by Yuri Ajin
“What? What’s wrong?” Julie asked, confused, when Kai suddenly hugged her tight.
After standing like this for a minute, he finally let go of her.
“Are you okay?” he asked, continuing to examine her.
“Y-yes,” she replied. “What’s gotten into you?”
“What do you mean what’s gotten into me? You had monsters in the city! I’m worried about you.”
“That was yesterday.” Julie smiled. “I wasn’t in the city when they appeared. I was out working in the fields.”
Kai was relieved, but he still hadn’t calmed down completely.
“Tell me, do you have security at work?”
Julie sat down on the bed and pondered, trying to think of what to say. “There are a couple of people at the Opening of the Acupuncture Points level. But they mostly make sure that no one steals anything. We’re pretty safe there.”
Kai frowned. Thinking about the monsters, as well as the mysterious masked enemy who could attack the defenseless Julie, he made a new decision. He had thought that by moving his sister closer to him, he’d protect her. It turned out that he was wrong.
To avoid shocking Julie by suddenly announcing that she was moving, Kai sat down to explain everything to her. He began his story from the moment he met the bandits during the first test. He also told her about Ash’s death and Lily’s wounds. He told her that he believed that there was an enemy in the ranks of the Thunder Serpent Clan who wanted to kill him, as well as people close to him.
Julie listened calmly. Although she didn’t want to say goodbye to the people she had befriended during the time she had spent here, she understood her brother’s fears so she didn’t object to his decision.
And to think that some three years ago, she lived the quiet life of a doctor’s assistant in a relatively small town on the edge of the world, mourning her brother who had been lost in the mountains. Who could have imagined that everything would change so dramatically? That she’d see the far-away lands, that she’d travel countless miles, that she’d be on a real skyship, and that she’d end up at the Celestial Plateau — the center of this world. If she hadn’t gone to the market that day, she wouldn’t have found Kai dying in a ditch.
Deciding to stay with Julie for some time, Kai went out to buy some food and to think.
What should I do now? Where would she be safe? At the Temple? It’s bigger and richer, but does that guarantee her safety?
The sound of an arriving message distracted him from his thoughts.
Message received via the [Thunder Serpent Clan Crest].
To: Kai Arnhard
From: Dee
Hello, it’s Dee! I wanted to let you know that I’ll be in the Upper Nest in five days. You can get there, too, but only to the outer part of the city. You might be wondering why I’m writing to you. Well, I have some news regarding the matter we previously discussed. So, if you want info, come and find me! I’ll be at the Crystal Hotel.
Kai got an idea the moment he was done reading.
That’s it! He has to know about a good hiding spot! We should leave as soon as possible!
Forgetting about food, he returned to Julie’s room (she lived in a kind of a dormitory) and told her that they needed to go to the Upper Nest as soon as possible, so she should finish all her business and start packing.
They were ready to go in the late afternoon. Having paid for a stagecoach, they left the city. Their first stop was to be the Large Garden. Almost three months had passed since Kai had gone looking for the Herbs. It was time to sell them.
Since these two cities were pretty close, they reached their destination relatively quickly. Seeing Kai approaching the counter, the trading house employee smiled. As Kai and his two friends had become some of his favorite customers, he was friendly and helpful right away.
“You can go to evaluation room number fourteen... Oh yeah! I almost forgot. I saw your friends. They asked me to give you a message if I see you. They want you to know that everything’s all right.”
Thank the Heavens… Damn it, I should have contacted them earlier…
“Thank you!” Kai nodded and headed to the door marked with the number fourteen.
However, he didn’t manage to sell all of his goods. When he saw the amount that Kai was able to collect, the appraiser was stunned. Soon, several more workers came, and after a while, even the head of the trading house himself joined them. Speechless, he stared at the mountain of Herbs and Fruits that occupied a significant part of the table.
As it turned out, just then, they couldn’t afford to buy all of Kai’s goods — only a part of them. They told the young man that it’d be better for him to sell the rest at the Alchemical Trading House in the Upper Nest, to which they would immediately send a message.
Thanking them for the advice, Kai collected his payment and the two bottles of the Calm Endurance Potion (more than enough time had passed since he had placed his order so it was finished when he came to collect it) and continued on his way to the capital with Julie. For a tenth of his loot, he had managed to earn at least fifty thousand coins of hardened gold.
***
A few days earlier, a thousand miles to the east, as always, everything was calm.
Everyone knew that the Wasteland was divided into two parts: Middle and Far. Their border was basically in the center of the Celestial Plateau. A wide river, beginning at the mountains at the very north, went far to the south, drawing an uneven line between the two territories.
Not far from the Indestructible Tower, standing proudly between the Far and Middle Wastelands, was a small settlement hidden from the rest of the world by a powerful array. Its primary purpose was to protect the land from other people, not from monsters. For a long time, no creatures had ever appeared near the Tower. The power of the ancient structure frightened them.
By now, only a few people remained in the settlement, one of whom was in the central building. It was the Old Man of the Gray Mountain, next to whom all three parts of the key now lay.
