Lilly woke up to hear Dave arguing with 'no one'? "what do you mean you don't know? this is your freeking world what am I supposed to do?" Lilly did not move for what felt like hours as seconds ticked by. "ARE you insane? How is it my fault? Yes, it matters!" Lilly knew about voice transmission but had no idea who her master was talking to. Lilly did not even notice that even in her mind she thought in the third person. Wait why did Lilly think that? EEEK "Why is Lilly thinking things Lilly can't?" Dave stopped his conversation. "status!" Dave was visibly shaken by what he saw. Lilly now had skills, titles, abilities...etc. She did not before. "what the HELL main character?"
Lilly was upset at her master looking at her the way he was. "Lilly is sorry, Lilly did something bad." Dave's heart sank as it was not her fault but his. "Really? it's ok master. . .wait, what?" Lilly had something Dave did not [4th wall] while she could not break it she had become aware of it. "Lilly doesn't understand." on the verge of tears. "
Lilly is not crying!" Dave being a veteran of world-breaking rules didn't need the title to understand what was happening. Lilly looked hopeful waiting for her master to help. Shhh trying to shush the narrator. "Lil think open stats." Lilly did so without hesitation a mix of the 'don't think about pink elephants' phenomena as well as blind faith in her master. "what's an elephant and is it not pink?"
Dave had helped Lilly turn off the 4th wall, idiot Dave just wanted to help, 10K iq Dave knew Lilly was too young for that kind of knowledge, wise Dave was deeply concerned by the implications of the [4th wall] being a thing. "k. so Lil, don't EVER tell anyone about any of that. . .knowing is one thing telling is bad." Lilly didn't understand but took his word for it. "go train with Ahiga, I need to have a looooong conversation with someone. don't hold back but don't kill him either o.k.?" MN!
"so?" Dave was pissed Lilly was now the focal point of this world, it was not jealousy, but more a protective father thing. "why are you asking us? You should not exist, everything you do is not supposed to be." well that's helpful [main character] was a title that made every action ripple across the world, [4th wall] disturbed the goddesses because they had no idea how that worked, the fact Lilly was now an [every worlder] something that Dave should never have gained. "it's the oath right? How do I get out of it?" the silence that followed was all the answer needed.
Dong watched as Lilly repeatedly slapped down Ahiga, while he was 3 years older it still looked like a grown man beating a child, she was careful to not be cruel she taught after every beating. "look at Lilly's eyes but watch Lilly's stomach." Even Dong wondered about that insight. "Lilly can punch or kick so watch Lilly's bellybutton, left, right, up, or down." as she spoke she demonstrated slowly. "How is that to help, you move too fast for it to matter!" Lilly shook her head. "thinking is bad, just fight! Lilly just knows that's why Lilly is strong." the sparing continued for half an hour, Dong could only watch as the two visibly improved.
Breakfast was 'standard' as defined by Dave, "so Kel, you just need to study now, ask for the library tour they gave me, they should allow it. Lil, you keep playing with Ag, Dong you need time yet?" this being in reference to his tribulation before ascension to immortal. shakes head "Soon" nods "Good take Kaelasa to a gambling den and come back with 10x this" Dave handed him a high soul gem '100m in spirit stones' "Small bets only, she will eventually win it all." Dong's skepticism was crushed by Dave's certainty. "I got the pill hall tour today." Dave was genuinely curious about 'alchemy' in this world.
Lilly got bored teaching before noon, nothing she did nor said helped 'Ag', an outsider could see the improvement in both . . .Lilly just wanted to move things forward. 'status' Lilly peeked at herself as well as Ag fortunately it was a jumbled mess she did not understand. Lilly decided she wanted to learn to read, and Ag was going to teach her.
Dong cashed in the high soul gem, for 98 in million million stone chips and many smaller denominations. "so miss. What calls to you?" the only advice Dave gave her was 'watch for probability waveform collapse.' whatever that meant. "Dice?" seeing a man walk away from the dice floor clearly devastated. "Chance speaks only to you my words carry no weight here." Kaelasa still skeptical sat down to play. "this is a man's game, you should be playing with your dollys." some of the other players began to mock her until Dong flared his Qi. "deepest apologies senior we meant you no offense but this is a game for adults." Dong said nothing just set down 100,000 stones worth of chips and held up a handful of the millions. The game began and the hours flew by.
"This is the 3rd largest, pill hall in all the empire. our experts can make 4th tear pills at a high chance 5th and 6th on rare occasions." his tour guide seemed extremely proud of this, Dave, however, was confused. "if the recipe doesn't change why does the outcome?" a common mistake for outsiders. "every ingredient is unique age, soil, altitude, and countless other conditions." Dave shook his head, the alchemy he knew was completely different. he asked to sample all the available ingredients at first he was refused but he pulled out a handful of mana grass. The guide had no idea what it was but the head pill maker wanted it anyway so samples of everything were provided. While identifying did indicate many things the 'sampler' skill gave a full understanding of an ingredient.
