Chapter 684: Guide
It is quite a sight, a sultry voicemented to Zacs side, dragging him out of his reverie.
Dreamers living among our people. I didnt believe my master when he told me, Zac said with a snort as he turned toward the source of the voice.
It was a Revenant, seemingly a human with a bit of demonic heritage. She didnt have any horns, but her hands were a bit wed and her skin had a thin pattern reminiscent of that of the Torrid Demons. She wore a tightfitting dress that looked more like an evening gown than a cultivators attire, but she did emit the aura of someone at early E-Grade.
He couldnt tell whether she was a turned Revenant or if she was a natural-born undead of peak E-Grade warriors, but he guessed thetter was moremon in an established ce like this.
Is young master perchance an Imperial? the Revenant asked, and her eyes lit up when Zac slightly nodded.
He had already decided to go under the guise as a random scion of an imperial Draugr-n after hearing the introduction from the Corpselord guard earlier. It felt like the safest bet, considering he still didn''t know if there were actual pureblood Draugr native to a ce like this.
May I ask if young master requires a guide? I am a native to Twilight Harbor and know all the outs and inns. I can make myself avable for as long as master needs, and Im sure young Master will be satisfied by my services.
The Revenant was a professional guide, just as Zac assumed. It was a prettymon way for cultivators to make some extra money, especially among the weaker cultivators who were afraid to risk their lives in Mystic Realms or hunting grounds. A nce around the square showed that there were over a thousand teleportation stations just like the one he arrived in, and there was a small group of cultivators waiting outside all of them.
The voluptuous Revenant wasnt the only one waiting outside the station where Zac appeared, there were actually six more undead guides. There were also 5 living ones; three humans, a treant, and a beastkin. However, none of the living had approached Zac when he appeared, and Zac guessed there were unspoken rules at y here.
Ah, Triskatal is a decent bedwarmer, but her connections arecking. Young master strikes me as a man with great purpose who has better things to do than to waste with a mere female. I have connections with two information houses, and I can provide far more detailed ounts of events and noteworthy persons in Twilight Harbor, a Corpselord said as he donned a terrifying smile, though Zac guessed he was trying to look amiable.
The Revenant threw thepetition infuriated nce, but she didnt have time to for a rebuttal before another guide spoke up, detailing the perks of hiring them. It almost turned into a brawl, leading Zac to believe there was a surplus of guidespared to visitors. However, Zacs curiosity was piqued as one of the guides stood silent.
It wasnt that she was abovepeting with the others, she justcked presence. She tried to speak up a few times, but she was quickly shot down, seemingly unable to shamelessly boast with such gusto. Of course, that wasnt really why he was curious.
Ah, dont mind thatss. Shes a novice, and she was fired by herst employer, the Triskatal said when she noticed Zacs look. She actually has the nerve to charge 50 E-grade Nexus Coins a day as well, as though she is a senior guide.
You are Draugr? Zac asked, ignoring thement.
Zac couldnt stop some hesitation from seeping into his voice as he asked though, since she looked a bit different from himself or Catheya. Her eyes were ck orbs just like his own, but they were matte and void of the abyssal feeling that Draugr eyes naturally possessed. She also had a few traits not normally associated with Draugr, such as slightly pointy ears and an odd vertical ridge in her forehead.
I wouldnt dare, the young girl said with a bow. There happens to be some divine blood in my ancestry. But I am not part of the Draugr-ns living in Twilight Harbor. You can consider me a normal Revenant.
Hmm, Zac said.
He was quite relieved by her words. It had been a bit of a gamble to seal his Specialty Core in his undead state since he didnt know what kind of reactions his Draugr heritage would create in a ce like this. But between howmon it seemed to be for Imperials toe here, and the fact that there was actual Draugr-ns present, it looked like his appearance wouldnt create any waves.
Part of him wanted to stay under the radar as he went about his businesses, but his experiences in Base Town and his subsequent experiences had imparted him with some valuable knowledge. Being too inconspicuous would only result in you getting discriminated against and losing out on important opportunities.
If anything, trying toy low increased the odds of you getting in trouble with people with strong backgrounds, as no one would miss a dead wandering cultivator. Meanwhile, his Draugr appearance essentially made him a VIP by birthright, and people wouldnt randomly move against him out of fear of whatever n backed him. In fact, even the local ns would speak up for him if it came to it, as the nobility of the five races couldnt be impugned.
