Time began to pass rapidly while Kael fell into the monotonous rhythm of training. The only thing that broke up his days was breakfast. Finding something odd from his previous memories to surprise his mother. So far her favourites were french toast and eggs benedict. She had also become addicted to dim sum. Kael had even made it part of his routine to make the dough for 24 buns each morning while doing breakfast.
The cooking really did not bother him much. He got to taste things from his old life while gaining experience. The chef skill and talents also made it amazingly simple. The only time he had screwed up was his first attempt at eggs benedict, which came out like slop.
With the massive dim sum, he was averaging 400 experience a day. He quickly finished off the tail end of rank four and shot through rank 5. The morning he got the notification for rank entering rank 6 he thought, Shit, alchemy is SO MUCH HARDER! 9 days of making two things launched me up two ranks. I have to reevaluate how I spend experience once I hit earth rank.
The 10th day had come around. Kael’s skill in fire manipulation had greatly increased. He was now able to make an indistinct looking bird that he could manipulate to flap its wings and walk around in circles on his hand. He could make it fly a short distance if he left a trail of fire qi connected to it. As soon as he cut the connection the flame would combust in a small fireball before going out.
Annoyed with his bird exploding, he thought, Shouldn't that only happen in puberty? Giving up on the bird he began to work on making a little human figurine dance on his palm. After a couple of hours, he was really getting into it, making the little fire guy breakdance. While grinning like a fool immersed in his own world an unexpected slap to the back of his head snapped him out of it. Losing concentration his little figurine went up in a flash of uncontrolled flame.
Looking up over his shoulder he saw his father standing there. “Thanks pops, I was starting to get good at that,” Kael said with a bit of grumpiness. I have never been smacked in the back of the head so much in my entire life. One day, I will shave his head while he sleeps for revenge.
“I’m glad you're getting good at it, I ran my butt off to get all the stuff your mother wanted for your training. You also have a problem with creating trouble. Do you have any idea how stupid you were to show an interspatial pouch off around town? There have been people looking for you since you left. I’ll have to start going to a different town in the future.”
“Eh? Sorry dad, but how do you expect me to carry around that many goods? Don’t you always use your pouch?”
“I do, but I am an adult, not a kid. These pouches may not be considered valuable in a silver ranked city, and they might be commonplace in the gold rank cities, but in the iron ranked cities they are rare. A child should not be showing off such wealth in that kind of place. What did I tell you about people's greed?”
“Ok, sorry, I was tired, worn out and did not have the capability to make so many hides appear in a believable manner.”
“Good, we will talk about the troubles you caused during dinner. Regather your qi, once you are done come inside, don’t practice more.”
Ignoring his father, he dropped into a meditative state quickly. With his altered technique, he gathered qi quicker as he became more accustomed to it. In about an hour he was finished and heading inside.
Walking inside he saw his mother and father sitting at the table. His mother's eyes were swollen like she had been crying, and she was furiously chewing on a steamed bun. As he entered the two dropped into total silence.
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“What’s up with you two? You look like someone died.”
Iradin, looking over at his son sighed and said, “Son, Iron ranked cities are ruled by the lower nobility, which are core formation experts. Although they are normally not in their city and the city is just managed by a mayor in their stead, they come back to investigate suspicious events. The amount of people looking for a rich little brat with interspatial items is immense. The ruler of that city is coming back to investigate on his own.
Although it is said he is coming to be sure it is not the child of a noble who ran away and got lost, the truth is more likely that he is coming to rob you. You may not be wealthy, but a kid with an interspatial item probably had a fortuitous encounter. Which is why he wants to rob you, to steal your luck and karma.”
Looking at his father like he was an idiot, Kael said, “So, to be clear, some strong and wealthy dude is coming to kill me on the off chance I found something neat in the forest?”
“Exactly,” Iradin said.
Looking at the seriousness on his father's face, Kael could tell he was not joking around. Here I thought the super-rich were ruthless on earth. Robbing a child on the off chance he found something interesting in a forest though, can this shit even be made up?
“Ok dad, what do you want me to do? I can go back into the forest if you like.”
Hearing her son wanted to go back into the forest Alavarah immediately objected; “Absolutely not! You are not to wander the wilds like that again, you understand me? Your father has a friend in another city, you will go work at his inn and pretend to be just an orphan looking working. In a few months, we will come get you.”
“Dad, can’t you have a friend that is an alchemist that needs an apprentice, or a smith, or something more respectable?”
“No child, the news already leaked that you are tied to selling mass quantities of alchemist powders. Our family background was heavily influenced by smithing so that is out also. You need to be low key, understand? Low key, that means not drawing attention. If you were more capable of that you wouldn’t be in this predicament.”
“Aren’t you and mom badasses? If it is lower nobility is it really that bad, dad?
“Brat, if our cultivation was not damaged it wouldn’t be a problem. The same would be true if Muta was here. Right now there is no one who can fight a core formation expert. Stop arguing, my friend will watch after you for three months. Due to the speed a higher ranked cultivator can move you will be leaving after dinner. How much space does your ring hold?”
Kael thinking about his father's question did some exploration into his ring with his mind. Checking it out, he found it was bigger than what he bought during reincarnation. “It currently holds about 600 square feet. I have piles of hides taking up a small corner. There is plenty of space for just about anything. What do you want me to put in it?”
Relieved at his son’s response, Iradin said, “I have a ton of herbs, ores, and recipes for you. While your mother makes dinner we will go swap everything from my pouch into your ring. Also, your mother and I were going to pass our techniques onto you once you reached xiantian. With the current circumstances, we will give you books with our techniques before you leave. You are not to start on soul refinement before you master at least one trade though. So you better practice in your downtime!”
Agreeing with his parents, Kael and Iradin began to swap items out in the living room while a depressed Alavarah was cooking dinner. Iradin had purchased 5 more recipes for his son. Marrow Washing, Meridian Washing, Tiger’s Strength, Turtle’s Defense, and Roc’s movement pill recipes. He also brought Kael 200 sets of all of the herbs needed. Handing over 6 books he ended the shift of property by giving Kael his blade.
“Son, this is normally handed down once the eldest son awakens his bloodlines, but you were born with them awakened, so I have been putting this off. This blade is by far one of the cheapest things our family used to own, but it has passed through the hands of many of the families previous patriarchs. The blade was not just my father's, it was made by one of the original Darksteels. Treasure it well.”
Examining the blade Kael was found some interesting information.
Sorrowsteel’s Legacy
Tier: Earth; Rank: 7 (Sealed)
Bonus: 14 Strength, 10 Agility
Looking up at his father, he decided not to reveal the different name. Knowing his father did not want to tell him something about his family, Kael simply stored the item and thanked his father.
Iradin than said, “Good, go look over your stuff one last time and we will head out. Prepare a note for Muta and Raen while you do so or that little girl may end up hating you”.