Chapter 445
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Chapter 445
For the sake of making responsible choices, the group cored by the Hundred Stars tried to do research before taking up a bounty. Even following around someone was enough to get into a conflict, so ensuring the request was reasonable became an important matter. They didnt always have much to go on, though. This particular one was just too good to pass up, with sufficient points to get the entire group to the fourth and final level of the Library, where they could finally begin their real goal. And the danger was minimal as well.
No, minimal was perhaps an overstatement. Nonexistent should be more correct. A single cultivator at the Essence Collection stage shouldnt be a threat to any of them unless they simply forgot to put up any sort of defenses. Perhaps Vari and Spikes who were only a stage ahead or the equivalent could be injured, if they were likewise solo.
But the target might not be the problem. Even if people tried to hide it, word naturally spread of an inflated bounty on this fellow named Rouben. That meant competition. But only if others arrived almost simultaneously- it couldnt take more than a minute on the outside to subdue someone like this. On the short end, it would be a mere instant- and that was many times more likely.
The information beyond his name and cultivation level were sufficient to decide it was worth pursuing. Hed stolen a technique called the Essentia Lockbox, the fancy name meaning nothing on its own but finding it had origins with the Twin Soul Sect and had perhaps been lost to time gave them additional motivation. They couldnt be sure if it was already too late to prevent the Twin Soul Sect from hearing about it, if Rouben wasnt already working for them, but they couldnt afford for it to be easily available. It had apparently been locked away in one of the more secure layers, so returning it there would at least limit access. Destroying it might be preferable, though they couldnt be sure if Everheart would find out and produce consequences for them.
Rouben had gone toward the Gardens. Alvas brief cut through the area had given her some idea of what to expect, and with Fuzz navigating the area would be much easier. They just needed to pick up the right trail, which might involve a bit of guesswork. They had a physical image, but it didnt include useful things like scent. Simply the fact that the man passed through the area around the Library was too vague, with hundreds of scents at minimum every day. Fuzz and Spikes sniffed around anyway, but there was no guarantee anything would come of it later. Perhaps they might recognize someone who had been at the library, though whether or not that would help was a different matter.
As they began their trek in the direction of the Garden, which was basically just an area of wilderness that covered a good segment of the planet they were on, Fuzz took note of some scents. These he had context for and not just from recently.
Twin Soul Sect Alva shook her head. Were they around because they were looking for this, or was it a coincidence? Either way, the chance that they were heading in the same direction purely by accident was ignorable. Which meant they had to pass them.
A groups speed was limited by the slowest member, and that was usually related to cultivation level. Vari was simply not able to keep up the same level of exertion as everyone else. Spikes was at a similar cultivation strength, but was more trained for running. The ability to recover stamina quickly that helped out humans at lower levels of cultivation was overcome by the fact that a beasts body would continue growing more powerful automatically. Body tempering excelled in consistent performance, but generally gave up slightly on the upper end of power since the user would have less energy to focus on key moments.
There was a simple solution to speed up the group. Vari just rode Fuzz with Alva. Spikes was familiar enough with them that Vari might have been able to ride her, but Fuzz was used to moving with a rider. One more made little difference to him. That technically made Spikes the slowest, but she was able to more or less keep pace with the Integration cultivators.
Knowing they shouldnt be more than a day behind their quarry, they expected to catch up well before he reached the Gardens- but only if they chose the right path. It wasnt as if there was only one path between two points on a planet. There were some annoying terrain features like rivers and what was either a salt lake or an ocean depending on who you asked. There were also mountains, of course, but the biggest factor is that Everheart didnt tolerate people climbing over the structures he made. Even if they were laden with deathtraps, it was generally safer to go through than over.
For the moment, they followed what seemed to be the biggest pack from the Twin Soul Sect, assuming they would at least have a decent understanding of where they were going. Or maybe they were suicidal, because they chose to go through the Smithy.
Its not that bad, Hoyt said.
I dont think you get to comment, fire cultivator, Timothy said.
You could still do it, Hoyt grinned. And Fuzz is fine as well.The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.
Same answer, Timothy grumbled.
That was good for Anton, because it meant more grandchildren in one place. And while some of the members of the sects still remembered their individual rivalries, the leadership was firmly united, with a minimal amount of quibbling even for a married couple.
