Leroy and I arrived at Sunheart Undercity a little after noon. The massive glowstone mural on the ceiling depicted the sun just past its zenith. Both of us wore First Murim style robes and carried our respective weapons. I wore blue robes with silver accents, while Leroy's were black and red. The two of us headed to the Third Layer right away. It proved to be an eye opening experience.
The Third Layer of Sunheart Undercity was where magical and mystical items, both Luminian and First Murim, were bought and sold. Not only that, but the architecture and culture seed to be a fusion of Luminian and First Murim. Everyone spoke Spirit Tongue, the language of First Murim, and Common Tongue, the spoken language of Lumina. Many switched between the two, sotis within the sa sentence.
I also saw many people wearing clothing that seed to be a mix of First Murim and Luminian fashion. I found it interesting, even though I knew it wasn't for . I preferred wearing either one or the other. Not both at the sa ti. However, this fusion of fashion gave a glimpse of a world that could've been, one where Murim wasn't kept hidden from the rest of Lumina.
The Third Layer was divided into three districts: the Luminian district, the First Murim district, and the market. The first two districts were where I could find magical goods and services related to their specific cultures. For example, I could find Healing Potions and enchanted items in the Luminian district, while rchants in the First Murim district sold Spirit Elixirs and such.
The market, as befitting its na, was a free trade zone. Anyone could buy and sell stuff there. As such, there was a mix of Luminian and First Murim goods available. From what I heard, you could find just about anything in the market, though it required patience and vigilance.
However, you needed to be careful. The market was rife with scamrs and frauds. While guards patrolled the area, they were only there to maintain peace and order. Thus, you needed to be careful when buying sothing.
While I wanted to wander through the market and see what was available, I decided against it in the end. I wasn't here to sightsee. I was here to find out more about spirits and what happened to Aurora.
I started with the Luminian district, since a wizard turned Aurora into a spirit. There were plenty of shops that sold books and other items related to spirits. Leroy and I searched through them for hours, with Aurora sotis peeking her head out to offer her own insights and opinions.
However, just like the professor who specialized in spirits at the Solarian Imperial Academy, this proved to be a waste of ti. Well, not quite. I bought a few books on spirits, which made the trip worthwhile, but I learned nothing new about Aurora's situation. I even consulted several experts on spirits. All of them said that it was impossible for a being like Aurora to exist.
According to these experts, spirits were ethereal beings born of nature. They often, but not always, corresponded to an elent. Fire, Water, Air, Earth, etc. This also included the rarer elents, such as Lightning and Ice. So spirits even corresponded with two or more elents, though these kinds of spirits were rare.
Flesh and blood beings could beco spirits when they died, ghosts in other words, including humans. However, this was rarer than people realized. Not only that, but ghosts were remnants and fragnts of the living beings they once were. Broken, and in pain.
As flawed and incomplete beings, ghosts were insane. Only traces of their minds and personalities remained. At best, they were harmless, often repeating the actions they perford in life. At worst, they were a blight that sought to harm all living beings.
As far as these experts knew, it was impossible for a flesh and blood being to beco a spirit and still retain their sanity. Not even necromancy, a forbidden form of magic that dealt with the undead, could achieve a feat like this. At best, a necromancer could create a ghost, not a spirit like Aurora.
After searching for hours, and making little progress, Leroy and I decided to take a break. We headed to a small food court with a seating area and bought noodles at a stall, before sitting down to eat. The noodles were decent. However, they were nothing compared to the noodles that Marilyn's parents made for us back in Icefall Undercity.
"I'm sorry, Aurora," I said after Leroy and I finished eating.
Aurora crawled out of my chest and onto the table. This attracted so attention, but not a lot. Spirits were uncommon, but not rare.
"There's nothing to apologize for," she said in a resigned tone. "You tried your best. It's clear that I'm a freak of nature. My existence is unnatural."
I poked her on the nose, causing her to scowl at .
"No, you're not," I said in a firm tone. "And if you are, so what? That just ans you're unique and special."
Aurora perked right up.
"You're right," she said, puffing her chest out. "So what if there isn't another spirit like in this world? I am special."
I chuckled. Lifting Aurora's mood was rather simple. I just needed to feed her ego. That, or give her cuddles. However, I ant what I said. Aurora was unique and special to .
"While we failed today, I still haven't given up," I said. "We'll find what we're looking for, one way or another. We just have to try harder."
"My lord is right, Lady Aurora," Leroy said. "We haven't found any answers related to your existence, but that doesn't an none exist."
