Chapter 141: The Benefits of a Cheap Life

As the festive performances passed, the banquet moved on to its serious phase.

Local government, Adventure Society, Magic Society, and Public Safety officials presented topics concerning the plans for next year. Actual details would be fleshed out in the coming weeks in smaller meetings, but it set the general tone and gave additional time to prepare material.

Most of the topics were fairly ordinary; topics such as standout research, emerging magics, internal statistics, and foreign affairs were discussed.

The state of cooperation between the Eldesterians, and those of Zariel’s world, was one of the big topics of the night. There was a debate presented as was traditional, with Zinnia Helianthae presenting the side of cooperation. The argument against cooperation was token, and Zinnia wasn’t even a particularly good debater. She had a strong presence and strength; she was one of the only gold rankers present besides some of the family heads of the six great families. The Fenhu had their gold rank couple, and the Arlang was represented by Sen’s gold rank mother, Jade Arlang. The Nisei’s new representative, Jasper Nisei, was heading the Nisei table; he was silver rank—a high enough rank to handle local operations, but vastly outranked in this atypical company. He kept quiet and observant, evidently selected for his ability to let hot waters cool. Vallis, of course, wasn’t there. If she was as distantly related as she claimed, then her absence was expected.

The Jagar’s representative was one Nara didn’t recognize but one she didn’t like at first glance. He reeked of monster cores, and not in a good way that competent ones managed. He was on the large size, a bodybuilder physique that inconceivably bordered on pudgy. It should be impossible for essence users to gain weight, but this man manifested a small miracle. He was otherwise normal, wearing opulent clothes with the aesthetic taste of a gilded peacock.

“That’s Kabir Jagar,” Encio said.

“I thought essence users couldn’t get fat. And I thought it made everyone beautiful.”

“That’s not always the case,” Encio shrugged. “There’s always the undead.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not talking about the undead… His tailor must hate him.”

“His tailor would make Eufemia proud.”

“Or Wisteria. He’s charging that man for every coin in his pocket.” She had an errant thought. “Did Wisteria overcharge us?”

“No,” Encio laughed. “Thankfully that thief has the decency to keep her games separate from business. She knows better than to try to pull a fast one with me.”

***

It was decided that Eldester-jos would send a small batch of iron and bronze rankers over the next few years in order to help with monster waves, train them, and form connections. Along with them would be some of their researchers and artificers—political hostages to ensure their good behavior. In return, their people were free to harvest the remnant magic of monsters. The guild would form teams to cooperate with this process, as well as providing contracts and incentives to team up with their delegates.

That was the preliminary agreement, and the Adventure Society found no issue with it. The Eldesterians could operate entirely in secret if they wanted, as they had so far, so interacting publicly, gaining access to some of their advancements, and perhaps the ability to trade for the information they have on good terms were potent advantages against the looming yet still shadowy Advent threat.

Lieke’s deep infiltration into Adventist operations demonstrated that the Eldesterians had people where the Adventure Society least expected them to have. They had incomparable political unity and commitment to their course; only possible for a world constantly teetering on the crumbling cliff of destruction, culled of their mutineers and traitors by necessity of circumstance.

The presenter for the next topic was Lee Hu, who worked closely with both Academies as well as his position as an official for the Adventure Society. Using a variety of crystal projections, he detailed a proposed plan to engage the De Luca family in a collaboration. Notably, none of them directly addressed Sezan. Directly addressing him would be rude and pandering, like a noble rubbing their hands and pleading with a king. Lee Hu kept it expertly professional and concise, even proposing that the exchange student Eldesterians could form a three-way collaboration. Adventurers valued experience, and experience with an outworlder (of a different type than Nara) was a rare opportunity for young iron and bronze rankers.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

In a way, Zariel’s people were Erras’ ‘first contact’ with a peaceful alien civilization. The Messengers, winged racial supremacists that sought to conquer other worlds, violently attacked Erras and intentionally targeted population centers to sow destruction and despair. The Adventists, now Erras’ second invading force, had been discretely assassinating and abducting Erras’ lesser-known intellectuals.

Erras didn’t hold the same romanticized view of alien civilizations that Earth did; Their history was marked by Messenger attacks for hundreds of years. The abilities of the Illusae did mark them as potent allies and less-than-ideal enemies, especially in the areas of infiltration and espionage, so there was considerable push to make sure their stance was of the latter and not the former.

***

“Do you like this sort of thing, Sezan?” Nara asked.

“What?”

“How carefully they treat you?”

Sezan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Between carelessness and carefulness, how would you rather have others treat you?

“Carefully, I guess.”

