Chapter 806
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
Chapter 806
The silvery hair and ground-length beard of Taalay, along with the rest of him, finally came to rest at the end of their journey in a small village at the base of a mountain. Or at least, on the surface it appeared to be a small village. The members of this particular sect werent interested in public recognition, for good reason. They went by the name of Delicate Spice Mountain, though Taalay didnt know if there was some other internal name they held.
Im looking for Heath, Taalay said at the entrance, and he was directed to a particular hut not much different from the others.
Inside, a youngish man was sitting down for lunch with a bowl of soup. The unassuming fellow smiled as Taalay entered. Welcome. What do you need? He used a strand of energy to grab another bowl and spoon off of a nearby shelf. Hungry?
Perhaps after we finish our business. I have a task for you.
Heath nodded as he spooned some soup into his mouth. Sure thing. But if they all die in your sect it will look suspicious, you know?
Thats not what I need, Taalay shook his head.
Well Im not touching the Precious Palm Sect, Heath said. Theyve got deep enough pockets to track me down.
I dont need your expertise in that area at the moment, Taalay shook his head, producing a scroll. I need your opinion on a technique I have found.The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñøv€l-B1n.
My opinion?
I need to know if it does what it advertises.
Practice it and find out, the young man said, leaving the scroll where Taalay set it.
I did.
You dont appear to have died or damaged your cultivation. So Im going to say it worked out fine.
Taalay shrugged. It did something, he said. But I need to know if the results are erroneous. And I need an opinion on the subtlety of the technique.
Planning to take over our business?
Hardly, Taalay said. I cant even cook.
Heath reached out for the scroll and carefully unfurled it. ... Youre sure this is the right one?
Positive.
And you found it where? Heath looked up at the older man.
In a pile with other techniques.
And it works? Who did you find?
That would bias the results, Taalay said. Can you see any reason it wouldnt work?
Well, its going to find something, Heath shrugged. I cant see how this would entrap you or anything. But the results might not be what it says.
Theyre supposed to be gone Taalay frowned.
Heath raised an eyebrow. So it worked?
Taalay shrugged. Youll get back to me, wont you?
Sure, Ill send you a letter. Now have your soup or give it here.
Taalay took a spoonful of the soup. I can see why people look for you.
You could learn to do this, you know?
And how long would it take? Taalay raised an eyebrow.
No more than one or two centuries, Heath said. If you devote yourself to it.
I think Im fine with my current path, thank you very much, Taalay said.
-----
Taalay wasnt certain if a few months to receive the reply letter was short or long. Either way, it said very little and a great amount at the same time.
Spent some time with the Radiant Peak. Their guests were simply glowing as a result of my cooking. Do you have any additional ingredients to suggest?
That confirmed very little for him, given the vagueness. But it did show that Heath was taking things seriously.
-----
Over time, Three Squeaks confidence in himself continued to grow. He figured he could fight pretty much everything and then he was reminded of how wrong he was. He wished it was because he lost a battle. Instead, there was something much worse. It was a battle he didnt even know how to fight. He couldnt lose if he couldnt even touch his opponent.
Sickness swept through the coalition as a result of bad water. Three Squeaks thought that maybe there was someone causing it, and had gone on a journey to the source. Along the way he found nothing. Ultimately, that meant one of their rivers was nearly useless.
He returned in dejection. The hippos who were also looking for a solution found nothing. Soon, it would be time to water their fields- but they couldnt use the bad water, could they?
Three Squeaks looked at the river flowing past. Uh that might be a little bit difficult.
Try ask bugs?
Meep wanted him to ask bugs about killing bugs? Actually, that made sense. Because he knew the ants at least ate everything. He just had to go find them and ask. What if we try to figure out something ourselves? Three Squeaks said.
Big ant wont eat body.
Thats actually way less reassuring than telling me the Great Queen wont eat me, Three Squeaks pointed out.
Meep not lie.
Three Squeaks grumbled. Fine. The void ants know lots of things, so maybe they know how to get rid of the water bugs
-----
The void ants had barely established a colony of their own, but it was out of the way so as to avoid accidents. Some people ate ants, after all, and void ants were difficult to differentiate for some. Except with energy senses, they were clearly wrong. Three Squeaks approached the colony, but wasnt quite sure what to do from there. Fortunately, a stick bug showed up on a nearby bush. Or rather, they were probably already there. They didnt speak well, but Three Squeaks was pretty decent at the insect sign language.
What do you want?
I need to ask the Great Queen about tiny water bugs. Theyre making us sick.
Shes not here. Only Crossed Antennae.
