I paid 1 credit to get a temporary pass for one cycle through the tower at the checkpoint on the main staircase. I had also noticed traffic was picking up. Despite being large the Forever City had always seemed quite empty for a super massive city. Several of the people weren’t wearing cloaks hiding their identities either.
“The middle levels are always the most populated and have high traffic. Anything under 5,000 would be considered the middle. Above or below that up to around 100,000 is mostly used for production. Down here are a wider range of places and where factions keep their core strength and valuables. Also where traffic moves through,” Bones explained.
“Don’t most people just live as mindless zombies?”
“A lot of the people running stuff try to do better, there are entertainment districts, and other facilities in the middle levels. Not as many as you would think, but the people running things there are of higher quality. The investment into them is around 500 to 1,000 credits instead of 100 credits. This is probably where Rhiza comes from.”
“So, classes of people, but there are no opportunities?”
“Nothing worthwhile. These levels are designed to suck credits out of your card, not put them in. We need millions upon millions of credits. For both of us. This isn’t the kind of thing you can earn just sitting around for a short period of time. Saving up that kind of wealth, in these middle levels is impossible. I might consider gambling, but such places are closely watched.”
“Which just leaves stealing from outer industrial levels,” I replied.
“Yes. Consumption of resources never ends. And to get high value goods, takes several processing steps, and very large equipment for a small percentage of improvement. Those drive systems we stole, how many levels of production and people do you think they took?” I considered that question carefully based on everything I knew.
“I would guess 10 levels and 5,000 people including support personnel,” I guessed.
“Close, but it is around 15 levels and 8,000 people. Automation is too expensive and prone to complicated sabotage. Humans are much more versatile. But my point is that, everything is like that. Layers upon layers of production facilities, feeding final products. The energy potion I want you to get, takes 50 levels and 35,000 people to produce.”
It was hard for me to mentally process the prices. A lot of things cost bits, fractions of a credit. But I was past that level of poverty now. Huge production facilities all feeding into a narrow range of people. Part of the problem was the scope and how packed everything was into the Forever City.
“If space is expensive, why not go out to a continent?” I ask.
“Risk and logistics. Everything feeds into the Forever City. There is the Heavenly Alliance. You start producing valuable energy potions in the trash heap you came from, then other factions will find out eventually and make a move. Even worse is there is very little protection from another super faction. It is about consolidation, social standards, and the defensive pact that keeps the Forever City humming along.”
I was asking all of these questions of Bones, since I wanted to start a business and earn passively. That was where the real money was. Set myself up like the TripleX faction and just have people come to me and earn money off of them, rather than risk my life.
The sheer wealth scale was also mind boggling. A credit was the equivalent of a rank 6 spirit stone in my mind. A 100,000 credits was more wealth than could be contemplated by sects back on the continent. But the issue was finding anything to spend it on. It would be like a billionaire going to a third world country, there just wouldn’t be anything of value and a small selection of the few items that were interesting. Then there was the issue of spending all of that money, since I had never heard of credits before coming to the Forever City.
The other suckers who had come with me out here were most likely all dead in some minor conflict. Even if they lived, they would be paid a handful of credits and not know any better. The factions wouldn’t explain all these things to them. Without Bones, it would be impossible to have gained an understanding of how this place worked and the unspoken rules.
I came to a stop on level 182, which contained an open market and tunnels to neighboring towers. Large regions tended to try and keep tunnels at the same level for ease of transportation between towers. It was a good sign that if tunnels were on the same level, factions were on good relations.
The entire floor was like a mall. Shops lined the wide hallways with signs and displays. There were several people without observation absorbers, and they were all powerful. I was definitely the weakest one around. “First thing is to get cleaned up. Otherwise we will be looked at like a scavenger.” Fitting in was key.
I stopped at a store with the name, Cleansing Spa And Outfitters. “It is a shared name. Certain sets of stores have agreed on standards to use the same name, with rules governing their operation. No one faction being the controlling interest in these things. Since they run the shops in their own tower. But creating familiar branding increases revenue.” I also mentally amended that statement, with the caveat that it was only some factions that did things like that. There would be other factions that saw value in having their own stores. Most likely these chains were supported in some way by the Heavenly Alliance.
