Persephone flies off to retrieve Scrying Screen while I'm staring at my fist wondering when we decided to punch the man and the world shifts. Um. Wait. She didn't get back with my artifact yet. I go to pull her to me, feel another shift, and she's clinging to the mirror, stone-faced. She lands, I collect, then she shakily walks over, wrapping her arms around my leg. Wow. She got left behind and I barely had enough will left to drag her over. I sit down, ready to take a nap, and I smell the familiar smoke of my plaque changing.
When I look at it it's no longer just engraved wood. It's got a lovely black lacquer, the color of the wood showing through on the lettering, and there's even some blue highlights to it. Aw, did they customize it? Or is this supposed to match my artifact?
"Mom..." Mom my ass... Heran looks mortified. "You know these exams are being recorded... Why would you punch an instructor?"
"Why did the instructor try to rob an exam taker?" I retort. How the hell are you going to admonish me. Didn't you watch the exam?
"Donating artifacts, or being asked to... It's considered an honor..." Adonia sighs.
"Is it considered an honor to be eaten and turned into treasure? I'll poop out a nice bit of silk for his efforts later," I snark.
I don't know why they think they have room to talk. I'm sitting cross-legged on the ground at Group B's rally point. The stage is gone, as are most of the people who passed and got accepted, and my kids are here. Trying to tell me off. For things I shouldn't have done. No praise for the things I'd done.
"Kisandera? Congratulations on your excellent work. You've ranked as one of the top ten entrants and are allowed to participate in the Rankings in three months. You're also allowed to take on a teacher to be your personal mentor. Don't forget to head to the Student Store to pick your prize, and the Vault for your reward of spirit stones. Well, your children are quite knowledgeable, I'm sure they can help you," an elder walks up, disgorges exposition, interrupts themselves part way through, then walks off with a friendly smile.
"I'm sure they'd love to help themselves to me," I grumble, arms crossed, and Maru and Shimmering Steel glare down at me.
"Hand over the artifact so that we can put it in the vault," Shimmering Steel holds out her hand and I can feel my hair gaining body and volume. "We'll sell it at a later date once we've got serious bidders."
"It's not for selling. It's so that other people can help clear miasma zones," I say slowly, calmly and clearly.
"We don't need other people, we have you!" Shimmering Steel stares at me wide-eyed like I'd forgotten the abuse and she's more~ than willing to remind me.
"I'm not going to do that any more," I smile thinly. "I've gotten sick and almost died too many times."
"It's not up to you," she rolls her eyes. "It's for the sake of Thousand Valleys. We all make sacrifices."
"This is clearly not a democracy," I mumble, resisting the urge to flick my antenna although they twitch.
I pull out Scrying Screen, wondering how serious she is. It's my first artifact, a useful tool that takes on many jobs at once, and she's going to sell it? It got me first place in an exam and it's just a souvenir? I'm not even on some "mom won't put my drawing on the fridge" bullshit. That thing has to be worth a fortune and she's going to sell it? For what? I doubt we're hurting for money... Thousand Valleys is still a major produce producer unless they switched gears.
She takes the Scrying Screen, eyeing me the whole time, then stores it in a spatial storage pin on her chest. Oh. I can see it.
I look around and realize there are lots of things I'd seen but didn't register. Everyone has multiple storage devices except for Persephone. She's a lot calmer now that I'm not dead. Speaking of. I turn back to my kids with a frown. No one said a word about my reforging. Another rebirth to heal damage dealt and they're like, "this is why we're not going to stop working you"? Really? Think I'm gonna take a few years off to focus on my studies...
I guess I narrowed my eyes or did something, because Madame Dictator narrows her eyes at me. Did she blink yet? Hmm... I kinda want to start grooming or spinning, but I'm on vacation. I've got to figure out this student stuff and head to the capital. Ooh. Oh. I'm still naked.
I drag Persephone with me into my void space, walking over to the stored fabric, just enjoying the peace and quiet.
