time he was done with his culinary experimentations, it was getting close to evening. So, he used [True Creation] to make several tonnes of charcoal brickettes, and an absolute beast of a bar-b-que that was a good six metres long by a metre and a half wide. Once he¡¯d loaded up the belly of the beast with charcoal, he lit it up and replaced all the grills and let it do its thing.

    It would take a while for the charcoal to get to the right state to start the grilling and roasting, so he instead turned his attention to retrieving stocks of various vegetables and such to go with the kraken meat. Using a bit of [Modify Matter, Greater], he created a large prep-area for the ingredients, turning the sand into sandstone and reinforced glass counters.

    At that point, his little observers were absolutely fascinated. To the point that they¡¯d completely forgotten their previous caution and were just watching with open awe. So, he created a few benches for everyone with more sand. Thinking about it more, he used [True Creation] to create more raw materials, specifically focussing on what he¡¯d need for tables and more comfortable seating.

    A couple of minutes later found almost a hundred tables spread across the wide beach, with enough chairs to fill the sides of each table. Then he silently reprimanded himself for not making a more enjoyable eating place, so he started using [True Creation] back to back until he had enough construction materials to build a lovely beachside restaurant.

    So, he had his young audience clear out and wait at the border of the beach while he got to work.

    He was done twenty minutes later, and the east side of the village now had an absolutely sprawling hall that bordered the beach. He¡¯d modeled it after those lovely rustic beachside restaurants and bars in the Caribbean back on Earth. Not those fancy restaurants and bars. Nope.

    More the kind that had the feel of being built by someone¡¯s great-grandparents. Rough-cut timbers for the supports, beams, and joists, while using bamboo for the low walls, chairs, and table legs. The tabletops were smooth and polished with beeswax, while the very long bar top was made with one ridiculously long piece of wood. Which, really, was easy when you could just make it yourself¡­.

    The roof, though, wasn¡¯t thatched but instead made of wooden tiles. Even the roll-down blinds were made with bamboo slats that could be hooked to the bottom of the ¡°windows¡± to help keep out the wind and rain if you wanted to.

    He¡¯d even gone so far as to make a rudimentary kitchen area, with space to fit the absurd bar-b-que he¡¯d made.

    Nodding to himself, he got back to the serious work of attending to the coals.

    * * *

    Phioria could help but gape at Joram.

    Not only had he killed an adult kraken, but he¡¯d then gone on to somehow befriend the little ones by having them taste-test for him. Then he just made things from sand and ether!!!

    She quickly circulated some Qi through her system to help calm her nerves for what felt like the hundredth time since meeting Joram and his strange companions.

    She still wasn¡¯t convinced that he wasn¡¯t another slaver, though. Sure, he was certainly unusual for a slaver¡­ not that she¡¯d met any beyond the raiders who¡¯d attacked their village. But! She couldn¡¯t yet bring herself to trust humans so easily.

    So, she¡¯d set Thameda and Cherrod to organizing the other young adults into a watch. They¡¯d need to keep an eye on the activities of these strangers to make sure that they didn¡¯t do something nefarious. Who knew if they were just there to distract them while they silently made off with more of them?

    Yes, it would be a very roundabout way of getting more slaves, but it would make it easier for them to capture them all if they weren¡¯t all fleeing for their lives. Yes, that made sense. Lure them into a sense of complacency and pick them off a few at a time until they were guaranteed to get them in one fell swoop.

    Thus resolved, Phioria continued to keep watch on the ringleader while oblivious to the drool that started to crawl down her chin as she smelled the cooking kraken.

    * * *

    Alicia sighed.

    She could understand that they were frightened and incredibly cautious of outsiders after what they¡¯d been through. But. Phioria sure had an active imagination.

    Well, she really couldn¡¯t blame the young woman. Slaughter and slavers tended to leave a mark on a person.

    That said, she¡¯d need to take her time helping Phioria get over her trauma. Her, and every other selkie there. If she could convince Joram, then the selkies, to move to his Realm, it would be much easier. And safer for them.

    Well, now that she had her own Psijic Star, things would be much easier for her. Not that things were difficult before, but having that separate reserve of ridiculous power made things¡­ easier. She¡¯d been drawing on Joram¡¯s psionic reserves for quite some time now to help with her various project, so being closer to being self-sufficient was quite a relief to her.

    Alicia grinned then, anticipating the Psijic version of [Schism]. She could practically taste how close it was to completion, which would veritably explode her R&D! Between having more Minds to help with things as well as increased reserves she¡¯d have access to, well! The sky would no longer be the limit!This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    In fact, if she could finally make that breakthrough with capturing various grades of stars, she¡¯d finally get the power sources she would need to really get things rolling.

    * * *

    Joram looked over at Alicia and started to worry a bit about what she was planning. That¡­ manic smile couldn¡¯t be a sign of anything but ¡°interesting¡± things to come.

    Shaking his head, he turned back to Phioria. With how much sex he¡¯d had over the past few days, it was getting much harder to not notice attractive women. Especially ones who could have been extras on Baywatch.

    ¡°Really, it¡¯s fine,¡± he said, getting back to trying to sooth the prickly selkie. ¡°Either I cook it up and give it out to everyone, or I just leave it for the fishes,¡± he said, then pointedly ignored the indignant look Layla shot his way.

    Phioria, or Phee, as the younger ones called her, just gave him that same distrustful look she¡¯d been giving him since they¡¯d met. Well, there was a stretch where she¡¯d looked at him like he was a three-headed fish after he¡¯d hauled the kraken to the beach, but that didn¡¯t really count.

