“A water-breathing and earth-altering dragon. I thought they were all fire-related.” Storbon shrugged.
“Well, she might not be a true dragon. Or the simple fact that fire looks badass might make people only talk about the fire dragons.” Erik patted Gilly’s side.
She set off at a sprint.
“Shit! Wait for us!” Tian Cui yelled as the four-person special team ran after the duo.
Erik threw himself forward, grabbing onto his handle. He had nearly been thrown off. He sent a reproachful thought at Gilly. She looked back with a dragon’s grin and he laughed. He couldn’t very well stay angry at that, could he?
“Yeah, that is weird.” Rugrat nodded as Erik finished telling him about his tempering. Rugrat had already told Erik about his experience.
“So, are you still at the starting stage? What do you have to do now?” Erik asked.
“The solid core is drawing in mana on its own. I passed the low stage, and I’m at the middle stage. I really held my mana cultivation back. Now that I’m here, with all this gear and training supplies, my level’s been shooting up.”
“Calm down there, rocket man.”
“Anyway, the next stage is mana heart. Been looking at the information we have. Mana heart basically transforms the mana veins. Instead of storing mana in the core, it spreads out. Goes through the mana veins again and enters the rest of the body. The mana heart is the center of it all, just like our regular heart. But instead of oxygen, it’s mana that moves through the body. The gates are the mouth and lungs, pulling in mana. The heart core sends it through the secondary, less used, mana channels and into the body.”
“The elemental core and the mana core… The two cultivation systems are linked and share a lot of similarities. Pure mana increases mana cultivation, while the elemental attributes increase body cultivation,” Erik pointed out.
“It must be possible to do them both. But that would take a ton of resources. Slow and steady working on one, and then the other is the easiest,” Rugrat said.
“What do you think about the fighting and what’s going on?” Erik changed the subject.
Rugrat sighed, rubbed his face, and stood up. They were in the manor, one of the last remaining buildings built by the gnomes. It was officially Erik and Rugrat’s home, but they’d spent little time there. A secondary council building had been built since Erik had jumped in to complete his metal tempering.
Nobody wanted to return to the dungeon headquarters where the mana pillar, while reduced, was still shooting down into the ground day and night.
“I had no idea what we were stepping into when we left Earth, that’s for sure. It’s all so complicated.” Rugrat put his hand beside the window, looking out at the dungeon headquarters. “What happens if people figure out the truth? If they find out we’re behind the Institute attacks, that we run the Beast Mountain Range, and that Vuzgal is owned by the people who call the First Realm home?”
They had kept Alva secret to protect everyone. Elise had created a trading guild that spread across five realms. Jia Feng operated three academies filled with crafters. They operated two massive dungeons—Alva and under Vuzgal — along with many smaller dungeons, and owned a city in the Fourth Realm with control over a growing regional power in the First Realm. An army of twenty thousand strong. Population in the hundreds of thousands. Blaze and Jasper had built up the Adventurer’s Guild to have hundreds of thousands of members spread across several realms. What about the Wandering Inns, and the Sky Reaching Restaurants and all their friends, their people?
“We’ve got two options: One: we don’t care. We take them all on, show our might, and put the fear into our enemies. Two: we hold back, we ready ourselves, keep the secret as long as possible,” Erik said.
“Glosil has spoken about this before, and his answer made the most sense.” Rugrat snorted and looked at Erik.
“If we reveal the secret, we lose the element of surprise. The longer we hold it, the more room we have to maneuver. I have a feeling that at some point, they’ll figure out at least some of the connections. Shit, it might scare the hell out of them.”
“Why?” Erik asked.
“Dude, man, brother, we’re not just two dudes running for the Beast Mountain Range Trial to get away from Second Realm sect students anymore.”
“They have the numbers, the cities. It’s a massive sect,” Erik argued.
“Yeah, a sect. People have their own cares and alliances. Look at how Elan has had them dancing in his hand with just a few moves! They don’t even have a standing army. Our people are stronger on average. We opened things to everyone while they close them off to conserve resources. Free access to information, classes to the novice level are free. Apprentice classes with support and prices that won’t destroy a person’s future.”