Anish and Annelie had chosen to remain upon Ceretos instead of ascending, though they did not yet have a plan for Assimilation or another route of reaching a higher level of power. Perhaps they wouldnt. The peak of Life Transformation was still a respectable strength in the world- Anton just wasnt sure if it would be enough. He wasnt going to push anyone too hard, however. Sometimes an outsider was a better judge of someones limits than the person themself, but most who had great achievements as cultivators reached a proper understanding of their own limits.
We will support you in this endeavor, Anish nodded. If we could ally with another system, our position would be more secure.
It is only a matter of them having sufficient strength, Annelie commented. Her face remained emotionless, but that was merely for times such as this- serious discussion. She would keep her calm during such situations no matter what happened, but starting with her generation the Frostmirror Sect did not fully cut off their emotions. When the time was appropriate, she could smile and laugh as much as anyone else. Perhaps slightly less, but that was due to her individual personality. You said they didnt understand the same form of cultivation we use?
That is true, Anton nodded, But I sensed they had sufficient power regardless. Even if they only have several ships of that sort- and I was led to believe there were more than a few- they should be as powerful as any of the great sects. I cant say for certain since we did not fight, but the ship might have even been able to give me trouble.
From anyone else, that might not be a complement, Anish shook his head, But from you, it means much. I would expect you to be able to wipe out a handful of Life Transformation cultivators in an instant.
In general, Anton agreed. Their defenses seemed quite exceptional. Able to withstand the heat of the sun. I imagine even you would burn up with that intensity. Of course, resisting a consistent environmental hazard is easier than withstanding a concentrated attack. I might have riddled them with holes and left them to suffocate.
I doubt it, Annelie shook her head. That would be quite unlike you.
I meant in general, Anton shrugged, In terms of simple combat strategy, that would be efficient. And I would have been able to capture them as they passed out, so I could actually do that.
If they managed some sort of deception and return as enemies, I have no doubt youll be quite effective, Annelie nodded. Though in such a case I would have expected them to come for Ceretos regardless. Were they not curious about the planets here?
Its just that they were focused on the sun first, Anton explained. It seems that particular group wasnt meant to make contact with people, should they find any. Though now they might have to.
Yes, Anish nodded. I doubt they would want to risk an entirely new group when those you are familiar with would be more palatable. With your power, your opinion matters.
It is quite nice to be respected for that, Anton nodded. I almost wish it could be like the old days, where I was respected solely for my wisdom.
Grandpa, Annelie commented. You went hunting in the dead of winter at a hundred years old so that we would not be hungry. Youve always been respected for the things you would do. You were a comforting power, even then. We just didnt know about how much stronger the world of cultivation was.
There wasnt much to say to that. He supposed that in a world where those he cared about had food and shelter, pure strength was towards the top of the list to maintain that way of life. He was just glad he wasnt going to be the only one, since he couldnt be around forever.
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Chapter 445
For the sake of making responsible choices, the group cored by the Hundred Stars tried to do research before taking up a bounty. Even following around someone was enough to get into a conflict, so ensuring the request was reasonable became an important matter. They didnt always have much to go on, though. This particular one was just too good to pass up, with sufficient points to get the entire group to the fourth and final level of the Library, where they could finally begin their real goal. And the danger was minimal as well.
No, minimal was perhaps an overstatement. Nonexistent should be more correct. A single cultivator at the Essence Collection stage shouldnt be a threat to any of them unless they simply forgot to put up any sort of defenses. Perhaps Vari and Spikes who were only a stage ahead or the equivalent could be injured, if they were likewise solo.
But the target might not be the problem. Even if people tried to hide it, word naturally spread of an inflated bounty on this fellow named Rouben. That meant competition. But only if others arrived almost simultaneously- it couldnt take more than a minute on the outside to subdue someone like this. On the short end, it would be a mere instant- and that was many times more likely.
The information beyond his name and cultivation level were sufficient to decide it was worth pursuing. Hed stolen a technique called the Essentia Lockbox, the fancy name meaning nothing on its own but finding it had origins with the Twin Soul Sect and had perhaps been lost to time gave them additional motivation. They couldnt be sure if it was already too late to prevent the Twin Soul Sect from hearing about it, if Rouben wasnt already working for them, but they couldnt afford for it to be easily available. It had apparently been locked away in one of the more secure layers, so returning it there would at least limit access. Destroying it might be preferable, though they couldnt be sure if Everheart would find out and produce consequences for them.