    That, however, didn¡¯t stop her from claiming a dozen kraken and veggie skewers before heading off to keep watching him from a corner of the eatery as she ate.

    Letting his thoughts wander back to other, less depressing topics, Joram continued barbequing the various kraken dishes. Given how much he needed to accomplish, he wondered if he should explore [Fission] a bit more.

    When he¡¯d initially gone over that crazy-useful Power, he¡¯d come to realize that things wouldn¡¯t quite work the same way in this Universe. For one, he was now a Cultivator. When [Fission] was used, it created another body for him, effectively making two of the same person. It didn¡¯t work the same way that [Schism] worked, where there was still the Prime Mind, as it were.

    No, both ¡°Jorams¡± would effectively be the original Joram. If one died, the other lived, no matter if it was the ¡°clone¡± or the original. The remaining Joram would become the ¡°original¡±. Which meant that sending one of himself off on a suicide mission wasn¡¯t as easy as sending a Shadow Clone off to do something.

    That said, a clone basically acted like a Shadow Clone in that their memories merged with the remaining clones after its demise.

    The major problem that he faced, though, was his cultivation. He had no idea how the bodies would distribute his Cores, nor did he know what would happen with his Psionic and Psijic Stars. He still only had one of each, which was normal, all things considered.

    But if he could finally make the breakthrough he needed to get more Psijic Stars, then things might take a turn for the exceptionally interesting. Like, being able to stay at the Academy while sending out another ¡°Self¡± to explore Zhizun Zhanshi. Heck, even having another ¡°Self¡± just wandering the unexplored regions of Waeryn to see what he could find would be entirely worth it, even if it meant that he¡¯d need to leave the Academy sooner than he was comfortable with¡­.

    Shaking his head, Joram re-tasked those thoughts to¡­. He stopped, though his hands kept the veritable beltline of barbequed kraken going. He quickly checked to see if Kinkade was doing anything particularly important, then nodded to himself as he saved the progress of the other Minds and ended [Schism].

    He then re-manifested [Schism]<sup>A</sup>, this time adding an additional five Minds to the queue. Once the first eleven Minds were working on what they¡¯d been working on, namely cultivation, the Language of Mana, the Language of Psijic, translating all things Psionic to Psijic, and trying to get another Psijic Star going, he set M12-16 to working on two things. Namely: figuring out how to use [Fission] in this universe and then translating it to use Psijic Energy.

    It took him but a few moments to do, but with just how much of a¡­ headrush it was, it felt much longer. In the realm of hours instead of mere moments.

    ¡®You good?¡¯ Avi asked, obvious concern felt when the message arrived.

    ¡®Yeah, just getting a few more Minds up and going,¡¯ he sent with a brief info packet on what he had planned, and what he hoped to accomplish with [Fission].

    ¡®Whoa,¡¯ Avi sent back with a great deal of¡­ everything.

    He could feel just how excited she was to use [Fission] in the future. Then came the myriad of considerations surrounding just how useful it would be to have an actual clone out there. Without the risk of leaving behind a body that would raise too many questions if anyone ever examined it in detail, having a clone doing the same things as their current Minds were doing would be so much better, for so many reasons.

    Then she caught on to the multiplicative effect of having clones out there when it came to [Schism] and he could feel her mind explode with possibilities before locking up.

    A bit concerned, he turned to look over at Alicia and nearly laughed at her expression. Shaking his head, he got back to the sacred duties of a Grill Master.

    * * *

    Wentian idly wondered if anyone amongst the Selkies would wind up attaching themselves to Joram, adding to his ridiculously huge and high-spec harem. He then shook his head as he continued to enjoy the various kraken dishes that were being made and passed out.

    ¡°Crystal for your thoughts?¡± Megami said from across their little table by the window.

    ¡°Nothing important,¡± he said, once more pleased at having managed to successfully attract Megami¡¯s attention, thus enabling him to spend more time with her. ¡°So, any plans for your first year at the Academy?¡±

    He smiled as her eyes lit up before she enthusiastically shared which courses she was planning on taking. It was hard to concentrate on her words, though, as he became too absorbed in just listening to her voice, not to mention just basking in her radiant presence.

    I¡¯ll have to see if Joram will be okay with me helping Megami navigate the Academy for a while¡­ he mused, now mentally mapping out routes to the various faculty buildings around campus.

    * * *

    ¡°Stop pouting and just enjoy your meal.¡±

    She looked over at her guardian and frowned a bit more.

    ¡°I am not pouting,¡± she asserted with a light sniff.

    ¡°If you were pouting any harder, your cheeks would be dipping into your food,¡± Aya said with a slight frown. ¡°We both know that there are greater considerations at play.¡±

    She sighed then glanced over at where Joram was almost literally cooking up a storm.

    She¡¯d been all for ¡°claiming¡± Joram along with the¡­ her friends. But Aya had had to go and pour a bucket of ice water over her head by reminding her of her duties as a princess of the Empire.

    ¡°What about Kassandra, hmm?¡± she asked, feeling especially vexed that the succubus had been able to just do as she¡¯d pleased.

    ¡°Different politics,¡± Aya replied simply before taking another bite of the grilled kraken on a skewer.

    Jae-Eun harumphed, silently cursing her status as a princess for what felt like the thousandth time since she¡¯d decided that Joram was the one for her. Then she looked back at Aya and wondered if she¡¯d also be sharing Joram with her guardian.

