“Arrayist Ken, this week’s ingredients,” Guard Han said, giving him the week’s ingredients in their own separate boxes.
“Thank you, Guard Han.”
Guard Han seemed like your average man. Not too tall, not too short. There wasn’t anything interesting about him, he melted into the background as though he wasn’t there.
“I’ll be heading to the Newblade estate in a short while, so I’ll trust you to guard Emerald.”
“Do you require an escort to assist you?” Guard Han asked.
“I’ll keep Chandi with me,” Ken said. “I’ll be safe with her at my side.” With her at his side, and the various arrays he had, he would be fine.
He left to the Newblade estate right after giving Emerald her duties, letting her create the pills required. The goddess didn’t seem to mind since he would be creating a few hundred pills at the Newblade estate.
When he arrived at the Newblade estate, the Patriarch greeted him at the door and let him inside.
“Do you have a list of the pills you want me to make and the materials prepared?” Ken asked.
“I have placed them within your room.”
“Good, good. I’ll get to work right away then.”
“As you please,” Patriarch Newblade said, not finding a good time to speak about his daughter with the young man.
As Ken disappeared into the room, one of the Elders watched on. “So that’s the cripple you put your faith in?”
“He is an Arrayist and an Alchemist,” Patriarch Newblade said. “Though he may be a cripple, you should still show your respect.”
The Elder scoffed and then raised his eyebrow. “You should be careful of asking for too much. You’ve been making too many moves, and if the other families see you showing so much favour to a cripple, what would they say?”
“The Town Lord also shows the young Arrayist great favour, what would you say to him?”
The Elder scoffed, and then left. Patriarch Newblade shook his head. If he had been slightly stronger, he’d be able to have a tighter leash on his family. These Elders were too prideful, and too interested in short term profit rather than long term investments.
Ken’s room was fairly large, and the giant jade boulder in the centre called to him. He shook his head, instead working on finishing the one hundred low grade earth pills for the Newblade family.
“Chandi, you can cultivate on the jade boulder while I work.”
“You don’t want me to stand guard, master?” Chandi asked.
“Don’t worry about it.” Ken then created an array within the room which blocked out sound and would give him the ability to feel someone approaching nearby.
“As you wish, master.” Chandi didn’t think Ken would allow her to use such a precious item.
“Ah, I should put the blood array on you first…”
Her tail swayed from side to side and her ears perked up. She let him place the blood array on her back, and then climbed on top of the jade boulder. She began to cultivate on the boulder, gasping as she felt the immense quantity of energy within the boulder. She quickly swallowed one of the pills her master had offered her and cultivated atop the boulder.
With Ken’s abilities, it didn’t take long to finish the one hundred pills. Low grade earth pills were easy for him to create, and he could create multiples in a single go. He managed to create a few extra pills for himself, which he pocketed, and then stored away all the pills and the remaining ingredients.
He looked to Chandi, who was breathing in deeply as she cultivated. He allowed her to finish refining the pill before he called out to her. “Chandi, it’s my turn to cultivate,” Ken said, before he felt someone approach. “Chandi, to me!”
Chandi instantly appeared beside him, her gauntleted claw on her arm. She gathered ki as they waited before someone knocked on the door.
“Arrayist Ken, are you inside?” It was a familiar voice.
“Young Miss?” Ken asked.
“May I enter?” Hana asked.
“You may,” Ken replied back, wondering why she was here.
She opened the door and then leaned in slightly, her eyes holding an annoyed look. Ken understood why she was here and who had sent her.
“I’ll put on some tea,” Ken said, wheeling himself over to the other side of the room and then he began to brew some tea.
Hana made herself comfortable on the jade boulder, her body jolting awake, and she quickly leapt off of it. She shuddered, the sensation of the boulder was too much for her to casually sit on it. She stared at it greedily, and then to Ken.
“Patriarch Newblade has asked me to assist you,” she said dryly. Her eyes then went to Chandi suspiciously.
“Please tell the Patriarch that I am thankful for his kind intentions, but I prefer working alone.”
Hana looked to the boulder again and then back to Ken. “I’ll stay here to assist you,” she said.
“I must insist,” Ken replied back. “There’s no need to waste your time on a cripple.” He placed down the tea for the Young Miss, whose lips twitched and her eyebrows gathered together, annoyed at his words.
“I must insist,” Hana said. “I will assist you.”
“I must insist, that I refuse.” Ken smiled. If she had been more polite to him, and didn’t hold such a dark look in her eyes, perhaps he could have let her remain nearby.
Hana ground her teeth together, and then sipped her tea. She couldn’t say anything too harsh or she would offend him. “Since the Arrayist does not need me, I’ll excuse myself and return to the Patriarch.”
Ken smiled as he finished his tea and then watched her leave. He didn’t trust her at all. She seemed to be the spoiled kind of Young Miss, though wondered why that was. Patriarch Newblade seemed to have some sense about himself, so he wasn’t sure why the Young Miss would be so vicious.