Of course, the goal was to strike a bnce. Going too far in posturing would just make you a target, like the Eveningtide Asura or Yrial.
A- I, I have information connections as well! the half-blood Draugr hurriedly said when Zac didnt speak up again. My father is a fact-checker for a local intelligence merchant. I am up to date to all thetest events!
Why were you fired by yourst employer? Vri asked as she understood Zac was interested.
I dont provide those kinds of services, the girl said as her eyes darted toward the Revenant called Triskatal. The employer thought it was implied because of the price.
Good, Ill hire you. Lets start with one week and take it from there, Zac nodded as he took off his mask, his appearance creating some waves among the congregated guides.
Pureblood, one of the Revenants whispered with a mix of dejection and envy, and the other guides sighed and walked away.
They might have been willing topete for the assignment before, but they gave up when they saw Zacs abyssal eyes. The noble races tended to stay with their own, and a half-blood Draugr was obviously better than a normal Revenant.
Im N. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. Where do young master wish to go? N asked, clearly having some trouble looking into Zacs eyes. Perhaps she felt a bit pressured by speaking with a proper pureblood Draugr.
Im in no hurry, take us to some interesting ces, Zac said with a smile. Its not often I get to leave the n.
Ah, if young master wishes to relieve stress during his stay, I am always avable to apany you. I also have connections with various Flower Houses. Someone with your grand heritage would be weed with the utmost of service, Triskatal hurriedly said as Zac started walking away.
Amunication crystal flew up from between her breasts the next moment, making its way toward Zac. However, the crystal disintegrated as Vri sent a spiritual wave at it, making the Revenant grimace.
That wont be necessary, Zac said as he walked away with Vri silently walking in tow.
Zac emitted the aura of a Peak-E Grade warrior, but he was still just in the middle stages and his body was still solely powered by the ck ichor sitting in his veins. Of course, Triv had actually divulged that there werepounds that could temporarily awaken ones body, not only making amorous encounters but even pregnancy possible.
However, those kinds of zombie erection pills left behind quite a bit of pill poison, and indulging too much in them could even harm ones foundations.
If the young master wishes to take in the sights of Twilight Harbor, how about a boat ride between the teaus? N ventured.
Sounds good, Zac shrugged.
The Twilight Harbor uses special vessels that are powered by the Twilight Clouds between the inds. I have a vessel, N said as she took out a decent-looking flying treasure. I borrowed my familys ship. It is a bit low-end, there are better ones for rent as well.
This one is fine, as long as it flies, Zac shrugged as he walked aboard.
Vri gave the square ast look before she walked over and sat down next to Zac. N hurriedly jumped on as well, instructing the small vessel to lift off. The ship rose from the tform, and Zac realized it wasn''t actually covered by a barrier. Even then, he definitely felt he was inside a proper atmosphere, making him believe the whole harbor was covered in a massive atmospheric bubble.
The mysterious clouds didn''t seem to be able to reach the tforms though, but they rather formed what looked like rivers of stardust between the various inds. There were two separate types of rivers. One was the familiar cold aquamarine of Miasma, while the other was a much warmer yellow river.
It was clear that the rivers stemmed from the anomaly in the center of the Twilight Harbor, but Zac was interested to note that the anomaly was neither aquamarine nor yellow, nor a mix of them. It rather was rather a murky gold that rather leaned toward green, and it didn''t change whether it emitted the feeling of life or death.
N steered the flying vessel to float on top of one of the miasmic rivers, Zac could feel that it actually helped the ship pick up speed. However, they only moved for a few thousand meters before the ship slowed down until it came to a crawl.
Whats wrong? Zac asked.
I, ah, havent really given any tours so far, so I was trying to map out a good route, N said with embarrassment.
Thats fine, thats partly was why I hired you, Zacughed.
Zac wasnt lying. Some things didnt change even whenparing pre-integration Earth and the Multiverse. The guides in metropolises like this were very much like the tourist guides back home. They would take you to all kinds of stores where they had connections where their business partners waited to sell you low-quality items at a premium.
A greenhorn was more likely to bring him to proper establishments since she hadnt had time to build that kind of seedywork, and with her Fathers connections, Zac believed she should have a good understanding of theings and goings of this ce.
How about this, take me to some ce where I can sit down and enjoy some incense for an hour or two. I dont want any of those kinds of services, just a calm environment for us to stabilize after a long teleportation, Zac said, noting that Vris aura was still a bit unstable.
