But as we return to Rowen, and the guards' branch of Rud, the sun had little to no time before vanishing beyond the horizon.

In the building that was appointed to the squadron, In the room that was appointed to Adrian, Hubert, and Levis, the latter was now changing into the clothes that he had bought, as the yellow-green clothes, did not feel rough on his skin, but a soft that did not give him any strange sensation to the touch.

“How is it? Still good?”

“Yes.”

“That should be the case, given the price of the articles.”

“So, how was the city?”

“Good, the food is wonderful, we have eaten till we could not, and Hubert—.”

“Till I could barely move! Ahh—! We really have eaten a lot this time around, too bad you had been staying in, and missing all the fun.”

However, as Levis was in the mids of answering Adrian, Hubert had to intervene, as he did not know if the boy was ready to tell of his little escape to a certain “shop”.

“Too bad. But glad you had some fun.”

“You---, feeling well!?”

“Yes, no problems, why are you asking?”

“No, perhaps I am mistaken.”

“Levis, how can a rock feel pain? If this guy has a problem that would mean big trouble for us.”

“I am not a rock, the last time I check in a mirror.”

“The last time I checked, you are the only one to stay fixed in one place, cultivate like a hermit, and then fall in order like a soldier made out of stone. So, yes, I do think you are a rock.”

“Haaa---, anyway, we better close in early, tomorrow we restart the journey, so after I am done doing the round-up of the presents. We will kill the lights.

“Yes, yes, high Commander, I await your orders. Levis, let us go, and take our last good shower for a while.”

“Alright, wait a moment.”--[As I hid my pouch, with the two flasks. Of which one I took it using your name, but do not worry, as once I will be stronger I will—, most definitely help you in some way or another.]

As Adrian was leaving the room, Hubert and Levis moved to the other chamber, meant for the warm shower, as the temperature of the ambient outside was starting to slowly cool down, evidently from the transition to the cold season.

“A good life, a good life is what I want! With me Levis.”

“Eh! Why? It does not even sound, all that impressive. You should say, “A great man's life, a great life, that is what I want.”."

“That sound even worst than me.”

[No you both are terrible, and you need to stop before I will rip your vocal cord's out.]

[What is that—? No matter, did you observe Adrian? I do not know why but he seemed strange.]

[Well—, we did not end our talk about it, but it is probably the gift the, pervert boy had left for him.]

[What!? Hmm----. You have spoken something about this, a while ago, but what it is?]

[An inheritance, and what appears to be a very poor made "sacrificial dantian"?]

["Sacrificial dantian"?]

[It is the thing, that I was about to tell you, regarding the way to “help” the two, so that they could grow faster---. To make it short, it is akin to having a second “dantian”, which is not a true “dantian”, but a big accumulation of energy, used to nurture the real one, ultimately helping one grow faster than normal, however, there exists some drawback that needs to be taken care off, but is the best way for anyone that wants to grow at lightning speed, while not doing much effort.]

[Then why is he like this? Is this thing, not supposed to help him?]

[Mental messages, most likely his knowledge and interpretation of cultivation, had been left in the sacrificial dantian, which now flood his mind. Well, that red boy seemed sadistic by nature, so it is not a surprising thing that he will---ah wait–, do you-!? Do you want to help him?]

[Yes!]

[Ahhh—, here we go again. Do you not want to steal it? The amount of energy left in the dantian is quite something, far beyond your two little flasks. And the red boy's comprehension of his element will come in handy, as you will need to understand how to affect nature and the world at large, quite soon, giving your speed of relative growth to the cultivators.]

[No, all I want to do, is to help him, not to steal from him.]

[Tsk! Alright I will do it.]

[Do it?]

[You did not think, that you will be the one to do something, right? This is beyond what you can do at the moment, as you have no idea of what needs to be done in the first place.]

[When?]

“Levis!”

[Tonight! When they are asleep, I will wake you---, umm, your friend is calling you.]

[What?]

“Levis!!”

“Eh? What? Hubert?”

