“Sighhhh—!”
“What can you do---? Senior Wan had seen you walk away, and compelled me to follow you around.”
But if Adrian had followed his abrupt and short sight of the two figures, he would have found Levis and Square walking away from the premises of the guard's massive complex, with the two of them moving deeper into the city, and mixing between the many people walking the street.
“Well—, I had thought I had concealed myself adequately. But he actually has noticed me escap---, leave the room. But that seemed to have been only my own flawed impression.”
“That is too rash, sir Wan is far more astute and observant than what you can readily speculate. Anyway, sir Wan has explicitly pointed to me, to tell you to return before dusk, and to not wander in areas that are too inadequate. That is why I am here. As I will follow you, so you will not wander blindly into any kind of problems on the road.”
“Alright, alright—, let us go, and see this city.” - [Sigh---, I really need to up my game near senior Wan, or else I will become a prisoner.]
----------------------------------------
“So---, it will be in a few years before we will know what element you will possess an affinity with. If you truly are the talent you say you are."
“Sip!”
“Tsk—! However—, was that alright?”
“What was alright, young Zuger?”
“Sip!”
“To let the brat go?”
“Sip!”
“Well—. Young Levis---, he is very beholden to the most prominent and well-known characteristic of the young, a very curious and excessively impulsive notion of exploration, which by all means, I can neither preclude nor thwart. So---, the most suitable way to end it, is to have his intrigue and fascination fulfilled. And with young Square there to watch over him, I can relax knowing there would not be too many problems arising, so I let him go. Plus, with you here, young Square will have to return back, if you two are truly the brothers that you say you are—. Although—,”
However, as Levis and Square were currently roaming the streets of the city, Zuger and old Wan were currently inside the habitation which belonged to Rowen. As the two of them were now seated at the same table that they had to sit and listen to the old man for the past two days.
Right now, Zuger was being instructed by old Wan on the specificity of the nine ranks, while also sipping from the tea which the old man had brought out once again, as he took the advantage to advance closer to the fifth rank.
“Although—, I have to admit young Squaer’s recovering speed and the recultivated rank 1 dantian, had surprised me. Actually, you yourself, have made a full recovery to your highest strength, after being hit by little Rowen's sword strike and the slave contract. Even so, more surprising is young Adrian left upper chest wound healing speed, as it is almost fully recovered. Honestly, I am either getting too old, or you youngsters are far stronger than---, what I know you to be.”
“What can I tell---, me and Square are naturally strong so—.” - [What the fuck can I tell you—, it is not like I can mention that the brat had helped him recover his cultivation. Although, for my recovery and his—, I can not be entirely sure---, but it was his doing most likely.]
“That is good, that is good, aha---, ha--, aha-, young, strong and healthy that is how you should strive to stand!” - [Young Zuger---, you are clearly hiding behind a half-crafted lie—. Sigh---, it is most likely that young Levis had given young Square’s cultivation. Sigh—, I should talk with him. to see if he has really done it.] - “Now, now, let us return to our subject, and see how you are going to reach the fifth rank yourself.”
----------------------------------------
“---------.”
“------.”
“---.”
[This city is large, so much bigger than Rud. As it makes it small, very, very small in comparison. And those beasts, the owners must be powerful as well.]
[It is a normal-sized city, nothing more. Let that aside, and listen to my three rules when in a new place, as this is far more consequential for you at the moment, given the circumstance in which you stand, and will most likely find yourself in.]
It was already the middle of the day, right at the noon of the daytime, as Levis and Square were moving around the streets of the city, looking left and right, up and down to the tall structures, while swimming through the river of people which occupied the sides of the roads, as carriages were being pulled either by horses or some beasts resembling large cats, almost as tall as the horses which gave Levis quite the powerful intent out of their cultivation.
[This place is wriggling with powerful cultivators all around, even the beasts are not weak.]
[Now listen to me. When you are in a foreign place, the first thing you must always do is to scout and research the site, and the local powers, and then prepare an escape route, for when you will have to burn it all down, for when you have inevitably fucked up something, and need to erase all evidence and proof of your doing.]
[Eh! Burn it down? Is that not a bit of an exaggeration?! And how would I be able to do it in the first place?]
[Hmph----, come and tell me this, when you are going to need my help to burn all of this down.]
