The Path of the Strongest Mortal, page 6
Having landed in a puddle, Zirx began to rise, groaning. Anger raged in him, but the sense of self-preservation kept him from doing anything extreme. He knew perfectly well that he wouldn’t achieve anything by force — his brother had proved that to him.
“Bastard... Damn you,” he muttered. “Someday, I’ll pay you back for this humiliation. You’ll beg for mercy, but I’ll just crush you... In the meantime... In the meantime, I have to deal with those three. All of this is their fault, I’m sure of it... There are ways... There’s always a way...” He giggled, his veins swelled and a frenzied look gleamed in his eye.
The one who was once a great cultivator had given in to negative emotions. And although they weren’t strong enough to damage his soul, the same, unfortunately, couldn’t be said for his mind.
Chapter 6
THE ALCHEMY SHOP
It had been ten days since the trio returned to the surface. The active phase of both wells ended, so they had a few days off.
“What’s this about?” Shacks asked when Ghim came to congratulate them.
“You’ve proven yourself to be useful and loyal, which I reported to Sir Alex. Therefore, starting today, you’re slaves of the second rank.”
“What does that mean?”
“All slaves are divided into three ranks. Previously, you belonged to the third and had absolutely no rights. Now, you’ll be allowed to own some property, visit the City Center, although not without me, and now no one can kill you just for fun. But most importantly, you now have the right to cultivate up to the peak Exorcist Stage.”
“But we’re wearing collars.”
“Don’t worry. There are special rooms where they’re partially disabled, allowing you to cultivate.”
“What about resources? Will we be given some?” Kai inquired.
“As Resilients, you’re entitled to a small salary, which I’ll be keeping for you, as your treasurer. The currency here is Azure Crystals,” Ghim showed them a tiny sparkling blue gem.
It contained a huge amount of energy. Kai and Shacks immediately compared it with the Energy Stones and came to the conclusion that they were far behind the local currency.
The Crystal was four times smaller than a standard Stone but contained twice as much energy, which made it a more convenient energy source. But its main advantage was its stability. The energy in it was calm, which made it easier to tame and use.
“Each of you is entitled to one Crystal for each successful trip to the well. Thus, you already have seven Crystals each. You can use them for development, or you can use them to buy other resources.”
“Why are you paying slaves at all?” Shacks asked. “I mean, I don’t mind, but isn’t it a bit strange?”
“First of all,” Ghim raised his finger, “this is how the bosses get stronger slaves. Second, this way, according to their logic, you become more obedient. And, third, paying one Crystal to a handful of Resilients is still much cheaper than buying new slaves.”
“I see.” Shacks nodded.
“All right...” The dwarf stretched his neck. “I’ll go see with Sir Alex about permission to take you to the Center. Wait for me here.”
Kai looked at Shacks.
“You somehow seem too okay with this...”
Shacks turned slowly to Kai and smiled.
“Of course I’m not. I don’t intend to stay here. It’s just that I see no reason to try to run away at the moment. For now, let’s lay low. Sooner or later, we’ll get a chance to get outta here.”
“I see,” Kai replied. He had the same opinion, although he couldn’t accept being a slave. Then again, perhaps Shacks was just pretending to be a good boy.
Ghim quickly returned with their permission, and the four of them were off to the Center.
***
The Center was strikingly different from the rest of Udin. Slaves didn’t live and work in the city. Only the residents and those who traveled through Starks’ lands gathered and passed through here.
Having entered through a special gate, the trio followed Ghim.
“Don’t get any ideas. There are guards at every turn, and your collars are tracked. I’m also allowed, no, obliged, to attack you if you try anything funny. So, listen to me and everything’ll be fine,” he said as he turned his head to them.
Their group moved away from the wall and walked into a wide, busy street. Merchants tried their best to beckon buyers, and there was a constant clatter of the hooves of Flaming Horses — a special breed of monsters, which could reach the speed of racing cars at the later stages of development. They were controlled with special reins which allowed the owner to take full control of their minds.
The streets of Udin were filled with representatives of almost all races of the continent. However, the elves were still the most numerous race while humans could rarely be seen...
...which was why everyone stared at Kai and Shacks.
“Mom! Mom!” a little elf cried. “Look, look! What strange elves... Are they sylphs?”
Looking at where her daughter was pointing, her mother replied: “No, honey. Those are...” Her eyes widened in surprise and slight fear. “Those are humans!”
“Humans?” the girl asked, confused, as her mother suddenly picked her up, and quickly stepped aside.
“Let’s get out of here,” she muttered under her breath.
There were many such encounters and comments. The presence of humans surprised the townspeople, making them curious and inquisitive. Some didn’t even know what kind of creatures Kai and Shacks were, but they quickly noticed that their clothes bore the emblem of the Abyss Sector.
“Shit! What are they, humans?”
“Why the hell are they allowed to walk around freely?”
“Oh, Heavens! My child! They’ll infect her!”
Cries of indignation, panic, and even horror filled the street. However, these were just a drop in the ocean compared to the general city noise.
“Guards! Guards! Get them out of here!”
