by Yuri Ajin
Kai looked him in the eyes. They were blue. Crystal clear. There were no lies in them, but what he said wasn’t the complete truth either.
“Was I not clear enough?” Kai sighed. “I’m not interested.”
Ephlix finally cooled off. Any benevolence that was still in him up to this point vanished in an instant.
“You ought to rethink your decision.” He hissed. “Since you don’t want to be our friend, then we’ll play by different rules. By the rules of the martial arts world. Are you ready to part with your shop, friends, opportunities for development, health, or even your life? You refused our first proposal, so let me give you the second — you continue working as you already do, and we protect you and your business. This isn’t an easy job, of course. Especially in a place as dangerous as the Ground floor. The Abode’s laws don’t always work here.” Ephlix grinned. “You’ll pay for the protection. Let’s say... Seventy percent of your earnings. That should cover it. We aren’t thieves, you see. Even the remaining thirty is a lot for you, considering how many customers you have per day.” Ephlix put his legs on the table. “We won’t rob you but allow you to live quietly and work hard. Develop slowly. If you need it, we’ll bring you some additional equipment. Or recipes. But don’t go to the first floor anymore. That’s the factions’ territory, so it’s dangerous. We don’t want to lose a valuable partner like you. Don’t worry. You won’t get lost in our city. We’ll gladly provide you with a guide. He’ll look after you. So, what do you say, partner?”
Smiling, he observed Kai’s face, curious about what he’d say. Would the human be frightened? Would he remain calm? What would he say? Would he want to return to the initial offer? Or would there be a tearful attempt to ask for forgiveness?
Ephlix loved observing people who had to make difficult choices, loved trying to predict their reactions, loved to play with other people’s emotions.
Which is why the lack of emotion on Kai’s face pissed him off.
By the rules of the martial arts world? Kai thought. Says the one who has been at the very bottom of the List of Ten Thousand for years and living on the Ground floor... Am I really gonna be threatened by such a weakling?
Ephlix frowned.
I don’t like idiots who want to be heroes. He sighed. He better start asking for forgiveness. He’s ruining my mood. What a bastard...
“Boy.” Ephlix began to get up slowly. “It looks like you really don’t know when to give in. So many people like you have snapped before...” He shook his head. “I’ve seen it. They all thought they were invincible. They grew up in their sects, praised by their peers, and thought that their talent would mean as much here. That since they were in the Abode, no one would touch them.” He grinned. “And then they got crushed. It’s hard and painful. And you seem to really want that outcome.”
A powerful aura filled the room. Normally, Ephlix could cover the entire building with it at once and even several neighboring ones, but right now, he focused it into a single spot.
The walls and windows shook. Wooden planks creaked in the floor. The ceiling crackled.
With his head held high, Ephlix looked at the idiot who dared to annoy him. He waited for Kai to begin to tremble, bend, and ask him to stop, but he didn’t so much as blink.
He’s strong. Does he have some special bloodline? Or some special ability? Ephlix wondered. Not that it matters. Stronger than him have fallen.
He focused his entire aura on Kai and felt the power of another, second aura.
His aura trembled and then began to sag under pressure, forcing him to take a step back. It seemed as if a heavy load had been dropped on him.
His capillaries burst and blood flowed from his nose as the foreign force continued to push through his aura. The pressure only increased with each passing moment. And when it became almost unbearable, a third party intervened.
Kasox finally started paying attention to what was happening around him. He also stood up, directing the full power of his aura toward Kai.
For a few moments, there was a balance in the room.
Straightening up, Kai activated the Field of Superiority.
The pressure increased in an instant. But this time it was the pressure of his will. Their bodies, energy, thoughts, and even auras became heavier.
Kasox lunged forward, trying to grab Kai by the neck. The attack was lightning-fast, but the latter managed to defend.
Kai had no doubt that the two were strong cultivators. In a real battle, with the use of Forces and energy, he’d barely be able to defeat even one of them, let alone both. However, in the current situation, when it was impossible to either commit murder or use techniques, he had the upper hand.
“You offered me to work with you. You talked about all these possibilities. About the chance to enter the List of Ten Thousand. To move to a higher floor. Access the high-level pavilions. But why do I need any of this?” he asked.
The elves’ eyes widened in surprise.
“Why should I accept such a ridiculous offer? Why would someone who has only two goals in the Abode need that? Besides reaching the Exorcist Stage, I’m only interested in one thing.” Kai slightly tilted his head. “In being the best and taking the first place on that list... Now, let’s discuss my proposal. How would you like to work for me?”
Chapter 12
THE ALCHEMY SHOP 3
The staring contest lasted only a few seconds, after which Kai nodded and began to release the pressure. The elves followed his example. After a moment, the room was calm again. Further escalation would be unnecessary.
Kasox broke the silence.
“How about you finally let go of my hand?”
Kai slowly released his grip.
Kasox calmly returned to his chair, and then, with a sigh, laughed loudly.