“As an iron ranker, and now as a bronze ranker, you must be diligent in how you present yourself and protect yourself against stronger forces. Even as a silver ranker, you will encounter these issues in high magic zones once you are thrust back down to become politically inconsequential.”

It’s true that Encio and Sen had been making sure, even if Oswald had no intention of doing so, that the Adventure Society didn’t treat the team unfairly. They needed to be prepared, rather than relying on the good mood of the one in charge.

Sezan gestured to the banquet, “For those strangers, what do I care that they treat me like a king? As long as I have those I care about, the rest can tiptoe. If I don’t want to be treated with such import even as a diamond ranker...” he pointed upwards.

“There is always the cosmos.”

Sezan had to wait for his portal cooldown, so the next day he and Luciana departed for Esmera-Mar. They left Encio with various supplies, new clothing, materials, Encio’s favorite foods and snacks, new bronze rank weapons and armor, and a bag of spirit coins, which Encio tauntingly jangled in front of Nara’s face before storing it away.

“You don’t even need money anymore,” she said exasperatedly.

“It’s not about the money, it’s about the message.”

“And what’s the message?”

Encio grinned, “That I’m his favorite grandson.”

Suddenly, Nara paused, staring at the space where the portal had once been.

“Aw shoot.”

“What is it?”

“I forgot to think up of a gift for Sezan for coming to save my ass.”

*****

The week of the end of the year festival came and went, and the party prepared to move on to their next destination.

They would take a long path; crossing north and west through the territory of Fenhu to arrive at the Tier-Media Sea, where they’d transfer to a boat from Nara’s nebula vessel. The higher magic quality of the region meant Nara’s bronze rank vessel wasn’t safe enough for the latter half of the journey. By sea, they would venture to Esmera-Mar, where they would get new bronze rank magic tattoos by Wisteria, and drop by to see Encio’s parents as well as the rest of his family in Saggia.

“We can check out the academy too,” said Encio. “You may find the educational differences interesting. At least, Sen would.”

“I’d definitely be interested in it too.” Nara said. “I’ve heard iron rank typically takes longer in private academies?”

“There’s a greater focus on refining a wide variety of skills that would keep you alive at iron rank,” said Encio. “They also examine awakened abilities to curate the next awakened abilities with awakening stone selection.”

“We survived through iron rank without all that.” Eufemia countered, although not negatively.

“Not everyone is in a team of six or has a healer,” explained Encio. “Smaller teams are more vulnerable to unexpected dangers.” And targets for unsavory sorts, as they’ve seen from Graff. “On top of the benefit of curated abilities, they provide combat training. Most don’t have the ability to use a skill book, or instant competency granted by an ability.”

Sen continued the explanation of their trip after Encio finished, tracing his finger along the world map spread out on the table. “On the way through Fenhu, we’ll visit their capital Huxin. From there, we will travel through Atisalhaya and hug the coast of the Tier-Media Sea.”

“Plenty of sun to warm your buns,” said Nara, “before we freeze them solid in Kallid.”

Eufemia leaned back over her chair, dramatic. “At least we’ll be in Tier-Media in summer. Won’t be missing much once we go to Kallid.”

“The transition from hot to cold is going to make the cold worse,” John said, in a rare grumpy mood.

“You’re a Londoner, isn’t wet and cold kind of your thing?”

“I don’t find much enjoyment in the nippy weather.”

“When else are you going to wear trench coats?”

“That is part of the issue, Nara.”

*****

“One other thing, actually, John.” Nara stopped John, catching him after their meeting.

“What’s the matter?” he said, Eufemia a few paces ahead of him, head turned.

“Mostly John, but I was thinking that most of us rather not kill people unless we have to.”

“This is a rather grim topic out of the blue.”

“Am I wrong?”

“Hardly. I am the healer.”

“As I was saying, do you know if you could acquire something like Chloroform?”

His eyebrows rose in understanding. “I see what you’re saying, but Chloroform isn’t that effective for knocking others out. That’s all tele magic.”

“It isn’t?”

“You want Eufemia and I to acquire something that’ll work to non-lethally restrain essence users?” he summarized.

“Not just essence users, but normal people. Some iron rank suppression collars, of course, and whatever else you think might come in handy. For all of us. You still have the connections in Shanyin to get that sort of stuff?”

“Iron rank suppression collars aren’t hard to acquire,” Eufemia said. “Just pricy.”

“There’s no price on life.”

Eufemia crossed her arms, almost offended, “I didn’t say we couldn’t afford it. It doesn’t even compare to the price of a single essence.”

“I guess life is cheap then. Good thing.”

Somewhere, someplace, another third world factory worker died for the great capitalist machine, and nothing was changed.