"Yeah!" Aurora said, now hyped up.
I smiled at her.
"Maybe we should check out the First Murim district," I said. "Maybe soone over there knows about what happened to Aurora, or at least can give us hints."
Magic and mysticism existed on First Murim, though it didn't have wizards. At least, not in the Luminian sense. Perhaps soone in the First Murim district knew the answers we sought. Or maybe we would find them in so book or scroll. The chances of this were low, but not impossible.
After cleaning up after ourselves, Aurora jumped back into my body before Leroy and I headed to the First Murim district. It was mid afternoon by this point, and the place was bustling. Martial artists from all walks of life wandered about the place, going about their business. A cacophony of noise filled the air as they laughed, shouted, and haggled.
Most were here to buy elixirs, such as Spirit Elixirs, or weapons and armor. A few purchased martial arts manuals and the like. The ones available for sale weren't great. In fact, most were trash. However, those with little ans and resources could only make due.
Seeing this made realize just how lucky I was, back on Earth and here on Lumina. If I beca a martial artist back on Earth, without eting Teacher that is, I wouldn't have reached the heights I achieved. At least, not at such a young age. It would've taken much longer, even with my talent for martial arts.
To my dismay, we didn't have better luck in the First Murim district than in the Luminian one. While I found a few stores that sold tos and scrolls about spirits, they contained nothing new. Still, I bought them just in case.
That said, I did learn sothing interesting. It turned out that First Murim had wizards and its own form of magic, though no one here in Lumina practiced the latter anymore. First Murim wizards differed from Luminian wizards in many ways. For one, they had mana cores like martial artists.
Learning about this surprised at first. However, after giving it so thought, it made sense. Wizards with magic circles could use internal magic, though it was inferior to true martial arts. The inverse applied to those with mana cores. First Murim magic was inferior to Luminian magic, which was why the practice died out. Rather, it beca a part of Luminian magic.
Of course, none of this applied to . I was trash at magic when I had a magic circle. Using magic with my mana core wouldn't make much difference. Still, I bought so books about First Murim magic, since I found it interesting. In fact, I even bought extra copies for Kaylee. She was a wizard, and this was a part of our heritage. I thought she would like them.
Leroy and I decided to leave when late afternoon arrived. We looked everywhere we could think of, but hadn't found anything. However, I didn't consider it a wasted trip. If nothing else, we managed to learn that Aurora's existence wasn't the result of necromancy. That counted for sothing.
About halfway through, I changed my mind. Since we were here, why not visit the market? At the very least, we could give it a look. However, just as Leroy and I reached the border between the First Murim district and the market, soone called out to .
"Excuse , young man," a raspy voice said. "Do you have any coins to spare for this old man?"
I turned to find a figure huddled just inside a nearby alley. Rags covered his entire body, including his face, obscuring his build and features. I could make out his general shape, but that was it. The scent of sweat and body odor wafted off of him.
I stared at the figure in surprise. As a martial artist, my senses were sharper than a regular person's. In fact, since I used to be a Sixth Star martial artist, my senses were sharper compared to other martial artists at the sa level as .
However, I hadn't noticed this old man until he called out to . Yes, he blended into the background thanks to the rags he wore, but I still should've taken note of him. It didn't make sense, unless…
I looked around and saw that, other than Leroy, no one else had noticed the old man's presence. While I could chalk it up to general human callousness and indifference, I didn't think that was the case here.
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Who was this old man and what did he want? I didn't feel any malice or killing intent from him, but that ant nothing. If he could hide his presence from , then it would be child's play for him to hide his intentions. The smart thing would be to ignore this old man and continue on my way. However, he piqued my interest. In the end, I decided to play his ga.
"Leroy," I called out. "Go and buy a week's worth of food. Get lightweight stuff that will keep well."
Leroy gave a concerned look, while also keeping an eye on the old man.
"Are you sure, my lord?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Go."
Leroy looked reluctant, but nodded and left. In the anti, I walked over and sat down across from the old man. He turned to face .
"I'm surprised to see a young master such as yourself lowering yourself to the sa level as this old man," he said. "What if you dirty those expensive clothes of yours?"
I shrugged.
"Clothes can be cleaned." I even knew a technique for that specific purpose. "Besides, this alley isn't that dirty."
Which was true. While I wouldn't call it clean, the alley wasn't filled with detritus and waste. At worst I'd get so dirt and gri on my clothes. My cleaning technique could take care of that much.
"You're unusual," the old man said. "Unlike many other young masters your age."
