Leveling up the World

Chapter 406: Old Friends

Chapter 406: Old Friends

The heart of a cloud fort. Dallion kept thinking about it as he washed in his usual city lake. Normally, people wouldnt be allowed to do that during the day, but both the city guard and the guardians in question turned a blind eye.

Little is known about the other races, Nil said. And by little, I mean next to nothing. Most of the information is hoarded by the Academy and the Order, and they have a tendency to hide things or make others forget. I suspect the Empire also had a hand in that. There were a number of wars between it and the cloud fortresses at one point. The records are kept away, but the information has leaked through literary works and memoirs. A case of air versus magic. There even were accounts that the furies were winning until the great hero Tamin the first organized an army of human awakened and destroyed a few cloud castles. Allegedly, that was the turning point marking the furies downfall and the rise of the human empire.

Allegedly? Dallion asked.

Its poetry, the old echo explained with a sigh. Things tend to be over-glorified, especially in cases in which the poems in question were written centuries after the event. Of course, there are arguments that poets used earlier sources long since destroyed, but we can only guess what really happened. As a friend of mine used to say, history is merely fiction we choose to believe in.

That sounds a bit cynical.

My friend was an extremely cynical person, Nil grumbled. In any event, what will you do? Jiroh wont be happy when she sees you destroy an entire cloud fortress.

Dallion didnt reply. He knew that better than anyone. However, he had no choice in the matter. The debt had to be repaid, especially since Moon vows were involved. Back when Dallion had gone to the general asking for help to save Nerosal, he knew that he would get a bad deal, but he didnt think hed end up sacrificing one city to save another. If the heart was the force that held the cloud fortress together, removing it was essentially the same as dissolving the fortress itself. The only alleviating circumstance was that he was sacrificing an abandoned city.

Submerging one final time, Dallion got out of the lake and put on his clothes. Done, he left his secluded spot and went back into the streets of the city. Strangely enough, those hadnt changedsome of them were still small and crowded, full of the same stalls, shops, people, and items. There were a lot of mirror pool members as well. Dallion was almost surprised how many of them were hiding in plain sight. Thanks to his empathy stat it was childs play to find out who they were. The sloppy ones he could tell at a single glancethe blocker rings they wore were an obvious sign, rendering them incapable of emitting internal emotions. As for the good onesno matter how careful each had at least one item they were attached too, and despite what people thought, items had a tendency to speak a lot.

Dal? someone yelled.

Dallion turned around to see a young woman wave at him with a smile. Her hair and clothes were completely new to him. Her face, however, was quite familiar.

Hey, Bel. He forced a semi-smile.

She had been one of the people he had taken his first guild admission trial with. Back then, she had a much punkier appearance. Now, she had turned her hair black and short, traded her often wild clothes to a more respectable travelers outfitrealm travelers, that wasand had had procured her a rather good set of combat gear. A quick chat with it, let Dallion know that the armor and weapons found her quite passable, even if there was a lot she could learn.

Didnt know you were in town.

I just came back, Dallion said, flanking in the rough direction of the town gate.

Tough ride in the wilderness, eh?

Something like that. Silver emblem? he pointed at the guild sign hanging from her neck. You must be rising in the hierarchy.

I wish. At this point, Im just the newbie. I got moved to building duty. Its she paused, trying to come up with the words. different. Much better than sanitation and a lot more difficult than item exploration. It has its charm, though.

That it does. It felt like ages since Dallion had been on one of those. Tell the band hi from me.

Definitely. Actually, why not do it yourself? Looking at you, you could use some real food, not the roots and twigs you eat out in the wilderness. Theres always a feast going on at the hall. Im sure everyone will be glad to see you.

There was a long pause. This was the sort of question Dallion feared he might be asked. He feared it, because the answer could only be one and the same.

Maybe some other time. He shook his head.

Right. Bel caught the hint.

To a degree, Dallion still felt guilty about his decision while being in the guilt. However, that wasnt the main reason he was avoiding it. The Icepicker guild was the source of a lot of good moments, and a few bad, but it wasnt part of his life anymore. More than likely, Jiroh and Eury had gone through the same. Maybe in a few more months hed be able to pass by the guild as they did, but that time hadnt come yet.

Did you manage to become a hunter?

Soon. Dallion said with a faint chuckle. Was nice seeing you, Bel. You take care of yourself.Fôll0w current novÊls on n/o/(v)/3l/b((in).(co/m)

The innkeeper grumbled, and took it from him, before Dallion changed it into something even fancier.

I met Diroh when we were out, he said, testing the waters. I didnt expect that.

Give it time. Youll learn to expect the unexpected.

You know?

I heard a year before you came to the city. Its her business, so it didnt concern you.

That wasnt the answer Dallion wanted to hear, but one he could understand.

Fair enough. Dallion mended the chair and was about to make his way to the kitchen, when the innkeeper grabbed his hand.

What about you?

Hmm? Dallion didnt know how to react. He had seen the woman shout a lot, sometimes hed seen her get tough on people who had a few drinks too many. Her speed, however, surpassed everything that he had seen so far.

Is becoming a hunter all you want?

Yes. You know that.

So, youve given up on the idea of going home.

Oh, not this again. Dallion sighed internally. He had no idea why the woman was so insistent about it, but she clearly was. The issue was that he had no intention of returning to Dherma. Visiting wasnt a bad idea, but going back for good that was definitely not in the cards for the near future.

I dont fit in there anymore. Its Veils place now.

Im not talking about the village. Im asking about your real home. Are you thinking of going back there?

The question echoed like thunder in a clear sky. Had she just asked him whether he wanted to get back to Earth?

No, Dallion replied. I thought it was impossible.

How would you know? Have you tried finding a way?

Another good question. The short answer was no. The longerthat Dallion had no inclination of doing anything of the sort. In fact, he didnt have any inclination to seek out other people from Earth. There was no logical reason for it, simply something that had never crossed his mind. After all, half his memories were of this place, so, if anything, if he were to leave, hed miss this place even more.

Theres no way back. He pulled his hand away, putting an end to the conversation. Thanks for the drink, Hannah. Dallion made his way to the kitchen.

Dont waste too much of his time, the innkeeper said, before he could enter. Aspans got a lot of work.

Ill do my best not to bore him.

You should let him talk about his home sometime when hes less busy. Im sure both of you would find it interesting.

Maybe we will. Whats gotten into her?

The innkeeper wasnt one to delve into ones past. That was pretty much the firmest rule. Everyone had their past, according to her, and as long as they were in the inn, they were free not to share it. Maybe the fact that Dallion had become a hunter had changed her view a bit. As far as Dallion could tell, thanks to his music skills, the woman had suddenly become saddened by something. Saddened and concerned. And it all had to do with him