Rouben had gone toward the Gardens. Alvas brief cut through the area had given her some idea of what to expect, and with Fuzz navigating the area would be much easier. They just needed to pick up the right trail, which might involve a bit of guesswork. They had a physical image, but it didnt include useful things like scent. Simply the fact that the man passed through the area around the Library was too vague, with hundreds of scents at minimum every day. Fuzz and Spikes sniffed around anyway, but there was no guarantee anything would come of it later. Perhaps they might recognize someone who had been at the library, though whether or not that would help was a different matter.
As they began their trek in the direction of the Garden, which was basically just an area of wilderness that covered a good segment of the planet they were on, Fuzz took note of some scents. These he had context for and not just from recently.
Twin Soul Sect Alva shook her head. Were they around because they were looking for this, or was it a coincidence? Either way, the chance that they were heading in the same direction purely by accident was ignorable. Which meant they had to pass them.
A groups speed was limited by the slowest member, and that was usually related to cultivation level. Vari was simply not able to keep up the same level of exertion as everyone else. Spikes was at a similar cultivation strength, but was more trained for running. The ability to recover stamina quickly that helped out humans at lower levels of cultivation was overcome by the fact that a beasts body would continue growing more powerful automatically. Body tempering excelled in consistent performance, but generally gave up slightly on the upper end of power since the user would have less energy to focus on key moments.
There was a simple solution to speed up the group. Vari just rode Fuzz with Alva. Spikes was familiar enough with them that Vari might have been able to ride her, but Fuzz was used to moving with a rider. One more made little difference to him. That technically made Spikes the slowest, but she was able to more or less keep pace with the Integration cultivators.
Knowing they shouldnt be more than a day behind their quarry, they expected to catch up well before he reached the Gardens- but only if they chose the right path. It wasnt as if there was only one path between two points on a planet. There were some annoying terrain features like rivers and what was either a salt lake or an ocean depending on who you asked. There were also mountains, of course, but the biggest factor is that Everheart didnt tolerate people climbing over the structures he made. Even if they were laden with deathtraps, it was generally safer to go through than over.
For the moment, they followed what seemed to be the biggest pack from the Twin Soul Sect, assuming they would at least have a decent understanding of where they were going. Or maybe they were suicidal, because they chose to go through the Smithy.
Its not that bad, Hoyt said.
I dont think you get to comment, fire cultivator, Timothy said.
You could still do it, Hoyt grinned. And Fuzz is fine as well.The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.
Same answer, Timothy grumbled.
That was good for Anton, because it meant more grandchildren in one place. And while some of the members of the sects still remembered their individual rivalries, the leadership was firmly united, with a minimal amount of quibbling even for a married couple.
Anish and Annelie had chosen to remain upon Ceretos instead of ascending, though they did not yet have a plan for Assimilation or another route of reaching a higher level of power. Perhaps they wouldnt. The peak of Life Transformation was still a respectable strength in the world- Anton just wasnt sure if it would be enough. He wasnt going to push anyone too hard, however. Sometimes an outsider was a better judge of someones limits than the person themself, but most who had great achievements as cultivators reached a proper understanding of their own limits.
We will support you in this endeavor, Anish nodded. If we could ally with another system, our position would be more secure.
It is only a matter of them having sufficient strength, Annelie commented. Her face remained emotionless, but that was merely for times such as this- serious discussion. She would keep her calm during such situations no matter what happened, but starting with her generation the Frostmirror Sect did not fully cut off their emotions. When the time was appropriate, she could smile and laugh as much as anyone else. Perhaps slightly less, but that was due to her individual personality. You said they didnt understand the same form of cultivation we use?
That is true, Anton nodded, But I sensed they had sufficient power regardless. Even if they only have several ships of that sort- and I was led to believe there were more than a few- they should be as powerful as any of the great sects. I cant say for certain since we did not fight, but the ship might have even been able to give me trouble.
From anyone else, that might not be a complement, Anish shook his head, But from you, it means much. I would expect you to be able to wipe out a handful of Life Transformation cultivators in an instant.