    ¡°He¡¯s like a brother,¡± Aya said, shocking her into dropping her own skewer with just how well Aya had read her mind. ¡°So, don¡¯t worry about that. Instead, think of how to ¡®sell¡¯ Joram to his Majesty. For as much freedom as you¡¯ve been given, you still have many obligations you need to pay attention to.¡±

    Jae-Eun frowned slightly at that reminder. For as much as her father doted on her, even though she was only the 3<sup>rd</sup> princess, he was also very demanding in his expectations for, and of, her.

    She¡¯d told Joram the truth when she¡¯d told him that she was more or less expected to become someone¡¯s concubine to lessen her political power when she finally married. About the only thing that she could think of that would change that would be for something unfortunate- and likely deadly- to occur to both her elder brother and elder sister.

    That said, the one who she married would need to be¡­ exceptional. Which, in Joram¡¯s case, wasn¡¯t an issue. But the other part might be. He¡¯d need to be someone who could, and would, contribute to the Empire. And considering just how much of a prodigy Joram was with just about everything that he touched- crafting-wise, that is- she wasn¡¯t sure if it was a good idea to bring him into¡­ everything.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that Joram will care, either way,¡± Aya said, once more seeming to read her mind, and once more reminder her of just how well Aya knew her. ¡°I don¡¯t think that there¡¯s anyone in the Empire who could prevent Joram from leaving if he really wants to.¡±

    Jae-Eun nodded, understanding that very well. It was just that she didn¡¯t want any¡­ complications due to how forceful an emperor could get when he wanted something. Especially her father¡­ let alone her mother.

    She had to pause and take a sip of water as a bit of kraken got stuck on its way down. It wasn¡¯t a coincidence that that had happened when she¡¯d thought of her mother.

    For as wonderful a woman and Empress that she was, she was still an Empress. She was also arguably more invested in her future than her father was. She was the reason why Aya was with her in the first place, after all.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine if Joram throws them a tidbit before heading off again,¡± Aya said with a shrug. ¡°And so long as he¡¯s able to show up for the occasional function, party, or celebration, they¡¯ll leave him well enough alone.¡±

    She nodded at that while keeping her reservations unspoken. She was sure that her parents would be happy that she¡¯d found someone as accomplished as Joram, let alone someone so nice. But she more than expected her parents to ¡°expect¡± she and Joram to stay for a time while the wedding was arranged, then stay longer after the wedding.

    Given how driven Joram was, she wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d agree to such a prolonged visit, which would certainly affect how her parents would perceive him. Even going to visit would take quite some time, though given how fast Joram¡¯s flying vehicle could travel, she wondered how long it would actually take to return home.

    Thus bogged down with her many thoughts surrounding her some, her parents, and Joram, Jae-Eun continued eating the barbequed kraken without really tasting it. Aya, though, certainly did, and wholeheartedly approved of the delicacy.

    * * *

    Day passed into evening, then quickly passed into night. Joram stared up at the stars while laying on the beach- a beach on which he¡¯d had to [Cleanse] several times already due to the millions of monster bits that had been washing to shore over the past half day. No need to attract carrion eaters, let alone leaving the charnel bits accumulate and begin to rot. That was just nasty.

    So, as he gazed up at the majestic celestial display, he occasionally used a shaped [Cleanse] as he continued to think things over.

    It had been quite some time since he¡¯d just laid down and stared up at the night sky. Something that he then determined to remedy. It was just so¡­ relaxing. Then he idly wondered what the view would be like if he was in orbit, facing away from the planet and star of the system he was in. Surely, that would be something to behold.

    Which got him thinking about his Affinities and how they might be able to help, or at least make it easier to just float in orbit¡­. Though, [Adapt Body] would certainly account for pretty much anything he¡¯d have to worry about in orbit¡­.

    Mentally shaking his head, he turned his thoughts back to- what felt like- the myriad issues he still needed to address.

    Tillia, the taken clan members, as well as those from Brightside who¡¯d been taken. His cultivation. The Languages of Mana and Psijic. Altaea. Heck, even if he wanted to go home, let alone if that was possible. Though, with his affinity for the Law of Space, he wondered if that would be enough to get to another Universe.

    So, I¡¯ve got affinities for Air, Earth, Fire, Lightning, Metal, Jade, Wood, Space, Might, Life, Mind, and Creation. Space, Mind, and Creation from being trained by Altaea¡­ probably. Even the basic elements¡­ except water, which is weird.

    Anyways, I certainly got Fire, Lightning, Jade, and Life from absorbing the Heavenly Lightning Jade Dragon¡¯s and Phoenix¡¯s samples. Air, Earth, Metal, Wood, and Might, though, are a bit of a mystery. Well, maybe the Saiyan sample is responsible for Might.

    Anyways¡­. Sigh.

    If the Adamantium Body Technique is really just the first part of two techniques that Altaea had made for me, I wonder what the other body tempering technique is like? Though, ¡°Neutron Star Technique¡± is certainly a¡­. an intimidating name. Like, just what can I expect from it?

    Well, it¡¯ll certainly be something, given that I can¡¯t use it until I pass into the 7<sup>th</sup> Tier, the Immortal Realm, as it were. I can¡¯t wait to see what the 7<sup>th</sup> floor looks like!

    Grinning, Joram lost himself a bit in his imagination before pulling himself back on topic. He wasn¡¯t exactly sure if he¡¯d be able to finish his second year at the Academy. Mostly due to a sense of¡­ malaise he was feeling. Which meant that he needed to hurry. Hurry with his learning, hurry with his cultivation. Hurry with¡­ everything, it felt like.

    Knowing that Avi/Alicia had arranged for a guard rotation overnight, Joram slipped into his Mind Space and looked down at his workstation. Various windows were open, each showing progress reports scrolling as quickly as he could read each new line. So, he took a few moments to ¡°synchronize¡± with his fifteen extra Minds, learning everything they¡¯d been up to, as well as their progress.