“I’ll keep watch, master.” Chandi stared at the door and then all around. She squat down and sniffed at the air, her eyes glancing all around.
“I’ll leave it to you,” Ken said, standing up and stretching his legs. He then sat down on the boulder, with his legs hanging loosely off the edge of the boulder, in case someone would come in too quickly.
Ken swallowed a pill and then placed his hands on his knees, closing his eyes. He began to refine the pill and then cultivate, feeling his ki rush through his meridians towards his dantian, and then out again. It was a warm feeling, one he had missed.
He was always too impatient, especially when he was young. When he fought Abadon, he hadn’t been as powerful as he could have been. Though he had spent a year in mourning, he had still been ahead of a number of his peers, but if he had paid more attention to his cultivation, he could have had a chance.
He stopped thinking, instead focusing on his cultivation. The boulder enhanced the speed of his cultivation, allowing his ki to flow through quicker, spending little time within his dantian before it flowed out again. He finished refining his pill and noted it had become quite late.
“Chandi, take this and refine it as you nap,” Ken said, tossing her a pill. It was a pill which allowed her to gain the benefits of a proper sleep with only a single hour nap, though it couldn’t be used for many days in a row.
“Yes, master,” Chandi said, taking it and then falling asleep. Ken remained awake, though he had little to do. He looked at the furnace and then to the boulder.
“Well, I may as well make some more pills…” He thought about which ingredients he had. “No, I should make more arrays.”
[[…]]
“Ah, speaking of which… Goddess, are you there?”
[[Why have you awoken me, mortal?]]
“Sorry, goddess.” Ken chuckled nervously. “I was just wondering what that Black Rock Ring was.
[[You don’t need to worry about what it is.]]
“Should I refine it?”
[[How could you? You’re far too weak.]]
“How strong do I need to be?”
[[If you can crush an entire city with a single finger, then maybe you can think about it.]]
“Crush a city with a single finger?” Ken asked. “Is that even possible?”
[[Do you think this queen is jesting?]]
“N-no, goddess…” Ken thought about what she said.
[You didn’t mean it literally, did you?]
Ken continued to cultivate through the night, and then refined one of his sleeping pills, allowing him to awaken an hour later to begin refining pills for the Newblade estate.
Chandi had thought they would get to play, but seeing how serious Ken was at working and cultivating, she couldn’t help but clench her fist.
[Master is working so hard, I need to work hard too!]
“Arrayist Ken, this week’s ingredients,” Guard Han said, giving him the week’s ingredients in their own separate boxes.
“Thank you, Guard Han.”
Guard Han seemed like your average man. Not too tall, not too short. There wasn’t anything interesting about him, he melted into the background as though he wasn’t there.
“I’ll be heading to the Newblade estate in a short while, so I’ll trust you to guard Emerald.”
“Do you require an escort to assist you?” Guard Han asked.
“I’ll keep Chandi with me,” Ken said. “I’ll be safe with her at my side.” With her at his side, and the various arrays he had, he would be fine.
He left to the Newblade estate right after giving Emerald her duties, letting her create the pills required. The goddess didn’t seem to mind since he would be creating a few hundred pills at the Newblade estate.
When he arrived at the Newblade estate, the Patriarch greeted him at the door and let him inside.
“Do you have a list of the pills you want me to make and the materials prepared?” Ken asked.
“I have placed them within your room.”
“Good, good. I’ll get to work right away then.”
“As you please,” Patriarch Newblade said, not finding a good time to speak about his daughter with the young man.
As Ken disappeared into the room, one of the Elders watched on. “So that’s the cripple you put your faith in?”
“He is an Arrayist and an Alchemist,” Patriarch Newblade said. “Though he may be a cripple, you should still show your respect.”
The Elder scoffed and then raised his eyebrow. “You should be careful of asking for too much. You’ve been making too many moves, and if the other families see you showing so much favour to a cripple, what would they say?”
“The Town Lord also shows the young Arrayist great favour, what would you say to him?”
The Elder scoffed, and then left. Patriarch Newblade shook his head. If he had been slightly stronger, he’d be able to have a tighter leash on his family. These Elders were too prideful, and too interested in short term profit rather than long term investments.
Ken’s room was fairly large, and the giant jade boulder in the centre called to him. He shook his head, instead working on finishing the one hundred low grade earth pills for the Newblade family.
“Chandi, you can cultivate on the jade boulder while I work.”
“You don’t want me to stand guard, master?” Chandi asked.
“Don’t worry about it.” Ken then created an array within the room which blocked out sound and would give him the ability to feel someone approaching nearby.
“As you wish, master.” Chandi didn’t think Ken would allow her to use such a precious item.
“Ah, I should put the blood array on you first…”
Her tail swayed from side to side and her ears perked up. She let him place the blood array on her back, and then climbed on top of the jade boulder. She began to cultivate on the boulder, gasping as she felt the immense quantity of energy within the boulder. She quickly swallowed one of the pills her master had offered her and cultivated atop the boulder.
