The next few weeks followed the same exact routine. In the morning we left for the field, I disposed of some beasts, Reuben wrapped their body in multiple layers of fabric with reduced mana transpiration, which slowed down their decomposition, and then we brought them back to the Delta for dismantling.

If appropriately processed in one of the allocated facilities, it was possible to extract from the decaying carcasses solid agglomerates which could be used for further applications. The powdery form of ether obtained from natural disgregation of the corpses was in fact not suitable for etherization and moulding, due to the impossibility of separating ether from the matter it was bonded with. Solid agglomerates, on the other hand, tended to contain isolated pockets of high purity ether, enabling artisans to use it when necessary by breaking the crystals open.

Near the end of the month, something became clear.

“We are not earning much,” I stated at dinner with Faye.

With respect to the first few days our diet had improved, as we were able to afford higher quality and a wider variety of food. We had also acquired some new furniture which had made the living spaces more comfortable, such as better chairs and a larger sofa.

“Well, we don’t need Jonah’s support anymore, I’d say that should count for something!” she said, putting down her fork.

After the first week, Faye had reassured herself there was no actual danger and she had stopped following Reuben and me to the hunting field. She had then concentrated on her own tasks, working on producing etherized components, both at home and at the workshops she was studying at.

At the moment she was the primary breadwinner, as hunting wasn’t proving particularly profitable. Ether gathering was fundamental, but the amount of ether it was possible to extract from a beast was severely limited, as was the number of beasts we could transport without using a carrier.

We had tried applying for one but our request had been denied due to the interference of a third party. The idea of taking one by force had crossed my mind, but in the end I had decided to avoid doing that, also because Faye was strongly against it.

“We need to earn much more to recover the Gamma,” I pressed on.

“I know you are bringing this up only because you are bored,” she retorted while glaring at me with darting eyes.

I had to admit she was correct. I was bored, and incredibly so. Her eyes turned gentler as she continued speaking.

“I don’t want you to put yourself in danger. Please, take better care of yourself, okay?”

I looked deeply into her beautiful turquoise eyes.

“I understand,” I said smiling.

She immediately cheered up at my words and we spent the rest of the day talking about this and that, before splitting up for the night.

The dawn of the day after I was already running through the wastelands, bound for the north of the Delta. My figure had grown quite a bit, as during the night I had spent a good portion of my funds to obtain enough food to last me well over a month. I had consumed the provisions in their entirety before leaving, accumulating nutrients in my adipose tissues. I was now much rounder than before, but the extra load didn’t weigh me down that much.

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The only thing I brought with me were the clothes I had on and my trusted mace, who had proved itself to be an incredibly useful and powerful tool.

I had been planning this expedition for quite some time. I was not a patient man so I wanted to solve the problem of the lack of funds as soon as possible. An idea had popped up in my mind and I had decided to discuss it with Jonah.

Unfortunately, he had been unable to provide me any kind of information regarding the location I was searching for, as apparently it was still unheard of. By examining the bits of intelligence I had we were able to narrow down the region where it was most likely I would be able to find what I was looking for.

“If this place really exists, it will change the entire economy of this planet,” he told me, before wishing me success and sending me on my way.

After one day of travel I finally reached the border of the Lostlands, the part of the world outside of the sphere of influence of the current civilization. It was a place traversed by numerous ley lines and surfacing mana currents, which caused the region to have a particularly high mana atmospheric density.

It was the cradle of almost all beasts, which left it to cross the globe and reach other territories. They could travel almost undisturbed, due to the concentration of archs’ activity along specific roads and the presence of wide unmonitored open space between the Perimeters.

I ran and ran across the expanse without ever stopping. Every time I came across a beast of low or middle size, I rapidly disposed of it by hurling my mace through the air like an impromptu javelin; when I came across large size ones or ones who seemed particularly dangerous, I took detours to avoid them, to prevent remaining stuck in a protracted battle.

I decided to act this way after heeding Reuben’s warnings. As a direct underling of Tobias and a member of the Alpha, he had explored the region numerous times in order to eliminate possible future dangers. Many of his companions had lost their lives against some of the more peculiar denizens of these lands, so he had strongly recommended caution.

“Do not attract unnecessary attention. Blend in with the environment. You’ll be alone. They won’t,” he told me, just before I left.

I had ultimately decided to follow his advice, by changing the tonality of my skin to better resemble the terrain around me and by lowering my aura flow.

After a few days I finally understood the reason for his warning. A pack of strange creatures emerged from behind the horizon. They numbered well over a hundred and resembled canids but were too deformed to actually be such.

They moved in unison like a single organism, apparently communicating through their vibrating fangs. Bones protruded from under the skin of their back, making their emaciated look even more hideous. Their feverish eyes scanned the horizon and a glimmer of intellect shone behind them.

Fighting against the pack wasn’t an option. Even if I might have been able to emerge victorious from the clash, thanks to the properties of my blood, there was no way of knowing how much it would affect me negatively. They were not normal beasts and they were not driven by instincts as primitive as those of the species they reminisced; they were deviants, entities which stood sort of in between the simple beasts and the advanced genais.

For this reason I hid under a rock and dug a small burrow with my hands, making sure I had a second exit. I covered my skin in dirt to mask my smell, closed off most of the pores of my skin, reduced my heartbeat almost to zero and reached thermal equilibrium with the surrounding environment.

The danger gave me an adrenaline rush. I waited excitedly until the pack disappeared behind the hills, before returning my physiological parameters to normal and continuing on my journey.

After two more days of travel I finally found a clue about the place I was looking for. In front of my eyes, in all of its glory, stood a tree.