Baoway's financial problem was unsolvable, but Khan took steps to limit it. His forr classmates had suggested a few decent ideas, and his unique position opened other paths.
The brothels were easy enough to get. The quadrant had a steadily rising population, and those soldiers had needs. Besides, Lord Vegner's establishnts weren't illegal, so sealing a deal to get a couple in the canyon barely took hours.
Lord Vegner would receive most of the brothels' inco but had to pay a tax to be in the quadrant. He also needed to cover part of the food demand, which lightened Khan's financial burden.
The brothels also kept the Credits in the quadrant. Khan paid the soldiers, who often spent that money inside Lord Vegner's establishnts. Part of that ca back to him, further helping his cause.
The Solodrey family handled most of the second step, but Khan's presence enabled the option. Baoway was between the Global Army and Empire's domain, having a unique location that could facilitate preexisting trade agreents. Moreover, the Empire's trust in Khan could smoothen and cheapen many aspects of them.
Of course, Khan's political figure had taken a significant hit, but the Solodrey family vouched for him, and few organizations would say no to lower expenses. The sea station soon beca the ho to many trades, bringing more money and relevance to the quadrant.
Khan limited himself to those financial moves for the ti being. More options would beco available once his political figure and quadrant achieved the necessary power and relevance, but that was it for now.
Having dealt with the most pressing financial issues left Khan plenty of free ti. Monica and his other companions handled most of the quadrant's managent, and the settlent didn't require him to go hunting anymore, allowing him to focus on other matters.
'Why is this so hard?' Khan wondered, almost glaring at his left leg.
It was a quiet morning in the quadrant. Everything was in order, and no pressing matters bothered Khan. That was the perfect mont to enjoy the peace he had created, but his aura only radiated annoyance while he sat on the central bone chair.
'Again,' Khan ordered to himself while his cold eyes reflected the mana inside his stretched leg.
Khan's mana split into two strands, which flowed through his limb in opposite directions. That energy gained speed before crashing near his ankle.
The impact between the two strands of energy released a surge of power, which Khan tried to send toward his ankle. He succeeded, but his joint opposed the influx of mana, bending and shaking to disperse it.
The process obviously hurt. Lesser soldiers would even suffer injuries, but Khan's body had long since surpassed the human limits. His ankle felt slightly sore, and a tingling sensation invaded it, but everything returned to normal after a minute.
Khan held back a curse while staring at his leg. His mind replayed the recent event, hoping to show details he might have missed. He didn't, but the execution had failed anyway, and the problem was evident.
Generating and controlling two different strands of mana was easy for Khan. Making them flow in opposite directions wasn't a problem either for him. His mastery over that field had beco imnse by then, but what followed was uncharted territory.
The initial strands of mana belonged to Khan, but the energy released during their impact didn't. That stronger, more violent power had no owner, but Khan needed to control it anyway.
'If I compare it to my spears,' Khan thought, 'It's like trying to control the energy released after their detonation.'
The quantity and violence were greatly different, but the comparison sounded reasonable. Theoretically, Khan would have an easier ti dealing with the lower surge of energy, especially since it happened inside his body. Yet, that only was the first step.
Performing the Transcendent Step style's foundation form required more than a single impact. Even the most basic move wanted at least five, sending power to different parts of the limb. Khan also had to do it for both legs, ideally simultaneously, to achieve a perfect execution.
Khan had the initial part secured, but controlling the generated energy was turning out to be troubleso. Moreover, even his superior legs would start to struggle once he began experinting with multiple impacts. Things were bound to get worse, and that was just the foundation form.
'How did humans even approach the training sessions?' Khan wondered.
Khan knew he was an exception, but the martial art's many difficulties made him curious. Even after dealing with the control issue, the possibility of crippling wounds still existed. Khan began to believe only fifth-level warriors had the physical resilience to face the training process without suffering lasting injuries.
The answer to Khan's doubts was obvious. Martial arts with such high scores were limited to nobles or extrely wealthy families. Those organizations had plenty of resources, and the training sessions probably involved many drugs and similar items.
Khan's status gave him the chance to request a similar treatnt, but his mind kept rejecting the idea. His body would refuse most drugs, and finding those that would work on him could expose eventual weaknesses. The betrayal had taught Khan never to share that information again.
That didn't an Khan was powerless to improve his situation. Baoway didn't have training halls yet, but Khan had found sothing far better. Four blue plants stood around his throne, and their influence would eventually affect Khan.
The blue plants' influence facilitated change and transformation. Their green liquid had even stronger effects, even if more focused.
While stranded, Khan had tested the plants' effects and limits on himself, developing a training regin his body could withstand. His complete mastery over the Lightning-Demon style wasn't random, but his situation was slightly different now.
Khan had relied on the Lightning-Demon style for years. He didn't only know its techniques back and forth. Using them had also beco as natural as breathing for him.
That allowed the blue plants to facilitate the arrival to the next mastery level. The martial art was already ingrained in Khan's body, so the transforming influence filled the last gaps, lowering the few barriers that stood before that goal.
Instead, the Transcendent Step style was sothing new. Similarities aside, Khan's body had never perford those moves. The blue plants gave his flesh the ability to grow, but he had yet to establish a clear direction.
Training inside the blue plants' influence could facilitate Khan's improvents, but the sa went for the opposite result. Khan's body would grow distant from the required shape if he gave it the wrong instructions. His attempted executions had to be precise to avoid the issue.
'I'll drink so once I succeed a few tis,' Khan planned. 'That should solidify the changes and facilitate the next steps.'
A few calculations happened inside Khan's mind before every thought disappeared. He focused solely on the Transcendent Step style's requirents, attempting another execution of its most basic theory.
The two strands of mana collided, releasing violent energy Khan pushed toward his ankle. His foot bent again, dispersing the power accumulated inside the joint. Soreness invaded it, but Khan felt slightly satisfied. The adverse reaction had been lighter, hinting at improvents.
'Should I go at it again?' Khan wondered. 'Should I alternate with the Lightning-Demon style?'
Another danger of forced transformation was the potential loss of previous achievents. Khan didn't want to make himself weaker before getting stronger again. He couldn't afford it, so reminding his body of its initial shape was necessary.
'Maybe a few more tries,' Khan considered before sothing else attracted his attention.
Khan's eyes went to the sky past the crowns, which showed a few vehicles descending and departing. That beca a common sight after the sea station had co fully online, but one of the ships looked too close to belong to that category.
Khan had delegated many matters to his companions, but everything always ran through him, so he knew shipnts weren't in order. Besides, the ship looked too small to carry resources for the quadrant. It seed a leisure vehicle, hinting at an informal visit.
Khan's figure imdiately disappeared from the bone chair. He wanted to use the Lightning-Demon style anyway, so he saw flying to the canyon as killing two birds with one stone. Soon, the Thilku encampnt expanded in his vision, as did the human ship that had landed nearby.
The ship didn't carry any flag or clear mark of ownership, but Khan's brain lit up as soon as its doors opened. Familiar auras fused with the symphony, almost bringing a smile to his face.
Luke, Bruce, and Martha descended from the tal ramp, followed by a few soldiers. The latter carried tal boxes, probably delivering gifts, but Khan only had eyes for his oldest friends.
"Would you look at this," Martha announced. "I almost thought you'd build your first ho out of food cans."
"I have a secret stash buried sowhere," Khan responded.
"That I'm sure of," Martha giggled before jumping forward, trapping Khan's torso in a hug he didn't hesitate to accept.
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