He already knew what Cronus meant when he spoke those words. The only other reason why these simple Journeymen would be of use would be to get rid of the towers plaguing the country.
Soon enough the Jetstream ceased moving, tracing itself back towards another station far, far away from the entrance straight within the center of the city itself. After landing with so much careful precision, their core group left the station along with the armored knights to meet even more armored knights that were waiting outside for them to continue onwards.
It was obvious that this was more of a show of force rather than for actual protection. That was another reason why the people didn’t bother them as much despite the master of the entire country just walking about.
When they looked out far into the distance, he was still in awe at what he saw. His eyes told him that immense volumes of mana were gathering all around in specific places, used for the everyday functions such as the jetstream itself. Noises far and wide reached his ears and sent a deep bass at the bottom of his stomach, ranging from the vehicles or flying tools others used to get around to the clamor of people speaking loud enough to break his ear drums over the noise.
At a distance, he could also sense spells flying about, shouts of battle echoing at the same time some muted explosion took place. He wondered if his Journeyman senses picked up someone’s battle in a fortified location, because he swore that there were hundreds of them happening all around their vicinity. Normally magic fights like that would be difficult to take care of in Eve Glade, but he supposed in a giant country like Arcelot, that was just a normal occurrence.
It was like reaching into one of the big cities in his old world, but it was a lot cleaner and magical compared to that. Unfortunately, it did nothing to appease his panic as he feared some weirdo taking Clara away from him at a moment’s notice. Sure, the knights could just intercept anyone and probably kill them outright, but he still didn’t trust them enough to rely on their protection alone.
Eventually they kept moving on, the knights spread far and wide to continue on with their mission. Looking around, the area felt more like a place for aristocrats than for common folks. At least that much he could tell with his eyes as the amount of mana flowing through the runes that decorated every bit of this place.
He remembered what Cloud said about how in some cities, some areas are more inclined to have more energy expenditure than others because of the wealth the people that lived there spent. While Zeke wasn’t so sure whether this was an aristocratic or just a commoner section of the city, since Cronus of all people was here to head to their home, it didn’t take long to correctly guess that it was indeed for the rich. Taking another glance around, the people that walked about weren’t really by themselves trying to get on with their business. Instead they were dressed in fine clothes and robes meant the for high class, and his senses revealed a lot of shocking factors.
Almost all of them were Journeymen. True Journeymen at that, not half ones that the Bastion sent them. All of them were of a different sub-race, ranging from fairies to elves. Of course, mostly all of them were of the fae, usually specializing in the magical side. He did notice something else about them. He thought he sensed Experts among them, but a quick and hidden Identify showed that they were above Level 60. What’s more, it didn’t give him the feeling of emptiness the hacks from the biodome displayed. They were whole, just… not as strong. It was far preferable than the empty hole left behind from the hacks, but he couldn't tell how they managed to get to Journeymen being that weak in power.
“Master Cronus, if I may,” Zeke asked, getting his attention.
“You know, I really do like the way you’re polite despite your situation,” Cronus smiled. “Yes, my child, what is it?”
Zeke wasn’t quite sure how to deal with that. Was he pissed that Zeke was acting formerly around him, or was he just that glad? Either way, he didn’t care to receive his good side since he was already under his foot. There was also no need to act crude either to someone as strong as him.
“Umm… the people here… I can sense that they’re Journeymen, but they don’t feel… strong. Are they actually Journeymen, or is there something messing with my senses in this place?”
“Yeah, I was wondering that too,” Mikella scrunched her eyes while staring at the people around them, not trying to be obvious but she was that curious. “They don’t feel sick, just a bit weaker than normal. Are they… did they use drugs to advance quickly?”
“My, how dreadful,” Isabelle gasped softly. “I forgot how crude their methods of breaking through are in the outside world.”
“Yes, and unfortunately these children only knew of the botched versions,” Cronus nodded. “Taking drugs to skip past the skill training and straight to the third stage, ruining their foundation in the process That’s normally how the people without many resources are forced to go through. But here, we have discovered a way for people to enjoy the benefits of Journeymen without going that far. In this case, we call them Half-Step Journeymen, or just Half-Journey for short.”
“Half-Journey?” Zeke asked. “That’s… so people can just advance to Journeymen quickly, but properly?”
“That’s right,” Cronus said, seemingly enjoying giving them a lecture as he spoke up. “What we do is create a rune array to ensure the stability of ascension for folks who reached the level limit. In that sense, we place a holder on their skills, for example, keeping them in place and making the system grant them access to evolve to the third stage without damaging their cores too much.”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“But there’s no way that can last forever, right?” Mikella asked. “I mean, if that’s the case, then can’t anyone just advance like that without really training their skills?”
“You’d be right, dear,” Isabelle answered instead. “There are still many caveats to this process. Such as the feeling of weakness you sense from them. Because they used a placeholder rather than training their skills, the bonuses received after reaching Journeymen are ‘halved’, like the name suggests. Once people have raised their skills high enough to match the required number of the system, they go back to where they did the process and ‘take out’ the placeholders, as it were. Then they re-try the evolution again, but the process can be… a little painful.”
