Lightning Is the Only Way

Gravis closed in on the town and slowed down. Charging full-speed into a town could evoke adverse reactions. Gravis might need enemies, but attacking a town full of innocent people was just wrong. The town had a five-meter-high, grey wall surrounding it. The big gates in front of Gravis were only opened so wide, that a human could barely squeeze through them.

The two guards beside the gate looked at him and noticed the saber on his back. They raised their halberds and shouted. "Halt! Why are you carrying a weapon?"

Gravis stopped and looked at them. "Because it's dangerous outside," he plainly explained.

The guards became a little more relaxed when they heard that but still kept up their vigilance. "We can't let you through with that weapon," the guards said imposingly.

Gravis furrowed his brows. If these were the town's rules, he had to comply, but only on one condition. "Is that true for everyone entering the town?" he asked. If this were only true for ordinary citizens, then nobles and people with 'connections' would still be able to carry their weapons. People with strength had the power, and he didn't want to bet on the possibility that no one wished to take his life in the town.

"In order to carry a weapon in the city, you require a certain amount of status, and we know all people with status. We must apologize, but we can't let you through like this," the guards continued. One of the guards looked up at the wall and waved one of his hands. The gates promptly closed completely.

Gravis narrowed his eyes at the guards and released his will-aura. The guards felt the world turn colder, and they believed they saw an illusory blade resting on their throats. They started having trouble breathing and faltered. Mortals had no resistance to Gravis' will.

"I am going into this town," Gravis stated, and all the hair on the guard's necks stood up. Gravis slowly walked forward. It was their duty to stop him, but they just couldn't summon the courage. They watched as Gravis passed between the two guards, not looking at them at all.

Gravis arrived in front of the gate and placed his right hand on it. He pressed forward with all his strength, and the gate slowly started opening. The guard's faces whitened, and they retreated a couple of steps. Only someone with tempered muscles could open the gate by hand. They hadn't even tempered their skin, so how could they possibly stop such an existence?

Of course, Gravis didn't have tempered muscles, but his organs and blood had been tempered for over 15 years. His physical strength was incomparable to an average human. His power could not reach the level of someone with tempered muscles, but it was strong enough to open the big gate. This gave the guards the illusion that Gravis had tempered his muscles.

Their town-lord was the only individual in the town with tempered muscles, so they didn't dare say anything to Gravis anymore. They let him pass in silence. After Gravis left their sight, one of the guards looked up at the wall at another guard with a white face. "Go inform the town-lord," he commanded.

The guard straightened, looked at his commanding officer below, saluted, and ran into the town. The other guards released a sigh of relief. They felt like they had touched death. Yet, they realized that they had failed their duty. The punishment would be severe.

Gravis looked around the town. It had wide streets, and most of the buildings consisted of stone. It was definitely better than the village he was in before. Many people crowded the streets, but when they saw that Gravis was carrying a weapon in the open, they gave him a wide berth. People with weapons were either noble or affiliated with the underground.

Gravis continued walking until he arrived at an open plaza. He could see a lot of stalls placed all around the square. They peddled different wares. He saw people offering everything from medicinal herbs to martial arts. The only thing that wasn't being sold were weapons. It was probably illegal.

Gravis went up to a stall that sold medicinal herbs. He could see a long queue, went to the back, and stood in line. The onlookers looked at him unsurely. Gravis was carrying a weapon openly, so his status couldn't be ordinary. Yet, he stood obediently at the back of the queue of a stall. This felt unreal to them.

One of the onlookers walked to the person in front of Gravis and nervously tipped his shoulder. The person felt annoyed and looked at the guy who poked him. The guy just beckoned at Gravis with his eyes. The man in the line turned to Gravis, saw his weapon, and stepped back. He then gestured for Gravis to move in front. While doing that, he also gave the man in front of him a light kick to his calves.

"Who-" the man turned, saw the scene, and also moved back. This spectacle continued until Gravis was at the front of the queue, everyone else standing behind him. The stall owner looked at Gravis with a mixture of delight and nervousness.

"What does sir require?" He asked, very politely.

Gravis looked at him with his, by now, usual serious look. "Where can I buy pills for skin-tempering?"

The stall owner felt bitter. It seems like there was no money to be made here. He pointed at one of the stone buildings adorning the plaza. "This is the Medicinal Pill Pavilion. All pills in the town are sold there," he explained politely.

The building was bigger than most of the others. It had three floors and the walls were painted in a festive, red color. An ostentatious sign showed the building's name, "Medicinal Pill Pavilion", written with graceful strokes. Gravis nodded at the stall owner and walked to the building. The other people at the stall sighed in relief as Gravis left.

In comparison, Gravis felt bitter. 'Everyone is subservient. If I were not used to this subservient attitude, I would start feeling smug. I'm lucky that everyone in my home city treated me like this. Oh Heaven, what a dangerous scheme...' he thought.

Gravis went into the Medicinal Pill Pavilion and didn't see any people, except for a girl behind the counter. Probably not everyone could have the finances to buy pills. There were no display cases for pills, and the store looked rather barren. The girl was around his age and stood behind the counter with a straight back.

He walked over, and the girl who already took note of his weapon politely curtsied. "Welcome to the Medicinal Pill Pavilion! How can I help you?"

"What do I need to buy skin-tempering pills?" He asked directly.

The girl smiled. "One Skin-Pill costs 7.5 gold coins."

Gravis narrowed his eyes. The girl felt a little afraid but didn't show it. "But since it is sir that is shopping here, we can sell them for seven gold coins."

Gravis didn't narrow his eyes because of the price, but because he realized something.

He didn't have any money.