I raised an eyebrow at him.
"You've t many young masters?" I asked.
The old man shrugged.
"I've seen a few in my ti," he said. "They like to parade around like peacocks, with their arrogant attitudes and fancy clothes."
For so reason I thought about Andre, my cousin.
"I know one who isn't like that," I said. "Rather, he is, but I still think he's a good person."
"Oh?" the old man said. "Is he like you? Would he have helped this old man? Would he have kept this old man company?"
I thought back to when I first t Andre and how he threatened a stall owner just because the stall owner spilled so sauce on his expensive robes.
"Not when I first t him, no," I said. "However, he's llowed out since then."
At the very least, I didn't think he would threaten soone over sothing trivial again.
"Hmm. Who is this young master that you speak of?"
"My cousin, Andrew Leone," I said.
The old man tilted his head.
"You're a Leone?" he asked.
I shook my head.
"No," I said. "My mother used to be, but she left Clan Leone after… a disagreent."
The old man nodded. For so reason, I sensed lancholy from him. It appeared and disappeared so fast, I wasn't sure if it ever existed in the first place. Perhaps my mind was playing tricks on .
A few monts later, Leroy returned with a bulging leather pack.
"Here you go, my lord," he said. "A week's worth of food, as you commanded."
Leroy handed the leather pack to after I stood up. I then turned and handed the leather pack to the old man.
"Here," I said. "I know you asked for coins, but this will serve you better." I smirked at him. "After all, if I gave you money, thieves and other unscrupulous folk might target you."
The old man accepted the pack and chuckled.
"You're a clever one," he said.
I shrugged, before grinning at him.
"Well, I wouldn't go that far," I said.
"And cheeky too."
I chuckled.
"On that, we agree," I said. "What's your-"
Before I could finish my question, I heard a commotion in the distance. It ca from the market.
"You should head over there," the old man said. "I believe that cousin of yours has found himself in a bit of trouble."
I gave him a sharp look.
"Who are you?" I asked in a cold voice. "What have you done?"
"You'll find out soon enough," the old man said.
I studied the old man for a few monts, before I turned away and walked towards the commotion. If he was right, and Andre was in trouble, then I didn't want to waste any more ti.
The market occupied a massive open air plaza in the center of the Third Layer. Well, as open air as a place could be when underground. There were hundreds of stalls set up, selling all kinds of goods. Monster body parts, rare herbs and materials, enchanted items, etc.
Thousands of people filled the market, buying and selling. It was much louder here than in the other two districts. A myriad of scents filled the air, coming from a variety of sources. So good, so bad. Altogether, it was bearable.
On any other day, I would've explored the market to my heart's content. There was just sothing about this lively and bustling place that piqued my interest. However, I had other matters to worry about.
In one corner of the market, I found a small crowd gathering. The commotion I heard earlier ca from that direction. I headed over, pushing my way through the crowd. People turned to yell at . However, when they saw my clothes and Leroy, they shut their mouths and swallowed their anger.
When I reached the commotion, I found Andre and Richard. The two of them were surrounded by a group of five martial artists. All but one of them were at Third Star. The single exception was a Second Star martial artist who I recognized: Shannon Leone's son. I saw him when Mother first brought Kaylee and I to Sunheart Undercity, though I never learned his na.
At a glance, it was clear that Andrew and Richard were at odds with Shannon's son and his goons, despite being from the sa Clan. However, rather than intervene right away, I decided to observe for a mont. Everyone in the commotion wore red and yellow robes with lion motifs. Clearly, this was an internal Clan Leone matter. I didn't want to make things difficult for Andre by rushing in without thinking.
"I won't tell you again, Ayden," Andre said, his eyes burning with fury. "Get out of my way."
Shannon's son, Ayden, let out a mocking laugh.
"And if I don't?" he asked. "What is a weakling like you going to do?" He gestured to himself and his goons. "Or do you think you and that thuggish bodyguard of yours can fight off all of us?"
Andre didn't answer and just continued to glare at Ayden. I looked around. Where were the guards? Why weren't they intervening? It was their duty to maintain peace and order in the market.
However, when I looked around, I didn't see any. The guards were noticeably absent. I suspected that Ayden had sothing to do with that. Not good. That ant he had sothing planned. I grasped my sword and got ready to act.
"I am here on an important mission," Andre said. "Don't interfere."
Ayden snickered.
"What mission?" he asked. "You lost Grandfather's favor, and even your own father wants nothing to do with you." He looked Andre up and down. "After what happened in the Icefall region, I don't bla them. You're a failure and a disappointnt."
