Mystical Journey

“Feel free to leave once you’re recovered, that way we’ll be even,” replied Garen calmly. “I’m only helping you because you saved me before, anyway.”

“That’s different, back then I didn’t go all the way to save you, so I still owe you one.” Sixth was very calculative in this respect.

“Whatever, it’s up to you how you want to think about it.” Garen turned around to look at Sinno. “But if you really feel like you owe me, then help me teach this child. Although she has no talent in terms of Willpower, her own determination and battle instincts are both extraordinary.”

When Sixth heard that, he properly looked at Sinno for the first time. “That is your request? If I train her properly, I’ll have returned the favor?”

“Yes.” Garen nodded in affirmation.

“No talent in Willpower… That is indeed a tad difficult, but as long as she’s not a complete Insulator, any so-called lack of talent is merely a fallacy. Most people can’t do it, but that doesn’t mean we Inherited Levels can’t,” said Sixth with a hint of pride. “Within five years, I’ll have her on the path of Willpower.”

As soon as he said that, Sinno was utterly shocked, but even Garen was slightly surprised. If he dared to say it so decisively, that meant that Sinno definitely had a chance of breaking past her limitations, and truly becoming a practitioner of Willpower!

“I– I can actually–!!!??” Sinno instantly stood up in agitation. She had previously been completely silent, but now even she was abnormally flushed and agitated.

“If I say you can, you can!” Sixth replied evenly. “Do not doubt it, just follow my instructions, and I guarantee that you will be able to break past your limits within five years.”

“Great, then it’s settled.” Garen was smiling slightly as well. Rather than have him undergo to modification and the mutated organ transplant, Sinno was better suited for this path. He was also happy for this strong young girl. And once he settled matters with this young one, he could properly focus on entering the Central Metropolis.

********************

Several days later…

Energy Machinist Region, the Follower Registration Tower

The tall black tower was surrounded by faint wisps of white clouds, and above it was the pale blue barrier. Outside the barrier, there were large flocks of countless flying birds.

There were many people going in and out of the black tower, and now, at the registration counter on the second floor.

In front of the black wooden table, a few Energy Machinists were standing and writing their departure time as well as their Followers’ approximate time of residence on the virtual screen, using their fingers in place of pens.

Garen quickly wrote down how long he planned to let his Followers stay here, it was about a hundred years. The free accomodation here stopped at ten years, and for every decade after that, it cost ten crystals in fees as a form of rental.

Although he had not anticipated that there would be rental fees here, the two hundred crystals he left for them would still be enough for them to use.

In the end, Garen took out his black key, and pressed it hard against the end of the completed registration form.

With a buzz, the key left an impression of its shape on the screen, and a complicated wolf-shaped image appeared on the screen as well.

As for the place of contact that he was leaving for, Garen directly wrote down the City of Nagadako.

“My friend, you’re going to the City of Nagadako too?” a slightly familiar voice appeared beside him.

Garen turned around and saw that it was that plump and fair fatty. He had approached Garen before Garen knew it, and there was a white screen floating in front of him as well, the words City of Nagadako written there as well.

“That place is the haven for learning modifier techniques, I’m very interested in modifying myself, so naturally I would want to go there.” Garen nodded. “What about you?”

“My home is there, I’m just going back.” The fatty scratched his head. He had changed into an intricate and bright red long robe, and he wore seven or eight gold and silver jeweled rings on his fingers, looking a bit like a villager who struck it rich. The blonde hair on the top of his head had been braided into many tiny braids, but the very middle of his head was completely bald, without a single strand of hair.

“I say, is this your first time going to the City of Nagadako?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Then don’t forget to visit the Star Core Plaza!” the fatty said, licking his lips.

“Star Core Plaza?”

“There’s the stone monument left behind the Regent Level at the very top there, and there’s a Royal Area as well, with the Nilan tree left by the Milky Way Empress there. The Selection Plaza underneath Nilan tree is specially dedicated to selecting talents for low-level Energy Machinists in the main city, and countless people participate in the selections there. A lot of the different sects, big and small, have people stationed there all year long. If you want to get the best and most legitimate Energy Machinists education, you have to join a sect,” explained the little fatty quietly.

“I have to?” Garen was slightly perplexed. “I’ve searched it up online before, the City of Nagadako should have libraries and teachers for a fee, right?”

“Of course there’s that, but there’s no way those self-taught independent Energy Machinists can progress as quickly as those cultivated in parties. And most importantly, only the sects have the two most crucial materials,” said the fatty mysteriously.

“What materials?” Another Energy Machinist who was filling up the form beside them also approached them, looking very interested. Evidently, not many people knew about the things the little fatty was saying.

“I mean the Star Cores and Set Secret Tactics!” the little fatty chortled.

“Star Cores and Set Secret Tactics?” It was Garen’s first time hearing about these two things.

“Most people don’t really know why the Energy Machinists in the sects usually have their own powerful abilities, and be it their own fighting power or that of their cannon fodders, they’re all much stronger than average Energy Machinists. They can even take the normal ones three-to-one easily. And the key behind all this is the Secret Tactics.”

“Then what about the Star Cores?” asked the Energy Machinist beside them, frowning.