We entered the store, and I removed my hood and mask since Bones told me to do so. “Welcome honored customer. How can we assist you today,” a young woman asked. She had a floral scent about her, a flower in her hair, and a flawless face that was the most beautiful I had ever seen. It took me small moment to compose myself.
“I have been traveling and require discretion. Cleaning for my equipment, and an outfit to make some minor purchases,” I said.
“Of course, of course. That is all easily handled honored customer. It would only cost 50 credits for discretion and another 50 credits for an outfit. Unless you wanted something heavily customized?”
“No, just the basics and discretion,” I said.
“Of course.” After that I was shown to a room and asked to removed everything. Bones said it was fine so I trusted him. After stripping down, attendants came in and hand washed me and cleaned my equipment where I could see them. I was then given a robe and a set of very nice martial robes were laid out for me.
I got changed into them, making sure to put back on all my key equipment, except my mask. “Down here, looking so young will be an advantage. You will be seen as important scion of a faction.”
“Not some old powerful cultivator?” I asked.
“Maybe. There are all types out there. But appearance is a choice once you are strong enough. I could speak for a long time about the subtle nuances in terms of how cultivators present themselves. Appearing as young as you do, is a clear statement you have powerful backers supporting you. With no faction patch and nice, but generic clothing, you will be seen as a young but important cultivator looking about, with hidden guards.”
That was incredibly complex in terms of working out the social nuances. I left the Cleansing Spa And Outfitters back onto the main concourse of the shopping level. There was no chain store that Bones saw for potions, so we stopped at the local store.
I began looking over the options that had been publicly laid out. An attendant was nearby. “Gravity is a close enough concept, and these energy potions are slightly aligned for gravity.”
“How much are these ones?” I pointed to the gravity type energy potions on display.
“Honored customer, those cost 2 credits per bottle. However there is the slightly more purified version for 10 credits per bottle, do you wish to inspect one?” the female asked me. She looked remarkably similar to the receptionist in the last store. Probably from the same vat line of humans created by the TripleX sect.
“Yes please,” I replied. They went to the back room. While there was no one directly watching me, Bones warned me not to steal anything in a place like this. The middle levels had security, very good security. Trying to steal anything wasn’t worth the risk compared to the reward for a theft.
The attendant brought out a slightly fancier bottle and handed it over to me. “Expensive, but worthwhile. There is a risk with long term use of the cheaper stuff to degrade your cultivation. The small bit you have consumed so far, isn’t a concern. But you want energy soaked in the essence of a Dao. While gravity is slightly different from force, it is close enough.”
I wasn’t happy about that, but it wasn’t a huge deal in my mind. I had only consumed a small amount of energy potions over the decades I had been working with Bones. We had to conserve credits in the past, now we were rich enough.
“Are there any discounts are larger orders?” I asked the attendant.
“It depends on the size of the order. How many were you considering purchasing?” the attendant asked.
“Ten thousand,” I said casually. There was a long stretch of silence. That was a very large order by an individual purchaser. While it would get some attention, this tower was owned by the TripleX faction. That was why Bones felt comfortable for me to make such a purchase.
That would be enough for 10,000 drops of energy divided across all my cores. It would be a good start, just 600,000 drops of energy to go after that. I was hoping I could arrange a discount.
“An additional 500 bottles at the same standard can be offered,” the attendant said. I quickly did the math. That was 9.524 credits per bottle. It wasn’t a huge discount, but it was a discount. Or I was getting a bonus of 5,000 credits which wasn’t a small amount.
“That is acceptable. How quickly can my order be prepared?” I asked.
“Just a short time. We would be happy to arrange a meal and a place to relax while your order is processed,” the attendant said. I nodded at this.
“Very well,” I replied. I was then asked to pay in full up front, and Bones said it was fine, so I went ahead and paid.
“They won’t try and scam you. Not in a place like this. With the way you are dressed and presented yourself. Not worth the risk that they might offend someone a lot more powerful that is behind you. Also, they are getting a decent number of credits in this deal.” The attendant called a similar looking woman who led me to a nearby restaurant. I noticed several other cultivators eating and was told my meal would be covered.
Looking through the menu, I had to puzzle out what a lot of things were on it. Even Bones had no idea. In the end, I went with cooked flank meat and assorted vegetables. The cost on the menu listed it as 10 credits, which was in the mid-range of prices.
