Depthless Hunger

Chapter 120: Ranking the Krysali

The group of crystalliers took them through Romastir boisterously, a combination of testing their movement abilities and pointing out the best places to eat or drink in the city. Zae Zin Nim was able to keep up effortlessly, while Kai was fast but not exactly elegant, just jumping or running after the others. Several of them had large crystals they could fly on, just like the mercenary Iroaki, but others relied upon boosts of qi to move themselves.

Thinking about the Krysali mercenary took Kai out of the cheerful mood of the group. Since most of them seemed more interested in Zae Zin Nim, he took the opportunity to observe the group from behind. He focused first on a young man who called himself Ailag and seemed to act as the leader.

Name: Ailag of Romastir

Total Power: 115

Crystal Cultivation: 2259 (71)

Physique Level: F-5 (40)

Soul Level: 2 (4)

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There was no question that the man was strong by most standards, but Kai wasn't impressed. Ailag was at least five years older than him and most of his power came from his crystal cultivation. His Physique and Soul Levels weren't particularly high for someone who should have so much experience. Of course, Kai didn't have much experience fighting crystal cultivators, so he made sure not to leap to conclusions.

"Oh, there's the Simmering Boar." Ailag pointed out a large building topped with a crystal spire. "You might meet clients there, but crystalliers wouldn't be caught dead going alone. Not the sort of establishment we usually patronize."

"But the booze is good," one of the other men said, and the entire group laughed.

Kai wasn't really interested in fine dining, but he paid attention when the group talked about weapon sellers or crystal merchants. There were definitely details about the local economy and use of crystals that he didn't fully understand yet. Since it never seemed to come up, Kai waited until he spotted a shop with a sign announcing that it bought and sold monster cores.

"We have a core we need to sell," Kai said loud enough to break over the group chatter. They slid to a halt on one of the roofs to look back at him. "Can we do it there?"

"What's the core?" one of the women asked.

In response, Zae Zin Nim revealed it from her robes. Immediately several in the group whistled and clapped, throwing out various affirmations. Even though they seemed surprisingly casual and didn't care about monster hunting, they were skilled enough to instantly tell a monster rank from a core alone.

"It would be absurd to try to sell it there," Ailag said with a sneer. "The poor merchant would probably have to take out a loan or mortgage his shop just to pay you what it's worth. No, no, come with us to Crystallier Headquarters. We'll be able to take care of everything for you there."

The crystallier group seemed snobbish, but overall Romastir didn't seem too bad to Kai. There were no clear divisions between upper and lower sections like in Monskon City, instead there were fancy buildings everywhere. He hadn't seen anyone who looked desperately poor, and even the workers bustling around the city looked clean and well-dressed.

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While they were flying through the city, one particular worker caught Kai's eye. He turned back to look, examining the man with his spiritual senses.

Name: ???

Total Power: 43

Crystal Cultivation: 3 (1)

Physique Level: F-6 (42)

Soul Level: 0 (0)

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The man's soul looked bizarre to Kai: he had a Physique of F-6, higher than any of the young crystalliers, yet almost no other power. No Soul Levels could be explained by the man not being a fighter, but why was his crystal cultivation so low? Was it so easy to gain Physique here that even workers advanced to F rank?

"What's the hold-up?" It was one of the women in the group, who Kai vaguely thought was named Naellia. She had stopped back, hovering on a long crystal staff, to look at him.

"What kind of Physique training do you do here?" he asked. The question immediately sounded stupid to him, so he rushed on. "I was just comparing strengths and I wondered if you had widespread methods for reaching the F ranks."

"Physique comes alongside your primary work." Naellia shrugged as if it didn't matter, then examined him with narrower eyes. "You're strong, but you're kind of a bumpkin, aren't you?"

One of the men who had lingered back laughed obnoxiously. Kai knew they were trying to antagonize him, but he just didn't care. He wasn't even sure what grounds they meant to insult him on, and if that made him a country bumpkin, it didn't seem to matter.

Before anything else could happen, Ailag looped back. "Hey, come on!" he called from his crystal. "We need to get them ranked!"

Naellia cast him one last glance that suggested she already knew what she thought of him, then turned away. Kai pursued the group, slightly puzzled, but examined her from behind.

Name: Naellia of Romastir

Total Power: 112

Crystal Cultivation: 2708 (76)

Physique Level: F-1 (32)

Soul Level: 2 (4)

>

She was fairly similar to Ailag, with less Physique and more crystals. Even if she could only see the human half of his soul, she should have known he was meaningfully stronger than her. Was she so confident in her offensive power that she didn't think his Physique could protect him? That was one logical explanation of why the crystal cultivators didn't seem focused on it, but Kai didn't want to draw conclusions yet. They must have some secret behind their confidence.

Finally they reached the Crystallier Headquarters and it wasn't at all what Kai expected. Given the number of crystals throughout the city, he had been expecting a palace of solid diamond or something. Instead it was a building of dark wood and stone, with almost understated crystals set in the foundation stones.

"Here we are!" Ailag swept them a dramatic bow with one hand flipping through the air. "This is one of the finest establishments in all Romastir, alongside Mercantile Central and the Refiners Guild. If you're as strong as you look, this will be your new home."

As they entered, he noticed that the crystalliers all took off their shoes, which were immediately taken away by cleaning staff. Zae Zin Nim frowned and refused, while Kai grimaced at how dirty his feet were. Seconds later there was a servant bringing a tub of water for him to clean them, which took him aback. The servant seemed just as shocked when Kai washed his own feet.

The others spoke to one another near the entrance and Kai took the opportunity to examine the building further. Now that he saw it from the inside, he thought he understood. Qi-bearing crystals might be valuable, but they were common in the city, and normal crystals seemed downright cheap. Crystallier Headquarters established its status by not using crystals in the construction. Likely the wood and stone were even more expensive here.

"Don't get too clean!" one of the men said with a laugh. He pulled Kai away from the tub of water and into the building. "We're going to test you right away, and you'll want a bath after that."

"Test us how?" Kai asked. The others all laughed.

"The top crystalliers of the city are all ranked," Ailag explained as he ushered them forward. "Even if you don't stay long, you need a rank or no one will know how much you're worth. Since the top two are here, we might as well do it now."

"Top two?" Zae Zin Nim's eyebrows rose slightly.

"That's right, you're lucky enough to arrive when the two strongest crystalliers in Romastir are in residence. They were already working on our forces, so the ranking trials start right away."

Kai frowned and glanced at Zae Zin Nim, but she seemed much less thrown off by all of this than he was. He'd wanted to get a better sense for Romastir and apparently he was being taken straight to the top. Maybe that was unavoidable, now that he was this strong in a land where he wasn't exiled.

Too late to back out now. The crystalliers led them out a side door into what appeared to be an arena, filled with an army of fighters bearing crystal weapons.

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