With Ken’s abilities, it didn’t take long to finish the one hundred pills. Low grade earth pills were easy for him to create, and he could create multiples in a single go. He managed to create a few extra pills for himself, which he pocketed, and then stored away all the pills and the remaining ingredients.
He looked to Chandi, who was breathing in deeply as she cultivated. He allowed her to finish refining the pill before he called out to her. “Chandi, it’s my turn to cultivate,” Ken said, before he felt someone approach. “Chandi, to me!”
Chandi instantly appeared beside him, her gauntleted claw on her arm. She gathered ki as they waited before someone knocked on the door.
“Arrayist Ken, are you inside?” It was a familiar voice.
“Young Miss?” Ken asked.
“May I enter?” Hana asked.
“You may,” Ken replied back, wondering why she was here.
She opened the door and then leaned in slightly, her eyes holding an annoyed look. Ken understood why she was here and who had sent her.
“I’ll put on some tea,” Ken said, wheeling himself over to the other side of the room and then he began to brew some tea.
Hana made herself comfortable on the jade boulder, her body jolting awake, and she quickly leapt off of it. She shuddered, the sensation of the boulder was too much for her to casually sit on it. She stared at it greedily, and then to Ken.
“Patriarch Newblade has asked me to assist you,” she said dryly. Her eyes then went to Chandi suspiciously.
“Please tell the Patriarch that I am thankful for his kind intentions, but I prefer working alone.”
Hana looked to the boulder again and then back to Ken. “I’ll stay here to assist you,” she said.
“I must insist,” Ken replied back. “There’s no need to waste your time on a cripple.” He placed down the tea for the Young Miss, whose lips twitched and her eyebrows gathered together, annoyed at his words.
“I must insist,” Hana said. “I will assist you.”
“I must insist, that I refuse.” Ken smiled. If she had been more polite to him, and didn’t hold such a dark look in her eyes, perhaps he could have let her remain nearby.
Hana ground her teeth together, and then sipped her tea. She couldn’t say anything too harsh or she would offend him. “Since the Arrayist does not need me, I’ll excuse myself and return to the Patriarch.”
Ken smiled as he finished his tea and then watched her leave. He didn’t trust her at all. She seemed to be the spoiled kind of Young Miss, though wondered why that was. Patriarch Newblade seemed to have some sense about himself, so he wasn’t sure why the Young Miss would be so vicious.
“I’ll keep watch, master.” Chandi stared at the door and then all around. She squat down and sniffed at the air, her eyes glancing all around.
“I’ll leave it to you,” Ken said, standing up and stretching his legs. He then sat down on the boulder, with his legs hanging loosely off the edge of the boulder, in case someone would come in too quickly.
Ken swallowed a pill and then placed his hands on his knees, closing his eyes. He began to refine the pill and then cultivate, feeling his ki rush through his meridians towards his dantian, and then out again. It was a warm feeling, one he had missed.
He was always too impatient, especially when he was young. When he fought Abadon, he hadn’t been as powerful as he could have been. Though he had spent a year in mourning, he had still been ahead of a number of his peers, but if he had paid more attention to his cultivation, he could have had a chance.
He stopped thinking, instead focusing on his cultivation. The boulder enhanced the speed of his cultivation, allowing his ki to flow through quicker, spending little time within his dantian before it flowed out again. He finished refining his pill and noted it had become quite late.
“Chandi, take this and refine it as you nap,” Ken said, tossing her a pill. It was a pill which allowed her to gain the benefits of a proper sleep with only a single hour nap, though it couldn’t be used for many days in a row.
“Yes, master,” Chandi said, taking it and then falling asleep. Ken remained awake, though he had little to do. He looked at the furnace and then to the boulder.
“Well, I may as well make some more pills…” He thought about which ingredients he had. “No, I should make more arrays.”
[[…]]
“Ah, speaking of which… Goddess, are you there?”
[[Why have you awoken me, mortal?]]
“Sorry, goddess.” Ken chuckled nervously. “I was just wondering what that Black Rock Ring was.
[[You don’t need to worry about what it is.]]
“Should I refine it?”
[[How could you? You’re far too weak.]]
“How strong do I need to be?”
[[If you can crush an entire city with a single finger, then maybe you can think about it.]]
“Crush a city with a single finger?” Ken asked. “Is that even possible?”
[[Do you think this queen is jesting?]]
“N-no, goddess…” Ken thought about what she said.
[You didn’t mean it literally, did you?]
Ken continued to cultivate through the night, and then refined one of his sleeping pills, allowing him to awaken an hour later to begin refining pills for the Newblade estate.
Chandi had thought they would get to play, but seeing how serious Ken was at working and cultivating, she couldn’t help but clench her fist.
[Master is working so hard, I need to work hard too!]
