The tall golden grass of the Hurin Plains swayed lightly with a cool breeze. The various Exalt beasts were moving around and grazing on the fields. This would be the epitome of serenity if not for the rough sounds coming from the river.

The source of the disruptive noise was Oscar's heavy breathing and bursts of sound from his movements.

For hours, he's repeated the same motions. First, Oscar took a stance, ready to strike. Next, his face tensed up as he bit his lip, and veins covered his face. Finally, he punched the air with a fist enveloped in Ein, creating a loud boom.

The force from his fist blew away the air, which scattered the tall grass in front of him. A line of exposed dirt extended out from his feet.

"It's almost three weeks now. But I can't properly enter the 'Ein Awaken' state." Oscar sat down to drink water and wiped the sweat from his brow.

After several days of constant practice, Oscar could get past the pain to focus his Ein on his knuckles while absorbing tiny hints of Ein. But this was a shallow attempt of 'Ein Awaken' similar to his first tries at 'Reis Awaken'.

"Although I'm not absorbing the same amount of Ein as I'm using in my attack, the small difference is less Ein used and more in my reserves. Also, the increased precision and focus of my Ein will make my attacks more effective."

Oscar hoped to use the 'Ein Awaken' in short bursts for each of his attacks and spells.

But the downside to this worried Oscar. He was neglecting his exalt advancement while working on his Anima and 'Ein Awaken'. He hadn't progressed much as a Middle Apprentice Exalt.

"Everyone else should be trying to advance to Greater Apprentice Exalt. By the time I'm back, most of them should be there. They'll be farther ahead of me than they already are."

Oscar grew silent.

Suddenly, a shadowy figure emerged from the tall grass and bared its long fangs toward Oscar's neck with astonishing speed.

'Makeshift Ein Awaken'

A fist landed squarely on the top of its head, smashing it against the dirt. Its head was squashed into a pulp as its skull cracked open.

Oscar's fist of concentrated Ein made short work of this creature. He stared down at the beast that tried to ambush him.

It was a large snake with bright gold scales, matching the color of the grass. Its long fangs protruding out of its mouth leaked out a green liquid.

"A Grade One Yellow Jacket Serpent. Its strength was only about the peak of Lower Apprentice Exalt. Sorry, but choose your opponent wisely in the next life. However, I thank you for your gifts."

With a small knife in hand, Oscar dismembered the serpent without a look of disgust. The serpent's fangs were drained of all their poison and removed. Its scales were carefully separated from the body.

Oscar put away all its organs and bones into separate bags and held its raw meat in his hands. He washed the blood off in the river and started a new fire, cooking the serpent meat.

His mouth began to salivate from the delectable aroma of the cooking meat. The meat of Exalt beasts was tastier than normal animals. They also contained small hints of Ein.

Oscar devoured the snake meat, chewing it with glee. The meat wasn't tough but soft and juicy.

The meal of snake meat and Ein satisfied Oscar. This was a great lunch before he had to leave. He packed up all of his things and took down his tent.

"It's been a long time. I can't keep holding onto these materials and beast parts. Tufall City should have some stores that would accept them." Oscar put on his full backpack and went on his way. "It's too uncomfortable. I'll have to return weekly from now on."

He recalled the direction he came from and ran until he hit a tree with one of his markings. From there, Oscar followed along from landmark to landmark until he finally saw the long road cut off on the border of the plains.

"Nice to be back to safety. But I'll be back out in a moment." Oscar bitterly laughed. This trip of his was not meant to be relaxing.

Along the way through the road, he spotted others approaching his direction. They were heading toward the Hurin Plains.

Oscar took a small glance at them, and they glanced back. But both parties looked back toward their front and continued on their journey. There was no purpose in needless fighting.

The large gates of Tufall City finally came into view. Oscar felt an imposing presence pressure him; the same presence observed him when he left the city.

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"Whoever this is, their power is incredible. To reach me at this distance." Oscar lost his breath in amazement.

Oscar arrived at the gate, where the guards stopped him.

"State your business in Tufall City." The guard spoke.

"I'm a student of the Blue Ocean Pavilion out on a journey. I have collected many Exalt beast parts I want to sell." Oscar felt it was strange they didn't scrutinize him when he was leaving the city, but perhaps that was how it worked here.

"A Pavilion student? You're not even in uniform; can you prove it? Many fakes try to weasel their way into places using the Pavilion's name. If you are lying, then admit it right now."

"No need to be hostile. Here is my badge." Oscar took out his Pavilion badge that recorded his identity. The slate on it changed to an image of Oscar and his name.

"Alright, that looks legitimate. You may pass." The guard stepped aside to let Oscar through.

"Thank you."

Oscar walked inside and let out a sigh of relief. He was worried something bad would occur.

"Excuse me." Someone called out to Oscar.

Oscar turned to find a familiar figure, wearing the Pavilion uniform, staring at him. It was Nicholas, the student who guided Oscar and Frederick when they first entered the Outer Hall. He didn't see Nicholas on his ship, so he must have come on a later arrival.