"Mmm---, this should be the army garrison. So---, we should be in the southern part of the inner city. The city wall and the southern gate should be nearby. Although, this place seems even bigger than the guard's complex in the north of the city."
"It should be big since the army is by far more numerous in people than the guards. That, if what senior Wan had said is accurate. We should head to the east part of the city."
“---.”
"Hmm---, we have already passed almost a dozen elixir shops by now—, if we were close to one again, we should see one.”
As the two of them pushed through the sea of people moving south and avoiding the center of the city closing near the east side of the city, the two of them ultimately reached the southern part of the city.
However, as Square was looking around, at the many shops which were dedicated towards the mid and high end of society, and those meant for cultivators, one kind was making itself seen often, as one after another, the two of them were passing by these shops in the dozens, and there were still many more to come. It was none other than the elixir shops, as they were standing out, more than any other store.
But at some point in their trek, they found themselves at the southern side of the city, near the complex of structures where the Kingdom's army was located. However, similar to the guard's complex, there was a semicircular wall to exclude it from the city and become a small city unto itself.
“Maybe—, but let us continue our walk around, and see the east part. We should see as much of this city as we can.”
[Kid, your mouth.]
[What!]
Although Square had a high interest towards the elixir shops, it was for nought, as it meant nothing for Levis, while he was not the least interested at the moment, for his eyes were looking all over the place, even as sometimes he was forgetting that his mouth was opened, making those who saw him, to either look at him weirdly or in subtle derision as he was behaving akin to an ignorant peasant of the fields, who had stepped inside the city for the first time in his life.
[Ahh—, I have overlooked this. And---, what the hell are they looking at?!]
[You—, you dumb kid. Sigh---, behave like the great man that you want to be, not like a newborn calf, so act as though you are not impressed, and hide your immediate impressions. Learn to imitate this Square boy, as he rarely has any changes in his facial expression.]
[Yes, yes, doing it already.]
“---------.”
“------.”
“---.”
“Now what? This is not the city wall, and the east gate is right here, so who is behind this wall?”
“Mmm—, I do not know what to tell you, sir Wan had mentioned only the army in the south.”
“If you were to know, then I would have been really surprised. But---.” - [Urger?]
As Levis and Square continued their walk east through the city, the sun persisted in its movement to be ever so close to the west horizon. Although, on the east side of the city, a similar semicircular wall extended inside the main one, which perplexed Levis at its sight.
[Kid! I am not your advisor, and how the hell am I supposed to know which children own this?! Use your brain a tad bit, and think on your own.]
[The guards? Or another base of the army!?]
[Sigh—, that would be a bit extreme if they were to own this many parts of the wall, though in case of a war, that might become the case. However, it is more likely that this place belongs to a local power.]
[A local power? They are so powerful, that they own a piece of the city!?]
[Almost everyone here owns a segment of the city, but a big family or clan is obviously going to own a large part of it.]
“Mmm—!” - [Mmm—!] - “It matters not, Square, let us move to the western gate. Though this time, let us pass through the center of it, this way we can see the top of the city, while we pass through.”
“---------.”
“------.”
“---.”
While resuming their walk around the city, it was time to pass through the center of the city, or rather the top of it, as the center of Green city was built on a very low and flat hill or rather an immense earth mound.
----------------------------------------
[So—, I have been thinking.]
[Disciple! Disciple!! Tell your master what the problem is!!!]
[Thinking?! Kid! Are you alright?]
[W-what is wrong?!]
[------.]
[---.]
[So—, as I was saying. How am I to proceed now? How am I to find the leader of the bandit’s Grip, the other one named Jo–Joul, and the red guy?]
[Hooo—, so you have not forgotten about them.]
[How can I forget this!!! This is the whole reason I am listening to you.]
[Hoooooo---. Well, that is quite simple, enter the underground world, find a very good information broker, and buy the information you need. Or, abandon everything here, begin a solo journey into the wild, and do a frenzied search for them.]
[Ahh---, the first one. How do I buy information?]
[Yes. The fastest way to find someone is to know how the world of men moves. Although, your target does not look so simple at first look, which can be a good or a bad thing. If he had been stupid, then he might have done something to stir the water and be seen or heard by someone. But if he had not, he might as well have vanished from the face of the world. Anyhow, if boy Zuger is to be trusted, the leader should be in the War State, and boy Joul should be there as well. Which will make your search exponentially more complex for you. As for the red boy, forget about him for the moment.]
