Lorcan sat patiently on the bench in the waiting room of the orbital station, where the shipyard had installed their interplanetary teleportation array for security reasons. After arriving via teleportation, he'd been instructed to wait here until someone could process his application to join. He had simply nodded and taken a seat, silently wishing he had brought something to read. The room felt stuffy, almost devoid of Cosmic Energy, likely due to the arrays diverting power to a special meditation chamber. Just as he contemplated starting to meditate, the door swung open.

As the automatic portal swooshed open, a figure edged tentatively into the room, his small stature seeming to shrink further under the sterile glow of artificial lights. With cautious steps, he moved forward, his slight build betraying a lack of confidence in the unfamiliar surroundings. His posture, hunched and uncertain, hinted at burdens beyond his years, burdening his wiry frame. Avoiding eye contact, his gaze remained glued to the metallic floor, as if seeking refuge in its unyielding surface.

Despite his subdued demeanor, his hair demanded attention—a wild tangle of thick, unruly locks framing his pale face like a shadowy crown. Each strand hung listlessly, echoing the despondency that enveloped him. As he glanced up and spotted Lorcan on the nearby bench, he sighed heavily. "Great. I didn’t expect a queue. Just my luck," he muttered, slumping onto the seat opposite Lorcan and focusing intently on the ground.

"Are you here to join the monks of the Five Ways Monastery as well?" Lorcan inquired.

The man looked up with a noncommittal shrug. "Want would be too much to say," he replied dryly, then glanced up again. "Do you really want to join?" he asked, studying Lorcan with a searching gaze.

"Of course," Lorcan affirmed. "I had the whole galaxy to choose from, and I chose to come here."

The man met his gaze before shaking his head sadly. "Have you been diagnosed with some mental illness, or did you just get tricked by some impressive marketing scheme of the shipyard?" he quipped.

"They train combat abilities based on the Dao of space, exactly what I’ll need, considering I don’t have much except for two Dao seeds of space," Lorcan explained.

"That’s something I can relate to," the man confessed. "My sect invested two Dao fruits into me. Only thing I got was the early Dao Seed of Measurement."

"That doesn’t sound very useful on first glance, but every seed is part of the Dao," Lorcan pointed out.

"And the Dao is the beginning and the end. Buddhist crap," the man retorted.

"Did you find some use for it?" Lorcan inquired.

"I got it at level 20. None of my sects’ manuals cover the Dao of space, so I had no idea what class to aim for. At level 25, I was waiting for some revelation. An exotic sniper warrior class, using the Dao seed for perfect aiming. I even went and got some ranged combat training. I almost got killed in some minor hunting grounds while grinding for the last five levels," the man recounted, his demeanor becoming somewhat livelier. Encouraged by Lorcan's interest, he continued, "Well? What class did you get?"

"An assortment of common crafter classes and one uncommon one. Inscriber," Lorcan replied.

"That’s a good start to aim for Inscription Master at E-grade. Doesn’t sound so bad," Lorcan remarked.

"Well, it really isn’t. I was quite happy to not get pressured into a warrior class. But… my sect, the Nine Commandments of Heaven Sect, is quite poor. Training an inscriber needs a lot of rare materials and inks. When the shipyards advertised, they’d pay for new talented adepts, my elders didn’t think about it for long. So here I am, destined to transfer into a warrior monk class at E-grade, spending my life aboard Cosmic Vessels, waiting for years to be killed by the first pirate boarding party," the man lamented.

"I plan to travel after finishing my studies. Maybe I could take you with me. If you’re useful," Lorcan offered.

"You could certainly afford it, judging by your clothes," the man remarked, gesturing towards Lorcan's attire.

Lorcan froze and glanced down at himself before looking up again. "I’ve been told these clothes wouldn’t stand out. I was very clear about that when I bought them," he replied.

"You forget, I’m still an Inscription Writer. I can measure the quality of inscriptions, something my Dao is particularly good at. It doesn’t help as much when making new inscriptions," the man explained.

"You’d be quite useful at a merchant house," Lorcan suggested.

"Not without decades of training and learning thousands of prices, qualities, vendor strategies, and other things. I checked. But you’re distracting from the topic. Which powerful group do you belong to? And what would I need to join?" the man asked.

"You’re asking to join before even knowing which group I belong to?" Lorcan remarked.

