I gently patted her as I went through my little cycle of depression.
After a few moments of her nuzzling against my hand she looked up at me and smiled.
Sasha: “Master, where are we going to go?” she asked me curiously.
I simply shrugged my shoulder and acted vague. No need to tell her where we are going just yet. Let her think this is a mysterious journey.
Zev: “Only time will tell where I set foot little one” I told her vaguely as I looked into the distance with a solemn look on my face. I turned back to see her nodding towards my words as if they were incredibly interesting. I gently pushed her back and smiled “Get ready, we will be leaving in awhile little one” and she immediately nodded.
She stood with her body straight and her all of her possessions, which at this moment was nothing, and waited for me.
I didn't make her wait long and we immediately began our journey.
But I no longer rested once a day, and I pushed back our rest day further and further with each passing week.
Sasha wasn't a weak little girl any more. She was stronger than even me. So I didn't let her slack off.
Everyday she trained for a minimum of 12 hours, with 6 of that being using her mana and the other 6 being meditation.
The remaining 12 hours was spent travelling and in a period of two months, in our zigzagging route, we passed through a total of 3 villages.
The village, Sratz, was the first village we went through and whose strongest cultivator was only a rank 6 Spirit Practitioner.
They were absolutely terrified of me and Sasha. The reason they were terrified of Sasha was because she was a Peak Rank 9 Mageling, which was the same as a Spirit Practitioner.
That alone would not have been too scary, but she looked to be around 10.
That would considered genius anywhere in the world.
I also think that because he couldn't read my power level, he thought I was some monstrously powerful being.
My favourite moment was when the man kindly asked “Dear Great Elder, if I may be so bold to ask, how old is your disciple?” he said as he looked at Sasha with an envious look. When I said she was '6', not only him, but his entire village also had open mouths in shock.
From that point on, they took respect to a whole other level.
It was interesting to watch them treat me like a god, and it was very hard to convince them to act otherwise.
In the end, we didn't spend that long in that village. The overly respectful attitude was too much for me. It was multiple times worse when compared to Startza.
Sasha seemed to be a little less affected than me, but she was also shaken up with the amount of respect she was shown.
She finally got the respect she would have gotten from her clan in the first place.
Nonetheless, I stocked up on supplies. But it wasn't because I had finished what I already had.
I had spent 100 PP on pills for myself, and then a further 300 PP on the 'Art of Majesty' leaving me with a grand total of 100 PP.
Of course in this 2 week journey of mine from Startza to Sratz, I bought 4 more tiny Storage rings.
I filled these four storage rings of mine up with food from this village, since they plenty of it.
Well, I think they had plenty of food, since they were all fighting over the right to give me food.
They ended up having a little village wide tournament where only the strongest families could give me food.
I found it pointless and stupid, but whatever made them happy.
Continuing on pass Sratz, I stopped by Tras and Tsazt.
The village names looked like they were Russian and somebody mashing keys on a keyboard together, but I had gotten used to the weird naming conventions in this world already.
Tras was similar to Sratz, but we were not really worshipped, just feared to the extreme.
The people at Tras looked haggard and worn out, like they had faced some terrible situation recently.
Maybe I could have helped them deal with it, but I decided against it.
Maybe in the future I could return to aid this village, but that was simply a maybe.
I left the villagers alone to deal with their problems and moved on soon after to Tsazt.
That was where I was currently at.
It had taken me two months to travel over 4000 kilometres from Startza to Tsazt.
It was quite ridiculous when you thought about it.
Travelling so far, yet barely even going from one part of this world to another.
In this world 4000km was so little that it was terrifying.
Anyway, the village of Tsazt was a mixture of Sratz and Tras.
We were both respected and feared equally.
Tsazt was bigger than all 3 of the previous villages I had been to combined.
They also had a far larger population than all 3 combined.
I think its because they always obeyed the strong people who came by to bother them down to the smallest detail.
Upon my entry, almost no males were visible, and aside from 2 or 3 elders, we were instead welcomed by many girls who would classify as super models on Earth.
Dozens of these girls welcomed us respectfully, but since I had to put on the act of being a wise and sagely elder, I could not partake in the immense lust I was feeling.
I was hoping that after I put Sasha to sleep at night, maybe, I could leave behind a descendant or two.
I don't think anyone had the right to judge me.
I have been in this world for more than several months, and I have gone through many emotionally and mentally straining events.
I deserved to let loose every now and then.
Of course I didn't tell anyone my thoughts. I kept them all inside, bottled up. From that one psychology book I had read, I knew this was not a good thing to do, but aside from Zoras, I had no one else I could open up to.
