Going Shopping
"Look, the cleaning team just sent us this." While walking Heian Ciemnosc to the Missions & Operations building, a female fellow club member showed Heian Ciemnosc an image. It was like a hologram, only this image was in perfect in resolution and quality, displaying a sea of corpses covered by some layers of unknown things with maggots the length of a baby's head and the thickness of a baby's arm wriggling within the sea of corpses.
The bodies were all naked, mostly half-eaten. And a tiny chunk of the entire sea was already a completely flat layer of a whitish color similar to the color of those things. Heian Ciemnosc was now a bit awake and reacted with a little frown. His pale face looked enchanting as he did, and the female club member looked at him with a bit more attention. Heian Ciemnosc asked, feeling a growing dissatisfaction upon seeing the images, "What will happen to them? What next?"
“Ooh, that will be taken care of by a Supervisor,” the female club member said. But noticing Heian Ciemnosc’s unsure and thinking face, she added, “Don’t worry. They don’t waste any time. They can’t reach all of the Blackotia Kingdom with just their Second Step high cultivation level, but they can use tools for that. It isn’t as powerful, and the longer their energy travels, the less effective and powerful they are. But the preparations done by cleaning teams is more than enough to let them set everything you saw ablaze.”
“Feeling reassured, Heian Ciemnosc nodded slightly and dropped the matter. He felt a tiny but splitting headache from the right side of his head and tumbled a little before the female club member hugged him with her back again. After some additional walking, he asked her with an ‘annoyed’ face of confusion. “How did you receive that? It was too far for an image to be delivered this fast.”
“Oooh, a big brain teen, hm?” The female club member didn't forget to tease the devilishly handsome new fella before elaborating, showing both her wrists to him while effortlessly carrying him. “These are my Universal Conveyance. The Academy will give them to anyone from Sub Student to Leading Student when reaching the Spirit Rebirth realm for free, unlike most others who only rent them to those with the lowest statuses and sell them to the second lowest.”
“But you can also directly buy them. That is one of the 2 ways to get your eternal Universal Conveyance. Good luck with amassing 1,000 merit points and not using them for something more practical.” The female club member then added, “The other way is to get some sort of patron. Most of us don’t have any. It is rather difficult, especially since teachers do not care about the students’ ‘normal’ talent and stuff.”
“They don’t?” Heian Ciemnosc asked, jolting his neck backwards and frowning in confusion. The female club member shook her head and elaborated, “Nope. Well, they do worry and care for students. But when looking for a disciple, not someone to mentor or guide slightly, they always look at their behavior, qualities, and weaknesses. They are sometimes like civilians choosing marriage for their children, mn. Or for themselves, they can pick their poison.”
“Oh,” Heian Ciemnosc nodded as much as he could while the headache dissipated. The female club teacher then looked at him, and as if the truth of the whole world stood before her eyes, they shone as her lips moved to ask him. “That’s right, kiddy. Why don’t you have someone taking care of you yet? I’m sure a couple dozen Supervisors would’ve taken you under tier wing already if they could. What’s going on? Do you have a scary mommy? Gasp! Is it a daddy?! My god! Are you gay? If you’re not, we will help you s-”
“No,” Heian Ciemnosc narrowed his eyes and responded ‘coldly’ just as the female club member vowed to white princess-him to safety. She kept looking at him once she composed herself, realizing she was silly before. Heian Ciemnosc took a few breaths to not get tired, then began speaking. “I don’t know that as well. Nobody has approached me. And the only Teacher I know doesn’t care, which I’m fine with.”
“Hmmmm~, well. Let’s hope it isn’t as I feared.” The female club member successively slightly nodded as she spoke and then added with her hands firmly grabbing onto Heian Ciemnosc’s shoulders. “But if it is, don’t miss a beat and call upon us! We’ll come to your aid and free you from some handsome, muscular, and- mnnn- man from touching your fragile, delicate, and lithe body!”
“Miss,” Heian Ciemnosc turned to look at her, and their faces were so close he could see her beaming eyes, and she could begin drawing in his eyes. “Hm, mhm?”
“One day, after I marry. I will find you and make you one of my first maids. After subduing you.” Heian Ciemnosc ‘pouted angrily’ while speaking. But in the female’s eyes, he looked so domineeringly cute ah. “Okay.”
