“I will ask the second question,” the Housekeeper puts her elbows on the table and uses her hands to support her chin, “You are powerful, but you don't seem to be from the generation from before the war. So, what are you, or where are you from?”

“I can't answer that question,” I say simply.

“Thanks for being honest, then another one. What are you doing in the Bastion?”

“Honestly, nothing too interesting. I intend to learn a bit more about what happened before the war and what led to all of this. I want to explore the Bastion, mostly out of curiosity. I currently have no intention of causing trouble or starting any fights here.”

She gestures, and I ask, “What happened to the world, other than pairing, with the Veil.”

The Butler answers, “The Gardener knows more, but from what little we know, the Enchanters Guild created the Veil to give us an advantage during the Pairing. Something got screwed up, and the Veil turned against us and the monsters.”

His answer is simple, mirroring my own. I would like to ask them how old they are if they come from before the war. Why are they so sure that strong people must have lived through the war? More about the guild. Who is the Gardener? There are so many questions I want to ask, but there’s a reason I only offered 3 questions, I am almost certain they wouldn't answer more so at least I got a three.

Unfortunately, even these answers are not enough to finish the side quest. I have only one question left. I can try to ask about the sleeping Calamity and the Valley; those interest me the most.

In the end, I ask, “What do you know about the Valley?”

The woman glances at the mustache man, and he answers once again, “The Valley is the Valley, as the name says. It's a location shrouded in mist constantly, and the immense mana radiation prevents examination from afar. We’ve sent multiple expeditions, but they rarely return, and when they do, it's at a high price and the reports always mention a powerful monster that resides there. It could have been a clash between two Champions or perhaps the monster caused it when it took over. That or it’s one of the bunkers they used to work on the Veil.”

Well, I should have expected that answer. Everyone here seems to be satisfied with hiding in the city, they certainly don’t seem too curious about their world.

“The last question is, how old are you?” the Housekeeper asks. She is smiling and examining me carefully. Just like with the previous questions, she gauges my reactions and seems capable of catching me in a lie, that I'm sure of.

It’s a smart question and tricky besides, it will give her plenty of information about me.

“Twenty-one,” I answer, “no, scratch that. Twenty-two,” I correct myself. I entered the tutorial nearly a year ago, so I did “celebrate” my twenty-second birthday without even realizing it.

The silence that fills the room quickly becomes uncomfortable, and her eyes seem to be trying to drill holes in me.

“Twenty-two,” she whispers. “He is not lying,” the Housekeeper says, looking over at the Butler.

Both of them look at me. As they do, I notice Vega stealing snacks, thinking we are distracted. They see it too but pretend not to, and the Housekeeper even smiles gently at my silly disciple.

The questions are done, and the food is eaten, and the mood changes. It comes slowly, almost unnoticeably, but tension sneaks into the room, gradually building up until even Vega notices it. She doesn't even know why, but she moves closer to me, fear slipping into her gaze even as she tries to maintain a neutral expression.

“So, what is the result of our conversation? Are we going to fight, or will you leave me to do my business?”

The Butler doesn't react, but the Housekeeper smiles, sweeping a lock of her wavy black hair away from her face, her violet eyes giving me her full attention. I see her glance at the Voidsteel cutter at my waist. The woman either wants the weapon or wants to fight me.

“What if we decided that you put the Bastion and its people at risk and that we should mitigate that risk? We’ve had some terrible experiences with travelers like you,” The Housekeeper smiles at Vega. The mana that has lazily swirled around her body until now is being pulled towards her until I can't sense even a speck of mana radiating from her. Being used to power her body as she prepares to charge.

Even the Butler places a few anchor-like things all over the room and even far outside, most likely for his rift.

“Well, if you decide to be hostile, I will fight back, obviously,” I answer them.

My trait activates, a golden circle surrounding my pupils, and the energies I’ve been generating with the Thermokinetic heart swirl inside me. They threaten to escape, to explode and obliterate everyone and anything in their way.

The Butler says calmly, “Housekeeper, calm down, please.”

But she ignores him, her eyes wide open, muscles moving under her skin, “So what if we use that little girl to pressure you? You seem to care…”

She cuts off and lifts her arm to her face. That forearm blocks the kinetic energy from the anchor I placed near her head. Instead of her head exploding, the forearm takes the attack, purple mana shining at the place of impact.

