Castiel came back to his senses after a while. He was still a little unresponsive. An old man was resting on another identical bed.
“Hey. Castiel Zechariah, right? I am Mei’s dad, Richard Taylor. Pleased to meet you.”
Castiel just sat there for several minutes, staring soullessly at the ceiling. His whole life was just ripped away from him. He started tearing up silently but there was no expression on his face. Slowly, he accepted reality. His tears vaporized. -I am sorry mom, I couldn’t keep my promise.- He whispered to himself.
“Don’t get consumed by rage. Rage will lead you to make unplanned hasty decisions, and that will lead to your demise. Learn to channel your rage.” The old man was kind of worried for him when he saw his expression.
“Not Zecha….” Castiel whispered.
“You will have to speak up, kid. My old bones can’t hear you.” The old man said jokingly.
“I am not Zechariah, just Castiel. What happened to you Mr. Taylor? I thought you would be a young man.”
“You know. This and that.” The old man didn’t want to explain further. Castiel didn’t press the issue either. He put his link ring near his ear to confirm whether Amelia was alive. He was dreading this moment. Thankfully, he heard a slow heartbeat. -She is either sleeping or comatose.- He thought.
Castiel went back to the bed and took a little nap. When he woke up, Mei was sitting beside him with her head on his bed. He ran his fingers through her hair. The rustling woke Mei up. She jerked her head up abruptly. As she looked at him, her lips started quivering. He could see that guilt was eating her alive. He forcefully put her head down in his lap and started rubbing her hair again.
“You couldn’t have done anything. Not your fault, Mei. Not your fault.” She could feel Castiel had changed drastically, it’s like he aged tens of years in just one day. After a while, exhaustion set in and she was also fast asleep.
He picked up a nearby pen and paper and wrote a note.
I am sorry, Mei. I have to leave. Don’t try to find me. I don't know what happened to your father but you might find what you are looking for in SUE. Maybe we will see each other again someday.
He put the note on the bed and slowly got down. He made sure both father and daughter were fast asleep, and then silently exited the room.
-I don’t think the organization knows that I am a successful experiment. If and when they figure it out, they will surely come for me and Mei will be in danger. I need to completely disappear, for Mei’s sake and also for any chance at revenge. I cannot do anything extravagant. SUE will put me in too much of a spotlight.- He thought as he bought a large hat to cover his face from a store outside the hospital.
-I can’t stay in Bluefire city, probably not Waterford either. I cannot take the chance that someone in the Zechariah family was not involved in this.- He thought on his way to the spire.
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The spire, 18th floor, House of Desires.
House of desires is one of the strongest organizations in the Darknorth continent. If there is a possibility that something you wish exists in the world, House of Desires can get it for you.
“Excuse me, I have one wish and some information I want to inquire about.” He said to the receptionist.
“Cabin No. 3.” The receptionist gave him a token to enter said cabin.
There were ten cabins arranged in an arc, the reception was located in the center of the arc. Inside the cabin were formations to enable soundproofing and auraproofing. He entered the cabin numbered 3. Inside was a simple desk with a chair on either side. There was no one else inside. He just took a chair and sat.
After a while, a person with the most forgettable face he had ever seen entered the room and sat on the other chair. The person had no aura. Not that he was mortal, it’s like he didn’t exist at all unless you directly looked at him. But Castiel didn’t have time to dwell on this issue.
“I will be your butler for this transaction. What do you desire?” The butler went straight to business.
“Is there a way to change my face so that it is not recognized by nascent soul and weaker cultivators?” He didn’t think he could afford something that works against nirvana. He didn’t even think he could afford something against nascent souls but no harm in trying.
“Yes, we can apply a formation on your face. 200 primary mana stones for one day of effect. Plus 100 primary mana stones for every additional day you want.”
“Are there devices that can counter it?”
“Of course. The Zechariah family might be able to procure two or three such devices from the law enforcement treasury. It’s on your shoulders to take that responsibility.”
As soon as he knew that the butler knew who he was, he tried to go for his sword but he forgot that his sword was broken in the fight with Mei.
“Calm down, Mr. Zechariah. We have no interest in the squabble between mortals.”
He couldn’t even imagine the scale of the House of Desires if they consider fights between nascent souls and nirvanas as squabble between mortals. But it was at least reassuring. A lion might care about your prey but a dragon won’t even glance at it.
“Fine. I want the effect for 3 days.”
“Wait a moment.” The butler left the room.
After a while…
“Put this ruby under your tongue. Inject some aura into it to activate it. Your 3 days will start as soon as you inject aura into it.”
Castiel immediately put the ruby under his tongue and activated it. He, then, removed his hat.
“How is it? Do you recognize me now?” He asked the butler.