“The Star Core? That is a necessary item for entering Inherited Level.” The little fatty raised a finger and wagged it. “Without it, no matter how talented you are, you won’t be able to reach Inherited Level. This is a natural resource, only sects have it, and if a regular civilian Energy Machinist wants to reach the Inherited Level, they only have one choice, and that is to join a sect.”

He reached out his hand and patted Garen’s shoulder.

“Brother, since your face is basically saying you’re clueless, I suggest you search it up on the Eliminet.”

With that, he turned and walked away, carefree, the form in front of him completed a long time ago.

That Energy Machinist who looked just as clueless as Garen exchanged a glance with him, and both of them clearly meant to go back and immediately search it up on that so-called Eliminet.

Garen returned from the Registration Tower, but he did not go back into the bunker, and went straight into the special ability space instead.

And finally, he got a reply to the message he had sent Celine through the special ability space. Everything was fine on Celine’s side, since she was growing stronger by the day, her family had retrieved her from the Blackboard Region ahead of schedule. In order to avoid the ensuing chaos, Celine had used her special rights to fetch Nono’s parents and younger sister away too. It was a stroke of fortune amidst the misfortune that they managed to avoid the chaos of the battle in the Blackboard Region now.

Garen quickly gave her a reply, telling her where he had been, and at the same time, he told her that he was going to the City of Nagadako soon.

Then, he arranged all the things he had prepared in advance.

He still had a hundred crystals on him, and since he could not increase his Living Secret Technique without the Red Peacock Stones, he decided to put that aside for now. It would take a long time to reach Energy Machinist Level Four, so he had no hope of that for now. Right now, the only way he was stronger than other Energy Machinists was in terms of his close combat skills, as well as the strengthening effect his Distorted Seed had on the Imprint Creatures.

It was the same creature, but Garen could use the Distorted Seed to strengthen it to three times its original power. In every other aspect, he was pretty much the same as Energy Machinists at the same level, and in fact, he was much farther behind many of the richer Energy Machinists. But the regular cannon fodders than had been tripled in strength would be enough to power up the elite creatures that could only be produced for the experimental table. This would give him an immense advantage. If used well, he should be able to gather a large number of resources quickly.

Upon hearing that little fatty’s suggestion, Garen went onto the website called the Eliminet. Its main business was in assassination and intel, and it was very easy for him to log on using the Energy Machinists’ intranet, but it would not work through the internet outside. There was a lot of information on it, and Garen bought a few things according to his needs. He did not spend too much, just over ten crystals.

After all the preparations were complete, he was without any worries for now. Garen sent a message straight to Mincar.

More than ten minutes later…

In front of the clear white door of light, Mincar had his hands tucked into his wide sleeves, standing there, straight as a pencil and as quiet, as he watched Garen.

“Are you all ready?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Once you get there, there are a few paths you can take. Firstly, you can join the selection and get the opportunity to join a sect, but that’s still too early for you right now. Secondly, you can find a place to work part-time, to earn your living fees, which are extremely high in large cities like this, so you should be mentally prepared. And once you go, it won’t be so easy to come back,” Mincar advised him.

“I understand.” Garen nodded. He had to go, if he kept messing around here, he may not be able to return to his original peak power of Level Five even if he did wait another few years. Unless he went to a large place, he would not be able to get more resources. And then finishing off the Seventh Divine Wind General and Fila would just be a foolish dream.

“In that case, I wish you the best of luck,” Mincar said softly at the end. He gave way, and took out a pink crystal gently, tossing it lightly into the door of white light.

Boom!

A beam of intense white light burst forth, turning into an illusory white image that gently moved forward to envelop Garen, who was in front of the door, into its embrace.

*******************

Outer space, on the surface of a desolate pale yellow planet.

There were many tall brown-yellow volcanoes standing on the surface of the planet, all of them glowing with a metallic sheen, thin and sharp. Beams of clear white light kept shooting out from the peaks, rushing into the sky like so many white pillars.

On the surface of the ground between the many volcanoes, many brown-yellow buildings were stacked up like pieces of junk, scattered without any rhyme or reason. Some were skyscrapers shaped like rectangular pillars, and many others had roofs shaped like scythes. There were also many airships of different colors and sizes ascending and descending in the sky, or else flying forward slowly.

Throughout the whole city, there were many white lights sparkling. When each light lit up, someone somewhere appeared or disappeared.

A long flow of people rushed out from the airship that had landed, while others walked out from the elevator at the bottom of the volcanoes. As soon as they came out, the many cab drivers waiting there would pounce. Each of them entered their respective cabs.

On the wide pale yellow road, the levitating cars flew away with their passengers, and more cabs took their place, offloading their passengers.

At the bottom of one of the metallic volcanoes, inside the huge yellow arch-shaped door, another wave of arrivals walked out of the large black door that looked like a veil of water.

These arrivals were all dressed differently, as though a large group of actors had mixed together before they could change out of their costumes. Some looked like rich merchants, others like students, there were workers, soldiers and commanding officers, some that looked like housewives, and even those who looked like beggars.

Of this crowd, among those on the left near the main door, there was a well-built young man dressed in a white skin-tight pilot’s costume, his long black hair falling over his shoulders, and his eyes constantly observing the situation from behind his hair.

His hair had covered up most of his face, and he looked disheveled. As he walked with the crowd, he was soon targeted by a cab driver as well.