    He grinned, then entered his little ¡°Solar System¡±.

    Once there, he looked things over again before focussing on his centre, or ¡°dantian¡±. Once there, he observed how M10 and M11 were pulling mana into that mostly void space and attempting to condense it into a new Core. It was actually going quite well, until M11 brought some Psionic Power into the mix and tried to fuse the two energies, resulting in both being blown apart to quickly dissipate back into his body.

    Then, on a whim, he manifested [Fission] using only Psionic Power to do so, but concentrated on his 63<sup>rd</sup> Core while he did so.

    Joram registered the formation of his¡­ clone, but also smiled when his 63<sup>rd</sup> Core seemed to¡­ shift over to his clone. He also noticed the connection between him and his clone, much like a connection through his Network, but also very similar to a [Metaconcert]. He could feel his Psionic Star basically partition itself to provide¡­ Joram 2, or J2, exactly half of his Psionic energy.

    Delving further, he communicated with J2, finding that it was¡­ odd, but natural in how they communicated. He also found that his 63<sup>rd</sup> Core was now inside of J2, making him smile.

    Joram then extended his senses to take in J2 as he sat beside him on the beach and found that J2 basically felt like a standard Cultivator or Practitioner. Albeit an incredibly strong one, as just one of his Cores was, as he¡¯d found out, considered top-Tier when it came to Cores.

    Delving yet further, he found that they did indeed share the same physiology, which meant that J2 was a perfect clone of him. Well, without the additional Cores, Psionic Star, or Psijic Star. But it was at least something. Heck, it was¡­ pretty damn awesome, if he was being honest with himself.

    Grinning, Joram retreated from his Mind Space and opened his eyes as he turned his head to regard J2.

    ¡°Think you can shift to being our High Elan self?¡±

    J2 grinned, then shifted into being a High Elan, proving to them both that they were indeed the same being, sharing everything that the original could do.

    Well, except for Psijic Energy, anyways. But that would come.

 Chapter 110 - Im still you...

    The next few days passed astonishingly quickly.

    The Selkies also astonished him when they accepted Avi¡¯s invitation to move to the Realm.  Sure, there¡¯d be a bit of terraforming to do to get an area suitable for their habitations arranged but, ultimately, that really wasn¡¯t an issue for him.  Or Avi.

    That left him with a half-finished village on the coast doing absolutely nothing.  Well, he could probably turn the place into a retreat or something.  Maybe a resort.  It was certainly picturesque enough, and with a few wards placed a good distance out, he was sure that the local pests wouldn¡¯t be an issue.

    Then, when the last of the Selkies had taken the ¡°transfer platform¡± to his Realm, they¡¯d decided to head back the next day.  Of course, after they¡¯d quickly finished up the various requests he¡¯d picked up for them all.  With those done, he was reasonably certain that they¡¯d all rise at least one Rank, which would go a long way to getting better quests in the future.

    Sure, they¡¯d still remain as a B-Class team, and Avi¡¯s as a D-Class team, but having their Ranks in those Classes go up was very important.  It showed reliability, competence.  And thus, better pay.  You wanted to reward competence, after all.

    So, after having distributed their fair share of funds to their accounts, Joram made his way back to the Aneath manor, though with more people than he¡¯d thought would come along because they were ¡°bored¡±, or any other obvious excuse to keep spending time with him.

    ¡°So, who¡¯re they?¡± Xixi asked after she and Zanth had hurried into the parlour where he¡¯d waited for their arrival.

    ¡°You¡¯ve met Bai Lian, Mo Yu, and Wentian,¡± he said, motioning towards the Trio as he inwardly winced at how sharply Xixi regarded the three of them.  ¡°You¡¯ve also met Avi.  So, the rest of my friends are, in no particular order, Emily, Renna, Jae-Eun, and Aya,¡± he said, motioning to each one with an upturned palm.  ¡°We just got back from out training camp,¡± he explained, though got an odd look from his two cousins for his efforts.

    ¡°So, why¡¯re they here?¡± Zanth asked, genuinely confused, though Xixi nodded as though she too were wondering why four extra bombshells had come along for the visit.

    Joram smiled to hide how much he wanted to wince.  He¡¯d had an inkling that Xixi wouldn¡¯t take the extras well, nor could he really blame her.  Though, having a nine-year-old glare-not-glare at him with such¡­ effectiveness, really hit home for him just how mature she¡¯d become over the past couple of years.  Sure, she¡¯d always been more mature than her years would suggest, but now it almost felt like he was in the presence of a mini-human adult rather than a child.

    ¡°They¡¯ve wanted to meet my family for a while now, so I thought ¡®why not now?¡¯,¡± he said, shrugging away his discomfort.  ¡°Besides, they¡¯re my seniors here, so they should be able to give some good advice that I might not think of,¡± he finished with a rueful grin.

    Which wasn¡¯t hard, for he was anything but a normal student who would have needed much more help orienting himself to Academy life.  Due to not really caring about things like making friends- which seemed to have happened anyways- and attending extra-curricular activities¡­ other than Questing, that is¡­.

    Anyways, kids who would effectively be entering Grade 4 would need a bit more help getting their bearings, not to mention finding their way around their schoolgrounds, getting their uniforms, as well as any school supplies that they might need.

    ¡°Grammy already got us what we needed,¡± Zanth said with a shrug, piercing his chest.  ¡°But if you want to show us around, that¡¯d be nice,¡± he said with a smile that was quickly reciprocated by his friends, especially Aya.