However, no one was in a hurry to do anything about the humans and their two companions that soon disappeared into an alley and out of everyone’s sight.
“Don’t worry. The guards won’t do anything,” Ghim said. “Not a lot of people know about the Resilient ones, so it’s not surprising that you were mistaken for nobodies.”
“But what’s with all the panic?” Shacks asked.
“People believe that, supposedly, humans can get you infected. But that’s nonsense. Such a thing has never happened, and I have no idea why anyone believes it,” he grunted, wrinkling his brow in frustration.
“By the way, where are we going?”
“To my friend’s shop,” the dwarf replied. “Because of this stupid belief, no one else will let you into their store, or at least it’ll take a while to find those.”
They followed Ghim in silence, walking along the remote and almost empty alleys. At this point, the dwarf could make his way from the gate to the shop with his eyes closed.
“Hey, big guy,” Shacks suddenly broke the silence, turning to Malvur. “I don’t know anything about your race, so I’d like to ask you a few questions. I saw other giants here, but they were bigger than you. Is there something special about you, or am I missing something?”
There was no response. Malvur was silent as if no one had asked him anything.
Several long seconds passed. Shacks was about to redirect the question to Ghim when the giant spoke up.
“You’ve seen the inferior ones. They don’t know how to compress their bodies,” he answered shortly. “Also, our height depends on age. I’m young. Only forty-one.”
His age surprised everyone, including Ghim.
“Um… Malvur… How old were you when you became an Exorcist?” the dwarf asked.
“Eighteen.”
Surprise turned into shock. Especially for Kai and Shacks. The youngest Exorcist they knew was Jiang Dao, who became a true master at the age of twenty.
How talented must’ve Malvur been if he had managed to achieve such a feat earlier than Jiang Dao? Without a huge amount of the most valuable resources, even the greatest genius couldn’t achieve such a result. They knew that the giant used to be an aristocrat, but his family must’ve been the crème de la crème of their society to be able to afford such a thing.
They also couldn’t help but wonder why someone like him was sold as a slave.
However, no one was in a hurry to ask him that. They didn’t want to dig through someone else’s past.
***
They arrived at the shop two hours later.
“Welcome to the Old Town,” Ghim said. “It was from here that the construction of the Center began. It’s mostly private houses and small two-story buildings here. This way.” He pointed to his right at a shop selling various resources for cultivation. “Let’s go.”
After climbing several steps, he opened the door.
No guards? Shacks wondered as he followed him inside. Aaaah... Now I understand.
Everything made sense as soon as he saw the shop owner. He was a hunched old dwarf sitting on a rocking chair reading a book. He was dressed in a long blue robe, and his gray beard reached the floor.
He seemed to be much older than Ghim, and didn’t give off any aura at all. By the looks of it, he didn’t seem to be a cultivator. At least, that’s what one could think, but Shacks remembered that all dwarfs had the ability to control their ki from the age of ten. He couldn’t feel the old man’s aura, but he could tell that he was an Elementalist. No wonder he didn’t need anyone to guard the store; he was perfectly capable of doing that himself.
“Ghim!” the dwarf exclaimed. Jumping off his chair and laying down the book, he began to stumble over to his friend. “Haven’t seen you for a long time, you ol’ fleabag! How do you do? How’s your grandson? Why haven’t you been visiting?”
The dwarfs hugged.
“Bourne, my ol’ friend! You know how work is.” Ghim smiled a bit sadly. “The youngster’s doing great.”
“It’s been so long, I’m surprised you remember my name.” The old man laughed.
“That hurts,” Ghim replied with a laugh.
“Uncle Ghim, it’s good to see you,” Bourne’s granddaughter said as she entered the room and approached them.
“Taya! I’m glad to see you, too. I see you finally reached the Soul Stage.”
“I have.” She nodded, and then looked at Bourne. “All thanks to grandfather.”
“Don’t underestimate your talent and hard work. I just gave you the tools you needed.” Bourne looked sternly at his granddaughter and then turned back to Ghim. “What brings you here, friend?”
“Well, these guys need some of your potions and pills,” Ghim replied and pointed at the trio behind him.
“Two humans and a giant,” Bourne muttered as he observed them. “I don’t remember seeing them with you before. Who are they?”
“New members of my squad.”
“All three? And they’re all Resilient?” Bourne was surprised.
“Yes.”
“I see. Well, all right... Take turns listing the Forces that you mastered, whether you have a bloodline and which one, as well as your thoughts on what kind of things you need.”
The trio looked at each other. Kai shrugged and spoke first.
“Forces of Sword, Space and... Ice. I have a bloodline that helps with regeneration.”
“It’s not helping much now, is it?” Bourne pointed at Kai’s chest. “Who left you the present?”
Although he couldn’t see through the clothes, it wasn’t difficult for him to take a good look at the wound by observing the energy flow.
“Some demon with torn wings chained to a pyramid,” Kai replied without hesitation.
Silence took over the shop.
“Funny lad,” Bourne said with a stiff chuckle and shot Ghim a glare. “Did you teach him to answer like that?”
“What? No!” He shook his head. “This is the first time I’ve heard that myself.”