“I told you!” Smiling, he looked at Ephlix who, in the meantime, had wiped the blood from his nose. “I told you that the potion’s creator couldn’t be a simple zero and that it wouldn’t be easy to intimidate him.” Kasox turned to Kai. “Boy, you were invited to join the factions, right?”
“The name’s Kai,” he reminded them, sitting back down.
“Well, am I right, Kai?”
“I have no reason to hide it. Yes, I was invited.”
Kasox nodded with satisfaction and held out his open palm to his friend.
“I won. Gimme my five Coins.”
“Fine,” Ephlix snapped, tossing the Coins to him. “But it was worth it.”
Kai continued to sit quietly on his ice throne, waiting for an answer.
He must be a nine. Ephlix guessed, observing him. But he’s not even a True Master. Where does he get all this power? Some unique ability? Or a bloodline? He didn’t seem to be joking about overthrowing One. It’s funny... And I thought he was just a bragging weakling. But he isn’t like them. He has a powerful aura, a strange ability, overwhelming will, excellent reflexes, and a lot more. And he’s a mortal! A human.
Sighing, Ephlix looked at Kai.
“Have I heard you correctly?” he inquired. “Are you really offering us to work for you? Don’t you think that after what happened here we wouldn’t want to retaliate? Can you deal with a whole squad of Exorcists?”
“I wouldn’t know.” Kai shrugged, realizing what was going on. “But you won’t do that.”
“What makes you think so?”
“For starters, you wouldn’t tell me about it if that’s what you were planning to do. Second, you saw that I’m more than capable of protecting myself. And lastly, you wouldn’t be sitting here if you still planned to get me to be your subordinate. So, how about my offer?”
“You’re right. Honest cooperation would be the most profitable outcome in this situation.”
“Then here are my conditions. Starting tomorrow, I’ll increase the cost of my potion to twelve Coins, but you can still buy larger supplies of it at the current price.”
“How many doses are really necessary to fully purify the body?” Ephlix swi
tched to his business tone. “Be honest. Don’t tell us what we’ve already heard from your sellers.”
“One bottle is enough in most cases. But if there are too many impurities in the body, then the second portion will completely remove their traces.”
Ephlix nodded.
“We have about two hundred members. So, let’s say we buy two hundred fifty potions from you... Why would we need more?”
“Resale. You couldn’t make me your subordinate, but I’m certain that you work with other merchants. Everyone on the Ground floor could stop using the trash that the Fifth Faction sells here...”
“So you know about that, too...” Kasox squeezed through his teeth. “But we stopped buying their drugs a year ago. We go to the first-floor pavilion now. We’d rather pay the higher price than poison ourselves.”
“But isn’t it better to start using those cheap drugs again with my potion, if you no longer have to worry about impurities? Consider how profitable that would be.”
“So that’s what you want!”
Ephlix, meanwhile, continued to ponder.
Why didn’t I remember our outlets? Resale! Great idea. I thought about using cheap potions paired with the purification one from the very beginning. But we’d have to buy as many as possible right now, because as soon as the Fifth Faction finds out about what’s happening here, their prices will definitely rise.
“I have to admit your conditions are favorable. But I propose raising the price to fifteen Coins,” Ephlix said.
“I didn’t plan to raise the price too much. Do you think people on the Ground floor can afford it?”
“I’ve known this city for a long time.” Ephlix grinned. “And I know with certainty that even the most pitiful trash on this floor has on average at least fifty Coins in their pocket. And when the whole city finds out how strong your potion is, everyone will want it, regardless of the price.”
“I’ll trust you on that one. The price for you won’t be ten then, but twelve Coins.”
“Agreed.”
“But that’s not all,” Kai added. “I’m giving you the opportunity to resell my potions, so I’m asking for your support in return. Second, I need ingredients. I currently buy them at the Trade Pavilion, but it’d be better if I had my own supplier. Not for free, of course. And lastly, I need a Great Alchemical Cube. I haven’t seen it here. Not in the Trade Pavilion, nor at smaller shops. It’s a rarity. But I believe you have connections... And since I’ll begin to make potions in larger quantities thanks to this artifact, it’ll benefit you, too. Therefore, I’m not going to pay for it.”
“We’ll provide two squads. One to guard the shop and one to search for ingredients,” Ephlix suggested. “As for the Great Alchemical Cube, I think we can find it. We still belong to small, yet aristocratic families. But if you don’t plan to buy this artifact, then the best we can do is lend it to you.”
“All right.” Kai nodded. “I hope you understand that I won’t be engaged in making potions forever and that, at some point, I’ll close the shop. I don’t plan on staying on the Ground floor for too long.”
“Yes. I’ve already taken that into account.”
“Then... Should we make a contract?”
“Let’s.” Ephlix nodded, taking an empty spirit contract from his Ring.
After signing the contract, Kai handed over all the potions he had on him, receiving about a thousand Coins in return.
As he was exiting, Ephlix turned to him.