    He noticed that she kept eyeing Zanth¡¯s bo-ken, his wooden practice sword, with great interest.  On the other hand, everyone but Avi had taken more than one look at Xixi¡¯s necklace.

    ¡°Where did you get such a stunning necklace?¡± Jae-Eun finally asked, leaning forward slightly in her chair, though she kept the exact and prim posture of a princess as she did.

    ¡°Oh, this?¡± Xixi asked as a sly look briefly flashed across her face before being replaced by a radiant smile.  ¡°Jo made it for me for my birthday,¡± she said, beaming the brightest smile he¡¯d ever seen her smile¡­ that contained a sense of such sharpness that he could swear that the Law of Swords had somehow snuck in there.  Perhaps even the Law of Vorpal, if such a thing existed¡­.

    Every eye but Avi¡¯s turned to regard him with one expression or another.  Wentian¡¯s was a fascinating combination of appreciation, slyness, and¡­ expectation?  Was he looking forward to seeing how it all played out?

    Bai Lian and Mo Yu just smiled and nodded as though they¡¯d expected nothing less of him.  Likely because they¡¯d already witnessed more of what he could do than the rest of the group.  Emily, though, seemed a bit jealous and slightly¡­ pouty?  Renna, though, just nodded as though everything was as expected.

    Jae-Eun, though, very obviously looked down at the communication ring on her hand, the one who¡¯s centre jewel matched her eyes, and smiled, sending a slight chill down his spine.

    ¡°He does indeed make wonderful jewelry,¡± Jae-Eun said, raising her hand to show Xixi and Zanth the ring that had somehow made its way to her ring-finger!!

    Xixi blinked, then blinked again as Zanth just nodded, not seeming to catch onto the significance of the ring¡¯s placement.  Just before Xixi could say anything, though, the door to the parlour slid open to reveal his parents.

    Who were smiling for all they were worth.

    ¡°You should have let us know you were coming!¡± Sulia said, gliding over to him as he quickly stood up before embracing him in a great-big hug.

    ¡°We just got back,¡± he said as he returned the hug, then clasped forearms with his father.  ¡°I thought that I¡¯d help them get a few things for school, but it seems that Grammy beat me to it,¡± he finished with another rueful grin.

    ¡°Yeah, by a few months,¡± Ivaryn said as he grinned at him with a sharp look.  ¡°Now that you¡¯re here, and with nothing to do, why don¡¯t you help me with a few things?¡±

    Joram didn¡¯t miss the malicious glint in his father¡¯s eyes when he mentioned ¡°help¡±, throwing up more than a few flags for him.

    ¡°It would be rude to leave my friends alone,¡± he started, but stopped when his mother smoothly interjected.

    ¡°Oh, it won¡¯t be an issue,¡± she said, smiling in the way women, and especially mothers, did when they¡¯d brook no arguments.  ¡°Go with your father.  We¡¯ll all take our time getting acquainted.¡±

    With his fate sealed, Joram just nodded before being practically dragged out of the parlour by his father.  Several minutes later found him in his father¡¯s office and sitting in the chair in front of his desk feeling like a kid being interrogated by the principle or something.

    ¡°So, the prodigal son finally returns,¡± his dad said, not actually using that reference, but it roughly translated that way.  ¡°So, spill it.¡±

    Joram blinked at his dad, wondering what he was talking about.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with¡­ everything,¡± his dad narrowed it down from a universe of possibilities down to just a galaxy¡¯s worth.

    ¡°Could you be more specific?  There¡¯s been lots going on¡­¡± he said, not quite knowing which activity he¡¯d been up to recently that his father wouldn¡¯t be concerned about.

    ¡°The Belladonnas?¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± he said, nodding, which got him a very sharp look from his father.

    ¡°What else should I be worried about?¡± he asked, making Joram wonder if parents here had some sort of connection to the Law of Family, or something, with just how easily they were able to suss-out anything from just a word.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say ¡®worry¡¯,¡± he hedged, wondering why he was acting as though he was guilty of something.  ¡°Besides the Belladonnas, I took in some refuges a couple of days ago,¡± he said, then explained about the Selkies and their plight.

    Ivaryn was quiet for a minute as he processed everything he¡¯d shared before he nodded, then shook his head.  Then nodded again as though he was having an internal debate, or perhaps listening to the angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other.  Whatever was going through his head, it seemed as though it ultimately didn¡¯t wind up being a huge issue because Ivaryn just ended up sighing before speaking.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re caring enough to help others in need.  But.  Please think things through a bit more before just inviting more people into your Small World,¡± he said, then shook his head.  ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s impossible to break into Small Worlds, so please be careful about it in the future.  It is, after all, a refuge for the Clan, and our family.¡±

    Joram nodded, understanding his point.  From what Avi had told him, even Grammy had been able to briefly punch a hole through to where he had been resting in Avi¡¯s little clinic after the Core and Psionic Star incident that had rendered him unconscious for months.  And she¡¯d only been in the 6<sup>th</sup> Tier back then.

    What would happen if an Immortal, a 7<sup>th</sup> Tier Cultivator or Practioner decided to try to break in?  What about an 8<sup>th</sup> Tier Emperor or Empress?  He wasn¡¯t sure how many of those legends were around, let alone free to do whatever they wanted to do.  If they decided to pursue someone who he¡¯d taken in, what could he do to stop them?  Especially if they were proficient in the Law of Space or something similar.