“Heh, I guess my joke was too…” Her body is thrown to the side by an explosion emanating from another anchor I’ve placed nearby.

Purple mana shines around her body, and she’s taken no damage at all.

“Okay, okay, I get it…” another explosion, this time much stronger, throws her even further away, messing her clothes. Yet she doesn't fall and lands elegantly on her feet and stands up swiftly, “Message received.”

“You kind of deserved that,” the Butler sighs and then turns to me, “She likes awkward jokes like that, so please forgive her, Mister Gwyn. We obviously will not harm your disciple without reason.

“Come on, Butler, even given a reason, I wouldn't hurt such a cutie. Just look at her!” The Housekeeper sits in her chair as if nothing happened and points at Vega, who keeps glancing between me and the woman.

I wonder if it's normal for all these people to be such weirdos. Is it the levels or old age that makes people like that, or is it the tutorial making these floors more spicy for all of us?

“Well, I guess the dinner is over, so we will be leaving,” I tell them, ready for anything.

I have noticed the barrier around this place, and that would give them an advantage in the event of a fight. I’ve also noticed more guards nearby and one more person at a similar level to them. But I'm not worried.

My mana rumbles just under my skin, a Mana Reservoir long neglected. Thermal and kinetic energy roar inside two orbs I created and hid inside of my body before we entered the city. Even Vega can be evacuated through [Tether] to an anchor I’ve placed in the city, given the barrier won’t allow me to connect to the outside.

I might even want them to pick a fight, at least a little. I want to lower the effects of [Focus] and fight to forget about the Veil Guardian.

Just a little step, just a single attack aimed at Vega or me, and we can start.

When it does not come, I'm almost disappointed. The Butler only nods and then stands up, hands behind his back, and leads me towards the exit. The Housekeeper stays behind, her eyes on my back the entire time as we leave.

Just before we get back to the normal streets, the Butler tells me, “Mister Gwyn, next time, please refrain from such threatening actions. We prefer to act with civility and avoid violence, but we will not run from a challenge. Please count today as a show of our goodwill.”

He bows and then, as slowly as ever, walks back to the Housekeeper.

Yup, before this floor ends, I will pay these guys one more visit. A very eventful visit where I will show them what I think of their “show of goodwill.”

“Master?”

“Yes?”

“I think they might be even bigger assholes than you.”

Kids, they grow up so fast. Anyway, that's why I usually let others deal with people.

“Why do you think that, Vega?” As I ask her, she smiles so widely that her eyes create a thin line. Oh my, does she like being called Vega so much?

“The woman was nicer, but the man… I don't like him. I don't know why.”

Walking through nearly empty streets, I slow my steps to her level, “It's because she hid her feelings less, meanwhile the man kept restraining himself. It's usually better to know what you're against, even if it's something bad, meanwhile, you can't be sure with people like Mr. Moustache.”

“I see! Is master going to beat them up later?”

“Yes, but first we need to leave the Bastion and head to the Valley. They keep watching us, and even the barrier around the city is changing so maybe they want to trap us here. Remember, no matter how nice people act they could be a step away from stabbing you in the back. So, we will leave for a while and come back later.”

The barrier surrounding the fallen bastion makes me nervous. Even with my eyes and [Resonance], I'm not sure if I could do anything about it while taking care of Vega.

So we spend a few hours moving between shops. Even given the late hour, plenty of them are still open.

As we pass through more and more of them, I start to realize one thing. The items there aren’t very rare, no matter how high-end the shop or blacksmith we visit. Some of them even refuse to deal with us when they notice that we're not “citizens” as they say and only have a 3-day entrance token.

The control the leadership here has over its facilities is impressive. Blacksmiths, clothes shops, food shops, a small guild for explorers, expedition planners, and more. Everything is deeply controlled, and we need to be authorized to use their services to the fullest.

 

---

 

Looking back at the Bastion far behind us, I finish off the last of the monsters that had surrounded us.

[You have defeated Poisoneater- lvl 123]

[Lvl 218 > Lvl 219]

I watch as Vega deals with one of a much lower level. She saw me dealing with stronger ones, so she knows what sort of attacks to expect and dodges them.