[How? And what is the War State again?]
[It should be another place, just like this little Kingdom you are in right now, run by most definitely, some little fools who most like, enjoy playing at war.]
[Then how is this problematic? I still do not see the problem here?]
[It is about the border.]
[Border?]
[Sigh—. Borders are delineations or separations, between powers like the little Kingdom you are in, and any other power similar to your Kingdom. The fastest way for you to understand it, is to look between this Kingdom and the Prairie to the south, after all, how much do you know about who lives south from here?]
[Mmm—.]
[So in essence, everything in between them, such as people, resources and information will have a problem traversing sides, which will make it far more difficult for any piece of information about your target to escape. Which is why, the best way to track him, is to enter directly inside the War State, and make your own search from there, or just buy it from someone else, when you arrive there.]
[Alright. Then how am I to do that?]
[Simple, but you can not.]
[What?!]
[You are nighter powerful enough to move freely, nor are you rich and resourceful to buy this kind of information.]
[Is what I have not enough?]
[Enough—?! Kid! You are as poor and bare as grassless land. The two soybeans you have will not keep up---, be with you, in a month, or a dozen days from now, they will most definitely become obsolete when you will rise above rank 6. The elixir from the strange old boy will last you some time. However, you should already think of it, as though you have already finished it, and search for a way to procure more wealth, as quickly as possible.]
[How---, how am I supposed to do that? Work? Can I work for energy shards?!]
[No. Unless you want to show your true power or fake rank, there will be no amount of rank 1 tasks around you, to satisfy your energy need, if you are to use the limit which you show to everyone else.]
[Then what? Am I stuck with the energy I have in the room I live in right now? Although there is quite the density inside, if I can not use it to my fullest capacity to absorb the energy, I can barely grow. These days I had to restrain myself quite a bit, and one of the rank 6 shards is starting to get weaker. If what senior Wan has said is true, then soon this shard---, will soon become just a rank 5 shard, and as I am draining it and approaching near rank 6 these shards---! Do I have to go out, and bury myself in the ground to use the energy in the land?]
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
[No, not yet. You just need to gain adequate mastery, in the most prominent career in this world.]
[What?]
[Change the road, go to your left, and then enter the place that has a wooden plate which has two flasks drawn on it.]
[Mm?!]
----------------------------------------
“Levis---? Where are you going?”
It was after quite some time, that Levis and Square, who were walking on the main road, from the west gate and towards the center of the city, made a change in their direction, as out of nowhere, Square who was following Levis was taken aback by his sudden change in path, as he moved to a secondary road to his left.
“Just follow me.”
“Hm!”
Although, Square had no other choice but to accept his decision with a nod. However, to his surprise, Levis, who had been uninterested in any of the elixir shops, entered the first one they saw, on the street they were on.
Inside the shop, they were greeted by a large open area, which was quite vast, even though the shop itself was quite small, and desolate.
As presently, other than the two of them, there was another man who was looking at the right open wall, where a large number of products were being presented, with a small piece of information about the products in question. Although, the said man had a rather strange partner at his feet, a large size lizard which was staying near the man, while peeking around the shop.
Right in front of them though, at the counter, another man with a sword at his waist was talking with one of the two females who were behind a long angled table, which was encapsulated in glass to showcase the many wears to be sold.
“Welcome to our “Two Vials” elixir shop! How may I help the two of you?”
But as the two of them had barely entered, the one young lady, who was waiting for the man with the lizard who was gazing at the right wall, approached the two of them immediately.
"---."
“Rank 1, what do you have, and how much?”
“Agh—. Aham yes, please follow me to the left counter—. So, what has this young master in mind to acquire from us? A rank 1 awakening pill, or is the young master in search of some elixir supplement for the young master’s cultivation?” - [Tsk—, if all you need is some rank 1 pill, just take it and leave, why have you even come for something this useless.]
“Mmm—. give me one rank 1 elixir supplement—. And---, how much is it again?”
[Tsk—, is this all you want to buy? Today is not my day at all.] - “Yes immediately, one rank 1 elixir supplement, that will come to be three rank 1 shards or one single rank 2 shard.”
As she was speaking, the young woman took one small vial from under the glass counter and presented it to Levis, while also asking for the fee at the same time, with a half smile on her face.
