The sky flickered with red and purple gasses in the far distance, as if the clouds had retreated deep into space. Under that sky, Hualis estate was serene. Creeks pulsed with water, plinking as it fell from stone to stone, while small animals darted left and right, coexisting with the many servants and cultivators wandering the premises.
Jack took a deep breath. This would be the last ti he saw this place in a long whileif ever. He hadnt even managed to fill his cellarbut that was the cultivator life. Always traveling. Always fighting. Always pushing forward.
Putting his sentintalism aside, Jack crossed the last mile to reach Shols cabin, where he found the monk waiting with arms crossed before his door.
Jack, Shol greeted him.
Shol, Jack replied, landing smoothly. Thanks for waiting.
No problem. I also had so things to do. He looked over Jack, who carried nothing but the robes on his body and whatever his pockets could fit. Are you ready?
I was born ready.
Excellent, because so was I.
How are we getting to Hell?
My contact responded already, Shol explained. We have to reach the Belarian Outpost in the Animal Kingdom constellation. From there, we will travel to the Eternal Gate, a smaller outpost connected to Hell. It is there that we will et my contact.
So we have to get that close to Hell by ourselves? What if we are spotted?
Dont worry. Well get a Disguise Pill for you, and even if an immortal recognizes you through the disguise, they will not dare act with present. Neither the Belarian Outpost nor the Eternal Gate are considered private territories, so there wont be many checks.
I see.
The only problem is that we need to get a starship. We may not find one later, and mine is in for repairs, so co and well ask Okr to
I have a starship, actually.
You do? Shol raised a brow. A real one?
What do you an?
Can it teleport?
Yes.
Jack had never used his starships teleportation function, but Old Man Spirit had ntioned its existence.
Then, great. Nice thinking, getting one ahead of ti. As expected of my forr student.
Jack laughed. He waved his sleeve and a small, needle-shaped object flew out, enlarging to the size of a proper starship. We call it the bromobile, he said proudly.
Hmm. Shol inspected it with curiosity; from its cyan walls, to the flat behind, to the windshield, which he rapped with his knuckles. Solid construction. Where did you get this?
Trial Planet.
Ah. He didnt press the issue further. And I suppose you call it bromobile because you and Brock are bros, and because this starship is a mobile object.
Kind of. Ever heard of Batman?
Who?
Nevermind.
Shol gave the starship a final, appraising look, then nodded. Very well. I approve. If youre ready, we can be off.
Alright! Jack smiled. Shol. To the bromobile!
Iam already here?
Ignoring Shols questioning gaze, Jack laughed and opened the sliding door. Inside the starship, the two had just enough space to be comfortablea far cry from the spacious Trampling Ram.
Thinking to that point, Jack couldnt help wondering what happened to the Ram and the rest of its crew. The last he knew of them was that theyd run away, heavily injured after Captain Dordok was captured by the Hounds.
Did they survive? he wondered. Or
I like your furniture, Shol said, finding a slim seat and reclining into it. The back bent slightly to accommodate him. Oh This is nice.
Glad you like it, Shol, because from this point onward, you are officially promoted to my sidekick.
What? I am your venerable senior. If anything, you are my sidekick.
Oh yeah? Wheres your starship? Your sholmobile?
Shol grumbled. I would never give it such a dumb na.
And thats why you are the sidekick. You lack imagination and grumble a lot, with a witty line here and there. Youre perfect.
I have received better complints. Now, if youre done spouting nonsense, take us to the Center Moon. We can teleport to Derion, and from there, directly to the Belarian Outpost.
You know what? I just had an idea. I think I will take us to the Center Moon, from where we can teleport to Derion and then the Belarian Outpost.
Shol closed his eyes and sighed. Is it too late to change my mind?
Yep. Off we go! Jack placed his hand on the helm and it shone cyan, the starship smoothly rising off the ground and catapulting itself into the sky. Thanks to its Dao enhancents, the acceleration hit them muffled, letting furniture and cultivators remain in their spot.
Once again, Shol nodded in approval.
What did Master want with you, by the way? he asked.
She showed a supernova.
She did!? Shols eyes widened for a mont before narrowing back down. I suppose thats to be expected. Her reputation is riding on your success as well. However, to witness a supernova up close Did you develop the Supernova Dao Skill?
Not yet. But I got so insights. In ti, I think Ill manage it.
Thats excellent! Shols voice was colored with excitent now. Its a supre skill. If you really can master it, it will help a lot The reason Qian is stronger than is precisely because of this skill.
Really? I assud he was a swordsman.
He is, but so what? He has a slashing variant.
Oh.
A few centuries ago, Master also took to watch an explosion Shol said in a low voice, then shook his head. But even now, there is always sothing missing. A final insight to tie everything together. Perhaps this adventure will be the turning point I need to figure it out.
I believe you can do it. Do you often go out to adventure, Shol? Or do you cultivate in the sect?
In the sect, mostly. Not because I want to, but because my responsibilities as a deacon hold back Plus, there arent many places in the galaxy for soone of my strength. Inter-faction tournants and sparring against my fellow disciples is the best I can get.
Hmm. I understand the difficulty of finding a place to train, but as for those responsibilities If its holding you back, why do you remain a deacon? Why not resign and go explore the galaxy?
What bullshit are you spouting now? Shol snorted. I have my honor. The faction helped beco who I amwithout them, I would be nothing. When the Exploding Sun and Master Huali invested in , it ca with the unspoken agreent that I would pay back that investnt by working for the sect. I cant just take what they gave and walk away. What sort of person does that?
Jack didnt reply imdiately. He gazed deeply at Shol, taking in his orange robes, the goatee, the hard lines around his eyes and mouth. He thought back to when Shol was teaching him. This was a harsh man, both to others and himself. A man who would rather break than bend.