    Currently, he couldn¡¯t properly fathom just how powerful an 8<sup>th</sup> Tier existence was.  Intellectually, he knew that after stepping into the Late Tiers- 7<sup>th</sup> and up- the gaps in power between Tiers was even more profound than at lower Tiers.  Like, punching above his weight class, as it were, hadn¡¯t been too difficult for him so far.  But if he really ran into a 7<sup>th</sup> Tier Mage bent on doing serious harm to him, he wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d survive the encounter.

    Especially if they were in the mid-Ranks of 7<sup>th</sup> Tier.

    Tier 4 Mana, or Immortal Qi, wasn¡¯t something to take lightly, after all.

    ¡±Well, I can confidently say that, at the very least, a 7<sup>th</sup> Tier Mage won¡¯t have an easy time breaking in.  Even then, I¡¯ll certainly be alerted to such an attempt, which would give me time to prepare something nasty for them,¡± he finished, grinning in such a way that his father blinked at him.

    ¡°Well, just be careful,¡± he said, then shook his head fractionally before continuing.  ¡°So, onto the real topic at hand,¡± he said, shocking Joram more than a little bit.

    If the Belladonnas and Selkies weren¡¯t what he¡¯d been worried about¡­.

    ¡°So, I noticed how most of those girls were acting around you,¡± Ivaryn said as his expression grew incredibly serious, causing Joram¡¯s stomach to slide to his feet.

    * * *

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Sulia watched as Mitsui Aya took Lysanthir and Xiora to the side and started watching Lysanthir go through his forms with the practice sword that Joram had given him a couple of years back.  Xiora, though, hadn¡¯t been happy to have been sent along, but seemed to quickly warm to having a 6<sup>th</sup> Tier- Mystic Realm Practioner- willing to teach them a few things regarding the sword.

    Avi had been helpful enough to provide both Xixi and Mitsui Aya with a similar practice sword, presumably to make things easier to them all.

    Now that she¡¯d been studying Joram¡¯s way of cultivating Mental Strength- Psionics- she could tell that those ¡°practice¡± swords were anything but simple wooden sticks.

    ¡°Mother-in-law,¡± Emily greeted her finally, bowing at the waist more than Sulia thought appropriate for a princess.

    Then, to her astonishment, both the High Elf, Renna, and the Zhizun Zhanshi girl, Jae-Eun, echoed her greeting, also bowing in the same way as Emily.  Though, Renna¡¯s was slightly deeper than Jae-Eun¡¯s, making her wonder if Jae-Eun was also a princess or something equally ridiculous.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start there,¡± Sulia said, now keenly interested in just how far things had gone for her son, and them.  ¡°Why ¡®mother-in-law¡¯?¡±

    It didn¡¯t get past her that the three¡­ kids from the extermination squad had also bowed in deference to her, much lower than the three beauties in front of her.  Nor had it passed her notice that the two girls had also nodded slightly when the three students had called her ¡°mother-in-law¡±.

    Before answering, the three girls exchanged looks and, interestingly enough, Emily wound up taking the lead for the three of them.

    ¡°We,¡± Emily started, waving at both her two companions, then at Bai Lian and Mo Yu then, interestingly enough, towards the Academy.  ¡°We all have decided that we¡¯ll marry Joram,¡± she finished simply, prompting a frown to Sulia¡¯s face.

    ¡°Who¡¯s ¡®we¡¯?¡± she asked, less-than-pleased with this new revelation.

    It was enough that he¡¯d gotten forcefully engaged to Emily, even though she seemed like a nice enough girl.  It was quite another that she¡¯d included at least four other people in her gesture.

    ¡°All but one of the Study Group has decided to marry Joram,¡± Renna said, stepping in to save a suddenly daunted Emily.

    ¡°¡­ and how many people is that?¡± she asked quietly, suddenly calling into question everything that she knew about Joram.

    ¡°To summarize, that would include the original members of the Study Group: Jae-Eun here, Alyraele, Daleira, and Gabrielle, though Sophia seems to be happy enough to remain fast friends.  Then there are, what I call, the second generation of the Study Group.  That includes myself and Emily, but also Faenwyn and Kassandra.  I¡¯m not sure about a few others who aren¡¯t technically part of the Study group, though.

    ¡°Anyways, I would say that, including myself, there are at least nine of us who¡¯ll be wives, while due to Jae-Eun¡¯s family circumstances, she¡¯ll need to be registered as a concubine.  Possibly a few other concubines, though I¡¯m not entirely certain at this point in time,¡± Renna finished, thoroughly shaking her state of mind.

    Even though she¡¯d chosen to be monogamous, she was no prude.  She was well-aware that the majority of the world practice polygamy, especially the upper echelons society.  That Joram had chosen to go the way of polygamy after having been raised in the Clan was more than a little surprising, especially after having shared about his past upbringing and previous world¡¯s views on polygamy.  Which, once more, brought into question everything that she¡¯d thought she¡¯d known about her son.

    Then, after a few more minutes of thinking over things, some of which she wasn¡¯t happy about, she finally spoke.

    ¡°You¡¯re aware that Joram already has a fianc¨¦?¡± she asked quietly as she gave a subtle glance towards Xixi.

    She knew that the three practitioners already knew about Xiora and Joram¡¯s engagement, so their lack of reaction didn¡¯t surprise her.  That the three students in front of her only blinked a bit before nodding really made her wonder about things.

    ¡°We¡¯re aware,¡± Emily said, nodding with a slight smile.

    ¡°You¡¯re also aware that Joram, for all he appears to be an adult, is only nine years old, right?¡± she asked, trying to once more throw them for a loop, and felt a slight satisfaction when Jae-Eun blushed slightly.