Thats fine. Hopefully. Anyone who is willing to help. So do I just yell?
Flash energy. One will come.
Three Squeaks did suppose they were quite sensitive to energy, so he did his best to make it obvious for a moment. Some captain or something came crawling towards him- Three Squeaks did see a small trail of others, but the captain was much bigger. Three Squeaks explained his request, and the captain eventually returned with the princess, Crossed Antennae.
The ant signed at him, though she was somewhat smaller than the captain so it was difficult to pick out precisely without focusing some energy on his sight. You had a question for the Great Queen? I can relay it, the next time she is here, Crossed Antennae replied.
I was hoping you would know about tiny water bugs?
... Because we are bugs?
Because the void ants know a lot of things! Three Squeaks hastily corrected. Theyre making people sick and we cant use one of our rivers. Theyre extremely tiny. Look, theyre clear things in this container I brought. It was quite a trip to get there without spilling the thing, though fortunately his natural energy made it possible.
The princess approached the glass. Then she circled around so Three Squeaks could easily see her again to sign. I can pick out what you mean. They have small bits of natural energy within them. But I dont know what they are.
Three Squeaks jerked back as he felt something snip at some of his energy. It was another void ant. Tastes familiar. Are you a disciple of Anton?
Um yes. But please dont eat my energy without permission.
Its fine. Im a princess so I can do what I want. Clearly, Crossed Antennae disagreed. There was some attempt at signs, but Three Squeaks didnt pick out much before it devolved into a wrestling match in which the second princess came out on top. Told you, she said. Im Fearsome Mandibles.
Well, nice to meet you, Three Squeaks said. I suppose Ill go now.
Before you go, she caught his attention. Dont you want to know what those things are? She made a sign Three Squeaks hadnt seen before.
No profanity! Crossed Antennae said as she picked herself up.
Profanity is meant to be used otherwise it wouldnt exist! Fearsome mandibles flailed her limbs, then turned her head up towards Three Squeaks. Anyway, theyre called- presumably the sign for whatever they were. Three Squeaks later learned it was bacteria.
So how do we kill them?
Boil the water, Fearsome Mandibles said.
... Theyre in a whole river, Three Squeaks replied.
That does make it harder. But just boil whatever you want to use. Or do a fancy thing to kill them. There were a few words he missed but they didnt seem to be of substance. More profanity?
What do you mean?
A technique. We cant control natural energy, but you can. Make something up to squash them specifically.
Thats surprisingly very helpful, Three Squeaks admitted.
Half of Fearsome Mandibles reply was a repetition of previous profanity. Yeah, I know Im smart.
... Where did you learn that? Crossed Antennae asked.
I saw some and was curious. So I asked mom about them.
Shes the Great Queen. You should be respectful.
Shes our mom, Fearsome Mandibles said. If she wants me to say fancy words shes going to have to force me.
Uh Three Squeaks interrupted. Thank you for your help. Ill be going now
He supposed Clang had a lot of fire to help with boiling. And there were other fire cultivators. They did have large tubs brought away from the river anyway, for use in the populated areas. They could boil it all. And maybe he could figure out a technique that would be more efficient. Something that caught these tiny bugs.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Chapter 806
The silvery hair and ground-length beard of Taalay, along with the rest of him, finally came to rest at the end of their journey in a small village at the base of a mountain. Or at least, on the surface it appeared to be a small village. The members of this particular sect werent interested in public recognition, for good reason. They went by the name of Delicate Spice Mountain, though Taalay didnt know if there was some other internal name they held.
Im looking for Heath, Taalay said at the entrance, and he was directed to a particular hut not much different from the others.
Inside, a youngish man was sitting down for lunch with a bowl of soup. The unassuming fellow smiled as Taalay entered. Welcome. What do you need? He used a strand of energy to grab another bowl and spoon off of a nearby shelf. Hungry?
Perhaps after we finish our business. I have a task for you.
Heath nodded as he spooned some soup into his mouth. Sure thing. But if they all die in your sect it will look suspicious, you know?
Thats not what I need, Taalay shook his head.
Well Im not touching the Precious Palm Sect, Heath said. Theyve got deep enough pockets to track me down.
I dont need your expertise in that area at the moment, Taalay shook his head, producing a scroll. I need your opinion on a technique I have found.The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñøv€l-B1n.
My opinion?
I need to know if it does what it advertises.
Practice it and find out, the young man said, leaving the scroll where Taalay set it.
I did.
You dont appear to have died or damaged your cultivation. So Im going to say it worked out fine.
Taalay shrugged. It did something, he said. But I need to know if the results are erroneous. And I need an opinion on the subtlety of the technique.