"The shipyard and monastery are both very conservative. You can’t belong to any unorthodox group. I don’t really care about anything else," the man replied.

"Well, let’s see what the future brings. I’m Lorcan Skyre, by the way," Lorcan introduced himself as the door opened and a monk gestured him to enter.

The inscriber called after him, "I’m Baldegaran, but all my friends call me Baldy," gesturing at his luscious black locks. "Can’t imagine why."

The clerk at the orbital station sounded beyond bored as he rattled off his greeting, "Welcome to the Ukanjanwalt shipyard academy. State your name and alignment."

"Lorcan Skyre. Unaffiliated," Lorcan replied.

The clerk looked up, interest lighting up his features. "A freelancer? Well, in that case, you’ll need a letter of recommendation," he stated.

Lorcan pulled out a crystal from the Cosmos Sack on his side.

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The man put it in a receptacle on his desk and scanned the contents of the data crystal. His eyebrows shot up, and he almost stood up, but then remained seated and tried to calm himself. "You have a full paid stipend from the Mammonath merchant house?" he exclaimed.

Lorcan shrugged and smiled.

"That means we have to take you, as long as you fulfill even the basic entry conditions. Please put your hand on the crystal disc on the desk," the clerk instructed. Lorcan complied, and blue glowing fractals appeared on the disc. He felt warmth flowing through his body as the device scanned him.

The clerk touched a crystal and read the results. "Four Dao seeds? And a peak affinity to space- and time-based Daos? We’d have gladly taken you for free! But we’ll be happy to take your money. Welcome to the shipyard academy!" he declared.

"You are mistaken. I’d like to apply for a full study course with your monastic order at the Monastery of the Five Ways," Lorcan corrected.

The clerk looked at him, as if he had sprouted a second head. "What? That’s not necessary! You fully qualify for the academy. The order is where we send the… lesser qualified applicants," he explained.

"I am well aware. I have left behind a military career serving as an array operator. But my fighting abilities are severely lacking. I’d like to fix that before continuing with more theoretical studies," Lorcan clarified.

"I don’t really understand, but since you’re on a stipend, you’re free to choose your subjects. So, let me welcome you as a secular temporary member of the Order of the Five Ways," the clerk conceded.

While waiting at the teleportation array for transport to the planet, Lorcan was reunited with Baldegaran, who looked even more dour than before. "Well, where are you heading?" Lorcan inquired.

"They refused my application to join the shipyard. I had the choice of joining the monastery and become one of their glorified space marines. Or leave. Of course, then I’d have to pay for transit," Baldegaran explained.

"Your recruiter only offered you a one-way teleportation? That’s cheap," Lorcan remarked.

"I honestly didn’t check the fine print. My sect was already considering using me to create some heritage skill crystal," Baldegaran confessed.

Lorcan was confused. "But you’d have to cripple your cultivation to create one of those… Oh," he realized.

"Yeah. I’d have taken any alternative. So now I’ll spend the rest of my life aboard Cosmic Vessels," Baldegaran lamented.

"You can never know where fate leads you. Anything can happen," Lorcan consoled him.

* * *

Sometime later, they teleported down to the monastery on the planet’s surface. Lorcan took a moment to examine the complex teleportation array and engaged his [Inquisitive Spatial Perception Eye]. With his old knowledge and the aid of [Primal Polyglot], he quickly grasped the array's construction. In addition to the standard teleportation array, it featured multiple enhancements to mitigate the effects of local spatial distortions. Following the pathways of Cosmic Energy, he deduced that these enhancements significantly improved transport efficiency.

As they stepped out, a smiling monk in combat robes entered. Ignoring Lorcan's companion, he approached with exuberant enthusiasm. "Welcome, welcome! We rarely receive anyone with more than one Dao seed, let alone four! A prodigy! I am brother Tsuba. We had a playful argument over who would have the honor to train you."

"And you lost?" Lorcan teased.

"What? No! I won… You're joking, aren't you? Shame. Bad humor will not help you here," brother Tsuba responded with a chuckle.

Baldy waved his hand dismissively. "How was the fight to train me?" he inquired.

"I can handle two newbies at once, don’t worry. You are this Baldegariat guy?" brother Tsuba confirmed.

"Baldegaran," Baldegaran corrected.

"Whatever. Well, come with me. I’ll show you to your rooms and the most important parts of the monastery," brother Tsuba invited.