“Here.”
“Mmm—, a moment please—. Please verify the rest, five rank 5 shards, five rank 4 shards, nine rank 3 shards, and two rank 2 shards, please verify—?!”
But as Levis handed his rank 6 shard, the woman accepted it and proceeded to position it on a small plate which she had near her. As the shard made contact with the plate, a bluish color showed over it, and at the sight, the woman nodded and proceeded to give Levis what he was owed back. But as she was about to grasp for the elixir vial as well, she found to her daze that there was nothing she could grasp at, making her confused as she looked at her palm.
“Gulp!” - “Gulp!”
“Yo-youn-young master, what are you doing!!!”
However, as she was about to give the shards back to the young boy and his attendant, and as the supplement elixir was nowhere to be found, while turning left and right to see where she had misplaced it, the young woman had to turn her gaze to the young boy, who in two mouthfuls, had already gulped down the liquid of the small flask.
“Haaaaaa—!” - [A tad bit bitter to the taste, nowhere near as good as the tea from senior Wan, and---, too little energy, I can barely feel it, it feels only so much better than plain water. Then what is the difference between this, and a sham, if I part away with three times the energy in a shard for this?]
“Young—!”
[A sham—, well for you it is. But for the rest of the little boys and girls, this is the only way of acquiring the more agreeable, and neutral nuance kind of energy surplus, for their own continued fast cultivation and growth.]
“Young master! Are you alright? Are you feeling ill or sick?”
However, while Levis was in a daze speaking with Urger, the woman became flustered, panicky and agitated, at the sight of him drinking the whole rank 1 supplement elixir in one go.
[Mmmm—.] - “What? No, I feel good, why do you ask?”
“Why do I ask!?” - [What the hell are you doing, you stinking brat, what if you died here?! Has no one told you to go slowly, when consuming an elixir, out of the fear of a high intake of energy disturbance?!] - “I am sorry---. But if your young master is not feeling alright? We have our own alchemist specialist on site who can take a look at his condition, for he is also a master physician as well.”
“Mm---, no need to panic or to worry, miss. My young master is naturally born with a strong constitution and strong cultivation. So please be at ease.” - [So---, it is dangerous to drink it in a single consumption. Hmm---, good to know, good to know. I will ask sir Wan later.]
But as the woman seemed to be stunned by Levis who appeared to not be affected at all by the consumption of the elixir, she turned instead to the square-faced man who was following the boy and appeared to be the protector of the child.
“If there is anything, please do not hesitate.” - [Please, just do not die, or create problems for me, please. Crazy, this child is definitely going to be crazy as he grows.]
“Please be at ease, miss, as this is not a problem to my young master.”
“If sir can say so, then I will trust sir. But I do not recommend doing anything similar, as the shop will not be responsible for any improper usage of our products, which will lead to injury. - [Or death.]
“We are the ones at fault here, so naturally we will not blame anyone but ourselves, for our misfortunes in the case of something happening, so be at ease.” - [This woman is too panicky. Still, I would like to know what would happen if I took it whole---. No, no, too dangerous, do not imitate this kid.]
[Urger! What is her problem? All I did was drink this elixir and she became so nervous. And what the hell the others want.]
However, as Square was trying to appease the woman, and her worries. The two other customers and the other sales lady looked over at the small commotion, as the woman had raised her voice, at the sight of the action performed by Levis, as even the lizard glanced in their direction.
[She is probably scared that your dantian will be affected by the “large” influx of energy. Well, it can happen if you are a weakling who does not know what is doing, but for you, it does not really matter, unless the power is of a high rank and of a violent nature, you will probably feel nothing. Now go, and—,]
“It matters not sister, as this is nothing. Though now, I want another two like this one, and two rank 2 breaking elixirs.”
“Sigh—, alright. A moment, please—, young master. Please take a look, it will come to be, two rank 3 shards for the rank 2 breaking elixirs, and two rank 2 shards for the rank 1 supplement elixir.”
With her hands that were trembling minutely, the woman prepared the order of the child, as she arranged the four flasks in a small package for the boy, but it was his protector who received it, as he was nudged by the boy to accept it and carry it.
“Sigh!”
After the payment, the child and his square face protector vacated the shop, allowing the woman to sigh away part of her worry, once they were out of her sight.
“What happened?”
“Have you not seen? It was the brat who had arrived.”