“We’ve arrived. Do you need someone, or are you okay on your own?” And just a few seconds after Heian Ciemnosc’s vile declaration, the mission leader spoke out loud and attracted everyone’s attention. Heian Ciemnosc separated himself from the female and walked. He limped, but not as much as in the beginning, and as the rising sun was just over a couple tens of minutes from now, he appeared as steel and straight as a weapon.
“Very well, let’s go. We are being expected… at the Security & Discipline building.” The mission leader nodded at Heian Ciemnosc and then spoke. His mission group heaved heavy complaints and sighed ruefully, but they all started walking to the northeast. The last female club member to talk to Heian Ciemnosc held his hand a little before departing, joining her fellow slouched mission group to be punished for almost causing his death.
Heian Ciemnosc pressed her fingertips a little bit before turning around and facing the entrance of the gigantic light gray building, brighter than the building at the very center. This Missions & Operations building was west of the Academy’s territory in the center. It was where anyone with or without a club could take such missions, like that mission Heian Ciemnosc could’ve died in, and where much larger and more significant operations could be devised and handed over to some people.
His face became expressionless as he took steps forward and entered the building. Its impressive glass entrance didn’t look to be much but was still so immense even a Frigate could come and go and barely take ⅓ of the space. As he walked under it, the glass seemed to have its own mind. It retracted upwards as if a water screen in reverse, marveling Heian Ciemnosc a little before searching for a reception desk of many.
Step, step, step, step…
“Hello, I’m Heian Ciemnosc an-” Heian Ciemnosc barely spoke to a pretty young woman behind a desk with an obscure blue clerk uniform and hat when she lifted her head abruptly and exclaimed in surprise. “Oh my gosh! Yes! It’s you. Let me just let the bosses know you’ve returned safely. Someone will come to receive and guide you to get your remuneration.”
The young woman had bright blonde hair, pale, delicate skin, green eyes, and was a citizen. Heian Ciemnosc could still not read one’s age, but he could tell she was over 80 years. Though some organizations treat their citizens regularly, many don’t even consider extending their lifespan. The Wrath Nihility Academy was the example of what Heian Ciemnosc saw right between the connection of cultivators and non-cultivators.
“The Academy will give you a very worthy reward. Both for wronging you and annihilating an enemy 2 realms above your own!” The young woman added, a simple but easygoing smile plastered on her face that gave off motherly instincts, soothing even Heian Ciemnosc. Seeing her effect on him and knowing it would take some time, she began conversing.
“Aiyo, my job is really satisfactory, you know? I didn’t understand at first, but after some old colleague from school convinced me, and I convinced my family, I am getting paid so much I can live content for the next couple hundred years of my life already! My pay is enough for my 4 husbands and my children’s education, and they can enter into the military, navy, or armada after they have married, have children, and are 80 years old! I was indeed lucky, hehe.”
Heian Ciemnosc’s eyebrows jumped. Understanding various concepts all at once from just her words was something. He looked at her and offered some words to pass the time before another pretty lady walked to them and brought Heian Ciemnosc away. The lady brought him to an elevator, and after 3 minutes of going up, Heian Ciemnosc was escorted to a very comfortable but still lavish floor where he saw many were exiting and few entered.
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First, he saw a long corridor leading to the main reception desk on the floor. A long line of all Races and sexes lined up to go there, and it was advancing pretty fast. Each person spent 3 seconds talking with the people at the floor’s main reception desk before walking to the left or right with a paper in their hands.
The pretty lady brought Heian Ciemnosc to the main reception desk, where he only got a few glances from the people lining up. She said something to one person behind the desk and then brought Heian Ciemnosc to the left. Not needing to line up, then walked for another 4 minutes through long corridors before finally, the pretty lady accommodated Heian Ciemnosc’s clothes and wished him luck.
Ta-tum. The doors opened. They were heavy and made a noise that made Heian Ciemnosc feel comical. As soon as he went in, he saw another woman dressed in another clerk's uniform, only with a few brighter purple lines here and there and a prettier, smaller hat, who smiled at him and told him directly, “Come over, I don’t bite and am married, haha.”