“You know, sometimes you make sense.”
“Well, it’s a Friday!”
“Is it?”
“Hell if I know.”
“How’s Egbert doing?” Erik nodded his chin to the skull in a box on Rugrats’ belt.
“When I was cultivating, Egbert repaired or upgraded faster. I got some help from Tan Xue and Qin and made an Egbert head-charging box! It’s metal and charged with mana stones. A mini mana cultivation training room.”
“Why the window? And why didn’t you take the duct tape off his face?”
Rugrat unclipped the box. “Didn’t want to just put him in a metal box, be inconsiderate. I’ve been meaning to take it off, but I forgot. The box is fused together. I’d have to cut it open with a mana knife, re-carve the formations.”
“Summarized, you think it will be funny and you want to scare people with the skull on your belt?”
Rugrat held up a finger to refute Erik. His eyes moved back and forth. “Yeah, pretty much.”
Erik rolled his eyes. “All right. Well, lend me George for a bit. I got a quest from the Ten Realms. We know beasts can increase their ability by consuming powerful ingredients and monster cores. I think they can increase their power in a way similar to tempering their bodies. Gilly got stronger being with me on the Earth floor. George is always hanging out on the fire floor. I want to talk to Davin, then the beast trainers to see if we can’t start training our mounts in the body cultivation training centers.”
“Sure, worth a shot. What are you going to do with your elemental core thing?”
Erik’s face crumpled as he let out a pained sigh. “Melissa and the other body cultivation experts want to run tests, feed me different ingredients, then different meats. They want me to consume a monster core normally and then try to eat one.”
“You can eat a monster core? Wait, ingredients? Like the ingredients we feed the beast mounts?”
“Good talk. I’ll see you later. Lots to do!” Erik slapped his legs and stood.
Rugrat laughed.
“They want to feed you beast kibble! Oh, come on! Maybe it will help with the hair!”
Erik touched his head. With the metal tempering, all his hair had fallen out. It was nothing more than a shiny cue ball. “Shut up!”
Rugrat’s laughter grew as Erik marched out of the room.
“Asshole.”
“Ask Delilah if she can make you a concoction, miracle hair grower! Maybe Zhou Heng can make you a wig!” Rugrat yelled at his retreating back, snorting and chuckling.
Erik signaled his goodbye with a middle finger. He could still hear Rugrat down the corridor laughing. With the other hand, he pulled out his sound transmission device.
“Umm, Delilah, I was just wondering…”
“So what do you think?” Erik asked.
Rex Tallahassee finished examining Gilly who preened at the praise. “Hmm, in good health, been eating well. Good activity. No abnormal injuries,” He tossed her a hunk of meat. She snapped it out of the air as George looked over at Gilly and then pouted at Rex, who pretended to not see.
He had worked on ranches most of his life, and brought modern Earth practices to the beast tr
ainers in Alva, adjusting diets, exercise and training.
When Rex had first got the Two-Week Curse, he’d drank himself into a stupor. His girlfriend left him because he had no future. It had been a mean joke and the beginning of a country song.
Arriving in the Ten Realms had been a big adjustment. Fortunately, he’d been close to a town. He learned about the Ten Realms and helped farmers with their trained livestock.
Someone must have talked, and Knights appeared one day. He was captured and taken to a city in the Shikoshi Kingdom.
There he’d met the other Earthers. The rest was common history after that.
“Well, I’m always looking for new ways to train beasts. Right now, we’re focused on raising as many beasts for the military as possible. We’re taming wild beasts, breeding others, and then raising the youngest. We have seven different breeds of panthers for just the regular army. Then dozens of other beasts for artillery squads, mage squads, and close protection gets whatever they want. We’re still growing out our aerial beast species. Basically, we’re just trying to meet the current needs. While we’ve got ideas on pushing beasts further, we haven’t tested them out. Right now, it’s healing spells, food with medicinal ingredients that speed up maturation and build strength, and monster cores are the shit.” Rex put his thumbs through his belt loops. He wore a simple long sleeve shirt rolled up, jeans, boots, and a ball cap. He was perpetually chewing on a piece of straw.
