B5 Chapter 29

It was cumbersome and quite painful, if I had to be honest, but the weeks following my first meeting with the young prodigious Mikoniv were fruitful. The mornings were spent with intense workout sessions, World refinement, and efforts to fill new Gates. Next up, shortly after noon, I visited the archive to research more about the Mikoniv and their techniques. Ubu showed me Razarn’s history as well as the history of the Realm, which had been home to the Spirits and over a dozen races more than a thousand years ago.

The more I learned about the Realm, the more I wondered about it. Every old piece of information that mentioned the Realm spoke about its beauty and the Spirits’ god-like powers. Apparently, Gods with a capital G existed as well. What exactly that meant, I still didn’t understand. Were Gods at the same Rank as Spirits? In the first place, what were Gods?

Udu was not sure either, nor did he find any records focusing on Gods. They were just mentioned on the side alongside the Spirits. That, however, was enough to show that Gods were powerful. Or had been before the Devourer consumed them.

There was a mention of the Primal being one of the first Gods or something.

Aureus pointed out and forwarded an image depicting a tattered scroll. It was written in an ancient tongue, which Aureus had learned already. Of course he did. The Earthheart was obsessed with the different languages, which was confusing but also quite helpful.

Right... I responded to Aureus before discarding the image lodged into my mind.

Rather than focusing on the Gods or whatever the Primal Spirit had been before he too fell to the Devourer, I was more concerned with the present and future. After researching all kinds of things in the archive from noon to afternoon, I visited House Heilos. Thaira was waiting for me; he always was, and he never allowed me to leave. His mother had to step in to end our hourly research and experiments. That was usually done by removing the ambient ether of the house, cutting us off with the press of a button.

After weeks of research and experiments that often turned painful, my situation had improved quite a bit. The World was growing as it should and my Gates... well, my Gates were a different problem. I did have a few more lower-ranked Gates to fill, but I did not have many high-ranked Gates, which was the most important. Only Aureus had high-ranking Gates for me to fill, and even he was only producing them slowly. While that did make sense – the Earthheart had to improve his proficiency of the Earthen Aspect as well as augment it for a new Earthen Gate to form – it affected my growth in that regard quite a bit.

Nox and the other Soulkins had already advanced beyond their racial limit from the Essence they’d consumed, and their Gates were already filled or too weak to really affect my physique. That didn’t stop me from using them, but doing so was no solution.

It would have been great if Sapsie formed Gates as she grew, but she could only convert regular Gates into Liferoot Gates, which, while good, wasn’t what I needed right now.

Fortunately, the Gate issue was something I could solve. Technically. But before I did something I wasn’t ready for, we had to solve another issue.

“The Vortex Gate technique.” I mused at the name Thaira had given his newest creation. It took three weeks and a lot of pain, as well as the potential to cripple my weave, but we made it work.

Thaira Heilos created a new technique. I would have loved to say that ‘we’ created the technique together, but it was mostly Thaira’s genius doing the work. The young Mikoniv was just that mad when it came to ether control and Nodes. No matter how much I improved in the last few weeks, I was nowhere near his level. Comparing myself to the kid was useless anyway, so I embraced the opportunity instead.

That was how the filters created in my weave slowly transformed into vortexes. The vortexes acted similarly to Gathering Nodes, with similar efficiency, as they pulled ambient ether toward them. They couldn’t be connected directly to the weave or Gates, which was something we learned through blood, sweat, and tears. Or, at least, I was bleeding, sweating, and on the verge of crying.

I vomited blood more than once as the Ether Vortexes fell apart, and I collapsed a handful of times as well. It wasn’t funny, yet I was lucky nonetheless. If the weave’s branches had been any weaker, the Ether Vortexes’ strain would have torn them apart. The branches, augmented by the Earthen Gates, held them together and prevented permanent injuries. Still, several smaller branches snapped and had to be repaired with the nectar from Sapsie’s Pond of Life.

Both the Earthen Gates’ endurance augmentation and Sapsie’s nectar were game-changers. They were also why I could visit Thaira every day to continue our experiments instead of being bedridden and forced to waste a week recovering before returning to the mad prodigy.

The vortexes were nowhere near perfect either. As far as we could tell, it would take months before the technique would reach an acceptable level. However, by then, everything would change. If nothing went wrong, other Blessed would be able to use the Vortex Gate technique that allowed humans and other races to passively absorb ambient ether. It would also make several procedures for the Mikoniv a lot easier.