The daring half-demon even allows a few physical strikes to land to test her class skill. A bit of that kinetic energy gets repelled by the barrier the skill affords her, and another part gets stored in her Kinetic storage.

It's still way too early for her to use her heart with her skills, but she will get there.

Name: Nathaniel Gwyn

Difficulty: Hell

Floor: 5 - Mentorship

Time left until forced return: 4y 27d 16h 2m 6s

Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 1/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3

I check the timer, and I have a week left with Vega and 27 days until the tournament. That's it if there isn't something else. The time limit feels way too short for anyone who can’t fly or who isn’t as strong as me. Perhaps the floor will continue even after the disciple returns to their word.

It's hard to describe, but even though I’ve decided to put more emphasis on my growth, I enjoy the time I’ve spent with my disciple. I keep putting off the test to see if she is just a fake or from the real world. I will do it just before the end of the quest.

But now, let's check the Valley.

“Vega, come here,” I gesture, and she quickly comes rushing after killing the monster.

I pull one of the most valuable mana stones I have out of my pocket and hand it to her, “This is a failsafe and will protect you in the event we get separated.”

Her eyes expand, and she takes it and quickly starts examining it.

Like me, indeed.

The mana stone I gave her contains one of the most complex inscriptions I’ve made so far. Unlike my botched attempts at whatever I was doing in the Sanctuary, I’ve improved my inscriptions quite a bit. The stone is upper rare and just a tiny step away from an epic item.

Its function is simple. It will protect her against high levels of ambient mana so it doesn't fry her brain. Of course, I will keep her near me and constantly protect her myself, but this is just in case.

I have spent plenty of time working on it and learned a lot. It works by attracting mana to it like a vortex and then pushing it away - like when the black mana dominates the surrounding mana.

After a few tests, I can consider it a success, and the quality of the stone helps a lot.

“Thank you, master, I will make sure to protect it!”

“Sure, sure,” I tell her, as she lifts her arms, and as many times before, I lift her to my chest.

I shift the bags on my back and create a barrier around us that is ready to activate at full power anytime.

Part of my mana goes into [Resonance], and I start heading towards the Valley. Moving through the air, we quickly close the distance, and with every mile, the mana filling the air grows heavier.

Up in the air, I can see the entire Valley stretched out before me, covered in mist and mana so dense that one could almost see it with normal eyes. Surrounded by tall mountains and hills, it almost looks like they were placed to block anything there from getting out.

I notice that Vega has trouble breathing and compress my mana a bit more and radiate more of it to power my skills. Her breathing turns to normal, and I fly closer.

The Valley, even as far as it is, is eerily quiet, nestled down there.

Flying becomes more difficult, as the surrounding mana disrupts my concentration. Logically it shouldn't affect me or my kinetic energy at all, yet it does, and I'm forced to land.

I almost make a mistake and activate my trait, and only stop myself at the last second, realizing how big a mistake it could be. The trait allows me to see mana waves and collect more information on anything mana-based. Just the sheer amount of mana and information here would likely tear my brain apart.

Instead, I strengthen the barrier around us.

Each step is harder than the one before, and it takes a while for us to reach the entrance to the valley. The wall of mist seems to separate everything inside from the outer world. That's what it is, it looks like a literal smooth wall.

Just a few steps and we will be inside.

I check the amount of kinetic and thermal energy I’ve collected. I examine my full Mana Reservoir. I test my skills, and all of them are working. The voidsteel slicer is still at my waist. Even the mana stones I’ve inscribed and prepared for just in case are in my pockets, ready to be used. There are circuits drawn with mana conductive paint on my arms and legs and even some lower quality lines on my chest.

As ready as I can be, I take a step with Vega in my arms.

The moment we pass through the wall of mist, the view ahead clears. The Valley is much bigger than it seemed from outside, though it’s still surrounded by mist and mountains that seem to scrape the sky.

In front of us is, as far as I can see, a forest, some hills, and a few lakes, and there, far in the distance, a being sleeps. A being much bigger than anything I’ve seen up till now. It has a snake-like body, long and slim, covered in beautiful light green scales. The monster has six legs too, each of them slim and nimble-looking.

The head lays on the ground, eyes closed, and each breath shakes the trees below. Were it to rear up, the monster would be as tall as a skyscraper.

[Gaiathra - lvl ???]

I guess I don't have to look for the sleeping Calamity anymore.