Stella's trip to Ashfallen City ended up being rather dull as everyone was hiding inside from the intense storm. Through her spiritual sense, she listened in on a few conversations, but they were mostly rumors concerning the destroyed harvest because of the storm, stories about the All-Seeing Eye, and a lot of moaning mixed with grunting coming from the basents of quite a few hos.
She debated jumping through the aether to ask one of the couples about what they were doing and if it was a fun hobby but decided against it. I would need a partner to do it anyway. Maybe Diana would know? Perhaps I'll ask her about it another ti. But I'll pass on whatever sport that is as I want a hobby I can do by myself.
Moving onto Darklight City, as Ashfallen City was too small, she rode atop Guppy down the empty trade route that snaked through the forest of demonic trees that lay between them. Unlike the central road in Ashfallen City, this road wasn't paved, so the rain turned it into a swamp. Terrible for mortals with horse-drawn carts, but no problem for Guppy, who was a water-based creature.
Approaching Darklight City's eastern gate, Stella saw movent on the walls as city guards reacted to her approach.
"Monster sighted!" The commander on the wall barked to his subordinates. "Don't just stand there, you shivering idiots. Sound the bells! Lower the gates!"
"Yes, commander!" They hastily ran through the rain to fulfill his orders.
How annoying. Stella rolled her eyes. She was glad to see the guards were so diligent even in this terrible weather, but she didn't want her presence to cause such a scene. Raising her hand, white soul flas lurched out, and she froze the bell and gates in place with telekinesis.
The commander leaned over the wall and glared at the people trying and failing to lower the gate. "What are you fools doing?!"
"Commander!" One saluted and looked up at the enraged man, "The gate is stuck in place."
"Just cut the rope then!" The commander roared, his Qi-infused voice booming through the rain. He seed to be in the middle stages of the Soul Fire Realm as earth soul flas gathered around his arms.
"We already did... it's just floating there." The guard reported, causing the commander to glance over his shoulder at the bell that was frozen mid-swing before it could make a noise.
"Shit, a spatial affinity monster?" The commander cursed as he fished out a communication jade from his thick overcoat pocket and gripped it tightly. "I'll call the Redclaws for backup."
"There is no need to call them over ," Stella said as she plucked the communication jade from his hand before he could infuse his Qi into it. The jade flew through the storm toward her, and she caught it.
"What?!" The commander glared at his empty hand before shouting into the storm, "Who goes there?! Identify yourself or face the wrath of the Ashfallen Sect!"
I will face the wrath of the Ashfallen Sect? Ah, he can't see . From his perspective, they must just see Guppy as a shifting darkness through the rain and an arm wreathed in white soul flas.
Stella got up and casually walked through the air toward the wall with white flas wreathing her entire body. As she comprehended aether Qi law, she could surround herself with a bubble of aether Qi, allowing her to easily perform such a feat.
As she approached, every guard raised runic weapons, and she saw soone had powered up an archaic defensive formation that would barely strengthen the wall to defend against a Star Core Realm level attack. They all backed up a step as she stood on the battlent, looking down at them with her Qi on full display and her hair floating slightly.
"Guards... lower your weapons. It's her." The commander said before kneeling. The line of guards on either side of the commander looked at the kneeling man with confusion before following the order and their commander's stance by taking a knee.
"I'm surprised you recognized , commander," Stella said.
The commander chuckled, "I'd claw out my own eyes in sha if I were to fail to recognize the daughter of our absolute ruler."
"You wouldn't have to go that far, commander. I ca without notice after all." Stella tried to reason with the hard-headed man. Was she unreasonable at tis? Possibly. But she wouldn't want soone to go that far simply because they didn't recognize her.
Monts like these remind that I'm more than just a cultivator to these people. Now I feel bad for showing up, especially with Guppy.
To apologize, Stella snapped her fingers, and the heavy rain pounding the poor guards paused above their heads, much to their amazent.
"Ahem," the commander coughed into his hand as he stood up, his clothes drenched and dripping water from standing out in the storm all day, "Forgive my asking, but is that monster with you?"
"Oh, Guppy?" Stella gestured for the Darktide Devourer to slither forward up to the wall. He wasn't quite big enough yet to et the guard's eyes, so the commander had to lean over the battlent to get a good look at him. "This is my pet." Stella crouched on the battlent and patted his head, "I didn't want to get my feet dirty, so I used him as a ride."
The commander gulped, "I see, that makes perfect sense." He coughed into his hand, "Ahem, as this Guppy is the pet of Ashfallen's Princess, I have no right to deny this monster's entry. This is your city, after all. Please enter at your earliest convenience. I just ask that you keep this Guppy monster under control."