Many races would grow stronger once the Vortex Gate technique hit the market. House Heilos offered me a portion of the profit that selling the technique would generate, but that didn’t feel right. I’d already profited so much from House Heilos and their little prodigy; accepting royalties from them felt wrong. Thaira’s mother was not yet done with that topic, but it didn’t matter yet since completing the technique would take a few more months.

For now, the vortexes only absorbed ambient ether and distributed it in every direction, but that wasn’t enough. Sure, with the circulation system created by the Blazing Gates, it was much easier to proceed as long as the vortexes absorbed, processed, and distributed ether, but for others it wasn’t enough.

With more Blazing Gates, the circulation system would be stronger. I mused to myself, prompting Aureus to comment once more.

Then make sure you talk to Volca to get Volix back.

***

Returning home late at night from yet another painful experiment at House Heilos, I felt like crashing down in bed, but my parents and the Zerogs were in the living room talking. Taking their serious expressions into account, something must have happened.

“Adam!” Daniel called out with a smile. “We were waiting for you.”

“Hey Daniel.” I called back, an eyebrow cocked. “You were waiting for me? All of you?”

The Zerogs nodded slowly. Lea glared at me while her parents were beaming at me.

“We just wanted to thank you for your help,” Peter chirped happily. “Your investment was very generous, and it helped us greatly. As you might have heard, we talked to a few Alchemists who failed the True Alchemy exam and created a smaller base of production. With Lea’s help we secured a small team of Hunters specialized in harvesting ether plants and various other materials.”

I nodded slowly at that. What Peter Zerog said wasn’t news to me. Daniel had mentioned his parents going all out on their production base, not to undermine the Alchemy Tower but to find ways to produce serums and potions en masse for those who couldn’t afford the Alchemy Tower’s special products. While their products’ efficacy left a lot to be desired, they were a lot more affordable for weaker Hunters as well.

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Hence, they expanded to distribute their products to the less fortunate districts as well as the settlements located outside Dracos. Or so that had been their plan a few weeks ago.

“We talked to a few merchants and learned something very interesting,” Chloe Zerog chipped in. “We found out that you’re connected to House Heilos. Why didn’t you tell us about that?”

“I did.” I smiled back at Peter and Chloe Zerog, whose eyebrows creased.

“Wait,” Daniel called out. “Don’t tell me that the mad kiddo, that weird prodigy who's been torturing you, belongs to House Heilos?!”

My parents paled a little at that. They knew what I’d been doing, but hearing it from Daniel seemed to stir something within them.

“Yeah, I guess.” There was no denying it. “Their youngest is experimenting on me, but it’s not particularly dangerous. We learned a lot and we may actually have found a way to make use of the Gate Outflow Syndrome. To take advantage of something that would kill most.”

Even though I smiled reassuringly at my parents, they clearly didn’t believe me. They were unconvinced, certain I was lying about the ‘not particularly dangerous’ part, which... honestly, I wasn’t exactly truthful about. There had been more than a dozen instances where I’d been certain my weave would be permanently damaged. Thaira had been too ambitious for his own good – or mine, in that case – but he had learned a lot since then.

“Anyway,” Peter cleared his throat. “When the Mikoniv merchants found out that you belong to us, their tune changed quite a bit. They were very forthcoming, to say the least.” The corner of his mouth curled into a savage smile. “So we exploited them... somewhat.”

“Honey!” Chloe hissed, her eyes flicking to me before drifting back to her husband.

“We said we’d keep that a secret,” she said in a hushed voice.

“I don’t mind. The Mikoniv merchants know what they’re doing.” I chuckled at that. “Even if you think you’re taking advantage of them, it’s probably them who are taking advantage of you. Make sure you read your contracts thoroughly. Also, once you strike a deal, you will have to keep to it. If you try to change something afterward, they may comply, but they will never deal with you again. Trades and deals are sacred to them.”

Chloe went silent at that, while Peter’s smile died down. He paled a little and made eye contact with his wife. “I think... I think we should double-check the agreement...”

“Triple-check it,” Daniel added, only for Chloe Zerog to go one step further.

“We will read it four times. Every clause. I don’t want them taking advantage of us.”

She was fine taking advantage of them but didn’t want to be taken advantage of? Why?

Sapsie asked curiously, yet I couldn’t give her an acceptable answer.

Human greed was one. Hypocrisy another. Then again, as fitting as they might appear, I didn’t really feel like they fit perfectly.