Exiting the room, they noticed the teleportation array positioned outside the main building, likely for security reasons. Before them stretched a straight path through dense jungle, leading a mile away to the monastery.

The air crackled with energy as they approached the monastery's entrance, their faces reflecting a mix of curiosity and reverence. Standing before the imposing structure, they recognized it as the heart of wisdom and martial mastery amidst a world veiled in spatial distortions. Lorcan easily sensed a giant natural formation concentrating Cosmic Energy to this area.

Their guide, brother Tsuba, made a sweeping gesture. "Welcome, initiates, to the Monastery of the Five Ways. Here, amidst spatial flux, we seek enlightenment through the union of martial discipline and spatial understanding."

As the tour commenced, brother Tsuba led the small group through the monastery's labyrinthine corridors, each path a gateway to understanding the ever-shifting nature of spatial anomalies that defined their planet. The walls shimmered intermittently, hinting at the unpredictable nature of the dimensional flux.

"We train to embrace the Dao of space," brother Tsuba explained, his voice resonating with calm assurance. "In our halls, spatial distortions are not obstacles but gateways to enlightenment."

Their first stop was the Chamber of Distorted Reflections. Inside, mirrors adorned the walls, refracting and distorting the space within. Monks practiced their combat stances, learning to adapt their movements to the altered dimensions reflected in the mirrors. Some wielded staffs or spears that seemed to bend reality, their strikes guided by an understanding of spatial anomalies.

We learn to perceive beyond what our eyes behold," brother Tsuba intoned, gesturing towards the mirrors that seemed to ripple with unseen energies.

The tour continued through the Courtyard of Interlocking Realms, a serene garden where the boundaries between dimensions blurred. Here, monks meditated amidst floating stones that shifted unpredictably, a testament to their mastery over the flux of spatial distortions.

Brother Tsuba paused, his gaze fixed upon the Gateway of Astral Convergence, a monumental arch pulsating with radiant energies. "This, dear initiates, is where our minds traverse the cosmic realms. Through meditation and discipline, we unlock the secrets hidden within the spatial distortions."

As the tour concluded, brother Tsuba imparted a final message to the two novices. "Embrace the flux, for in the Dao lies the path to enlightenment. Here in our monastery, we do not seek to conquer spatial distortions but to transcend them, attuning ourselves to the cosmic symphony that surrounds us."

As brother Tsuba bid them farewell, Lorcan and Baldegaran made their way to their shared room within the monastery. Once inside, Lorcan couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of brother Tsuba's exaggerated enthusiasm and the grandiose descriptions of their surroundings.

"Did you catch the part where he declared some of the elders the Chosen Ones of space?" Lorcan joked, his tone laced with amusement.

Baldegaran smirked in agreement. "And don't forget the 'cosmic symphony' bit. I half-expected him to break into song."

Both men shared a similar sentiment, finding humor in the overly dramatic presentation of their orientation. Yet, beneath the jests, there lingered a genuine appreciation for the monastery's teachings and the opportunity it presented for growth and enlightenment.

As Baldegaran settled in for sleep, Lorcan unfurled his prayer mat and sank into meditation, delving into the cosmic truths that permeated the monastery's teachings. Even as he closed his eyes, he remained attuned to the subtle vibrations of space around him. In this sanctuary, space itself seemed more malleable, more pliable than anywhere else in the universe.

Opposite the bunk where Baldegaran had already succumbed to snoring, Lorcan noticed a faint disturbance in the fabric of space—a thin strip where reality appeared to fray at the edges. Focusing his mind, Lorcan extended his consciousness outward, planting his Dao Seeds into the surrounding spacetime. Though he could not enact any tangible change, he felt as though he were probing the very essence of reality itself, on the verge of a profound revelation.

But just as his insights began to coalesce, the monastery's door creaked open, and Brother Tsuba poked his head inside. "I almost forgot," he said with a gentle smile, "don't forget to schedule an appointment at the second-floor barber for a proper haircut."

Lorcan felt his enlightenment slip away, and he suppressed a sigh. “I’m afraid I have not yet read what would constitute such a hairstyle," he admitted.

Brother Tsuba chuckled, rubbing his polished bald scalp. "Take a guess," he teased.

Lorcan nodded knowingly. His military-style haircut wasn't far removed from a fully shaved head. He had no qualms about...

He turned to Baldegaran, who blinked and ruffled his thick curls sleepily: "What was that about?"