The first thing I noticed was that the meal had energy inside the food. I carefully tried some and the meat practically melted in my mouth. The vegetables had a rich earthy flavor. The water served with my meal, was incredibly refreshing.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Partway through, a note was delivered indicating my order was ready for me to pick up at the store. It would be easy to get addicted to this, instead of my rations. “How was the food so good?” I asked Bones as I walked back.
“Very careful preparation. The cost was fairly high for a basic meal, but there are better. Customized meals, instead of potions, are very expensive. You would easily be looking at 20 credits for something easy to consume that is the same quality as the energy potions we are getting.”
“People can just eat their way to power? Did you?” I asked Bones.
“Yes. Actual food is a luxury. And it is about making the consumption of energy enjoyable. Your friend Rhiza had that drink, Courage. The real challenge is packaging in a Dao into the food without diluting it. Getting the right ingredients is a major challenge if you don’t have a cultivation base already prepared by a faction. For you, it is a nice treat. For actual factions, they can afford that and far more.”
The wealth gap was immense. “Where do factions make their money. I see business and it is kind of busy, but not immense enough to support the factions and how big their budget is,” I replied.
“Factions pay a lot out to their main members. Each faction tends to be a collection of powerful cultivators working togeather. As for business, there is a lot of churn at the lower end of things, but there are also specialty products. Like rare ingredients, that are shipped across the Forever City in bulk. Those people need places to rest and stop. And then factions want to keep things internalized as well. Most of these people are middle and upper managers.”
“Since you can’t go to other factions normally on a vacation,” I responded.
“Yes. Well you can, but it is a pointless risk. Each faction is a nation unto itself. That is why most factions are more than happy for outside visitors to come through these areas and squeeze them for all they are worth.” Bones clearly meant us. But we had the credits to spend at the moment.
“So, damage from the previous energy potions and these ones are better? Why not bring it up before?” I asked it was a minor betrayal, but still a betrayal.
“Damage was the wrong term to use. Sub-optimal would be the more technically correct term. It will provide a slightly stronger foundation when you get help. While it costs more, the total price will be close to the cost of materials for my body. When you try them, you will experience a difference. It will also make techniques related to Force easier to use,” Bones explained. He hadn’t steered me wrong so far.
“I am guessing you want to pay me back, by offering to help with my cultivation at the end of this?” I asked. We had spent enough time togeather I had worked out how his thoughts worked to some extent.
“Yes. I don’t wish to be in debt to you for a long time. Once I get my body back, I can easily arrange for a consultation and to address any issues at your first bottleneck from a specialist.”
“You have hidden wealth somewhere?” I asked.
“At my level, I can take on debts. I also have a track record of accomplishments to draw upon. This will allow me to get you some help and pay you back for your help, severing all karmic connections between us.”
“Even if this seems to be more in my favor?” I asked carefully.
“Karma isn’t something you have to worry about until you reach immortality. Kids do not owe their parents a debt and so on. I prefer our relationship lean towards you for that very reason.” That was a good explanation and matched everything else he had told me.
But I didn’t underestimate Bones. You don’t become an old cultivator by giving handouts. Thankfully the huge power gap worked in my favor for once. He wouldn’t mind investing a couple million credits to sort out my problems once I had gotten his body back. And even if he didn’t help me, I would have enough drops by then.
If he did make a move, I could attempt to break through right on the spot. The resulting explosion from attempting to cross into the next stage was sure to me incredibly large and dangerous. Even a threat to a cultivator like Bones. Trust was hard when one side held all the power.
He had never led me astray and made sure I stayed alive. The problem was, once he had a body, I would have no leverage on him. I didn’t need leverage, but I didn’t want to be killed. That was one reason why I had never really dug into his background. I had only generalities and no name to go by. I doubted the regular name he went by was Bones.
He clearly wanted to be done with me. If he left early that was fine. I just didn’t want him annoyed at me, once we parted ways.
“I can bet you are worried. Don’t be. I swear by my immortal soul, that I will not seek to harm or hinder you after you get me my body. We are getting closer than ever, and I won’t jeopardize that.”
“Trust is hard,” I replied.