“I see... Try a different joke next time, boy.” Bourne looked at Kai condescendingly. “The Black Sand Pyramid is a myth, as is the demon. I spent my whole life looking for it, but I never found anything. I’ve wasted almost eight centuries of my life chasing after nothing! If you only knew...”
“Grandpa, please calm down.” Taya intervened. “You said that you’d never bring this up again. You promised!”
Bourne paused and then sighed heavily.
“You’re right, Taya. I got carried away... Ahem, back to alchemy. Your turn.” He pointed at Shacks.
After he was done questioning them, the selection of resources for the entire trio began, and it took about half an hour.
“I’m pretty sure you don’t have money for potions and elixirs, so I only brought pills,” Bourne said when he returned from the storage room. “Everything here is of Gold rank and peak quality. Take your pick,” he said, as he laid out several types of pills on the counter, dividing them into three groups.
Coming closer, Kai immediately determined which pills were for him.
[Steel Frost Pill]
Rank: Gold
Quality: Peak
Feature: A pill created from ingredients containing particles of Forces of Sword and Ice. Consume it to double the effectiveness of contemplating the Forces of these Paths for the next fifty hours.
Limitation: Can only be used once.
[Blade Abyss Pill]
Rank: Gold
Quality: Peak
Feature: A pill created from ingredients containing particles of Forces of Sword and Space. Consume it to double the effectiveness of contemplating the Forces of these Paths for the next fifty hours.
Limitation: Can only be used once.
[Double Ascend Pill]
Rank: Gold
Quality: Peak
Feature: Doubles the energy used when breaking through to the Exorcist Stage for two hours.
Requirement Source Creation level
Limitation: Can only be used once.
Two pills for Forces, and one for a breakthrough… Kai thought. They’re all of peak quality... However, they’re cheap alchemy, with no additional effects. It’s not much different from breaking through by using energy. I’ve no intention of making myself at home here, so I don’t see a point in buying these. And I won’t have time to earn enough money for more expensive ones. I hope. I think I should keep the Crystals for now. Although... Considering that Ghim has them, then it’s better to spend them, but in a more efficient way.
“Do you have anything that can enhance regeneration for a long period of time?” he asked. “What can I buy for five Crystals?”
Bourne looked at him skeptically.
“Here.” He showed him a small box. “Exactly five Crystals.”
Opening it, Kai saw a dark green ball.
[Rebirth Pill]
Rank: Gold
Quality: High
Description: Constant regeneration for the next two hundred hours.
Requirement: Source Creation level
Limitation: Can be used twice.
“I’ll take it.”
Excellent. This will help me recover faster... And then nothing will stop me from getting out of here.
“As you wish.” Bourne shrugged.
“You have two Crystals left. Do you want to spend them now?” Ghim asked.
“No. I’ll use them for cultivation,” Kai answered. He needed a lot of ki to contemplate Yin.
Shacks and Malvur quickly finished their shopping as well, after which they left Bourne’s shop, and headed back to the Abyss.
If only they knew that they weren’t destined to get there.
Chapter 7
THE CONSEQUENCES OF BEING RECKLESS
“Aaaaaah! Help! Please! Help me!” A woman’s cry rang out. “No! Don’t! I beg you, somebody! Help me!”
The four cultivators stopped abruptly.
“Don’t even think about it!” Ghim threatened the trio. “There should be guards here; it’s their job to keep the order. So, keep walking.”
“I don’t see any guards here,” Shacks said after looking around. “There’s no one here except us.”
“So what? You’re slaves, and I’m just an Abyss employee. It’s not our job to—”
“Please, stop! Help, anyone...! Aaaaaa!” A powerful blow that shook a part of the street abruptly cut off the scream.
“Damn it!” Ghim swore and motioned them to follow him. The three of them were as fast as he was even though their true speed was being suppressed by the collars. “Okay, fine! We’ll take a look and, if need be, run to get the guards. Let’s go!”
A terrible picture played out before them — a blood-covered elf in torn clothes lay on the ground like a broken doll, and three huge (no smaller than Malvur) and muscular dorgans towered above her.
They looked like humans, but with a few major differences. They had long claws and sharp fangs, vertical pupils, and they were partially covered with fur.
“Slaves, so strange...” Ghim whispered, making the trio look at the collars on the dorgans’ necks. Since the assailants weren’t aristocrats, the trio thought that, as slaves, they had the right to put their own in their place.
Approaching the group, Kai made a sharp thrust with his hand. He aimed his fist at the ringleader’s head — the tallest and broadest dorgan. However, the Exorcist easily dodged, and just as easily returned to his spot. But it didn’t help him, and he was surprised to see a thin cut on his cheek.
“Not bad,” the dorgan said, touching the wound, and then folded his fingers in a way that resembled wolf’s teeth.
Kai was about to rush to the girl when an incredible weight suddenly fell on him, Shacks and Malvur, pinning them to the ground. Kai was about to get up, but stopped himself just in time. He couldn’t let them know that he could resist the collar.
“What’s going on here?!” shouted a guard who suddenly appeared in the alley and pointed at the biggest dorgan. “You! State your name!”