“What about him?”
“He drank the whole supplement elixir in its entirety---, in one single go. And by his appearance, he must be under ten years old, with barely any cultivation.”
“Aaa—, indeed this could become a problem if he were to be affected negatively by the sudden increase in energy inside his body, and affect his little dantian—. Have you told them they could see our alchemist for an inspection?”
“I did, but his protector or servant refused. And from how the brat was acting, he did not seem affected in any way.”
“Then, this is all for the good of your fortune.”
“I hope so. The least of things I want now is for his family to come here and blame me if he is injured by this.”
“Do not worry—, if he has not shown any sign at the moment he has taken it, he is most likely fine. Since he might be one of those core descendent children, who are already prepared for this. Anyway, what do you think about the customer on the right wall? Is he going to buy anything, or is he going to stare there all day?”
“I hope he is going to buy something, as this day I had no customers apart from the crazy kid. Ohh—, he is about to decide, move away, I will get him—!”
----------------------------------------
"Sigh." - [So—. What am I going to do with these "elixirs", since they are completely useless to me? They barely feel like nurturing me at all, from where I am now.]
"Mm?"
Out on the street, as Levis and Square had left the “Two Flasks” elixir shop, and were currently rising upwards on the road, to reach for the top of the hill, and visit the center of the city, Levis let out an unusual sigh, which made Square look at him weirdly.
[That is because it is the time that you must proceed seriously into your cultivation. Up till now, all you have done are mere short versions of what a real cultivation session should be.]
[Mmm—, yes. And these are for---?]
[Sigh—, you are truly letting me down here. Do you realize what this will entail? We had just talked about a moment ago.]
[Energy!?]
[Exactly, energy. And not just a little, you will need a lot of it. As of right now, the cells of your body are slowly rising beyond even my initial hypothesis and speculations, with their requirements in energy. Plus, due to the fact that I have lost—, aham–, aham-, we---.!? No! You! You are in short supply of resources. Learning alchemy, to craft simple elixirs and other nurturing tonics, will help you make a huge profit on them, which is why this is the best method that you can use at the moment.]
[That sounds---, insane to me. How am I to make these things, when I have no idea how to make them? I have seen grandma Hel in the past making medicine, but I could not learn much out of her.]
[Do now worry, the idiot here wil—.]
[Do now worry disciple! Your master is here to help you surpass this challenge against fate, and become an expert alchemist in a day—, ten days, or maybe one hundred. So do not worry!]
[“Urger”! Do you know about this “alchemy” stuff?]
[Mmm—, I would not say precisely so, but something similar. Moreover, the staunch head had already taught you something prior to this. That you have had great success in. So, you do not need to worry.]
[He did? And, I am starting to worry for some strange reason here.]
[Yes he did---. And as to why you have bought these elixirs, it is most obvious to ascertain a few specialities about them, before you will try to make some yourself. One set will be enough, as you will need, just so you can make the others see you make your break thru, to the second rank, the other one you can give it to the square face boy here.]
“This city sure is big, even now we have barely seen one-tenths of it, even though we have walked all day long.”
[Mmm—, alright.] - “What did you say?”
“This city is very big.” - [He sure is absentminded, this is the thirteenth time already.]
“I guess it is, but since we have left, there has been one big city, to another big city. If this is all there is, I guess the next one will be even bigger, but if that is the case, this will become kind of boring. Although, this hill is much more difficult to climb than I have imagined, even with the straight road under our feet.”
“If you are fatigued, you are probably just tired, since we have walked for half a day continuously.”
“Me, tired? What about you, are your injuries alright, or are you going to die off at any moment now?”
“Strangely, I am alright. I guess I have you to thank for that.”
“Tsk—, that is so you can make yourself useful since I can not have you die just like that.” - [You have completely healed him?]
[Nothing much. But are you tired?]
[This is nothing, I just need some sleep. Listening to old Wan lessons has mentally exhausted me.]
[Tiring!?]
[Yes, when he speaks, I need to fully concentrate, so as to remember all that he has spoken.]
[You little bastard! Are you saying you do not focus when I talk!!!]
“This is it, the peak! Let us go."
"Where can we go? Hmmm---, this plaza stands as the center of the city. Other than this small protected castle which covers most of the top of this hill.”