In general, Anton agreed. Their defenses seemed quite exceptional. Able to withstand the heat of the sun. I imagine even you would burn up with that intensity. Of course, resisting a consistent environmental hazard is easier than withstanding a concentrated attack. I might have riddled them with holes and left them to suffocate.
I doubt it, Annelie shook her head. That would be quite unlike you.
I meant in general, Anton shrugged, In terms of simple combat strategy, that would be efficient. And I would have been able to capture them as they passed out, so I could actually do that.
If they managed some sort of deception and return as enemies, I have no doubt youll be quite effective, Annelie nodded. Though in such a case I would have expected them to come for Ceretos regardless. Were they not curious about the planets here?
Its just that they were focused on the sun first, Anton explained. It seems that particular group wasnt meant to make contact with people, should they find any. Though now they might have to.
Yes, Anish nodded. I doubt they would want to risk an entirely new group when those you are familiar with would be more palatable. With your power, your opinion matters.
It is quite nice to be respected for that, Anton nodded. I almost wish it could be like the old days, where I was respected solely for my wisdom.
Grandpa, Annelie commented. You went hunting in the dead of winter at a hundred years old so that we would not be hungry. Youve always been respected for the things you would do. You were a comforting power, even then. We just didnt know about how much stronger the world of cultivation was.
There wasnt much to say to that. He supposed that in a world where those he cared about had food and shelter, pure strength was towards the top of the list to maintain that way of life. He was just glad he wasnt going to be the only one, since he couldnt be around forever.
Chapter 445For the sake of making responsible choices, the group cored by the Hundred Stars tried to do research before taking up a bounty. Even following around someone was enough to get into a conflict, so ensuring the request was reasonable became an important matter. They didnt always have much to go on, though. This particular one was just too good to pass up, with sufficient points to get the entire group to the fourth and final level of the Library, where they could finally begin their real goal. And the danger was minimal as well.No, minimal was perhaps an overstatement. Nonexistent should be more correct. A single cultivator at the Essence Collection stage shouldnt be a threat to any of them unless they simply forgot to put up any sort of defenses. Perhaps Vari and Spikes who were only a stage ahead or the equivalent could be injured, if they were likewise solo.But the target might not be the problem. Even if people tried to hide it, word naturally spread of an inflated bounty on this fellow named Rouben. That meant competition. But only if others arrived almost simultaneously- it couldnt take more than a minute on the outside to subdue someone like this. On the short end, it would be a mere instant- and that was many times more likely. The information beyond his name and cultivation level were sufficient to decide it was worth pursuing. Hed stolen a technique called the Essentia Lockbox, the fancy name meaning nothing on its own but finding it had origins with the Twin Soul Sect and had perhaps been lost to time gave them additional motivation. They couldnt be sure if it was already too late to prevent the Twin Soul Sect from hearing about it, if Rouben wasnt already working for them, but they couldnt afford for it to be easily available. It had apparently been locked away in one of the more secure layers, so returning it there would at least limit access. Destroying it might be preferable, though they couldnt be sure if Everheart would find out and produce consequences for them.Rouben had gone toward the Gardens. Alvas brief cut through the area had given her some idea of what to expect, and with Fuzz navigating the area would be much easier. They just needed to pick up the right trail, which might involve a bit of guesswork. They had a physical image, but it didnt include useful things like scent. Simply the fact that the man passed through the area around the Library was too vague, with hundreds of scents at minimum every day. Fuzz and Spikes sniffed around anyway, but there was no guarantee anything would come of it later. Perhaps they might recognize someone who had been at the library, though whether or not that would help was a different matter.As they began their trek in the direction of the Garden, which was basically just an area of wilderness that covered a good segment of the planet they were on, Fuzz took note of some scents. These he had context for and not just from recently.Twin Soul Sect Alva shook her head. Were they around because they were looking for this, or was it a coincidence? Either way, the chance that they were heading in the same direction purely by accident was ignorable. Which meant they had to pass them. A groups speed was limited by the slowest member, and that was usually related to cultivation level. Vari was simply not able to keep up the same level of exertion as everyone else. Spikes was at a similar cultivation strength, but was more trained for running. The ability to recover stamina quickly that helped out humans at lower levels of cultivation was overcome by the fact that a beasts body would continue growing more powerful automatically. Body