“My apologies. Even though your face has changed considerably, your eyes remain the same. I will personally take 100 primary mana stones off your bill as a token of apology. I suggest you buy a contact lens from any cosmetic store.” The butler apologized profusely.
“Thanks, I will consider the suggestion.” He actually didn’t have a choice.
“I have another question. Is there a way for someone to force another intellectual being into doing something they didn’t wish to do?” Castiel wasn’t sure of the deal between his mother and the Zechariah family patriarch. On the day of his mother’s death, why did Mather enter the battlefield? Was he coerced or did he come of his own volition? He needed to make sure who his enemies were.
“A lot. The house will eat the cost of this desire. You can poison a person and hold the only antidote. You can take hostage the loved ones of another person. A nascent soul cultivator can implant slave seals in the souls of weaker cultivators but only with both parties’ consent. A 9th circle formation master can forcefully implant slave formation on another person’s soul but it can be countered by willpower. A powerful ascendant can create a contract, two parties can put conditions on the contract to bind each other. Is this enough to satisfy your curiosity?” The butler assumed Castiel is the one waiting to force another to do his bidding. He didn’t correct the misunderstanding either.
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“That’s enough, thank you. That will be all.” Castiel exited the house of desires and searched for a cosmetic store.
-So not just a few but the whole of Zechariah family might be my enemy.- He thought. He found a store soon and entered. There was only one beautiful human girl in the store, maybe not much older than him.
“Hi, do you have red-ish orange contact lenses for my size?” He removed his hat for the store clerk to see his eyes. He looked like a 25 year old man with grey eyes. The store clerk blushed a little when she saw his eyes. Fire is the most common elemental affinity in the human kingdom followed by water. He wanted to blend in.
“Sure, wait a moment.” The girl quickly turned around to hide her embarrassment. She soon returned with a box of lenses.
“Please have a look.” There were a variety of lenses with different shades of yellow. Castiel chose one at random.
“Also give me sandals with thick soles, a few sets of clothes, and a bag. Choose any style you like.”
The girl returned with a black sandal, 3 sets of clothes, and a black backpack. Castiel immediately changed to a black and white robe, the sandals, and threw away his current attire. He stuffed the remaining two sets in his backpack.
“Please burn the clothes immediately if you don’t want to get in trouble. How much for all these?” He warned the clerk as he pointed at his old clothes.
“8 silver, sir.” He just paid 10 silver and left. He didn’t have the time to do mental gymnastics to gauge if the store stiffed him. It was just mortal money anyway. There was a convenience store just beside the cosmetic store, where he bought some daily necessities. Next, he went back to the House of Desires.
.
.
“I want a new identity card that can pass security scan checks.” He asked a different butler.
“Real or fake?”
“What is the difference, and the price?”
“The real one will work as an identity card for eternity. You can also use it to open new bank accounts or apply for government jobs. Price: 100 exemplary mana stones.
The fake one can only pass basic security scans, and only for a few days. It will fail extensive background checks that banks and government jobs require. Price: starts at 50 primary mana stones.”
“Give me a fake identity that works for 3 days. Name: Gray. Age: 25. Parents: Orphan.” -I am sorry, mom. I have to temporarily abandon the Castiel name. It’s too unique.-
You might be thinking why did he not just legally change his name at the Mayor’s office for almost no cost. He was worried that the enemies would know about it since they might have ties to the government. After a while the butler returned with a new identity card. Castiel was honestly astounded by their efficiency.
“100 primary mana stones.” The butler said. Castiel paid the amount and simply left. He was running out of time. Only one business left, to buy a katana.
He bought the cheapest katana that could withstand qi-gathering battles for 10 primary mana stones. He actually wanted to buy 3 mortal katanas but the Zechariah family might know it’s him that bought the swords since they still think he is a mortal. The katana he brought was the same as the previous damascus steel katana but reinforced with formations. Sometimes, he thought of transitioning to studying formations or alchemy, they make too much money. But ultimately he knew, power trumps everything and he would have to depend too much on others to go the route of formations or alchemy or any other supplementary cultivation methods.
Next, he went straight to the inter-state transportation hub.
.
The inter-state transportation hub or basically known as the hub is where airbuses land and take off. Airbus is a culmination of formation, alchemy, and mortal technology. It can transport hundreds or even thousands of passengers depending on size through large distances. A typical airbus is usually faster than a golden core but slower than nascent soul cultivators.
“Hi, I want a ticket to the nearest large principality, preferably to a city which has a spire.” He raised his request at a random ticket counter. He thought the Zechariah family’s law enforcement influence will not affect the law enforcement of large principalities. The need for spire doesn’t need an explanation.