“Of course, every single one would sign a contract stating that they wouldn’t blame the institution for helping them evolve should permanent damage get involved, or if death occurred during the process. If they want to be Journeymen so badly, then they can just train their skills and properly wait. If not, then they can only rely on fate.”
Zeke grimaced, and he could tell Mikella was scowling at the man for that response. It wasn’t as though they weren’t new to this. Many institutions made people sign waivers for this very reason when trying new experiments to pay bills. Oftentimes, those were considered desperate last attempts since no matter what financial situation one has, going down that route might make it worse than better. Then again, that begs the question burning in his mind.
“Why do they need to be Journeymen so badly to get that process to begin with?” Zeke asked.
“Because our society values the strong, and uses the weak as fertilizer,” Cronus answered coldly, nearly uncaring in his tone. “That is how we keep remaining in the top spot of the power ladder. If we don’t, we’ll be trampled by the other powerful nations, and used as fertilizers ourselves.”
“So aren’t you just forcing others to become Journeymen?” Mikella added, her brows furrowing. “How is that any different than what Bastion did with their drugs?”
“Quite different actually,” Cronus answered without any sway in his tone. “Bastion forces their people to become strong. We reward people who become strong. Simple problems only need simple solutions.”
“Reward?” Mikella raised her brows. Suddenly the idea didn’t seem all that bad. “Like what? Isn’t just being Journeymen pretty good enough?”
Zeke could vouch for that, their transformation proof enough as it is. The added bonuses to their power and resistances were great. And that was putting aside their new race and exclusive skills to match.
More than that, their longevity was assured, and their body’s prime would extend far beyond that they should even if a hundred years passed, time no longer the enemy of their bodies. He can’t help but think that all those were more than enough.
“I’m not surprised that in the small town of Eve Glade, reaching the third stage is already considered the height of your life. But in most powerful countries, being a Journeyman is just the start of your life. In that stage, you can get jobs that only those with higher constitutions can handle, and of course, get paid better. You are also respected, in a way, unless you decide to forgo your life by following an unorthodox path.”
“You mean like necromancy?” Zeke added.
“Precisely. The government also pays you well and gives you priority not just to you, but to your family as well. Of course, the more Journeymen a family has, the better the chances. Unlike other cutthroat places that treasure their Journeymen like mad and put down others to ensure their survival, we try to nurture as many as we can. But resources are forever slim to those of lower standing, so they have no other choice but to become half-journey to make up the differences.”
“But…” Mikella frowned. “Not everyone can be Journeymen, right? You have to hunt monsters, and from what I heard, you have to get a license to hunt and gain levels. Is that easy to get?”
“Of course not,” Cronus answered simply. “Just imagine, if you will. Anyone can gain levels however they want. They gain power far beyond what any normal being can have. Then they use that said power to take advantage of those normal beings. If you want a license to properly hunt monsters to gain power, you have to prove you’re not completely deranged. There are certain procedures and tests one has to complete in order to gain a license, and those can take months. Special circumstances notwithstanding.”
“And don’t forget, you also need a license to practice combat skills,” Isabelle added, shocking the otherworlders. “Nobody in their right mind would just let anyone practice such dangerous skills in a busy city, now would they? We prefer to have a safe environment for our children. Isn’t that right, Clara?”
Isabelle asked sweetly to the little girl still clutching Mikella’s hand. Even as old as she is, Mikella would never let go of her hand in this giant magical city. Clara looked up at the kind woman, nodding profusely.
“Skills are dangerous,” Clara said. “I keep getting told that every time I get near a training field.”
Zeke and Mikella, of course, understood that part at least. Skills can be just as dangerous and can gain power just like levels.
“So not many people can become Journeymen then,” Zeke added. “But… there’s so many here.”
“That’s because we’re in an area that mostly comprises nobility, families with long histories backing them and have enough wealth to easily reach Journeymen. They can hire teachers to help young ones raise skill levels faster, and of course they have permission to train their combat skills in their personal training field which requires no license to use–of course, after paying their taxes to ensure they keep their specialized training fields.”
Mikella scoffed. “Of course nepotism is prevalent here.”
“Oh, nepotism is prevalent everywhere, little miss,” Cronus smiled almost bitterly. “Get used to it.”
Mikella stayed quiet and just shrugged to herself. Zeke worried a little, but Mikella seemed to have accepted it just fine. He tried not to pry too deep into her history, but she very much disliked the idea of undeserved privilege. He can understand that much at least, but kept quiet since he, of all people, had no right to join her opinion.
He was the one who took that privilege and wasted it anyways. If she hated the folks that used it properly, what does that make him?
“We’re here,” Cronus suddenly said, taking away his despairing musings. He looked up to see the estate that Cronus spoke fondly of. “Welcome to our abode, little ones. Do enjoy yourselves.”