Anyway, all these girls guided me and Sasha, while being neither overly flirtatious, nor fully solemn. These girls seemed like they were adapting to my current form.
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Since I looked like a stoic and calm natured elder who barely glanced at them and gave them very little consideration, they decided that being overly flirtatious would be disrespectful, while not flirting at all would also be disrespectful.
This was quite an interesting thought.
The largest village I visited, the village of Tzast seemed to manage to thrive in this harsh world not by fighting against it, but instead adapting to the strong people who ruled it.
It wasn't a bad approach for someone who was weak.
The person who controls this village is someone worthy of my respect.
I let myself be guided to the largest building in this village, no, this place was too large to be called a village. I was going to call this place a town from now on. Anyway, I let myself be guided to the largest building in the village, which was a large, stone house which was at least 4 stories tall.
Being brought to the entrance of the building, the doors were quickly opened and I was welcomed inside by many adult men.
They all had looks of humility and genuine respect on their face.
I swear, this town must have the 'Art of Bullshit, Advanced Edition' for them all to have such incredible acting skills.
From the girls welcoming us to the men who now received me, they were all far to happy and kind.
Still, to each their own. I let them act like they were delighted to receive me. It was not like they were harming anyone by trying to survive in this harsh world.
Our time here was interesting, mainly because the more I showed my distaste for the sucking up going around me, the more confused these townsfolk became on how to act.
In the end, I didn't stay too long, because I didn't like putting to much strain on these poor folk.
So I left after a single day.
It was nonetheless, an interesting, eye opening journey. I couldn't help but compare it to Earth.
Was this how certain towns and villages were like in third world and war torn countries? Tired, beaten, living a fake life just to survive?
In all honestly, I think it was, but that was no longer my world, so I couldn't really do much for it.
It was not like I could do all that much for this world either.
I mean, no matter how powerful I, or my disciples got, we could never fully monitor the world, and even the organisation I make will eventually allow corruption to seep into its ranks.
Humanity was just innately dark. Well, not dark per say but selfish I guess. Again, it was to subjective to just call a race selfish.
We were more inclined to care about ourselves and our loved ones, and things in our close proximity, rather than care about improving the world as a whole.
Plus many of us would rather follow the lead of others, rather than do our own thing. Why? Because it was just easier I guess.
Even I was like that and in a sense, I still am, sense I am doing Zoras's bidding.
It was truly a depressing thought process. Maybe I'm becoming depressed because with each passing day, Sasha keeps getting stronger and stronger while I am still only a Rank 3 Spirit Practitioner and a Rank 5 Mageling.
On the other hand, Sasha would have already ranked up from being a Rank 9 Mageling to a Rank 1 Mage, and the only reason she didn't was because she still hadn't mastered the 'Art of Majesty'.
So I suppressed her and didn't allow her to rank up until she had managed to master the tome.
The girl had in a period of just a few months, went from being Rankless to a Peak Rank 9 to being able to breakthrough at any moment of her choice.
It would probably take a genius cultivator at least a year to go from Rank 9 Mageling to Rank 1 Mage, and an average cultivator at least a few years.
It took this girl literally 2 months.
And that was with absolutely no help. No more pills, no herbs, no special medicines, no spiritual aid.
Just her own monstrous genius.
And me, well I had the cultivation skills of a cabbage, which means they were pretty much non-existent and I replied on pills.
I was a pill head.
A pill head was the master of a genius.
My god, I've been so cynical lately.
No wonder old people are generally cranky with young people, or maybe that is just me trying to justify my jealousy.
Nonetheless, Sasha didn't mind at all that I suppressed her from her breakthrough and instead doubled her efforts to master the tome.
As if she wasn't fast enough already, she 'doubled' her efforts.
Her mana pool was already 5 times as large, 5 times as strong, 5 times as beautiful when compared to when she had first started.
She was already 5 times as strong as any other Rank 9 Mageling.
And if she then mastered the 'Art of Majesty', she would be 40 times as strong as any other Mageling if she luckily unlocked the 9 times boost.
45 times as strong as anyone her own level.
45 fucking times.
I had no longer become shocked with each new development she made and instead simply encouraged her to become even more of a monster.
I was going to turn this little monster into the Genghis Khan of the cultivation world.
You would either bow down at her feet or be wiped out.
Even if she will be several dozen thousand times stronger than me, doesn't mean I can't use her power and glory to further my goals.
As these thoughts went through my mind, I sobbed internally.
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Hey guys Old Man here,
I've got two more already finished chapters that I will release tomorrow and the day after that. I will also try to stockpile some more chapters so I can release daily.
I pray anyway,
Peace,
-Old Man