tempering excelled in consistent performance, but generally gave up slightly on the upper end of power since the user would have less energy to focus on key moments.There was a simple solution to speed up the group. Vari just rode Fuzz with Alva. Spikes was familiar enough with them that Vari might have been able to ride her, but Fuzz was used to moving with a rider. One more made little difference to him. That technically made Spikes the slowest, but she was able to more or less keep pace with the Integration cultivators. Knowing they shouldnt be more than a day behind their quarry, they expected to catch up well before he reached the Gardens- but only if they chose the right path. It wasnt as if there was only one path between two points on a planet. There were some annoying terrain features like rivers and what was either a salt lake or an ocean depending on who you asked. There were also mountains, of course, but the biggest factor is that Everheart didnt tolerate people climbing over the structures he made. Even if they were laden with deathtraps, it was generally safer to go through than over. For the moment, they followed what seemed to be the biggest pack from the Twin Soul Sect, assuming they would at least have a decent understanding of where they were going. Or maybe they were suicidal, because they chose to go through the Smithy.Its not that bad, Hoyt said.I dont think you get to comment, fire cultivator, Timothy said.You could still do it, Hoyt grinned. And Fuzz is fine as well.The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Nvl1n.Same answer, Timothy grumbled.That was good for Anton, because it meant more grandchildren in one place. And while some of the members of the sects still remembered their individual rivalries, the leadership was firmly united, with a minimal amount of quibbling even for a married couple.Anish and Annelie had chosen to remain upon Ceretos instead of ascending, though they did not yet have a plan for Assimilation or another route of reaching a higher level of power. Perhaps they wouldnt. The peak of Life Transformation was still a respectable strength in the world- Anton just wasnt sure if it would be enough. He wasnt going to push anyone too hard, however. Sometimes an outsider was a better judge of someones limits than the person themself, but most who had great achievements as cultivators reached a proper understanding of their own limits. We will support you in this endeavor, Anish nodded. If we could ally with another system, our position would be more secure.It is only a matter of them having sufficient strength, Annelie commented. Her face remained emotionless, but that was merely for times such as this- serious discussion. She would keep her calm during such situations no matter what happened, but starting with her generation the Frostmirror Sect did not fully cut off their emotions. When the time was appropriate, she could smile and laugh as much as anyone else. Perhaps slightly less, but that was due to her individual personality. You said they didnt understand the same form of cultivation we use?That is true, Anton nodded, But I sensed they had sufficient power regardless. Even if they only have several ships of that sort- and I was led to believe there were more than a few- they should be as powerful as any of the great sects. I cant say for certain since we did not fight, but the ship might have even been able to give me trouble.From anyone else, that might not be a complement, Anish shook his head, But from you, it means much. I would expect you to be able to wipe out a handful of Life Transformation cultivators in an instant.In general, Anton agreed. Their defenses seemed quite exceptional. Able to withstand the heat of the sun. I imagine even you would burn up with that intensity. Of course, resisting a consistent environmental hazard is easier than withstanding a concentrated attack. I might have riddled them with holes and left them to suffocate.I doubt it, Annelie shook her head. That would be quite unlike you.I meant in general, Anton shrugged, In terms of simple combat strategy, that would be efficient. And I would have been able to capture them as they passed out, so I could actually do that.If they managed some sort of deception and return as enemies, I have no doubt youll be quite effective, Annelie nodded. Though in such a case I would have expected them to come for Ceretos regardless. Were they not curious about the planets here?Its just that they were focused on the sun first, Anton explained. It seems that particular group wasnt meant to make contact with people, should they find any. Though now they might have to.Yes, Anish nodded. I doubt they would want to risk an entirely new group when those you are familiar with would be more palatable. With your power, your opinion matters.It is quite nice to be respected for that, Anton nodded. I almost wish it could be like the old days, where I was respected solely for my wisdom.Grandpa, Annelie commented. You went hunting in the dead of winter at a hundred years old so that we would not be hungry. Youve always been respected for the things you would do. You were a comforting power, even then. We just didnt know about how much stronger the world of cultivation was.There wasnt much to say to that. He supposed that in a world where those he cared about had food and shelter, pure strength was towards the top of the list to maintain that way of life. He was just glad he wasnt going to be the only one, since he couldnt be around forever.