    ¡°We are,¡± Renna said, nodding slightly before lowering her voice to no more than a whisper before continuing.  ¡°We also know about¡­ his past,¡± she finished, returning the shot she¡¯d taken with interest.

    It took Sulia a few more minutes of silent contemplation before she touched the connection that she shared with Joram.

    ¡®Joram?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, mother?¡¯ he replied, sounding¡­ hesitant.

    ¡®I feel that we need to spend an evening catching up on current events,¡¯ she sent, then closed the conversation so that she could once more focus on the young women sitting in front of her.

    The young women who could have all been her younger sisters, especially given how much of an age-gap there¡¯d been between her and her third brother, Cyran.  Given that the difference in age between her and those in Joram¡¯s ¡°Study Group¡± was even less than what it had been for her and Cyran, well¡­.  She was only thirty-two this year, which made her wince internally due to Renna, the High Elf, being at least four times her age, on par with her own mother.

    Well, that wasn¡¯t fair.  Elves were known to mature over a longer period of time than humans, or any other race, really.  Looking at Renna again, she realized that, comparatively, she wasn¡¯t much ¡°older¡± than Jae-Eun.  Effectively, she¡¯d be compared to a human in their late teens.  Which, if she was being honest with herself, was more than old enough to decide one¡¯s future, especially with whom they wanted to marry.

    ¡°So,¡± she started, the paused a moment to further organize what she was about to say.

    ¡°So, just how far have things progressed between you all?¡±  She asked, paying very close attention to their reactions to her question.

    Both Emily and Renna managed to keep their expressions from revealing anything, but they failed to fully suppress the blushes that lightly coloured their cheeks.  On the other hand, Jae-Eun looked¡­ petulant, though she also failed to suppress a blush, though she seemed to have had a bit more training, or practice, at doing so.

    What was more interesting to her, though no less shocking, were the reactions of Bai Lian and Mo Yu.  They, too, had gone through much training, having grown up in a Sect and all that.  But, as a woman, it wasn¡¯t hard to notice when another woman reacted to thoughts of their lover.

    That realization, even though she¡¯d long noticed how they looked and acted around Joram, was a bit much for her to handle just then.  To combat the sudden waves of emotion, mostly of visceral anger and resentment, bordering on hatred, she quickly began the meditation that Joram had taught her that allowed her to centre herself.  But most importantly it allowed her to regulate her physiological reactions, allowing her to quickly shut off the sudden outpouring of chemicals her brain was overproducing because of the remembered trauma.

    Which led to her quickly partitioning those thoughts and emotions away until she could properly deal with them.  Especially since she knew that she was no match for 5<sup>th</sup> Tier Practitioners.  Nor, did she think, would Joram appreciate it if his mother got into a life-and-death fight with people that he was obviously close with.

    After a few moments, and when she¡¯d successfully calmed herself, she looked back to the three students in front of her, ignoring the to ¡°servants¡± so that she could keep calm enough to once more converse civilly.  She saw that the three of them were looking at her with more than a little bit of concern etched into their expressions.

    ¡°Then it seems we¡¯ll need to spend a bit more time together from here on out,¡± she said, drawing heavily upon the diplomatic training she¡¯d gone through as she¡¯d grown up.  ¡°But for now, I must excuse myself.  Please, enjoy our hospitality while you wait for Joram to return,¡± she finished before standing up and giving them a slight bow before leaving her guests with Xiora and Lysanthir.

    Yes, there was certainly a lot to catch up with, and go over with Joram.  Not just with how his studies were going, or even with his new relationships.  But, with what she considered the most important thing: just what in the hells was he planning?!

    She knew that Joram still blamed himself for not being able to protect Tillia, not to mention everyone else who¡¯d been taken that day.  She also knew that he was here, ostensibly, to gain enough power so that he would- hopefully!- survive his trip to Zhizun Zhanshi to rescue everyone who¡¯d been taken.  But.

    What in the hells is going through his head?!  Why is he entangling himself with all of these girls?  Why is he now sleeping with the enemy?!

    She had to pause a moment to once more collect herself.  The shaking in her hands had spread to the rest of body, threatening to cause her to trip, or to even just collapse then and there in the hallway.  Once steadied enough to walk again, she quickly made her way to her cultivation room and promptly sat on her cushion before once more falling into meditation.

    She would need to sort through all of what she was feeling, as well as to work through the obvious trauma that she was still being affected by before she could hope to come close to accepting Joram¡¯s decisions regarding those two women.

    Thus determined, she got to work.

    * * *

    The walk back to his little manor house wasn¡¯t the most pleasant walk he¡¯d ever had, nor was it the worst he¡¯d ever walked.  But it was damn awkward.

    Bai Lian and Mo Yu had kept at the back of the group as they walked, then had excused themselves as they passed the street that the Skyfall and Dawn Star caf¨¦s were on, citing a need to check on things there.  He could see Avi supressing a grin before she agreed with her two employees and setting off with them.

    ¡®I¡¯ll see what I can do,¡¯ Avi had sent as she had walked off with the pair.

    Emily now resided with Avi, so she¡¯d stayed with him the rest of the way.  Renna had said that she wanted to spend time with Emily, so her reasoning was normal.  Jae-Eun, though, threw him off by wanting to accompany him to speak with him more.

    Now curious, and extra wary of what Aya might do should the topic get weird, he soon found himself in his living room, sitting in his favourite chair while Jae-Eun and Aya sat across from him on the couch that had been shifted to rest in front of him.  For his part, Wentian did his best discreet butler impersonation by promptly serving them tea and scones before vanishing as though he¡¯d never been there.