“It is. To trust you to not trip and die is much harder for me than you. I have to resist screaming when things occur so you can focus.” I reached the shop.
“Welcome back honored customer. We have prepared a spatial ring for your convenience,” the attendant said. I carefully took it and put it on. Checking the contents was not hard. It was a very small compared to my mid sized ring, they had used up all the space.
“This is very generous of you,” I replied.
“The TripleX faction likes to encourage its customers to make bulk purchases here. A spatial ring, is a small price to pay for a good relationship,” the attendant said. I nodded at this.
“I will remember this and think well of your faction. Please convey my gratitude,” I replied and they bowed as I left.
“Cunning, but pointless. They were trying to indebt the faction backing you. Your clothes really paid off.”
“But wouldn’t they know?” I asked.
“They would know you are a scavenger. But by purchasing clothing and presenting yourself the way you did, they made you think you are a scion of a faction out on a lark to look around the Forever City and have a bit of an adventure. Regardless, it is to our advantage. Now we need to decide on our next move.”
“Find another battle and then go there to liberate some supplies?” I asked.
“Yes. We are going to head down to the lower floors. Conflicts tend to be mirrored across the middle, but there are subtle differences we can take advantage of. The biggest one is that no one will link us to the thefts if we go back to the battlefield. Or not easily.”
“Even if we hit the same faction?”
“Even then. Just have to avoid the same towers and we should be fine. After such a large explosion, the conflict will only heat up as desperation sets in. We can look at doing a major heist on the losing faction. Hopefully a couple million.”
“What? That much?” I asked in surprise.
“Yes. With the TripleX faction, we can unload a lot of valuable goods. That was the biggest concern before. And if a faction is losing, then they won’t have the resources to spare to come after us or investigate.” I nodded at this and trusted Bones.
I went up a couple of levels to an open floor and got a vehicle back out to the outer edge of the conflict area we were at before and the Pit Stop of Hell. Bones had figured out a way to track the location. A high level, but minor technique he could do to track places he had been.
The cost for returning was slightly cheaper than it had been to get a vehicle to TripleX. We were heading further out, but still crossing the Forever City. There had been color at the shops I had visited which was nice. I had to change in the vehicle, back to a dark cloak which hid my features dealing with other beings in dark cloaks.
I also tried a sip of an energy potion I had gotten. Bones insisted, I slowly began to sip it. There was some pain, but it was nowhere the level I thought it would be. The previous energy potions he had to dilute.
“The lack of pain is due to compatibility. You will feel bloated, but there is no difficulty of the energy entering your channels and being forced into your core. If you wanted to advance quickly, then there are boxes to place you in, similar to that coffin, but far less crude, where gallons of energy potions would be poured onto you.”
“You really did come from a super-rich family,” I half joked as the vehicle flew towards our destination.
“We were well off, but there are other people who have had better starts. Not many, but they are out there,” Bones explained to me, not giving any more clues about his past.
I sipped more of the potion. “I feel like my body is going to balloon up,” I complained.
“It won’t get easier. You are putting an insane amount of pressure on your cultivation. Anyone else at your level would explode. But with how sturdy your body and cultivation are, you will be fine. Keep drinking, since it loses potency,” Bones said. I sipped some more.
“I am guessing it takes time to settle, which is why you wanted me to start now?” I asked.
“Exactly. And putting you in a personal energy inducer would be even more expensive, if far quicker. This is the next best option that is affordable. At your current cultivation level, you need 610,000 drops. That means, on average two per day with how you measure time. Preferably three potions per day. That would last 10 cycles, more than enough time to get a lot more credits.” I sipped some more. I was halfway through and felt like I was about to pop.
“You sure? I feel like I am about to literally explode. I can feel my eyeballs pushing their way out of my skull,” I said.
“Yes. You can’t consume these potions while using a technique. I know it hurts, but you must keep going if you wish to cultivate. There is no other option, based on how much lifespan you have left. About 1,000 cycles, maybe some more with your age. But time is of the essence. I do not want to wait for you.” I took another longer sip and let out a groan.
“You sure there is nothing wrong? I feel like something is wrong?” I asked with a groan. My entire body felt like it was barely holding togeather. My cultivation felt strained as well.