Jack could respect that. The Fist stirred inside him, pulsing with approval.
Co to think of it, he asked, Ive never seen you fight, Shol. Whats your Dao?
Shol stared aggressively for another mont, then relaxed. Explosion.
Ah. It suits you.
Idiot disciple. Of course it does, the monk responded harshly, but cracked a smile. And you are quite a fistful yourself.
Thanks!
They lapsed into silence afterward, each lost in their own thoughts. The solar gasses flowed beyond the windows, an ever-changing kaleidoscope. Before long, they landed on the Center Moon.
Dont forget about this, Shol said, handing Jack a familiar pill. Jack ingested it imdiately. In monts, his hair grew longer, his body got shorter, and his muscles lost so volu. Moreover, his facial structure warped and clicked into a different configuration, making him seem like a totally different person.
Man, Jack said in a slightly altered, natural-sounding voice, no matter how strong I get, Disguise Pills remain creepy.
A necessary evil, not-Jack. You look great. Lets go.
They disembarked, and Jack pocketed his starship as they approached the teleportater.
The minute they spotted Shol, every guard and attendant stood at attention. Deacon Shol! they called out. We pay our respects, sir!
At ease, Shol replied easily. Teleport us to Derion.
Yes, sir!
As he stepped into the teleporter, Jack ntally bade farewell to the Exploding Sun. It had been a pleasant and fruitful month. Who knew if hed ever make it back?
No, I certainly will, he realized, eyes hardening. Because Brock is here. And I would never leave him behind.
Space swam around them, and in the next mont, they were hurtling through the stars. Gasses and teors and solar systems passed them by as the endless galaxy shrunk to accommodate their trip. No matter how many tis Jack witnessed this, it remained extraordinarily beautifulas well as humbling.
When space stabilized, they were in one of the many teleporters of Derion, the poison planet.
Jack expected a multi-day wait here, as had happened the last ti he passed by. However, the mont the guards caught sight of Shol, they stood at attention just like the ones on Center Moon.
Deacon Shol!, everyone called out, and the busy teleportation hub skidded to a halt.
At ease, Shol growled. Everything continued like nothing had happened, except for the reverent gazes they received and the peak E-Grade guard who rushed to assist them. Were going to the Belarian Outpost, Shol inford him.
Of course, sir. Please, co this way.
Jack was speechless. No buzzers, no waiting in line, no fees, no questions. This was the luxury of the powerful!
Hey, he whispered, sneaking up to Shols side, are you going to receive this kind of attention everywhere?
If so, that would be troubleso. They were trying to be low-key.
No, Shol replied simply. Few people will recognize outside the Exploding Sun territory.
Thats good.
Following the guard, they instantly cut through a long lineto everyone elses frustrationand entered the largest teleporter around, a behemoth with a radius of several dozen feet. They were surrounded by large crates stacked almost to the fifteen-foot-high ceiling, as well as people of all species and levels. Jack inspected themnone belonged to the Animal Kingdom faction.
rchants, Shol explained, waving one of them away when she tried to introduce herself.
Once again, space warped around them, and they launched through the galaxy at even greater speeds than before, zooming past stars and every other kind of stellar object. They crossed an entire constellation in monts, appearing at the Belarian Outpost, near the very core of the Animal Kingdom constellation.
Jack could scarcely believe theyd traveled so far in such little ti. In his mind, he was still at the Center Moon.
This was his second ti at the Outpost. The first had been when he went to Trial Planet with Gan Salin. Unlike that ti, however, he now had ti to look around.
Unlike Derion, the Belarian Outpost was efficient and neatly organized. The Animal Kingdoms tyrannical administration had its benefits; people crowded in rapidly-moving lines, the bureaucracy kept to a minimum to facilitate speed. Feshkurs ran left and right, using their powerful, boney gray bodies to unload crates off teleporters and load them with new ones.
However, despite the seeming efficiency of this teleportation hub, Jack noticed one teleporter with a massive, slow-moving line in front of it. A quick scan revealed that everyone on that line was E-Grade, and they didnt look particularly rich, either. In typical Animal Kingdom fashion, the Belarian Outpost had just thrown everyone unimportant in one line to make things easy for everybody else.
We can get through here in monts, Shol leaned in to explain, but if youre poor and weak, it could even take you a month. The Animal Kingdom is no place for losers.
Jack nodded. There was no point in thinking about this further; he already didnt like the Kingdom, so their blatant elitism changed nothing.
Shol led him to a particular teleporter with slightly more guards stationed around it, all of them D-Grades. Before Jack had ti to panic, they were stopped by a towering feshkur with a sledgehamr strapped to his hip. You have a disguised immortal with you, the feshkur said. We must see his real face and Status first.
I am a Deacon of the Exploding Sun, here on official business, Shol retorted. My companion would like to remain anonymous.
The feshkur scanned them both, then turned to his fellow guards and exchanged a few glances. Okay, he said, stepping aside, but be warned that your companion will need to drop his disguise before accessing any Animal Kingdom core territory.
Noted.
Jack held back the sigh of relief that almost escaped his mouth as he followed Shol into the teleporter. That was close, he said ntally, not daring to whisper.
There was no need to worry. Our factions exchange anonymous representatives all the ti, Shol replied. You wouldnt imagine the kinds of business so C-Grades are up to.
Do I want to know?
No.
Good.
Space warped around them. Jack sensed it through his newfound awareness of the Dao of Space, a thodical tearing of the veil behind which hid nothingness.
Wait a mont, he realized. If this teleportation works the sa way as mine, why isnt it instant? How can I see the stars and space in-between as I travel?
Before he could consider the issue further, space was torn asunder, and he was once again launched through the stars. Next stop, the Eternal Gate. And shortly afterwardHell!
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