Planning to take over our business?
Hardly, Taalay said. I cant even cook.
Heath reached out for the scroll and carefully unfurled it. ... Youre sure this is the right one?
Positive.
And you found it where? Heath looked up at the older man.
In a pile with other techniques.
And it works? Who did you find?
That would bias the results, Taalay said. Can you see any reason it wouldnt work?
Well, its going to find something, Heath shrugged. I cant see how this would entrap you or anything. But the results might not be what it says.
Theyre supposed to be gone Taalay frowned.
Heath raised an eyebrow. So it worked?
Taalay shrugged. Youll get back to me, wont you?
Sure, Ill send you a letter. Now have your soup or give it here.
Taalay took a spoonful of the soup. I can see why people look for you.
You could learn to do this, you know?
And how long would it take? Taalay raised an eyebrow.
No more than one or two centuries, Heath said. If you devote yourself to it.
I think Im fine with my current path, thank you very much, Taalay said.
-----
Taalay wasnt certain if a few months to receive the reply letter was short or long. Either way, it said very little and a great amount at the same time.
Spent some time with the Radiant Peak. Their guests were simply glowing as a result of my cooking. Do you have any additional ingredients to suggest?
That confirmed very little for him, given the vagueness. But it did show that Heath was taking things seriously.
-----
Over time, Three Squeaks confidence in himself continued to grow. He figured he could fight pretty much everything and then he was reminded of how wrong he was. He wished it was because he lost a battle. Instead, there was something much worse. It was a battle he didnt even know how to fight. He couldnt lose if he couldnt even touch his opponent.
Sickness swept through the coalition as a result of bad water. Three Squeaks thought that maybe there was someone causing it, and had gone on a journey to the source. Along the way he found nothing. Ultimately, that meant one of their rivers was nearly useless.
He returned in dejection. The hippos who were also looking for a solution found nothing. Soon, it would be time to water their fields- but they couldnt use the bad water, could they?
Three Squeaks looked at the river flowing past. Uh that might be a little bit difficult.
Try ask bugs?
Meep wanted him to ask bugs about killing bugs? Actually, that made sense. Because he knew the ants at least ate everything. He just had to go find them and ask. What if we try to figure out something ourselves? Three Squeaks said.
Big ant wont eat body.
Thats actually way less reassuring than telling me the Great Queen wont eat me, Three Squeaks pointed out.
Meep not lie.
Three Squeaks grumbled. Fine. The void ants know lots of things, so maybe they know how to get rid of the water bugs
-----
The void ants had barely established a colony of their own, but it was out of the way so as to avoid accidents. Some people ate ants, after all, and void ants were difficult to differentiate for some. Except with energy senses, they were clearly wrong. Three Squeaks approached the colony, but wasnt quite sure what to do from there. Fortunately, a stick bug showed up on a nearby bush. Or rather, they were probably already there. They didnt speak well, but Three Squeaks was pretty decent at the insect sign language.
What do you want?
I need to ask the Great Queen about tiny water bugs. Theyre making us sick.
Shes not here. Only Crossed Antennae.
Thats fine. Hopefully. Anyone who is willing to help. So do I just yell?
Flash energy. One will come.
Three Squeaks did suppose they were quite sensitive to energy, so he did his best to make it obvious for a moment. Some captain or something came crawling towards him- Three Squeaks did see a small trail of others, but the captain was much bigger. Three Squeaks explained his request, and the captain eventually returned with the princess, Crossed Antennae.
The ant signed at him, though she was somewhat smaller than the captain so it was difficult to pick out precisely without focusing some energy on his sight. You had a question for the Great Queen? I can relay it, the next time she is here, Crossed Antennae replied.
I was hoping you would know about tiny water bugs?
... Because we are bugs?
Because the void ants know a lot of things! Three Squeaks hastily corrected. Theyre making people sick and we cant use one of our rivers. Theyre extremely tiny. Look, theyre clear things in this container I brought. It was quite a trip to get there without spilling the thing, though fortunately his natural energy made it possible.
The princess approached the glass. Then she circled around so Three Squeaks could easily see her again to sign. I can pick out what you mean. They have small bits of natural energy within them. But I dont know what they are.
Three Squeaks jerked back as he felt something snip at some of his energy. It was another void ant. Tastes familiar. Are you a disciple of Anton?
Um yes. But please dont eat my energy without permission.
Its fine. Im a princess so I can do what I want. Clearly, Crossed Antennae disagreed. There was some attempt at signs, but Three Squeaks didnt pick out much before it devolved into a wrestling match in which the second princess came out on top. Told you, she said. Im Fearsome Mandibles.