A sliver of guilt pierced my heart. Andre was in the Icefall region in the first place because his Clan wanted him to get engaged to Anna. He failed because of . Well, also because Anna didn't want to marry him.
Several Clan Leone warriors also lost their lives defending Icefall City from the demonic incursion. They wouldn't have been there if I hadn't asked Andre for help. I didn't regret it, since those warriors were instruntal in protecting Icefall City. However, I still felt guilty that they died.
It never occurred to that Andre might suffer consequences for what happened. Rather, if it had, I never gave it much thought. How thoughtless and selfish of . I needed to rectify that.
"If I'm a failure and a disappointnt, what does that make you?" Andre asked with a snort. "You're a lecher who spends more ti at the brothel than you do training. You've been stuck at Second Star for years now, while I'm about to reach Third Star." He let out a mocking laugh. "I may have lost Grandfather's favor for now, but I'll earn it back soon enough. anwhile, you'll remain the sa pathetic fool that you are now."
I raised an eyebrow at that. Goddamn. My cousin could be more vicious than I expected. I almost felt bad for Ayden. Almost, but not quite.
Several people in the crowd snickered at Andre's jab. Ayden grew so angry that his face turned purple.
"Let's see if you can remain high and mighty after I shatter your mana core!" Ayden yelled. "Get him!"
Right. That was enough of that. Ti to take action.
Just as Ayden's goons moved to attack Andrew and Richard, I drew my sword and used [Lightning Dash] to appear right behind Ayden. I pressed my blade against his neck. He froze in place.
"No one move," I said in a cold voice.
Surprised by my sudden appearance, Ayden's goons stopped and stared at in shock. Andre and Richard looked at , their eyes wide.
"Gabriel?" Andre asked. "What are you doing here?"
I flashed him a smile.
"Well, I was exploring the Third Layer when I heard a commotion," I said. "Imagine my surprise when I found this jerk harassing you. So, I decided to do sothing about it."
"You dare threaten a scion of Clan Leone?" Ayden demanded. "You're courting death!"
He would've sounded more intimidating if he weren't trembling. I snorted.
"You're not in a position to be making threats," I said. "So, unless you want to slit your throat right here and now, I suggest you keep your mouth shut."
His mouth closed with a snap. One of Ayden's goons glared at .
"If you harm Young Mast Ayden," the goon said. "You won't make it out of here alive."
I barked out a laugh.
"You think I'm afraid of re Third Star weaklings like you?" I asked. "I've faced little girls that are more terrifying than you lot are."
This wasn't even a lie. I an, Kaylee and Cally were rather young, and they could be scary when they wanted to be.
"Gabriel," Andre said, giving a serious look. "Be careful. That's Ayden Leone."
"I know," I said. "He's Shannon Leone's son. I t him not too long ago. Our mothers don't get along, so we were bound to beco enemies at so point. Why not now?"
Andre chuckled.
"Perhaps so," he said. "However, if you kill him, Clan Leone won't let it go."
I grinned at him.
"Then how do you suggest we resolve this situation?" I asked, gesturing to Ayden with my free hand. "I don't trust this pissant. The mont I take my sword away from his neck, his goons will attack . I'd be forced to kill them all." I paused. "You know what? That sounds like a good idea. Let's do that."
I pulled my sword away from Ayden's neck and stepped away from him. His goons looked confused, as if they couldn't believe that I would actually release their young master. Ayden, on the other hand, whirled around and pointed a finger at .
"What are you doing?" he shouted. "Kill him!"
Ayden's goons rushed towards . However, just as I readied to defend myself, the presence of a Sixth Star martial artist flooded the area and pressed down on us. I managed to resist it. Ayden's goons froze in place, while Ayden himself started trembling. To my surprise, Andre and Richard looked just fine.
"Now now, children," a familiar raspy voice said. "That's enough playing around."
I clicked my tongue. Of course. Just as I thought. The old man from earlier was sohow behind this.
The presence drew closer. Soon, the crowd parted to reveal the old man from before. He still wore the rags from earlier, which obscured his body and his face.
As the old man walked towards us, everyone made way for him. Ayden paled, while Andre looked relieved. Even Richard, who often maintained an indifferent expression, gazed at the old man in awe.
"Grandfather Gabriel!" Andre said.
Wait, what? I looked at the old man in surprise.
"Hello again, young man," the old man said to , his voice laced with amusent. "My na is Gabriel Leone. I am your great-grandfather."
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