It was quite after some time since the two of them had left the elixir shop, and headed towards the center of the city, as Levis and Square were finely at the top of the flattened hill, which seemed to have been made by someone intentionally. Although, most of the flat top was taken by a tall wall which was surrounding a series of even taller buildings which seemed to oversee and supervise the whole city below.
“No matter, let us go and rest there, I bet we can see most of the city.” - [Hmmm—!?]
The open square was quite large, but with the wall and buildings, it appeared to be much smaller. And although the number of people was quite numerous, it was not so much that you could say it felt stifling being here.
[Those guards are quite strong. Are they guarding the gates of this dwelling? Then, this must be another local power. Mmm—, I should ask Adrian---, or maybe Hubert for this, he might know about them.] - “Let us go there, as not many people are in that place.”
But as the two of them, moved near the edge of the plaza, Levis took a look at the huge gate of the dwelling, but what attracted his attention were the two guards, which gave him a dangerous feeling despite them having their eyes closed, and being seated on chairs made of the same rock as the wall which surrounded the place.
But, as he looked back, to the original empty spot where the two of them were about to reach, they were forced to move to another, as it became occupied by a young couple. As they were prompted to change direction and move some distance away, they came to be near an old man who was resting on a wooden cane while watching the city below, with a light smile on his face.
“Told you so, you can see quite far in the distance, and half of the city is visible from here. I can see the guard's complex from here!”
“Indeed. this is a good vantage point.”
“Ha-aha—, it is quite the sight, right?”
“Eh?”
“Hmm—? I guess–, it is-.!?”
But as the two of them reached the small stone wall at the edge of the open square, and made a small comment on the extensive sight they could obtain by staying and looking from here, the old man who was a few paces away from them, talked to them as though he was already part of the group, as though he had always been with them, even so, Levis and Square were taken aback for a moment, as they did not aspect the old man to speak with them, right at the moment they have just reached the place.
Yet, at the question of the old man, Levis had no other choice but to give a look below and give the old man an answer.
However, as he looked beyond the small wall which intercepted anyone from falling over, as after itself there were a dozen or so meters of a free fall below, and yet, the sight in his view, was something to look at for a moment.
In the very far distance, a mountain was standing tall and alone, as two rivers were flowing from both of its sides, while the forest was as well to its left, and to its right, although near the city, the two rivers converged right in front of this mountain, to become an enormous river which came to pass near, and in between the city, as the city itself was expanding in the distance and on the other river bank akin to a wave, although, in the end, even the city was forced to stop by the green forest which was encompassing in all directions. And yet, another sight which attracted Levis, was the said river, as he could see many boats moving or being stationary in place, while many ants appeared to be moving near them.
“Yes, it is a sight to look at.”
“Ha-, aha-, ha—, it is indeed!”
“But?”
“But?!”
However, as Levis continued to look below him, the massive wall of the inner city could be clearly seen, and even better, people, walking in all directions akin to small ants crawling all over the place. Yet, a spot attracted his attention more than any of the others.
“But—, grandpa.”
“Hmm? What is it, child?”
“To the north, inside that wall is where the guards stay, and to the south, there is the army—, right?”
“Yes, what about them?”
“No, no, what I want to know is about the place near the west gates---, I suppose, to whom that place belongs?”
[Good one kid, one smart question for this day.]
“Ahh—, well my boy, that is the place of the stingy, and absurdly rich alchemists.”
“Alchemists! Rich?!!!”
“Yes, I believe even you know who the alchemists are. That is the home of the more infuriating and frustrating ones in the city. Always charging a fortune from a mere pill or elixir, even the incense to burn will cost an arm and a leg---. Let us leave them alone, as they are nothing but a bunch of “fire-burning, cauldron-filling, shut-ins”. Now---, do you like this city? Or it is a mere day here not enough to understand it.”
“Ehh?!” You know that this is my first day seeing it?”
“Ha-aha-aha-ha—, well, you two stand out like a sore thumb, as someone who is not from this city. So---, what is your opinion?”
“Hmmm—, hard to say, it is big and bustling, but–, there is some coldness in the air-, I think.”
“Mmm---. And you young man?”
At Levis's words, the old man's eyes squinted a tad bit in a frown, as he directed his gaze towards Square with the same question.
“Hmmm? I have to concord with my young master. The people felt a bit colder. Although, I might not be the right person to answer this question, senior.”