Well, nice to meet you, Three Squeaks said. I suppose Ill go now.
Before you go, she caught his attention. Dont you want to know what those things are? She made a sign Three Squeaks hadnt seen before.
No profanity! Crossed Antennae said as she picked herself up.
Profanity is meant to be used otherwise it wouldnt exist! Fearsome mandibles flailed her limbs, then turned her head up towards Three Squeaks. Anyway, theyre called- presumably the sign for whatever they were. Three Squeaks later learned it was bacteria.
So how do we kill them?
Boil the water, Fearsome Mandibles said.
... Theyre in a whole river, Three Squeaks replied.
That does make it harder. But just boil whatever you want to use. Or do a fancy thing to kill them. There were a few words he missed but they didnt seem to be of substance. More profanity?
What do you mean?
A technique. We cant control natural energy, but you can. Make something up to squash them specifically.
Thats surprisingly very helpful, Three Squeaks admitted.
Half of Fearsome Mandibles reply was a repetition of previous profanity. Yeah, I know Im smart.
... Where did you learn that? Crossed Antennae asked.
I saw some and was curious. So I asked mom about them.
Shes the Great Queen. You should be respectful.
Shes our mom, Fearsome Mandibles said. If she wants me to say fancy words shes going to have to force me.
Uh Three Squeaks interrupted. Thank you for your help. Ill be going now
He supposed Clang had a lot of fire to help with boiling. And there were other fire cultivators. They did have large tubs brought away from the river anyway, for use in the populated areas. They could boil it all. And maybe he could figure out a technique that would be more efficient. Something that caught these tiny bugs.
Chapter 806The silvery hair and ground-length beard of Taalay, along with the rest of him, finally came to rest at the end of their journey in a small village at the base of a mountain. Or at least, on the surface it appeared to be a small village. The members of this particular sect werent interested in public recognition, for good reason. They went by the name of Delicate Spice Mountain, though Taalay didnt know if there was some other internal name they held.Im looking for Heath, Taalay said at the entrance, and he was directed to a particular hut not much different from the others. Inside, a youngish man was sitting down for lunch with a bowl of soup. The unassuming fellow smiled as Taalay entered. Welcome. What do you need? He used a strand of energy to grab another bowl and spoon off of a nearby shelf. Hungry?Perhaps after we finish our business. I have a task for you.Heath nodded as he spooned some soup into his mouth. Sure thing. But if they all die in your sect it will look suspicious, you know?Thats not what I need, Taalay shook his head.Well Im not touching the Precious Palm Sect, Heath said. Theyve got deep enough pockets to track me down.I dont need your expertise in that area at the moment, Taalay shook his head, producing a scroll. I need your opinion on a technique I have found.The debut release of this chapter happened at Nvl-B1n.My opinion?I need to know if it does what it advertises.Practice it and find out, the young man said, leaving the scroll where Taalay set it.I did.You dont appear to have died or damaged your cultivation. So Im going to say it worked out fine.Taalay shrugged. It did something, he said. But I need to know if the results are erroneous. And I need an opinion on the subtlety of the technique.Planning to take over our business?Hardly, Taalay said. I cant even cook.Heath reached out for the scroll and carefully unfurled it. ... Youre sure this is the right one?Positive.And you found it where? Heath looked up at the older man.In a pile with other techniques.And it works? Who did you find?That would bias the results, Taalay said. Can you see any reason it wouldnt work?Well, its going to find something, Heath shrugged. I cant see how this would entrap you or anything. But the results might not be what it says.Theyre supposed to be gone Taalay frowned.Heath raised an eyebrow. So it worked?Taalay shrugged. Youll get back to me, wont you?Sure, Ill send you a letter. Now have your soup or give it here.Taalay took a spoonful of the soup. I can see why people look for you.You could learn to do this, you know?And how long would it take? Taalay raised an eyebrow.No more than one or two centuries, Heath said. If you devote yourself to it.I think Im fine with my current path, thank you very much, Taalay said.