-*Are they for real? You placed Top Ten, with no training, and they're focusing on you punching out an instructor? The fact that he couldn't dodge, and you stunned him, is praise worthy! You have no training!*-
I give her a small smile and get to work. I like the look of the embroidered robes, but I also like the long robes. But I want to wear pants. So... Embroidered top, robe bottoms, and pants.
"I don't suppose you know how to make shoes?" I ask absently.
It's not important. I don't have mouths on my feet any more, but I know that I can still stick to surfaces if I need to. I just know things now.
While Persephone shakes her head and gives a small apology I wave her off and wonder what we're going to eat for dinner. I still have a ton of fish in storage. There's a few bodies, but apparently those should be crafted into things. Hmm... I look down at the robe top, the outer robe top and realize I need to make inner robes.
[Textile Crafting Successful]
[Qi Drained: -10]
[Karma Gained: 100]
[Current Qi: 4,176,048]
[Current Karma: 36,758,203/49,071,033]
Hmm? That's back, again. I hold up the not so simple embroidered water and wind blend wrap top with air accents, yellow on blue on blue. I have no fashion sense but this should protect everyone while I'm collecting the emperor's sneezes, right? Maru said they wore shielding clothing, is that to fire or anything in general?
[Textile Crafting Successful]
[Qi Drained: -10]
[Karma Gained: 100]
[Current Qi: 4,176,038]
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[Current Karma: 36,758,303/49,071,033]
So why is this back again? I put on the upper under robe and try to throw the upper over robe over it before I realize I have a problem. I look down to double check, and, yeah. I'd only sewn two arms. Four arms total, but only two to a robe. I need twice that many. But, why though? I turn to ask Persephone why she gave me knowledge for two arms before noting that she only has two arms. Well. Nevermind. I sigh, removing the robes and her eyes widen in shock.
-*Oh! You can't use the recipes!*- she says, adorable with her little hands held up over her mouth as if she's trying to catch the words.
-*I can't use the tops until I find out how sewing works, but I can still wear skirts and pants.*- I hope.
How was I wearing --. Oh. Right. Literally ripping holes in the clothes and eating them. Or cutting off pieces and eating them. Eating the clothing in general. Did I rip all the sleeves off? Was I some armsy giga-chad? I have no fashion sense. All muscle shirts and no chill. Hmph.
-*When are we going to get your rewards?*- Persephone huffs.
Why's she angry? Oh, right. I got into the zone making the clothing by hand like some kind of peasant, gasp!, and forgot all about the triplets and Madame Dictator. Maybe we can find her a hobby so she isn't just sitting around when I take a break.
"Do you know where any of that stuff is?" I ask her and she hesitantly puts a finger to her chin.
"I could probably find a map or learn the layout of Seven Moons, but some of the zones are going to be out of reach because access is restricted," she informs me and I realize that, while she is another cheat, she's not blatantly pretending I can just look up the information on my own if I think about it. If she can learn it in five minutes, me taking five weeks to figure out where to start and where to go is a waste. I'm not sure why the others don't see it that way.
"Is there a way for me to give you permission? I'm pretty sure people get sent on errands all the time, how do they get around to areas they can't normally go in?"
"Good point," she mumbles, one arm crossed, a finger to her chin and her head bowed as she frowns at the ground. Mini thinker.
"Apologies for all the questions, but do you also happen to know what runes are used in forging? If I can make such valuable artifacts, surely there are buyers." I'm not gonna try to become a merchant, but the world runs on money. And Qi. And Karma.
There's a warmth and I start collecting, wondering how Thousand Valleys is attacking me when I'm paused before I hear a familiar snort.
-Get your rewards, don't pick a location to stay yet, because you won't be there long, then come to me. Or let me know when you're ready. You don't just need to learn about Qi and Karma and cultivation paths, you need to learn about xianxia, xuanhua fusion bastard! Never plays RPGs much? Peh!-
[Textile Crafting Successful]
[Qi Drained: -10]
[Karma Gained: 100]
[Current Qi: 4,176,028]
[Current Karma: 36,758,303/49,070,933]
I casually sewed robe bottoms, because pants, but trying to put them on doesn't work. They're too small. How do I readjust them? How do you size a crafting recipe?I don't scrap them because I can probably sell them if this combo is half as popular as Mary's requests for it are.