It’s a merchant thing. Merchants always strive to improve their profit margin. But they love getting better deals than their ‘opponents’. It’s like fighting... with words and written agreements, I guess. I was not a businessman, and I never thought I would be one. For that, I was simply too bad at negotiating and likely too impatient.

The Zerogs got up in a hurry and rushed over to the office. They tried to retain the last of their decorum, but I caught their muffled curses. They hadn’t signed the agreements with the Mikoniv yet from what I could tell, but their pleasant experience with the merchants had been soured.

They fine! If not, we kill merchants!

Nox called out, making me groan.

“I’ll leave as well. Alchemy Zuan gave me a new concoction method to read through till tomorrow,” Daniel said with a smile and left. Meanwhile, Lea was glaring at me.

“Lucky bastard.” She blurted out through thinned lips before departing as well.

“W-What?” I called out to her, but Lea only stopped for a moment to glare at me.

Lucky bastard? We hadn’t seen each other much in the last few weeks or even months, so why was she acting like that?

“What’s wrong with her?” I turned to my parents. Dad grimaced while Mom avoided my eyes.

“What did I miss?”

“You know…” Dad stopped even before he really started. He let out a sigh and took a moment to organize his thoughts. “Sorry, Adam. I don’t know how it happened, but we missed your mail. You got a letter a while ago, but we never got to tell you about it. We forgot about it and... we were just too occupied.”

“Which is not an excuse,” Mom added, retrieving a small, seemingly ordinary letter from her spatial ring. “I am sorry, dear. We messed up a little. I hope it’s not too bad.”

“A letter?” Who in Dracos used letters? Heck, I didn’t even know we had a mailbox.

“Don’t worry about it.” I dismissed my parents’ concern with a wave. After all, I could have checked the mailbox myself all this time, yet I didn’t.

“I didn’t know we had a mailbox.” A chuckle escaped my lips as I accepted the letter. Relief flashed across my parents’ faces, which was good enough for me. So instead of worrying unnecessarily, I ripped the letter open. Or tried to.

It wouldn’t open no matter what I tried. I even applied Nullblade to my finger to cut it open at the edge, but that didn’t work either, which was curious and terrifying at the same time.

When force didn’t work, I tried ether. Nullblade failed as well, but infusing a trace of ether into the letter worked wonders and it unraveled before my eyes. One moment, the letter rested in my hands, and in the next it floated in front of me, a deep archaic voice reverberating through the room.

—Greetings, Invitee,

If you have received this letter, know that your name has reached the ears of the Spirit Guards.

Reports of your actions have been reviewed and verified. Tales of courage, perseverance, and service in the face of adversity do not go unnoticed by our order. Whether through valor in battle, aid rendered to those in need, or achievements worthy of recognition, you have distinguished yourself from the countless souls who walk this world.

In acknowledgment of your contributions, Spirit Coins have been deposited into your account. Consider this not a reward, but a token of recognition from the Spirit Guards.

Few receive this invitation.

We hereby extend to you the opportunity to join the Spirit Guards Training Program. There, you will be tested, tempered, and judged alongside other promising candidates. Those who prove their worth shall earn the right to stand beneath our banner and join the ranks of an organization respected throughout the realms.

As a Spirit Guard, you will gain access to knowledge, training, resources, and opportunities unavailable to Hunters and Adventurers. You will stand among warriors, scholars, explorers, and guardians who have dedicated their lives to protecting civilization from the countless dangers lurking beyond its borders.

The path before you is demanding. The trials are difficult. Many will attempt them. Few will succeed.

Should you pass the Training Program and demonstrate the qualities we seek, the gates of the Spirit Guards shall open to you.

We await your arrival.

Knight of Glacia,

Spirit of Eternal Winter—

“The fuck.” I blurted out, only to be glared at by my mother.

“Language.” She hissed, but my language was the least of my concerns.

The letter was interesting, to say the least. It was probably also the reason Lea had glared at me like I was dead to her. Did she want to join the Spirit Guards?

I discarded that thought with a shake of my head. One thing at a time. Step one – did I want to join the Spirit Guards? The answer was unclear, but it leaned more toward yes. Why? Well, it was one step closer to meeting with the Fire Spirit again. Spirit Coins and resources to grow sounded interesting as well.

And we can kill some Spawns.

Aureus pointed out, which I’d expected more from Nox.

YEAH! Kill Spawns!!

Nox exclaimed not long after.

“I guess I will give it a try.” It sounded interesting enough.