“Hmm.” He frowned. With his aura, he could feel that the people who had come with him to the settlement were now dead. “And how do I activate you?” he wondered as he looked at the fragments of the key.
Just a minute ago, he tried to combine them and failed. The fragments released an incredibly powerful wave of power and killed his assistants. He, be it by luck or by the will of some higher force, remained unscathed.
“Ah, I should probably warn the clan that the scared monsters will soon come running to them…” the old man muttered and then plunged into a meditative state to try to unravel the secret of creating the key.
Chapter 15
THE FUGITIVE
Before reaching the Upper Nest, Kai and Julie dropped by the Temple so that he could use his hard-earned coin to buy the Particle he had seen three months ago.
He left the building with a smile on his face and his gift tucked away safely in his Ring. He’d begin to study the Sword Forces as soon as he found a safe place for Julie.
When he had gone into the Temple, he spent some time browsing as he wanted to see what new items they had gotten since his last visit. He found other interesting Particles, like those with the elements of nature. Their prices began at twenty-five thousand gold pieces, which did make them much cheaper than the one he had bought, but weren’t what he needed. He could only hope that his investment would pay off.
With the remaining coin, he rented several dozen scrolls for single and dual-wielding styles. Sure that he’d memorize it all by tomorrow, thus saving both time and coin, he didn’t bother renting them for longer than a twenty-four-hour period.
He had the idea to rent some techniques as well, but that’d take him longer to study. The fact that he didn’t know what exactly he needed, what he could study, or what was best for him made him re-think this idea. Not to mention that he’d probably need to sell the rest of the Herbs to get his hands on any of those techniques.
Having done his sh
opping, he and Julie resumed their journey.
To kill some time, Kai began studying the scrolls and had even managed to go through all of them by the time they got to their destination. This, of course, didn’t mean that he could put all of his knowledge to use immediately. He’d have to practice a lot to make sure that his body remembered every swing and tiny step. He wanted to be able to repeat them even in his sleep.
Arriving at the Upper Nest, the stagecoach stopped at the gates. Kai showed his tattoo to the guards, as only inner-circle students and those traveling with them could pass through the gates (apprentices and elders could get into the city without being checked). After they had checked the information on Julie’s bracelet, they finally let them enter the outskirts of the Upper Nest.
The city looked rich and luxurious: mansions, roads paved with rare stones, clean streets, wooden benches, jade and stone statues, fountains, and lush trees left any who came to the Upper Nest speechless. Only very wealthy inner-circle students (with their servants and relatives), as well as junior and senior elders, could afford to live here.
It was difficult even to imagine what the city’s center looked like, where only the members of the Lei family, apprentices, and some senior elders could afford to live.
Kai’s first destination was the Alchemical Trading House, where he was finally able to sell almost all of the Plants he had collected, leaving only the rarest and best ones for himself. He received about forty thousand coins of hardened gold for his troubles.
While there, he asked about the Crystal Hotel and then headed there. Although there was still a whole day before Dee’s arrival, he wanted to prepare for the meeting. Also, he needed a place to spend the night.
The next morning, he received a message from Dee with the exact time and meeting spot. As it turned out, Dee had gotten a room just two floors above his and Julie’s.
Leaving Julie, Kai went upstairs. The doors were open.
Once inside, he stopped and looked around the luxurious and spacious room. How much coin does Dee make that he can afford a suite in a very pricey hotel? Speaking of which… Where the hell is he?
“Hello!” With a sly smile on his face and glasses of something strong in his hands, Dee came out of the bedroom. Following him was a lovely girl. Lowering her head in embarrassment, she trotted to the exit, quickly leaving the room. “Oh... Don’t pay attention to her,” Dee said and waved his hand as if he was trying to chase away a fly. “Would you like a drink?”
Kai glanced at Dee’s expensive robe and smirk and sighed.
“Well, since you’re offering...” He took the glass from Dee’s hands. The burgundy liquid, although alcoholic, turned out to be quite nice. Judging by the taste and smell, there were some Plants in it.
Taking another sip of his drink, Kai sat down on the sofa.
“So, you have some info about a Fruit with soul energy, right?”
Dee nodded.
“I do. But first, I have to say that, although the info is a bit vague, I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get it. I had no idea how serious this request actually was! It turns out that soul energy is a very touchy topic. So...” Dee made a short pause, staring into Kai’s eyes. “The price will be eight thousand coins. If you don’t have that much on you, it’s fine. You can return later, I’m a patient man...”
“I can pay you now,” Kai said, making Dee raise his eyebrows in surprise. He must’ve thought that there would be no chance for Kai to have such an amount of coin.
As he said that, the coin appeared on the table. The surprise on Dee’s face turned into joy.
“Great! Then...” Leaning down to the table, he took the coin. In its place appeared a small array artifact. “Just for security reasons. Now no one can hear us.”
Taking the last sip from his glass, Dee put it on the table and leaned back in the chair.
“Now listen... Over the past five thousand years, only two such Fruits have been found at the Plateau. The first time the Seven Blades got lucky, and the second time, it was the Sun Blessed Clan. Both Fruits were found in the northeastern part of the Far Wasteland with a gap of about two to two and a half millennia. Based on this, we can assume that the new Fruit won’t appear anytime soon. However...