“Not even the special teams?”
“They get the best of the best! The beasts that have reached the highest level and have useful abilities. We’re just starting to get into selective breeding. I’m not saying that I wouldn’t be interested, though. Hell, it might be a new way to raise beasts! I kind of wondered if they have an affinity toward a specific mana attribute, or if it’s due to environmental factors or whatever they consume.” Rex chewed on his straw in thought.
“I’m not sure about that, but when I was tempering my body with the earth attribute, Gilly was training with me. She grew bigger and was stronger. I want to learn more about how beasts cultivate.”
“Well, hell, I’ll give anything a shot once, though I ain’t going to push anything.”
“Glad to hear it. Davin!” Erik yelled into the air.
A head popped out from among the buildings of the Earth Floor’s beast training compound.
“Come here.”
Davin muttered to himself and flew over like a pouty kid being called to chores. He slumped down as he hung in mid-air near Erik and Rex.
“Davin is an Imp, so he has a beast core and the whole ten yards. He might be a useful resource for you.”
“Hey, little guy.” Rex pulled out some meat and tossed it over.
Davin’s eyes went wide as his jaw seemed to unhinge, opening as wide as his head, clamping down around the meat.
“Okay, well I’ll leave them with you,” Erik said.
10
Vuzgal’s Weight
Hiao Xen let out a satisfied sigh as he savoured a mouthful of delicious pork and rice. Chonglu sat opposite him and took some vegetables, put them in his rice bowl, added some tangy sauce, and dug in.
The dishes had been rapidly reduced between the duo in the last few minutes.
Hiao Xen looked out of the tower at the city below. He couldn’t help but feel pride, seeing it all. The work was equal to the speed that Vuzgal had grown.
The twin doors to the room opened. A man walked in, the doors closing behind him as he took his hood down.
Hiao Xen and Chonglu made to stand.
“Please, enjoy your lunch.” Erik smiled and sat down.
“You sure know how to make an entrance. Does anyone even know that you’re in Vuzgal?” Hiao Xen asked.
“Hopefully, not if everyone has done their job correctly,” Erik said as a side door opened.
The serving lady bowed, her eyes constricting in surprise before widening in excitement. “Your tea,” she said.
“Please.” Erik waved for her to serve the others first.
She moved close to the trio, placed the tea table down, and settled on her knees.
“How is the family?” Erik asked.
“Qiang has done well. He qualified to join a guard unit in the Fifth Realm, though the little troublemaker took a promotion in the Fourth Realm.” Hiao Xen shook his head.
“The Fourth Realm is more dangerous. Won’t his promotion speed be faster?” Chonglu asked.
“Yes, it should, and there are more resources for people that are willing to stay in the Fourth Realm. I feel that he craves more.” Hiao Xen sighed.
“He has the training and the ability and wants to put them to use,” Erik said.
“I know. At his age I was the same way, though I wanted to be part of massive deals, not join in combat.”
“He has the best gear and training. The Blue Lotus is not a group to get into meaningless conflicts,” Erik said as the server finished checking the tea and poured it into the three cups with reverent care. Each move was exact and careful, while also flowing from one movement and action into another.
It calmed Hiao Xen, seeing it. The smell of summer berries offset with citrus grasses made him take a deeper breath. “Nuo Xen is worried, so I get to carry twice the worries.”
“Isn’t that the truth?” Chonglu smiled.
“Mira and the kiddos doing well?” Erik asked.
“Mira is still doing her mission. I spend most of my days stuffing information books in my brain and my kids have a nanny, thankfully. Going to be happy when this transition stuff's over with!”
“You wouldn’t want to go back to being an adventurer, at all?” Hiao Xen asked as the server finished pouring the tea and placed it in front of him. He tilted his head in thanks.