“You know, you’re lucky that we’ve paid you a visit first, and not, for example, a group of Blood Serpents. Their leaders are very aggressive. They probably wouldn’t have personally come here like we did. They would’ve sent a few servants to threaten you.”
“In that case, maybe it was them who got lucky.”
“Perhaps.” Ephlix grinned and left the shop.
Sighing wearily, Kai looked around. Apart from him, only Shacks and Yoh were still at the shop.
Yoh approached and held out his left hand. Kai shook it, thereby receiving all of the day’s profit.
“I see everything went fine,” Shacks grunted. “Well, except for the sudden auras, which were hard to miss.”
“Sort of.” Kai nodded listlessly and then walked toward the stairs. “We’re closing for today. I need some rest.”
After that, he returned to the workshop and fell onto his bed, exhausted. Five hours of active work with potions, and then the negotiations. The main reason for his current state was the pressure he put on the elves.
He knew that, sooner or later, someone like that would show up, so he was prepared. It was forbidden to use techniques on other students in the Abode, so he assumed that they’d try to put pressure on him either with physical force or with auras.
The strength of an aura directly depended on the density of energy, but starting at the Soul Stage, the quality of the foundation also began to influence the aura’s power.
This happened since with the help of the Source and the Meridians, and later the astral body, it was possible to compress ki, thereby increasing its density, and increasing the power of the aura. The better the foundation was, the stronger the effect. That was why cultivators of the same level could have auras of different strengths.
No matter how good Kai’s foundation was, the density of his ki could never match the density of ki of an Exorcist, even if their foundation was only six points.
That was why he resorted to a trick, taking almost a dozen Azure Crystals in advance.
When the elves tried to intimidate him, he dissolved the Crystals, directing all the power directly to his Source with his energy-controlling ability. This was how he managed to resist the auras of the two Exorcists, temporarily strengthening his own.
With the help of this trick, he won, but he was now exhausted. As soon as his head touched the pillow, he fell asleep. He didn’t even have the strength to switch sleep with restorative meditation.
***
The city on the fifth floor was divided into ten Large Palaces and ninety Small ones. The Large ones were intended for members of the Cloud Ten, and the Small ones were for those ranked from the eleventh to one-hundredth place.
In the fifth largest Palace, in a huge laboratory, Tassarion was engaged in research. He had been in this laboratory for almost a week and a half. Standing in front of a giant table, he studied the same scroll for the thousandth time. It was something his servants found in the ruins, left after the ancient war.
“Flask of Double Life,” he read the title aloud. It was written in an unfamiliar language, but the System translated it.
When Tassarion first saw it, he realized, even without a description, that it was an alchemical recipe. The surprisingly well-preserved emblem of an ancient organization that disappeared at the dawn of the era spoke of the connection between the scroll and alchemy.
However, no scroll could last forever. Time took its toll on this one as well and now it contained only a part of the memories of an ancient master.
Things like these weren’t extremely rare. Groups of seekers, like the Cloud Anarchists, found scrolls from time to time. Most of them were damaged, no longer containing any information.
But the Abode itself was a legacy of an ancient civilization, which was why many lost techniques and recipes had been preserved in it and why they could be found in the Trade Pavilion. For most of the students, it was easier to buy access to a Pavilion than to look for scrolls in the ruins.
However, what now lay in front of Tassarion was radically different from anything he had seen before. This scroll was one of a kind. And despite the damage, he was still eager to learn this recipe. He kept immersing his consciousness into the memories of the ancient master over and over again, and then, coming to his senses, tried to make the infusion, filling in the gaps in information with his knowledge.
Thousands of Coins disappeared before his eyes. Over and over again, Tassarion bought dozens of expensive ingredients but ended up getting the same message
every time.
Attention!
The attempt to create an alchemical drug has failed.
Wrong energy scheme.
Sometimes, instead of the message, an explosion occurred, because of which Tassarion had to change the equipment. But he didn’t stop, continuing to experiment, recording every unsuccessful version of the missing part of the weaving. Fortunately, only a small piece of the memories was missing from the scroll, so there were about a thousand possible options. He was going to try them all, even if it took tens of thousands of Coins to do so. He was considered the richest student in the Abode anyway.
While he was jotting down notes of his latest failed attempt, he felt a vibration in his left hand. Frowning, he turned to see an elf in a snow-white dress emerging from the air.
“Master.” She bowed.
She was an artificial Spirit — a creature without a Soul Spark, created from the remains of a deceased Elementalist. In the distant and peripheral worlds, many cultivators even sealed them in their souls, replacing real Spirits with them. Here, in the middle world of Nikrim, they were used as servants and guards in luxurious houses like this palace. In total, about a couple thousand artificial Spirits lived on the fifth floor of the Abode.
“Speak,” Tassarion said, returning to his work.
“Halator Eswix, seventeenth on the List of Ten Thousand, has come to visit you,” the girl answered in a pleasant, but lifeless voice. “He asked me to inform you that someone is messing with your plans.”