    ¡°So,¡± Jae-Eun started after taking a small sip of tea.  ¡°I know that you want to eventually make your way to Zhizun Zhanshi.  Which works out rather well for what¡¯s to come,¡± she said as Aya enjoyed her own tea while nibbling away at what smelled like a cinnamon scone.

    ¡°And what¡¯s coming¡­?¡± he asked, now a bit wary of where this was going, especially with how insouciant Aya was being.

    ¡°Well,¡± Jae-Eun started, then blushed slightly before getting a determined look on her face.  ¡°As you know, the man I choose to be with must take me as a concubine.  That said, my parents will probably want to have an extravagant wedding for me as I¡¯m their youngest child.

    ¡°That said, they¡¯ll also want to spend time with you getting to know you,¡± she said, then seemed a bit uncertain before continuing.  ¡°And also appraising you to be sure that you¡¯ll be both a good match for me while also being an asset to the Empire,¡± she finished in more of a rush than he thought a princes should be in.

    But then again, she was still fairly young, as things go.  So, being nervous about bringing home her ¡°boyfriend¡±, as it were, shouldn¡¯t have been terribly unexpected.  Especially since her parents were the Emperor and Empress of the Plum Blossom Empire¡­ not your average parents.  It was especially tricky given the penchant for annoyed emperors and empresses to have the target of their ire executed.

    ¡°It might still be another year before I am confident enough to head over there,¡± he said, hedging a bit.

    Not that he was nervous or anything¡­.  Ah, screw that.  He was downright petrified of meeting her parents.  He wasn¡¯t sure how strong there were, nor what assets they could call upon, but he was certain that an Emperor wouldn¡¯t be weak, nor would the foundations of the Empire be anything but exceptionally solid.  So, making sure that he- at the very least- broke through into the 6<sup>th</sup> Tier as a Mage, but also into the 7<sup>th</sup> Tier as a Mentalist before heading over, was a must.

    Which, considering that he¡¯d been sitting at the peaks of both Tier 5 and Tier 6, meant that it wouldn¡¯t be long before he broke through as a Tier 6 Mage.  After that, he was certain that getting to Tier 7 as a Mentalist would be easy enough.

    Why was he so sure?  Well, he¡¯d actually been suppressing his Mentalist side for fear of what might happen if his two cultivation bases were more than one Tier apart.  Normally, that wouldn¡¯t be an issue for a dual-cultivator like him, but having his Psijic Star had thrown him into untread paths that he had to take very slowly if he wanted to survive, or even prevent himself from getting himself into a cultivation dead-end.

    ¡°And that¡¯s fine,¡± Jae-Eun said, nodding as though she¡¯d expected his response.  ¡°I just wanted to be sure that¡­ you wouldn¡¯t object¡­¡± she said, finally trailing off while looking more uncertain than he could remember ever having seen her.

    Which made her look so adorable and vulnerable that he very nearly reached out to give her a hug.  Or a pat on the head, as they¡¯d do here.

    Aya, though, still looked as though everything was right and proper with the world as she happily devoured another scone with delicate and proper little bites¡­ that looked like someone had fast-forwarded a video of someone eating.  Really, it was quite impressive how she managed to eat so fast while remaining ¡°proper¡± and not letting a single crumb escape from being devoured.

    He looked back at Jae-Eun and had to re-task M3 to help him find the right words, and how to phrase what he wanted to say.

    ¡°Jae-Eun,¡± he stared, then leaned forward so that he could convey the sincerity of his words.  ¡°You¡¯re a fantastic young woman.  You¡¯re talented and kind, with a sharp mind and keen intellect.

    ¡°That you¡¯ve decided that I¡¯m the one for you, especially with how many exceptional people you¡¯ve undoubtedly met over the years, is beyond flattering to me,¡± he said, then paused as he saw Jae-Eun¡¯s eyes begin to well up with tears, causing him to get more than a little flustered.

    He quickly looked over at Aya and found that she¡¯d stopped devouring scones in favour of intensely starting at him.  Now more confused than ever, he decided to just finish what he had been saying before¡­ all that.

    ¡°So, yes, I¡¯d be happy to meet your parents to see what they think of me,¡± he finished as his heart did something weird; a bit like stopping, but also managing to pound in his chest as though it wanted to get out and see the world.

    ¡°I understand that it¡¯s a lot-,¡± Jae-Eun started, seemingly on auto-pilot before realizing that he¡¯d said something other than what she¡¯d been expecting.

    She stopped, blinked a few times, then seemed to melt into a puddle as tears started flowing down her cheeks.  He glanced at Aya, but found that she was once more back to her scone munching, though she spared one hand to pat Jae-Eun on the head.

    Oh.  Ohhhhhh!  Crap, I suck at this stuff, he thought as he finally realized that what he¡¯d said had sounded like he had been about to reject her.

    Thanks for that, M3, he thought, then just about facepalmed.

    M3: Hey, I¡¯m still you.  Don¡¯t expect miracles.

 Announcement/Update - Not a chapter

    Okay, so, things are slowing down for me.  Not in a good way, unfortunately.  My health has been declining for a bit now, so I can only concentrate on one story at the moment.  Which, unfortunately, means that I will need to put this story on hiatus until things can improve.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    I still have every intention of finishing this story, as I do like it quite a lot.  I blame myself for biting off more than I can chew, as it were.  So, I''ll look at finishing Book 3 of Other Paths, then switch back to this and start working on it again.  All while preparing more plotlines for Other Paths as well... just not writing it.

    So!  I hope that everyone can have a good day.  I eagerly await the time when I can once more work on The Wanderer''s Rebirth!