-This isn't some farming sim! This a progression series! Made it this far and moans about getting nerfed... Tch. Can't wait to see what your heavenly tribulations look like... Probably be a bunch of tasteless rice cakes and water. Let's see if you don't pull down Heavenly Fire!-
I sigh and just imagine how the clothing I make should look and feel based on what I've encountered so far. When I will the clothing into being I can feel the embroidery. Pretty sure that's not right... I think there's supposed to be a liner, right? As I reshape it I remember I made a crap ton of wind/death fabric I wanted to use. Sigh.
-Never heard of horsetail whisks? Doesn't know a strong cultivator can reshape the heavens? This is the mortal realm, not the earth realm, tch!-
I put away the new clothes and try again with the wind/death but with water silk thread. The entire time the emperor is bemoaning my lack of, what? culture?, Persephone is sputtering with her hands clasped over her mouth. 'Cause of the Emperor's "woe is me!" act or something else?
-Just use binding wraps!-
Script paper? For what?
-Ack!-
What'd I miss?
-*The emperor was telling you to use strips of fabric to wrap up and cover your bits. How'd you get script paper out of that?*- She's cackling, arms hugging her stomach, tears streaming from her eyes. Why does she have tear ducts?
"They said binding," I point out and the world, my void space, shifts just a little. "Oy! Did you just facepalm so hard you bumped my void space?!" How's that even possible?
-Go grab your shit then get over here.-
"Might take us some time to figure out where everything is." Unless he's got some tips?
-Ask a guard for directions.- One of the flying students? -Think of them as teacher's aides or hall monitors. They're not just lookouts.-
Oh. Was wondering why the one sword guy abandoned his post to guide me and Modesty. Thought he was flirting with Modesty or just really didn't want to do his route. Hm~. Will it be easier or harder to get help after punching out flip skillet?
A little more futzing and I've got a semi-modest outfit. The top is slit vertically, front and back, but lightly overlapped to hide the break and the horrifying and useful vertical mouth eyes. A collar that ties closed at the back of my neck, instead of sleeves or a straight opening at my side I have streamers, broad strips of fabric that have broad tying bands at the wrist. My robe bottoms, over and under, are standard. They need no modifications. I'm using a standard rope belt made of death silk thread.
I don't have mouths everywhere else any more. Well, not real mouths. There are tribal demon mouths on both facial cheeks, and all of my shoulders, but those are covered by the loose pseudo sleeves. I haven't had the inclination to check elsewhere, I'm just glad that I managed to remove some of my more off-putting mutations.
And they think I'm going to let them talk me into that drake shit again? Peh! See if I don't have the emperor remove Shimmering Steel as my master. They want to work me? They can pay me! Could they afford my services?
I grumble, refreshing Persephone's timer before walking back out. Fists clenched I keep an eye on everyone as I try to walk out of the mini shaming circle, Persephone in tow.
"Where do you think you're going?" Maru says quietly. Voice low and violent intentions worn openly.
"To get my prizes," I say, eyes flickering in annoyance.
Persephone is slowly coming down from whatever had her so tickled earlier. Now she's doing her blank stare thing and slowly radiating hostility. Maru frowns, looks her up and down, then dismisses her with an eye roll before turning her attention back to me.
"The reason she wasn't getting along with anyone is because she was called when I was already on the verge of death and you guys weren't letting up," I narrow my eyes to gauge their reaction. "She's fine now that I'm fine except you guys still haven't learned to stop."
Adonia rolls his eyes and opens his mouth, insect mouth parts coming into view and a snapping buzz coming from his abdomen while his clothes snap and flutter. He immediately closed his mouth, horrified, and Maru fights a smile.
"We'll need to go over available prizes to see which ones will best help Thousand Valleys. You'll also need to give us our permissions back."
"Keep it up and I'll leave," I say as calmly as I can.
I win rewards for my hard labor and they want to know what they can get? The three worst offenders roll their eyes, scoffing, but only one of them doesn't look guilty.