“Yes. I can monitor your cultivation. If you explode, then you will take me with you, since I am latched on top of your cultivation network. And no, I don’t want or need these potions. But you need to get used to this feeling.” I finished off the potion. I felt energy pushing its way into my channels. Like my entire body was being squeezed through a juice compressor.
“Done,” I gasped out.
“Your absorption rate is decent, but not good. That is the problem with using something that is slightly off, but looking for a specific energy potion is too risky, and the costs would shoot up, since it would have to be ordered,” Bones explained.
“Any idea how long?” I asked.
“Not too long, but you must endure. Your physical body is just being stressed.”
“I might actually grow,” I muttered.
“That is a possibility. But even that isn’t that bad. You are small enough to afford quite a bit of growth at the moment,” Bones had a chuckle in his mental voice. He was clearly amused by my complaints. I just wasn’t used to the feeling, but I was managing to cope.
The value of these energy potions were immense. The Cloudy Moon Sect would kill for them. A lot of cultivators could be promoted and the strength of the sect would increase. Just from stealing from some factions in the Forever City. The sheer difference in scale was so immense. And then you had mortals. My heart clenched at that thought. I had left my family behind. I still had the picture my sister had given me.
Bones hadn’t commented about it. He understood it was a personal item. Countless people had sacrificed for me, and I would not betray their trust. I would endure no matter what and get stronger. I pulled out a second potion. “Am I good for another?”
“Yes. Sip away. Your body can handle it, even if it is uncomfortable.” I nodded and opened up the second bottle, taking a sip. I would push forward no matter what. I wasn’t going to stop due to being uncomfortable and a little pain.
“It seems unfair that people can just bypass entire stages with credits,” I muttered as I took another sip.
“It works quite well for the lower stages of cultivation. But it also helps that they have been thoroughly investigated. Choices are made based on resources more than anything else. If you do survive to reach the next stage of your cultivation, then your foundation, well, it will be immense. Even the cherished scions of the Heavenly Alliance, might look at you with a tiny bit of envy,” Bones explained.
“Really?” I sipped the energy potion. “That seems like a stretch with how powerful they are.”
“It is the uniqueness of your cultivation of combining so many paths into one. That suction vortex, is the most impressive. Cultivators gave up pieces of their cultivation to create such a thing. You have told me the story, but creating such a circumstance is not simple. Also the astral soul stabilizer has a lot of value.”
I took another sip. “Really? A piece of the Great Devourer? What exactly is that?” I asked out of curiosity.
“No idea. I probably know it by a different name though. The Astral Plane, is the layer between the Firmament and Chaos. A thin layer, that everyone wants to tap into. The stronger you are, the greater the risk. To go there and return, is something I would not risk.”
“Like the ancient being I met that opened a single eye?” I asked.
“Exactly like that. Such things are beyond dangerous. You do not live in the Astral Plane, if you value life, yours or others. A faction would waste tremendous resources trying to get anything from there. And using such an item? Your Sect Master probably learned his techniques here in the Forever City and ventured there under a contract.”
“They made it sound like they could go there and find a piece of the Great Devourer,” I challenged Bones and took another sip. I was glad for the conversation to distract me.
“Perhaps. But there are better and easier things to do across the Firmament.”
“We could go there and look for something to sell?” I suggested.
“No. My presence would be sensed. Observation absorbers would be of limited use. Also, do not underestimate the power of external forces protecting you. While Fate and Luck are concepts that have never been cultivated as far as I know, they do exist and cultivators have tried. They are real concepts.”
“If Karma is a thing, that isn’t surprising. Even with the Heavenly Alliance? No one could do it?”
“As far as I know, no. Time is incredibly risky along with Space. The more abstract a concept one takes as their Dao, the riskier things become. Force is a good choice to focus on and all its derivatives. Also resources are an issue in terms of compatibility. The more abstract a choice, the more aligned the energy needs to be for one’s cultivation. If one could grow Luck, would they grow anything else. Then there are issues of balance. If there is luck then there is unluck. If there is fate, there is unfate.”
“Which would be bad. But force would just have force?”
“Exactly. The pitfalls of more abstract cultivation become far worse the further you go. But the more powerful you would be.”
“Well, I can’t afford to make my cultivation any more complex,” I joked and sipped the energy potion. I squeezed my eyelids shut as I felt my eyes were going to pop out.