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The tour continued as Dave was shown the pill furnaces and some of technics for pill-making. Now he understood the mistake, they put everything into the furnace as is, with no preprocessing. "can you guys get me a recipe to try?" having been told to be as accommodating as reasonable the guide and master were hesitant until Dave started bringing out his 'lab' the pill master sent a disciple off somewhere. "this equipment is to make pills?" the man asked while examining a still. Dave shook his head. "no potions, elixirs, and the like but I think if I refine base ingredients you should be able to get consistent outcomes." if true this knowledge was as priceless as it was dangerous.
Dave looked at the recipe and almost through it at the potion master's head. "what the hell is wrong with you people 'one bulb of serpent vine, 3 slices of fire frog liver . . .' don't you weigh or measure anything?" fine Dave started grinding ingredients in his morter weighed and measured everything to the gram, some went into the calcinator others the still and some in a hand press. After 2 hours Dave handed the mixture to the pill master. "heat it lower and slower than normal." the man just nodded and did as told. The pill fragrance alone affected everyone's cultivation all around him people stopped what they were doing and began meditating. 7 perfect 5th tear foundation pills formed.
The pill master handed Dave a jade bottle with the 7 pills in it. "please senior teach me, I beg." Dave had no intention of staying any longer than necessary, as soon as he figured out how to cultivate he'd grab Lilly and run. It was dangerous for them to stay with the saintess being able to see the multiple 'paths' more so if more open up. It isn't that Dave disliked the saintess but did not want to throw the world off balance. The same applied to the pills he decided on a compromise. "lemme go over all your recipes, and I'll rewrite them like this one you can figger it out from there." there was only a moment of discomfort before the pill master led him into the archives.
By dinner time Dave had edited 240+ pill recipes and was mentally drained his tour guide had never seen a person actually say 'trudge' while walking. trudge"trudge"trudge"trudge". Dave was not in a bad mood but was actively using his superbrain trying to figure out how to cultivate and why he was unable to do it. The principle was simple, draw in the energy of the world and hold it in your body. (sure, and next, I'll hold my breath indefinitely by turning CO2 back into O2) as Dave thought that he realized he probably could . . . getting off track, his base stats were an obvious problem being immune to all 'elements', near invulnerable, and stats all in the 10k range. The scholar was off the table for now as was: fortune of heaven and earth, tyrant body, dragon bloodline {he had it before arriving} any skill-based 'path' sword/spear, etc. "so how?"
Kel ra had taken over teaching Lilly to read, but the other two were helpful and supportive, this broke Dave out of his funk. "So I see you have all been successful in your endeavors, but what prompted this lesson?" Lilly knew she wasn't allowed to say anything about stats in front of anyone. "Lilly wanted to learn to read, Lilly feels dumb because everyone else can and Lilly can't." while admirable and desirable in the long run now is not a good time. "Lil you want to be a scholar like Kel?" she shook her head "No, Lilly just wants to be able to read enough to...not feel dumb." she was smart, smarter than Dave to a truly massive amount, she had called up her stats and gestured in such a way that looked like an 'in general' to everyone but Dave. "I see, well I will teach you to read later for now you should focus on cultivating the things here, O.K.?"
As dinner was prepared Dong handed Dave the soul gem and a very special jade token. "the gambling hall could not honor your winnings master, this is bound to a ledger backed by the sect." (it's a bank card) "Tomorrow, go buy everything you think is even slightly interesting we don't know how long were staying." Dong bowed in a respectful yet discreet way. "apologies great elder, what is to become of us when you leave?" as tempting as it was taking students at this juncture was not in his plans {world balance} but it was tempting. "don't you guys want to stay here, its home ain't it?" the three looked at each other and laughed. "most of the fourth elders' students were sent hear to get rid of us and we are never allowed to forget it." that stood to reason a cult leader can only maintain control in so long as he stands as the 'only' one that wants them. "damn commie bastards same everywhere. . ."
That night Dave talked with Lilly and the goddesses about taking new disciples, Lilly was a little jealous but accepting and the goddess. "Don't worry so much about the balance for now, you need to learn cultivation they may help." that's a problem, to cultivate you have to gain enlightenment ergo learn something new or surpass your limits in some way how was Dave to do that? He would think on it in the following days while learning the basics of formations, artifact crafting, and the handful of other skills found in the sect. Although he learned many things it boiled down to learning basic math in another language and then explaining calculus in return. The saintess arrived shortly after dinner on the last day of Dave's tour. "we cannot ever repay you for your contribution to our sect, please accept this before you go." it was a 'guest elder' token effectively an oath of friendship and guaranteeing the backing of the sect. "how did you know?" she pointed at her eyes. right
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