Feeling diminutively embarrassed, Heian Ciemnosc walked in, closed the door, and followed the woman who walked around to stand behind a mini desk for only one person and looked more like a podium. Like the rest of the room, it had a beige, gold-ish tone color to it, and everything looked pure yet of money at the same time.
Step, step.
“This is your payment, and as accorded with the employer’s conditions, the payment was to be delivered on the next week’s first day, but you notified us of your absence. So here it is now,” as soon as Heian Ciemnosc walked before the mini reception desk, the woman began speaking quickly but still tangible. She brought a sack with a severe amount of coins that resounded but not louder than the sack itself as she placed it on the mini reception desk.
“That’ll be 9,000 silver coins in total. 8,000 from your employer and 1,000 as an extra from your employer’s fiancée.” The woman looked at Heian Ciemnosc, her eyes sternly reminding him. “You’re lucky they’ve paid for taxes already and made sure no time limit was set before you were seen as irresponsible, and the payment was canceled, legally.”
“Thank you,” Heian Ciemnosc said as he grabbed the sack. It was brown colored and was the size of his neck, but when he lifted it, it wasn’t as heavy as it seemed and sounded. He probably didn’t even need 500 kg bodily strength than any cultivator would have. The clerk lifted her palm and faced it towards Heian Ciemnosc, halting his backsteps at once, “There’s more, silly.”
“Now, there would’ve been more here and some other stuff. But a reputed Teacher offered his services and little guidance instead of the Academy embarrassing itself to materially pay a student with all the precious information and knowledge they have in the world.” The female clerk took another sack out. This time, it was the size of 2 male adults, but she lifted it effortlessly. Though Heian Ciemnosc could tell that it had an array formation to make objects and even people weighted.
“A total of 80,000 silver coins as remuneration and a 50% discount on all shops for the rest of this day. That’ll be all, what do you think?” The female clerk saw Heian Ciemnosc grab the sack containing those 80,000 silver coins and immediately asked with a big grin. Heian Ciemnosc was speechless. Of course he fucking was. No Sub Student can get this amount unless they worked like an animal in the most well-paid jobs for a month. Heian Ciemnosc gained such in his second week in the Academy!
“Th- thank you,” Heian Ciemnosc stuttered. The female didn’t let go of that and began teasing him. “Oww, cutie~~! Don’t stutter~. Now go and buy as many things as possible. Your life here has just begun, and there are many eyes watching. Don’t trip!”
“Mn,” Heian Ciemnosc stupidly felt that same ‘gladness’ from before, where his throat felt stupid, his sternum quivered, and his lips almost smiled in response. He looked at the motherly female clerk once more as she was seemingly getting the data of his visit and successful remuneration finishing. She noticed his eyes, smiled at him as he nodded, and finally turned around to leave the building, feeling a smile watching him walk out of the room.
… After coming out of the building with a huge sack and 2 other sacks containing silver coins, one bigger than the other. Heian Ciemnosc directly moved his tired, exhausted, hurt and injured body towards the portals leading to the market section. Which it wasn’t a lavish place where the richest went to buy. Everything was affordable, depending on their own value and realm usage.
Thus, after several portals, Heian Ciemnosc arrived there, attracting attention. He was already wearing another set of uniform and club jacket. His doggies were biting ferociously to anyone who wanted to joke about him or saw him with mocking eyes, and it worked really well.
Heian Ciemnosc walked through the streets and sidewalks unattended. Nobody dared set their Spirit Sense on him, especially with that Saberbone Diabolical Club’s jacket. Even if it was the ‘lowest’ status, it had a reputation that couldn’t be denied. He quickly walked into a store he had eyed the other day while coming back from classes, and with his blood drenching his uniform without anyone’s notice, he ignored everything in the store and went to the reception desk.
Slap. “An Inferior Covert Space bag, please. I have a discount,” said Heian Ciemnosc, as his medallion was slammed against the reception desk, and the short fatty, bald towards the center, looked on surprised before nodding and going to the back of the store.
“... Here it is. Ahem,” the store owner returned, sat on his stool but still remained half a head lower than Heian Ciemnosc, and began the process of selling. “Even though you’re a Sub Student. Because of your recent achievements, the discount, and the status you’ve gained, an Inferior Covert Space bag will cost you… 20,000 silver coins, 10,000 less than half its price.”
