Although this place had shown no danger so far, that did not an it would remain thus. Hargreaves confird once again that he could depart this place with a single thought, and then decided to explore the rest of the area.
His cultivation journey would not be easy if he never took a risk, and it wasn't as if his daily life was easy either. Protheus was not exactly a safe place, and he had enemies of his own with whom he was competing for resources and recognition. If his strength grew stronger than his enemies, then even at ho he would only find death.
He stepped out of the building and looked out onto the scene of a neat, well organized small village with nurous courtyards and stone streets. But though there were clearly artificial elents here, nature had not been removed either, for the streets had countless Cloud-trees growing, filled with colorful flowers and fruits.
Just as he was appreciating the sights, a butterfly flew past his face, its fragile wings carrying it up into the air towards the trees. Yet behind the harmless facade, the butterfly radiated the aura of a rank 5 wizard! That ant it was a Nascent soul cultivator! A butterfly!
Hargreaves' pupils constricted and he nearly teleported out of this place that very instant, for that's when his gaze fell on the countless other wildlife of this place.
A family of hummingbirds flew overhead, each of them a Golden core cultivator. Far, in the distance, away from the village, an ostentation of peacocks moved through the verdant hills, each of them radiating a power so strong he could not guage it.
Closer by, there was a squirrel at rank 5 and a random brick on the road that had the aura of a rank 4 wizard!
Hargreaves would have felt like an ant among giants if only he hadn't seen an ant equal to a rank 3 wizard - a whole rank above his!
Yet he also quickly noticed that the wildlife lived in harmony, not bothering each other, and not paying attention to him either.
This place was a deathtrap with a ribbon tied atop, making it look cute and friendly. But that did not change that a literal flap of a butterfly's wing could literally kill him.
He was caught in his doubt and hesitation when Hargreaves noticed a movent in one of the other courtyards. Three buildings away from his, the door opened and revealed a beautiful elven girl. She stepped out, her aura perfectly concealed, and took a single glance at everything before casually stepping forward, as if she had no concern.
She noticed Hargreaves standing at his door and paused for a mont. But she did not wait long, and simply continued on her path, uncaring about a person who could not step outside his door.
Seeing as how no animal bothered her, Hargreaves took a step forward, careful of his surroundings. He wondered if that elven girl was an old mber of Obsidian. The way she was so nonchalant about everything here suggested a familiarity.
Hargreaves activated a defensive technique, ready to fight back and escape at a monts notice, before stepping out onto the stone path towards the Stone Temple.
As he journeyed through the hill, he noticed that everything looked so foreign from the world he was used to. There were ponds that seed to carry stars. There were waterfalls, but instead of falling down they were falling upwards. He even saw a tree that was growing an apple, which was clearly absurd. Everyone knew apples grew trees, but here, things were operating the other way.
Through it all, Hargreaves ensured that he kept the elven girl in sight, and followed her up until reaching the Stone Temple. When he saw her go in without a worry, Hargreaves waited a mont, but decided to follow in.
What he did not know was that the elven girl he saw was just an illusion created by Lex. None of the other system users had co just yet, for whatever reason, so he created an illusion to disarm him, and have him hurry up and enter the Temple.
Instead of seeing the girl once he entered the temple, Hargreaves imdiately found himself in a white chamber, devoid of anything save a single, white chair.
This was a replica of the room where Lex had undergone the first few procedures for Regal Embrace, and since the room had made an impact on him, he decided to recreate it for use with these guests.
Taking the very obvious hint, Hargreaves sat on the chair, yet the mont he did, he found himself in a dark, foggy conference room. Startled by the sudden change, he jumped up and imdiately returned to the white room.
Only a mont later, it clicked for him that by sitting on the chair, he could be transported sowhere, but he would only stay there while he sat.
Carefully, he sat down again, and this ti paid closer attention to the process. Touching the chair did not teleport him. It was only when he was fully seated that his environnt would suddenly change.
All around him was a thick fog that made it difficult to see, and in front of him was a conference table that seed to extend into eternity. In the far corner of the table, hidden by a veil of fog, was a blurry figure.
"Welco to Obsidian," said a deep, powerful voice, crashing into Hargreaves' very soul. "I am the Obsidian Sage. Allow to introduce this place to you. Once you've heard the details, you can decide if you want to take the Oath of Secrecy, or give up your mbership to Obsidian. Be warned, this will be your only opportunity to enter. If you choose to reject, you will be allowed to return to where you ca from, but Obsidian will forever be closed to you. Now, before we begin, is there anything you want to ask?"
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