“I might have a few years ago. I might in a few decades. Right now, my children are growing up and I want to be here for them. I nearly lost them twice.” Chonglu nodded to the server as she served him, and then moved to Erik. “Don’t get me wrong. I love adventuring, living on the edge, the thrill of seeing new sights, and making it through terrifying ordeals. Then getting a beer after it all. Though, I guess, I kind of grew up. There are thousands of people coming through our doors, looking to get stronger in the Battle Arena. Training them, helping you with running Vuzgal... It is a different kind of thrill. A safer one for sure, but that doesn’t make it any less exciting.”
“Well, here is to family, to the different paths that have brought us here, and chasing that thrill.” Erik held up his teacup to the other two. They raised their cups as well.
Hiao Xen inhaled the scent of his tea before taking a sip. He relaxed as the inviting sweetness and the palette-clearing sour flavors mixed on his tongue.
“Good tea,” Erik said, and smiled at the server, bowing his head. “And I wasn’t here.” Erik winked.
The server grinned. “Yes, Lord West.” She bowed to remove the tea table.
Hiao Xen looked out of the large windows as if looking away would keep the secret hidden. In his position, he had come to know certain information like how the Adventurer's Guild, the Trader’s Guild, the Vuzgal Healing House, the teachers of the Vuzgal Academy, Wandering Inn, Sky Reaching Restaurant, the Vuzgal Defense Force had all known Erik and Rugrat before. He had very carefully not looked into their history, so if he was ever questioned by the Blue Lotus he could deny his ruminations.
The server left the room as the trio enjoyed their tea.
Erik cleared his throat and put the tea down on the table.
Hiao Xen looked over to find Erik watching him.
“Hiao Xen, thank you.” Erik bowed.
“Lord.” Hiao Xen was surprised, shocked even, as he made to place his cup down and return the bow.
Erik rose, halting Hiao Xen with a gesture.
“What you have done for me, for the people of Vuzgal… Honestly, we are all in your debt. If it were not for you, Vuzgal would not be where it is.”
“Thank you,” Hiao Xen said.<
br />
“I will not lie to you. Things have changed recently. You might have noticed some of it. It is part of the reason for Rugrat and I making the decision to move up when Chonlgu ascends to your position. I want to be clear. We are not doing this because we do not appreciate you, or don’t wish we could work with you for longer. Certain things are shifting, and we do not want the blowback to fall on you or the Blue Lotus. It is fine if my name is stepped on. But I will not let them step on the Blue Lotus and your honor because we haven’t told you everything.”
Hiao Xen felt heavy in his heart, but it was coming from a good place. “I understand. This is an opportunity that I was not expecting to get in my lifetime. You honor me, placing so much trust in me.”
“You earned it and more. Honestly, I wish that we didn’t have to rush all this.”
“How long do we have?” Chonglu asked.
“Two weeks, tops. To the outside world, I want it to appear like this was our plan the entire time. It secures Chonglu in his position, makes sure that the Blue Lotus isn’t slighted, and then you can return with a large recommendation.” Erik looked at Hiao Xen.
Hiao Xen nodded. “I will need to contact the Blue Lotus and check with them. Will there be a ceremony?”
“A small one if possible.”
“Okay. I can get everything ready on the Blue Lotus side.”
“Thank you, Hiao Xen,” Erik said.
“Well, I’m still your acting city lord until you release me.” Hiao Xen smiled.
High Elder Cai Bo marched through the halls before reaching two large doors. The guards standing in front of them knocked as she arrived.
“Send her in,” Head Foster’s voice called out.
The guards opened it for her.
Head Foster sat in the middle of the training room. He was sitting on a formation that purified and concentrated his mana. Cai Bo shuddered under its weight and slowed her steps for a half-second.
The door closed behind her as the head of the Willful Institute opened his eyes.
She bowed deeply, recovering from the massive amount of mana all around her. “Head Foster, the group in Vuzgal led by Low Elder Kostic have had some interesting results. It looks like the Adventurer’s Guild has deep ties with Vuzgal. Their primary business—”
Seventh Realm Part 1: A LitRPG Fantasy series (The Ten Realms Book 8) Page 10