Thus, 20,000 silver coins were gone, and Heian Ciemnosc quickly placed all tens of thousands of silver coins in it. The moment he had the Inferior Covert Space bag in his hand, he could tell it was like the ones he used to have back at the Sinvonnia Kingdom. Only, these weren’t even half the size of his palm and had a fabric to themselves that was just exquisite.
“Unlike backwater Kingdoms, all other Covert Space bags have their laws and nature formalized completely, without lacking anywhere and with copious resources. Only when they are made in Kingdoms without complete laws and nature are they less helpful.” The store owner pointed at the tiny thing, “Look, it has an exquisite array formation. As long as you bond with any Covert Space bag, every time energy flows through you, even an enemy’s, it will activate and protect itself.”
“It isn’t tough if you poke it with something and aren’t in a fight, so be careful. Assassins and thieves aren’t renowned, especially because of their bonding. It isn’t like this is the start of cultivation! It’s been too long since then. Only desperate and ignorant fools would dare steal from other’s Covert Space bags, tsk.”
“Mn, I see,” Heian Ciemnosc then understood the high price of these things. If someone wanted to buy many of these but was also in the middle of going through realms of a Step, doing so would mean giving up on their cultivation and any Craftsmaking profession, for that matter. “Thank you… May I see the flora and forging materials catalog?”
After honestly thanking the store owner, and as he held his first and new Covert Space bag tighter, Heian Ciemnosc turned to face the store owner and kept his Covert Space bag behind his right side. This first Inferior Covert Space bag was like his beginning. And the moment he just set it on his body, dropping a tiny, half a drop of dark blood on it before, he truly felt like his initiation into the cultivation world had finally begun.
The store owner nodded and directly flashed a pair of thick clipboards to Heian Ciemnosc and an extra book with thinner but more plastic and aesthetical pages. He stood there for a while, looking through it all, and suddenly, he felt like a lot of that knowledge he only lacked descriptions of names and recognition of other cultivators reinvigorated Heian Ciemnosc’s tired mental health.
After revising through everything and feeling calmer somehow, Heian Ciemnosc nodded to the store owner and wrote all the things he wanted to buy. To the store owner’s surprise, he didn’t even need to advise Heian Ciemnosc which ones were the most basic and most likely to be used for future Sub Student classes. This pale teenager picked them all and a few slightly more advanced ingredients like he had studied here already.
After everything was bought and Heian Ciemnosc came out of the store, he was left with less than 30,000 silver coins. Everything he bought drained his new Inferior Covert Space bag, and only 22,000-something silver coins remained. But Heian Ciemnosc was like a child having received his first few favorite toys. He excitedly made his way to his dormitory and his individual one. He also went to the Fauna-housing section again. This time, it was to pay half the amount of needed silver coins to keep the fellow for those 3 months, costing 5 months.
The dumb big bird was ecstatic to see him, even though he realized Heian Ciemnosc was gravely injured. Evan hid it and just spent a few minutes with Heian Ciemnosc, telling him of how many sluts he banged and how many children were already on their egg stage. Life was good for Jing Evan.
And when Heian Ciemnosc returned to the dormitory he first owned by mere reputation alone, he was first with the news the few ones he selected had smoothly won over this week’s rivalring dormitory’s leader. Gaining them another 2 dormitories, and him, personally, more prestige.
As soon as he made contact with them after his mission, he would’ve been bombarded with questions if it wasn’t because the corners of his lips and from his left nostrils, dark blood seeped out… After being given the recorder with the Assistant Teacher Zi’s lecture of yesterday, presented by the Academy since he was on duty, he entered his individual dormitory and sank his bare body into his bed… He slept so soundly afterward.
His fellow Sub Students, out of respect, didn’t go in and remained in others’ individual dormitories. From the morning to noon. Heian Ciemnosc had no job, nor did he visit Teacher Puru to know his response. He simply rested as much as he could. And when afternoon came, he woke up to go to class with the rest of Sub Students.
All of this… had just begun, and the skies seemed more transparent… too clear, perhaps.
…
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This is the beginning of Volume 4 — Darkness Darkness Blights The Skies With Open Eyes.