"Thanks, I will do." Stella walked through the air over them, and Guppy passed through the gate under them, "And sorry about the gate." She released her control, and the world resud once more. A single bell strike went off, and the gate crashed down behind them as its rope had been cut. The rain resud, but Stella flicked her hand to divert it to either side of the wall to prevent a bucket load of water from crashing down onto the guards all at once. 𝖗А₦ŏ฿Ёš
She felt bad about the gate, but she hadn't co here to waste Qi, and everything about this entrance needed to be redone.
I'll talk to Douglas once I get back about it. Using a bell as a warning system like that is stupid as it can be destroyed or stopped in so many ways. That gate wouldn't stop much, and the defensive formation was clearly made cheaply by the Ravenborne family. Stella mused as she sat atop Guppy and headed down a wide street. Unlike Ashfallen City, there was so activity here, but everyone's eyes were on the ground due to the rain, so they didn't look up and see Guppy pass by them.
"Now, let's see if there are any possible hobbies." Stella spread out her spiritual sense once more. Yet again, it seed the mortals engaged in intense cuddling in almost all the nearby bedrooms. Was this a popular activity to do during the rain? Woah, even an entire building seems dedicated to it down that alleyway.
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It was opposite a bookshop that seed closed and a bakery that didn't have any custors while open. The baker used the quiet ti to pound dough in the kitchen and pull out trays of delicious-looking bread from a large oven.
Stella hopped off Guppy and debated which place to enter.
While it seems popular, I can't see the appeal of cuddling with a random mortal. She shrugged and entered the bakery. The sll of fresh bread tickled her nose, and a tiny bell rang.
"Just a minute!" The large-bellied man in white attire stepped out of the kitchen while smacking the flour off his hands. The mont he laid eyes on her, he froze in place.
Stella tilted her head in confusion. Did I cast telekinesis by accident?
The baker looked her up and down before gulping. "W-What can I get the beautiful miss?"
"Errr," Stella closed the door behind her and stepped inside, "What do you recomnd?"
"The lon pan is fresh out of the oven. Perfectly crispy and warm for this weather." The man said, barely able to contain his trembling.
"I'll get that then," Stella's spatial ring flashed with silver, and so crowns appeared on the counter, which the man eyed weirdly.
"Miss, are you a cultivator?" He asked while hastily putting a fresh lon pan into a paper bag and placing it on the counter beside the coins.
"Maybe?" Stella eyed the man suspiciously and gripped a hand around her Phantom Veil Pendant, confirming it was there and hiding her cultivation level, "How do you know?"
The baker looked at her as if she were crazy, "Your ethereal beauty aside, you are adorned in clothes that soone might wear during the peak of sumr, yet we are in the dead of winter. A mortal would freeze to death wearing such clothes. Furthermore, you don't have a drop of rain on you despite the weather, and this amount of money is my monthly salary."
The man didn't take a breath as he blurted out everything on his mind.
"Oh." Stella picked up the lon pan and took a bite. It was pretty good.
"Forgive my asking, but what is a cultivator doing in these parts? You guys are like lofty figures of legend."
"Really?" Stella said while munching on the lon pan, "Even with the All-Seeing Eye gifting the ability to cultivate to the masses?"
The man nodded thoughtfully, "If anything, it made you guys even more impressive. While I agree that it closed the gap between us, we also now understand just how much more powerful cultivators truly are. So, as for my earlier question, why are you here? Cultivators don't even need to eat."
"Say, baker," Stella eyed the man, and he straightened up, "Do you enjoy baking?"
"Uhm... yes?" He replied hesitantly. "Though the job does have so downsides."
"Such as?"
The man seed confused about why she would be curious about such a thing. "I have to wake before the sun rises to get everything ready for the morning rush," He nervously twiddled his fingers, "Then sotis I don't sell anything, so all I can have for lunch and dinner is bread."
"But you enjoy baking?" Stella asked again.
"Sure?"
"Enough that you would do it as a hobby?"
The man snorted, "Absolutely not. It's a better job than working in the mines or fields, but I would not call baking a hobby—" He suddenly coughed violently into his hand, "Heavens, excuse ." He wiped his mouth, and Stella saw crimson staining the back of his hand.
A shiver went down her spine as she was once again brought to reality and reminded of Vincent Nightrose, who was still out there. While they were laying a trap to kill him, there was no guarantee he would fall for it. She had gone on this side quest to distract her mind from him to give Jasmine so rest and improve her own ntal state. Yet the sight of blood had reminded her of the cold, hard reality she faced. She wasn't a mortal who could enjoy the simple life of eating warm bread. She was a powerful cultivator who ruled over a sect and was being hunted down by a near-godly being thirsty for her blood.
The man seed to misinterpret her hardening gaze as he hid the hand behind his back, "I can assure you none of that got into your food, not that a mortal illness could affect a cultivator like you."