Certainly! There is a highly reputable Incencary run by the SharvaZi n not far from here. It provides a great view of the Twilight Ocean as well. I believe it would be up to young masters requirements,
The SharvaZi family?! Zac blurted with surprise, but he quickly reigned in himself. Do you know if anyone of them are here?
That is beyond me. Perhaps some havee for the Twilight Ascent, but the imperial ns usually only have a few branch members stationed here to run their businesses, N said, clearly trying to avoid reading into Zac''s reaction. Most of those who work there are natives.
Zac finally understood what had brought Catheya here while traveling with her master. It sounded like she had stopped by to look into their interests before moving on. Meeting Catheya was not something he had nned, but he also was a bit curious if she was here. He guessed it depended on whether her master had emerged from his seclusion back in the Zecia sector.
He had apletely different aura while undead and a new appearance with the help of <strong>[Million Faces]</strong> to make him look more like a natural Draugr, and Catheya shouldnt be able to recognize him even if they came face to face. He also had one simple thing working for him; the fact that it was so ludicrous that someone could be both a Draugr and a Human that no one would even think of such a possibility.
But even then, there was no point in ying with fire.
I am here incognito under my masters orders, and I dont want to make my presence known. I think its best if we visit another establishment, Zac slowly said.
Certainly, I know of many more such establishments, N quickly nodded. Millions of people havee here for the Twilight Ascent, and many are using temporary identities. After all, when there are benefits there will bepetition, and no one wants to bring grudges back to their ns.
Good, Zac nodded.
The boat moved slowly toward a teau two disks over, and it was clearly controlled by the undead. asionally, N would have the flying vessel fly over to another river heading in the right direction, and she rarely flew through the void itself. Zac first felt they were moving quite slowly along the energy rivers, but he soon realized that the speed was deceptive.
They passed a whole disk in just thirty minutes, and even the smallest disks were dozens of timesrger than his ind back home. The one they had passed wasrge as well, and he had seen whole mountain ranges sh by in minutes. That meant N''s dingy flying treasure was actually flying more than ten times as fast as his own leaf, something that was hard to believe considering the guide''s apparent economic situation along with her strength.
The leading ns have installed special arrays in Twilight Harbor, N exined as she looked down on her flying treasure with some embarrassment. This treasure is just average as young master guessed, but space is shrunk a hundred times along these Twilight rivers, allowing for easier travel between world disks. There are teleporters as well, but outsiders cannot use them.
Im surprised to see these kinds of arrangements in a frontier sector, Vri said to hide Zacs ignorance.
It is because a lot of the factions here have powerful backings from elsewhere. Their economic background cant bepared to normal local factions in a frontier sector. The Twilight Ocean is what truly makes it possible though since it unceasingly expels energy into the area, N said and pointed to a glowing object beneath them.
How about you introduce this ce to me? My master simply handed me a Teleportation Token and told me there would be opportunities in a ce called Twilight Harbor, but he didnt say much else, Zac said. Whats the Twilight Ocean?
Ah, so its like that, N said with surprise. The sphere down there is the Twilight Ocean, or rather the entrance to it. Its closed right now, but it is still discharging enormous amounts of Miasma and Cosmic Energy. Thats the whole basis of Twilight Harbor.
Zac hummed in understanding, a bit surprised to hear that the star itself was the ocean. He had just assumed it was the nebulous clouds and the Twilight Rivers were the oceans, and the tforms the harbor.
Is that star why this ce holds mixed races?
Yes, N said. The Twilight Ocean expels both life- and death-attuned energies, and unless both sides are present to absorb it, then the atmosphere will slowly be imbnced.
What is the Twilight Ocean? Zac asked curiously. "A mystic realm? Or an aberrant star?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
It is a supreme grade Mystic Realm from what I have heard, and the ce where the Twilight Ascent is being held. The Twilight Lord founded this ce, and his descendant is still officially in charge of the ocean, N said before she lowered her voice. Of course, many of the ancient ns have great influence in this ce, with the current generation Twilight Lord mainly focusing on his cultivation. He hasnt actually been seen for almost a thirty thousand years now, and many think he is preparing to assault Peak C-Grade.
Zac was about to ask some more questions, but they had almost reached their destination by that point - one of the world disks that had to be the home of billions of cultivators.