“You alright? you blank out for a time, the water turned off, are you sleepy?”

“Ahh—hahaha. Yes, I am quite tired, I did not even know, maybe it is better if I directly go to sleep.]

Stolen novel; please report.

“Alright, let us dry and take to the beds, tomorrow we restart the dreadful horse ride again. Better enjoy the beds as we still can.”

“Yes, we should.”

It was late. But, not so late, as the night had barely started, while Levis took to the soft bed, as Hubert was relishing his own, before falling asleep faster than Levis could actually take notice.

“You two sure are carefree. Time for me to rest as well.”

But as he continued to stay awake, while pretending to sleep, Adrian arrived from his round of checking the whole squadron of personnel.

[He is here.]

[I can see as well, just wait.]

As time went on, Levis was becoming more and more sleepy, as the boredom of waiting was hard to deal with even for him.

[Now?]

[No.]

[---.]

[Now!?]

[Wait.]

[---.]

[Now!?!?]

[Now.]

[Ahh—, finely.]

After numerous callings to Urger, as Levis was losing patience in his fake sleep-wake state, he was finely given a positive answer, as he moved out of his bed while hiding his presence and trying to make as little noise as possible.

[Now what?]

[Put your hand on his forehead.]

[What if he awakes?]

[Just do it!]

[Done---, now what?]

[You can take it off, I am done.]

[---!? You are done? I just touched his head, how are you done already? And what did you do?]

[Who do you think I am? All I need is a second to resolve such small of a problem, just making sure the boy is not tortured by the incessant thoughts, and make a better growth stability of the sacrificial dantian, this will be a good thing for him, now then, time for your payment. Still, this is the second time you help this boy, you sure are a fool, even when all of this might pan out, or become a detrimental action to your future.]

[What!!?]

At the word “payment”, Levis's eyes bulged, as his body froze like a statue, though not by his own fear, but by an unknown force, that was pushing him in the middle of the room, to look toward the place where the window was located.

However, at this moment, the lights that were usually coming from the said window were blocked by a large wooded door, that stood creepily in the room as though it was the most normal thing in the world.

But as he stood motionless, and looked at it, the pouch at his waist shook, as one of the two flasks flew out of it, and toward the darkness that was revealing, as the door was opening.

However, as the flask was submerged in the dark, the door, close at an abnormal speed. Yet, there was no wind or sound as the door closed, only its abrupt disappearance that would make one question its own sanity at the sight.

[Mine! It is my flask, that one!!]

[Aha-aha. You mean "my" flask.]

[Urger! Youuu!!]

[What? Are you going to do something? Have you forgotten what I have already said? Nothing is free, everything has a price of sorts, and this is the price for helping your friend. I can always revert everything if you so want!?]

[---No! ---This is fine, this is my own request, and I should bear the cost.]

[Ohhh—, disciple, disciple, you have grown it seems.]

[Rather than growing you should say that he has finely accepted his, “fate”---phuuaha.]

[Youuu—, hmmm. A great man, must not stress overall small issues.]

[Haa? Are you making a creed of your own?]

[---.]

[Not answering haaa—, just a small kid, at the end of the day.]

[Youuuuu!!!]

“Levis? What are you doing?”

“Eh!”

But just as Levis was about to duke it out against Urger, Hubert’s voice reached him, as he seemed to have been woken up from his panting, which he had become unaware of, as he had become quite angry, and manifested it thru his fast breathing.

“Aaa—, I want to go---, felt the need to drink some water, so I have to wake up.”

“If that is the case, then go, and head back to sleep.”

“Yes.”

“---.”

As always the sun was once again rising to prompt a new day, as Levis and Hubert were being awakened by an energetic Adrian, who seemed to be doing far better than the night before, when Levis had first witnessed the strange state he was in.

Moving out of the building, the guards were all prepared to move, as Rowen and old Wan, were waiting for all of them to regroup, and to depart.