-----Taalay wasnt certain if a few months to receive the reply letter was short or long. Either way, it said very little and a great amount at the same time.Spent some time with the Radiant Peak. Their guests were simply glowing as a result of my cooking. Do you have any additional ingredients to suggest?That confirmed very little for him, given the vagueness. But it did show that Heath was taking things seriously. -----Over time, Three Squeaks confidence in himself continued to grow. He figured he could fight pretty much everything and then he was reminded of how wrong he was. He wished it was because he lost a battle. Instead, there was something much worse. It was a battle he didnt even know how to fight. He couldnt lose if he couldnt even touch his opponent.Sickness swept through the coalition as a result of bad water. Three Squeaks thought that maybe there was someone causing it, and had gone on a journey to the source. Along the way he found nothing. Ultimately, that meant one of their rivers was nearly useless.He returned in dejection. The hippos who were also looking for a solution found nothing. Soon, it would be time to water their fields- but they couldnt use the bad water, could they?Three Squeaks looked at the river flowing past. Uh that might be a little bit difficult.Try ask bugs?Meep wanted him to ask bugs about killing bugs? Actually, that made sense. Because he knew the ants at least ate everything. He just had to go find them and ask. What if we try to figure out something ourselves? Three Squeaks said.Big ant wont eat body.Thats actually way less reassuring than telling me the Great Queen wont eat me, Three Squeaks pointed out.Meep not lie.Three Squeaks grumbled. Fine. The void ants know lots of things, so maybe they know how to get rid of the water bugs-----The void ants had barely established a colony of their own, but it was out of the way so as to avoid accidents. Some people ate ants, after all, and void ants were difficult to differentiate for some. Except with energy senses, they were clearly wrong. Three Squeaks approached the colony, but wasnt quite sure what to do from there. Fortunately, a stick bug showed up on a nearby bush. Or rather, they were probably already there. They didnt speak well, but Three Squeaks was pretty decent at the insect sign language.What do you want?I need to ask the Great Queen about tiny water bugs. Theyre making us sick.Shes not here. Only Crossed Antennae.Thats fine. Hopefully. Anyone who is willing to help. So do I just yell?Flash energy. One will come.Three Squeaks did suppose they were quite sensitive to energy, so he did his best to make it obvious for a moment. Some captain or something came crawling towards him- Three Squeaks did see a small trail of others, but the captain was much bigger. Three Squeaks explained his request, and the captain eventually returned with the princess, Crossed Antennae.The ant signed at him, though she was somewhat smaller than the captain so it was difficult to pick out precisely without focusing some energy on his sight. You had a question for the Great Queen? I can relay it, the next time she is here, Crossed Antennae replied.I was hoping you would know about tiny water bugs?... Because we are bugs?Because the void ants know a lot of things! Three Squeaks hastily corrected. Theyre making people sick and we cant use one of our rivers. Theyre extremely tiny. Look, theyre clear things in this container I brought. It was quite a trip to get there without spilling the thing, though fortunately his natural energy made it possible.The princess approached the glass. Then she circled around so Three Squeaks could easily see her again to sign. I can pick out what you mean. They have small bits of natural energy within them. But I dont know what they are.Three Squeaks jerked back as he felt something snip at some of his energy. It was another void ant. Tastes familiar. Are you a disciple of Anton?Um yes. But please dont eat my energy without permission.Its fine. Im a princess so I can do what I want. Clearly, Crossed Antennae disagreed. There was some attempt at signs, but Three Squeaks didnt pick out much before it devolved into a wrestling match in which the second princess came out on top. Told you, she said. Im Fearsome Mandibles.Well, nice to meet you, Three Squeaks said. I suppose Ill go now.Before you go, she caught his attention. Dont you want to know what those things are? She made a sign Three Squeaks hadnt seen before.No profanity! Crossed Antennae said as she picked herself up.Profanity is meant to be used otherwise it wouldnt exist! Fearsome mandibles flailed her limbs, then turned her head up towards Three Squeaks. Anyway, theyre called- presumably the sign for whatever they were. Three Squeaks later learned it was bacteria.So how do we kill them?Boil the water, Fearsome Mandibles said.... Theyre in a whole river, Three Squeaks replied.That does make it harder. But just boil whatever you want to use. Or do a fancy thing to kill them. There were a few words he missed but they didnt seem to be of substance. More profanity?What do you mean?A technique. We cant control natural energy, but you can. Make something up to squash them specifically.Thats surprisingly very helpful, Three Squeaks admitted.Half of Fearsome Mandibles reply was a repetition of previous profanity. Yeah, I know Im smart.... Where did you learn that? Crossed Antennae asked.I saw some and was curious. So I asked mom about them.Shes the Great Queen. You should be respectful.Shes our mom, Fearsome Mandibles said. If she wants me to say fancy words shes going to have to force me.Uh Three Squeaks interrupted. Thank you for your help. Ill be going nowHe supposed Clang had a lot of fire to help with boiling. And there were other fire cultivators. They did have large tubs brought away from the river anyway, for use in the populated areas. They could boil it all. And maybe he could figure out a technique that would be more efficient. Something that caught these tiny bugs.