“I came into possession of some very interesting information. Thirty years ago, a disaster struck the Bright Moon Clan. A group of more than twenty Exorcists died in the Far Wasteland. Only one member survived, but he suffered a soul injury. The clan quickly realized that they had stumbled upon a Fruit with soul energy, but as it turned out later, it had evolved much more than they expected, and it could change its location. The elders of other clans found out about the Fruit, but nobody managed to find it. Not even the Elementalists. I don’t know what you’ll do with this info, but… This was where the Fruit was last seen five years ago,” Dee said and handed Kai a sheet with coordinates. Kai immediately checked them against the map.
The place was in the southeastern part of the Wasteland, not far from the ocean.
“That’s all.” Dee sighed. “But be careful, this is classified information. From time to time, clans still organize hunts for this Fruit. I was lucky to get one of our clan’s Exorcists, who took part in one of these attempts five years ago, to talk.”
“I understand.” Kai nodded.
He now had an approximate location of the Fruit’s whereabouts. It could hardly have moved far over these five years. He knew that Rune’Tan would be able to feel it if he got close enough to it. The real question was, would they be able to get the Fruit, or would it elude them like it did the clan five years ago? It was unlikely that he’d be able to succeed where even the Elementalists had failed. All he could do was rely on Rune’Tan’s help.
“Then...” Kai’s gaze regained clarity. He had returned from the abyss of reflection to reality. “I have one more request for you.
“I’m listening,” Dee said and poured himself some wine. He offered some to Kai but the young man declined, shaking his head.
“I have a sister. She isn’t a cultivator. I need to make sure that she’s safe. Can you help me with this?”
“Ah…” Dee took a sip from his glass and crossed his legs, leaning his ankle onto his knee. “It’s unlikely that the monsters will be able to get into the city ever again. The elders will be prepared.”
“It’s the humans that worry me, not monsters.”
“Well… In that case, you can leave her here in the Upper Nest. It is a little pricey but...”
“Is this the safest option? Coin isn’t an issue.”
“Hmm… Let me think...” Leaning on the arm of his chair, Dee rested his chin on his palm. “There’s one more place,” he finally said. “It’s probably the safest place here.”
“And where’s that?” Kai leaned forward.
“Neiven, the city at the Top of the World. I think you saw the mountains in the very north of the Wasteland on the map. Several large mines of Energy Stones are located there, which is why the city was built in such a place.”
“Who built it?” Kai inquired. “Whose city is it?”
“It belongs to the Seven Blades,” Dee replied. “But don’t worry, everyone can get into Neiven and live there. You could say it’s a neutral city. The security is top-notch. Gold-rank signals and defensive arrays are on every street and in every house. Some of their guards are even at the Exorcist Stage. It’s probably safer only in the center of the Upper Nest and other similar cities, but none of us can get there.”
Kai thought about it. A city outside the clan lands, in the middle of the Wasteland. The fact that it belonged to the strongest clan was an additional bonus.
“Can you get her there?” he asked after a couple of moments of thinking. “As soon as possible. How much for her accommodation and your services?”
Dee took a second to think.
“About a thousand hardened gold coins a month. That was how much I spent when I lived there for a while. If you want, I can get on it today. I don’t
have much to do right now anyway. However, you’ll have to pay more if you want me to work fast.”
“No problem. How much?”
“Four thousand.”
Kai immediately accepted the offer, aware that Dee wasn’t going to bargain. Before the amount was paid, the two thoroughly discussed the deal and swore a very detailed oath concerning their agreement.
Since Julie was already in the Upper Nest, they could immediately leave for the Heavenly Port of the Lower Nest. There, they could buy tickets to Neiven. The entire trip would take up to seven days, and maybe they’d need three more for Julie to make herself comfortable.
Deciding not to waste time, Kai immediately left for their room. There, he explained everything to Julie and gave her enough coin for her to live comfortably for about two years in Neiven. Worried about him, she protested, but Kai assured her that he’d make sure that both of them had food on their table and roofs over their heads. Hopefully, luck would continue to serve him and he’d continue finding Plants.
Having introduced Julie to Dee, Kai accompanied them to the stagecoach heading to the Lower Nest.
The day was drawing to its end. Wandering the alleys of the city, Kai headed to the local temple to look at what it had to offer. As he browsed the shelves, he wondered if he had done the right thing letting Julie go on her own. A part of him felt guilty for not accompanying her, but he knew that she’d be safer next to Dee. He was bound by an oath to protect her and he didn’t have a crazed killer after him. He’d be putting both of them at risk if he had gone with her.
Having found nothing of interest and having convinced himself that everything would be fine, Kai left the temple. He was about to turn the corner when someone ran into him. Faltering, they fell over.
Kai stopped dead in his tracks. Battered and dirty, with tattered clothes and disheveled hair, it was still hard not to recognize Jade Alkais. Kai wouldn’t mistake her for anyone else.
Hastily getting up, Jade looked up and almost cried tears of joy when she saw him.