"Are you sick?" Stella asked. She had never really been sick before as she had gained a level of cultivation where mortal illnesses were of no concern quite early in her life.
"I'm honestly not sure," the man sighed, "I suddenly started coughing blood a few days ago. I think it's so illness going around as the rest of the street has it, too."
That sounds rather concerning. Stella mused. I'm not a doctor, but I might be able to see the root cause with my spiritual sense.
"Could I have your hand?" Stella asked.
The pot-bellied baker nodded and presented his hand, which Stella placed the very tip of a single finger on as she wished to touch him as little as possible. She tried to cycle so of her Qi through his spirit roots, but they were clogged with blood. Sothing she had never seen before.
"Are you a mber of the All-Seeing Eye?" Stella asked.
The man nodded, "Who wouldn't be? Though I don't have the money to buy any pills so, I've only used pills from the welco package. You don't think this illness is caused by pills given by them, do you? I've heard so rumors..."
"Oh? What kind of rumors?" Stella always liked to hear the nonsense the mortals were sprouting about them.
The baker's eyes narrowed, and his voice dropped to a whisper, "There's a group called the eyepatch."
That is a really dumb na. Stella thought but gestured for him to continue. "Who are they?"
"They are firm nonbelievers of the All-Seeing Eye. They say the pills are poisoned, that the All-Seeing Eye is an evil god that's tempting the greed of mortals to enslave the minds of the mortals." The baker's expression darkened, "Nobody took them seriously until this last week."
"What happened this week?" Stella whispered, mirroring the baker's tone.
"I think they roped in a powerful backer with a lot of cash or influence to throw around. I have no idea how they did it, but every store owner in this part of town has been switching sides and is now a proud mber of this eyepatch group despite having gained the ability to cultivate from the All-Seeing Eye."
Stella tapped her chin in thought, "Who was part of this eyepatch group before this week?"
"Mostly rogue cultivators that used their slight edge gained from cultivation to bully mortal shop owners into paying them protection fees." The baker had a look of disgust, "You know, the beast core junkies that are at the peak of the Qi Realm. They have enough strength to smash the shit out of your shop if they get angry, but not enough to kill a fucking beast." The baker snorted. "You should have seen how terrified they were when the shop owners they once bullied turned the tables on them."
"This doesn't make any sense," Stella frowned, "Why would the shop owners who hated these people and finally got the upper hand join them in this eyepatch group."
"Beats ," the baker shrugged, "Tis are tough and money talks, I guess?"
"Hmmm," Stella focused back on the man's spirit roots. Using her Qi, she burned the blood away, causing the baker to wince in pain. Once they were clear, she saw the man's untad Qi flood his spirit roots, and everything returned to normal. "Have you eaten anything weird that could have caused this?"
The baker shook his head, "Not in this weather, miss. As I said, I've had to eat bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as I'm not selling out of my stock. All I have been eating is my bread and drinking water."
"How do you get water?"
"My water? I source it from an underground aqueduct that runs below this section of the city," The man's nose wrinkled, "It tastes quite nasty, but with the weather this bad, I have little choice as going outside is impossible."
"This aqueduct serves this part of the city, and you said most store owners have switched sides to this eyepatch group for reasons you can't understand?"
Confused, he nodded, "I can't say I'm following."
"These store owners, where are they?"
He gestured with his chin behind her, "Many of them gather in that brothel across the street. Otherwise, they will be in their stores, but most are open at night if you catch my drift. It's that kind of area. I know I don't fit in, but rent was cheap, and sobody has to feed the hungry after a fun night."
Stella wasn't sure what he ant by that, so she simply nodded. "Thank you for the lon pan, mister baker."
"My pleasure," the man bowed but then panicked as she turned to leave, "Wait!"
Stella raised a brow, "What?"
"Your money miss... this is way too much." He took a single one of the golden crowns and began digging in a pouch attached to his pocket. Finishing out many silver and a few bronze crowns, he added it to the small pile of gold and pushed it across the counter to her, "This is for you."
Stella looked at the pitiful sum of money and shrugged, "Keep it."
"What—"
"Treat it as paynt for information and humoring a bored cultivator," Stella snapped her fingers and teleported out of the store onto Guppy's head in a flash of white flas before the baker could protest. That had been way too much social interaction for one day.
His illness was weird. Blood entering soone's spirit roots isn't possible unless it's blood Qi. Is this being done by Vincent Nightrose? But why? What could he gain from backing a group of rogues and shop owners who hate the All-Seeing Eye? Stella narrowed her eyes at the tall wooden structure across the street that was apparently called a brothel. If the store owners gather here, maybe I should ask the patrons of this establishnt about this eyepatch group.
Stella grinned. After all, I would love to join.
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