"Nicholas?"

"Oh, it is you. Sorry, I forgot your name." Nicholas weakly smiled.

"My name is Oscar. I remember that you were my guide. How have you been?"

"It's been great! Ever since Pavilion released more elixirs, I've been making great progress. I'm getting closer to Greater Apprentice Exalt." Nicholas was truly happy. He was only a Grade Two Exolsia from before the restrictions were put in place. Thus, his progress was extremely slow, slower than Oscar's.

"I'm happy for you. Perhaps the Inner Hall isn't just a dream now."

"I don't know about that. Advancing to Elite Exalt is different. Advancing through sub-realms aren't bad but advancing to a completely new realm is far more difficult."

"You won't know until you try." Oscar expressed confidently.

Nicholas was taken aback. The boy he met at the beginning, resolute in trying his best, did not lose any of that enthusiasm. It made him embarrassed as a senior to lose in attitude to Oscar.

"What are you doing here?" Oscar asked.

"My group and I are on a mission to the Rust Cliffs. Sorry, but I can't tell you about it. You?"

"It's alright; it's better not to trust me that much with your mission details. I'm on a training outing for a while." Although the Pavilion preached cooperation, students were still wary of each other and avoided leaking too much information about their activities.

"Then good luck to you." Nicholas said with a smile. His bleak and unenthusiastic face from the past was no longer there. It was now the face of someone with a goal and desire.

"Good luck to you." Oscar nodded and departed with a wave of his hand.

Oscar strode through Tufall City and entered the market district. This time, however, his aim wasn't the normal market but rather the Exalt market section. After all, his goods were only usable by Exalts.

The Exalt market was quieter and less crowded. Some walked around to look at the wares in other people's shops, but they did so silently as the shopkeepers stared with their mouths closed.

Oscar found a place with large amounts of smoke from a large chimney on its top. He heard the sound of hammers and roaring fires coming from inside. There was a sign on the front, 'Tom's Smithery - 3 Stars'.

Stars. The Fabricators and Alchemists had guilds that governed and organized them in terms of skill and reliability. The stars were indicative of how good the professional was.

1-star fabricators and alchemists were capable of creating grade-one armaments and elixirs. 2-stars created grade-two armaments and elixirs.

The fabricator in charge of this place had three stars. He must be quite a master.

Oscar stepped inside and was assaulted by the suffocating air. It was mostly composed of smog.

"Who is it? Hello?" A person came out. They wore the same outfit as the fabricators in the Blue Ocean Pavilion, with a helmet with a large visor and tubes on its side.

"I'm here to sell some materials." Oscar took out the various items from his backpack, including the serpent's bones, fangs, tendons, and skin.

"Oh, nice stuff you got here. The serpent's tendons are great for bowstrings." The fabricator handled each item with care, appraising them.

"How much can you give me for them?"

"They're all in good condition and neatly packaged. I can give you two gold for them."

Oscar's eyes opened wide in shock. He never thought selling Exalt beast parts would yield quite a haul. He did know it was lucrative, but not to this extent.

"Thank you!" Oscar exclaimed.

"I should say thank you for the new materials. Come back if you want an armament or to sell more things." The fabricator put away Oscar's sold goods.

Outside, Oscar almost leaped in joy from the amount he made. With this much, he can take care of his parents without worry.

"To the alchemists!"

He rapidly ran until he found a store. Unlike the smithy, this one looked very classy and refined. It had gilded doors and a roof of gold. The walls looked like marble stone. The sign above said 'Sara' Elixirs - 3 Stars'.

Inside, a receptionist warmly welcomed Oscar. She had a pleasant soothing voice that made a person feel comfortable.

"Welcome to Sara's Elixirs. I am Dolly; nice to meet you."

"Hello, I would like to sell these." Oscar took out vials of blood and other liquids, bags of organs, and some herbs he managed to find.

"Wow, the Yellow Jacket Serpent's venom, this is a nice find. Thank you." Dolly smiled.

"It's no problem." Oscar saw Celestina's smiles too much to the point he was resistant to these kinds of smiles from others. "How much can you give me for them?"

Pouting that her usual enchanting smile did not affect Oscar, Dolly appraised each item and said, "Three gold for these."

Oscar made a fist on his side from excitement. "I'll take it!"

"Here you are!" Dolly gave Oscar three gold coins and put away the materials. "Have you considered making a membership with the Alchemist Guild?"

"A membership? But I'm not an alchemist." Oscar asked.

"Not an alchemist membership but one for customers. A membership with the Guild would provide you with discounts when buying from a certified alchemist. The higher the membership, the more perks you get."

"I didn't know there was a system like that."

"The Fabricator Guild also has this system. But they don't advertise it too well since their heads are usually stuck in the dirt."

Oscar felt some hostility toward the fabricators from this receptionist. He did hear about a rivalry between fabricators and alchemists but thought it was nonsense.

Either way, this membership was interesting.

"I suppose I'll go check out the guilds."