“Sigh—! Cold, eh---, I guess you two young ones might be right here---. When tyrants move in the shadows, they make people uneasy and skeptical, so they will become cold and careful, throwing away their own good side to becoming stern and precautions.”
As the old man with the cane in hand continued to interact with Levis and Square, his mood sank alarmingly, at the two's answers, to his own question.
“Ahhh—, but---, although---, the city in itself is captivating, yes—!!!”
“Yes—, quite captivating and enchanting, a truly marvellous sight to witness!”
Yet, seeing the old man drop his shoulders, while his face darkened from a heavy sadness, Levis began to cheer up the old man, while pushing Square to follow him as well.
“My father—! My father had made me watch over this land—. And I do not regret it. Even now, I do not regret it! What do you think of this, young ones?”
“---.”
Ultimately, as the two were trying to uplift the mood of the old man, without any indication, he began to talk about something else entirely all of a sudden, confusing the two of them for a moment.
“It is a good thing—, I believe it is a good thing. Just like the old village chief, grandpa should watch over this city.”
“Ha—, aha–, ha-, aha, a good thing indeed! A good thing indeed, young one---! A good thing indeed, this is what is to be done---, this is what is to be done, to look after it, aha--, ha--, aha---!”
But as Levis made a quick reply to elate and encourage the old man. The person in question started to laugh while agreeing with his own words, as though he only needed the recognition of someone other than himself, about his own mention.
“Young ones, this old man, thanks you. If we are destined to meet again, this old man will salute you, now---, this old man needs to leave, so I will leave the two of you alone, and have a good stay in my Green city.”
With his words of goodbye said, the old man turned around and walked slowly while using his wooden stick to support himself, as he moved away from the two of them.
“Let us move, and visit the west gate before the sun will fall completely."
To follow suit, were Levis and Square who needed to move as well, as the sun did not wait for them while it was approaching the horizon to the west.
"Yet, this old man.” - [This old man is strange, he gives me the same feeling as sir Ba—!] - “Eh?”
“That senior is strong!”
“What?! What makes you say so?”
But Levis was in the middle of making a mental note and evaluation of the cane old man was interrupted by Square who did not like to take the initiative, and spoke first in the same kind of assertion as Levis himself, which made him interested in his opinion.
“What? Hmmm—, this is more of an intuition. But if I have to put it in words—, it has to be the way he stands on the ground, his posture and his eyes.”
“What about them!? I still do not understand what you are saying.”
“ —, his feet and his posture, at first glance it might seem like that of a normal old man, but it is his cane which is most suspicious, as he did not truly rely on it so much. Maybe this is strange to say, but the whole time I watched him he gave me the impression of watching a tree. However, for some reason this as well, feels fake, as though there is much more to it. As to his eyes, they feel old, abnormally old, not the kind a normal old man would have, he should be an extremely old cultivator, older than even sir Wan.”
“Mmm—, you got all of that, from being near him and watching him for a few moments?! - [Urger, is he right?]
[This little boy is frighteningly right, this is an abnormal deduction from a weak human like him.]
“More or less, I needed some time, as he was hiding well---, until his shoulder fell, it was then that I could see him.”
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[Maybe he can see the fate of others, and of the world?]
[What fate, he can just read people from the small details they leave out in the open, not everybody is an idiot, the same way that you are. He is just a good observer.]
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"Then what about me?"
"Mmm---, I would have to say, abnormally normal."
"Abnormally normal, I guess you are---."
“---------.”
“------.”
“---.”
"Haaaaaa---, this is enough for this half a day, we have seen and done quite a lot."
"Yes."
"Hooo---, good to know. I did not believe my eyes when I left, but it really was you two whom I have seen."
"Ehh! Who are yo-you---!"
It was late in the day as the sun was almost gone, some of the light stones were beginning to illuminate the city as Levis and Square stood near the west gate, ready to return as a familiar voice came to be behind them.
"Adrian!"
"Good evening."
"Evening. So what are you two doing here?"
"This I asked per---."
"He ran away ---, argh ---, and senior Wan made me follow him."
"Square you, bastard!"
"Run away---, I see. You can truly not be trusted to be left alone for a moment."
"That, I can explain, I just took a short break from old Wan's lesson, as I could no longer---."
"No excuses, let us go back, as I want to see you apologize to senior Wan."