“Hubs are only present in cities with spires. Nearest principality is Atlantis, to the east of the empire. It is a technologically advanced region, 20000 kilometers away and will take 36 hours to reach, accounting for all the stops on the way. The basic ticket to Atlantis’ capital, #1 city, will cost 120 primary mana stones. There are two other cities on the way, #23 and #47. The basic tickets for them will cost 90 and 65 primary mana stones respectively.” Just the price difference between cities gave an idea about how vast a large principality is.
“Give me a basic ticket to #1 city. When will the airbus depart?” He handed the clerk 120 mana stones. He didn’t even think about asking the price of higher tiered tickets
“10:00 pm. This ticket only determines eligibility. It is not tied to your identity. If someone steals your ticket, they can use it too. My advice would be to not leave the hub.” The clerk advised him considering his pitiful mana amount.
“Thank you for the advice.” Now he only had 80 primary mana stones left. Not enough to reach pinnacle qi-gathering or buy proper weapons.
It was around 6 in the evening, he still had to wait 4 hours. He found a place to sit and started purifying his mana. He has been running around for a few hours and finally had this moment of respite. He munched on some snacks that he bought from the convenience store and then started cultivating. He was just purifying mana. He found that active cultivation is about ten times faster than passive. So he would need a few months to purify all the impurities he currently had. If he cultivated with pills or without external help, he wouldn’t have had so many impurities but pills are too expensive and cultivating naturally with Fundamentals of God is drastically slower than other cultivation methods. He estimated that at his current cultivation speed, he would need more than 20 years to reach pinnacle qi-gathering without any external help.
.
.
.
A large round table. A few men, some old and some young, were sitting.around it and discussing something serious.
“Did he die?” The one sitting at what looked like the head of the table asked.
“No. The girl with him took him away, our men were not able to stop them.” An old man replied simply.,
“That’s to be expected. She is, after all, that person’s disciple.” The head sighed.
“Currently, we have located her in a hospital but the boy is nowhere to be found. Should we…” A young man said as he wiped his neck with his fingers.
“If you want to die, do it alone. Don’t drag me into it.” The head growled as the young man shrank his neck in fear. The room succumbed to silence.
“Since he doesn’t have any protection method left by his mother, use all resources at your disposal to find him and kill him. This time, I don’t want to hear any excuses.” The head commanded one final time and got up from the chair.
“Remember. Clean hands.” The head warned them before exiting the room.
.
.
.
A few hours later, Mei woke up, a little groggy. As she came to her senses, She found no signs of Castiel. Only a note on the bed.
I am sorry, Mei. I have to leave. Don’t try to find me. I don't know what happened to your father but you might find what you are looking for in SUE. Maybe we will see each other again someday.
As soon as she read the contents of the note, she ran out of the hospital and into the streets in panic. She searched for him far and wide for minutes like a headless fly, not knowing that he was long gone. Quite a few people now were looking at her weirdly.
A divine beauty appeared by her side unknowingly. One couldn’t properly describe why she was divine, she just was. She tapped Mei’s shoulder lightly which instantly knocked her out. She carried her and placed her back on the hospital bed. Nobody in the streets appeared to notice a divine beauty appearing or a headless fly disappearing.
Mei woke up after a while and saw the woman at her bedside. She started crying loudly.
“Master, you are so powerful. You can for sure find him. Please find him.” She jumped from the bed and dropped to her knees, begging pitifully. If Castiel was here, he would be astonished, the proud and ruthless Mei begging on her knees, a sight to behold.
“Tch, tch, tch. Finally willing to call me master.” Mei didn’t care or didn’t notice her master’s snide remarks. She just kept banging her head on the floor.
“You know he is a smart, extremely smart child. His mental age is more than yours. He probably considers you his only family after his sister. Do you have any idea how many variables he had to consider, how much agony he had to go through to abandon you?” She finally relented and sighed.
“So why did you not take him as his disciple? If you were there, Amelia wouldn’t have been taken.” Mei asked in extreme anguish, forgetting the power her Master holds. But her master didn’t get angry.
“Child….you know why, i have explained to you before. He doesn’t have any talent for pill alchemy. And even if I intervened that day, I would have only increased the size of the battlefield to the whole city. The whole city might have been destroyed but I still would not have been able to save the little kid since….” Her master remembered that hand and consciously stopped explaining, maybe to protect Mei. Mei stared at her master in shock. She didn’t think the organization after Amelia was this strong.
“Trust him. Trust in his intellect. If you want to help him, become powerful. Surpass me in pill alchemy and you can have powerful people, the likes of the human emperor owe you favors. Everybody needs pills. Everybody.” Her master strongly advised her.
“Unpause your life. I will have people take care of your father. You don’t have to worry about him.”
“Ok master. I am ready. I am sorry, father. I have to leave now.” Mei got up and wiped her tears. Her father had long woken up.
“Go.” He just replied in one word. Somehow, his voice was strained even more.