Marching on the periphery part of the city, they moved to the east gates, walking out of the city, and once again into the vast open field, and towards the river that was flowing to the southeast regions, whereas the many buildings that were built next to it, on both sides, as though grass next to the water, though said buildings were situated to the north of the city.

Whereas the true location, that their march was taking them, was to a wide and long bridge, east of the city and near the edge of where the forest commenced once again.

But after the long ride out of the area of fields and hamlets, at the sight of the bridge, Levis looked at it intently, as he was curious how could something so big could be built to withstand the even more powerful river that seemed to be a giant snake slithering thru the land, that could rip apart the hills and mountains like nothing. However, his gaze and mind changed quickly as he directed them toward the ships in the distance. And although they were quite far from the city next to the river and the ships in it, he could still see well enough the ships, as well as the workers that were loading something into them.

Though once arrived on the other side of the river beyond the bridge, Levis’s attention was taken by a large group, north of the city, on the north bank of the river, moving towards the few hills that were located not too far from them. However, what made him curious was the fact that there were hundreds and hundreds of them.

“Umm!? What is that?”

“What? —Ah–, those are—.”

“Miners!”

“Oy, I was about to explain it,”

“Miners?”

“Low-rank cultivators like us, that work in the deep mines to extract energy stones and shards that we use for cultivation, its is a necessary and hard kind of a job, as the place where the stones are, is a filled with energy, but to take the stones or shards, you need to break the extremely hard rock that forms around them.”

“Oyyy, Adrian I was about to say the same thing, go on patrol or something, leave something for me to say.”

“Is this not a dream job?”---[Can I not become a miner instead and feed on the energy in the mines?]

[Why not become a bee and feed off their honey, see if they will not become suspicious and sting you till you die.]

“Far from it. It takes time, a lot of effort, and expertise on how to use a pickaxe or spiked hammer, and you can forget about training inside the mines, there are always patrols making sure you are working or you will be thrown out.”

“Ow-ow-ow—, now you are simply mean, you think you can sideline me! The great Hubert!! Anyway, how do you know all of this, do you know some miners or did you work as one?”

“I, in fact, did work as a miner.”

“You did!!?”

“I work as a miner, for almost a year, when I first broke to rank 1.”

“Seriously?”

“You have really worked as a miner. How it had been? How was it.”

“Hard---, after my first day, I could barely feel my arms, and I dug out nothing. I could not train at all, but the pay is far better than what we gain from being a guard, however, it is not worth it when you compared it to the training facilities and open thoughts of former cultivators, that is why in the end I chose to become a guard.”

“However, not before you tried for the army.”

“---.”

“You did?”

But as Levis’s question was repeatedly answered by Adrian, who was overstepping over Hubert, the argument finally reached the point of Adrian having wanted to join the army when Rowen, entered in between the three of them, as he was slightly curious, about the discussions of the three.

“I did try, however at that time I was rejected, as they had classified me as not adequate, and recommended me to move to the guard branch, not more than this.”

“Not adequate?”

“My aptitude in cultivation had been classified as being of very low potential, to even become an Immortal. So, I was sent to the guard branch, where I become a guard.”

“What?”

“That—! You have never said anything about this.”

[Eh! That bad?]

[It is true, his “talent”, and of everyone here, is average at the very best. But that is only if you and the with-hair boy are excluded. Although, the boy who I have helped has a far better prospect, with the gift from the red boy that I have altered.]

“It is not much of a story and I do not dwell all that much on this, as it has been the reality back then. Now, however, I like to believe I made significant progress.”

“You have, I can assure you that your current prospect is definitely much higher than when you have first been inspected.”

“I thank you, senior Wan.”

“Ohh no, no. This is not flattery, but the truth. The fact that you have continued, means you are a much better cultivator than the majority that are out in the world.”

But as the compliment from old Wan truly fell on Adrian's mind, the sound of a small break seemed to be echoing in and out of his consciousness, for reasons unknown to him, as his spirit and temperament seemed to rise.

“Good to know. However, Adrian, give the order. We begin our march.”

“Yes, Captain! We march, formation, and onwards!!!”